BANQUET OF BLESSINGS (UK) 2018 - Kundalini Yoga & Raw Food Retreat

Make a cup of tea, sit back and take in this interview. In it, I play my Native American Love Flute and answer questions (posed by friend and raw food coach, Gabriela Lerner) about the upcoming Kundalini Yoga & Raw Food Retreat: 

"Banquet of Blessings", in Dorset, UK, 11-13 May 2018. 

Click here to find out more about the retreat and register before end of January 2018 for the early bird special (10% off). 

Sat nam.

Experience a WOW Self Love Retreat in Tobago

Enjoy uninterrupted personal, self-love time ... inclusive of (weather permitting) an outdoor energy healing treatment amidst breezy trees on the cliff overlooking the sea.

To find out more about Thou Art Yoga's W.O.W. Self Love Retreats in Tobago, please visit 

http://www.thouartyoga.com/wow-retreats.html

To book, at least one week in advance, please call (868) 381-8359 OR elspeth (at) thouartyoga (dot) com

Special package rate of $2,400TT includes:

2 nights accommodation
* All meals (vegetarian)
* Morning/Evening Kundalini Yoga & Meditation
* Personalised guidance
* 1 Energy Healing Session
* Personal Relaxation & Reflection Time
* Use of pool and private beach

"Just for You" Self Love Weekend Retreat (Tobago)

Please click on image to enlarge and see details.

Choose any weekend ... and it is yours (availability permitting)
 
Each customised "Just for You" Self Love Weekend Retreat caters for one person at a time. If that person is you, you are dreaming of spending quality personal time in a supportive, relaxing space ... to let go, find answers, be inspired, create new possibilities and meet someone wonderful ... Yourself.

Please click here to visit the site for more info and images.

The Just for You retreat is a product within Thou Art Yoga's W.O.W. (Wonderful One Weekend) retreat series.

Happy Birthday to Me

Click on image to enlarge my birthday potato, which let up my birthday morning yoga session.

Here's to a magnificent life now and up ahead.

Welcome

My Spirit is a strong and beautiful Spirit.
She is with me always,
So that I am not led astray.
Where my Spirit is,
There I am.
Who my Spirit is,
That I am.
My Spirit is Love
My Spirit is Trust
My Spirit is Innocence
My Spirit is Wisdom.
My Spirit is True, above all, to my Self.
My Spirit moves me to be as I am.
My Spirit trusts me to be as I am.
And so I am.
Who knocks against my Spirit shall not enter.
Who moves with my Spirit moves with me also.

Elspeth Duncan
(Track #1, the INFINITE album, 2004)

Please keep Thurs 7 October 2010 open

Last year's invitation

Please keep 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday 7th October 2010 open. There will be a special gathering to celebrate my birthday and more. All are invited, wherever you are in the world.

The 7th October 2010, night of a Super New Moon, is a powerful night to be present in yourself, as you are, where you are.

Last year I got married. (Read about the ceremony and the vows here)

This year I give birth.

Details soon.

Sat Nam.

I am/you are the answer to someone's prayer

This morning when I woke up, the first thought in my head was: "What is success?"

Immediately following this was a slew of questions:
Is it owning a house?
Is it having a car?
Is it having a high paying job?
Is it having loads of money in my bank account?
Is it having a long term relationship?
Is it having fame?

Listing these items, I realised that I have none of them. I had a car, but I sold it a few months ago.

The only thing I "have" is myself.

In the eyes of the world, "success" is largely determined by material possessions. The bigger your house, car and salary, the more successful you are.

A short while after thinking this, I did sadhana, then went to check email. I sent a short email to a friend who had called me yesterday, to follow up on how she was doing. As I sent the email off, I unexpectedly burst into tears ... not of sadness, but of realisation. Someone had trusted me enough to reach out to me in her moment of despair and I was able to listen, understand and offer solutions. By the end of the conversation, her tears were laughter and her fear glimmered with hope.

As I came off the email, a voice within said: You are the answer to someone's prayer.

In that moment it struck me. How true! By simply being who I am and doing what I do, the lives of many are touched, even transformed. Sometimes I see it, sometimes they tell me, sometimes I don't even know. I'm not saying any of this in vanity -- simply recognition, acknowledgment and gratitude.

The same goes for you. Without knowing it most of the time, the simplest truth of who you are and how you do things has the power to touch, heal and transform others.

Eat, Drink, Love

Yesterday and the day before, I decided to listen to my body and give it what it wanted to eat and drink. The day before (food-wise), it was sweet potato and carrots, water and Yogi Tea. While shaving the skin off the sweet potato, this heart-shaped piece fell into the sink—confirmation that my body was happy with what it was about to get.

Sweet Heart

Yesterday morning my body asked for coconut water, so I went and took a jug to be filled (6 coconuts did it). Amazingly, after the vendor chopped one of the nuts open, I noticed that the hole was heart-shaped . Once again, confirmation.

A (w)hole lot of Love

As I sit here now and tune in to my body, what does it want? More coconut water, fruits, Yogi Tea ... and something soft, warm and textured (slightly rough)—mashed eddoes with a dash of a herb or spice, perhaps. On one hand—cool, juicy and rehydrating and on the other hand—soft, warm/hot and spicy. Comforting, nurturing, cleansing and refueling.

Conversations with God ... I mean, my Knee

Yesterday's caterpillar on driveway

The caterpillar I saw inching across the driveway yesterday morning was a message to slow down. My right knee also delivered a similar directive. Suddenly, out of the blue, while sitting in a meeting the day before, it had started to hurt intensely. By the time we left, I was limping.

I had damaged that knee years ago in my late teens. I was at a toga party at a friend's house, we were all dancing and, before I knew it, I was on the ground in pain (ligament injury). I was on crutches for a while after that, hobbling around at University. Despite that, I've never had knee issues, so yesterday's pain was a new experience. So much for doing Sat Kriya in rock pose that morning ... and this morning.

Rather than see physical pain as that only, I ask what I always ask: WWLS (What would Louise say?) This link lists the spiritual meaning underlying various diseases/ailments/injuries (based on Louise Hay's work). When I look at what "knee" signifies, the part about 'lumps of undissolved anger' resonates most. Whether current anger or past anger, whether at self or other, whether conscious or subconscious, if not properly expressed, thoughts and emotions can linger.

So when I woke up yesterday I spent some time with my knee, giving it Reiki and speaking to it. Through my knee, I forgave myself and I forgave everyone (for nothing specific. I kept it general to cover all possibilities). I then asked my knee to tell me what it wanted me to know.

Throughout the day I got the message that I need to slow down, do less and be more and take better care of myself. These messages are true and timely. In spending time with my knee, covering it with my hands, stroking and massaging it, talking to it, envisioning light going into it, etc., I realised that we (most ... or all humans) barely spend time with our full bodies, checking in to various body parts, asking how they are doing, what they would like from us, etc. My knee must have been basking in the attention I gave it yesterday. When a body part is not in pain, we use it unthinkingly, going about our business and taking it for granted. When it is in pain, we focus on it—naturally, because it is crying out for that attention and, at the same time, holding a message for us.

Early September will mark a year since I (reluctantly) returned from Toronto. At the time of going there, I had been 100% raw for 1.5 years. Once in TO I enjoyed what Trinidad doesn't have: a wide array of raw food ingredients, organic produce (affordable, diverse & plentiful), one or two raw food restaurants and, even if I did eat cooked or baked food (which I did eventually), it was healthy. Upon returning to Trinidad, suddenly, in comparison, the meagre options were disappointing. Needless to say, my raw food lifestyle gradually slipped out of the window and became more of a junk food, grab-what-you-can-and-eat-it-as-you-go-about-your-day lifestyle. Apart from the odd moment, gone were the days of spending hours in the kitchen lovingly making sumptuous raw meals for myself.

I can safely say that when I was eating raw, it was a great example of self love—slowing down, spending time for myself, taking time to artfully design my meals as if for someone really special (as is the case), naturally not feeling any desire for processed foods and junky treats, etc. I don't do that anymore.

Yesterday, my knee reminded me of this time of self love and loving-raw-food-preparation and signaled the need to return—if not 100% raw, definitely as the majority, with no processed junk. I felt as though the pain in the knee was also an accumulation of toxins—even something as simple as flour and dairy products. So yesterday I didn't eat anything processed. I listened to my body and consumed what it was calling for: sweet potato, carrot, water and Yogi Tea.

I also slowed down my body and mind. I read one of the books I had ordered from Amazon a while ago, I slept, rubbed my knee, gave myself energy treatments and didn't think about or become immersed in things-to-do.

By evening my knee was miles better. It's still not 100% itself, but I will continue to listen to it, be more conscious of my thoughts and feelings, be gentle to myself on all levels and adjust accordingly. Will also monitor and see if a visit to the osteo is in the works.

Introducing Tek Har

For the past ten years, I have done something symbolic and interactive for each of my birthdays.

Today I want to introduce you to Tek Har. She is who I married last year on my birthday, when I had the "Oneness Celebration" in Wildflower Park. The celebration was attended (in person and in spirit) by many of my close friends (here and abroad)— all of whom also made personal Love vows.

One part of my decision to marry Tek Har (about whom you will read more below) was based on the premise that you must love yourself before another can love you. I took it a step further to the premise that I must marry myself before someone else can truly marry me. Do not take this literally. I am not talking about the societal norm of hetero-marriage and wearing a wedding dress in a church, etc. I am talking about the power of being committed to Truth in my Self and Love for my Self (both of which are a continually ongoing process)—to the extent that any Love Partner who enters my life can only reflect that—being that true and loving with/to herself and therefore with me.

Is this as easy as it sounds? I look at the above image (which was the photograph used on the wedding invitation) and I wonder ... who will be courageous enough to fill those empty footprints, to stand honestly, face to face, look me in the eye and truly say & mean: "I love you".

I am doing it for myself first. And when she comes, whoever she is, it will be clear.

ABOUT TEK HAR

Last year, just before my birthday in October, I wrote to write to the 3HO Foundation (Kundalini Yoga) and requested my spiritual name. I had never felt the urge to before, but somehow that day "it was time". One's spiritual name is worked out based on your given birth name and birth date numerology.

The spiritual name I was granted is Tek Har Kaur. The announcement came with a beautiful letter explaining the name's essence. In summary, it means 'the kind, creative, spiritually prosperous Princess/Lioness of God who feels supported by the power of the Divine.'

A spiritual name is a personal mantra, vibrating one's personal Truth.

The power of a Spiritual Name is that the more you speak and hear your name, the more it permeates into your being ... and the more you will experience its Nadh (inner sound current), bringing you into harmony with your destiny. (Excerpt from the letter I received with my name)

At the time of the "Oneness Celebration", I was not sure if, when or how I would transition into using the name Tek Har. It's quite a jump for people who've always known you to start calling you something else ... and it's not like I dislike the name Elspeth, so Tek Har was not necessarily for replacement purposes. The 'marrying' of Elspeth and Tek Har was my way of merging the essence & meaning of the name Tek Har with who Elspeth is. At the time, I thought that even if I never actually used the name Tek Har in public, the meaning would be honoured within me.

As time progressed, Tek Har emerged naturally and gradually, in her own way. Lately I have been using both Elspeth and Tek Har. Each name has a different energy. My Kundalini Yoga friends and associates refer to me as Tek Har and I love how it feels and sounds. Some other part of me is actually activated whenever that name is used. In association with any yoga-related activities, you may hear/see me referring to myself (or being referred to) as Tek Har. Everyone else knows me as Elspeth. Both are good because I am both. And, as I am seeing, they work together.
You will also be seeing more of THOU ART YOGA, my new enterprise. As you can tell from the name, it merges two major aspects of my life: yoga and art. Everything that I do now related to Kundalini Yoga and/or yoga-related art will come under the category of Thou Art Yoga.

Me before & after

Reflection of my profile forming "a vase"
*

As human beings we are constantly evolving. Why would we be in this life unless it was to transform and be transformed—ideally in ways that are beneficial to ourselves and others.

I had an interesting experience/conversation Friday evening before last, as I waited for a friend in a yoga studio. As I sat on the couch, two people came to speak with me. One had met me more than ten years ago, the other had met me within the last ten years.

The woman who has known me over the course of ten-plus years told me that she found I was more fun "back then" (i.e. when I used to smoke, drink, party, etc) and that now I'm not fun.

The other person, who met me about two years ago, was open-mouth shocked. "Wow! I think she's a lot of fun!" he said. (I think I am too). He was also shocked to know that I used to drink and smoke. People who know me now usually can't put the two together. (I can't even put the two together!) They see me as being very 'clean'. They see my early bedtime, early yoga mornings, lack of interest in loud music and crowds as the way I have always been. And I guess it is who I always was, under the smoke.

The time I automatically wake up now to do yoga (sadhana) is the time I often used to be going to sleep after coming home early in the morning or being up late doing whatever-I-was-doing.

My desire to not be out socializing in loud/crowded pubs, clubs, etc is not because I never did. It's because they feel empty and false to me. How can you really get to know that person you are shouting at over the music, clouded by smoke and numbed by intoxicants? But more importantly, how can you get to know yourself?

When I started practising Kundalini Yoga ten years ago, I changed and so did my life. On the morning of 8 January 2001 (3 months after starting Kundalini) I awoke and, as I sat up in bed, a clear voice said: "You will not smoke again." I can't explain the experience beyond that. It was very simple and it was not my imagination. The thought of questioning the Voice did not even occur. Clearly I was ready and the Voice knew it.

From that day on, I never smoked again (I used to chain smoke), never even had a craving. On that same day, coffee drinking (I used to have a few cups a day) and consumption of alcohol (social beverage) also fell away. I did not have to try to give up anything ... and I have not looked back. I do not miss them for one second. That day was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Probably saved my life.

I'm not being judgmental when I say this, because I understand on many levels why smoking happens ... but now when I see people puffing away, it looks like an illusion, like some mirage behind a veil (literally and figuratively). It hurts to look at it. I see packs of cigarettes in the grocery and feel my stomach churn.
When will they package a few deep breaths in a box?
I remember once driving through Manzanilla with a friend who was visiting and, on one particular inhalation that went very deep, I said: "Wow, I feel like I just smoked myself!" In that moment I realised: maybe that's why people smoke - to inhale so deeply (even though that breath is filled with toxins). We are so subconscious about our breathing. We breathe shallowly, we hold our breath for long periods, we take it for granted. Yet each breath is what keeps us alive.

T&Telephone etiquette and lack thereof

One word of graffiti on exterior of an old house a friend lives in

*

In Trinidad, whenever I'm leaving my name with someone over the phone, they tend to say something like "Eh?" or "Wazz dat?" or "Spell it?" I then have to pronounce and spell it a few times before they get it.

So whenever I say: "I'd like to leave a message for so-and-so. Please tell him/her that Elspeth called" ... and the person just says "Okay", I'm pretty sure they are not going to deliver any message because they didn't get the name.

Recently this happened. I left my name for someone to call me back and the man on the other end said without hesitation: "Yeah. Ah go tell him."

Me (knowing he didn't get the name): Did you get my name?

Him: Eh heh, Yuh ent jes tell me it?

Long story short, he didn't get my name, and even though he had been saying "eh heh" when I was calling out my numbers, he wasn't writing them down because he didn't have a pen. He eventually went and got one, but the person still never got the message (which I found out when I called back later).

Today, similarly, I called to get information from a particular organisation. Again, after saying "Please tell xxxx to call Elspeth Duncan", I was met with a dry "Yeah". There was no "what was that?" and not even a pause to indicate that he was scribbling the name onto a piece of paper. There was only silence. When I said "Hello?" thinking the call had dropped, the response was a dry "Yeah". Anything I said to this person was met with a dry "Yeah".

A short while after, I called another organisation in search of the information. The female operator was very pleasant. I had cause to call back when a transfer from the office she sent my call to dropped. Again, she was very pleasant and helpful. Before hanging up, I told her that I think she's very pleasant and helpful and that it was refreshing dealing with her, especially after having encountered such poor telephone etiquette as of late.

She laughed and said "Thank you, lovey!"

Happy Anniversaries to me

Heart cloud over Mission Bay, Toco (31 December 2009)

Was just talking to a friend and mentioned the date ... and then it struck me. How could I forget? Today is the 8th of January, my anniversary of two things:

My 5th year of blogging (I started this blog 5 years ago on this date)

My 9th year of no smoking, drinking (alcohol and coffee).

Now is wow.

Do you ...?

The Mirror reflecting white roses that one of my friends gave me at the ceremony

For the wedding, I and those of my friends who were present in person (local) and spirit (international) each wrote a vow ... something to which we would each say "I do" ... knowing that even though we may not be able to suddenly do it overnight, we are making the effort. The first step is the beginning of the journey.

Each vow was read to me by 'the officiator' (one of my friends, Deidre). While looking into my eyes in the hand mirror I had bought for the occasion, I said "I do" to each. There were some where the wording didn't resonate with me 100% ... so I said "I do, but ..." (and amended accordingly).

Afterwards, I passed the mirror to the friend next to me and he to the one next to him, etc. All around the circle, each of my friends looked into their own eyes and silently made a vow to themselves.

A few days later, another friend and I read and burned each vow one by one outdoors. The rationale for this is: fire = transformation and purification; the smoke = a vehicle to carry the written sentiments up to the heavens to be blessed. There is no need to keep the written vows. They are within.

Below are the vows we all contributed. They are open to all. You may or may not say "I do" to all (or none) and you may or may not feel like amending some of the wording to resonate with you specifically.

Do you _____________________ vow

1. ... to honor your divine calling by courageously probing deeply into self-awareness, stepping out of comfortable patterns and into the great unknown of positive change, to uncover all of the glory that YOU are, and above all, do you vow to uphold & maintain acts of highest SELF-LOVE
for your highest good and the highest good of all concerned ____? And do you vow to strive to discover the JOY in EACH "now" moment?

2. ... to forgive often and always?

3. ... to behold the Beloved in self and others, to be tender hearted and kind and to see beauty in all?

4. ... to give each other your attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection and allowance. (from a couple)

5. ... to taking your own soul as your soul mate and learning to love yourself in life, whatever that may require of you?

6. .... to strive to be gentle to yourself no matter what?

7. .... to take care of yourself lovingly every day for the rest of your life?

8. ... to strive to believe in yourself ... and in striving, to actually believe more and more until you fully do?

9. ... to BE YOU. Boldly and Proudly and Truly.

10 ... observe your thoughts and gently return to your still centre of Love in each moment of recognition?

11. ... to honour yourself always?

12. ... to be honest in all you say and do?

13 ... that from this day forward you shall remember that you never walk alone. May your heart be a shelter for the fearless princess living inside you. May you walk together through all things. May you feel deeply loved, for indeed you are. May you always see your innocence ...

14. ... to always be true to yourself?

15 ... to continue to seek your own twin soul and weave a tapestry of love, bliss and service to others while embracing the will of the love of those in whom other parts of your soul reside, for a time?

16 ... to be true to yourself with breath and peace?

17 ... to be more confident in yourself as a creative being?

18 ... to open to Love and Healing?

19 ... to be your own best friend and open your arms and heart gently for love to enter. To never chase love. If it is for you it is already waiting with open arms and heart. If it isn't, you wish it safely home. May the blessings be.

To Thine Own Self

Heart shape on stone at Maracas Bay

I do something symbolic and interactive for my birthday (7 October) every year. I didn't go into detail in my last post, but for this year's birthday, I got married to myself. It was a beautiful late-afternoon-into-evening outdoor ceremony under a large tree in Wildflower Park. This "Oneness Celebration" (which is what I called it) was attended by about 12 friends (locally) and some international ones (in spirit). The dress code was white. The weather was fantastic.

After the ceremony and the vows, as night fell, we picnicked on a large piece of tarpaulin, under the stars and moon amidst many fireflies. Even though it was my 'wedding'/Oneness Celebration (becoming one, True Self) it was also everyone else's. We all married our True Selves that evening ... or at least acknowledged and embraced the importance and magnitude of it.

Without this acknowledgment and effort, how easily "Self" can unwittingly be forgotten, ignored or avoided as we habitually focus, depend on and give our energy away to externals.

No matter who or what comes or goes, I will be with myself for the rest of my life. I intend to get to really know, love and respect her, seek her best interests, enjoy being her and make a great life of it.

In my next post I will share the vows from the ceremony.

One for my Birthday

My birthday gift to myself is "Oneness".

The above photograph is of my feet and my footprints on the beach sand. It symbolizes me standing face to face with the Self and committing to the process of becoming One. The "empty" footprints are not really empty. They are full of every aspect of myself that I am consciously welcoming, embracing, merging with in my True Self.

By extension, the 'empty' footprints also represent standing face to face with and seeing/reflecting the external other (i.e. the various reflections we encounter around us in our daily interactions). The intention is to see, be and reflect our True Selves, from a place of Love = Divinity (non-duality) within and without.

Using this photograph as a template, I invite you to create (as a personal meditation for yourself) a symbolic photograph of your own bare feet and your footprints. If you don't have sand, you can use your empty shoes, chalk marks drawn around your bare feet, impressions on the ground made by your bare wet feet ... or anything else you can think of. In your own time and space, stand face to face with your Self and recognize, welcome, embrace, merge with all that enables you to be the full and true "You".

Sat nam

I will close with the words in the birthday card that Daddy made for me:

You deserve the best birthday on Earth ... not to mention the Moon, the Stars and the Universe.

... and yes, it already is the best.

Elspeth

Salt and blue food colouring

Is it true?

This site (I used to believe: The Childhood Beliefs Site) is interesting. As the name suggests, it's a collection of things people used to believe when they were children.

Some beliefs are introduced to us through others (e.g. wish on a shooting star and your wish will come true) ... and some beliefs we come up with ourselves. Children trust and believe in simple things in a way that (most) adults don't. But just because (most) adults don't, does that mean that what the child believes at the point of believing is not 'true' to him or her? When and why do we stop believing in certain things? And how did we feel in that moment of 'realisation'?

I'm sure I believed all kinds of things when I was small, but off the top of my head I can recall very few now. For the few I remember, I see ways in which they still somehow apply to my view of life today.

1. If we plant coins and water them every day they will grow. Our parents used to tell us 'money doesn't grow on trees'. Not believing them/wanting to prove them wrong, I planted coins in the front garden with my sister Kathryn. We constantly watered our little spot. Weeds eventually grew, leading us to believe that our coins were germinating. Maybe at some point we showed our parents the money trees and they told us they were weeds. I no longer believe that watered coins will grow into money trees, but I believe that we can use certain 'ritualistic' acts to empower and encourage us ... and also that if we attend to our intentions or focus on our dreams, they will manifest in some way ... not always as we envision, but definitely along the lines of this process.

2. We have zips hidden in our hair. We can zip down the centre of the body and step out of our skin. I remember as a very young child standing in the kitchen one day looking for the zip in my hair. I think this came about from my fascination with what makes us work. What makes me move? What operates me? How come my legs move and carry me? I have no plug, no electricity and no buttons to press to make me move and walk and talk. Something must be inside of me making me 'work'. I no longer believe in 'the zip', but I see the 'skin' as a covering for the inner self/Spirit, which is 'working' us in an unseen way.

3. There is a button in the centre of the forehead which you press to make the person go to sleep. I have the clear memory of a day when I was about six. My sister Vanessa had just been born and I think I must have been fascinated by her. She, mummy and I were at home. I remember being in the kitchen with mummy, hearing the baby start to cry and going into my parents' room where she was lying in her crib. I remember standing and looking at her crying, being curious about her, seeing her face getting red ... then taking my finger and pressing it gently into the middle of her forehead like a button. She immediately stopped crying and fell asleep. In my memory it feels like a long time that I had been staring at her crying ... but it must have happened quickly, because I guess if she'd been crying for a long time mummy would have attended to her. I no longer believe that there is an actual button in the forehead, but I know that area now to be 'the third eye' and to this day I still see it as a relaxing point to press on myself or another ... and it works. Also, it's a point to focus on in meditation.

I remember once our parents promised we would go to the beach. That day there was a bad tropical storm. My two sisters and I were highly disappointed. Daddy filled up the bathtub, put some salt and blue food colouring in the water and we happily splashed in 'the sea' as the storm raged outside.

Now as I write this, I'm aware that having grown up with simple moments like that, in addition to having had childhood 'beliefs' (especially as I can still see some kind of sense in those I remember today) must have contributed to me being a natural optimist and one who believes in the simple magic of Life.

Being human, of course there are times when I feel disgruntled, discouraged, sad, scared, insecure, unable, unhappy, apathetic, etc ... but whenever storms rage within and around, there's always salt and blue food colouring.

It makes me cry too

Some people who took the Sacred Journey at Mystic Intervention told me that they cried while or after doing it. One person (who had really taken his time moving slowly along the pathway), sat and had a long conversation with me after he did it, telling me in detail what he had felt and experienced. I really appreciated this. I love when people open up and say how they feel and what they've experienced on deeper levels. Sharing the places inside of each other that we don't see with the naked eye.

Only when he got to the end did he hurriedly mumble "and it made me cry too."

Now that it's all over and I have the labyrinth at home for myself, I 'walk' it by candlelight every morning after I do yoga.

The first time, I used the middle finger of my non-dominant (left) hand. The next time and thereafter, I used the ring finger of my left hand. Using the ring finger makes me feel committed to the journey, to all that is unfolding and to myself. In the language of mudras, it symbolizes Uranus, the Sun, Surya mudra - energy, health and intuition.

The last few times that I've 'walked' this clay labyrinth, I too have burst into tears. The first time was during the day. I was feeling scattered and I decided to 'centre myself' via the labyrinth. At one point along the twisting path, an unexpected burst of tears flew out from my guts. I felt it coming from my solar plexus. As soon as they flew out, I felt extremely relieved and thankful. It was a moment of surrender and of having no control whatsoever, yet knowing that all is well and that I am in good hands.

The tears diminished but lasted until I got to the centre (N.B. the rose quartz is no longer at the centre, so the centre is now a cosy, ridged, horse-shoe-shaped space). As I felt my finger slip into that comforting central embrace, all I could say was 'Thank You' over and over - really feeling it and meaning it. I felt grateful for the release I had experienced on the way there, grateful for the labyrinth itself and for 'Everything' ... even things I don't know yet.

This morning I 'walked' the lab with my eyes closed in the dark, sitting on my new pink yoga mat. As I got to the welcoming centre and my finger fitted in perfectly, the unexpected burst of tears erupted. They were accompanied by that same feeling of immense gratitude. The feeling of my finger fitting perfectly into the horse-shoe shaped embrace made me feel welcome ... the feeling of 'fitting in' ... fitting perfectly into something or somewhere and feeling great comfort and gratitude for it. It's not about an external place and it's not about external people - as much as we may like it to be so. It is about fitting perfectly into ourselves, whoever, whatever and however we are.

Sacred Journey photos and captions

As promised, here are a few of the photos from Sacred Journey, my piece for the interactive art event, Mystic Intervention - a part of Red Earth Eco-Arts Festival 2009.

Click here to read a short synopsis of Sacred Journey ... what it was about.

Through the natural curtain (curtain made by my friend Rosanna), enter the room in which the raw clay finger labyrinth and other elements of the Sacred Journey were contained.

The clay finger labyrinth is inside, zen style on the floor, with two cushions: one for the person using the labyrinth and one for me when I'm talking to them and explaining before leaving them to have their experience alone.
I made the labyrinth with ridges along the pathway to facilitate closed eyes. Three heart shaped rocks at cardinal points surround the traveler with Love. The 'heart' in the fourth cardinal point is the Traveler/the person sitting before the labyrinth. Rose Quartz crystal (The Love Stone) at centre. Surrounded by Love, with Love in self and Love at the centre on the Sacred Journey.

The feathers emanating from each heart shaped rock are from the Miracle Bird ... Wings of Love, Taking Flight, Miracle.

I liked the shadow of these leaves falling on the paper.
Rose Quartz removed from centre, but energy still present.
Flower Powers.
These wire flowers were hanging all over the wooden walls of the room. Each contains a piece of paper with a special message (most of them being a message I've written down after my morning yoga/meditation). After 'walking' the finger labyrinth, the person chooses either a Flower Power or a Nature's Wisdom Card to receive a message that supports, confirms, gives them further insight about their experience.
One of the Flower Powers by the window.
Nature's Wisdom Cards.
A series of mystical cards, made from a selection of my nature photographs. For each one, I translated the symbols from the image and wrote down key words and phrases - messages for whoever selects a specific card after 'walking' the finger labyrinth. 'Nature Tarot', so to speak. Nature speaks to us through symbolic messages that guide us along our path in life when we take the time to tune in and listen.
Throughout the day, various people entered and embarked upon the Sacred Journey to the centre of themselves (afterwards, choosing their message in either a random Nature's Wisdom Card or Flower Power).
For some it was an individual journey ... a moment alone.
Some did it together. The circuit of the labyrinth is wide enough for one finger, so this couple rested one on the finger of the other and moved along the path.
Mothers and children also did it together.
(Mother and son - J & J).
Mother and daughter.
Some little children played on the pathways.
Eyes closed, feeling her way to the centre and back out again.

Quite moment of stillness and connection.

Sacred moments

The Journey of a Lifetime

Journeying to her centre

Bon appetit
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There were many other travelers, but these photos will give you an overall view. Tomorrow I'll share photos of some of the pieces by the other artists who were involved.

Rising Up

Yesterday:
Dawn on the cliff.
Balandra.

We rise,
The Sun and I.