Wayfinding in a Time of Transformation
About The Program
Celestial Journeys is a series of virtual creative workshops for Filipinas/os/xes and Filipina/o/x Americans. Each workshop will center a Filipino cultural concept and present a meditation and creative prompt. Participants will engage in cultural production in each session, such as collage-making, drawing, creative writing, decoupage, and mindful cooking and eating. The expressive arts activities will lead participants through a journey of self-reflection, soul-searching, and collective insight. The workshops will offer tools to integrate and transform stress triggered by COVID-19 as well as racial injustice in America.
Please note that class times are in Pacific Standard Time (PST)
Max class size: 22-24 participants. A waitlist will be opened once class reaches capacity.
About The Instructor
Jeannie E. Celestial is the youngest of two daughters of Francisco & Mila, post-1965 settlers from Cavite & Cebu, Philippines on Guam, Chamorro indigenous land. Her family migrated to Northern California (Ohlone Territory) where she was raised (Vallejo).
Passionate about holistic health & well-being, Jeannie serves as a Clinical Psychologist and Steering Committee Member of the Filipinx Mental Health Initiative-Solano (FMHI-Solano). She is also a member of the Asian American Psychological Association, Division on Filipinx Americans.
In 2019, Jeannie and five other home cooks published The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook, a best-selling guide to making beloved Filipino dishes in the electric pressure cooker. Jeannie is a daughter, sister, wife, and mother on a journey of decolonization and liberation.
Jeannie earned her Doctorate in Philosophy in Clinical Psychology at Palo Alto University with an Emphasis in Clinical Neuropsychology and an Emphasis in Meditation and Psychology. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1990s, where she was active in Pilipino American Alliance, Maganda Magazine, and Kapwa (which she co-founded). Celestial additionally holds a Master of Social Work degree from San Francisco State University.
Workshop Schedule
Week 1 - July 12
Theme: Kapwa: Collective mourning, Collective envisioning
Participants will be led through a visualization entitled “Dalawang Buslo” (Two Baskets). They will imagine meeting their ancestors to share and process the liminality of this present time--our struggles as well as our gifts--in order to make a mixed media 3-D collage.
Supplies Needed:
Two 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper; paper scraps (e.g., post-it notes or recycled paper); writing tools (pencil, pen, or markers); scissors; small objects from your home (e.g., mementos, photos, trinkets, etc.) which symbolize answers to the following questions: (1) What would you like to release or let go of?, (2) What are you grateful for? (3) What is a value you hold and what action will you take to embody this value? What kind of ancestor do you envision being?
Week 1 Resources (Optional)
Week 2 - July 19
Theme: Dream Power Paddle: Ancestral Healing & Dreamcasting
Special Guests: Mylene A. Cahambing, Vision Holder/Co-Founder of Balik sa Dagat Bangka Journey & Nestor L. Perez, Meditation Teacher & Holistic Health Practitioner. Workshop participants will learn about healing of ancestral trauma. They will be guided through a meditation and draw designs for their own “canoe paddle.”
Supplies Needed:
Paper or repurposed cardboard (One 8.5 x 11 inch sheet or larger); writing utensil/s.
Week 2 Resources (Optional)
Week 3 - July 26
Theme: Lakas na Loob: Courage in Adversity
Thousands of years ago, our ancestors were sea-faring wayfinders. What kind of courage did it take to traverse the waters, guided by the stars, trusting to find new land? In generations before us, our ancestors were freedom fighters and revolutionaries. What kind of courage did it take to rebel against oppressors? Today, we are called to decolonize our minds and transform collective trauma into solidarity with Black people.
Special Guest: Eileen Tabios, award-winning poet and visual artist, will share about her invention of the hay(na)ku poetry form. She will do a reading of a hay(na)ku chain, written specifically for this Workshop. Jeannie will then facilitate a live writing session in which participants will tune into their five senses and intuition to craft a poetry on “Where I’m From” and “Where I’m going.”
Supplies Needed:
Paper and writing tool; or, computer or smartphone.
Week 3 Resources (Optional)
Week 4 - August 2
Theme: Anak ko, I love you: Finding Integration & Wholeness
Colonial mentality is a form of internalized oppression and a manifestation of collective and personal trauma. Trauma can affect our thoughts, emotions, and physical body.
Participants will be led through examining colonial mentality, somatic reflection, and creative writing exercises to harness courage in order to “flip the script” on internalized oppression.
Supplies Needed:
Paper; writing tools; childhood photos of themselves and/or their ancestors.
Week 4 Resources (Recommended)
Week 5 - August 9
Theme: Subo from Our Ancestors
Participants will be invited to mindfully cook an ancient Filipino food: adobo. (The dish can have meat or be vegetarian.) Jeannie will lead a meditation entitled “Subo,” which invites participants to imagine sharing a meal with a known or unknown ancestor. Participants will participate in a virtual kamayan and expressive arts response.
Supplies Needed:
Ingredients for adobo and side dish according to your dietary needs; paper and writing tool.
WEEK 5 RESOURCES (RECOMMENDED)
Week 6 - August 16
Theme: Liwanagan: Be the Light You Wish To See in the World
Participants will reflect on their purpose and calling. They will create decoupage on glass (mirror, cup, or jar from home).
Supplies Needed:
magazine cuttings, words on paper, glue (i.e., Elmer’s white or clear glue, Mod Podge, etc.), scissors, glass: mirror, jar, or cup; tea light.