Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.   Jean Anouih  

SACRED ART PLAY

Valentine's Day Pocket Shrine

In February of 2009 I faced a holiday on my own since my partner needed to be out of the country for a while. But it felt different from other years when I've been on my own because there was an alternative to the loneliness: offering myself the love that I craved from others. In that spirit I decided to create a personal valentine that would symbolize my choice to love myself unconditionally.

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In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.

Jiddu Krishnamurti

The cover has a picture of two lovebirds side by side surrounded by a string of beads. Underneath is the phrase "Be My Valentine". On the edges I glued miniature pictures of vintage valentines, the kind that I remember using in elementary school

Inside the lid is an envelope with a teeny letter that says "I love you." It is surrounded by heart candies with various sayings: Go girl, Love Bird, Heat Wave, Wild Life, Let's Kiss, and my favorite: Got Love. I lined the edges of the lid and the base with a string of beads.

In the base of the shrine is a heart I molded out of air-drying clay. It is covered  with pieces of colored tissue then wrapped with gold wire strung with a crystal and a bead. And of course there's a lock and key. My mission, to let love into my heart - I hold the key.

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break. 

Ancient Chinese proverb

Love Nicho

All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own 

        Goethe

Some People

Some people come into our lives and quickly go

Some people move our souls to dance.

They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom.

Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.

They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same.

Flavia

Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch, and salute each other.

Rainer Maria Rilke

It doesn’t interest me how old you are

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool,

For love,

For your dream

For the adventure of being alive.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

You don't have to wait until Valentine's Day to give a love letter to yourself or someone you care about. That is something that does the heart good any time of the year. Every relationship is so unique whether it is a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a family member. The goal of the Love Nicho is to purposefully celebrate any relationship that is important to you.

Nichos have traditionally been part of household altars and usually combine elements from Roman Catholicism, mestizo spirituality, and popular culture. They are built in a shadowbox style and can have hinged doors, carved borders and multiple panels. Within the box there is a key object, icon, or figure that is being honored such as a patron saint or ancestor. A nicho can serve as a memorial to a loved one or as a reminder of an important event. They have become a popular and collectible form of Latin American mixed-media Folk Art.

Below are two examples of contemporary nichos. The one on the left is called Our Lady with Desert Colors by Cynthia Wolf. (www.gaylecurry.com/100paintings/cynthiawolf/cw_painting73.html). The one on the right is a Dream Box by Diana Rapp. (www.artchixstudio.com/gallery/gassemblage.htm)

Some suggestions for Making Your Nicho:

You will want to gather things for your shrine that capture the quality of your relationship, the history you've shared, and the things you treasure about your loved one. Here are some ideas to get your started:

Romantic Relationship

Movie ticket or ticket to a show

Sheet music of songs you've shared together

Matchbook from a favorite restaurant

Names you have for each other

Love letter

Special mannerisms: things he/she says or does

List of things you treasure about someone

Quotes/Poems that capture something about your relationship

Photograph of the place you met, a private place you share together, a place where you love to travel

Family Member

Piece of fabric from a favorite dress

Handprint

Card you've received

Drawing

Favorite song, poem, or quote

Photographs

List of qualities or attributes

Unique mannerisms: things he/she says or does

Keepsake

Friendship

Card or note you've received

Ticket to a show or event you've shared

List of things you treasure

Favorite quote, poem, song

Photographs

Words that describe the quality of the relationship, what you've learned from this person

List of special moments in the relationship

What's a nicho?