HOUSE OF MIRACLES
Create a Sacred Space to Honor the Diving Feminine
Women have gathered in circles to create since the beginning of time. All my life, I have been looking for a place that honors the sacred feminine as we honor the masculine — in churches, temples, national monuments and public statues. After searching for these landmarks and sanctuaries, I finally decided it was time to create one for myself and others.
From my experience teaching art retreats for a decade, I’ve observed that women need and crave sacred spaces to gather and nurture their creativity. The magic and beauty that unfold when we gather immediately conjure the power to heal, transform and empower.
When we come together in a loving environment with a common purpose, we create a wave of spirit that carries us to a creative state of flow more quickly than we could ever do on our own. Our power is, and always has been, in our togetherness.
Every detail of House of Miracles is designed to awaken our creative spirits. It is my way of expressing my devotion and gratitude to creativity, which saved me in my darkest time of need. In 2009, I was bedridden from the onset of a life-threatening allergy to heat, including my own body heat.
I began painting, and creativity comforted me in a way nothing else could. Its loving presence held me as I experienced the death of my old way of being and grew into my life as an artist. I am forever grateful for its love. Because of this, I never criticize or judge my art. It has never done anything but be kind to me. This experience shaped my life mission, which is to help others develop a loving relationship with their creativity as well.
I’ve always wanted to visit temples in faraway places charged with visceral holiness, but my heat and sun allergy make traveling difficult for me. My solution was to create an artistic environment in my home for women to connect with their creative joy by attending workshops and retreats here.
This sacred temple has breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountains and the Salish Sea. It is called House of Miracles because many miracles unfolded to make this place possible, and they continue to happen daily. I am fascinated by the idea of miracles and am curious about what happens when we actively and boldly call them into our lives by declaring ourselves open to them.
One of my favorite definitions of a miracle is by Marianne Williamson. She says that a miracle is a “shift in perception.” I adore this because it suggests that miracles are constantly in our presence when we choose to see them. It is a way of being in the world. If we have a choice to live in a world where miracles exist, why on earth would we choose not to?
As an artist, I believe I should be particularly interested in the invisible realm of magic and mystery because this is where the creative process begins. This is also the force that guides the art to completion. As John O’Donohue said, “The invisible is always parent to the visible.” Knowing this, my relationship with the invisible world is of vital importance to my creative expression.
My life has become a prayer at the altar of my soul.
— from The Story of Every Flower
One of the questions I asked myself when I was creating House of Miracles was: “What awakens the Creative Spirit?” I connect with this spirit through color, play, joy, freedom, lightheartedness, gratitude and embracing imperfection. Therefore, these are the qualities I wanted to infuse into the design of my temple home.
Every detail is designed to awaken our creativity, including the abundance of pink. Pink is a welcoming color associated with playfulness, gentleness, calmness and creativity but also sensuality and passion.
Original paintings of my own and other artists cover the walls, which creates a warmth and vibrancy that only handmade objects exude. The tables and furniture are painted as well. I intentionally embrace imperfection and believe it makes others feel comfortable and at ease.
Instead of repainting all the walls, I painted gold roses to cover any blemishes. This is inspired by the Japanese practice of kintsugi, which fills broken cracks of pottery with gold to highlight rather than hide the imperfections.
Sometimes painting is just prayerful movement, and that is enough.
— from The Story of Every Flower
My friends joke that this place looks like a child was left unattended with paint, which thrills me because I want to maintain a child-like state of wonder and encourage others to connect with their inner child as well. I’ve painted hundreds of roses on the exterior trim, my car is painted in the driveway, and the walls, tables and chairs are covered in painted flowers.
There is a prayer wall in the breezeway between the home and studio for guests to write their wishes, hopes, prayers and dreams. Words are painted on the pillars of the home, including “gratitude,” “reverence,” “faith,” “persistence,” “love,” “resilience” and “joy.” These words are what I call the “Pillars of Creativity,” or the qualities of creativity. Guests are invited to place their hands on any of the words to pause and focus on the quality they need to embody while they create.
When I paint, I let these qualities guide my work rather than any specific ideas or compositions. I rely on the movements that come from embodying these qualities because I know they will be reflected in the work. If I paint joyfully, the painting will be joyful. If I paint playfully, the painting will be playful. If I paint rigidly or with resistance and fear, the painting will reflect that also.
Creativity is the breath of the universe.
— from The Story of Every Flower
This is why these qualities are so essential to my process. I am also aware that I am being created as I create. The way I experience the process shapes me just as much as it shapes the painting. Isn’t that fascinating to think about?
I often tell my students that practicing the qualities of creativity is the advanced work of art-making. I agree with Robert Henri, who said, “The object isn’t to make art. It’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” My hope is that this space supports each person — on every level of their being — to be in a state of inevitable creation.
When my daughter recently visited a Buddhist temple in South Korea, she told me the air felt vibrant with a sacred energy that was palpable and powerful. This led me to begin to ask, “How do we infuse palpable holiness into our space?”
Raise your arms. Celebrate the warrior within. With your whole being shout, “Victory to the path that brought me here!”
— from The Story of Every Flower
I’m doing this by having song circles and spirit-led gatherings in my home as often as possible. I am part of a community that swims daily in the frigid Salish Sea waters to take advantage of the health benefits of cold water. We have book club, game nights and art-making gatherings. The singing, dancing, love, laughter, stories, food and heartfelt experiences bless this space with the energy that I want to infuse into it.
House of Miracles has brought many unexpected blessings into my life. It is a physical testament to what I choose to honor and serve. Creating a home that honors creativity for myself and others has been a powerful declaration of my commitment to the Creative Spirit, which offers us unconditional love and beauty. This home is the physical embodiment of the prayer that I whisper each day to the Creative Spirit: “I honor you. I bow to you. I serve you. I love you. Let us create beauty together today and every day. Jai Ma.”
HOUSE OF MIRACLES
Create a Sacred Space to Honor the Diving Feminine
Women have gathered in circles to create since the beginning of time. All my life, I have been looking for a place that honors the sacred feminine as we honor the masculine — in churches, temples, national monuments and public statues. After searching for these landmarks and sanctuaries, I finally decided it was time to create one for myself and others.
From my experience teaching art retreats for a decade, I’ve observed that women need and crave sacred spaces to gather and nurture their creativity. The magic and beauty that unfold when we gather immediately conjure the power to heal, transform and empower.
When we come together in a loving environment with a common purpose, we create a wave of spirit that carries us to a creative state of flow more quickly than we could ever do on our own. Our power is, and always has been, in our togetherness.
Every detail of House of Miracles is designed to awaken our creative spirits. It is my way of expressing my devotion and gratitude to creativity, which saved me in my darkest time of need. In 2009, I was bedridden from the onset of a life-threatening allergy to heat, including my own body heat.
I began painting, and creativity comforted me in a way nothing else could. Its loving presence held me as I experienced the death of my old way of being and grew into my life as an artist. I am forever grateful for its love. Because of this, I never criticize or judge my art. It has never done anything but be kind to me. This experience shaped my life mission, which is to help others develop a loving relationship with their creativity as well.
I’ve always wanted to visit temples in faraway places charged with visceral holiness, but my heat and sun allergy make traveling difficult for me. My solution was to create an artistic environment in my home for women to connect with their creative joy by attending workshops and retreats here.
This sacred temple has breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountains and the Salish Sea. It is called House of Miracles because many miracles unfolded to make this place possible, and they continue to happen daily. I am fascinated by the idea of miracles and am curious about what happens when we actively and boldly call them into our lives by declaring ourselves open to them.
One of my favorite definitions of a miracle is by Marianne Williamson. She says that a miracle is a “shift in perception.” I adore this because it suggests that miracles are constantly in our presence when we choose to see them. It is a way of being in the world. If we have a choice to live in a world where miracles exist, why on earth would we choose not to?
As an artist, I believe I should be particularly interested in the invisible realm of magic and mystery because this is where the creative process begins. This is also the force that guides the art to completion. As John O’Donohue said, “The invisible is always parent to the visible.” Knowing this, my relationship with the invisible world is of vital importance to my creative expression.
My life has become a prayer at the altar of my soul.
— from The Story of Every Flower
One of the questions I asked myself when I was creating House of Miracles was: “What awakens the Creative Spirit?” I connect with this spirit through color, play, joy, freedom, lightheartedness, gratitude and embracing imperfection. Therefore, these are the qualities I wanted to infuse into the design of my temple home.
Every detail is designed to awaken our creativity, including the abundance of pink. Pink is a welcoming color associated with playfulness, gentleness, calmness and creativity but also sensuality and passion.
Original paintings of my own and other artists cover the walls, which creates a warmth and vibrancy that only handmade objects exude. The tables and furniture are painted as well. I intentionally embrace imperfection and believe it makes others feel comfortable and at ease.
Instead of repainting all the walls, I painted gold roses to cover any blemishes. This is inspired by the Japanese practice of kintsugi, which fills broken cracks of pottery with gold to highlight rather than hide the imperfections.
Sometimes painting is just prayerful movement, and that is enough.
— from The Story of Every Flower
My friends joke that this place looks like a child was left unattended with paint, which thrills me because I want to maintain a child-like state of wonder and encourage others to connect with their inner child as well. I’ve painted hundreds of roses on the exterior trim, my car is painted in the driveway, and the walls, tables and chairs are covered in painted flowers.
There is a prayer wall in the breezeway between the home and studio for guests to write their wishes, hopes, prayers and dreams. Words are painted on the pillars of the home, including “gratitude,” “reverence,” “faith,” “persistence,” “love,” “resilience” and “joy.” These words are what I call the “Pillars of Creativity,” or the qualities of creativity. Guests are invited to place their hands on any of the words to pause and focus on the quality they need to embody while they create.
When I paint, I let these qualities guide my work rather than any specific ideas or compositions. I rely on the movements that come from embodying these qualities because I know they will be reflected in the work. If I paint joyfully, the painting will be joyful. If I paint playfully, the painting will be playful. If I paint rigidly or with resistance and fear, the painting will reflect that also.
Creativity is the breath of the universe.
— from The Story of Every Flower
This is why these qualities are so essential to my process. I am also aware that I am being created as I create. The way I experience the process shapes me just as much as it shapes the painting. Isn’t that fascinating to think about?
I often tell my students that practicing the qualities of creativity is the advanced work of art-making. I agree with Robert Henri, who said, “The object isn’t to make art. It’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” My hope is that this space supports each person — on every level of their being — to be in a state of inevitable creation.
When my daughter recently visited a Buddhist temple in South Korea, she told me the air felt vibrant with a sacred energy that was palpable and powerful. This led me to begin to ask, “How do we infuse palpable holiness into our space?”
Raise your arms. Celebrate the warrior within. With your whole being shout, “Victory to the path that brought me here!”
— from The Story of Every Flower
I’m doing this by having song circles and spirit-led gatherings in my home as often as possible. I am part of a community that swims daily in the frigid Salish Sea waters to take advantage of the health benefits of cold water. We have book club, game nights and art-making gatherings. The singing, dancing, love, laughter, stories, food and heartfelt experiences bless this space with the energy that I want to infuse into it.
House of Miracles has brought many unexpected blessings into my life. It is a physical testament to what I choose to honor and serve. Creating a home that honors creativity for myself and others has been a powerful declaration of my commitment to the Creative Spirit, which offers us unconditional love and beauty. This home is the physical embodiment of the prayer that I whisper each day to the Creative Spirit: “I honor you. I bow to you. I serve you. I love you. Let us create beauty together today and every day. Jai Ma.”
