15 January 2016
An ancient term that translates as the 'science of arts and crafts,' Shilpa Shastra covers a wide range of decorative and sculptural disciplines such as painting, stone carving, carpentry, jewel making and pottery. The old Hindu texts of Shilpa Shastra address various design rules and principles such as proportion, composition and meaning, especially when it comes to the creation of deiti...
08 January 2016
Most often minkisi are wooden carvings of anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures, but they can also be shells, gourds, horns and clay pots used for the same purpose. To create minkisi, the nganga first commissions a figure from the village carver or carves the figure himself. These “naked” figures usually include a hollowed head or stomach, considered to be spiritual focal point...
31 December 2015
A long, long time ago in the Far East, the Jade Emperor – supreme deity, ruler of the Heavens, and first emperor of China – decided to hold a race. He called on all the animals in his kingdom and decreed that the first twelve to reach him would each represent a year of the astrological cycle; but to reach him, the animals needed to cross a wide river. The first animal to act wa...
23 December 2015
Although most Japanese no longer wear traditional kimonos, I come from a tradition-loving family and when growing up frequently wore them for special occasions such as family gatherings and dinner parties. My most elaborate kimono was reserved for New Year's Day. It had full length sleeves reaching down past my knees and a sash that took nearly thirty minutes to knot. Altogether, this kimo...
18 December 2015
Can you imagine a world in which humankind never learned to create fire? It would be an altogether different place, perhaps in ways we cannot imagine. What need drove humankind to harness fire? Perhaps it was the need to cook, provide heat or for protection; but maybe it was the simple need to illuminate the darkness. After all, fire was the only source of light until the electric light bul...
11 December 2015
In winter, 1502, a low mist hung in the pre-dawn air in the rugged foothills of northern Ethiopia. A traveling merchant named Tobar emerged from his make-shift tent and stretched. The rest of the camp was still fast asleep. Tobar was only a temporary member of this band of traders. He had joined them just outside the port of Massawa in Eritrea, but the time had come for their paths to dive...
04 December 2015
The second meaning of bodhisattva can be found in Mahayana Buddhism, where bodhisattvas are considered beings that are committed to the attainment of enlightenment for the sake of others. In other words, this is a reference to enlightened individuals who devote their time to helping others out of compassion, and to help eradicate the suffering of all living entities. The third meaning of ...
20 November 2015
If you were forced to flee your home, what would you bring; your phone, a wallet, or perhaps a family heirloom? Let's hope you never have to make such a decision; but throughout history there are thousands who have had to do so. Historically, fires, earthquakes and floods are natural disasters forcing people to flee their homes; but the cruelty of war; genocide and humankind’s own in...
06 November 2015
The history of fragrance goes back thousands of years to the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations that used crushed herbs and spices to create aromatic oils. The oldest perfume residue ever discovered came from a large perfumery in Cyprus that collapsed in an earthquake nearly 4000 years ago. The art of mixing and the prestige of wearing perfume is clearly an ancient endeavor that has ...
31 October 2015
Edo, Japan. The year was 1749. It was the 15th night of the 7th month, the start of the annual Bon Festival, a celebration honoring the dead. On the edge of town, where the merriments of the festival were subdued, a group of samurai gathered at an old mansion. In the main hall they waited for the darkest hours of the night and lit one hundred candles in a circle. Then, one by one they bega...