|
|
|
|
|
|
AHN INTERVIEW:
Donna Henes, Artist and Urban Shaman
 "As shamans in every culture always have, I create contemporary rituals for my community which I consider to be all of humanity. My role is that of catalyst: organizing and instigating innovative, de-mystified systems for creative public interaction, celebration and communion." -Donna Henes
Donna Henes is an acclaimed urban shaman, contemporary ceremonialist, artist and writer. She has designed and produced countless public participatory ceremonial events in celebration of the universal cycles of the seasons in more than 100 cities in nine countries since 1972. She is the author of four books, including Celestially Auspicious Occasions and her most recent publication, The Queen of My Self. In addition to teaching and lecturing worldwide, she maintains a ceremonial center, ritual practice and consultancy in exotic Brooklyn, New York, MAMA DONNA'S TEA GARDEN AND HEALING HAVEN, where she works with individuals and groups to create personalized rituals for all of life's transitions. This April, Danny Hobson interviewed Donna about art, ritual and her latest book.
Danny Hobson: How did you get started on a creative path in life?
Donna Henes: As a child I had a lot of support to express myself creatively. My mother always told me that I was a good artist and a talented writer. My father had a creative streak, which he channeled into story telling and creating a small home-grown business. I had lots of art supplies, and I always had some sort of project that I was working on: making my own paper dolls with extravagant wardrobes, sewing doll clothes from scraps in my motherÕs rag bag and button box, decorating the trees and bushes in our yard with found treasures like gum wrappers and candy foil. Every MotherÕs Day, I used to create corsages for my mom from lilies of the valley and clumps of tin foil, which, to her great credit, she would wear when we went out to a restaurant. When I was a little older, I had a typewriter in the basement that I used to compose poetry, and I claimed a hidden cubbyhole in the attic that I made into my sanctuary and shrine.
|
Celesitially Auspicious Occasions
by Donna Henes is a complete guide to the varied and wonderful ways that people have interpreted the cycles of the seasons across the planet and across time.
 |
Danny: When did you know you were an "urban shaman"? And what does that mean exactly?
Donna: My spiritual life began quite early. As a child, I had a meditation retreat in the attic where I built altars, wrote what I would now call affirmations, and did my own quirky rituals. I have never strayed from that path, and I still do very much the same inner personal work. In the early 1970Õs my private spiritual practice and artwork took on a more public face. Like so many other flower children of the era, my goal was to reach out and make a change in the world.
In 1975 I experienced a profound vision of Spider Woman, the Native American creatrix that solidified me on my path and launched my career as a "professional" shaman. I understood that it was my job to spin connection, to create a web around the world that would serve to unite people. I knew that I must work to establish threads of connection that would work on three levels: To facilitate the connection of people with each other in ceremony and community, to help each person connect with her or his own best self, and to establish networks of connection between people and the whole of the vast and complex universe.
From that time on, I have worked and studied and strived to perfect my shamanic calling. I have traveled widely and worked with many traditional shamans, most notably with my mentor, Maria Sabina, a Mazatec shaman in the Sierra Madre Occidentals in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. She has been gone from the physical plane for some 25 years now, but she is forever at my side. My apprenticeship with her was not a Carlos Castenada sort of relationship, and I do not do her work. But she recognized my growing power and blessed me to do my own work.
Which is why I am an Urban Shaman. I am, after all, a modern urban woman, living in New York City, the city that is the capital of the world. My specialty is multicultural ritual and ceremony. I learn from all of the members of my community and blend together rituals that speak to all people from all backgrounds. My circles reflect that diversity and I am proud to be the ceremonial connector of people of all faiths and ethnicities."
Danny: I just recently read your book, Dressing Our Wounds in Warm Clothes - what a wonderful project that was. Can you describe that project and how it came into being?
|
|
Dressing Our Wounds in Warm Clothes
documents with photographs and text Donna's wonderful healing arts project at the
Manhattan Psychiatric Center in
Ward's Island, New York in 1980.
 |
Donna: I was invited to do a sculpture for the grounds of Manhattan Psychiatric Hospital on WardÕs Island, NY. After exploring the grounds, I was overwhelmed with feelings of sadness and pain. I realized that what I needed to do was a Healing Ritual and not a static sculptural installation. So I did. I called it Dressing Our Wounds in Warm Clothes:
WardÕs Island Energy Trance Mission
The ritual took place in three stages:
RECEPTION*FIRST PHASE*BEGINNING MAY DAY FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF MAY 1980
being in a state of receptivity
i am asking for offerings of positive charge
of your ever-favorite energy-endowed and
energy-inducing item of old clothing
(the one you wear for luck and comfort
the one you save for your safe keeping)
I placed huge refrigerator crates in several public places around Manhattan in which to collect items of clothing that held special healing significance to people.
CONVERSION*SECOND PHASE*MEMORIAL DAY MAY 31, 1980
caring out the task together
concentrating the energy caught in the weave
considering the energy caught on this island
conceiving the spirit of compassionate care
we convert the clothes into bandage stripping
collecting the current and passing the power
On Memorial Day in the honor of all the women who tore all the bandages for all the wars all through time, we (patients, staff, and friends) tore all the donated clothes into strips.
CONDUCTION*THIRD PHASE*JUNE 1 – SUMMER SOLSTICE
JUNE 21, 1980
so I am checking into this hospital island
to cure my karma and heal my hurt for good
3 weeks on warÕs island tying 4,159 knots
in the tradition of the women from almost
everywhere who visit the healing waters to
pray and make supplications for health by
knotting their torn clothing into the trees
I moved into a room in the staff house on the hospital grounds with my bags of cloth strips. I then proceeded to tie these bandage strips –- one for every patient and staff member in the institution -- onto the trees and bushes on the grounds. Every knot was a prayer for healing. During the 3 weeks I spent in this endeavor, I talked and mainly listened to the stories of pain, hurt, rejection, and depression told to me by patients and staff. Every story represented a step toward wellness.
|
Danny: Could you describe why ritual can be such a powerful tool for healing?
Donna: Ritual is the conduit that connects us directly to spirit. It is also the dynamic procedure that can turn intention to actuality. Ritual is an active pursuit. One cannot observe a ritual and expect to gain any meaning from it. It must be actually, physically done to be real. In fact, many Native American teaching refer to ceremonies as "doings," because therein is where the magic dwells. So the visceral realness of ritual is what makes it powerful. In ritual one can achieve the ultimate connection on all three levels: connection with community, connection with oneÕs deepest self, and connection with the cosmos.
Ritual is the intersection of intention and attention. I like to say that in ritual there are no rules, BUT everything needs to be perfect. That is, every detail must reflect perfectly the intention of the ritual. There is no sliding, no cheating, no making do. The attention needs to equal the intention. God/dess is truly in the details. And when that happens, the ritual takes on meaning and power. When you are engaged in ritual, all separation disappears, as does time and superficial trappings of gender, cultural, class, race, etc. All that is exists is intention and attention. This is spirit. This is what heals.
Danny: You have just published a new book - please tell me what inspired you to write the Queen of My Self? And what does it mean to be a
"queen"?
Donna: When I approached my 50th birthday, I naturally assumed that I would have a major ritual of tranceformation. After all, I had been a professional celebration maker for decades. I also assumed that I would now enter the realm of the Crone, the third phase in the archetypal three phases of a womanÕs life based on the Triple Goddess paradigm: The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone. But I soon realized that I did not look or feel like an old crone and that I was not ready to call myself one.
|
Upon reflection and research, I saw that there was no mythologic description of a woman in her middle years — in her prime. So I felt it was necessary for me to retool the Triple Goddess concept and turn Her into the Fourfold Goddess:
The Maiden, The Mother, The Queen, and The Crone. There are more than 60 million women in their middle years in the US today, and that number is growing daily as the baby boom generation moves into this phase of life. We were once excluded from the powerful archetype and now I have figured out a way in include us.
The Fourfold Goddess is based on the number four which describes our natural world: four seasons, four phases of the moon, four elements, four cardinal directions, etc. And women are really taking to it in huge numbers because it resonates more with how they are feeling and their life styles today. The response has been tremendous.
The Queen is the earthly ruler of all her domains. Preeminent, She is capable, accomplished, assured, respected, and in control. Passionate and compassionate, She is an active woman of the world. The scope of Her natural abilities is vast and Her influence enormous.
The Queen accepts and initiates personal response-ability for circumstances and conditions in ever-expanding circles. The chief dispenser of order, measure, justice, and right relationship in all realms, Her rule is informed by Her keen cosmic perspective as well as the heart-felt promptings of Her own intuition. She reigns supreme by virtue of Her great virtue.
Today, just as the accumulative damage to our earth is reaching a perilous point of no return and our entire natural and cultural environment is in the throes of dangerous disconnection and dis-ease, we, Women of a Certain Age, are called upon to ascend the throne of conscious and conscientious leadership and exercise our special Queenly powers to redeem and transform ourselves, our society and our planet.
|
Danny: This is such wonderful work you are doing. How do you it -- financially, emotionally, and creatively?
Donna: Well, the creativity is no problem! My best thing is having ideas. Good and wonderful ideas! Having adequate time, money, energy, and help to pursue and manifest them is another story. When people ask me if I support myself through this work, I have a pat answer: I support myself in the style to which I have become accustomed. That is, ice skating on the edge of a roller blade! Money support is still very difficult even after 30 years. Emotional support is a different story. Every day I get feedback from folks who feel connected to my work, who feel that I have somehow helped them through my rituals and/or writings. This makes it all worthwhile. There is no greater reward.
Plus, I am operating on a spiritual imperative. This is exactly what I am meant to do in this lifetime. I am sure of that. So, on some level, I have no choice. And the universe has sent enough support for me to still be doing what I do, despite all the difficulties in doing so. I am still here!
Danny: What advice do you have for others wishing to use their creativity to connect to and help heal a larger community?
Donna: Do it! Just say yes.
For more information on Donna Henes and her events and publications, please visit www.donnahenes.net
|
|
|
FEATURED BOOK
White Wings
By Lila Graves
 Artist Lila Graves has published a book of paintings, photographs and verse entitled "White Wings" that tells the very moving story of her miraculous experience of healing cancer with art. After being diagnosed with terminal melanoma at the age of 25 and undergoing radical neck surgery, she moved to San Miguel, Mexico, on a spiritual quest. There she learned that the cancer had returned. In response, Lila decided, "If itÕs my time to be an angel, I donÕt have to die to be one," and so with the help of friends she crafted white wings from palm fronds and wore them as a backpack through the streets of Mexico everyday. She painted each day as if it were her last, wearing her wings. In doing so, she experienced an epiphany: the value of each moment lived in love. When she returned to the United States, the cancer miraculously was gone. This self-published, softcover book sells for $30 and can be ordered by calling Lila Graves in Alabama at 256-234-0072. For more information about Lila and her artwork, please visit www.lilagraves.com.
|
|
 |
FEATURED BOOK
The Joy of Ritual: Spiritual Recipes to Celebrate the Milestones, Ease Transitions, and Make Everyday Sacred
By Barbara Biziou
 This is a wonderful resource for creating rituals for everything from rites of passage to moving through stressful times. As the author describes in the introduction, "Today rituals are a natural part of life. In fact, IÕve created them to mark the most mundane occurances – like eating a meal or even brushing my teeth. While this may seem a little extreme, the intention is important: to develop and maintain a habit of mindfulnessÉ.My intention here is to share my "recipes" with you – to teach you how and when to use ritual as a practical, simple tool to help you cope with problems, gain insights, heighten your intuition, and discover elements of the sacred. I believe that these recipes will enrich and enliven your everyday life while quite literally feeding your soul.
The format of this book resembles a cookbook. Chapter One offers an overview of process and practice. I explain what rituals are and how they create possibilities for bringing you into a sacred space. Chapter Two takes you on a tour of the kitchen. I provide some general guidelines for working with different types of ingredients and for cooking a ritual. Subsequent chapters will highlight different rituals for special occassions, feelings, or needs. With each, you will find ingredients, the recipe, and, when applicable, the follow-up steps. A real-life example – a ritual reality – illustrates each recipeÉ.Use my ideas as inspiration and then use your imagination to create rituals that fulfull your personal needs. Remember that anything can become a ritual, as long as your intention is clear and you set aside sacred time and space."
This hardback book has 167 pages and was published by Golden Books in 1999. Click here to order through Amazon.com. It is also available in paperback with a slightly different title, The Joys of Everyday Ritual.
|
|
FEATURED LINK
Blue Lotus Productions
www.joyofritual.com
Blue Lotus Productions is the web site for Barbara Biziou, author of The Joy of Ritual. The site includes a complete list of upcoming events sponsored by Blue Lotus Productions, but best of all, it offers great resources on ritual including "A Ritual of The Month" page and online articles on topics such as "Rituals of Purification and New Growth" and "Ritual as Spiritual Practice."
|
 |
FEATURED LINK
Public Dreams
www.publicdreams.org
Based in Canada, Public Dreams is a wonderful model of an organization that brings art and celebration to the community by creating participatory events, traditions and rituals that promote healthy neighborhoods. Over the years, this Canada-based organization has produced over one hundred and fifty events and their work is seen by more than 75,000 people each year. They offer three annual events Illuminares, The Circus of Dreams, and The Parade of Lost Souls.
|
|
|
|
READERS RESPOND
Please send your thoughts and feedback on this month's news page to ahn@artheals.org. We would love to hear from you.
|
|
|
|
SIGN UP FOR THE ARTS AND HEALING NETWORK E-MAILING LIST
Become part of our e-mailing list and receive a monthly email with information about what's new at artheals.org. To join the e-mailing list, simply send an email to artheals-subscribe@topica.com or go to www.topica.com/lists/artheals/
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
