The ‘Eternal Blissful Spirit’ that encompasses every realm and states of being. A sacred merging of cosmologies, culture, spiritualities and identities connected to Mount Merapi and Mount Kanchenjunga. A peek into the cosmic, inner and material realms. A tapping into, uncovering of ancient memory and creation of new memories. An acknowledgment and honouring of the old world, ancestors, the elements, masculine-feminine and the seen and unseen realms. The weaving of ‘Cerita’- stories (Bahasa Indonesia) and ‘Monka’- dreams (Lepcha/Rong Aring) together as one. A kinship that celebrates the myriad cycles and balances of life. A pure space where the Fire Nagaraja and spirit Tiger of Java and the Water Dragon/ Sader and spirit Snow-lion of the Himalayas interconnect to hold and protect the web of life.

A confluence of the Southern sea and the river Teesta, even though they are physically oceans apart.

All life flows as one soul. And embodies birth, life and death. This is our remembrance, reflection and prayer to life. And an ode to its infinite presence and power.

Our dear sister Alyen Foning, director of Trans-generational Wisdom here at SOTEM, is currently working in Indonesia on a collaborative arts project. Alyen is a lineage shaman from the Lepcha tribe in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas, working closely with the ancestral spirits and nature spirits of her ancient home. In her work she carries with her the water dragon, naga spirit, of their sacred river Teesta.

She is directed and shown where she needs to work and what work needs to manifest through her. Over the last year she has been travelling extensively across the length and breath of India teaching connection to Earth and Spirit via the Arts in collaboration with a myriad of like minded souls. This journeying now takes her to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to co-create an event curated by 17th edition of Jogja Biennale, from the Matrahita art collective. This is the story so far…..

Aikam/Eikam/Samvaya

A year ago, in a dream a Lepcha (Mutanchi Rong-kup) woman from Kalimpong, Eastern Himalayas found herself in a hut where she was healed by a man with long hair and given a ‘keris’ by a wise old woman from Yogyakarta, Java. This was a call and the beginning of a journey to the sacred Mount Merapi and the Southern Sea.

With new friends who effortlessly became family in this foreign land, she visited sacred sites and met with knowledge keepers. They together also learned immensely from each other, embraced with respect, love and gentleness. Together they embarked on a journey to immerse themselves in ancient wisdom, memories and stories of Java and Eastern Himalayas.

She brought with her offerings of ‘phago reep’ seeds of Oroxylum indicum from her ancestral home, incense and pine and juniper oil for
Mount Merapi and the Fire Nagaraja sleeping at it’s base, the Southern sea and it’s Queen, Ancestors, Protectors and the Spirit Tiger. She was moved to tears on learning from the great grandson of Adipati Jayadiningrat (the Ancestor who protected the lava from flowing to create destruction) that the same ‘ge-lanang’ tree (Oroxylum indicum) was never cut as it protected and helped barricade the lava from flowing. They were moved deeply and experienced collective ‘merinding’ (goosebumps), this was the moment all of them realised their interconnection even though they were oceans apart.

Many stories of the seen and unseen realms were exchanged and together they discovered that just like Mount Merapi, Mount Kanchenjunga also represented the origin of life and was connected to the Cosmos, Ancestors, the five elements, existence and balance/unity of opposites. It was the bridge where the spiritual, inner and material worlds merged. Like the mountains, The Southern sea
and the River Teesta were also integrally part of the cycles of all life and were deeply intertwined with the life force, culture and identity of its people. Our spirit protectors are also paralleled in the forms of the Tiger(harimau)-Snow lion(sonong senngey) and Fire Sepent(nagaraja)-Water Dragon(oong-saa-dere).Through this journey and with the making of the installation together a deep kinship formed and all worlds merged into one.

All life flows as one soul.
The weaving of ‘Cerita’- stories (Bahasa Indonesia) and ‘Monka’- dreams (Lepcha/Rong Aring) together as one.
This is our remembrance, reflection and prayer to life.
And an ode to its infinite oneness, presence
and power.

Alyen Foning

We will keep you posted with updates on Alyen’s installation and the Matrahita collaboration as it progresses.