Conjuring Nature’s Play Mandala

Wow! I am still decompressing, more like integrating, from the amazing 2015 Freeform weekend. The organizers rocked it this year and really put on one of the best events. I am so happy to camp with Spirit House and Tea for the second year in a row. Spirit House brings a chill space for participants, serves daily tea ceremonies, and provides a safe space for those who are alone, want to snuggle, or need a listening ear. I was blessed to spend time hosting a tea ceremony on the topic of Aparigraha, a yama observed in the yogic tradition on the concept of non-attachment/non-hoarding, taught a class on Herbal Alchemy & Creativity , and taught Plant Spirit Yoga on the herbal plant of Rose. These are all topics I plan on creating into blog posts one day.

 

The most epic of my time at Freeform this year was creating a mandala called Conjuring Nature’s Play. The Creative Team of Alex Emmerman, my right hand man, and Todd Watkins, foraged and mastermind the idea of how to bring more awareness to the nature on the site. We want participants of festivals to spend more time in the bush looking around, communing, and paying attention to the cycles of nature. I find the more I play with nature the more I understand myself, the world, and my purpose. I wanted to give this gift to others through art.

Below is the description and a slide show of the photos taken by Cinnamon and myself 🙂

 

Playing with Nature every day

~April

 

 

 

The mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol used in all cultures, religions, and within nature. Conjuring Natures Play mandala asks you the participant to play, reflect, let go and add freshly foraged materials from nature or those provided to the mandala. The purpose is to bring awareness to the role of nature in healing, play, joy, and creating a unified image of the beautiful community.