Teaching in Greece
Class in Athens monastery
Psychology Of Love Class, Southern Oregon University
I really look up to Zan as somebody who has facilitated the growth of self-love for many people (myself being one of them), and to me she is a true shaker and mover. Thank you for showing me that being a radical doesn’t require force and anger, but that it takes love and acceptance to be unique and brilliant in this world.
I have learned compassion and tolerance for humanity from her classes. I have learned love and strength from her character. Lastly, I have learned determination and perseverance from imagining her journey. I will always utilize these precious gems she has helped me discover while I continue on my journey.
Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire.
-W.B. Yeats
Education
I am a teacher
Who has a great love for knowledge
But that’s never enough.
One must add in the heart and the soul
And make it wisdom.
Yet isn’t this the wisest lesson to model?
The one about falling in love with
What we cannot know.
What we must learn along the way.
Experiential exams designed to test that faith,
Faith in the moment,
Faith in our authentic expression
Faith in our own deep questions.
Education in it’s purest form
Reveals mysticism
And self love.
—Zan E. Nix (An Ocean of Fierce Loving: Poems on Love & Transformation)
Women & Passion Psych 399
We are inspired greatly and directed wisely by our own authentic passion. Through poetry, music, stories and visual portraits of passionate women in action, and participants’ own life experiences, this Women’s Studies course will explore the “fire of passion” and how keeping a strong connection to that fire within positively affects our relationships, work life, health, spirituality, creativity and a deeper sense of meaning. This class will also look at the important regenerative role passion plays in our lives during times of loss and transition.
Women & the Wild Psych 399
This class explores the spiritual relationship women have with the natural world and how spending time in nature informs our physical, psychological, and emotional well being. With the help of psychologists, naturalists, poets, artists, theologians, philosophers and participants’ own life experiences, we will explore the various ways nature and animals communicate with us through energy, reflection, and beauty. We will look at how adventures in the wild and encounters with other sentient creatures may serve as a wellspring of inspiration, renewal and meaning in life.
Living Creatively Psych 399
With the help of artists, psychologists, theologians, naturalists and children we look at our own lives as each being an unfolding “work of art.” We explore the key elements os a creative life and how our deepest values, strongest desires, and innate talents serve as it’s foundation. We also look at the obstacles we encounter in living creatively, how to overcome and integrate them, and the impact we have on the world when we are being voluptuously creative in our own lives.
Playful Living Psych 399
Anthropologists have found “galumphing” to be one of the prime talents that characterize higher life forms. “Galumphing” is the rambunctious and seemingly inexhaustible play-energy apparent in puppies, kittens, children and baby baboons. With the help of children, performing artists, spiritualists, poets, animals and youthful individuals of all ages, this class will explore how maintaining a spirit of play in our lives regenerates our energy levels, keeps us consciously evolving and adds voluptuous joy to our lives and relationships.
The Psychology of a Passionate Life: Self Exploration through Poetry Psych 407
This class is designed to encourage a deeper understanding of self through the poetic tradition. We will explore together the effect poetry can have on our ever evolving paradigms, personal growth and authenticity. Throughout the centuries poetry has been a language that speaks directly to the soul, or deeper consciousness of individuals. The word psychology, first originating in Ancient Greece, meant “Study of the Soul.” Thus we will explore what affect poetry has on us through research and personal insight, thereby integrating the intellectual process with the emotional/spiritual. We will study foundational inspirations in the lives of poets as we reflect on the passions engraved into our own stories. “Poetry is the most honest language I hear today” (Bill Moyers)
The Psychology of Love Psych 407
This class is designed to give students an opportunity to reflect on the joys, challenges, mysteries and meanings of intimate relationships. Also, to practice skills in communicating clearly and compassionately, and to reflect on students’ own philosophies about love through individual research, group interaction and personal insight. This is a psychology course that draws from multi-disciplines such as theology, communication, criminology, history, art, literature, sociology and philosophy.