Online Course: Writing at the Wellspring
Online Course: Writing at the Wellspring
Join my five-week course in daemonic creativity
Dear Living Dark reader,
This post is to announce a course that I’ll be teaching this fall. It starts next month at Weirdosphere, the learning platform established by author/filmmaker J. F. Martel and professor/musicologist Phil Ford in association with their popular Weird Studies podcast.
Paid subscribers here at The Living Dark will receive a 10% discount. The link is at the bottom of this post. Bear that in mind as you’re reading the section on cost in the course description below.
I hope you’ll be able to attend. Here are the full details, slightly adapted from the Weirdosphere site.
Warm regards,
October 22 to December 1, 2024
MC101: WRITING AT THE WELLSPRING
A Course in Daemonic Creativity
with Dr. Matt Cardin—author, educator
Where does creativity come from? Why do ideas and inspiration feel as if they come from “outside,” from an external source that whispers directly into the mind? What if the key to unlocking both your creative potential and the purpose of your life lies in embracing the darkness of the unknown? What if the path to spiritual awakening is also the path to authentic self-expression as a writer?
Beginning October 22, Matt Cardin, a two-time guest on Weird Studies and one of the great contemporary exponents of weird fiction, is offering “Writing at the Wellspring,” an online course based on his books A Course in Demonic Creativity and the brand-new, unreleased work Writing at the Wellspring: Creativity, Life Purpose, Nonduality, and the Daemon Muse.
This course goes beyond the typical writing or creativity workshop.
Students will progress through a series of lectures, readings, and discussions to explore the concept and experience of creativity as an inner collaboration with a separate force or intelligence within the psyche—what we can call the unconscious mind, the silent partner, the secret self, or, most evocatively, the muse, the daimon, the daemon, and the genius. The course will delve into the core concept of “living and writing into the dark,” embracing uncertainty and trusting one’s intuition as a pathway to unlock creative destiny. Students will examine ways to understand and navigate the tension between the drive to create and the impulse toward total stillness and inactivity that can accompany spiritual insight. Matt will share nondual perspectives on effortless action or creative quietude as a way to align personal creativity with the creative current that animates the cosmos. Finally, the course will examine the possibility of using writing and other creative work as a “monastic option” that makes a monastery of one’s life and provides purpose and meaning in a time of apocalyptic cultural transformation.
Students will receive access to the full text of both of Matt’s books, plus the full text of his short ebook Transmitting Vision: Essays on the Writer’s Path (previously available only to subscribers to his blog/newsletter, The Living Dark), along with additional suggested readings, plus prompts and exercises for sparking the imagination and deepening our understanding of ourselves, our world, and how the reality that gives rise to both can tell us what we're here to do.
Why take this course?
Creative Awakening: Students will explore techniques and practices for collaborating with their inner creative source, the daemon muse, and overcoming creative blocks.
Spiritual Exploration: The course will delve into the realms of nonduality and existential insight, examining their relationship to the creative process.
Cultural Analysis: Students will engage in critical discussions about the intersections of creativity, spirituality, and contemporary culture, considering the role of the artist in a time of transformation.
Exercises and Prompts: Throughout the course, students will receive thought-provoking prompts and exercises designed to spark their imagination and deepen their understanding of themselves and their world.
Format
The course consists of weekly “lecture hall” sessions on Tuesdays, hosted live over Zoom, approximately 90 minutes in length, and weekly “office hours” sessions of the same length on Sundays, in which students are encouraged to ask questions and contribute their own ideas to an evolving discussion. All sessions will be recorded, and recordings will remain available to registered students after the course is over, in video or audio format.
The course also includes a dedicated Course Community feed where the instructor and students can post thoughts and engage in discussion between Zoom sessions.
Cost
Registration is $200 for New Members of Weirdosphere.
If you’re a paid member of The Living Dark, you are eligible for a discount. Please use the registration link provided below.
By enrolling in MC101: Writing at the Wellspring, you will automatically become a member of the Weirdosphere learning community and get a discount on all future offerings on the platform. Existing members should enroll from within Weirdosphere to receive this benefit.
If your circumstances are such that paying full price is an obstacle, please write to Weirdosphere’s administrators at admin@weirdosphere.org to arrange a reduced rate.
About your instructor
Matt Cardin is an author and educator with a Ph.D. in leadership studies and an M.A. in religious studies. As a published writer and editor for the past quarter century with a signature focus on the intersection of religion, horror, creativity, and spirituality, Cardin passionately shares his insights and perspectives from an ongoing journey of creative and spiritual exploration. He was a college English professor for a decade and a high school English teacher before that, with additional subjects including world religions and classical mythology. Cardin’s professional resume also includes university media producer, piano salesman, and live video director for music legend Glen Campbell. You can read more about Matt Cardin at his author website.