Meditate on This!

What's better than connecting art with your mind and soul?

"I am a Mama, artist, writer, and avid gardener. I am also an Intuitive Tarot Reader." Ash told us in her bio. "Moon Mama LLC offers artful workshops called Creative Meditations. In these workshops we begin with a guided meditation to get our mind, body and Spirit in a place to be calm and connected. We then dive into our creativity."

She, in addition to art meditation, offers nature hikes, environmental educational events, and therapeutic horticulture workshops to honor and strengthen our connection to the natural world. Protecting and preserving our environment is a passion of hers. "I feel a little education can empower people to help protect our Earth. I want humans to fall back in love with nature," she continued. "Art and being emerged in our natural world, whether it be gardening or just out on a hike, has always been medicine for my soul. As I have moved through my own journey of growing as a human, becoming a Mama, anxiety, and depression I found the benefits of nourishing my creativity and connecting with nature to be so healing. I want to share that with others."

For our special demonstration, Eichner Pendell gave us a small sample of what she does during her creative meditations, through the power of music, mindfulness, and watercolors.

"As an artist that loves many different mediums I find myself returning to watercolors often to soothe my nervous system. Watching the pigments dance in the water droplets is magical." She told us. She provided us with all the materials we needed to begin our journey, and every person that attended was able to join in on the task.



Before we could attend that journey, however, I asked Ash to tell us a little about herself and what other kinds of art she likes to do.

"I am also a miniature artist. I make everything fit for a fairy," Ash told us. "I love to photograph the tiny details and Mother Nature's every changing palette of colors as the wheel of seasons turn. Nature inspires all of my work."



We were also so lucky that she brought in her work to share with us, because you have to see all then neat little things she makes to fully get a sense of how cute, adorable, and beautiful they are.

This is her little garden ghost buddy, hand made of clay by her. You can find this cute little boo online at her website and socials (posted below) or at Green Witch Gardens, off of M50 in Monroe (past the Lewis exit towards Ida).



And of course, you can't not love these cute little pom-pom guys!

"I am also a little obsessed with making pom-pom projects. There is something so meditative about wrapping the yarn and all the crispy snipping. Art has always been my way of making sense of this world."

It was so much fun, seeing all her fun little miniatures and passing them around.

I, personally, love Ash's art. She's so calming and fun to be around, and her art brings out the same feelings. Calming and fun.

Just like this demonstration was, too.

It was one of those things that you had to be there for. But, I will try my best to explain what happened.

First, the atmosphere was set.

Light, calming music was being played, and we all opened up our watercolor packs and activated them with some spritzes of water.

"Now, I would like you all to close your eyes, if it feels comfortable to do so," Ash told our group. She was always making sure that we were comfortable at all times throughout the process, because if not, it would effect the way the meditation was done.

"And let's take some deep breathes in and out, to help relax and regulate our nervous system."

So, we did. Just like the gif above.

Breathe in for 4 seconds. Hold for 4 seconds. Breathe out for 4 seconds.

This is actually a very well-known technique in both meditation and calming circles, as it helps regulate your nervous system and calm you down. It's what my therapist taught me when I feel a panic attack happening.

Go on, try it. Follow the prompts the gif has. Do it a couple times, until you feel calmer! Your heart rate will go down, which also lowers your blood pressure, and lets you physically feel more relaxed. All from breathing!

Next, she had us loosen up our bodies--our necks, our shoulders, our arms, our legs. Then, she asked us to picture a ball of light traveling through our bodies, from our toes all the way up to the tops of our heads, stopping at each chakra location as it moved.

"But Sami," I hear you say. "What the heck is a chakra?"

A chakra is an energy center in the subtle body (your non-physical, psychological, emotional, mind) from Hindu and Buddhist traditions, represented as a spinning wheel or circle along the spine. It's one of many meditation-aids in the form of a psychic or psycho-spiritual energy-center that's located in your body.

 
Everyone has chakras located in your body, and during meditation, you can access them. Supposedly. It's a way to become more in-tune with yourself and what your body is saying. Kind of in the vein of when your tummy rumbles, it's telling you that you're hungry or when you yawn, that you're tired.

Energy is all around us--science has proven this (the theory of matter: any physical substance that has mass and occupies space by having volume, first theorized in ancient Greece, and the theory of energy: a measurable property of a physical system—rather than a standalone physical "substance"—that represents the capacity to do work or cause change (categorized broadly into kinetic and potential energy) are so closely linked together that Albert Einstein's most famous equation gives them everlasting life. You know, E = MC2? Yeah, that's energy and matter!)--so by digging into your chakras, you can theoretically harness the energy inside of you to help align yourself with the universe and keep your psyche in balance.

This is actually, factually, proven science, even though it has transcended more into a spiritual guidance principle than scientific exploration.

And, anyway, it's super cool and neat to work with, because it's fun to believe and take part in spiritual balance. Especially with nature. Like the good book says, "for dust you are and to dust you will return." That's all we are, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, and that's what meditation, and chakra's, all come down to. Finding your power; your energy, and controlling it to help yourself manage your emotions.



After a quick meditation moment, Ash had us take our permanent markers and draw freestyle lines on the paper--which was a cool watercolor postcard paper--had them criss-cross and wiggle and swirl and connect. We were to let them go where ever they needed to, and to not focus on drawing something. They were supposed to look like a glass window of sorts, without form and more mosaic than anything else.

Afterwords, we dipped our paintbrush into our watercolor paints, and began to paint each section we had made. With a different color, with the same color, with lighter and darker intentions, with fades and connections and the blending of colors. Whatever felt right in the moment. Whatever spoke to our energies that we'd just harnessed.



This is what mine looked like in the end.

But everyone's turned out differently, because we are all different people and energy and feelings all show up different in different people!

But, all in all, it was a fun, relaxing art meditation exercise, and everyone had a lot of fun doing it too!

We had a total of 15 members there and 3 non-members, and I'd say that was a successful turnout for a member meeting!

And if you're ever interested in taking another class with Moon Mama LLC.'s Ash Eichner Pendell, do not hesitate to reach out!

"Moon Mama LLC is all about modern, inclusive spiritual wellness. That means that I believe that everyone should have safe and affordable access to the healing benefits of art and nature. I hope to provide that space for us all.  Come relax and take a deep breath with me," Eichner Pendell finished. "You can find me on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok at Moon Mama LLC. Check out my website for events and Moon cycle updates at https://www.moonmamacreative.com/."

Many thanks to Ash for being out demonstrator for the month of September!

We'd love to have your breath of fresh air self in anytime!

Thanks for giving us a much needed relaxing way to end September and open up our third eye (as it were) to the possibilities of healing through art, meditation, and mindfulness!