The healing word with Claire Chazal.

The ambiance was very studious at the “Le mot qui soigne” [The healing word] workshop that I created for the “Parcours 5 sens” [Tour of the 5 senses] for the “Esthétique et Cancer” [Esthetic and Cancer] association, this Saturday, November 19, 2016, at the Salons Hoche in Paris. The president of the association is Dr Alain Toledano. Claire Chazal is the association’s sponsor.

Amidst the high, white tables, under the gaze of a painting of Madam Vigée-Brun tenderly interlaced with her daughter, visitors begin a journey of words that are good for the soul.

Compose a word on the scrabble table. “Pain”, “soul”, “fate”, “beauty”, and “wings” appeared from the string of letters and provided the opportunity to compose poetic sentences with a colored pencil. Then a poem was chosen from the collection of poetry. Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Eluard and Japanese haikus were the most requested.

Pain: “Il n’existe rien de beau qui ne soulage la peine” [“Beauty relieves pain”], signed Sana who chose “Le Lièvre” [“The Hare”] by Guillaume Apollinaire. Sana Digombé knows what she is talking about because she directs the Maison d’Alice [Alice’s Home], a home for women who have cancer in Libreville, Gabon part of the framework of the first lady of Gabon’s foundation, Sylvia Bongo Foundation for the family.

The vivacious Sylvia Bongo took to scrabble and simultaneously composed three words “leather, gold, mid”.

Throughout the day, interested and curious visitors took turns, yielded to the “mot qui soigne” [“healing word”] game. At the heart of our existence, these letters of the alphabet will guide us to our freedom.

Thérèse Fournier