Sep 09 Wednesday
Following our recent explorations into the world of the Iliad and the Odyssey, a natural question often arises: what actually happened to the magnificent, interconnected civilizations that inspired these epic tales? While the stories of Troy and Odysseus capture our imagination, they serve as the romanticized folk memory of a highly sophisticated era that suddenly and violently unraveled. This three-week course picks up exactly where those epic narratives leave off, transitioning from the mythology of Homer into the startling historical reality of the Late Bronze Age. We will examine how a thriving, globalized network of palace economies collapsed into a centuries-long "Dark Age," exploring the cascading systems failures that brought the ancient Mediterranean to its knees. (This course can be taken independently of the pervious explorations of the Iliad and the Odyssey).
This three-week course takes place on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.
The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.
On the night of December 16, 1916, a group of conspirators murdered Grigori Rasputin, Russia’s “Mad Monk”. While meant to strengthen the Romanov dynasty, merely two months later this murder brought on their downfall and ushered in a year of two revolutions that ended with the Bolshevik takeover of Russia and the eventual murder of the Tsar and his family. In many ways, Russia and the rest of the world are still dealing with the consequences of that murder.
Most narratives in books, films and even songs about the murder of Rasputin focus on the victim, whereas this course will shed new light on the perpetrators of the crime. Our story will take us not only to the magnificent Yusupov Palace in Saint Petersburg, but also to the Yusupovs’ estates outside of Moscow and in Crimea, as well as to Oxford, Malta and Paris.
This course takes place Wednesdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.
Sep 11 Friday
“Healing Hearts” Sound Bath Friday, September 11th at 7pmat The New Thought Now Spiritual Center
Relax and rejuvenate with the sounds of Himalayan singing bowls, chimes, harps, gongs, and soothing tones washing over you in waves. A beautifully guided meditation carries you into a place of deep peace and healing with body and mind. Bring your own yoga mat or let us provide one. Come as you are, leave restored and ready for the weekend. Love offering $20.
New Thought Now is located at 880 Hampshire Road, Suite W, Westlake Village. 818/ 508-7171
Sep 16 Wednesday
Sep 22 Tuesday
In 1935, under President Frank D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the Federal Art Project, a federal economic relief effort organized under the Works Progress Administration, put unemployed artists on the government payroll to paint public murals in post offices, hospitals, and schools. In this course, we will discuss The Federal Art Project and the murals that explored the intersection of politics, economics, and community identity, creating an unprecedented explosion of public art that transformed public spaces into lasting monuments of American history. The Federal Art Project was instrumental in promoting the careers of artists such as Jackson Pollock, Thomas Hart Benton, Jacob Lawrence and others, with the murals focusing on themes of community, labor, local history, and industry.
This course takes place on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:30pm (PT) on Zoom.
Sep 23 Wednesday
Sep 27 Sunday
Somatic 9D Guided Breathwork with ExperienceSunday, September 27 at 1:00pm at New Thought Now Spiritual Center
9D Breathwork is an immersive therapeutic experience that combines conscious rhythmic breathing with 9 layers of scientifically engineered audio to help release stored physical and emotional tension, regulate the nervous system, and reprogram the subconscious mind. Using high-tech noise cancelling headphones, this uniquely personal guided experience invites you on an inner journey of transformation. Headphones and mats are provided. All that’s needed is you.
Get ready to be blown away. The session runs 1.5 hours.
Sep 28 Monday
Dada and Surrealism emerged as significant art movements in the early 20th century, primarily as a reaction to the devastation and absurdity of World War I. In this course, we explore their origins, and the artists affiliated with both movements. We will look at Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, Jean Arp, Hannah Hoch, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and more for the Dada movement and surrealists including Andre Breton, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, and Meret Oppenheim. We begin with the anti-art movement of Dada, which arose as a reaction to tradition, convention, and rationality. These artists embraced chance and randomness as a form of art making, influencing generations of artists working with increasingly varied materials and techniques. We then discuss how Surrealism used some of these techniques to capture the inner workings of the mind through dreamlike imagery.
This course takes place on Mondays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.