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What if ... your life is and was a Mystery School? Make Things Know Thyself. Dwell in that possibility.
~ Lisa Rasmussen MFA |
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Here is our newsletter from my Non-Profit Art is Moving. Our epic 9th Annual Art Break Day is happening on 9/6/19. Two women can make a difference, but all together we can rock the world. Over 58,000 Art Breaks so far! Hey there, it’s Lisa, one of the Co-founding Directors of Art is Moving. I always get reflective during the month of August as our annual Art Break Day draws near. Today I wanted to share these reflections and a bit of our history with you. Art is Moving began as an art collaboration with the goal of connecting more people with art and connecting the art world with more people. We had our work cut out for us. In 2008, when this adventure began, Lauren and I noticed a lack of art interactivity in museums, galleries, and other such art spaces. People were just passive viewers, quickly glancing at each artwork. Viewers were benefiting, for sure, but we wanted them to continue feeling the power of art after their visit. If art museums weren’t going to give people the opportunity to feel the positive impact of making art, what, as two artists, could we do to help? Why not bring the art making to the people? It sounded good to us! So, over the years we’ve done just that. By creating several cutting edge projects including ARTcart, Art in Your Pocket, and Art and Everything Calendar we’ve made art more accessible so everyone has an opportunity to take an art break and make art part of their daily life. What better way to connect people with art and connect art with people than to have an annual global art event? Art Break Day is a dream come true for me. I dream of a world where the collective consciousness creates together. What would happen to our world if, all at once, everyone’s heart was on creative fire? To me, it feels like the interconnectedness of the World Wide Web, but with art making. #ArtBreakDay is here again! Let’s #MakeArtWithTheWorld What began in 2011 as a San Francisco Bay Area event across 5 communities has been celebrated in over 240 communities. With the amazing help of 847 passionate and committed volunteers, Art Break Day has been and continues to be a global art movement. We're excited to welcome 9 new registered sites to this year's 9th annual Art Break Day!
And, let me give a super duper giant shout out to the amazing Heather Parker and Floriopolis! Stop by one of 52 LOCATIONS in Historic St. Andrews, Florida to enjoy a variety of different options to Take An Art Break! It’s not too late to register your Art Break Day Site! CLICK HERE. Why Register? Trust us, it feels good to connect with the whole global Art Break Day crew. And, we love knowing who is making a positive impact with art in their community. We want to send you a virtual high five and give you a shout out whenever we can. Plus, we have this really cool map that we’d love to pin you on. Can't host Art Break Day this year? That's ok! Copy and Share this placard, take an art break, and encourage your friends and family to join the fun! 
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(Camera Obscura Art Lab, Santa Monica, CA on 9/6/2019 from 12:00-4:00pm)
RSVP on event Facebook page HERE On September 6 take a moment and stop in Camera Obscura Art Lab to take an Art Break for free. Initialized in San Francisco in 2011, Art Break Day has grown into an international event, celebrated in 143 locations across 6 countries. Thus far, this project has included over 30,000 participants and amassed a vast collection of art. Participants of the event frequently form strong social relationships, obtain a sense of self-empowerment, and discover pride in and joy for the creative process. Art Break Day was created by the non-profit Art is Moving. It is a daylong celebration that encourages all people to sit down, take a short break from their busy lives, and make art for free, together with people from around the world. The annual event occurs simultaneously in all participating locations on the first Friday of September. This year’s Art Break Day will take place on September 6, 2019 and will be celebrated in over 40 locations, including cities across the United States, India, Bolivia, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Venezuela. The Santa Monica Art Break Day site will be hosted by Lisa Rasmussen MFA. She is Co-Founding Director of Art is Moving and Art Break Day. Rasmussen, also is a local Santa Monica painter, sculptor, teacher, and holistic life coach. She has spent over 16 years teaching the art-making process as a tool for healing and empowerment, and to transform people’s lives. She is the founder of the Harmonia Institute and FLOW: Creative Life Coaching. Rasmussen also leads arts & healing and yoga retreats to Greece with her organization Artemis Sacred Journeys. Contact: [email protected] www.harmoniainstitute.com & www.artbreak.org 
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 Over, the years are body gets worn and torn. I feel that early on most of us are told that we are not OK and we are flawed. It is totally conditioned in us by Advertisers, Social Media, and Reality TV. Over time we start to believe it and body starts getting tattered up. Our emotive thoughts are so powerful, that it easily becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. We gain weight. We eat toxic food. We get sick. Our skin starts sagging. Our mental health suffers. In many of us our body temple becomes abused. Add to the mix all of our past trapped traumas and toxic emotions start to fester dis-ease with in ourselves. Also, one we cannot forget the stress of living in today's world. Jumping on Twitter or listening to NPR can give one a nervous breakdown. These are trying times and this chaotic insanity affects your health and wellbeing. I feel that is really the Self Care moment is about, many are waking up to the empowering fact that we can co-create a better world, a better body, and a better reality for ourselves. We must start reverently taking care of our body temples and we must start taking care of our HOME, Mama Earth. What we do to the Earth and her Animal Kingdom is the macrocosm of what we are doing to ourselves. Truth be known it is horrific abuse on all levels. And needs to stop! This is why the Self Care movement is so important and so empowering. It is really waking folks up to that ancient Oracle of Delphi truth, To Know ThySelf. Know thy mind, body, and spirit! Embrace your personal sovereignty. Remember your power is not outside or separate of you, it is inside of you. We were all born whole and the human world has tore us into fragments. It is time to rise like the Phoenix out the ashes into your intrinsic wholeness. As Dr. Joe Dizpenza says, “And can you teach your body emotionally what it would feel like to believe in this way . . . to be empowered . . . to be moved by your own greatness . . . to be invincible . . . to have courage . . . to be in love with life . . . to feel unlimited . . . to live as if your prayers are already answered? . . .” So let's all rise up into the greatest version of ourselves. When we are radiate and healthy, you can transform others. Embracing the your are both an artist and healer. Perfect health and well being is your inheritance. Proclaim as you heal your self and begin to Love every inch of your mind, body, and soul, you can change this world for the better. You can affect others in positive way. You can be part of the solution. It is time to step up like a giant and shine your light into the world. Begin living out loud, drinking in the presence of the moment from the fountain of eternity. Start taking care of yourself and treat yourself like the Divine being you are. During my Harmonia, 10,000 Steps of Gratitude beach meditation this mantra keeps yelping into my being: "Heaven is Earth, Gaia is Heaven, and your body is a temple. Restore your temple in reverence, back to wholeness and balance." It is a beautiful empowering revelation to my Soul, Mind, and Body. Self Care, Self Love, and Self Healing are creative holistic journeys. We at the Harmonia Institute feel that you are a work of Art and you should treat yourself with the highest of reverence. Below is beautiful mandala exercise to embody and activate your inner medicine woman. Harmonia Practice: Activating your inner Medicine Woman So here is an Law Attraction Harmonia mandala exercise with the Goddess Archetype Akeso. Here name means curing, the process of curing. Begin your journey into the highest version of your Self. Harmonia Practice Recipe Ingredients
“Yet, at the quantum level, NO part of the body lives apart from the rest. There are no wires holding together the molecules of your arteries, just as there are no visible connections binding together the stars in a galaxy. Yet arteries and galaxies are both securely held together, in a seamless, perfect design. The invisible bonds that you cannot examine under a microscope are quantum in nature; without this "hidden physiology," your visible physiology could not exist. It would never have been more than a random collection of molecules.” ― Deepak Chopra Any questions about this Harmonia Practice? E-mail me at the [email protected] See my healing Sigil mandala below.   ***Schedule your an essential oils Harmonia free consultation session at [email protected] With your purchase of doTerra, I will teach you an intro to Harmonia. You will receive a free Harmonia 30 minutes session. I will teach how to incorporate essential oils in to your creative practices. As well as the basics of essentials oils. Your session comes with a free Harmonia and goal setting worksheet.
About Harmonia: Learning to Glow & Flow with Harmonia & Do terra Essential Oils. A Self-Care Practices for a Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul Dive deep within and discover a new modality of self care. Learn strategies for stress management, life - work balance, and success. Learn to listen to your heart. Learn the empowering basics of essential oils for your emotional and physical well being. As well as discover Harmonia, an effective self care process that unleashes your creativity and magnifies your hearts desire through the interweaving of seven plus transformative tools. This practice is for artists, life coaches, instructors, creatives, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wishes to enhance their own well being and their clients in natural way. Through this potent process gain new perspectives, radiance, and inspiration and achieve a new outlook on balancing the many competing aspects of life Upon Mother Earth (Gaia) Everything is on Purpose! This amazing planet "HER" we live on, is a magical self regulation ecosystem of wellness and healing. Intuitively we reach out plants to settle symptoms, ease ailments, and infuse our bodies with well being. Integrating essential oils into your daily life enhances your health and verve. Essential oils contain volatile aromatic compounds – which are tiny organic molecules that serve a variety of protective, reproductive and regenerative purposes. Harmonia Essential Oils is inspired by the Goddess Harmonia. In Greek mythology she was the Mother of the Amazons. Which were a tribe of powerful female warriors. Harmonia Essential oils holistic mission is to empower all women to tap into the ancient wisdom of essential oils. Returning and revering Gaia. Embracing HER gifts, their true nature and well being. Create Your Own Home-Based Wellness Business Become a doTerra Wellness Advocate. Read about how you can partner with doTERRA essential oils, with myself as your mentor in creating a beautiful home-based wellness business. I invite your to take a seat at the Harmonia Teams Table Step-by-step instructions on how to do that are below. I recommend starting with the Home Essentials Kit (you’ll get the 10 oils we believe every home should have, plus a diffuser). To begin using Doterra essential oils. Besides the physical and emotional healing and well being benefits, I have found that I am saving money on not buying expensive skin creams and cleaning supplies. Doterra offers a huge recipe guide for DIY products. You can check them out HERE. ** Step-by-step instructions on how to sign up are below. To begin and sign up I recommend starting with both the membership fee of $35 is covered in both kits
Click HERE for Essential Oils 101. Amazing uses for the oils that are included in your Home Essentials Kit and some of their uses. Peppermint: Cools body temperature, energizing, settles upset tummy. This is also great to add to water and to brush your teeth with. Click HERE for 35 remarkable benefits and uses for peppermint oil Lemon: Detoxifying, non-tox cleaner, purifies air, great for focus, delicious in salad dressings. Click HERE for 10 of the greatest benefits and uses for lemon oil. Lavender: Calming to the nervous system, soothes irritated skin, promotes restful sleep. This is a wonder oil. Great to create a skin care product with coconut oil. Click HERE for the amazing benefits and uses for lavender oil. Oregano: Nature’s antibiotic! You can also use this to cook with and to clean with. Click HERE for the top 21 benefits and uses for oregano oil. Tea Tree: Great for bites and stings, blemishes and can be used as an insect repelliant. Super for gum and teeth health to. Click HERE for 14 benefits and uses for tea tree oil. Frankincense: Fights inflammation, incredibly beautifying and anti-ageing for the skin, promotes cellular regeneration. The wonder oil. Click HERE for the healing benefits of frankincense. Doterra Breathe: Respiratory blend, clears airways, great support for asthmatics, energizing. This perfect clear allergies and stuffiness. Uses
OnGuard: Protective blend - wards off bacteria, protects the immune system and loads the body with antioxidants. You can create cleaning products this as well. Safe and natural cleaning recipes HERE. I also use this for teeth and gum health. Great when you are feeling a little bug coming on. DigestZen: Digestive blend - promotes healthy digestzen, settles heartburn, bloatedness, cramping and nausea. This really works. Some Recipes When mixing the oils always use glass containers. For little bottles you can find them on Amazon HERE. These are also fun for gifts as well. **Back pain relief essential oils: Peppermint, Cypress, and Frankincense mix with coconut oil either fractured (See HERE for fractured coconut oil or use regular) ** For amazing firming and anti aging skin oil use
When you become part of DoTerra with Harmonia you will get
HOW TO BUY THE OILS AND TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU'RE READY TO PURCHASE, FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY:
If you decide to go ahead and set this up, select a date preferably before the 15th of next month (you'll receive a FREE oil from doTERRA if your order reaches 125PV or more), select your oils, and enter your payment details one more time. Please note: your credit card will NOT be processed until the date you've selected for shipping. Shop essential oils HERE Wholesale Products and doTerra Wellness Advocate Opportunities. For more inspiration, education, and articles go to Harmonia Facebook page HERE ---------------------------------- HISTORY OF ESSENTIAL OILS Nature’s Source for Health, Healing, Vitality and Longevity! By Essential Oils Academy Since ancient times, and as near as we can tell, from the beginning of recorded history the plant kingdom has provided rare and powerful extracts and essences that have long been prized for their beauty enhancing, medicinal, spiritual, aromatic and therapeutic value. Aromatic plants, essences and oils have been used for ages in ceremony, religious observances, beauty care, food preparation and preservation, as incense, and for perfumes. Aromatic plants have also been the basis for herbal and botanical medicines and remedies for thousands of years. In fact, they’re the root of today’s pharmaceuticals. The earliest essential oils usage evidence occurs in the period of 3000-2500 B.C. It’s common for Egyptians to be given credit as the first culture to use aromatic extracts for beauty care, culinary uses, spiritual and physical wellbeing. But it is believed that essential oil-like extracts were also being used in China and India at nearly the same time. Depending on who is citing historical evidence, you can also find references to Ayurvedic uses of essential oils in India much earlier. Whichever way we look at it, history of the following cultures has enriched and enhanced valuable aspects of the essential oils and aromatherapy world. _________________________________________________ A Brief History of Essential Oils Around the World EGYPT As early as 2000 BC, the ancient Egyptians were using essential oils for medicinal benefits, beauty care, spiritual enhancement, and in literally all aspects of their daily life. The Egyptians were passionate about beauty; they took beauty care very seriously and were considered highly accomplished in specialized beauty care treatments. In fact, Cleopatra’s legendary beauty is attributed to her extensive use of the customary Egyptian essential oils, fatty oils, clays and salts from the spa on the edge of the Dead Sea – gifted her by Marc Antony, and other naturally occurring treatments. Expensive aromatics and perfumes were worn in Egypt by the ruling families and the priests. Egyptian temple priests – the doctors of the day – were renowned for their herbal preparations, tinctures, unguents, salves and ointments. They employed the vast variety of aromatic balms, resins and powders in many ways for both religious and medicinal purposes. Formulas and recipes for the ancient remedies are still considered highly prized in our world today. Many ancient pictorials on Egyptian temple walls depict essential oils extraction and care, Egyptian royalty using essential oils, as well as valued recipes and formulas. Clearly, essential oils were revered in the culture. In fact, when King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered and opened in 1922, the excavation team found (among other things), over 50 ancient alabaster jars – specially carved containers for essential oils. Raiders of the tomb had taken the prized essential oils, but had left the gold! GREECE Much of the education that became part of Greek, Roman and Jewish culture was derived from the Egyptians. Hippocrates, the Greek physician whose influence still informs the medical community, was considered the father of modern medicine. Among other things, he studied and documented the medicinal influence of over 300 plants, and is reported to have advised that “The way to health is to have an aromatic bath and scented massage every day.” He reportedly believed strongly in the medicinal benefit of fumigation with aromatics and used fumigation in the city of Athens to combat the plague. He also prescribed aromatic treatments for fallen soldiers on the battlefields. A contemporary of Hippocrates, Theophrastus wrote: “It is to be expected the perfumes should have medicinal properties in view of the virtues of their spices. The effect of plasters and of what some may call poultices prove these virtues, since they disperse tumors and abscesses and produce a distinct effect on the body and its interior parts.” Implicit in his observation is a fundamental principle of therapeutic aromatherapy – that essential oils applied externally affect the internal organs and tissues of the body. INDIA Essential oils have been a core element of the Indian Ayurvedic health care system; a natural healing system blending spiritual, philosophical and practical elements. No one is sure exactly how old Ayurvedic medicine is. We understand that it has been practiced for at least 5000 years and is widely practiced in India today. A principal tenant is aromatic massage. Ayurvedic literature from 2000 BC records Indian doctors administering oils of cinnamon, ginger, myrrh, coriander, spikenard and sandalwood to their patients. The term Ayurveda, a traditional Indian text, is rooted in Sanskrit. Derived from the words “ayur,” meaning ‘life’, and veda,” meaning ‘knowledge’. The Vedas, India’s most sacred book, mentions over 700 different herbs and aromatics codifying the uses of perfumes and aromatics for religious and therapeutic purpose. Basil is one of the sacred plants India, believed to open the heart and mind, bestowing the energy of love and devotion. Sacred to Vishnu and Krishna Indian deities, it is said to strengthen faith, compassion and clarity. While this is only one simple teaching of the Ayurvedic tradition, Ayurvedic wisdom and influence is becoming more and more prominent in today’s western culture, with high profile proponents such as Deepak Chopra, as well as training institutions in the US and Canada. ROME The Roman culture was deeply influenced by the Greeks, with influences that were heavily inter-woven through centuries of war. The Greek influence is most apparent in architecture and health care. When it comes to aromatics and health, more than any of the other cultures, the Romans used aromatic materials and essential oils with sheer extreme and decadence. They bathed with them lavishly, several times a day, and had frequent massages with essential oils. Oils were also used to scent the hair, body and the bed. The most exotic oils available were blended by highly skilled perfumers, creating celebrated fragrances. A prominent Greek physician, doctor for the Roman army, Pedanius Dioscorides, wrote an impressive 5-volume reference work on herbal medicine during the first century A.D. With well over 600 remedies in those publications, time and 1,500 years of medical practice has proven that many remedies he wrote about are very useful. For example, myrrh is helpful with gum infections; juniper berry is a well-known diuretic; marjoram has sedative properties; and cypress can be useful in relieving diarrhea. CHINA In China, herbs and plant medicine are an integral part of Traditional Chines Medicine. They’re also in important part of Chinese folk medicine. Specific use of essential oils has been traced to before the time of Christ. The oldest surviving medical text that we’re aware of is Shennong’s Herbal, dated around 2700 BC, containing information on usage of 365 plants. Shennong was a ruler, father of Chinese herbal medicine, and cultural hero of China who taught his people the practices of agriculture. He consumed hundreds of herbs to test their medical value, and is said to have discovered tea and to be the father of Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture. Another significant influence on today’s Eastern medicine stems from Huángdì, the Yellow Emperor, who is said to have authored a book on internal medicine, including important uses of essential oils, which is till used as a reference for practitioners today. In today’s aromatherapy world, along with contributing the valuable historical plant medicine texts, China is one of the most prolific producers of essential oils. THE BIBLE Both the Old and New Testament have dozens of references to aromatic plants, with at least 12 essential oils mentioned over 9 times respectively. Essential oils and herbs that are specifically mentioned in the bible include cedarwood, frankincense, fir, cinnamon, myrrh, myrtle and spikenard. One of the most well-known references to aromatics is of the Magi bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child. Another significant reference is in the book of Exodus in which Moses received the specifics for a holy anointing oil. Included in that formula was cassia, cinnamon, clove, galbanum, myrrh, olive oil and spikenard. Many of the specific uses for essential oils, as well as recipes for essential oil blends in today’s world are a direct result of biblical references. EUROPE During the Middle Ages, Hippocrates’ wisdom and the use of aromatics was denounced by the Catholic Church as decadent; bathing for healing or ‘the cure’ was deemed ‘inappropriate’. This temporarily reduced the use of essential oils therapeutically, although they were kept in use for their pleasant aromas. History seems to point to the Monks of that era for secretly keeping plant medicine and wisdom alive and well, although the threat of persecution or being burned at the stake was ever-present. The use of herbs and essential oils was labeled as ‘witchcraft’. Many lost their lives or were outcast from their communities during that time period. By the 1600′s, writings about herbal medicine and essential oils became widespread. By the 1800’s most of the pharmacopoeia of England, Germany and France were referencing and prescribing essential oils for a variety of illnesses. At the same time, large flower-growing districts in the south of France were supplying raw materials for French perfumers. Tuberculosis was common, yet workers processing flowers and herbs generally remained disease-free. Believing that essential oils in the plants were protecting the workers, the first recorded lab test of the anti-bacterial properties of essential oils was performed in 1887. In 1910 Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French cosmetic chemist, severely burned his hands and arms in an accidental lab explosion. He extinguished the flames, but as he described it, “both my hands were covered with rapidly developing gas gangrene.” He submerged his burns in a large container of lavender oil, reporting that “just one rinse with lavender essence stopped the gasification of the tissue. This treatment was followed by profuse sweating and healing which began the next day.” Although he previously had no interest in natural healing methods, his astonishing burn experience led Gattefosse to investigate the medical uses of essential oils by treating soldiers in military hospitals during World War I. He coined the term “aromatherapie” in 1920’s-1930’s – the treatment of disease and injury using aromatic essential oils. Jean Valnet, a Parisian medical doctor and army surgeon, who was also a colleague of Gattefosse’s, began to use essential oils —with great success—as antiseptics treating war wounds during the Indochina war from 1948-1959. As the story goes, he was in China treating war wounded when he ran out of his supply of antibiotics. Out of desperation he began to use essential oils on the injured. He was amazed to see how the essential oils fought infection, crediting many lives saved due to the use of essential oils. After the war, he continued using essential oils in his practice, publishing in 1964 the comprehensive text The Practice of Aromatherapy, earning him global recognition and providing impetus for further interest, study and discovery. In the 1980′s French MD, Daniel Pénoël along with French biochemist Pierre Franchomme, investigated and catalogued the medical properties of over 270 essential oils, recommending uses for a clinical environment. They then co-authored a reference book listing the medicinal properties of those oils. The book, published in French in 1990, L’aromatherapie Exactement, quickly became the primary reference book for secondary authors researching and writing of the medical benefits of essential oils. In Europe Today Today, in France, Germany and England, it is common for doctors to offer a choice when prescribing remedies for a specific health condition. Patients can choose either prescription medicines or natural essential oils. Both are distributed through pharmacies across Europe. Historically Proven Essential oils have not only stood the test of time, they have proven their efficacy and effectiveness on every level. Tradition and historical records provide proven insights and understanding of how essential oils were used in the past, and how they can benefit our lives today. Happily, with the renewed interest in essential oils, and resurgence in their use, there are many, many new clinical studies and publications documenting the efficacy and benefits. Aromatherapy is now becoming a powerful bridge between cultures, modalities and health care professionals. |
Muse and Artivist
Lisa Rasmussen MFA is the Founder and Director of the Harmonia Institute. Lisa Rasmussen—artist, educator, curator, life coach, arts and healing practitioner, and art advocate—believes art can change and heal the world. Archives
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