'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.
"Simple Gifts" is a Shaker song written and composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett.
05132007 On this Mother's Day, i am listening to a program on 'The Mother of Tibet', the Dali Lama's mother. In this program, the statement was made that today we are like a motherLess child (this song came on the RAdio in the RAven when i went to the store prior to tuning in to this program) because the Great Mother and the Divine Feminine have been sent into such a RAdical decline in today's world. That until She is restored into this world, there will bee no chance 4 Peace orr Healing. TempleGaia, TheTreeWebO'Life, represents my prayer that She will indeed Bee restored to this World of ours.
In my Web searches for prayer flags when i wanted to include them in the image, i came across these lotusii chakRA flags
(sea ShakRArose-March 2007-4 Mor chakRA info) This is InSynk with the angel wings lotus i used in TheTreeWebO'Life. Lotus: An exquisite flower that blooms from mud. Lotus represents our highest selves, the essence, the spirit that can blossom in each of us.
)Healing Flags: A beautiful and nurturing set of flags with chakra colors and opening lotus. These Healing Flags are intended to inspire and assist in healing. What is healing? A criSis can create a connection to the Wisdom within where hidden strengths lie in connection with the Divine Order. Tragedy & loss often cause an UPheaval that often has a severe impact on our body, mind & spirit. Profound Healing can come thru this UPheaval, however, as even someone at the end of life can experience deep healing. Ultimately, death itself can bee a landmark healing of the Soul. When wee invite a shifting of the senses, wee begin to discover the reLeaf, wholeness & transformation of Peace Profound. We created Healing Flags to affirm and empower people toward the full spectrum of healing. We believe that as each individual moves toward wellness, peace and compassion that our entire world comes more into balance. Peace on this planet will happen when more people and cultures are respected and treated with kindness, no matter what their differences. Indeed, it is our differences that make us so colorful and interesting. What kind of world could we create if we all accepted our differences as beautiful and fascinating? The 7 flags represent the 7 chakras and their colors, reflecting the energy of each chakra with each flag’s message:)
1. Root Center:) safety, survival & connection to the earth.
I am safe.
I trust more; I fear less.
I am centered and grounded.
2. SacRAl Center:) emotions & sexuality
I feel my emotions & my pain.
I reawaken my passion.
I surrender to this moment.
3. Solar Plexus Center:) self image, energy & power
I am courageous.
I am whole.
I stand in my power.
4. Heart Center:) love, compassion & relationships with self & others
I am loved; I let love in.
I am kind to myself.
I live in peace & gratitude.
5. Throat Center:) self expresstion, communication & creativity
I play in my imagination.
I create my reality.
I know and share my truth.
6. Third Eye:) intuition, healing & self reflection
I honor my intuition.
I accept my path.
I am healing: body, mind & spirit.
7. Crown Center:) spirituality, universal identity & divine awakening
I connect with Spirit.
I invite sacred transformation.
I embrace the unity of all beings.
Chakras can be imagined as wheels of light energy, spinning within our bodies. When balanced, aligned and spinning correctly our life force is stronger and truer. i ordered thethe healing flags yesterday and today i received an e-mail notifying me of a new set of prayer flags by one of my favorite artists, Mara Friedman. Prayer is in the air!! Sew, i decided to order them as well & include them in TempleGaia. How could i not?
Prayer flags are inscribed with auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras. Tibetan Buddhists for centuries have planted these flags outside their homes and places of spiritual practice for the wind to carry the beneficent vibrations across the countryside. Prayer flags are said to bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the vicinity.
"Wind is the natural element of the horse. As it gallops across the plain the wind arises to meet it, its long tail and mane flowing freely as it speeds through the stillness of the air, creating wind. Both the wind and the horse are natural vehicles of movement, the horse carrying material form and the wind ethereal form. Prayers are carried on the wind, and in Tibet the prayer flag is known as the Windhorse, Lung Ta, who carries the Wishfulfilling Jewel on its back." (from The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs by Robert Beer, Shambhala Press, 1999) "As Windhorse carries our prayers for Earth and All Beings, may respect and kindness light our way. May our hearts be filled with compassion for others and for ourselves. May peace and compassion increase on earth." Windhorse with the Wish-fulfilling Jewel, radiates peace, prosperity and harmony as it speeds like the winds across the heavens...to benefit all. As they wave in the wind, prayer flags lift up and carry our wishes for compassion, peace and healing around the earth. Prayer flags encourage us to live more mindfully and help us to restore our own inner calm. A more peaceful world must begin in each of us, one open heart at a time.
...and hence the Windhorse becomes a part of Temple Gaia.
As i revisited the West Wind Flags site, i came across several images that led mee 2 expand the WellcOMe post 4 The Myztickle Onion, and this garden statue consequently beecame part of TempleGaia. 
The background 4 Temple Gaia is derived from this photae taken on my way home from the Jemez one spring afternoon. The Tree of Life is an important symbol in nearly every culture. With its branches reaching into the sky, and roots deep in the earth, it dwells in three worlds- a link between heaven, the earth, and the underworld, uniting above and below. It is both a feminine symbol, bearing sustenance, and a masculine, visibly phallic symbol- another union. Many trees take on the appearance of death in the winter- losing their leaves, only to sprout new growth with the return of spring. This aspect makes the tree a symbol of resurrection. A tree also bears seeds or fruits, which contain the essence of the tree, and this continuous regeneration is a potent symbol of immortality. The tree is also seen as a giver of gifts and spiritual wisdom, an the abode of the Gods, and sometimes, the tree itself is a God. The inverted Tree, also represents spiritual growth, as well as the human nervous system, with the 'root' in the cranial nerves, and the branches spreading throughout the body; it also represents the cosmic tree-rooted in heaven, the branches being all of manifest creation. In Other Web searches, i came across these images 4 The Tree of Life, which reinforced my use of the SpiRAl in TempleGaia.
(sea ShakRArose & ProfundaPazRAflower-March 2007) 
(sea http://www.artinthepicture.com/paintings/view.php?nr=485 & http://www.hiddendimension.com/images/Tree%20of%20Life.JPG) and in another Tree o' Life search today, i found this which sort of echoes TempleGaia, especially the bluebird at the top.
(sea http://plainjanestudio.com/Mexico/Tree-of-Life-heart.jpg) i allsew found these somewhat more scientific TofLs.
(sea http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/animals/animalid/images/tree.gif & http://www.amateurillustrator.com/galleries/albums/userpics/10332/normal_tree_of_life.jpg)and then there was this, wonder which came first, this one or the green one, hmmmmmmm.....
(sea http://www.bryantmcgill.com/-images/bryant_art_tree_of_life_black_500.jpg) As i was rearRAnging some of the elemints, Ganesha appeared and led me 2 these 2 images. i was truly amazed!! GreenMan Ganeshas made of Leaves!! There4, they 2 were added 2 TempleGaia!! 
(sea http://www.indhistory.com/img/hindu-gods-ganesha.jpg & http://www.astrolozy.com/images/New%20Images/9.jpg) Ganesha is the child of Shiva and Parvati. When one accepts this somewhat funny looking elephant child as the divine force, it stills the rational mind and it's doubts, forcing one to look beyond outer appearances. Thus Ganesha creates the faith to remove all obstacles.
In this search, i allsew found this
(sea http://imagesource.art.com:80/images/-/GAJANANA-VAZE/Fractal-Ganesha-Poster-C12281147.jpeg) which in turn led to this 
(sea http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/PD--12185235/SP--B/IGID--12185235/Untitled_from_Tree_of_Life_series.htm?sOrig=SCH&ui=FBFDDD78F0E340EFA21433F54D9B4F4C) Look familiar? Notice this one also uses bluebirds? There are two bluebirds in TempleGaia. One resting with a red holly berry in its mouth. 
(sea http://imagesource.allposters.com:80/images/pic/PTGPOD/414404~Male-and-Female-Bluebirds-Eating-Holly-Berries-Posters.jpg) and one with its wings spread out in full flight. (sea http://www.mtnds.com/hikes/images/bluebirds.jpg)
"The mythology of the bluebird has deep roots, going back thousands of years. Indigenous cultures across the globe hold similar myths and beliefs about the bluebird. It's the most universally accepted symbol of cheerfulness, happiness, prosperity, hearth and home, get well soon, congratulations on the new baby, the renewal of springtime, any and all positive sentiments can be attached to the bluebird with practically no negative aspects." (sea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebird_of_happiness) The colour of the bluebirds reminded mee of the dRAgonfly of StarCloudRAgonFly-April2007-sew i included them in the image as well.Many of the forms that i've used in TheTreeWebO'Life come from what i sea in the totem that is formed where the 2 halves of the background come 2gather.
One of these forms appeared 2 mee as a frog, sew i included these2. The blue dart was used because of its relation to the colour of the bluebirds and dRAgonflys. The Other was used because of its colour Camouflage with the leaves and shadows. Camouflage is a most important thing in Nature. (sea http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/images/home/frogs_image.jpg & http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/images/gallery/lg/blue_dart_poison_frogs_lg.jpg)AnOther creature that appeared from conjoined branches were the horns of a ram. (sea http://www.phototravels.net/canada/pcd2453canada/canada-bighorn-sheep-61.3.jpg) "Cernunnos is nearly always portrayed with animals, in particular the stag. He is also frequently associated with a unique beast that seems to belong only to him: a serpent with the horns of a ram. The ram-horned serpent is particularly interesting. The serpent occurs in myths all across the world, and is nearly always associated with knowledge. It is also commonly associated with death and the otherworld. (sea http://www.lugodoc.demon.co.uk/CERNUNOS.HTM)
AnOther form of the Horned god included in TempleGaia is this elk. (sea http://clgphotos.com/Gallery2/YellowstoneII/Images/LD2H0305_elk.jpg) It's horns are the same angle as the conjoined branches where it sits in the image. i also chose this one because i liked the way it seemed to be calling in the same manner as this wolf. 
(sea http://www.windowsintowonderland.org/wolves/part_one/index.html) and both the wolf and the elk are from Yellowstone. 2 mee they are calling, praying, singing for healing and peace in an invocation to Gaia and her companion and counterpart, the GreenMan. 
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