My Jewel Tree of Tibet

Several years ago I read a book with this title by Robert Thurman. I was intrigued by the idea and recently decided to create something based on the important influences in my life. If you want more details about the Tibetan tradition, please read the book.

The first thing I did was to list all those I could think of who have influenced my life. I wrote down the names. My list includes, of course, my parents and other relatives, school teachers, friends, authors of books that have had major influence, etc. If you have a spiritual bent, you -- like me -- can include Jesus, ministers, priests, rabbis, saints, monks, etc. If you have learned from nature, you might want to include pets, a special place, the moon or stars, etc. Be sure to include those who have had what you perceived as negative influence because (in my experience) they were teachers, too. My list includes a couple of school bullies and some failed romances, for example. 

You could stop with just the list if you want to. Even just seeing their names is a reminder of their influence. I've made some mandalas using beads and textiles, so I decided to do something with beads. I especially like the chakra (rainbow) colors. It was easy to assign a one word description for each color. (Relationships = orange, confidence = yellow, love = green, etc.) I added an eighth for Spirit beyond the body (color = clear crystal). I assigned one to eight beads for each person depending on their influence. My plan was to string the beads and find a piece of driftwood to drape them on or create some sort of sculpture. But when I had the beads counted out and in a bowl waiting for stringing, I realized that I liked them loose! I can mix them up and easily add beads for new people as I encounter them. The beads are now in a small crystal bowl in a place where the light hits them and I see them often.

There really aren't any limits on how this could be done. Pictures of the people on a poster or collage, for example. A visit to a craft shop or a scrapbook store would reveal plenty of symbols for love, teachers, etc., whatever categories you choose. Clip art is another possibility. 

The point is to remember all the support you and I have had through our lives and the support we continue to have. Since I "completed" my project a few weeks ago, I've already added beads for five more people! I may have to find a bigger bowl!