Well Wishes After Hurricane Sandy


Dear BALAM Community,

Our hearts and thoughts are with all our neighbors who are still enduring the deprivations of daily living.  Hurricane Sandy ominously passed through our communities as a true force of nature.  BALAM’s office was without power until Friday night.

The protection and guidance of our first responders was truly inspirational.  Likewise, the friendly smiles of passing strangers caught through flashlight beams in the dark reaffirmed the presence of goodness surrounding us in fearful and challenging moments.  

This first image, Aurora-Goddess of the Dawn, by the female Italian Renaissance painter, Artemesia Gentileschi, is an apt representation of Hurricane Sandy -- powerful and dangerous.  Yet, Sandy also summoned our inner resources of patience, and gratitude.

The Balinese balance the creative and destructive forces of life through a mindful path.  They believe inner beauty is a holistic energy and the equivalent to truth.  This restores our physical, psychic and spiritual health and reconnects us to each other and the mysterious eternal source of life. 

A quote from Daya Putih, a book in BALAM’s eclectic library, reminds the reader that sweetness in thought and action is healing

The spread of the aroma of beauty will cause the emergence of hospitality and thoughtfulness, independence, and unexploitation… “

This second image, taken from an Indonesian book of yogic exercises, is a drawing.  This drawing shows the levels of radiant light that surround us, when the heart/mind connection is opened.

In this spirit and true to BALAM’s thoughtful blend of world dance traditions, we offer you these two images.  Through these images, the BALAM family sends you beauty and our sincerest best wishes.

Carlos Fittante
Artistic Director