Snow still clings to the mountaintop, but we hear the ice draining away. The hiking paths are being cleared of branches. The gardens will soon display their greens, and we’ll plant marigolds by the farmhouse porch.
 
Which reminds us of our late founder, Jean-Claude van Itallie, who loved sitting on the front porch and loved flowers very much. In his book, Tea with Demons—Games of Transformation, Jean-Claude proposed:

“Let the Flowers Look at You”

Find a bed or bunch of vibrantly colored flowers that attract you... Stand for a couple of minutes looking at the flowers. Simply look at them. Take your time.
 
Then let the flowers look at you. Drop your defenses against the flowers’ gaze. Be vulnerable and open to the flowers seeing you… [watch the video here]
 
Shantigar is a place where you can see and be seen. A sanctuary and seedbed, whether you’re forest bathing, meditating, or venturing into creative work. As Rachel Carson, the great biologist who inspired the environmental movement, wrote:

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The Shantigar Team
Board Members—Connie Childs, Rand Engel, Didi Goldenhar, Deb Katz, Rosemary Quinn

Advisory Board Members—Josh Adler, Michael Schreiber, Marisa Viola