Listening to Literature: Understanding that which Emboldens from Within  

This is a 6-week personal development course  

This course is available upon request for individuals and groups when not officially open. Get in touch for more info and pricing.

Why should you attend?  

This is a great base course to start the process of getting to know yourself better. It was created with the intention to share the ways in which I use literature to relate to life, but also to facilitate the ways in which I might approach situations or unexpected events that naturally occur.  

Getting to know ourselves better also helps us understand others, which is a great asset when we consider how much time we spend with and also rely (to a certain extent) on others.  

What I had in mind when creating this, was that this would be a course that you could carry with you. You can always go back to the stories and the explanations and notes from the sessions, and you will always find something new – something meaningful for that moment in your life.  

It might be worth mentioning that these courses are for both men and women – the material covered is based on Being so gender is of no consequence, we all need nourishment  

We will consider such questions:  

Who am I?  

Who is Other?  

How can I relate to myself and my past experiences in a way that will help me face my future in a more knowing and understanding way?  

How do I accept myself?

How can literature allow me to slow down and understand myself/others differently?  

You’ll find the course chapter titles below in the Course Content section.   

Who is it for?   

This is for anyone wishing to reconnect with themselves.  

This is also for anyone who wants to reignite their spark – when it comes to themselves personally, their relationships, or even in relation to their work.  

Getting to know and understand yourself better will naturally help you recognise and affirm what it is that you really want out of life. It could also be beneficial to the ways in which you face challenges or new experiences   

All those who attend the course will be given a certificate of participation on completion.  

All workshops may be held in-person (Malta/Gozo) or virtually on Zoom.

When possible there will also be sponsored slots for the ‘Listening to Literature’ courses. In case there is anyone you may know who would like to participate and requires a sponsored slot, please do get in touch. If you wish to sponsor (in its entirety or a percentage of) someone’s place in the group this is also possible.  

Content

For Listening to Literature 1 I have merged the 6 of the stories from Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ ‘Women who Run with the Wolves’ and Benjamin Hoff’s ‘The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet’. The stories and course content we will be covering may be found below.

Course Content & Stories

Understanding Yourself  - Resurrecting the Inner Howl *La Loba

Initiation  - The Why and How of Literature *Bluebeard

Intuition  - Who? *Vasalisa the Wise

(From) Nowhere and (To) Nothing - Nourishing the Creative Life *La Llorona

Bisy Backson  - Healing our Wounds *The Woman with Hair of Gold

Homing - Returning to Oneself *Sealskin, Soulskin

Structure  

At the start of every week you will be sent a chapter to read with details and some prompts relating to that chapter. You will have at least 5 days to go over the material which we will then discuss and read on a Saturday evening. When we go over and share our thoughts it is good to realise that it is time that we are giving to ourselves – we are all here to learn and grow from each other's experiences.   

So, though the material does not take more than 1 hour to read, it is encouraged that you go over it a few times to really dig into the meaning of the stories and how or if they relate to your own experience in life. I also encourage journaling anything and everything that comes to mind so you can share it with the group, if you so wish.  It would also be great if you could have a printed version of the text with you to facilitate discussion, especially if you’re in a virtual group held on Zoom.  

Testimonials

This course is an invitation to travel in the deepest part of yourself, to get in touch with your own wildness that is so often a hidden part in everyone. I was taken on a journey, during these 6 weeks, in which I could realize that every woman carries within a natural and instinctive force and that I had this course coincides with a self-discovery journey with my feminine and vulnerable side. Perfect synchronicity and timing.  

Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride to better understand yourself!

Nathalie Revey - Switzerland

I thoroughly enjoyed this existential journey which has taken me down intriguing paths where I have met all sorts of characters - from the collector of bones, who “nourishes and gives life to the instinctual self”, to Baba Yaga, the provider of fire and inner strength. A journey that has invited and challenged me to look at “what I am made of”, just like the beautiful seal woman who ultimately prized her autonomy and raw spirit above all else. I have taken courage from these stories, mostly simple in their nature, almost naïve even, yet so empowering and delivering such depth of meaning and hope in their messages of life and being.

This collection of readings, made coherent by Ruth’s insights and guidance into their symbolism, provides a timeless course of personal reflections of self-understanding and growth that one can re-visit again and again - because time does not stand still and we are all “a work in progress”.

Charlotte Schembri - Malta

Prices  

Students – Educators €800

Regular €1,000

Groups – please get in touch to go over the details  

 *Students and Groups are asked to kindly get in touch to be able to pay as only Early-bird and Regular spaces will be sold through the site.

Early-bird - €500 — sold from April 20th - May 1st

Please do not hesitate to call to find out more and arrange payment.  

 Ruth

ruthless@commonrouts.com

+356 79281400