Up front and center- a close up view of Tika Headquarters, Tucson 2013.
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Tucson, Tika style. A wide angle view of the inside and outside of our booth at the Howard Johnson.
The Annual Transformation of Room 126
(Becoming Tika Central for two and a half weeks is definitely this room's yearly highlight)
Textures of Tika: Treasures
Snippets from our booth at the California Gift Show, Los Angeles 2013
Textures of Tika: Textiles
Snippets from our booth at the California Gift Show, Los Angeles 2013
Textures of Tika: Strands
Snippets from our booth at the California Gift Show, Los Angeles 2013
Textures of Tika: Metals
Snippets from our booth at the California Gift Show, Los Angeles 2013
Life at Grandma's ~
if you have been wondering where we have been, well Poppy and I moved in with Grandma, pretty cushy really, its really warm all the time, she likes us ALOT, the food still is good, and her favorite bracelet is a Bee-mirage bracelet, so we still get to work a little .. a kind of working holiday We'll be home soon as there's plenty to do back at Tika as its nearly Show Time and those Girls are getting Busy.!!!!
- Bodhi
Om
Om is a mystical Sanskrit sound of Hindu origin that is sacred and important in various Dharmic religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. It is also referred to as Omkara or Aumkara, literally meaning Om syllable and in Sanskrit is sometimes referred to as pranava, literally meaning that which is sounded out loudly. It is said to be the original sound that contains all other sounds, all words, all languages and all mantras. Written out, it is indicated in the symbol that the speaking of Om takes the time of speaking three syllables. It is placed at the beginning of most Hindu texts as a sacred incantation to be intoned at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas or prior to any prayer or Mantra. The syllable consists of three phonemes; Vaishvanara (a), Hiranyagarbha (u) and Ishvara (m), which symbolize the beginning, duration and dissolution of the universe and the associated gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The name omkarais taken as a name of God and can be translated as I Am Existence. When taken letter by letter, A-U-M represents the divine energy (Shakti) united in its three elementary aspects: Bhrahma Shakti (creation), Vishnu Shakti (preservation) and Shiva Shakti (liberation and/or destruction). Om mani padme hum is the six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed form of Avalokiteshara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Mani means jewel or bead and Padma means the lotus flower, the Buddhist sacred flower. The mantra is especially revered by devotees of the Dalai Lama, as he is said to be an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara. It is commonly carved into rocks/stones or written on paper which is then inserted into prayer wheels, which is said to increase the mantra's effect with each revolution. It is very good to recite the mantra Om mani padme hum, but while you are doing it, you should be thinking on its meaning, for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast The first, Om [...] symbolizes the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; it also symbolizes the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha[...]The path is indicated by the next four syllables. Mani, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method: (the) altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love.[...]The two syllables, padme, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom[...]Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable hum, which indicates indivisibility[...]Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha[...]
H.H. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, on Om Mani Padme Hum
Mermaids
It is said that the allure of mermaids is symbolic of letting our hearts and our passion override ouranalyticmind. This can certainly be seen when looking at Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid, whose desire to become something other than what she is defies the very essence of her existence. Mermaids are associated with the element of water and therefore with profound mystery, feminine nature and the untamed nature of emotion and passion. In itself, water is symbolic of depth, cleansing, clarity, freedom and mobility. It also is a vast symbol of duality, being at once life-sustaining, comforting and abundant, as well as also being destructive. Thus, mermaids are symbols of both death and immortality. Mermaids are often depicted holding combs made of fish bones (a nod to symbolism of divine power over the sea, tides, storms, etc) or holding mirrors (a symbol of the moon, pointing to a self-reflective nature as well as self-appreciation). Great importance and value is placed on the hair of a mermaid- in many tales and stories, it is in fact a source of power and without it (if it should be cut or become tangled or dirty) she is powerless. Mermaids are famously elusive and rarely seen in mythologies- they know the hearts of human-kind and are legendary for only appearing to the true of heart. They are also commonly associated with the power and danger of seduction, enticing sailors into the sea to be consumed by the waves and dragged to the depths of the ocean to their death. The ability to allure men with beauty and song is retold in countless tales, suggesting a theme of agony and unattainable goals or dreams, or a metaphor for death, the ultimate conclusion. Likewise, for a mermaid to fall in love with a human man presents a similar dilemma, as these creatures, like fish, cannot exist outside the sea. Just beyond the reach of each other, human and mer-people remain close enough to taunt and tantalize, but ultimately remain untouchable within the bounds of safety. The loveliness of and overwhelming attraction to mermaids cannot be separated from a fascination with water and the sea. When we dwell in the realm of the mermaid, we dwell in a sea of dreams , transformation, far-reaching imagination and fantasy.