the chrysalis course
"I think you have much to give, especially in your power of delighting and inspiring people with a love of poetry, of awakening and warming people's hearts."
Kathleen Raine
The Programme
A poem is like a butterfly. A moment seeds itself inside us. A memory. An experience when we saw, we felt, perhaps, even, we knew.
It touches deep in us. Deeper than words. And something begins, in that inner space. Something that is uniquely ours, to speak of.
Creativity is naturally a process of incubation and birth. The service of CHRYSALIS is to assist and guide you in this process.
CHRYSALIS is a non-academic, critically affirmative approach designed to respond to the needs of each individual person.
CHRYSALIS aims to honour and empower your own unique experience. All you need is a commitment to yourself.
The Chrysalis Course
(Parts 1 and 2 can be taken in sequence, or separately)
PART ONE: for those who feel drawn to writing as well as reading poetry. It is made up of an Introduction and nine modular sets of course notes (one per month) which contain teaching, imaginative exercises, study poems, suggested reading—and poems to write to be sent in for individual feedback.
PART TWO: a more advanced course designed for those who want to go more deeply into poetry, its origin, form, process and technique. It is made up of an Overview, and again, nine sets of notes which specifically emphasize form, with broader reading material, as well as nurturing and stimulating the imagination. Again you will be invited to send in work and write about what is happening to you.
EDITING: an experienced editor, Jay offers a number of services such as appraisal, advice on selection or structure, proofreading and copyediting in both poetry and prose. Please ask for further details.
ONE TO ONE SESSIONS: 60 -75 minute work with Jay on your poetry or in a therapeutic context in connection with your creative and spiritual process and where you are in it. This includes journal keeping, drawing and writing.
PERFORMING AND READING: performing or reading poetry and learning how to relate to an audience is an art of its own. These sessions will help you explore your voice and presentation in doing justice to your work.
WORKSHOPS AND TALKS: Jay’s day and weekend writing workshops ‘The Poet in You’, ‘The Sacred Space of the Word’, ‘Keeping the Faith’ and its sequel ‘Touching the Source’ are held regularly. They offer an immediate and inspiring way of working, and an invaluable opportunity to meet and exchange ideas. Please let us know of your interest.
FEES: Parts One and Two are £195 each, inclusive of VAT, printing and postage costs in Great Britain. For the USA and other countries please add £20, with payment by international money order or sterling cheque. Payable in full or £75 in advance, with the remainder payable after four sets of notes have been sent out. Some concessions are available, especially for younger people and OAPs. For one-to-one sessions in Gloucestershire and London, either on your poetry or for therapy, phone Jay on 01453-759436.
PLEASE APPLY TO: For both parts: Jay Ramsay, 5 Oxford Terrace, Uplands, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 1TW. phone 01453 759436 Cheques to Chrysalis
What people have said
Over the past few months your course notes have led me along a path which has proved to be a most enlightening experience: an increased awareness ... a real opening up
—Ken Nelson, England
I love your course, it has so much heart in it
—Keith MacNider, Australia
The course is wonderful, the exercises inspiring. Not only for writing poems, but also for self-development ...
—Kolbjorn Vardal, Norway
Chrysalis has been a painful deepening—as all births are—a deepening into life. I am very grateful to you
—Leo Campos, Arizona
I can’t think now what my life would have been if I hadn’t come across Chrysalis
—Bridget Thomasin, England
So you see (again, no doubt!) what a powerful catalyst for healing your course is. I feel blessed to have found it
—Julia Curumtally, England
Biography Jay Ramsay
I read English at Oxford, and came to London in 1980 as an unknown. I cofounded Angels Of Fire there, and as a radical collective we staged four festivals of New Poetry which appeared on ITV and BBC2 and which culminated in a major South Bank launch. In 1983, I was editing my own magazine; in 1985 Psychic Poetry—a manifesto, my first book, came out. At the same time my interest was moving increasingly towards healing and spirituality and as as result I attended the Institute of Psychosynthesis, becoming a UKCP accredited psychotherapist and healer in private practice. In 1988 the first five books of my main work The Great Return were published; and in 1990 after starting Chrysalis with an E.A.S. grant, I left London for Gloucestershire, while maintaining my link with fortnightly sessions. Since then I have worked on Chinese classics including the Tao Te Ching, the I Ching and Kuan Yin with Martin Palmer, and written Alchemy—the Art of Transformation (Thorsons, 1997), as well as running workshops and giving talks in the UK and abroad. My most recent book are Kingdom of the Edge—New & Selected Poems 1980-1998 (Element, 1999), After Rumi (The Lotus Foundation, 2002), The Message (David Paul Press, 2002) and Crucible of Love – the alchemy of passionate relationships (O Books, 2005).
Jay Ramsay is available for performances, readings and talks by arrangement, also with music and dance, described as ‘celebrating the spirit in a secular age which flies in the face of feeling...’ Ring for details: 01453 759436 chrysalis the poet in you courses, workshops & one-to-one sessions with Jay Ramsay