The Beginnings of Earth Wisdom Circles in the Philippines

The following are some existing circles where a) the lead artist has shared the Mandala in various forms and process; and b) has participated in to deepen her learning process. Mandala Earth Story Project draws lessons and inspiration from these experiences.

Cultural Heritage
The Babaylan Lecture-Ritual Series (2011-2012) Organized by GINHAWA (Growth in Wholeness and Well-Being Associates), Bahay Nakpil, and SangHabi, the lecture-ritual series gathered people in stories by or about the Babaylan, the historical Filipino shaman/ritualist/healer. Since 2011, it has gathered hundreds of participants in story circles in various universities within Metro Manila learning about the Babaylan as teacher, culture bearer, healer, and chanter. The lead artist has so far collaborated by illustrating the logo of the project using symbols guided by the organizers. The mandala became the symbolic representation of the Babaylan's roles while the indigenous weave patterns symbolized the three major regions of the Philippines. She also designed a mandala ritual space for one of its lecturerituals using sea salt and local herbs.

Earth Wisdom Circle at Maia Earth Village, Palawan (2013) As a resident of an ecovillage in Palawan, the lead artist organized a talk with the local Babaylan named Janet Dolera who shared about the story of creation after the mythic flood and how harvested food is a shared resource with the earth elements which our ancestors have long co-existed with. A Canadian healer named Karie Garnier trained by Cherokee Medicine man Rolling Thunder for 15 years also shared some his healing earth story to the circle. Janet continues to expand the circle and hold them at her own personal space called Tayuksidi while supporting the work of local Babaylans throughout Palawan province. One of her upcoming initiative is to help raise funds and support for the building of a Kelang Banwa, a traditional building to house the School of Living Traditions of the Palaw-an tribe.

LEFT:#With#the#youngest#chanter#from#Kalinga.#RIGHT:#Dancing#with#the#Tbolis

3 rd Kapwa International Conference: The Knowledge of Indigenous People in the Academe: International Conference and Symposium for Schools of Living Traditions (2012) The lead artist volunteered as part of the conference and symposium Secretariat and assisted more than 30 tribes for their needs throughout the conference. Towards the end of the gatherings, she helped create a small circle discussion to help consolidate the outlined concerns and their actions of the tribes based on their request. A lawyer for indigenous peoples concerns Atty. Tany Lat compiled the outputs. * The stories gathered during the gatherings inspired the artist to deepen her understanding about indigenous knowledge, systems, and practices

Peacebuilding
Lights for Peace: Children Leading the Call to end Armed Conflict for the Resumption of the Philippine Peace Talks (2011) When the Philippine government resumed the peace talks between the National Democratic Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the lead artist gathered children to co-create a mandala ritual space for the ceremony with the countrys President made out of terra cotta clay and seeds to symbolize their shared earth in reference to the land rights and self-determination platforms of the rebel groups. The action was inspired by existing story circles of the following interfaith / intercultural peace organizations that the lead artist has collaborated with using mandala workshops on inner peace and conflict transformation:
a. Peace camps for the youth conducted by Binhi ng Kapayapaan Inc. and Katharina Werk, a Swiss organization that conducts international youth peace camps. Through the organization, the lead artist was able to witness the reaffirmation of a 492 year-old Peace Pact between Islamized and Non-Islamized tribes of Mindanao for the inclusion of the latters concerns about Ancestral Domain in the ongoing peace process. b. Interfaith Dialogue circles conducted by the Peacemakers Circle Foundation, a Cooperation Circle under the United Religions Initiative, a global organization of 500 interfaith grassroots circles around the world. (The lead artist currently sits as a member of URIs Environmental Satellite)
TOP:# Children# lead# a# ritual# with# leaders# calling# for# an# end# of# armed# conflict# in# their# generation.# President# Aquino# and# Peace# Secretary# Deles# look# on.# MIDDLE:# A# Labyrinth# for# inner# peace# for# interfaith# grassroots# leaders#from#conflict#affected#areas.#BOTTOM:#A#Lumad# (indigenous)#Chieftain#and#a#Muslim#leader#embrace#in# front# of# their# new# monument# as# a# remembrance# of# a# 492#year#old#peace#pact#of#their#ancestors.##

* The lead artist still has a pending invitation since 2011 from Museo Pambata, the Childrens Museum to develop a peace art program inspired by this action providing creative peace education activities for its children visitors and partners.

Climate Change
Psycho Social Support for children survivors of Typhoon Sendong, Cagayan de Oro City (2011-2012) Using Mandalas, the lead artist developed modules for psycho-social support to children survivors of Typhoon Sendong (Hurricane Washi) with Kids for Peace Foundation and Save the Children for children of Balulang Elementary School.
* The lead artist originally intended to continue working with the riverside community of Balulang by working with the Talaandig Tribe soil painting artists. She planned to pursue this while building a child friendly space made out of adaptive and natural home building technologies. She also hoped to enhance their gardens using a permaculture design to support nutrition and food security in the community. Because of the pressure of the INGO funders deadlines, the artist decided to postpone the plan and pursue it through an independently funded and designed project that can provide a relaxed process based timetable.

Teaching Ecological Consciousness through Community Based Art (2008-2009) This study under the UNEP Eco-Peace Leadership Program and Earth Day Network Philippines through some modules using the mandala helped prepare a community for a social enterprise program using residual waste through sessions on personal and communal art making.
* The projects next step was to undergo a social enterprise project while the artist was taking a course under the Pearson Fellowship for Social Innovation. The plan was to market the organic produce from the communitys urban garden. Around it is a playground and MRF built entirely out of the waste generated by the community. This was put on hold as the artist started working for an intrafaith dialogue project with the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process and the Peacemakers Circle Foundation. The design of the project continues with her current community art project called Project Rainbow, a creative zero waste campaign response to the Manila Monsoon flooding in 2012.

Upcycling#used#fabric#and#paper#to#make#angel#wings#for#the#community's#traditional#Flores#de#Mayo# festival