"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself." ~Zen proverb

A Teacher with a Calling

For over a decade, Brandon enjoyed a career as a transformative educator at Sofia University in Palo Alto, California. With a focus on whole-person education, Sofia brings cutting-edge transpersonal learning modalities into the realm of higher education, centered around creativity, spirituality, personal transformation, and scholarship. Brandon considers himself a teacher with a calling. During his career as a transpersonal educator, Brandon regularly facilitated workshop segments as an in-person instructor at Sofia's Global Student Seminars. He has offered instruction in transpersonal theory and modalities, Buddhism and Buddhist psychology, transformative life coaching, and the practice of ecstatic poetry. Brandon has developed the following workshops: "The Language of Philosophy: Buddhist Perspectives on Giving Voice to our Visions," and "The Courage to Reveal Our Authentic Selves: A Journey into Transpersonal Integrity," and has offered them at various venues, including Sofia University Seminars. Brandon has been a Buddhist teacher since 2007 and draws upon the ethos of Buddhist philosophy and psychology all throughout his offerings.

Brandon's Philosophy of Education can be found here.

"Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being. Leave that which is not, but appears to be. Seek that which is, but is not apparent." ~Rumi

Ecstatic Poetry Workshops and Retreats: A Visionary Journey

Sharing ecstatic poetry with others is one of the deepest passions of Brandon's life. He has spent years working with groups of poets, learning together and deepening his ideas about how we can wield the power of ecstatic poetry to transform our hearts. His workshops are appropriate for writers of all ages and levels. Whether you are seeking to express yourself in a new way by learning about a casual interest or have been writing for most of your life, Brandon's teaching style and workshop offerings provide a unique perspective which has inspired writers, invited them to deepen their experience of their own art, and cultivated some truly visionary works of poetry and prose.

The practice of ecstatic poetry is a mystical art. It offers the poet an opportunity to access their essence by introducing concepts and practices that act to unobstruct the natural flow of Creative Spirit. The result is often a deep, meaningful, and lasting personal and spiritual transformation. Poetry practice allows us to connect more deeply, not only to ourselves, but to others, to our communities, and to the world. As a facilitator for writers, Brandon draws upon this worldview which is based on his personal path as a spiritual practitioner, a transpersonal educator, and an ecstatic poet.

Participants in Brandon's ecstatic poetry workshops are lead on an ever-deepening journey into the realm of the visionary. Each new group cultivates an experience that is fresh and unique. However, there are some common threads that most groups of poet-learners tend to co-create together. To that end, participants can expect any number of the following activities to occur during one of Brandon's ecstatic poetry workshops:

Deep, authentic communication
Open space for reconnecting to your writing practice
Space to commune with nature and listen to the messages of the natural world
Basic meditation instruction and time for silence and contemplation
Various body modality offerings such as yoga, reiki, and others as available
In-depth exploration of visionary art from the perspectives of both classical and contemporary visionary artists
Exploration of specific practices geared towards unobstructing the natural flow of Creative Spirit
Presentation of revolutionary new concepts not being offered anywhere else, such as the Ecstatic Learning Model (ELM), Poetic Listening, and Midwifing Connection to Essence
Much more!

To discuss bringing one of Brandon's exciting, transformative workshops or retreats to your venue, please E-mail brandon@brandonthompsonauthor.com or visit the contact page!