Oh Christmas Tree

Seasons greeting everyone

I have just handed in my essay for My Masters, i can honestly say that it really is a privilege to be on this course, to be able to connect and understand about how creative Arts can really work with complex people is truly inspiring.

Dramatherapy (speaking as a student practitioner of course) really explores the concept of metaphor and how powerful this tool is when distancing people from their emotions and trauma enough to explore their feeling and heal. It got me thinking about how difficult the holidays can be for people.

I decided to look at what a Christmas tree presented and symbolized for me? Using it metaphorically to help me through this busy, relentless period leading up to the festivities. My partner and I chose a to have a real tree this year. Something we haven done for 3 years but it felt especially important this week to pause and re-invest in this tradition. I believe that the relevance of this, the healing idea behind this, was for a piece of nature to be indoors with us. Our lives are so fast, so full and so synthetic as well as being surrounded by concrete (Brum Life). The tree and its symbolic meaning represents for me the true meaning of Christmas, authentic, valued and traditional.

Perhaps, if you are having a difficult time this year you can find something to symbolize how you are feeling, or to represent how you would like to feel? Maybe, by being creative and expressing metaphorically a bit of healing may take place. I always re-plant the tree after Christmas and thank it for the beauty and stillness it has provided me. Feel free to share a symbol to represent how you are feeling this time of year.

Here are a few articles on symbolism:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2012/jul/13/symbolism-van-gogh-kandinsky-in-pictures
https://guardian.ng/life/the-symbolism-of-tribal-marks-in-nigeria/
https://www.guardian-angel-reading.com/blog-of-the-angels/guardian-angels-symbols/

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