I braced myself the first time Monty descended onto my gloved hand, assuming that a Harris Hawk with a 3-foot wingspan would knock the wind out of me as he landed. Monty alighted on my leather glove with a dancer’s grace.

I met Monty at the British School of Falconry at the Equinox Resort, in Manchester, Vermont. Raptors are birds of prey that use their extraordinary eyesight to hunt from the sky, and just the name—derived from the Latin word rapere, meaning “to seize or take by force”—inspires awe.

Falconry classes are the best way to spend hands-on time with raptors. In addition to teaching people about hunting with trained falcons or other birds of prey, some schools offer falconry experiences
focused on handling and flying raptors. Steve and Emma Ford founded the British School of Falconry in Scotland in 1982 and opened the Vermont school in 1995.

Believed to be the oldest sport in the world, falconry began as a hunting method in the Far East around 2000 BCE. It reached Britain around 860 CE and became known as the “sport of kings,” an important part of a nobleman’s education. Today, falconry enthusiasts play important roles in the conservation movement.

After I was fitted with a leather falconry glove, I was introduced to Monty and taught how to hold his “jesses,” leather leg straps that kept him in position in my gloved hand. I learned how to “cast off” Monty to his perch and call him back to my hand. After practicing this ancient rhythm of release and return—the heart of the falcon-human relationship—we began the hour-long Hawk Walk. I cast off Monty to a tree. As my instructor and I walked the trail, Monty flew from tree to tree, waiting for me to periodically call him back to my glove. During this “following on,” as it’s called, the instructor explained some physics of flight and feathers, wind and weather. Monty flew from treetop to treetop, staying with us in much the same zig-zag way as my dog stays with me when we walk in the woods.

Like most trained hawks, Monty wore bells on his legs so we could hear him as he alighted. As I walked with Monty, I was struck by this ancient sport’s romance: the leather glove, the sound of bells in the treetops, the beautiful landscape and, of course, Monty—a magnificent raptor at my beck and call. Sometimes when I called him back to me, I kept him on my gloved hand for a few minutes, a lady and her hawk, side by side.

BELINDA RECIO, recipient of the Humane Society’s Award for Innovation in the Study of Animals, owns True North Gallery (truenorthgallery.net) in Hamilton, Massachusetts, where she exhibits art that connects people with animals and the natural world.

RESOURCES

The British School of Falconry
Equinox Resort, Manchester, Vermont
equinoxresort.com

West Coast Falconry
Marysville, California
westcoast-falconry.com

New England Falconry
Hadley, Massachusetts
newenglandfalconry.com

Quebec Falconry Centre
Saint-Narcisse-de-Beaurivage, Québec, Canada
centredefauconnerie.com

Related posts:

1. Made for Walking From the eco-minded company, El Naturalista, these boots are made...

A therapy dog is specially trained to provide comfort to people who are ill, confined to an institution, or dealing with learning disabilities, behavioral issues or other stressful conditions. The dog’s primary duty is to be an all-around “good dog” who allows herself to be handled —sometimes clumsily—by strangers.

Any size or breed of dog, including mixed breeds, can be therapy dogs. The only requirements are a stable, easygoing temperament and excellent training that enriches your relationship with your dog and makes her a better-behaved companion for all social situations. The real gift is the heartfelt satisfaction you will feel when you see the joy your canine pal can bring to people in need.

Does your dog have the right stuff?
Therapy Dogs International believes that a therapy dog is born, not made. Training is required, of course, but a therapy dog has to have the right stuff. She must be smart, patient, relaxed, friendly and confident. She should enjoy human contact and handling from unfamiliar children and adults, even if they approach her awkwardly.

You might start by asking yourself how your dog behaves with toddlers. Is she tolerant as the stumbling two-year old pulls on her ears or does she growl? How does your dog react to wheelchairs and other walking aids? If a wheelchair were to bump your dog, would she simply step out of the way or would she snap at the chair? Therapy dogs should have “low reactivity,” meaning that they react defensively only in an extremely threatening situation.

If you feel like your dog has the right stuff, call Therapy Dogs International or look up a therapy dog organization in your area on www.therapydogorganizations.net. Training usually begins with comprehensive obedience work and the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen test. After this, you and your dog will take a course that introduces you to different kinds of medical equipment and environments and “body desensitizing” techniques that train your dog to be handled without inducing a stress reaction. Lastly, as “extra credit,” you might want to take a “tricks” class.

Resources
Therapy Dogs International
tdi-dog.org
Volunteer organization that regulates tests and registers therapy dogs and their
volunteer handlers for nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions .

Therapy Dog Organizations
www.therapydogorganizations.net
State-by-state lists of organizations related to therapy dog training and service.

American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Class
akc.org/events/cgc/training_testing.cfm
Describes the training a dog needs to pass the Canine Good Citizen test.
Dogs Are Good Medicine

SMOKY’S LEGACY
Smoky, a Yorkshire terrier rescued on a World War II battlefield by Corporal William Wynne, was the world’s first official therapy dog. Wynne took Smoky along on combat missions, during which she entertained and comforted the troops. When Wynne was hospitalized with illness, his friends brought Smoky to the hospital to cheer him up. Commanding officer Dr. Charles Mayo (of the Mayo Clinic) gave Smoky permission to go on rounds in the hospital, and Smoky continued her work as “the first therapy dog” for 12 years.

BELINDA RECIO received the 2004 United States Humane Society’s Award for Innovation in the Study of Animals and Society.

Related posts:

1. State of the Ark: Tricks and Treats Contrary to the popular saying, even older dogs can learn...
2. Chocolate as Medicine? Regardless of what some may say, our expert suggests that...
3. The Good Side of Stress As hard as it may be to believe, there is...

Contrary to the popular saying, even older dogs can learn new tricks! Learning tricks helps your dog to learn how to pay attention to you, which reinforces general obedience training and strengthens your alpha position in the pack. Tricks also provide dogs with an opportunity to exercise their brains, which, like physical exercise, helps to keep them from getting bored and engaging in destructive behaviors. Tricks can also replace negative behaviors, such as jumping. Consider how much nicer it is to be greeted at the door by a dog that wants to “shake” your hand instead of jumping on you.

Every dog should know how to come when called, how to heel, sit, lie down, stay, “leave it,” and “get off.” But beyond these basic obedience commands is a big bag of tricks that have no purpose other than having fun learning together. And yes, you should be learning as well as your dog. To be a good tricks teacher, you need to learn how to pay attention to your dog’s body language as well as your own, and you need to practice consistency and patience. The end result will be a shared sense of pride, a deepening of your bond, and fun opportunities for you and your canine companion to entertain friends at parties.

Here are a few tricks and trick-teaching tips to get you started. If you and your dog enjoy learning tricks together, look into taking a local class together. You can also find some great resources on the Internet, including a variety of YouTube training videos.

Tricks
• Shake: Take your dog’s paw and gently move it up and down as if shaking hands, while saying, “Shake.” Practice this several times for a few days, and then don’t take his paw and just say “Shake.” If he gives you his paw, reward him with a small treat. If not, go back to taking his paw and shaking it while saying “shake” and try the second step again later.

• Spin: Stand in an open space with your dog. Have a small treat hidden in your hand and let your dog smell the treat without taking it. Lead your dog by moving the hidden treat in your hand in a clockwise circle, repeating, “Spin” while he follows your hand. Be sure he has enough room to follow the circling treat. Reward him with the treat if he follows it. Repeat these steps several times and then say, “Spin,” without leading him with the hidden treat. If he “spins,” give him a treat (from your pocket or treat pouch). If he doesn’t, return to the previous steps and practice a few more times.

• Crawl: Begin with your dog in a down position, and a treat hidden in your hand. Hold the treat just in front of his snout and move it slowly away from his nose about an inch at a time, saying, “Crawl.” Don’t let him get up. Gently reposition him in the down position if he tries to stand, repeating the command, “Crawl.” As soon as your dog starts to “crawl” toward the treat without standing, praise him, and reward him with the treat. Gradually increase the distance you ask him to crawl, withholding the treat just a little bit longer each time.

Trick-Teaching Tips
• Keep it fun. Never punish your dog if he doesn’t get it right!
• Break each trick into small steps. Teach one step at a time and practice it before moving onto the next step.
• Reward your dog with gentle praise even for simply paying attention and trying. Reward him with big praise and a treat for succeeding!
• Consider your dog’s breeding and personality when selecting tricks to learn. For example, some dogs are more athletic and can learn how to catch a Frisbee in a few minutes, but due to size or personality, these same dogs might be very uncomfortable “rolling over.”

Belinda Recio is the Contributing Editor of Nature & Psyche at Organic Spa Magazine. She is the recipient of the 2004 United States Humane Society’s Award for Innovation in the Study of Animals and Society.

Related posts:

1. State of the Ark In this first installment of our new column on sharing...
2. State of the Ark Take the time to listen to your pet- their emotions...

Inspired by an ice hotel in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi, the Hôtel de Glace is located just 45 minutes outside of Québec City, on the banks of Lac St. Joseph. Every winter for the past 10 years, as much as 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice have been transformed into an architectural wonder that rivals the ice palace of Anderson’s mythical snow queen. The Hôtel de Glace has 36 private rooms and theme suites in which guests sleep in protective polar sleeping bags on top of fur-covered foam mattresses supported by beds chiseled from ice. Every room is a work of art, decorated with relief sculptures carved into the walls, and sculpted ice furniture. In addition to the rooms and suites, there is an Ice Café, a breathtakingly beautiful ice chapel (where over 200 couples will have been married by the end of this season), and a spectacular lobby with a sculpted ice candelabra lit by fiber optics of changing colors. The hotel also has an ice slide, art gallery, and a renowned reception room known as the Ice Bar, which serves guests cocktails in glasses made of ice. In between drinks, guests dance on the snow-covered floor while an auroral play of light illuminates the crystalline interior and sculpted ice furniture.

In addition to all its icy amenities, the hotel has heated bathrooms, showers, and lockers, as well as hot tubs and saunas in a private courtyard. The hotel is located next to the Duchesnay Resort, which offers dog sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice-skating, and a full-service spa, Tyst Trädgård. The resort also features a lodge, cabins and a regular hotel (Auberge Duchesnay), as well as a highly rated gourmet restaurant. This year the Hôtel de Glace is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and they are offering a special “Polar Getaway Package.” This two-night getaway includes welcome cocktails, as well as dinners and breakfasts at the Auberge Duchesnay for both days. The package includes one night’s accommodation in an Hôtel de Glace theme suite (complete with arctic sleeping gear), and access to hot tubs and sauna. A private room at the Auberge Duchesnay is included for the same night as the Hôtel de Glace (in the event that guests want to warm up a bit), and for a second night of the package. The Polar Getaway also includes a choice of two activities offered at the resort, such as tandem massage at the Tyst Trädgård Spa, and dog sledding at Adventure Inukshuk.

During its construction as well as its operation, the Hôtel de Glace is committed to preserving the environment and reducing its carbon footprint. They recycle at the hotel and sell recycled items in their gift shop. And, during the last two years, they have reduced their consumption of energy by roughly 13 percent. But perhaps the greenest thing about the hotel is its building material: ice. They use nothing but pure water from the Saint Joseph River to make an especially stable kind of snow called “snice.” And at the end of the season, when the hotel melts, the purified water is returned to the river. In this way, the Hôtel de Glace is not just easy on the environment; it is also an exquisite exercise in the Buddhist practice of non-attachment. For five weeks, engineers, builders, and sculptors work nearly round the clock to construct a breathtaking work of art. Everyone involved knows the hotel won’t last for very long, but they build it anyway. Upon completion, for three months in the winter, the hotel sits on the frozen riverbank, like a mirage from a fairy tale. But then, as often happens in fairy tales, when its time comes, the enchanted place disappears, in this case, turning back into the river from which it came. So visit the amazing Hôtel de Glace it while it sparkles like the Snow Queen’s castle in the icy winter light.

Open January 4, 2010 to April 4, 2010.

www.icehotel-canada.com

Related posts:

1. Mandarin Oriental, Florida In honor of its 10th anniversary, this beloved Brickell Key...
2. Eco Travel Urban Sanctuaries From West to East, we've scoped out two contemporary hotels...

But as our days get longer and we happily escort winter’s darkness out the door, let’s remember that light and darkness are complementary: two parts of a whole, cyclical in nature, and meaningless without the contrast of the other. The Chinese Tai Chi, or yin and yang symbol is a perfect example of this concept, with its interlocking curves of light and dark. In most mystical traditions, darkness and light are equally necessary aspects of creation because darkness is associated with gestation, which precedes birth, and with death, which precedes resurrection.

Author and theologian Matthew Fox reminds us of the necessity of darkness in his writings on Creation Spirituality. In Original Blessing, he describes one path of the spiritual journey as the via negativa, or “the way of negation.” On this path, we let go of what we have created and what we seek and “befriend the darkness. When we are on the via negativa, we embrace what Buddhism calls the great “nothing,” which is the heart of the universe. We yield to the darkness so that, when the time comes, we can once again see the light, but with a deeper understanding of ourselves.

It isn’t easy for most of us to embrace the darkness. For the past three centuries since the start of the Enlightenment darkness has fallen out of favor, and has been equated with ignorance, despair, and evil, rather than mystery, potential, and renewal. Spiritually, we shy away from the dark and its silence, preferring the distractions of light and sound that the modern world offers us. And, technologically, we’ve practically rendered darkness extinct with electricity and the seemingly never ending string of lights wrapped around the planet. We have become a specie that is afraid of the dark. We are even afraid of our own shadows, as the saying goes. In Jungian psychology, the shadow represents the part of ourselves that we would rather not know. But even these shadowy parts of ourselves cowardly or selfish though they may be are a part of who we are and denying them prevents us from living up to our true potential.

So the next time you are feeling spiritually dark, remember that our hearts started beating in the darkness of the womb, seeds germinate in the darkness of the earth, and the earth rests in the darkness of winter so that spring can return. We all need fallow time. Darkness is a gift it’s a great open space in which anything can happen. Surrender to it and the light will return.

No related posts.

These changes are happening because, about 4.5 the winter. In short, the tilt of Earth’s axis created the billion years ago, during the formation of our solar seasons and the solstices. system, something happened that caused Earth’s axis to tilt approximately twenty-three and one-half degrees.  This tilt positions the northern hemisphere in such a way as to be more directly warmed by the sun during the summer and less directly warmed during the winter.  In short, the tilt of Earth’s axis created the seasons and the solstices.  

As we approach the winter solstice—the darkest time of the year—most of us dread all the long, dark nights that await us.  And this feeling is nothing new: The solsticial darkness has always had a profound— and even mythic—effect on the human psyche.

Imagine how frightening it must have been to the first people who noticed that the world seemed to be darkening and dying. And now imagine the sense of hope and renewal that the return of light brought them. No wonder this turning point in time became the inspiration for so many sacred stories and ceremonies that celebrate the triumph of light and life over darkness and death.

Even today, when science can explain the seasonal shifts as astrophysical phenomena, the solsticial darkness still has a strong influence on our personal and collective psyches. Intellectually, we know that winter will transition into spring, and yet our senses perceive a world that really does appear to be dying. Light and life are diminishing right before our eyes. Rationally, we know that the world is not coming to an end. But perhaps, on a deeper, more primordial level, as the nights get darker and darker, we still feel some of the apprehension experienced by our ancestors during this mysterious time of year.

Winter’s darkness also creates a gestational space, which gives thoughts and feelings room to grow. Just like the occasional “dark night of the soul” in which we cannot sleep because something worries us, the introspective nights of winter are a kind of collective dark night of the world psyche. The ever-increasing darkness and the space it gives us to contemplate our lives often provokes us to think about the year that is passing. This nostalgic awareness of the passage of time needs to be balanced with feelings of hope and renewal. This is why we celebrate the holidays. We engage in symbolic gestures, such as lighting candles, hanging strings of lights, bringing evergreens into our homes, gathering around fires, and exchanging gifts because these rituals are intended to engender hope and create joyful anticipation.

For decades now, many of us in the Western world have been disillusioned with the commercialization of the winter holidays, especially Christmas. As we rush through the preparations and festivities, we often forget that this is a sacred and mythic time—a deeply storied season that has been honored and celebrated since prehistory. Ironically, we tend to blame the holidays—which were created to help us connect with the sacred—for our feelings of alienation. However, it is not the celebrations that we should blame for our dispirited state, but our forgetfulness. Feasts, fires, gatherings, gift giving—these should help us through the darkness, not plunge us deeper into it. If it feels like our winter holidays have eroded into near-meaningless obligations, then it is time for us, both personally and collectively, to try to remember the true meaning of the winter solstice.

Back when humankind first experienced the darkening days of winter, people felt fear and doubt. But then, as light and life slowly started to return, they learned to trust that they would survive the darkness, and they developed faith—in themselves, and in the Sacred Presence to which they attributed their survival. So the winter solstice—created by a random astronomical act that caused a tilt in Earth’s axis—provides us with an annual ritual in which we have to face our doubts and rediscover our faith. By offering our psyches the opportunity to reenact this yearly archetypal cycle of death/doubt and rebirth/faith, the solstice tends to our souls. In this mysterious way, the tilt of our tiny blue-green planet has taught us to trust that at the very darkest moment, on the longest night, the light will start to return. Trust, faith, light: This is the meaning—and magic—of the winter solstice. Happy holidays.

Celebrating the Solstice With Fire and Light

As the saying goes, it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness, and the winter solstice is the perfect time to take this advice to heart. During the long nights of winter, take some time to bring back the light. Here are a few suggestions—inspired by ancient traditions—for ways to celebrate the solstice with fire and light.

Rekindle the Sun With a Sacred Fire

When our lives depended on fire, tending the hearth was a matter of survival. This was especially true during the long nights surrounding the winter solstice. At this time, fire provided not only heat and light, but also served as a symbolic gesture for rekindling the solsticial sun. Lighting a sacred fire with family and friends is a simple and meaningful way of honoring the solstice. Symbolically, a solstice fire can represent not only the return of solar and spiritual light, but also the primal forces of transformation and regeneration.

To create sacred space around the fire, ask friends or family to encircle the hearth or fire pit. Prior to lighting the fire, consider setting a group intention that the fire will bring more light to the world and to the hearts of everyone participating in the ceremony. Suggest that the oldest or youngest participant light the fire and that everyone release their solstices wishes as the flames ignite.

Burn a Yule Log

The ceremonial burning of a special log during the winter solstice is an ancient and widespread tradition originating in Northern Europe. One version of the Yule log ceremony involved decorating the Yule log before burning. Plan a Yule Log Party with family and friends. Provide each participant (or family or couple) with a small symbolic log. These should be lengths of a seasoned hardwood tree branch, one or two inches in diameter. Birch, oak, cherry, and maple are good choices. According to tradition, the “logs” should be gathered from your property or a neighbor’s property, but not purchased, if possible.

Before your Yuletide gathering, prepare the fireplace, woodstove, or fire pit with an appropriate bed of kindling to get the fire started, and gather tools and materials for decorating the logs. Once your guests have arrived, begin by telling them that in ancient times, Yule logs symbolized health, fertility, productivity, and protection against bad luck. Explain that decorating the logs prior to burning them enhances the likelihood that the log will bestow these good things upon our lives.

To adorn the logs, use burnable paper ribbons, evergreens (such as a few holly leaves and tiny branches of spruce or pine), sprigs of herbs, and dried flowers. You might also want to invite participants to write their wishes for the coming year on small pieces of paper. These can then be folded and tied to the log with paper ribbon or natural raffia. When you are finished decorating, you might want to sprinkle a tiny bit of wine on the logs, as they did in ancient times.

Just before lighting the fire, ask everyone to gather around the hearth or fire pit and have a moment of silence in which people can hold a wish or prayer in their hearts. Then ask the oldest person present to light the fire. Once you have a good ceremonial fire going, place the log on the fire and release your wishes. If possible, don’t burn the entire log. Save a bit of its charcoal as good luck, and as “kindling” for next year’s Yule log. The continuity of one year’s log becoming kindling for the next symbolizes the great cycle of life.

Light a Solstice Candle

Candles are one of the most ancient ways of providing light, so they have come to be the quintessential symbol of light, representing spiritual illumination and the aspiring human soul. Lighting candles can reconnect you with the ancient and universal human yearning to create a light in the darkness. Candle lighting is therefore one of the oldest and most important rituals. It is also one of the simplest ways to ritualize an occasion and invite the sacred into the moment.

As a personal ritual to honor the solstice, designate a candle as your “solstice” candle and then assign to it a prayer or wish for bringing more light into the world. Alternatively, as part of a larger solstice gathering, ask each guest to bring a small glass-enclosed votive candle. At an appropriate moment during your gathering, invite your guests outside with their candles. Stand in a circle and light your candles one at a time. As host or hostess, you might begin by asking people to hold a wish or prayer for light in their hearts. Then light two candles: your votive and a taper candle. Hold onto your votive, and pass the taper candle to the person on your right so that they can light their candle. Once the lighting candle has been passed around, and all the votives are lit, extinguish the lighting candle. Then, place the glass votives on the ground in front of you (provided you are in an appropriate and safe environment for doing this). Use the sacred space created by your solsticial circle of light in the darkness to warmly wish each other peace and joy in the coming new year. (Don’t forget to extinguish all the candle flames when you are finished with your ceremony!

Related posts:

1. State of the Ark: Winter Safety Dogs love romping through the snow, but knowing how to...
2. Beat the Winter Chill From cracked hands to chapped lips, we have simple remedies...

The entire universe vibrates—every galaxy, star, planet, molecule, and atom—and everything has a rhythm. A rhythm is anything that repeats itself in time: the phases of the moon, an oak tree dropping acorns in autumn, the pounding surf, our heartbeat. During our lives, we are immersed in all of these rhythms, beginning with the rush of blood through our mother’s body while we are still in her womb. From the first beat of our hearts to the last, our lives are defined by rhythm. We may, through the course of our days, walk to the beats of many different drums. But ultimately there is one rhythm that all of us share—the pulse of life.

Drumming is an ancient technology for keeping time with this pulse: It reminds us that we all come from the same primeval sound that burst forth out of the silent void—the first beat of the universe. Because the drum can evoke a beating heart, thunder, the flapping of wings, the pounding surf, and so many other sounds that create the symphony of life, it symbolizes the voice of creation. For the Lakota Indians, the drum represents the voice of Wakan-Tanka, the Great Spirit; within the Hindu tradition, the drum symbolizes the destructive-creative power of Shiva; for Buddhists, it is the hidden power of the cosmos and the voice of Buddha; and in many African cultures, the drum is a powerful symbol of the heart. As an expression of primal sound, the drum is also a catalyst that makes things happen, as in the expression, “to drum up.”

Drums have been around for more than 8,000 years, and drumming has been practiced by nearly every civilization. As an echo of the larger rhythms of life, drums have been used in many kinds of rituals—birth and funeral, renewal and harvest, work and play, war and peace. The sound of the drum has been used as an acoustic amulet, to ward off evil and calamity, and as a medium for communicating with nature and the spirit world. In the Japanese Shinto religion, drums are used to speak to the spirits of animals, water, and fire. The hypnotic rhythms created by West African drummers are believed to pull the spirits of ancestors into the bodies of dancers, and the Kaluli drummers of New Guinea hear the sounds of the drum as the voices of the dead communicating with the living.

Within shamanic traditions, the shaman’s role is that of mediator between the ordinary world and the spirit world, and shamans have described their drums as horses, canoes, or other vehicles that carry them to other worlds. The ancient Samoyed used the same word for “bow” as for “drum” because they perceived the drum as a way to “shoot” the shaman into the sky, meaning into altered states of consciousness. Practitioners of most shamanic traditions believe that drumming creates a portal between worlds—through which they journey from one realm to another. For this reason, a shaman sometimes has an assistant who maintains the drumming while he or she enters a trance state. In this way, the assistant keeps the portal open so that the shaman can find his or her way back from the spirit world.

It is unlikely that we remember the first time we created a percussive sound. It was probably a form of body percussion, like clapping. We may have then progressed to tapping on a table with a spoon, which at some point led to the quintessential toddler “drum set”—a collection of pots and pans. We are drawn to rhythm because it makes us want to move and join in its vibration. The drum is often used to call soldiers into battle or dancers to the dance because the percussive and rhythmic sound travels through our bodies to our hearts in a visceral way, breaking down resistance from within. This is why a song with a good beat gets us tapping our feet unconsciously—we quite literally can’t resist the beat, and our bodies give in to the rhythm.

When one rhythm pulls another into its beat, it is described as “entrainment.” The theory of entrainment proposes that if two rhythms are very similar, with sources in close proximity, they will usually fall into synchrony with each other. It is easier for the two rhythms to pulse together than in opposition because of the mutual influence they have on one another. Entrainment can happen in music, dance, even life itself, as when our rhythms and those of the world around us fall into sync. When our tempo is in sync with another’s, we fall into entrainment with him or her and it is easier to communicate. Some people have even described falling in love as a particularly profound kind of entrainment. Conversely, when we are out of sync—whether with family, friends, work, or the greater rhythm of our lives—it is as if our hearts are skipping beats and we’ve lost our rhythm.

Ritual drumming can help us stay in sync with our own biological and emotional rhythms, as well as with the rhythms of nature. Like other meditational practices, drumming can help us focus our attention. Just as shamans use drumming to journey to the spirit world, we can drumming to travel out of our heads and into our hearts and bodies. From there, drumming can pull us into a centered state where we can find peace, serenity, and the sacred. When an infant cries, we sometimes respond by holding him or her against our chests. There, the baby can feel the familiar beating of our heart and is comforted. The drum can serve a similar purpose: It helps us feel the beat of our own hearts and, in doing so, it connects us to the rhythm of the universe.

The Sacred Art of Drumming

Anyone can drum, regardless of musical ability. When groups get together for ritual drumming, it’s often called a drumming circle. Drumming circles are held for meditation, healing, celebration, or for the purpose of getting in rhythmic sync with one another and the world. Ritual drumming is a creative collaboration that is usually unrehearsed and unstructured. In a drumming circle, it’s easy to lose yourself in the group rhythm and feel a sense of belonging to a pulse greater than your own.

Recently, drumming circles have sprung up nearly everywhere, attracting people from all walks of life. Drumming in groups has such widespread appeal because it enables us to achieve a sense of communal rhythm. Although you can join an already existing drumming circle, it’s easy to facilitate your own. All you need is people, drums, and a space, indoors or out. You might schedule the drumming to fall on a full moon, equinox, solstice, holiday, or other special occasion.

What You Need

Ask people to bring their own drum, if they have one. If they don’t have a drum, suggest they use a found object, such as a bucket, pail, empty coffee can, pot, pan, or a wooden box. Many objects can become percussive instruments just by tapping them with your hand or a wooden spoon. To create a softer sound, wrap a scrap of fabric around the spoon and secure it with string.

The Sacred Space of a Circle

Once your group is gathered, ask everyone to sit in a circle with their drum. The circle is a powerful symbolic element, without beginning or end. It’s not mere coincidence that most drums are circular. Just look up at the sun or moon—both are circles—and you see one of the first and most ancient symbols of humanity. The circle represents eternity, totality, and the divine. Arranging the drummers in a circle helps to create ceremonial space and a sense of community.

The Rhythm

Get the drumming started by softly tapping your drum, in whatever rhythm comes to you. Then, speaking over your tapping, tell the group that there are no rules, and invite everyone to start playing. You’ll feel a rhythm take form almost instantly, as if you could read each others’ minds. As you continue drumming, allow people to improvise and let the rhythm change on a whim. Either take breaks together or allow individuals to break as they need to. You can let the drumming circle conclude spontaneously or you could suggest an intentional conclusion, such as a few minutes of drumming in a joyous tempo or a gradual slowing down into silence.

No related posts.

Mandalas are ancient and nearly universal forms of sacred geometric art, usually comprised of concentric shapes and symbolic images. They are used for many different types of spiritual practices, such as meditation, healing, initiation, teaching, and prayer. Mandalas appear in the complex patterns of Islamic art, in the knot work of the ancient Celts, in the sand paintings of the Tibetan and Navajo (Diné) peoples, and in the sacred art of Christian mystics, such as Hildegard of Bingen and Jacob Boehme.

The word, “mandala” is the Sanskrit word for circle—or center and circumference—and the essential meaning of the mandala derives from the symbolism of these two aspects of the circle. The circumference—what we usually call a circle—is a form without a beginning or an end. It is one of the most important and universal symbols in human history, representing wholeness, completeness, and the cyclical nature of life. In Black Elk Speaks, the Native-American Black Elk honored the circular essence of existence, which he recognized in many aspects of life, great and small:

Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. —Black Elk

In addition to the circumference, the circle includes the center—a powerful and sacred symbol that represents endless potential and the movement outward of the one toward the many. The center represents the seed from which the tree grows, the cell that divides to make the seed, the atoms that make up the cells, the nucleus that lies at the heart of the atom, and so on, ad infinitum. The two aspects of the circle—the potential of its center and the totality of its circumference—are embodied in the mandala’s strong central focal point and surrounding concentric forms.

In Tibetan Buddhism, mandalas are the symbolic terrain of the soul’s journey to enlightenment. The design of the mandala guides the meditator toward its center. Radiating out from the center, in concentric layers, are geometric shapes and ancient spiritual icons that symbolize different phases of initiation or levels of consciousness related to the deity. Every element of the mandala—shape, color, pattern, and imagery—represents a guiding principle or aspect of wisdom related to the lesson it teaches.

Within the Hindu tradition, the mandala takes the form of the yantra, a sacred diagram intended to guide the meditator to experience unity with the center, known as the bindu, or absolute. The center of a yantra is the undifferentiated infinite, from which all matter and spirit emanate. It is the originating point of divine consciousness, and the cosmic unity that underlies the multiplicity of the world. Everything issues from and returns to this point, expanding in concentric forms. One of the Hindu sacred texts, the Upanishads, uses the metaphor of a spider at the center of its simultaneously expanding and contracting web to illustrate the concept of the center and its relationship to the forms it manifests. Just as all of existence originates from a central point, every individual has his or her own inner center.

The widespread cross-cultural use of the mandala inspired psychoanalyst Carl Jung to recognize it as an archetype—a psychological pattern that shapes the human psyche. Jung’s research demonstrated that the mandala isn’t a form we create so much as an energy we express. The urge to create and gaze upon a mandala is a universal tendency of human consciousness just as nest-building is inherent in the consciousness of most birds. Jung saw the mandala as an expression of the human longing to be psychologically and spiritually integrated. He believed the mandala could help people connect with their deeper selves and achieve spiritual wholeness, so he used the mandala as a therapeutic tool, encouraging his patients to create mandalas in their quest to achieve their full potential.

Just as the power of the world often manifests in circles, our own power, or potential, can also be discovered in a circle. The mandala can take us to the still point in ourselves, where we can reconnect with the sacred by encountering the endless possibilities that emanate from the center.

Nature’s Mandalas

Nature is filled with mandalas. On the microcosmic level, flowers, eggs, seeds, spider webs, cross-sections of plant stems and tree trunks, snowflakes, mineral crystals, cells, molecules, and atoms are mandalas; on the macrocosmic level, planets and their orbits, solar systems and galaxies are mandalas. The human eye also has a mandalic form: The pupil sits in the center of the iris, collecting light from the outer world and projecting it inward. Even the paracrystalline form of the DNA molecule is a mandala, and when photographed from a particular angle, it’s even a square within a circle, like many Tibetan mandalas!

Create a Meditation Mandala

The mandala is a visual journey through layers of consciousness to the center, where we can experience our own potential, as well as the sacred. You can take this journey by creating a mandala as well as by using one as a meditation tool.

Before you begin, remember that anybody can make a mandala, regardless of artistic ability. Making a mandala is an expression of the patterns and flow of energy emanating from you at the time you create it. This energy manifests in color, form, and number, as well as personal and archetypal imagery.

Don’t judge your mandala the way you might critique an exercise in a drawing class! If you are creating individual mandalas in a group setting, arrange the space so that everyone has a private work area and separate materials. After you’ve created your mandala, you can share it with others, but while you are making it, it’s best to resist looking at the mandalas others are making.

What You Need

You’ll need paper and paint, colored pencils, markers, or pastels, depending upon which medium you choose. You can also use drawing tools, such as a protractor or French curve, but try not to let these tools limit the form of your mandala. If you want to create an assemblage, or collage mandala from three-dimensional objects, such as stones, shells, beads, or other items that you can collect in substantial quantities, adapt these instructions as necessary.

Center and Visualize

Close your eyes and try to enter a peaceful, meditative state. Take deep breaths and with each exhalation release any expectations of what you think your mandala should look like. Now, allow a circle to emerge from your imagination. Without judgement, allow feelings, shapes, colors, and patterns to come to you. Sit with these images for a few minutes and allow, but don’t force, them to change. Let them fill the circle in whatever way they want to, forming the mandala. When the mandala image feels complete, you are ready to begin drawing.

Create the Mandala

Open your eyes, select a color, and draw a circle by using a compass or by tracing a circular object, such as a plate. Starting at the center, fill the circle with colors, forms, and images, allowing the mandala to continue to change while you are drawing it (you do not need to be faithful to the mandala that you visualized when your eyes were closed). Try not to think too much about what you’re doing, for you are really allowing the mandala to create itself.

Explore the Mandala’s Symbolism

When the mandala is complete, use the Mandala Symbolism Chart to learn the basic meaning of colors, shapes, and numbers. Note that “number” is reflected in your mandala as the frequency with which a particular form occurs. For example, if you have eight points radiating from a shape, you would look at the symbolism for the number eight. Keep in mind that all three of the mandala components listed on the chart should be considered together, not in isolation. For example, if you have eight green triangular points, you would look at the symbolism of the number eight, the color green, and the triangle. Consider the symbolism holistically, within both the larger context of the entire mandala and of your past and present life. Also consider your personal associations with colors, shapes, numbers, and other imagery.

Meditate with Your Mandala

Once you’ve created your mandala, you can use it as a meditation tool to center and strengthen awareness. Begin by looking at the mandala from different orientations (turning it clockwise) in order to find out which one feels right. Then position the mandala at eye level by tacking it on a wall or resting it on a piece of furniture. Sit in a comfortable position, quiet yourself, and focus on the mandala. Try to keep your gaze soft, but steady. Only the mandala should occupy your mind; try not to let your concentration drift. Once you’ve acquired a strong image of the mandala, close your eyes, letting the image fill your consciousness. If the image fades, open your eyes and concentrate on the mandala again. Continue in this way until you feel your mind is still. If you practice this meditation over time, you may find that it centers you and strengthens your awareness.

Mandala Symbolism Chart

Creating a mandala can reveal the invisible forms of the unconscious by presenting them in symbolic images that we can comprehend. These symbols can connect us to hidden parts of ourselves, thereby making us more complete. Use this chart to explore some of the symbolism that might be embodied in your mandala.

Color

Red – life, energy, impulse, aggression, joy

Blue – divinity, truth, faith, loyalty, peace

Yellow – warmth, clarity, consciousness, comprehension

Green – fertility, spring, youth, renewal, paradise, envy

Orange – willfulness, drive, happiness, warmth

Purple – magic, royalty, dignity, spirituality, imagination, vanity

White – light, creation, spirit, purity, truth, initiation, peace

Black – mystery, darkness, despair, evil, gestation, germination

Shape

Circle – completion, wholeness, cycles, protection, cosmos, sacred space

Cross – conjunction, intersection, energy, fire

Spiral – evolution, involution, order, change, flow

Square – permanence, proportion, equity, balance, materiality, earth

Star – guidance, aspiration, destiny, hope, constancy

Triangle – light, fire, harmony, ascension

Number

One – creation, origin, totality, center, God, individual

Two – multiplicity, separation, symmetry, equilibrium

Three – creativity, synthesis, reunion, unity, harmony, luck, magic

Four – solidity, stability, justice, power, balance, materiality, earth

Five – totality, meditation, analysis, integration, love

Six – union, equilibrium, completion, chance

Seven – magic, mysticism, orientation, spiritual order, protection, perfection

Eight – cosmic equilibrium, renewal, stability, totality

Nine – truth, order, endurance, synthesis

Ten – totality, perfection, reality, action

Eleven – transition, conflict, excess, danger, discord, rebirth

Twelve – cosmic order, celestial influence, cycles, salvation, union of spiritual and material

No related posts.

Nature loves to play. We know that mammals and birds play, but there is also evidence that reptiles, fish, and even insects play. In the wild, play provides animals with an opportunity to develop strength, coordination, social skills, and communication. Domesticated animals reap the same benefits, plus play between people and their pets deepens the human-animal bond.

When we think about caring for our canine companions, most of us think about providing nutritious food, a comfortable place to sleep, and making sure we find time for a daily walk. But we sometimes forget about play, which is an important part of our dogs’ lives, and of our own.

Neurological research has shown that when rats are given the opportunity to play, they develop larger brains, have better memories, learn easier, and have more resistance to neurological diseases than rats not given the same opportunity. If we assume the same might be true for dogs, then playing with your dog could make him or her smarter, easier to train, and more likely to live a longer, healthier life. So get out there and play with your dog!

Playing Green with Ruff Wear Toys

There are a lot of great green dog toy companies out there, but one that really caught my eye is Ruff Wear. Ruff Wear reduces its impact on the environment by participating in a local renewable energy program; riding bikes to work; using recycled and sustainable materials; printing on FSC certified paper; and supporting the Conservation Alliance, which has contributed more than $7 million to grassroots conservation projects in North America.

This is clearly a very environmentally conscious company, but in order to find out if their toys were fun, I decided to let Spooner, my 82-pound German Shepherd, try out Ruff Wear’s dog toys. Our top three favorites were SquareBall™, Gourdo™, and Turnup™. All three are made from natural latex rubber (a renewable and sustainable resource), colored with organic dyes, and contain no toxic chemicals.

Natural rubber is virtually indestructible, which is an important feature when playing with larger dogs. All three rubber toys stood up to the wear and tear of Spooner’s impressive set of teeth, as well as to mud, water, thorny thickets, and other rough environments. As far as fun goes, both Spooner and I loved SquareBall. Its weight and unique design give it great momentum when thrown. It bounces all over the place, and has a hole in the center, for hiding treats.

Gourdo was another great fetching toy. The rope lanyard makes it easy to throw and offers a way to avoid touching the slobbery rubber end after Spooner has had his way with it. The rope also allows for a game of tug-of-war. The Turnup is compatible with most ball throwers, so that’s a great added value. Plus, its turnip-like shape causes it to bounce in all directions, similar to the SquareBall. www.ruffwear.com

Fun Ways to Play with Yor Dog

• Play fetch or catch with balls, flying disks, and other dog-safe toys

• Play “Find It” by teaching your dog to stay while you hide a toy or treat, and then ask him to “find it” on command

• Play “Hide and Seek” with your dog: Same principle as “Find It” only you are the “it”

• Teach your dog amusing tricks (sit, shake, bowl, roll-over, speak) and then show him or her off at parties and gatherings

• Join an agility, fly-ball, or musical freestyle class with your dog

Related posts:

1. State of the Ark: Helpful for Hiking With Your Dog Summer is just around the corner and chances are both...
2. State of the Ark Take the time to listen to your pet- their emotions...
3. State of the Ark: Winter Safety Dogs love romping through the snow, but knowing how to...

The Color of Life: Wet and Moist and Green and Juicy

Throughout history, as we recognized our dependence on the natural world, the human imagination established a symbolic connection between Earth’s life force and the color green. Hildegard of Bingen, an eleventh-century Christian mystic and composer, was especially drawn to green’s symbolic energy. She coined the theological term viriditas, meaning “greening power.” According to theologian Matthew Fox, Hildegard used viriditas as a synonym for the divine freshness that makes human creativity and fruitfulness possible. In her opera, Ordo Virtutum, Hildegard wrote: “In the beginning all creatures were green and vital.” For Hildegard, the greening power was the germinating, fruitful force of springtime. When Hildegard corresponded with members of the clergy, she encouraged them to stay “wet and moist and green and juicy.” To Hildegard, Jesus Christ was “Greenness Incarnate,” the divine spirit that makes life possible.

The Color of Love: Give a Girl a Green Gown

If green is symbolic of the life force, it follows that it is also symbolic of procreation. At various points throughout history, green has been associated with sex and love. In Europe, during the Middle Ages, when a person was described as “green,” it meant that he or she was in love. Bridal gowns were often green, as depicted in Van Eyck’s famous painting, “The Amolfini Marriage.” The traditional ballad, “Greensleeves,” from 1581, is a story about an unfaithful woman. Originally, the title probably referred to her dress, but later, the term “greensleeves” came to be synonymous with female infidelity. The color green continued to be emblematic of sex in the sixteenth century expression “to give a girl a green gown,” which meant that a proverbial roll in the hay left a grass stain on a woman’s dress. The giving of green gowns was especially popular during May Day celebrations, as described in the old folk song “Corinna’ a Going a-Maying”:

There’s not a budding Boy or Girlie this day, But is got up, and gone to bring in May. . . . Many a green gown has been given; Many a kiss, both odde and even.

In the Celtic tradition, on the Eve of May Day, young lovers sometimes spend the night in the forest and return at the break of dawn to “bring in the May”—to dress the town in greenery—for the May Day festivities.

The Color of Heaven: All Green and Full of Flowers

In the opening lines of Psalm 23, green colors the Promised Land: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” This passage, so frequently recited at funerals, established green pastures as a metaphor for paradise. The word paradise is from the Greek word, paradeisos, which was borrowed from the Persians, who use the same word for both garden and paradise, thereby associating paradise with the green color of gardens. Both Homer and Virgil wrote about the Elysian Fields, a paradise described by Virgil as a region of eternal spring and sunlight. The ancient Greeks also believed in the paradise known as “Arcadia,” the verdant land of Pan, god of Nature. Avalon, a land of perpetual spring, abundance, and immortality, is the Gaelic paradise in which the mythical King Arthur lives. Tir Nan Og, the mythical Celtic Isle of the Blessed, is described as a “country near at hand, all green and full of flowers.” In Welsh legend, there is the “Green Land of Enchantment,” an invisible island covered with beautiful green meadows. Throughout the British Isles, the paradisiacal otherworld is sometimes called “The Green Isle in the West.” Often sung about in traditional ballads is “Fiddler’s Green,” a land without troubles or cares. And last but not least on the list of green utopias is “Shangri-La,” the lush, green Himilayan valley of eternal youth and happiness described by James Hilton in his novel, Lost Horizon.

The Color of Luck: The Rub of the Green

In golf, the “rub of the green” refers to the good or bad luck that is outside the control of the player, and to “read the green” means to assess one’s chances based on the characteristics of the course. One’s chances are usually not too good in gambling casinos, where green is often the dominant color, and where the rub of the green could make or break a fortune, and reading the green might save one.

The Color of Youth: Greenhorns and Green Hands

Generally, it takes experience to read the various greens that life has to offer, and those who are “green” rarely fare as well in their readings as the more mature. Therefore, youth and inexperience are associated with the color green. In the mid-nineteenth century, to “see green” in someone’s eyes meant to recognize gullibility. The expression greenhorn, meaning inexperienced, derives from the budding antlers of young deer. Similarly, a “green hand” was a term used for an inexperienced sailor. The Druids of ancient Britain had a school with three divisions-scholars, poets, and priests. The lowest division was called Ovates, and they wore green, which was the Druidic color of learning.

The Color of Jealousy, Envy, and Greed

In Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the rival Iago warns: “O! Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-ey’d monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” Shakespeare recognized that jealousy can make a mockery of its victim by simultaneously loving and loathing it. Closely related to the emotion of jealousy is envy, which can lend a verdant hue to those under its spell. More often than not, when the grass looks greener on the other side, it is because we are green with envy. To want more than what we need often leads to greed, which is sometimes characterized as green because of the association between greed and money. In the United States, paper money is printed with green ink, and was nicknamed “greenbacks” in the late 1800s and “green stuff” in the 1950s.

The Color of Environmentalism

The current green movement is less concerned with green stuff than with the greening, or preserving, of the environment. In 1969, a group of Canadian environmentalists founded Greenpeace, an international environmental organization dedicated to establishing governmental and industrial policies that protect the world’s natural resources. Around the same time as the founding of Greenpeace, a political party in West Germany called the “Grone Aktion Zukunft,” or the “Green Campaign for the Future,” was established. These organizations established the word “green” as an adjective describing environmentalism.

The Color of Time and Hope

What a long, strange journey green’s symbolism has taken: From the color of life, love, sex, and heaven to the color of jealousy, envy, greed, and money, and most recently, environmentalism and a sustainable lifestyle. Green has come full circle, back to a hue more in tune with Hildegard’s viriditas than greenbacks. Hopefully this environmental shade of green will stay with us for a long time, and help us to stay connected to the greening power of life itself. But there’s something else that green symbolizes: The passage of time. Think about verdigris, the greenish patina that marks time on copper architecture and sculpture, or the green vines that slowly reclaim the crumbling ruins of those civilizations that came before our own. It appears as if, with time, green always prevails, which is why it is also the color of hope and renewal. Like the Emerald City of Oz that held a promise for Dorothy’s return home, green reminds us that hope springs eternal.

Related posts:

1. My Green Life: At Work with Kjaer Weis This nanny turned freelance makeup artist, creates one of the...
2. Green Gifts for Kids We've rounded up some of the most unique green-gifts for...