Ruth Landis has a gift for revealing the unseen wholeness in others, bringing a blend of acceptance, humor, honesty, insight, and spontaneity to all her work. 

A quick visit to Ruthie’s website provides a glimpse to this colorful, creative, artistic, one-of-a-kind soul.  In person, Ruthie’s positive energy is simply contagious: her genuine zeal for her work, combined with her keen awareness, intuitive gifts, and her compassionate and effervescent persona, remind me of that offbeat, eclectic, whimsical, fun-loving aunt we all had (or longed for) as a child – the one whose house we always wanted to go play in and explore, and whose warm-hearted nature would welcome us in, inviting openness and sharing.  With her, we feel understood: she is truly “tuned in,” exuding the sense that she could magically soothe away all our troubles.  In her presence, we feel free to express our authentic selves.

Having worked as a professional actor, director, writer, and acting teacher for many years, Ruthie became attuned to the suffering and struggles endured by many performers whose anxieties or fears, caused by a clash between their egos and consciousness, would often hinder the creative life force that yearned to move through them, thus dampening their authentic spirits.  Through her work, she also developed a sense of awe regarding how the actor’s skill set could serve as a guide to living a rich, vibrant, and truthful life.

Per Ruthie, having a vision is important.  Yet, being able to express that vision and take it out into the world is crucial.  The creative impulse connects us to our essence – to Source.  When we are freed from control or judgment, our creativity flows, and we feel playful, energized, and inspired.  Engaging our creativity enables us to reclaim the spontaneous, intuitive child inside, and to express ourselves freely in whatever medium we choose.  

In her workshop, “Acting Skills for Life: Using Acting Techniques to Get to Know Yourself Better & Live Intentionally,” Ruthie helps individuals explore their persona – what we choose to show others, what we hide, and how we want to be perceived.  Using some juicy and transformative, innovative acting techniques that weave in the wisdom of the Enneagram (an ancient model of personality styles), Ruthie helps you identify the role you’ve cast yourself in, notice how it serves or limits you, and learn how to wake up from “automatic pilot” in order to play “the scene of life” effectively and intentionally.  By delving into the meaning of the 5 Ws (i.e., What do I want? Who am I? Where am I? What’s in the way? What do I do to overcome those obstacles?), and by incorporating a cornucopia of creative, experiential techniques that include mask-making and strong intentionality, this workshop helps you move to the next moment with a powerful, active, and authentic presence. 

The Enneagram aids in this discovery process by helping individuals understand how they can expand beyond their limiting behaviors and patterns. Because the Enneagram is based on the three centers of learning – the mind, body, and heart – its patterns spring to life on stage.  As Ruthie explains, from a spiritual perspective, life is all an act, too – an illusion: we are “living the drama.”

She emphasizes that self-mastery is not a destination, but a process, and likens the human being to an instrument, saying that “what we should strive for is to be able to play the instrument of our lives like a virtuoso artist or musician.”  So, how does one accomplish this?  We get to know our instrument well by studying its patterns and its habits to understand how it works.

Much like her student actors, Ruthie used to constantly edit herself, like when she would try to “play the part” by acting all “corporate-like” in order to satisfy her corporate clients.  However, she soon realized that this wasn’t her gift to bring: she had to come to terms with that and just be herself – no modifications – just her wonderful, authentic self.  In order to teach others, she had to become the living embodiment of what she hoped to convey to her students.

Wanting to address these issues, Ruthie was led to become a body-centered psychotherapist.  According to Ruthie, the body has its own language, which we can use to work with the obstacles that inhibit us, such as rejection, shame, and fear.  She relates that psychology had always loomed in the background in the manner in which she approached all her work.  Even while directing troupes and doing ensemble work, she was always integrating all sorts of experiential, psychological work.  The desire to help others was always moving through her.

At the beginning, Ruthie thought she would just use her therapy work within the performance community, but then her practice expanded, and she discovered that her path wasn’t merely about healing others, but rather about healing herself at the same time.  Her soul was searching for where it needed to land: something deeper than performance was weighing on her.  She shares that her practice fills her in a way that merely being an actor or director never did.  It was much bigger than that: it was her spiritual calling.  Thus, every student and client became her teacher, too.

So, how did this teacher find her own way to living the authentic life?  By trusting Spirit, honoring her creative gifts, and listening to her inner voice.  When she was merely 22 years old, Ruthie made the leap.  She decided that she never wanted to be the person who says “if only…”  Instead, she asked the question: “What if?”  She would rather face failure than pretend and rationalize by avoiding.  Having witnessed so many others in her own family walk that path was a blessing in that it motivated her to move in opposition to that imprinted message.  Her many artistic talents were heaven-sent, but the key was her unwavering faith in the Universe – trusting that, even if things got challenging at times (and they did), the Universe would always support what she was destined to do.

What fills Ruthie’s Spirit and helps her stay the course is knowing how many people she’s touched along the way.  As the doors kept opening, allowing her to do her soul’s work, she had no choice but to follow where she was being led next.  Her mission began to crystallize: her purpose was to disseminate wisdom through creative means using one’s own creative life force in order to help others get to know themselves better, and rekindle their own passions and full engagement in life.

Ruthie’s inspiration is to be a vehicle of transformation for others – not just to talk about it, but to open the door so that everyone can find that wholeness in them.  She’s merely the “tool-master”: before any session or workshop, Ruthie asks herself, “What tool do I have in my backpack that might 'be' the way today?”

As Ruthie looks back, she sees there were no accidents, and all that she’s done has led her to this moment of her life, and provided her with the resources for what she does every day.  Ruthie feels that we are all led by something bigger than us, but we must pay attention.  Then, we must make the commitment to do our work.  In doing so, she recommends that we follow these steps:

1. Notice our ego and its pull towards suffering and doubt.
2. Be compassionate towards ourselves during those times when we get hooked, depressed, or hopeless.
3. “Wait until we have the breath to coax the smoldering embers back into the flame.” 

We must “be” with what arises in us, and hold a strong intention and purpose for our lives. When uncertainty settles in, “imagine what your life would be like if you tried to NOT do what you were meant to do, and then see how long you can NOT do it.”  When a friend said this to Ruthie, the mere thought of it made her cry, so each time she gets to that place of uncertainty, she says, “out of the puddle of myself, I seem to rise again…because I seem to have no choice.” 

About Ruth Landis
She is a certified Body-Psychotherapist, certified hypnotherapist, Enneagram teacher, and Reiki Master, utilizing body/mind techniques, visualization, and guided imagery for greater awareness, presence, relaxation, and stress reduction, as well as working with trauma, chronic disease, and anxiety.  Ruth also synthesizes all of her skills to create greater joy and ease in all modes of performance, public speaking, and group dynamics. 

Her work is highly experiential and non-academic, and participants leave with valuable techniques for self-direction.  Ruth has been a private coach for actors and performing artists for over 20 years.  She is an actress, writer, director, and teacher, having performed at all of the major professional theatres in Chicago and in regional theatre, as well as having worked extensively on-camera, and as a voice-over artist for radio, TV, and film.  She has taught acting at Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, Columbia College, and Victory Gardens Training Center. 

Ruth Landis is presenting her workshop, “Acting Skills for Life: Using Acting Techniques to Get to Know Yourself Better & Live Intentionally,” here at LFAC this Saturday, August 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Shantal is a creativity and transformational life consultant, Reiki Master practitioner, Raindrop Technique facilitator, holistic marketing consultant, and event producer for individuals and organizations.  Her passion is to empower individuals to transform their lives and nourish their creative dream-making process by providing creative and holistic “soul-lutions” for personal and professional growth and healing.  To learn more about Shantal, please visit her website: www.evoyoution.com