Marisa Cranfill
Once upon a time I spent the night at a temple in Petchabun province to study with a 130 year old alchemist monk named Long Pu Lamai. While toothless, his skin glowed with life and his spine was long and straight. It was an unusual temple occupied by only Long Pu and his assistant as well as an extensive herb garden. In the morning I watched him pull out weeds and collect herbs. Then he would disappear into the laboratory where he kept magical me
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Marisa Cranfill
In honor of the Erawan Shrine and the victims of the bombing attack on August 17th, 2015 I write this blog post. My heart is with you all. Anyone who has been to Bangkok has seen it, and now anyone who reads the news has too. If it were a pin on a magical Google map, it would be a large sparkling gold dot that says: “Make your wish here”. The Erawan Shrine is a little piece of heaven located in the central shopping district of Bangko
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Marisa Cranfill
For a large part of the world, the solstice on June 21st marks the beginning of the summer season. During the summer, the sun dominates the sky and our hearts easily burst open. It is a time of devotion, of play and love. The ruling element of this period is fire and its messenger is smoke. In the spirit house tradition a primary medium used to carry messages of the heart to the astral world is incense. The power of incense can be likened to the
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Marisa Cranfill
Easter, the festival of spring; rebirth, new life and the clear bright colors of nature. What could be a better time to honor the land than on one of the most cherished of American holidays? Bunnies are a leftover from the ancient spring festival honoring Eostre, a great north European goddess whose symbol was a rabbit or hare. The exchange and offering of brightly colored eggs are an ancient custom, celebrated by many cultures from East to West;
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Marisa Cranfill
You could say a well-kept spirit house is always ready for the holidays, especially when it is wrapped up in a colorful bundle of bows and ribbons. These gauzy ribbons called paa saarm sii (meaning 3-colored cloth in Thai) can be found wrapped around any object in Thailand that is considered to have innate power, especially trees and pillars. The ritual of tying ribbons transforms an otherwise worldly object into a sacred one and is a physical ac
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Marisa Cranfill
The month of April is a special time. It is a time when we celebrate Earth Month and it is also the month of Songkran, the Thai New Year celebration. Thai New Year starts when the full moon swells at the apex of the constellation Aries. Aries is the beginning of the zodiac in eastern astrology and supports the energy flow of new beginnings and breaking out of old habits. In the West it is springtime, but in Thailand it is the peak of the dry hot
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