Posts Tagged ‘gratitude’
Harvest Despacho Giveaway Contest
What is a harvest despacho? Despacho is an Andean amulet-making ceremony, in which the despacho-maker brings various elements into an object and then ritually sends it off. They are traditionally made by Andean shamans for a variety of (often transitional) occasions, from birth rituals to rituals honoring the dead. In a sense, a harvest despacho…
Read MoreDespacho Ceremony: Sacred Creations
A despacho ceremony is an ancient indigenous ritual of the Andean people of Peru. Despacho literally means to ship or dispatch something. Creating a despacho is an intentional, focused sacred ceremony in which an amulet-like bundle is filled with natural, biodegradable ingredients. These ingredients hold symbolic elements that represent the prayerful intentions of the despacho-maker.…
Read MoreTibetan Inspired Community Art: Mandalas, Talismans and Prayer Flags
Tibetan Inspired Community Art For our 20th anniversary exhibition, Circles of Life: Making Art, Creating Communities of Hope, I wanted to pay tribute to the Tibetan Culture, as they had influenced the design of my creativity practices for at least 15 years. Curious why Tibet? Read our earlier post – Travel Inspiration: Stumbling Across the Tibetan Sacred…
Read MoreGratitude in Difficult Times
I recently found this passage about gratitude among Dana Jennings’s reflections in the New York Times on his cancer journey: When you have cancer, when you’re being cut open and radiated and who knows what else, it can take a great effort to be thankful for the gift of the one life that we have been blessed…
Read MoreMandalas for Harvesting Gratitude
How can we remain grateful in turbulent times? How do we keep our hearts open when we are swallowed by fear and anger and chaos and doubt? During our July workshop, Mandalas for Harvesting Gratitude, we used our creative processes to dig into these difficult questions. Mark Nepo, one of my favorite thinkers and poets, provides one eloquent answer: How can we stay awake…
Read MoreThe Art of Survival: Insights into the Arts and Healing | 2013 Classes
We Need More than Medicine to Heal Journey Through Cancer with Healing Icons I recommend Healing Icons to other cancer survivors as it has helped me reflect on my cancer journey… Having examined my feelings and fears, my hopes and dreams, I now stand strong in who I have become. – IS, 2012 In each…
Read MoreTuesday Tributes – The Pause Between
On this gray, dreary, misty, wintry morning, I sat on my mat at the end of yoga class and listened to my breath, especially to the pauses in between. I’m granted this opportunity every week I practice at my intimate neighborhood studio, Amsa, but this morning I especially savored the experience of surrendering, of becoming absorbed, immersed…
Read MoreWhy We Travel
Traditions Become Stale This Christmas Eve, Santa has arrived in the Houston airport, buzzing around on a golf cart appropriately adorned for the festive day. We—my husband, our daughter and son, and I—are there, bags packed and ready to fly. We’ve completed the rounds of extended-family Christmas dinners and gift exchanges and are embarking on a journey…
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