In our New Mexican travels Jim and I return to the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, sitting in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. This year it has been the site of a sculpture exhibition entitled The Power of Place, where sixteen works of Santa Fe artists sit among the pinons and roses, the switchgrass and apache plume, the junipers and the cholla, to name only a few of the varieties of plants to be found there.
Most striking of the sculptures for me is the one pictured here, entitled Re-Awakening by Estella Loretto of the Jemez Pueblo. This bronze sculpture is the figure of a Pueblo Deer Dancer and stands over seven feet in height.
The words of the artist evoke for me the teachings of yoga, and the image of the deer dancer resonates with and moves me. I share their wisdom and beauty with you.
The artist entitled her reflections “THE RE-AWAKENING OF THE INNER HEALING.”
To honor and respect the sacredness of life
Taking the opportunity to realign yourself
Focusing only on your highest potential
Letting the rhythm of your breath guide you
As you venture with prideful purpose and total heart
Empowered by self-knowledge and intuition
Letting wisdom guide you from illusion
Sharing universal harmony
In the magic of synchronicity through prayer
Letting the winds bathe your soul
And nourish your spirit.
Dear Elizabeth….beautiful image..and of course New Mexico is amazing. This reminds me of teachings I studied from the Huichol Indians…in a retreat the leader had us do various ritual activities and one was a deer dance. In the Huichol medicine the deer lives in the heart. Through forgiveness rituals, meditation in the medicine wheel, and the deer dance we were healing and opening our hearts. To the deer in each of us….blessings.