Item #2008-0031

This is so beautiful I wanted to keep it for myself! It is a Kuan Yin devotional, in which the owner can place a flower or flowers, or a devotional such as water, rice or sunflower seeds in the ceramic vase in honor of Kuan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion and Mercy. There is also a red onyx candle stick holder. This item is for sale on commission at Heaven and Nature in Harrisburg http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/

Item #2008-0008

Buddha and Kuan Yin Devotional
Made with a wood slice from Goodwill (50 cents), 3 birch pillars from a yard sale ($1) and a piece of pottery from Salvation Army (99 cents). The Buddhas and Kuan Yins I purchased at Heaven and Nature (http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/).I call it a devotional because I put water in the cup as an offering of devotion.

The funny thing is that now my cats show their devotion by drinking from the cup! Kuan Yin is often depicted with an upturned vase with water flowing from it. I guess my kitties are meditating about Kuan Yin when they drink from the cup. "I must have more compassion, I must not shred the recliner!

Item #2007-0006

I made this out of a shadow box frame that I got for free on Freecycle. I wanted to frame some buddhist pendants that I had because they were pretty fragile. I printed the picture of Kuan Yin, and then I glued coins of the chinese zodiac to it. The coins represent the women in my life on my mom's side - from Karin and I, to my mom, to my grandmother and then my great grandmother because we all share in the legacy of having struggled with mental health conditions. This piece is very meaningful to me because it also represents that over time it has become easier to deal with mental illness because of advanced treatments, so I was lucky enough not to face what my forebears went through.