From Return of the Bird Tribes by Ken Carey

" This, your individual human life, like the
single flame that burns upon this twig, is
sufficient to light a great fire. As long as the love that burns within you is turned toward self-centered pursuits, it will remain tiny like this flame. Remaining tiny, it will bring no joy. Eventually, in the swirling winds of spirit, it will be extinguished.

But when you live in harmony with the Great Spirit, your flame of love is fanned by those same spirit winds. You are in love with all you meet. You know the purpose of your walk through this world and know why the Great One gave you a life flame: not so you could keep your tiny flame to yourself, loving what you need alone, but so you could give it away, and with the fire of your love bring consciousness to the earth".

christmas back home

Christmas

Now deep within my being speaks
With urge to revelation
In mystery
The cosmic Word:
Fulfill the goals of your life's work
With My Spirit light
To offer up yourself
Through me.

(from the Calendar of the soul by Rudolf Steiner)

Christmas Eve

Amongst those living on the earth
Were hardly any
Who found Him,
Beheld
And worshiped Him.

His Dwelling place was
Crowded by living beings
From other worlds.

Those who seek knowingly
Will find Him
Where the way has been shown before
To the unknowing.

author unknown

ADVENT

Rich and soft descends the snow
Blinding the earth;
Under the heavenly load of white
Forgetfulness
Hastes forth her life;
Death becomes light!

Still,the eyes gaze
At midnight, when the crowded
Firmament
Shoots countless spirit arrows.
Stars come together
Anew to an infinite
Power web.

Humbly the earth rotates in their midst.
That dull, chosen star
In a shy glow of tender rays.
Earth, small cradle,
Once again the Creator lays himself down,
The child in you
Stands over the holiest of planets.

Karl Thylman
(translated from Dutch)

Fall

Thou leaves, rest in peace
And not one shall be lost
Not even one go to waste
Forever: reborn that are now dead,
Shall each of you that fell,
The summer wake again,
Shall with your green cloak
The green trees cover
At summer time.

(author unknown)

something to think about....

From the inaugural speech Nelson Mandella, 1994

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are we not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our Light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

Can Art Be Medicine?
http://www.arttherapyblog.com/videos/can...

The Foundation for Arts & Healing has created a great video that fits in perfectly with the Art Therapy site. It's called Can Art Be Medicine?
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for the dark days in November

I feel my own force bearing fruit
And gaining strength to give me to the world.
My inmost being I feel charged with power
To turn with clearer insight
Toward the weaving of life's destiny.

a verse by Rudolf Steiner

encouraging

Hi,
I would like everyone to watch this 6 minute video of a high school graduation speech by a young man with severe autism. Watch this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8cEtand01w

on autism and parenting

This is a helpful website.
Working with people with autism and their parents, the issues are very recognizable.
Surely, some of you will utilize this website.

http://parentcoachingforautism.com/2011/04/autism-isnt-fair-to-me-promoting-positive-feelings-among-siblings/

education and creativity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY&feature=youtu.be

This very much worth watching, entertaining and sharp.

gaia/sophia

The fall is so rich with abundant fruits and food that mother earth is giving us.
Do take time to walk and tread softly and with attention to her breathing. Do listen to the sounds of nature and find your feeling of gratitude.

A wonderful picture that captures one of those magical moments is seen on www.bouke.ca September 28

Relax.

Art Therapy Helps Man With Severe Disability

Art Therapy Helps Man With Severe Disability

Inspiration

Jack Layton's passing and our collective grief which I shared today at Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square reminded me of a verse I had come across a long time ago and which spoke so vividly to me at the time and still does.

I have used all my doubts as energy, and created with it
I have used all my pain as energy, and created with it
I have used all my anxiety as energy, and created with it
I plan to use my death as energy, and create with it
No matter what death has planned for me.

(Stymen Karen)

paintings for sale

I have decided to hold a sale of my paintings to make room for new ones. My storage space is getting over crowded.
The paintings can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/rinskesalverda/
prices ranging from $75.00 -$450.00
Feel free to make an offer.

African clapping games from Liberie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtnTFj9xjKw

sunrise and sunset

I have heard, that is very grounding and healing in general to observe the sun rise and equally the sun set. I have practiced this as so many of us on an intuitive basis. Consciously, you can try to perceive the sun rise and open yourself to new strength for the day with sense of awe and wonder, and at the same time trust that you will be safe within.
With the sun set, you can practice letting all your worries, troubles for your self and also for all peoples on the earth go down with the setting sun.

healing through sound

The Didgeridoo, an ancient instrument played by the Australian aborigines is now used by many contemporary healers world wide. It has a very soothing low sound that can affect you on a very deep level, be it subconscious or super conscious. While moving over and/or around the body, the sound vibrations often induce healing of the chakra imbalances. The sound is without rests. In order to play this instrument one needs to learn to do the in-breathing while blowing the instrument. Quite an art. You can practice this with a straw in a glass of water.
Try it!
Nowadays the price of a didgeridoo is not high when you buy it in a store where all kinds of items from many cultures are sold.

Enjoy this wonderful practice while listening to you inner voice.

Konkolikan Sambla Baan Burkina Faso

what would you say if you could speak through your instrument?

art therapy and autism

I found a very interesting article on the incorporation of the parent in the therapeutic process with the client. I have started to incorporate the same with incredible results in the progress of the client's communication skills and dealing with his emotions.
Have a read, and look at the interesting resources and links on this website.

http://www.colorsofplay.com/creative-interventions/art-therapy-and-autism-working-with-parent-and-child-together

Art Therapy with Rinske Salverda

Why We Need the Arts in Medicine

Why We Need the Arts in Medicine

chakras

When I work with clients I look at issues from various perspectives. One of them is the chakras. Chakras are energy 'wheels' in our bodily system. Each chakra has its own function and also has its own colour. The colours are the same as the rainbow colours. We have seven main chakras. When a person has a certain issue that may be physical and/or emotional I can assess which chakra may be related to the issue. With painting certain colours we can work on the issue and remove obstacles towards greater health.

Reiki also works on chakra healing and balancing. With the permission of the person, I may incorporate a Reiki healing treatment for enhanced effectiveness.

Reiki is accessible to everyone, and can be learned by anyone. As a Reiki Master, I can attune you to Reiki level1 and then you can apply it to yourself. A great tool to maintain balance and face challenges.

Reuters.com - Art therapy reduces anxiety in kids with asthma
http://in.reuters.com/article/email/idINTRE64K5MZ20100521

Art Gallery

Art Gallery

art therapy, reiki and drumming

Intention is the most vital part of Reiki.

While I strike my hand drum or beat my djembe, I hold the intention for the client to find his/her own rhythm on the drum. I 'hold the space' for them so to speak. Once they have gotten into their 'groove', I explore if it is the right time to silence my drum while holding the original intention. If it is beneficial that I strike my drum again to continue to hold the intention I may do that, provided of course I feel the approval of the 'partner'. When I sense that the client is waiting/hoping for me to join I will also immediately do that and thus we get a "conversation' going.

Thus we come to the perfect essence of improvisation!

From this activity we can bring our feelings into painting or clay modelling.

I recently did this with a young man on the autism spectrum, with quite stunning results such as speaking a full sentence, making sounds during his drumming. Beaming smiles and energized happy body language.

We will continue further in this exploration of communication.
Try it, everyone and everything has rhythm!

Summer Wind by William Cullen Bryant

It is a sultry day; the sun has drank
The dew that lay upon the morning grass,
There is no rustling in the lofty elm
That canopies my dwelling, and its shade
Scarce cools me. All is silent, save the faint
And interrupted murmur of the bee,
Settling on the sick flowers, and then again
Instantly on the wing. The plants around
Feel the too potent fervor; the tall maize
Rolls up its long green leaves; the clover droops
Its tender foliage, and declines its blooms.
But far in the fierce sunshine tower the hills,
With all their growth of woods, silent and stern,
As if the scorching heat and dazzling light
Were but an element they loved. Bright clouds,
Motionless pillars of the brazen heaven;--
Their bases on the mountains--their white tops
Shining in the far ether--fire the air
With a reflected radiance, and make turn
The gazer's eye away. For me, I lie
Languidly in the shade, where the thick turf,
Yet virgin from the kisses of the sun,
Retains some freshness, and I woo the wind
That still delays its coming. Why so slow,
Gentle and voluble spirit of the air?
Oh, come and breathe upon the fainting earth
Coolness and life. Is it that in his caves
He hears me? See, on yonder woody ridge,
The pine is bending his proud top, and now,
Among the nearer groves, chestnut and oak
Are tossing their green boughs about. He comes!
Lo, where the grassy meadow runs in waives!
The deep distressful silence of the scene
Breaks up with mingling of unnumbered sounds
And universal motion. He is come,
Shaking a shower of blossoms from the shrubs,
And bearing on the fragrance; and he brings
Music of birds, and rustling of young boughs,
And sound of swaying branches, and the voice
Of distant waterfalls. All the green herbs
Are stirring in his breath; a thousand flowers,
By the road-side and the borders of the brook,
Nod gaily to each other; glossy leaves
Are twinkling in the sun, as if the dew
Were on them yet, and silver waters break
Into small waves and sparkle as he comes.

grief and art therapy

I have gone through a grief period over the past three years. Actually the grief started to grow five years ago, when my father was getting more and more ill. I cared for him and my mother visiting daily, helping a little, taking him for a walk. He crossed the threshold now already three years ago. Sense of time has completely changed for me. It is as though I live on the "inside" of time now. Mother and I grieved together for the past three years. Now she too passed on to the other side a few months ago.
Art therapy helps with grief. Sharing and expressing experiences, feelings, thoughts and questions through the art work can often be much more impacting than just words.
Using moist clay I sculpted my mother holding my father up as best as she could while he tried to get out of bed. It instilled in me great love and compassion for how they functioned together, making each day the best they could. The modelling of the clay brought me into a reality of their life, and at the same time a perspective of myself as an "outsider" with my own feelings about them and their situation of suffering and glory.

Painting with watercolor is also very helpful. I painted one day the blue stormy sea and sky. Blue can bring out a sense of longing.
My father loved it.
Now that they both are gone, I am so fortunate to provide art therapy with people in hospice. The sharing is intense, the poems ring out truth and understanding. A deep sense of belonging can come about by doing art therapy in a group, and one on one with the therapist.

Elder Life Engagement: Proven Benefits of Art Programs for Seniors Living...

Elder Life Engagement: Proven Benefits of Art Programs for Seniors Living...: "With a slow-to-rebound economy and tight Activities budgets, one of the biggest challenges for Activities Directors who work with Seni..."

Art Therapy Helps Breast Cancer Patients

Art Therapy Helps Breast Cancer Patients

Art Heals Elders, Relieves Depression and Anxiety

Art Heals Elders, Relieves Depression and Anxiety

Study Shows Art May Help With Depression

Study Shows Art May Help With Depression

Reiki healing

I love to give Reiki healing energy to people, animals and plants and even buildings.
You can send Reiki to anything, anyone. With Usui Reiki level II you will have received attunement to Reiki energy and symbols that enhance the power of the energy transmitted so to speak. The practitioner is only the vehicle, the channel through which the healing energy flows and makes its way to where it is requested or better yet, it finds its way to where it is needed. With level II you can send Reiki over a distance, even across the ocean to the other side of the world!
And believe me, it works. I have done it,and I have received it.
It is true, one person can be a more effective channel than another. I love it when people get up from the treatment table and say:" It's gone,( i.e. the discomfort, the stress, or even serious back pain) I am fine! Thank you".
I send Reiki to the studio before doing an art therapy session. It seems to help the work. At the very least, it fills the space with good energy and prepares my mind and soul to give all my best intentions and attention to the work.

Try a Reiki treatment, and perhaps even try a course level1, you will see what I mean, perhaps.

Best of luck
Rinske

peach blossom

A timely exercise to paint the color peach blossom. This color is commonly known as pink. Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe called this color purpur, which is not the same as purple.

Peachblossom is the color of the future. We are now in the process of developing the capacities to recognize the color more in our surroundings, in nature, the sky and even people. For instance, we blush if we experience certain emotions or the color disappears from our complexion with other emotions.

Peachblossom is a color that appears as a light that is overcoming darkness. It is a color that represents the unknown. Stepping into the unknown with the desire to overcome darkness takes great courage. I find we see this happening right now with the people in the Middle East and African countries that desire freedom for humanity in their countries.

The painting exercise can be quite simple, or you can choose the more elaborate way whichever way you choose to do it.
You use watercolor paint and paper and a 1" bristle brush.
The easiest way to do it is to mix carmine red and white in a little jar and bring it on to the paper, allowing the layers to overlap. Gently bring in the brush strokes horizontally from the top left to the right in one large stroke. Fill the entire paper going down with the same gentle brush strokes.

The more laborious but also more profound experience of peach blossom as the culmination of colors is as follows: start with covering the entire sheet with carmine red, then cover the red with aquamarine blue, followed by painting over this violet with black, then bring in white and finish with the tiniest bit of yellow.
You have moved through all the primary colors and the black into the white and yellow which represents the light.

Good luck, and let me know if it worked for you.
Peace.

to dream with those who have courage to imagine

up coming women's workshops

ART F/X
Creative perspectives for personal growth presents

INTRODUCTION TO ART THERAPY

2 SERIES OF WORKSHOPS FOR WOMEN

With Rinske Salverda, art therapist/ artist.
Kamila Miszelska, art instructor.

Explore the effect of colors on your body and psyche.
Delve into your subconscious mind with moist clay.

You do not need to have ANY previous experience with art work.

Has it been quite some time since you held a paint brush or modeled soft moist clay?
Would you like to discover your inner creative self or inner child? Would you perhaps like to dive a bit in your subconscious self?

We offer a safe and sacred space, in a beautiful and inspiring studio at 809 King Street. East Hamilton.

Give yourself some time off from daily stresses and relax while using your time wisely.

You will have a choice of: 8 sessions working with watercolors in abstract painting
or 8 sessions working hands on with clay.

Watercolor painting: 8 Tuesday evenings 6:30-9pm starting February 22nd 2011
Clay modeling: 8 Wednesday evenings 6:30-9pm starting February 23rd 2011

Costs include materials: $280.00 to be paid with registration

Register with Rinske Salverda at 905-664-6419 or send an email to: art_fx@bell.net