Spirit, Love, and Art that Feed the Soul

This morning, I woke up with the bright and lucid laughter from children outside my window.

Tonight as I was walking home, I comforted a little boy from my street crying his heart out as he got locked out of the gate and everyone forgot about him.

Happiness. Sadness. Laughter. Tears. They're all part of the simple innocent world of children. They remind us of the most basic feelings and the wisdom behind growth and evolution.

One of my first B&W film photos of the wonderful and warm streetchildren of Katipunan Avenue while I was in university. This was for a visual anthropology class which led me to work as a volunteer art teacher at a local streetchildren literacy center. (The red ball was photoshopped. Oh! I also self studied Adobe design programs at this time as I helped them design a poster and coin box for restaurants encouraging people to give to the center that would facilitate nutrition, literacy and support to parents instead of giving the money directly to the children)

It's tough to see a lot of them on the streets. Generation after generation, the cycle continues. I have been working with streetchildren since I was 18 as a volunteer storyteller and art teacher and always always when I interact with them, I feel there's something lacking in what I'm doing. My 8 years of development advocacy work began with streetchildren. So I believe I owe a lot of my life-work experience from them. Despite what little I have done and the work of all social workers and children's welfare supporters I know, a lot of them are still in the streets. It has never been a simple problem. So many factors are behind its continued existence.

Slowly as I deepen in my spiritual path, my life work with advocacy and art, I am always reminded that all change starts from within and in interaction with other beings, the best gift is the gift of presence.

"Speak a blessing to each child," as the arts relief workers from a transformative arts training I undertook would say. Spiritual teachers remind, "Change yourself and you will change others and the world."

So these have inspired my life-work philosophy for a long time now. The important act of self transformation and the power of intention and presence can be more nourishing than food and shelter. Of course this could be debatable by old school social workers  and those who do not see value in the invisible affective power of art and spiritual "interaction" in the life of a child. While I choose to support causes that help them in a holistic way, I can also look into their eyes and smile with them even if I have no food to give.


There are so many ways people have been doing to bring children back to their homes or to shelters and off the streets. Some require working closely with parents and helping them find livelihood since this is one of the main roots of the problem; others work in shelters where they are given their basic rights to food, shelter and literacy; some do soup kitchens in public; and some give them whatever food they have in their bags instead of money. There are really simple acts we can all do with our simple ways of being. We will never know how far our actions reach and how it will help shape the life of each child. But know this, every presence that touches a life is a gift for both the giver and receiver. 


Back in university, I arranged to bring some streetkids to watch a meteor shower at the UP Observatory.  It was the look in their eyes and the awe in their voices as they saw meteors rain from the sky that was priceless. They don't usually see these things in the city as they walk in between the bright headlights of SUVs and bumper to bumper cars of Manila.

Last Christmas, my friends and I made parol mandalas with 100 of them who are already based in shelters. Again, that nagging feeling of I wish I can do more arose from time to time. Eventually I affirmed to myself that it was the simple act of helping them believe in the power of their dream through visioning and half-manifesting it through drawing and art could even be more powerful - for thought and images help shift a person's destiny. It was our collective energies of intending and believing their dreams for them that made the art activity very special. It was a beautiful complimenting action to what the shelters are already providing for them.

I was inspired to write this blog because just tonight, I was in a jeepney with 6 streetkids who hitchhiked on their way to the wet market (perhaps where they will be sleeping next). I gave each one a dalandan (local orange) and told them to compost the peelings on soil and plant every seed they collect from the fruit. Jericho, the curious one asked: "what is lupa (soil)"? It was so heartbreaking to hear that they don't even know what soil is.So I took time to point out trees out on the road and the soil beneath them. If I had more time and if this was during the day, we would be getting off the jeepney, playing barefoot on the soil, and planting the seeds with our hands!

Walking home, I thought of sharing this beautiful video Russell made out of our Christmas art action when we made healthy whole wheat banana pancakes for streetchildren we meet on the streets. Lots of charities were giving out styrofoam packaged junk that we felt it would be nice to share something that would nourish them and the earth. We used banana leaves to wrap the pancakes and asked the kids from my street to design the shape of the pancake on the front of the banana leaf packaging (I forgot to push for them to make mandalas instead for we have made mandalas before! But I was also too excited to care too much.)

Even if I moved on from working with children to other fields of development (art education, environmental management and peace work), children are still stakeholders I want to work with. I am happy to share this beautiful experience of sharing and giving through the power of presence with every child we meet whether through art, smiles, nutritious food or the love between co-creators that can share so much blessing from level of the heart and spirit. 

Star Lanterns for Dreamers

Last December 14, I facilitated two art making activities for 100 streetchildren. Together with the Diwatas (Goddesses/Fairies) of GINHAWA (Growth in Wholeness and Wellness Associates), we crafted an afternoon themed as "Parol ng Pangarap" (Star Lantern of Dreams) for them. The activity was designed for De La Salle College of St. Benilde as they launch their mentorship program with streetchildren and out of school youths in partnership with their Social Action office.

My good friend Weena who organized the event asked me to do a mandala with the children. I reflected on it and figured the best way to theme a mandala for Christmas season would be the traditional Filipino Parol.

The Parol


Inspired by the Mexican pinata and the Chinese Lantern - both influences from pre-colonial and colonial trade exchanges, the Parol is uniquely Filipino in a sense it draws spirituality (both Christianized yet indigenous-ly still at heart for the stars have been giving guidance to the ancients), craftsmanship, and the evolving creative genius together by weaving in the pentagram, a star as the main theme, with indigenous materials - bamboo, paper, fiber etc with unique petal, leaf, and other geometric designs with light.

Every Christmas season, you will see all these beautifully designed star lanterns in each home (almost all homes will have a parol on the window!) and all the streets of the cities around the country. It has become the Filipino "christmas tree." In our case, it is the star of Bethlehem which the Magis saw during Jesus' birth that is at the core of the Christmas tradition.  It also symbolizes the Filipinos' resilience and hope-filled culture - shining light over dark times.

The traditional parol (image from google images)

The modern parol with electric lights (image from clickthecity.com)

The Pentagram as Mandala

At the start we planned to have custom made star shaped bamboo frames for children to design around but it turned out very tasking to prepare 100 frames in a few days. So we opted for a cheap yet beautiful medium - Origami stars. In the middle we used parchment paper as a circle for children to draw their dreams on so lights would shine through either through some neon colored sticks or the sunshine through a window.

Child Testing the artwork with Lorenzo, here using the neon light sticks. We decided to take out the light sticks after for safety reasons. 

The whole afternoon's activities were designed to connect to the theme of dreaming and hope. The children from the streets are also orphans, out of school children, with some who have been sexually abused in the past. Staying in several partner centers and facilities, these children are already being taken off the streets and given proper care and assistance.

Inside my head, I play around with styles for designing mandalas. Everytime I design a workshop, I either go Jungian/Expressive or Geometric/Meditative or a mix of both. For this case, because of the workshop design of expressing hope, I decided to focus more on dreams in the middle of the circle. The children were encouraged to make designs and patterns on the pentacles of the mandala star.

 
The Star Guides the Dreamers

A story and theater play written by Leah Tolentino, Executive Diwata of GINHAWA was a beautiufl weave for the entire afternoon. We acted out the story through lights, projected images, and indigenous music for effect.

Inang Tala (Mother Star), played by Mini, wished to help a child forced to leave home and sleep on the streets because of poverty. Alas because she was so far away, she couldn't be heard by the child who lives in the nosiy and polluted streets of Manila. Asking the guidance of her Creator, she was advised that the only way to reach earth and to help others is to break up into pieces because she is very big and hot for the earth and its beings. And so she did break into pieces out of deep contemplation and compassion for the child. She then became all the many stars we have in the sky.

Are these the alignment of planets? (gives me the shivers)

To prepare the children for drawing, and to connect them to a creation experience, i asked the children to do a non-dominant hand play of colored crayons which they covered with black crayon afterwards for a transformative darkness creation with their pencils. It was only prior to facilitating this activity that I realized they were also drawing the cosmos from within them so I showed them pictures of beautiful nebulas and galacitcal formations taken from the Hubble Telescope. This also connects them to the story of Inang Tala.

The following photos show how the workshop transpired. Step by step we started with a visioning reflection of the meaning of hope and how dreams can be achieved if they believe. Aftewards, we drew dreams on the circular parchment paper so that it can be a transparent suncatcher during the day sans the use of lightsticks for light effect. The last steps were to design patterns on the pentacles and because they were so creative and wanted to play with designs and colors, I did not ask them to do symmetrical patterns which is the usual way mandala making is taught.

Most of the dreams from these children were houses. It tells much of their experiences growing up in the streets

He wants to be a musician

He wants to be a seaman

To close the workshop, we paraded around the college premises which Jonel our volunteer and I led with a jembe drum as we follow Inang Tala around as she asks classroom after classroom to give attention and honor to the dreams of these children.

When we got back to the activity center, we made a mandalic installation with a song by Gary Granada as part of a ritual of commitment from the volunteer mentors (students, staff, etc.) and shelter coordinators in helping foster love and literacy for these children. 

Inang Tala Mini leads the parade around the school

The streetchildren are proud of their dreams

Dreams like a litter of starfish out on the seashore

A mandalic installation to cap off!

click here for more photos !

Tapping the Creative Life Force for the New Year

*I dedicate this post to all the Babaylan angels who have guided me on my healing journey last year

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I closed 2010 with a meditative sunset experience on top of a retreat center in Antipolo where I was asked to document stories and rituals and facilitate art activities during an interfaith peace camp. As I was hiking up the hill in a hurry not to get caught in the dark forest on the way up, I saw the sun setting and realized it was the last sun of the year. Immediately, I left my backpack of fresh new clothes from the city on the ground and walked toward a tree with an awesome view of a cloud formation in the sky that gathered a large circle of light. It was a beautiful experience to see the horizon in orange and red as it blanketed above the urban landscape. Moved by the experience of saying goodbye to my challenging healing year, I just felt I needed to sing to the sun. I offered a spirit song to the sun for having graced me and all with life. It was a good year of healing and love.

That evening, I was spending a great time with the young Filipino and European peace campers singing and playing games for the year ender when I still felt the urge to have space and continue singing. Sneaking out, I went back to the sunset tree and this time sang to the moon, sang with all the fireworks from the city that could never reach the sky. I felt nostaligic saying goodbye to my roller coaster year. While singing, I felt there was something stirring inside me that was not just my own doing. There was this strong weaving experience flowing some hums and hymns with my breath. I knew I was not alone.

This deep connection continued as I took part in a private Talaandig ritual with the young indigenous tribe peace campers while the rest of the youth and the staff headed up the roofdeck to watch the city fireworks at the strike of midnight. The ritual started at 11:45 pm and ended at past 12 to bridge the old year and the new year. I was honored to witness the mandalic offering of betel nuts wrapped in leaves and special paste to Apo Magbabaya (God of the Talaandigs) and the partaking of it afterwards along with voicing out intentions for the year to let Apo and the spirits help manifest them.

The next day, the first day of the year 2011, I spent the day on my own in silence. I decided to make my own ritual. Awake with bright eyes, I was ready to take on the day with a pack of 7 colored candles along with my "vision board" flipbook, art materials, and a good playlist on my mp3 player. It was not long until I disappeared into the beautiful landscaped meditation areas around the retreat center.

I found a bonfire pit where I layed out a simple mandala of flowers and leaves and lighted my rainbow candles around for my intentions (purple for spirit, pink for love, blue for peace, green for money, red for health, yellow for intelligence, and orange for career). I did this meditation and visioning ritual on 11:11 am, 1:11 pm, and 3:33 pm to connect to the good energies of these sacred timings. Oh yes, I also sang with the trees. There again, I felt the moving force of the spirits flowing through me.

Later in the day I did a fruit fast and made a mandala for my new year. It was inspired by my intentions to deepen my understanding and practice of indigenous wisdom and sacred art forms (represented by the local symbols and patterns), to heal and love myself and someone consciously and deeply (the flowers and the open heart and hands), and to polish plans for my backpacking art journey around the world (represented by the four eyes and the directions (North, East, West, South) and four elements (Air, Water, Fire, Earth) of the Earth.)

There was so much beautiful energy in making my intentions for the year that this carried on over the next few days together with the beautiful experiences of interfaith and indigenous rituals and storytelling that took place during the peace camp. Something really opened within me. It was as if I was ready to "to break open or openly break" (a favorite line from a favorite poem entitled This is a Diamond by Em Claire). I started doing my own inner dance meditations at the hidden bamboo groves during workshop breaks and I continued watching the sunsets and the evening stars in my solitude.  I believe something greater was at work. It was as if I felt I was my future granddaughter watching myself as I saw my shadow dancing among the smooth rocks around the trees.After about 30 minutes into dancing, I sat down and gave myself a good cry.

As if it was divine timing, I joined the young people with a beautiful Sufi song and dance to close the weeklong camp on January 5. After having a sunset conversation over the phone with my love Russ at the balcony, I had a conversation about living and learning indigenous wisdom with the Talaandigs in Bukidnon with Bae Liza, a woman elder from the Talaandig tribe. It was beautiful watching the sun setting with her in her full traditional garb. The sun and the moon met as I left the retreat center braving the dark forest to send off a surprise gift to Russ at the bus station. I was a little sad I couldn't make it to Sagada on time for his birthday the next day because of practical things. I also honored where I was on my own sacred journey as a woman, an artist, a healer, and a teacher in the making. I am grateful that we have space for each other for these important matters.

I am now writing here in my room at Bahay GINHAWA, a non profit promoting creative and spiritual transformative therapies and workshops, where I have settled as a transient and some sort of resident artist on January 1 last year to undergo healing and transition from unprocessed trauma. Now a year has passed and I can say I am an entirely different woman in some way or another. I am still in that sacred mode from the new year as I continue to do deep meditation, dancing and fruit fasting. I can truly say I have been blessed with the Babaylan spirits and angels that have given me guidance, sacred art, space and opportunities to channel, share, and most of all learn about my evolving purpose on earth.

I look forward to more life enriching experiences this year!