It’s easy to forget who you are while on the journey to becoming a responsible adult. Duty, obedience, conformity, and fear often dim the lights of desire, narrowing your aspirations, depleting self-confidence, and leaving you feeling like there’s no joy in your life. When you befriend your desires, however — including those you’ve been taught to resist or believe to be shameful — you learn to harness the power of desire itself. This invigorates your life, fuels creative thinking, and bolsters the freedom that comes from being yourself.

The six lessons in this transformational class guide you back to the source of desire and the vitality that is only available by transcending self-judgment and oppressive social taboos. When you dare to be transparent – to yourself most of all – and learn to follow your own bliss and trust your own goodness, you ignite the engine of desire and move toward an authentic, creative, and meaningful life.

You recognize that the purpose of desire isn’t mere self-satisfaction; instead, desire is the spiritual force that moves you forward, inspires your muse, connects you to others, and deepens self-knowledge. Awakened by desire, you’re able to tap into this greening force, the same erotic power that propels the cosmos. You discover reservoirs of creativity, resilience, and inspiration previously unknown to you, and the transformative potential of your imagination.

LESSON OVERVIEW

Week One: Know Thyself
Self-awareness is necessary for tapping into the fuel of desire. To touch your source, you must know who you are, which begins with seeing yourself without censorship. In this first lesson, we explore the blind spots, resistance, and false stories that help to conceal us from ourselves, and block self-knowledge, including the rich, mysterious realm of the shadow.

Week Two: Open to Love
We know ourselves by what we love. We are shaped, defined, made meaningful through the ‘holiness of the heart’s affections,’ as Keats put it. In this second lesson, you’ll explore your emotional landscape of love – toward yourself, others, the world – and how and when your heart shuts down. By shutting down love, we shut down the greening force of desire.

Week Three: What Do You Mean
In this lesson, you explore the connection between meaning and desire, and how purpose generates creative power. You will write about your ‘meaning story,’ which is always changing. You will write about choice, and how the ability to choose your way increases a sense of personal meaning.

Week Four: The Call to Freedom
Though we share the desire for freedom, we forget that liberation is an inside job. In this fourth lesson, we look at the paradoxes surrounding the innate desire for freedom and how we sabotage our own autonomy. What would you do if you were free, however you define that? This question contains a lot of generative fuel.

Week Five: Your Creative Edge
In this lesson, you explore creativity and imagination – the power generated by the spirit of discovery, play, and risk. The key to creativity is not knowing, and the attitude you take toward your own creative edge often reflects how you approach uncertainty, change, and vulnerability. By deepening your comfort with discomfort, you evolve as an individual.

Week Six: Spiritual Longing
The desire for transcendence and connection to a higher power is the source of our greatest power. In this final lesson, you’ll explore the link between spiritual longing and motivation. Aligned with life’s mystic dimension, you recognize that you are a part of God (or Unity Consciousness). You are energized, uplifted, inspired; and capable of more than you might have imagined.

HOW THE ONLINE CLASS WORKS

In the week prior to the start of the class, you will receive an invitation to join the Google Group for the class where all assignments, individual work and Mark’s weekly comments will be posted. Using Google Groups allows the class to read, comment and support each other’s work in a positive and nurturing environment.

Each Monday, for the duration of the class, a new lesson will be posted to the Google Group. Students post their work to the Group by the following Saturday evening. Assignments should be no more than 1,000 words.

On Sunday and Monday, Mark responds to your submission in writing. His comments are focused on insight, authenticity of voice, and emotional honesty not writing technique, prose style, or grammar.  His responses offer additional prompts for deeper exploration of the subject. Students who wish not to share with the group can send their work privately to Mark.

Two group Zoom sessions will be held to provide an opportunity for students to ask questions and talk together about their work.

Zoom Session 1: Monday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Zoom Session 2: Monday, October 31 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern

These Zoom sessions are recorded and the playback links will be posted the following day.These are the only live sessions throughout the six weeks.

This inspiring six-week online class for writers, seekers and creatives probes the different faces of desire and the lessons they teach us about how to live. When you become intimate with your own desires, and tap into the energy that moves you forward – that animating power that fuels your engine – motivation increases and you find the reserves of life force and passion that can improve your life immeasurably.

I hope you’ll be able to join me for this energizing, insight-provoking class.

Early Registration Class Tuition: $385 USD
(Register by September 15, 2022)

Full Class Tuition: $440
(After September 15, 2022)