A Unique and Blessed Experience

I was recently blessed with a sacred smudging ceremony.

Smudging is an important spiritual practice

for the Native American culture.

 It is believed that it can help you stay positive

and bring good energies

 into your home

 and your life.

For maximum benefits

 it should be approached

 like a sacred sacrament.

Purity of intent

is the most important factor

 in smudging.

    It should be considered sacred

and treated with respect,

 and you will be rewarded with blessings

 and good vibrations!

Dennis Eaglehorse

Dennis Eaglehorse is now a special person
in my life,
one I will never forget.

 He began by speaking in the Lakota language
for a long while.
He had special items he used in the ceremony.
Of course no photos were allowed.

The smoke enveloped me...
 feathers touched my head...
 feathers touched my shoulders...
I heard the Lakota language throughout...
Turning, turning, turning....
Experiencing many feelings in my heart
as I listened intently.
I don't know how long it took...
but I savored every moment.
...........

He then sat and spoke to me awhile in English,
and then gave me a hug.

Dennis gave me some  items to take home with me
to keep in a medicine bag of my own...
for healing...
for good energy.

Dennis Eaglehorse,

a member of the Lakota tribe,

and his family

were introduced to me by my sister Lanette.
A thank her so much for that.

Dennis and his family were also interested in seeing

my round robin doll

Shimasani,

whose persona is Native American.

So during the blessing I held her as well.
(I will be adding this experience to her journal.)

Dennis's three sons
Tacha (deer),
Tatonka (buffalo)
and Sunkmanitu (wolf)
 perform

live history Native American dances,
keeping their culture alive
and educating people about
the Native American ways.

 Dennis is a wonderful artist,
and has one of his pieces
in the Smithsonian.
Dianne, his wife,
and his sons are artists
in their own right.
Every year they
organize PowWows
and Gatherings,
 one being in Bandera, Texas.

Please visit this link
http://www.bccourier.com/Archives/Community_detail.php?recordID=090827C1
to read the story of how he grew up,
surviving many hardships
by believing in God,
 the great spirit Tunkasila,
and his Grandfather.
It will touch your heart.

 His family truely has
Lakota Pride.

Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Her year long journey has ended...

Well, I haven't posted in awhile....

I've been busy with SUMMER!

Lots going on here...

harvesting garden veggies,

putting in new garden beds,

going to 'Art Fest',

going to 'Art in the Garden',

playing tourist in my hometown,

taking tours of the King Ranch,

and much, much more!

It's been hot,

but summer is great!

BUT...

best of all...

my art doll round robin is finished,

and my doll came home today.

I can not say enough, how much I have learned

and how much fun I have had in this last year.

So, Sani ( as she was when she left home),

 looked like this.

 Her pilgrimmage lasted one year plus

and she traveled a total of over

7800 miles

throughout the United States

and Canada.

Sani became Shimasani...

or Two Spirit.

She came home with many things

 acquired along the way!

She has a look that is,

 as one of the artist stated...

"a tribal shamanistic look",

and "ancient and earthy."

The artists gave her so many great things,

that all seem to go together so well.

The journal came back as I wanted and more!

I requested that it return

fat and overflowing

with every artists creative endeavors...

and it did indeed. :)

It's a good thing I had a leather strap
with a Tagua Nut button
for closure!  :)
This journal is a piece of art in itself.
It is full of wonderful drawings,
words, prayers,
quotes, poems,
photos, and more.
Here are some of the people Shimasani
encountered along the way.

and many others.

In my journal I had included some fragments
such as sari ribbon,
along with some milagros "miracle" charms,
for every artist to keep as a gift.
In return,
they added fragments of their own.
These fragments are inspiration
for another art doll.

So now it ends....
I am just amazed and thrilled at the results.


I want to thank...
Gail, in North Carolina, for inviting me into this project,
and for being a great project co-ordinator/leader/artist.
Thanks also goes to each of the other artists...
Barb in New York,
Mary Anne in Ontario, Canada,
Karma in SK, Canada,
Em in Washington,
Jeanne in Oregon,
and Robyn in California.

You are ALL amazing artists,
and I'm glad I've gotten to know
each of you.
You surely know how to....

Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Please visit
Art Doll Cool-aberration 2009 Project
for details on all of our dolls.

True Secret Name for Sani

I read this somewhere....
Once, before time began, light laughed out names and you heard light laughing and, liking the sounds light was making, you chose one for your very own. You have always had this name, but then you were born, and the forgetting started. Sometimes, when you sit beneath a big oak you hear something being whispered that you can't quite catch. Or you pick up a seashell, and there it is again. It hides in the sound of a bird's flapping wing and in the red crackle of a hot fire: your name, your name, your name.

Well, Sani has found her secret true name...it's Shimasani !
Gail has seen and declared that Sani is female and now her name has been changed. Shimasani is Navajo for female old one.

I am very happy with the new name.