ABOUT

It took me some time to uncover the telling of this story that we will explore. Like so many of the old tales, this one, too, has been repeatedly laundered by its various tellers to render it more palatable for the modern reader. That is to say: cleaner, more wholesome, and more "properly" moral, and all in all, less beastly and sensual.

In the earliest known versions of this story, we have a king, who, upon the death of his wife, decides to marry his own daughter, as her beauty and loveliness alone, resemble those of his late queen. In more modern tellings, this part of the story is significantly altered. Instead of a father who attempts to marry his own daughter, the daughter's hand is offered to an old, but wealthy merchant from a neighbouring kingdom. In both instances, the daughter flees in horror, and the story begins in earnest. 

The manner in which this lone alteration of the fairytale's narrative radically changes our experience of the story, and serves as a fascinating case-study for our journey of myth exploration. Although in both cases the marriage is undesirable for the princess, there is no question that the grief-maddened, or perhaps mostrous father who lusts for his daughter as a surrogate for her mother provokes a much more guttural reaction. And reaction, with regard to our study of myth and story, in general, is what I am most interested in. Because the more visceral our reaction to a story is, the more deeply it will penetrate into the authentic feeling body and the territory of the unconscious.

I recently read something in Angela Carter's introduction to The Old Wives Fairy Tale Book that I rather loved, which suggests why we have so many different versions of a single fairy tale. She argues that stories such as ours are not polished original works, but that they belong to the collective, and, therefore, were always meant to be shaped by their individual tellers. She likens them to recipes from the kitchen of the soul, passed down through generations, and continually altered to fit each specific audience. In her own words:

"Ours is a highly individualised culture, with great faith in the work of art as a unique one-off, and the artist as an original, a godlike and inspired creator of unique one-offs. But fairy tales are not like that, nor are their makers. Who first invented meatballs? In what country? Is there a definite recipe for potato soup? Think in terms of domestic arts. 'This is how I make potato soup.' "

Reflecting upon all of this, I sat down to plan the upcoming session. I had to ask myself: How do I teach my class? ('How do I make potato soup'?) Which version of Catskin makes the most sense for my work? Which version of the story will lead us on the most direct path into the realm of the instinctual/feeling body and the landscape of the psyche/soul? 

As you might have guessed, this answer came, clear and absolute: why, the earliest version, of course.
And so, for 6 weeks, we will follow the tale of Catskin into the dance as we explore themes of instinct and intuition, strategy and courage, cleansing and sorting. We will ask ourselves questions about the masculine and feminine dynamics within our own interior landscapes, and about the voices within that can repress or liberate, dull or awaken, soothe or terrify. We will move into the paradoxical and alchemical realm of the inner life through the feeling body, feeling what we must as the story guides us deeper and deeper inward. 

And so, I invite you to plunge into the storied landscape of the body/soul, following the tale of Catskin to wherever it might lead us.

Catskin~ Awakening the Instinctual Soul

Class 1: Leaving the Father's House

Class 2: From Princess to Kitchen Maid

Class 3: Attending the Ball

Class 4: Strategy and Hidden Treasure

Class 5: Gowns of Moon and Stars

Class 6: Layers of Silk and Soot