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