Nature Mandala

Mindful Nature Mandalas: A Restorative Practice

By Heidi Darr-Hope

Not familiar with Mindful Mandalas, read more about them here – Mindful Mandalas     Mindful Nature Mandalas Whether you create mindful nature mandalas by yourself or within community, it is a restorative practice.  With nature as our guide, we step into a quiet, nurturing world where time moves at a different pace.  By slowing…

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Mindful Mandalas

Mindful Mandalas: A Self-Paced eCourse

By Heidi Darr-Hope

  Mindful Mandalas: an Eight week Self-Paced eCourse is a visual drawing practice that calms and anchors you into quiet stillness. Who doesn’t need a little bit of that? By getting lost in the process of mindful mandala-making, your stress and worries melt away. We use very simple materials. All you need is some quiet time…

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Mindful Survivorship Mandalas

Creating Brave eCourses: Survivorship

By Heidi Darr-Hope

  Survivorship: to endure to live through to live beyond in spite of a danger, adversity or hardship Frankly, haven’t we all dealt with survivorship in some form or another? Although the word is usually associated with cancer survivorship issues, the residue from a life altering event can cling to us, becoming chronic if not addressed. Underlying issues…

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Creating Brave: Mindful Mandalas, an art as healing eCourse

Art as Healing eCourse: Behind the Scenes

By Heidi Darr-Hope

In January, it was a glimmer of an idea: Art as Healing: Beginning an eCourse.  Creating an art as healing eCourse was an overwhelmingly daunting experience for me but with the help of some talented people, the process was actually invigorating.   I want you to meet some of the ones who bolstered my confidence and encouraged this…

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Amulets and Talismans Created our of all sorts of things. Offerings to the soul.

Amulets and Talismans: Mindful Healing

By Heidi Darr-Hope

Four Simple Words Amulets and Talismans:  Lucky charms, protective totems – tangible symbols that focus our thoughts on a specific idea or intention Mindful: focused attention on the present moment Healing: to restore, to make whole   The creation of amulets and talismans has the power to lead us into a mindful approach to healing. Amulets and talismans…

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In dialog with what is being created, having no expectations, letting the process lead...

Art as Healing vs. Art Therapy

By Heidi Darr-Hope

Art: something that is created with imagination that expresses important ideas or feelings Healing: to restore and make whole again Therapy: the treatment of physical or mental illnesses Art as Healing: My Way Most times when I explain what I do, I am met with the response, “Oh. You do art therapy.” I reply no, not…

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Our Wonderful, creative Volunteer, Charlotte Johnson

College Interns & Volunteers: Paved the Way for 2016

By Heidi Darr-Hope

I don’t know what I’d do without our college interns and volunteers.   Last year, we had 3 extraordinary young women dedicate their talents and energy to our cause. Due to their remarkable efforts throughout 2015, Healing Icons became more visible.  The ground has been set, ready to receive our goal for 2016 – the launch of our…

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A Different Kind of Portrait: SCETV’s Original SC

By Heidi Darr-Hope

    Creating a 5 minute video portrait that sums up an artist’s work is not an easy task! On Thursday February 3rd, this aired on SCETV’s Palmetto Scene.   The creator of the SCETV series Original SC, Tabitha Safdi, does an extraordinary job.  I received an email from Tabitha the very first day of December.…

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The re-branding of Courageous Creagting

Art as Healing: Beginning an eCourse

By Heidi Darr-Hope

When I first heard the words eCourse, I panicked. After serving our local area for 20 years, I knew we had a Solid Mission and our board wanted us to have a Global Vision!  We’ve ushered thousands of cancer survivors through our offerings.  We’ve helped change lives and wanted to extend our reach beyond South Carolina.   Agata and Deana, our…

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The Tibetan monks are ready to begin our community mandala.

Community Healing: The Monks Are Coming!

By Heidi Darr-Hope

    A Video Captures Our Story Our community needed healing.  Three weeks before the Tibetan monks were to arrive from the Drepung Loseling Monastery, our city was devastated by a”100 year flood.”  Extremely heavy rains caused our rivers to overflow, which caused many dams to break, which caused huge devastation throughout our community.  Homes were destroyed. Our water…

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