The Wheel of Myth & Sound Journeying
A monthly live event
“We have come so far that all the old stories whisper once more.” – Robert Duncan
As we move towards another year of this ‘Courageous Decade,’ where no hands are spared, and everyone is called to answer to what wants to be expressed through them, it is time to come together via stories – and sound.
The myths are like a territory, a landscape that we can journey through many times, and it’s there that we find new pathways for each of us to discover, reconnect, and reimagine.
Myth acts as a catalyst to something inside us that is ours and awaits expression in the world. And sound journeying is the midwife to this awakening in us.
When we approach a myth as we would a dream, it can illuminate our lives and purpose in the world.
The wheel of feelings
Since the start of this new decade, there’s been a collective sense that we’re no longer on known shores.
Each new year has burst through the doors, bringing demands for change and leaving many of us unmoored and unsure of the path ahead and even how to proceed.
While at an individual level, we may not be undergoing the dramatics we’re seeing out in the world, there’s still a sense that no one is immune to the collective transformative pains ripple through our communities.
Thus, in thinking and feeling into 2024, an election year that seems to herald more than a political election, the inspiration for coming together around the metaphorical fire of stories to see what our ancestors could teach us about navigating change felt the right thing to do.
So, each month’s theme links a feeling/emotion to a myth. The myth then serves as our thread of exploration, reflection, a doorway to a new perspective, and guidance.
Then, in the coming weeks, one can let the story unfold in their imaginations and lives, noticing synchronicities, insights, or inspiration. And if a particular story grabs one firmly, cross that threshold and explore it further, listen deeply to its whispers.
Remember that stories can heal, teach, inspire, enlighten, provoke change, and initiate.
See you on the other side of the threshold.
The sound healing
For the ancients, stories were also an experience of sound, be it the poetic rhythm, the music surrounding it, or even the physicality in the retelling.
The storyteller led us to other worlds and other lives, and they lifted the veil to other worlds. It was understood that stories needed to be told to stay alive as they are multi-dimensional, existing both in our world and in another dimension (i.e., the Imaginal, the Otherworld, the Collective Unconscious). So, the story needs us to channel its meaning, healing, and inspiration.
Stories are journeys to the other worlds.
Thus, in thinking of this journey through the wheel of feelings of 2024, the idea of sound healing to help us experience the stories through a different medium came into being.
After each story, we will experience the power of sound to help us meditate or journey into the thematic heart of the stories.
Thus, our gatherings are an experience in the power of sound to activate and ground something within us – helping each of us beat in resonance.
Let’s come together in resonance.
Monthly themes explored through myth & sound
Unknowns
Each new year evokes hopes and fears in us. While hope and dreams inspire us to forge ahead, we also know how unsettling moving toward the unknown can be. How do we prepare ourselves for what lies ahead, knowing that the way forward is through the mists of change?
To help us explore ways of facing the mystery of what is still unknown, we will be guided by the story of a mythical creature of Northern and Central Europe: the Lindworm.
Date: January 30, 2024 (Done)
Angst
Once we leave our known shores, our comfort zone in modern parlance, we will meet angst in one way or another. Not to mention that away from the known shores, we are unaware of the new rules of engagement, and it’s essential to keep one’s promises.
For this month’s theme, we will be guided by the fearsome and yet justice-bound what the ancient Greeks called Erinyes – The Kindly Ones.
Date: February 27, 2024 (Done)
Unraveling
There are moments in life when before we embrace the new shores and find ourselves anew, that we may come undone. This is often a place where it feels like the death of a sense of self is utterly fearsome, for we have no guarantees that the birth of a new one is at hand.
For this month’s theme, we will be guided by an Irish myth character who becomes mad and finds healing through love: The Madness of Mis.
Date: March 26, 2024 (Done)
Embodiment & Humor
In our rush to get through a transition—the liminal space—it’s easy to forget our loyal companion in life: the wisdom of our bodies. We may be caught up in the web of our minds, bypassing our body’s wild wisdom. We also forget the power of humor and laughter that reconnects us to life and our body’s knowing. Humor and laughter lead us to embodiment.
For this month’s theme, we will be guided by the old crone who brought laughter to a dire situation in the Greek myth: Baubo.
Date: April 30, 2024
Joy & Pleasure
Life’s sweetness and meaning are often delivered through our joys and pleasures. The busyness of our ways of living dims our ability to recognize and connect to what makes our lives sweeter and worth living.
As the flowers bloom around us, it’s time to remember beauty’s joy and healing powers.
For this month’s theme, we will be guided by the beautifully capricious bringer of joy: Aphrodite.
Date: May 28, 2024
Inner Guidance
One of the unspoken gifts of traversing a liminal space of change and transformation is that we learn to listen to our inner knowing.
The wisdom within that speaks to us in a softer voice than our fears and worries. At midyear, the natural fork on the road for the year, it’s time we slow down to listen to the oft-quiet voice within.
For this month’s theme, we will be crossing the threshold guided by the torches of: Hecate.
Date: June 27, 2024
Integrity
What if our choices are not what others want from us? How do we stay true to our inner selves when others try to thwart our path and choices? How do we stand by our decisions even when they aren’t accepted? It’s time to choose what is ours to do instead of being victims of the whim of others.
For this month’s theme, we will be guided to the still point of the Silver Wheel: Arianrhod.
Date: July 30, 2024
Confidence
Independence and a strong sense of self are essential elements in having the determination and self-reliance to go after one’s goals.
Confidence – to confide in oneself – allows one to be sure-footed in seeking one’s goals in a terrain of their choosing.
For this month’s theme, we will be guided by the sharp arrow of the huntress: Artemis.
Date: August 27, 2024
Communication
Our words, guided by inspiration, can turn ordinary things into something more. How we communicate has the power to expand lives of small horizons.
Words transform consciousness. What are the transformative powers of your words?
For this month’s theme, we will be guided by the poetic transformations of: Taliesin.
Date: September 24, 2024
Belonging
How do we welcome others at the hearth of our homes? But also, how do you welcome the many parts of yourself?
How does one experience belonging both as a self and as a community member? How do we transform a space, a gathering, or an encounter with the fire of our inner heart?
For this month’s theme, we will reflect on these questions warmed by the heart of: Hestia.
Date: October 29, 2024
Purpose
Purpose is a multi-faceted element in our lives, giving us meaning, contentment, and knowledge that we are contributing to the larger whole by our existence.
In a culture where work is often divorced from purpose and meaning, the question of how to be good stewards of our gifts is essential.
For this month’s theme, we will be guided through the mists by the crafty hands of: Manawydan.
Date: November 26, 2024
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is linked to abundance, fertility, and the rootedness of place. It’s also about the sacred marriage of feminine and masculine qualities that make all of life possible.
As a giver of life, fertility, and death, the ancients taught us to respect the many guises of sovereignty.
For this month’s theme, we will be guided to our inner sacred marriage by: Lady Sovereignty.
Date: December 17, 2024
Join us on the last Tuesday of the month
for storytelling & sound journeying
Sign up and save the dates
January 30, 2024 (Done)
February 27 (Done)
March 26 (Done)
April 30
May 28
June 27* (Last Thursday)
July 30
August 27
September 24
October 29
November 26
December 17*
Where:
Wild Hearts Wellness
4230 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213
Time:
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm (Pacific Time)
Payment Options
*Please note that the Bundle Plan is for three consecutive monthly events. For example, if you purchase in February, you can attend the February, March, and April events. If you need to miss one, there’s no rollover to a future event.
For the Single Event ticket, if you must miss it for whatever reason, unfortunately, there will be no rollover to next month’s event.
All sales are final. No refunds.
Every month I look forward to this workshop
Every month, I look forward to Vanessa’s Myth and Sound Bath workshop. She weaves a rich tapestry of myth, story, and astrology with her warm and personable style.
It’s a welcoming experience and brings awareness to something greater than our individual selves.
Thank you, Vanessa, for creating such a unique and wonderful event.
– N. T. – participant
What to expect from
The Wheel of Myth
The intention and inspiration behind these live stories and sound journeying is to create a space to stir our imagination, purpose, and endeavor.
Through stirring our imagination through various tales and the experiential aspect of the crystal bowls’ sound healing, we will feel our hearts and minds awakened to more inspiring perspectives for our place in the world.
Hopefully, as we come together in this gathering, as we sit to listen and experience stories and sounds, and later, as we share our questions, insights, and takeaways, we may also forge a sense of community.
Lastly, for the ancients, myths were made to be lived through storytelling, visualization, reverie, and self-questioning.
And hopefully, here at The Wheel of Myth, we get to do just that.
Your Guides on this Mythic Exploration
Vanessa Couto
Astrologer & Storyweaver
Vanessa Couto is a Life Purpose Coach, astrologer, teacher, and myth lover. She weaves astrology, mythology, fairy tales, Jungian psychology, and a good dose of practical and grounded common sense to guide her clients through their transitions at their intersection of life purpose and livelihood.
In addition to coaching, she loves to teach classes and workshops that marry astrology, psychology, and storytelling to help her students approach life from an imaginative and broader perspective.
She holds a B.A. in Social Communication and Advertising, an M.A. in Teaching from New York University, and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is a Certified Life Coach from the Life Purpose Institute.
Outside of her work, she enjoys delving into her Celtic Spirituality studies, watching British period dramas and history documentaries, and listening to Ancient and Medieval History podcasts. She’s also a bona fide bookaholic, an oracle and tarot collector, and a travel lover.
Melanie Cole-Smith
Sound Healer & Facilitator
Melanie Cole-Smith is a professional facilitator and a dedicated student in the world of sound healing. Her practice is committed to providing therapeutic spaces for clients to experience personal transformation through the sonic arts of a sound healing session.
Her clients experience a safe, welcoming space where Melanie, intentionally interacting with Tibetan and Crystal singing bowls, creates specific sound resonances that our bodies respond to by tapping into the body’s innate wisdom for healing.
These kinds of empowering, sound healing sessions truly bring about lasting change and personal growth for her clients and the community.
Melanie’s passion for sound healing comes from her own experience in her practice. She has witnessed firsthand how powerful these tools are for healing on so many levels.
It’s from engaging in this symbiotic relationship with her bowls and the world of sound healing that she was filled with compassionate clarity and a sense of purpose to be a facilitator for others to experience healing in this way.
