Harmony Moon's World Peace Wish Tree

 You may have noticed the World Peace Wish Tree in our front window at Harmony Moon, the one with all the colorful tags tied to its branches.  We started this tradition at Harmony Moon many years ago and it has been our most popular holiday activity ever since. 

 Our Wish Tree is based on an ancient Japanese tradition.  During the annual Tanabata Festival in Japan, bamboo stalks are placed at strategic locations in a public square or park.  People write their wishes on slips of paper and tie them to the bamboo trees.  At the end of the festival, the bamboo stalks,  with all of their wishes, are burned.  The fire takes the wishes of the people up to the heavens to be heard by the gods.

The Imagine Peace Tower of Light in Iceland

Our Wish Tree is inspired by Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace project.  Yoko’s Wish Tree art installations were started as a way to memorialize her husband, John Lennon, after his death.  Wish Trees have been installed all over the globe and more than one million visitors have tied their wishes for world peace to the trees.  The wishes then are gathered together and buried under the Imagine Peace Tower in  Reykjavík, Iceland. 

The Pathway of Peace in Washington, D

When Harmony Moon (then known as Mindful Hands) was in Alexandria, VA, we would gather our Wish Tree wishes in a basket every year and walk them down the Pathway of Peace in front of the White House and then burn them in the National Yule Log. 

This year, we will gather all of your wishes and send them off to the Imagine Peace Tower where they will be combined with thousands of other wishes from people all over the world.

In this way our wishes will become part of the Tower of Light, a grand visual reminder to the world that “peace & love is what connects all lives on Earth.”

Happiness Doubled by Wonder

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."    -G.K. Chesterton

 

Exciting news! Harmony Moon celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Oh my! Time does fly and it's been a wild and joyous ride.

Here are some highlights from Harmony Moon's history:

 

We increased the awareness of the fair trade movement in our local communities through our sponsorship of the Fair Trade Resource Network and our partnerships with Ten Thousand Villages in Alexandria and with The Sacred Circle and Cranberry's in Staunton to celebrate and promote World Fair Trade Day.

 

 

We were there at the beginning of the farm-to-table movement. Harmony Moon was the very first in Alexandria to offer CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm shares to our customers through partnerships with The Farmstead at Charlotte Hall in Maryland and Great Country Farms in Virginia.

 

We participated in Washington, DC's first ever Green Festival. Harmony Moon was an early member of Green America's Green Business Network and we were awarded the organization's coveted GOLD medal for our green practices. 

 

 

We saved the lives of dozens of cats and kittens by helping them find their forever homes through our partnerships with local cat rescue groups such as King Street Cats and Tails High in Alexandria, and Cat's Cradle and H.O.P.E. in Staunton. 

 

 

 

In the weeks and months to come, we will continue to share stories of our many adventures and the many wonderful people we have met along the way.

And we continue to feel awe, wonder, and enormous gratitude to the many talented, creative, thought-filled, engaged, uplifting, spiritual, change-makers and activists who, like you, are our friends and customers and who really do believe that one person has the power to change the world.

We are so very grateful for your love and support. Thank you for allowing us to serve you these twenty years. You fill us with happiness doubled by wonder.

And now, let the adventures continue...

 

 

 "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."
-William Shakespeare, Sonnet XCVIII

 

April showers may indeed bring May flowers but April in Staunton, VA also brings Earth Day celebrations, Bridge Day celebrations, Hot Glass festivals, and a new season of shows at the American Shakespeare Center. 

April also brings the beginning of cycling and hiking season, farmer's markets, and LOTS of new items at Harmony Moon.

Take a peek here:  New Items

Finally, April also brings longer hours at Harmony Moon.  We're back to our regular hours during the week and open until 8pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and (most) Saturdays.

Stop in and say "hi," we're always happy to see you!

Thanks for a Great RAK Week!

Thanks to everyone who came to our Kindness Festival on Saturday, February 8, and to everyone who participated in Random Acts of Kindness Week. Our festival featured "Pickles," the one-eyed pirate kitty from Cat's Cradle. Kids also had fun making Kindness Clocks with Miss Marcia.

For Random Acts of Kindness Week, we teamed with Mary Baldwin College to perform Random Acts of Kindness throughout downtown Staunton. Anonymous acts of kindness were springing up all over! It was a lot of fun and a huge success.

You can check out all the fun activities and acts of kindness on our RAK Week Pinterest board.

Blessings

After a rather tumultuous 2012, our move to Staunton – with all its trepidations, hopes, and fears - turned out to be a wonderful blessing. We have met some amazing and talented people here, and made many new friends. With the help of both friends and strangers alike we were able to grow and expand the shop and community center in ways we had never imagined before. And there are even more good things on the horizon for the coming year.

We’re grateful, too, for the continuing support of our Northern Virginia/Maryland/DC and Beyond clientele. It is so heartwarming to know that you have not forgotten us. So many of you made the trip to Staunton to check out our new space and were surprised and delighted with the old-fashioned charm and hospitality of our new hometown. Staunton has a vibrant arts and culture scene and also is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Check out all the wonderful events, happenings, and things to do at: VisitStaunton.com

Our biggest blessing is you, our wonderful and loyal customers. We are honored and humbled that you have continued to support us through seventeen years of transformations. And you've brought your friends, family, and visitors to see us and share in our little "oasis of serenity," expanding our community of fellow travelers to the 4 corners of the world.

Thank you.

Peace & Many Blessings to You in the New Year,
Sally & Scooter

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Dear Loyal Patrons & Friends,

I am sorry to have remained incommunicado for so long. As most of you know, we have been in a great state of transition for several months now. It's been said that nothing is permanent but change and we are certainly proving the truth in the maxim.

As you recall, last year we first lost our Great and Glorious Landlord, Mr. Robert Dreifus, who passed away in January. He was a great supporter of small businesses in general and of Mindful Hands and myself in particular.

Then in November, with the advent of a new landlord, we lost our lease at the lower King St. location in Alexandria, VA where we have been since 1996.

After an exhaustive but fruitless search for affordable space anywhere in Old Town, we expanded our search to include the entire Northern Virginia area. Then we tried select DC neighborhoods. Then Maryland. It became more than apparent to us that, lacking the financial resources that we had even 10 years ago before the great recession, that we simply could not afford to be in the greater DC/Northern Virginia area any longer.

So we started looking for more affordable places to re-locate the shop. And we kept hearing the name of one small town from many different people - friends, acquaintances, workshop leaders, and loyal patrons of the shop - all of whom did not want to see Mindful Hands close its doors forever, the only other option available to us.

That town was Staunton, located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, just 2.5 hours from DC. Staunton had just been named by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the 20 best small towns in America. The town has also won accolades from Travel + Leisure magazine, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, and many other publications and organizations.

With a strong commitment to the arts and historic preservation, Staunton boasts of such cultural icons as the only reproduction in the world of Shakespeare's Blackfriars Playhouse, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, and the Heifetz International Music Institute. Its revitalized historic downtown boasts more than a hundred little shops, art galleries, and antique stores, including three independent bookstores and two independent movie theaters.

Staunton also has a strong commitment to local farmers and the local food movement, as well as many green initiatives. After visiting here several times, I decided that the time was right to start anew and that Staunton was where I wanted to do that.

We ended up in a commercial building that, although lacking somewhat in the historic charm that imbued our lower King Street home, is still large enough so we can continue to offer the classes, workshops, special events, and meditation groups that we were known for in Alexandria.

We opened in our new space in mid-May. With new beginnings and a new location, we thought a new name, more reflective of our mission, was in order.  So we changed the name of the shop from Mindful Hands to Harmony Moon.  We hope you like it.

Gary Goodwin, of The Inner Arts Center, will be joining us the second Saturdays of every month for his Mind-Body Wellness and Stuck Creative workgroups. We will be adding other groups and classes in the very near future. Look for both some old favorites as well as new groups. We also have started working with Cat's Cradle, a local cat rescue group, for monthly adoption events again.

Our new location and contact information is:
* Harmony Moon
* 13 S. New Street
* Staunton, VA 24401
* (540) 885-1368

Please come visit us, we would love to see you!

Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week, Feb. 14 -20!

"How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it!"

-George Elliston; news reporter, poet

A simple act of kindness can:

• bring two people together in spontaneous goodwill
• create a smile that can go 'round the world
• increase someone else's happiness as well as your own
• ignite a small flame of positive thinking

Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week from Feb. 14 - 20! We'll be celebrating all week at Mindful Hands and will host a Kindness Fair on Saturday, Feb. 20. You can also follow us on Follow us on twitter (twitter.com/mindfulhands) as we post suggestions for random acts of kindness, inspirational messages, and updates on acts of kindness happening around the world.

If you're really feeling brave, you can take the Extreme Kindness Challenge from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Commit to doing at least one act of kindness for each day of Random Acts of Kindness Week and share your experience via Facebook, Twitter or the Random Acts of Kindness website.

To get you started, here's a few simple acts of kindness:

• smile at everyone you see
• say "thank you" to someone who did something nice for you
• compliment a stranger
• pick up trash in your neighborhood
• hold the door open for someone

Participate in random acts of kindness! We may not be able to change the whole world, but we can certainly change our little corner of it.

15th Anniversary Celebration!

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Mindful Hands! We've certainly seen many ups and downs over the years and weathered many storms.

We've also changed our focus several times and expanded to meet the changing needs of our customers. We started out in 1996 as a Buddhist arts and meditation center then quickly expanded to importing Chinese antique furniture, eventually adding other home and garden accents to accomodate the needs of our growing customer base. In 2003, we expanded to the second floor and morphed into the specialty gift store and community center that we now are.

One thing has never changed: YOU! Our wonderful and loyal customers have stuck by us through thick and thin, ups and downs, and through all of our transformations. And you've brought your friends, family, and out-of-town visitors to see us and share in our little "oasis of serenity in Old Town."

To show our appreciation for your support, we're planning several special events throughout the coming year, including a 15th Birthday Extravaganza in June! To help us celebrate, and to make sure you don't miss out on any of the festivities, join our mailing list now!

Thank you for fifteen fabulous years!

Rarities of All Sorts

We hope you had a chance this past Tuesday to witness the winter solstice lunar eclipse; a beautiful sight indeed. It is extremely rare for a lunar eclipse to occur on the same day as the winter solstice, a conjunction that last occured in 1638 and won't occur again until 2094.

We feel fortunate that our many loyal customers, many of whom have become friends over the years, are a different kind of rarity: socially conscious, engaged, and caring people living meaningful, fulfilled lives and doing their best to make the world a better place. We are honored that you choose our little center to help you on your journeys.

Thank you for your support & friendship over the years. We feel grateful, blessed, and proud to be part of such a caring community.

From all the staff of Mindful Hands, we wish you a healthy and happy holiday!
-Sally, Chris, Lilo, Amida, & Baby

Small Business Saturday

Join more than 300,000 people nationwide who have already expressed their support for locally-owned businesses. Sponsored by American Express, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is a nationwide promotion in support of small business everywhere:

"A day to come together in support of the small businesses we love. The shops and restaurants that employ our neighbors and reinvest our money close to home. The businesses that are the heartbeat of our communities and local
economies."

Show your support and receive a $25 credit on your American Express statement when you shop your local small businesses on Small Business Satuday. See Small Business Saturday (smallbusinesssaturday.com) for details. If you're a facebook user, you can give a "shout out" to your favorite small business at facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.

Shop Local, Shop Small!

The Value of Impermanence

Fall is here, winter is soon to come. The changing of the seasons reminds us that nothing is permanent except change itself, to appreciate the good things we have while we have them, and that it is the last piece of Halloween candy that is always savored the most.

Welcome to November.


("Mount Vernon in the Fall," colored pencil by Chris Engnoth)

Pledge to go Car Free on Sept. 22!

September 22 is International Car Free Day. Celebrations are happening in more than 1,500 cities in 40 countries as people all over the world pledge to go car free for just one day. Imagine: one day a year with no traffic congestion; breathable, cleaner air; reduced reliance on gasoline; and a greener earth. And you can help to make it happen.

Try a day off from your car and see just how liberating it can be. You can make a real difference for the environment by choosing to walk, cycle, use public transit, or telework for just one day. Pledge to go car free (or car-lite) on September 22 and participate in celebrations and contests in your city or region.

In the DC-metro area, pledge to go car free and be entered in a raffle to win fabulous prizes. You can enter even if you're already car free. To learn more and to make your pledge, click here

Shops and restaurants across the DC-area are offering special promotions to those who take the car free pledge. At Mindful Hands, just say "I'm car free today!" and receive 15% off your total purchase!

To find other activities and celebrations in your area, check out the International Car Free Day website.

Pledge to Go Car Free!

Keeping Cool By Being Green

The Washington, DC-area is experiencing one of the hottest summers in history, as is much of the east coast. Chris & I just recently installed a room air conditioner in our bedroom. Our home has central air conditioning but as we live in a 3-story shoebox, we found our electric bills to be far too high for a house that was still uncomfortably warm. The central a/c was wonderful at keeping the basement cool, only so-so on the main floor, and did nothing for our bedroom upstairs. We are rarely home except in the evenings, so a single room a/c for our bedroom is not only far more energy efficient but also a lot easier on the pocketbook.

Since then, I've found a few other ways of keeping cool by reducing indoor air temperature. Even simple things, like turning off lights when you leave a room and keeping windows and blinds closed, can dramatically reduce the amount of heat generated inside your home. Here are a few other simple solutions to beat the heat:

• Turn up the thermostat as high as possible during the hours when no one's home, or turn off the a/c altogether. Better yet, invest in a programmable thermostat.


• Run heat-generating appliances in the early morning, late evening, or when you're not home (this includes clothes dryers and dishwashers). Better yet, line dry your clothes if you can.


• Use ceiling and floor fans to circulate the air. Fans use far less electricity than air conditioners and the cooling breezes they generate will allow you to run the a/c at a higher temperature.


• Install working window shutters, put up awnings, or plant a tree to shade your windows from the sun.


• Try "tuning" your double-hung windows to suck the hot air out and bring cooler air in.

These are just a few suggestions for chillin' in the summer heat. Check out these additional resources for simple, low-cost ways to stay cool while being green:

How to Keep Cool Without Air Conditioning

Hot Time in the City? Keep Cool in Your Home

Low-Tech Air Conditioning Guide

Low-Tech Tips: Tune Your Windows

Can't We All Just Get Along?

American culture is deeply rooted in the lore of individualism and competitiveness. We learn at a young age that achieving our own individual goals is more important than compromising for the greater good of the family or community. Yet study after study has indicated that cooperation, not competition, actually works better for achieving group goals as well as for achieving one's own individual goals.

Children gain many benefits when their parents and teachers encourage cooperation. Some of these benefits are:

• increased self-esteem
• a sense of belonging
• respect for and trust in others
• emotional maturity
• creativity and flexibility in thinking

And studies have shown that when children learn cooperation at home and at school, they are much more likely to take this behavior into their work world and into relationships. People with cooperative natures are generally healthier, happier, have a higher sense of self-worth, and experience less stress than those who are more competitive.

So for your own good, can't we all just get along?


******

For more information on cooperative learning, visit The Cooperative Learning Center at the University Minnestota.

Cooperative board games are available through our sponsor, Mindful Hands, in their children's section.

In Gratitude

As you know, 2009 has been a particularly difficult year for the independent retail sector. At Mindful Hands, we recognize that you have many choices for where to shop. As we enter our 14th year here in Old Town Alexandria, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to our many loyal customers, friends, and supporters. Thank you for your wonderful support over the years and your continuing patronage!

We wish you a healthy, prosperous, and happy New Year!

- Sally, Chris, Lilo, Amida, & Lissy

Thinking Outside the Box

Think outside the box this holiday season. Instead of shopping at "big box" or national chain stores, shop instead at your local neighborhood stores. You'll find your neighborhood "mom-n-pop" shops have most everything you need for your holiday gift-giving and home decorating.

And you're much more likely to discover some unexpected wonder or unique handmade treasure at a locally-owned shop.

Shopping at locally-owned independent shops also helps strengthen the local economy. Did you know that:

• A locally-owned shop returns 68% of its revenues to the local economy, whereas a national chain returns only 43%?
• Locally-owned shops employ more local residents and pay them substantially higher wages, in addition to having a broader range of jobs available?
• Local businesses buy more than twice as much from other local businesses, and also are more likely to use local banks and other service providers?
• Local businesses contribute more to the community through charitable giving, school funding, and other non-profit organizations?

Every dollar spent in a locally-owned shop is a vote for the health and welfare of your community and supports your neighbors in their livelihoods. This holiday season, think "outside the box" and support your locally-owned stores. Your neighbors thank you!

October is World Fair Trade Month

The simple act of buying fairly traded products can make an enormous difference in the lives of disadvantaged families all over the world. Fair Trade ensures that artisans and workers in developing countries receive a fair and living wage for their work.

Buying fair trade products means that:

• a child can go to school instead of going to work
• a single mother can support herself and her children
• enironmentally sustainable practices are used
• employees work in a healthy and safe environment

At Mindful Hands, we purchase many of our products from the Tibetan exile community, living in India and Nepal. After losing their country to Chinese Communist invasion in 1959, the Tibetans have since been in danger of losing their unique culture. Our support of these communities ensures that Tibetan families can support themselves and also helps to preserve their cultural heritage by bringing traditional handicrafts to American markets.

To learn more about the Fair Trade movement, check out these resources:

• The Fair Trade Resource Network (www.fairtraderesource.org)
• The Fair Trade Federation (www.fairtradefederation.org)
• DC Make Trade Fair, a local grassroots organization(www.meetup.com/DCMakeTradeFair)

To learn more about Tibet and the Tibetan exile community, check out:

• The International Campaign for Tibet (www.savetibet.org)

Thank You!

THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us in the American Express "Shine A Light" award. We were not chosen as one of the 3 finalists, however, we could not have gotten as far as we did in the judging phase without the help of all of our wonderful friends and supporters. Thank you!

Shine A Light on Mindful Hands!

Good News! Mindful Hands has been nominated for a "Shine a Light" award sponsored by American Express. Please VOTE for us by Sept. 13, we need 50 votes to be considered for the award. Click on the image to the left to read our story and cast your vote!

We could not have made it 13 years in Old Town Alexandria without the support and loyalty of our wonderful customers and friends! Thank you!

Support Local Artists

The fall arts season is upon us once again. Alexandria, Virginia is fortunate to be home to many nationally-acclaimed artists as well as the world-renowned Torpedo Factory Arts Center. On the weekend of September 12 & 13, King Street will once again be closed to traffic from Washington Street east to the river. Several of Alexandria's local artists, many of whom rent or own studio or gallery spaces in Old Town, will be exhibiting their works along the sidewalks in front of their galleries. Look for these talented, and local, artists:

- Mindful Hands' own art director, Chris Engnoth, will be exhibiting his fine art watercolors and digital paintings (that's "Key Bridge on Ice" above) in front of 211 King St.

- Our next door neighbor, Nar Steele of Cobblestone Art Gallery, will be exhibiting watercolors, multimedia works and painted birdhouses in front of 213 King St.

- Visit Todd Healy at Gallery Lafayette at 320 King St. Todd is well-known for his paintings of local Old Town scenes and architecture.

- Andrew McDonald, former vice-mayor of Alexandria, showcases his photos and other works at AHM Gallery, 215 S. Union St.

A trip to Old Town Alexandria is never complete without a visit to the internationally acclaimed Torpedo Factory Arts Center. The Torpedo Factory is sponsoring "Art Activated" with artist demonstrations, hands-on activities, and special dance and music performances on Saturday, 9/12, from noon - 4pm.

If you can't make it here the weekend of Sept. 12/13, don't fret. The Torpedo Factory Arts Center and the art galleries and studios of our many talented local artists are open year-round. Celebrate the Arts any day of the year in Old Town!