John took this photo sometime in 2010, during a month-long job in the mountains of Colorado. We were brought in to replace a series of retaining walls that had failed within a short time of being built. There we were, about a week into the job when we became aware of some conflicting information between [...]
Not quite a year ago, I became a member of a wonderful Tai Chi club. It’s a practice that has blown open my heart and mind. Learning to understand how our bodies work on an energetic level goes hand in hand with the physical practice of Tai Chi, so qigong exercises are also part of [...]
There are as many ways to move through life as there are people. The range is quite extraordinary. Some people move through life as if on an inner tube floating on the ocean, allowing the currents and circumstances to shape who they are. Others act as if they are at the controls of a bulldozer, [...]
When I speak of listening in this context, I am referring to the act which brings you to the present moment, the awareness which allows the stone to simply be, and the understanding that your role as stone-worker is one of a facilitator. Listening and Stonework This type of listening relies on all of your [...]
Acknowledgment is an incredible gift that most of us practice on some level in our everyday lives. In the simplest of ways when you acknowledge someone for who they are or what they do, it allows their own energy to brighten. It creates a deeper connection between the two of you. We have all had [...]
It is in the stillness of our being, with stone as teacher we access the grandest version of ourselves. If we desire to create something pure, we must not be distracted nor have our minds wander. We must find the harmonious balance of meditation and creation. For us as stonemasons, this state of being is [...]
For many of us, stone engenders a deep love within. There is a kinship, a sense of family, and a connection to the earth below that arises when we meet stone. Stone is a Mirror in the Present Moment. I always feel a deep sense of home when I work with stone. It commands my [...]
What makes a Temple? Is it the walls that contain a sacred space? Is it the energy that is infused into the structure? Or is it just as the individual defines it? The definition of temple that I work with is a place where one, or many, go to connect to their experience of divinity. [...]
