We in the henna tattoo business see a lot of mandala imagery on people’s bodies, which has me ruminating on why so many feel drawn to them. Yes, they’re absolutely gorgeous, and the intricacy involved in creating a mandala means a talented artist was at play. Everyone must be attracted to a beautiful piece of …
The supposed tempest over Beyoncé’s Indian adventure first blew through my awareness back in January. Now our crazy-long presidential campaign, and its crazy man-of-the hour, Trump the Trainwreck, has me thinking about it all over again. You may recall that at the beginning of the year, Beyoncé debuted a video with Coldplay. It was shot …
Coming soon! As reported by the British Daily Mail newspaper, a wunderkind named Seung Shin will soon be introducing two awesome products: 1) a tattoo ink that lasts one year, and 2) a removal solution that gets rid of the tattoo if you get tired of it before the year is out! Both the ink …
Back in March of this year, a German botanist, Michael Schwertdtfeger, ordered a bottle of Earth Jagua gel from us. He also told us that in July he would be taking his botany and biodiversity students on a field excursion to Costa Rica, where he planned to introduce them to Genipa americana, the botanical name …
What follows is an ancient Turkish henna ritual, whose symbolism later morphed into the modern wedding ritual, where henna is painted on a bride’s hands and feet: “Henna-night is a very old ritual, with a history that some believe goes back to the time of prophet Muhammad. According to lore, in the era of the …
Depending on the country, henna customs vary wildly. Here is the first in an occasional series on henna rituals and customs, as practiced in India, Africa and throughout the Middle East. Pregnant Moroccan women in their seventh month seek out well-respected henna practitioners called hannayas in order to have certain symbols painted on their ankle, …
Here are three more rituals and magical beliefs related to the jagua fruit, as practiced by two different Indigenous groups in the Amazon. To Exorcise Devils A Kuna exorcist and his assistant employ the equivalent of a magic wand, or spiritually powerful cane, made from the wood of the jagua tree in rituals to rid …
After all these years, henna insists on retaining some of her mystery. By now even though I think I know everything there is to know about henna, I can still come away scratching my head. And that’s especially true when it comes to getting good color. Everyone knows that, no matter what secret favorite ingredient …
It was my first time meeting the family of farmers who harvest the henna found in our Earth Henna kits. You have likely not experienced “desert dry” until you’ve been to the outer reaches of the Sahara, aka The Great Desert. A hot wind was blowing like crazy, making it nearly impossible to see, bringing …
In my continuing efforts to bring you magical information, mythologies and beliefs surrounding the jagua fruit, here are another couple of excerpts from my book, Jagua, A Journey into Body Art from the Amazon! Protection from Bad Spirits The Ecuadorian Tsachila people and the Arakmbut Indians of the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian …