Photos of Shiloh Sophia by Jonathan McCloud
When time and mind
come into one place
the hidden door
in the secret board in the floor
will open before your startled face
you will see it has always been there
put your paint covered hand onto the map
and press the place where it says : d a r e
then step freely from the trap
that was set by others or by your sleeping self
you didn’t even know you were waiting for you
pick up the magic pen on the invisible shelf
attempt to draw the rose that blooms within
and write the story that belongs to few
the one that begins with you
that legend that is ready to pounce
like a cat jumping on a sleeping woman, you wake!
from now on the world’s hidden doors are yours!
Doors which only you can see and taste and take
myths that belong to your mouth only, will speak
here in the secret spaces you will discover
your true name
Summoning the Guides by Shiloh Sophia, 2017
Demonstration painting for Color of Woman School painted live on camera with over 50 women witnessing the process.
Since she was 23, Shiloh Sophia has been on a great adventure focusing on one thing :
How can creativity be a tool for transformation and revelation?
Through teachings about poetry and painting brought to her by Caron McCloud and
Sue Hoya Sellars, she began to work with an arena of study that she felt was truly revolutionary and sacred: Intentional Creativity. First she disovered it for herself : the potent access that creating with mindfulness made available. She explored how consciousness was activated through creative acts and integration of right and left brain. The dynamic weave of inquiry, image and language came together into teachings that would rock existing educational frameworks. She and her community began to gather the women.
Now Shiloh Sophia's offerings serve over 500 enrolled students per month in Intentional Creativity based education and experiences and her teachings reach over 30k a month. There are over 200 Intentional Creativity® Teachers worldwide who collectively serve upwards of 50K students.
To create a sacred container to hold the work in action in 2008 she co-founded Cosmic Cowgirls as the community and culture for Intentional Creativity. The ideas that seeded the work started in the 1930ies and continue to this day as a living teaching and creative lineage.
Her approach to creating as essential to awakening consciousness is rooted in the idea that each person can discover who they are for themselves and gain access to their information. "Creative process when directed through intention gives access to the hidden worlds within us. We are all on a journey of integrating that inner world and the world we live in. This kind of creating has nothing to do with talent or skill in art making, rather, art making is the gateway that gives access to consciousness, imagination and playfulness.
My work is to curate an experience in which this opportunity arises : To become who we are. Who we already are, but didn't have access to. And then how that can give rise to activism, spirituality, relationship, pleasure, integrity and sovereignty from systems that no longer serve. We are creating our own systems and ways of working."
Shiloh Sophia has authored 8 books and has had an art gallery since 1997. She has taught at University in Masters and Phd programs, as well as at the United Nations CSW for four years. Most early mornings you can find her having tea with her Muse writing and painting in the Red Thread Cafe. Shiloh Sophia and her husband Jonathan travel the world together praying, playing and filming episodes for the Intentional Creativity Curriculum.
Learn more about the Teacher Training
Paintbrushes in the hand of the Muse make good tools when excavating hidden stories.
Shiloh Sophia ©2018
ARe you called to learn More about Shiloh Sophia, the Cosmic Cowgirls
& The work of Intentional Creativity?
We are a community of teachers, Healers, Alchemists, Poets, Artists, Philosphers and Badass Mystics guided by the work of Intentional Creativity. Want to get connected?
Cosmic Cowgirls at the United Nations, 2016
Shiloh Sophia & The Cosmic Cowgirls
Letters from the Red Thread Cafe
Watch Shiloh Sophia in Action
Curator and Co-Founder of Intentional Creativity
What Are the 4 Layers of Intentional Creativity?
Playful exploration of the things that hold us back
Poetry Readings that stir the soul to awaken
Inquiry about Who We are and What we are doing here
Intentional Creativity Painting Build
Painting stories of past, present and Future
May Love Be At The Center of All Choices
We mail at least 2 times a month and sometimes more. According the the Muse.
If you want access to upcoming classes and projects, this is the way to connect
Intentional Creativity® 2019 Curriculum