Hello and happy Dakini Day ! I felt this a perfect time to post about my intuitive journey creating a Dakini (sculpture) and to hearing the Dakini’s Whisper. I find the creative process gives me greater visceral connection to the unseen and intangible aspects of a spiritual practice. Art can be spiritual practice.
Before I ever knew what a Dakini was or that they were ‘a thing‘I made this drawing below (10 years ago), with the guidelines being a self portrait with ‘super powers’. I drew this and listed the attributes : Power to Love Unconditionally, Power to Heal, Power to See, Fearless and Brave, Flexible, Strong, Joyous, Amphibious, Able to thrive in All Environments.
I visited Nepal 5 years later and became acquainted with and fell in love with Dakinis. In paintings on Thankas and temples and in sculptures and statues. Now that I had seen them - I found them everywhere and I remembered my drawing. Shazam ⚡️⚡️ connection was made. When I returned from that trip I began making the sculpture at the beginning of the post. I make art usually with found parts of nature (and in this instance some human made). The need to have a human connection had become more relevant. Fast forward 5 years and through a series of miraculous events (causes and conditions) I found with great excitement and astonishment Dakini’s Whisper and Khandro - La and this Sangha. It was time to finish the sculpture that had sat partially done for 4 and a half years.
I feel the beginning of my deeper inner journey coincides with the completion of this artwork. It’s like an exclamation mark. I am now embracing the Five Dakini Practice and finding myself smiling as I sit and become more acquainted with my ‘super powers’😘.
And BTW as is the magic of the Dakini - this one’s wings ( halves of one seedpod ) actually curl up and extend out according to the humidity in the air. It’s now quite humid so they are quite outstretched.
This work is full of symbols and memories and surprises.
I hope you enjoy her too.
I am so grateful to have found this teacher , this sangha.
shona 🙏 🌸🎶🌈
My first view of a Dakini was a flowering clover. I was laying in the grass-Shona, your Dakini presence is perfection of spontaneous grace.
oh that's interesting and exciting :)
This is everything! ... if I saw this on Etsy, I'd have already purchased it. I see a beautiful Naga in there too and a sheltering willow tree.
Do you have any pictures from your trip of dakinis?
An extraordinary journey, Shona. Thank you for sharing. Your dakini sculpture with its limitless views reminds me too of this experience of the empty nature of things. She is not a solid, fixed art object. She changes based on my view, my mood, the light outside the window, the humidity....right? What a teaching she is...you have created!