The Soulwork of Clay: A Hands-On Approach to Spirituality Review

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(More customer reviews)"We are," writes Marjory Bankson, "creatures of the earth and creators of possibilities." In The Soulwork of Clay, Bankson explores creation and possibilities on two different levels: working with clay, and approaching that work as "soulwork."
Bankson's instruction is more invitation than manual--each chapter provides exercises in shaping clay objects, from small unfired bowls to rattles, vases, etc. Readers are also invited in each chapter to reflect on the potential and meaning in each act: using the repetitive and "mindless" task of kneading clay as an opportunity for centering, seeing the work of shaping clay on a wheel as a dialogue between a creator's desire and the potentials in the object; firing as a practice in loosening control and patience. References throughout the text and at the end of the book provide readers who wish to go further--in pottery or reflection--next steps for their exploration.
Bankson brings clarity and authority of experience to her writing--she has been a professional pottery, a seminary student, and president of a national Christian ministry. Her current work includes the creation of unfired burial urns, designed to dissolve and release the ashes of the person they contain back to water or earth.
Bankson's approach grounds her discussion of spirituality in a medium and metaphor that is basic, familiar, and approachable. "We were all mud-loving children once," she writes--pointing out that claywork was discovered and developed in every human culture.
I bought a copy for myself, and it has fired in me a desire to sign up for pottery classes in my local community; another copy is going under the Christmas tree for a relative who is an accomplished potter, and who I hope enjoys the invitation to view this work through another lens--as soulwork.
"Working with clay," writes Bankson, "is a way to get our hands dirty and our minds clear. To reclaim an elemental sense of connection with the earth itself. To bring us home to our bodies. To express our soul's longing for life. To reclaim the sacred act of creation as essential to our wholeness." Who wouldn't want that?

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Let go of your pretensions--squeeze, shape, knead & play your way to spiritual growth."I am being formed by the clay. I am reconnecting with the earth, and with the other basic elements, too--air, water, fire--and life itself. Every gesture leaves its trail in the clay. Every fingerprint, a message. My breath fills the cavity. My touch curves the wall of a bowl. And inwardly, I am being formed by the outward practice. I am learning to trust the process, to lean into the possibilities rather than striving for some predetermined goal. I am being hollowed out, stretched and constricted, trimmed and sometimes reworked entirely."-from the PrologueDrawing from her first-hand experience of working with clay, Marjory Zoet Bankson takes you through the seven-step process of making clay into a pot, drawing parallels at each stage to the process of spiritual growth:Grounding--Connecting with our core elementsKneading--Awakening to the inner realmCentering--Gathering everything togetherShaping--Focusing inner and outer pressuresFinishing--Trimming away the excessDecorating--Adding a playful touchFiring--Committing to transformationThis simple connection with the earth has the potential to put you in touch with the whole of creation and, at the same time, your soul's longing to participate as an artist, creating something new and unique.Through reflective questions in each chapter--along with a wealth of unique clay projects that even beginners can do--Bankson invites you on a journey of spiritual discovery, a path of reconnecting with your body and spirit, and with the earth itself."Pairs insight with play in this invitation to inner awakening through creative time with clay. Guides us to embody an almost childlike awareness of the present moment while engaging in the mature work of becoming our fullest selves--for our own sake and that of the world."--Grace G. Ogden, director, Sacred Circles spirituality program, Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. "Rich with wise reflections on the art of living with congruence and integrity so that the outer shape of our lives accurately reflects the inner space. You don't have to become a potter to benefit from this book."--Rev. Thomas Ryan, csp, author, Soul Fire: Accessing Your Creativity"Draws powerful parallels to our own process of spiritual growth, showing us why `the potter and the clay' is one of the most ancient and deep-reaching of all spiritual metaphors."--Parker J. Palmer, author, A Hidden Wholeness

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