A four-hour meditation workshop, 〈Finding Your Own North Star〉, invites participants to look back on the year and find their direction for 2027 through the body. It will take place from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday 5 December at the Healing Space of Mindfulness Travel Agency, near Yaksu Station in Seoul. The integrated workshop weaves together tarot cards, movement, meditation, creative arts and aromatherapy, and is open to 15 adults on a first-come, first-served basis.
The workshop’s creators question the year-end habit of starting with plans for the new year. Plans made in the head can easily fade after January, they say, so they suggest pausing first and listening to the direction the body already knows. The workshop is recommended for people who reach December without knowing how the year passed, those reconsidering their direction as they face a career change, a relationship or a new stage of life, and those with busy minds who want to connect with themselves through bodily sensation rather than thought.
Tarot that does not predict the future: what does it reveal?
Tarot cards are not used at this workshop to predict the future. Instead, they serve as a mirror in which participants can see themselves reflected in the images. The facilitator does not prescribe the meaning of a card, but asks what catches the eye first in the image and where in the body a reaction arises when looking at the scene. The questions move step by step from what is visible, to the body’s response, and then to one’s life and choices.
Movement is included for the same reason. Walking and partner dancing are not about dancing well, but are described as a way to slow the mind and let the body speak first. There are no right answers, and anyone with discomfort in their back or knees can take part seated, using only hand movements and breathing.
240 minutes of departure, solitude and return
The programme unfolds in seven stages. After opening up through singing bowl breathing, a one-sentence check-in, a walk around the space and partner movement, participants look back on 2026 and choose what to leave behind and what to carry forward. A stage of departure follows, using a body scan and a single card to reflect on where they stand now.
At the heart of the journey is a 60-minute Mountain of Solitude. It begins with a guided North Star meditation, followed by drawing a card and inviting the image on it into the body through movement, drawing and writing, before reflecting in silence. Participants look for the core value that will guide them in 2027 and give their North Star a name. In the following Star Map stage, three cards are used to explore obstacles along the way, companions on the journey and advice from the subconscious, before participants write their own declaration.
The journey’s sequence of departure, solitude and return borrows only its structure, metaphorically, from the vision quest of Native American traditions. The facilitators say they are not recreating a ceremony, but have adopted only its framework with respect for the tradition.
The direction you find goes into a bottle of scented roll-on
The final two stages focus on bringing the direction participants have found into everyday life. During the scent ritual, each person chooses a fragrance that suits them, blends their own 5ml roll-on and writes an intention on the label. It is a way of creating a sensory anchor to turn to when they feel they have lost their way. Participants with fragrance allergies or who are pregnant are advised to take part using a scent strip or inhaler instead of a roll-on.
The workshop ends with a starlight exhibition and circle dance. Participants declare the first step they will take in January 2027, then gather everyone’s North Star cards in the centre, form a circle and dance together to welcome the new year. They take home a photograph of their North Star card, a North Star Map worksheet, a bottle of roll-on and a plan for their first step in January.
Three facilitators lead different stages. Won Jeong-eon, an expert in somatic psychotherapy and expressive arts therapy, leads the Mountain of Solitude; Cho Yun-gyeong, an expert in mindfulness-based healing meditation, leads the stages of departure and the Star Map, as well as the scent ritual; and Kim Mi-jin, an expert in art psychotherapy and movement meditation, leads the opening movement and closing circle dance.
Early-bird offer available until 22 November
The fee is 90,000 won, including the cost of roll-on materials. Those who sign up by 22 November pay the early-bird price of 80,000 won. The venue is a five-minute walk from Yaksu Station in Seoul. Participants should wear comfortable clothes and bring socks or indoor shoes. Anyone with fragrance allergies, who is pregnant or has limited mobility can mention this when applying to receive guidance on how to take part safely. For enquiries, contact facilitator Cho Yun-gyeong on 010-8750-7720 via KakaoTalk.
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