Kim Hermanson's Blog, page 31
February 23, 2019
Fundamental Change Depends on our Capacity to Engage with Metaphor
Metaphor is at the core of nearly
every scientific breakthrough throughout history, and celebrated scientists
like Niels Bohr, Richard Feynman and Albert Einstein relied on metaphor to help
them make new discoveries. At all levels of society—personal, cultural,
scientific, social, political—fundamental change depends upon our ability to
engage with metaphor.
Aristotle claimed that his soul
never thought without an image. Einstein said that words did not have much to
do with his own thought process. Rather, it was visual and kinesthetic images
that helped him formulate his mathematical and scientific concepts…words had to
be laboriously found in a “secondary state.” August Kekule said his discovery of the benzene ring arose from a
vision he had of a snake taking hold of its own tail. And Velcro was invented
when George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, noticed that
the cockleburs that were stuck to his pants had tiny hooks on them.
February 18, 2019
Finding Your Image
For many years, I led creative writing workshops. Early on I noticed that some writing prompts tended to keep people entrenched in their thinking mind… and their subsequent writing was heady and dry. These writing prompts often involved using a word or newspaper headline to write from. Their writing might have been slick and witty, but it was rarely deep or soulful, it didn’t move the group emotionally.
But when I brought in images, it opened up a whole other space… images helped writers access a depth that wasn’t available to them otherwise. Their writing was rich and profound, I felt nurtured listening to it.
Albert Einstein said that images were what motivated his work and helped him formulate his mathematical and scientific concepts, while words had to be “laboriously” found in a “secondary state.” I believe this is true for all of us. We search for the explanations, the descriptions, the words…but what we really need to do is find our image. Once we do, we’re off to the races.
The words and descriptions will come later; what we need to do first, is find our image.
What is the image… that inspires your work? gives meaning to your life? provides healing to your physical body?
That’s the place to dwell.
January 2, 2019
On Key Images
I’ve worked directly with metaphor for 30 years, both professionally and personally, and there’s one image that has never let me go:
I am a plant and I’m growing in rich, fertile soil.
On a personal level, when I don’t know what to do or something in life is troubling me, all I need is to open myself to the richness (rich soil) that surrounds me. I can feel myself being held, supported and nourished.
But this image of nurturing soil has also guided and inspired my teaching and writing. My work with metaphor has always been about the rich soil that lies under the surface of our consciousness. That Deep Creative ‘soil’ is very intelligent…it wants to guide us. Its energies are alive and visceral…you can feel them move through you as they shift your perspective and bring healing, grace, new possibilities and answers. The Deep Creative wants us to be the fullest expression of ourselves.
Stanley Kunitz and the Irish poet John O’Donohue are two who have written about key images. In his book Beauty, O’Donohue wrote, “In the end, every artist is haunted by a few central themes. Again and again, they return to the disturbance and endeavor to excavate something new.” These key images typically come from childhood. For example, as a child E.B. White was fascinated by spider webs; he went on to author the bestselling children’s book Charlotte’s Web.
A few archetypal psychologists have looked at key images from a psychological perspective, namely James Hillman (who refers to key images as “acorns”) and Bill Plotkin, who calls them “personal soul articulations.” He writes in Nature and the Human Soul that each person’s soul articulation “employs a metaphor from nature to point to an ineffable mystery—the unique way in which each person belongs to the wild world.”
Do you have a key image? Do you have something that won’t let you go?
November 5, 2018
Metaphor Changes How We Perceive…and Therefore, How We Think
Years ago I was listening to a radio program where a climate scientist was being interviewed on someone’s show and they were taking questions from the audience. The first person to call in said, “No way. It doesn’t matter how much data you have. Climate change is not real.” It was clear that no amount of data was going to change her mind.
Information alone can’t change how we think, how we perceive or what we believe. But metaphor operates BELOW our words. It works at the level of FEELING and how we perceive the world. When we feel differently, we perceive things differently… and when we perceive differently, we think differently.
Our current bitterly divisive political climate sorely needs new metaphors.
California Writers! Upcoming class
I love working with artists and writers… AND I have a class for artists and writers coming up this weekend at Book Passage in Corte Madera, I hope you can join me! Scroll to the bottom for details.
This month I spoke at the California Writers Club. It was their super fun Halloween meeting, and I had the honor of judging the costumes. I’m here with president Edie Matthews, whose costume is Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “The Birds” (she’s being attacked by birds.) I hope YOU had a GOULISH halloween.
The Power of Metaphor to Unlock Creative Genius
Book Passage, Corte Madera CA
Saturday, November 10th
10 am – 2 pm. $100
Acts of genius or dramatic breakthroughs can only affect the world order when they’re joined by a powerful metaphor. Indeed, establishing the metaphor itself is the act of genius and entry into new areas of knowledge is its consequence.
~ Richard Shiff, Guggenheim recipient
Metaphor takes us ‘under the surface’ of our everyday consciousness, into a Deep Creative realm that lies beyond the linear mind. In this experiential class you will directly tap into your own metaphoric imagery and symbolic language.
Metaphor is the basis of our cognitive system, which means that all of us view the world through a metaphoric lens. In this class, you will discover the ways in which metaphor is currently influencing how you see the world, your life, and your creative work. And, you will also discover the metaphoric imagery that the Deep Creative wishes to express through you.
You don’t need to be a writer to benefit from this class. Artists, teachers, organizational leaders, coaches, therapists, and others who wish to expand their ways of learning and knowing are welcome.
October 17, 2018
Metaphor inspires us to produce, create & grow
Metaphor MOVES us energetically…inspiring & compelling us to produce, create & grow. The video below is from my talk at the Experience Joshua Tree Conference in June 2018. Enjoy!
P.S. The video was shot by Sandra Goodin photography. (…edited by me.)
October 16, 2018
The meaning of life? To align with the Deep Creative.
I got asked an impossible question a couple months ago. Nicolae Tanase, founder of the well-known “Meaning of Life” e-publication, has interviewed over 900 leaders, thinkers, writers, researchers, elders, artists, CEOs, laymen, etc. on the meaning of life, and she sent that question to me.
Honestly, it seemed like too big of a question. But when I started of thinking of it as, ‘what is the meaning of life for me?’ the task became much simpler. For me, the meaning of life is to create.
Our human lives are a sacrament to the force and power of something larger than ourselves. I want to be aligned that greater creative force.
And I want to express the gifts of the Deep Creative to my fullest.
If you’d like to read my full response, you can find it on her website: https://excellencereporter.com/2018/08/24/kim-hermanson-the-meaning-of-life-to-align-with-the-deep-creative/
October 11, 2018
Fierce Feminine Power: Tapping Strength You Didn’t Know You Had
Asia Pacific residents:
Saturdays: November 17th, December 1st, & December 15th
Jakarta 8-9:30 am
9-10:30 am Singapore/Hong Kong/Bali/Taipei
12 pm-1:30 pm Melbourne
2-3:30 pm New Zealand
US and Canada: Fridays November 16th, November 30th and December 14th
5-6:30 pm PST, 8-9:30 pm EST
$99 includes recordings and group page
(Plus optional Doorway session with Kim: $100)
NOTE: If you can’t make the live calls, you can still register for the recordings. I scheduled these dates to be good for Asia Pacific residents, but you may live anywhere in the world and participate!
For many, the MeToo movement and other contemporary events have triggered feelings of rage, memories of assault, or flashbacks to experiences of abuse by people in positions of power. Even those who haven’t been physically violated are revisiting times of being diminished or not treated equally, simply because we were a woman.
And all of us have likely experienced the deep frustration of not being heard, not having a voice.
But… this current reality is not the “Real world.” Our real strength and power is lying right under the surface.
If you feel you’ve lost your voice, I invite you to take it back. During these 3 weeks we’ll take a deep experiential journey into a realm of potent, indigenous energy. You’ll get answers, see opportunities and uncover resources that can’t be known any other way.
Somatically experience your own primal soul energy
Release the behaviors & ways of being that have kept you stuck
Activate powerful ancient energies to awaken significant healing
Claim your wholeness & power
Take your next steps focused & on fire
Men feeling a deep imbalance between their inner masculine and feminine are wholeheartedly invited to join us.
The Other side desperately wants our attention, it wants to help us…in this world. I’ve experienced Other world power both in my own life and in the lives of my clients. Primal, ancient, tribal energy urgently wants to be known… sacred feminine power that’s not OF this world. It’s time to tap it.
Fierce Feminine Power: Tribal Healing teleclass
Thursdays November 1 – 15 2018
10 am – 12 noon PDT
Early bird price thru Oct 19th: $99 ($142 after that) includes recordings
NOTE: If you can’t make the live calls, you can still register for the recordings.
For many, the MeToo movement and other contemporary events have triggered feelings of rage, memories of assault, or flashbacks to experiences of abuse by people in positions of power. Even those who haven’t been physically violated are revisiting times of being diminished or not treated equally, simply because we were a woman.
And all of us have likely experienced the deep frustration of not being heard, not having a voice.
But… this current reality is not the “Real world.” Our real strength and power is lying right under the surface.
If you feel you’ve lost your voice, I invite you to take it back. During these 3 weeks we’ll take a deep experiential journey into a realm of potent, indigenous shamanic energy. You’ll get answers, see opportunities and uncover resources that can’t be known any other way.
Somatically experience your own primal soul energy
Release the behaviors & ways of being that have kept you stuck
Activate powerful ancient energies to awaken significant healing
Claim your wholeness & power
Take your next steps focused & on fire
Men feeling a deep imbalance between their inner masculine and feminine are wholeheartedly invited to join us.
The Other side desperately wants our attention, it wants to help us…in this world. I’ve experienced Other world power both in my own life and in the lives of my clients. Primal, ancient, tribal energy urgently wants to be known… sacred shamanic power that’s not OF this world. It’s time to tap it.
August 23, 2018
One of my favorite poems… by Maya Angelou
I’m feeling moved to share one of my favorite poem by Maya Angelou. Although she mentions “my children” in the first line of Elegy, I’ve never felt her poem was to be read literally. This poem is about our creative offspring… whatever they may be. What have we nurtured in our lives? What are we willing to lie down and create fertile soil for, in order that whatever-it-is may continue to thrive and grow after we pass on?
Life is generative, it wants to continue being generative. Don’t waste your precious time and resources on anything less.
Elegy by Maya Angelou
I lay down in my grave
and watch my children
grow
Proud blooms
above the weeds of death.
Their petals wave
and still nobody
knows the soft black
dirt that is my winding
sheet. The worms, my friends,
yet tunnel holes in
bones and through those
apertures I see the rain.
The sunfelt warmth
now jabs
within my space and
brings me roots of my
children born.
Their seeds must fall
and press beneath
this earth,
and find me where I
wait. My only need to
fertilize their birth.
I lay down in my grave
and watch my children
grow.
