last updated 04/10/07
All images copyright C. Pic Michel 2006
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What does it mean?
Learn how you can schedule
a Family Oracle Event or
try a Foster Family Oracle
"Family" and "Oracle" What does it mean?
Well, it's open to interpretation. There are several possibilities; none of them wrong. Just choose the one that fits for you now, because that's how it works. A "family" can be the people you were born with and whom you have born into the world, or it may be a group of friends or coworkers. Basically, it's a group. It's also a word that can put a grimace on the faces of those who haven't enjoyed the traditional meaning of family for one reason or another. By putting the word smack dab in the middle of the name of this process, I invite everyone to take back the meaning of the word in a positive way and use the Family Oracle to create a new "family" tradition.
As for "Oracle"...well, it's you. You're an oracle. We're all oracles. Actually we all have oracles inside us which we tap into every moment of every day as we cross reference the experience and expressions of our lives with our history and our hopes. Like computers, like the crystal on that backs the cards that are the keys of the Family Oracle (click on the key at the top of the page). An oracle is a vehicle for insight and wisdom. We're that. You may or may not know it or feel like you show it, but given the right opportunity as when a friend calls and taps into your oracular wisdom, or you draw a prompt (a word) you resonate with at a Family Oracle event, you can be most insightful. When you put the two together you are forming a group of people who, for a period of approximately 2-3 hours, will share a fun, creative, revealing, and surprisingly refreshing experience.
The Family Oracle Event is a special gathering of individuals who are part of a traditional, social, or work-related "family" or group. Each person will know at least one other person in the group and all will share a common interest in participating. Family Oracle events can commemorate a special occasion such as a wedding shower, graduation or even a memorial. The process can be adapted as part or workplace trainings and team building. Groups that get together to share activities may choose to try a Family Oracle. Particpants of a Family Oracle event will take home his/her own key artwork and later receive a set of all the keys made during that event along with key interpretations made by the originator of each card. Family Oracles may be scheduled in the studio or at your location.
Foster Family Oracles are monthly gatherings for those age 14 and older who would like to enjoy the Family Oracle experience but don't necessarily have an occasion for which they would like to schedule a group. Participants may not know each other when they arrive but they get to know themselves and one another a little better as they share this fun, creative and insightful time together. There is no limit to the number of foster family oracles one may enjoy and continued participation is a way to grow a large deck of keys as prompts are circulated each month.
Family Oracle Album Intensive Workshop
Take the oracle experience to a deeper level by making your family oracle album. We will explore the most influential people and experiences in our lives as we design, create, and write to the keys that unlock the wisdom and insights held there. The traditional family album contains photos of people and events but often not the meaning of those lives and happenings. Using collage, color, and words we will create keys to unlock the power of these people and times in our lives. Our keys will be collected as pages in an album which can be shared and savored for generations. In addition, we will explore how we apply our oracular wisdom daily and learn to master its powerful capacity for cross-referencing and categorizing every experience we have via our five senses. Instruction time will explore life from the viewpoint of an artist, art as a spiritual practice, and life as a work of art in the Toltec tradition among others. Much time will be given to resting in the freedom this gentle creative work offers, sharing and prospering in the insights we learn and share.
What's a KEY?
In addition to being the cat's name at Pic's studio, a Key is a 2-D work of art created by participants in each oracle group applying mixed media and multiple art forms in a process develeloped by to facilitate expression of your wise insights using the language of symbols. A set of Keys is a copy of every key made by a particular group. These can be used for inspiration on a daily basis or by luck of the draw in a pinch as one might consult...an oracle.
About Pic Michel
Pic is a lifelong artist who discovered early on, the joy of embedding and releasing meaning in symbols. Only one of Pic's self-portraits looks anything like her, the rest resemble a stovetop, secluded building, and various landscapes among other things. Because of her love for what underlies the apparent world, Pic focuses on the metaphysical with her art, making masks, producing abstract paintings that ecxplore consciousness, and developing visual art projects which teach and illustrate the art of living for challenged populations as well as curious individuals. Pic is a teacher of art as a meditation practice and is also a Master Teacher in the eagle-knight lineage of theToltec tradition.
The Family Oracle is a trademark of C. Pic Michel and tHeArtStudio.
Foster Family Oracle, The Family Oracle, and Family Oracle Album Processes Copyright C. Pic Michel 2008
...everyone loved the experence,
as did I.
...everyone was so comfortable and did his/her own thing...
...can't wait to see the keys!
Click on the card above to see a sample key
In a busy world where there seems to be no time and multi-tasking is less about doing more and more about surviving too much, there lingers in everyone's soul the need and desire to simply enjoy life by connecting in a way that is meaningful and enjoyable.
Finding a way to accomplish this can be difficult. But through a strangely named process, C. Pic Michel has drawn upon more than a decade of experience creating meaningful arts programs for leading grant organizations to produce The Family Oracle. A collection of some of the the best, most personally satisfying aspects of creative expression presented in a way that supports easy connection with your creative insights and invites you to share with others, The Family Oracle is a fulfilling, meaningful, and fun experience. It's not dinner out, though it comes with a menu, and it's not a movie though you'll find it entertaining. It's a way to make memories that will last a lifetime in an amount of time that will seem to have passed too quickly. Enjoy the Family Oracle for yourself.
C. Pic Michel
Artist, Art Facilitator
Creative Humorist, Master Toltec Teacher
