May 31, 2021
Dear Friends,
So much has happened this last year for us all. And now with the brilliant energy of Spring in this part of the world, the push to express and create and to show our flowers is upon us all once again. And so I'm inspired to share some of the recent happenings in the world of Tulku.
750 box sets of the Tulku Oracle are on their way to me and I hope to ship them out to people in this country by the end of June. Many people across the world have already received them and I am getting the sweetest emails expressing appreciation. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have put your trust in me and backed the deck! It was a ten year long dream come to life and I am swimming in gratitude for your support to make it happen. And I'm excited to share the book is now in the process also of being translated into Spanish!
I am inspired and dreaming up new offerings that will support people connecting more deeply still to both the amulets and the Oracle cards. As you know, to me they offer many gifts, and like any healing modality, they require regard, and time to get to know.
I am calling my over-arching offering—which will include different ways of supporting you personally discovering the magic of these tools— Tending the Oracle Within. And as a door opener, I am including a guided journey in this email that I am calling The Gift of a Talisman.
https://tulkujewels.com/assets...
This is a trial run as the first in a series of guided journeys I am dreaming into. My vision is that over the next year I will create 53 guided journeys—one per card— that will take you into the realm of dream and deep imagination to help you connect directly with each card. My intention with these is to help support you creating your own personal connection to both the amulets and the cards (which are one and the same!) so that the medicine and guidance they bring to you can be more personal and profound.
I welcome any feedback on your experience listening to this first guided experience. After I get the decks to you, I will begin releasing the journeys that relate to the cards. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, most of you know that Nepal is in a very sad way, its people suffering and the pandemic in full swing. Thankfully, our Tulku family is all well— though they are of course deeply affected. The broken economy is now even more broken as the whole country is in extended lock down, and we are grateful to still have work to do together through Tulku Jewels. Every order is golden for us and we all give you our sincere and deepest appreciation for your ongoing support over the years.
I am continuing to donate some of the proceeds of sales at Tulku to aids organizations through in order to help, and if you would like to contribute additionally I highly recommend these two— https://oneheartworldwide.org and https://www.instagram.com/nepa...
In the meantime, prayers are always welcomed.
Wishing you blessings and the abundant joy Spring brings with the support you need to flower. As always, please reach out if I can be a part of that support.
Karla
Continue reading
December 20, 2020
Dear Friend,
On Saturday night I did a fire vigil, my way of entering into the gateway of this sacred Solstice time. This sharing is about my contemplations by the fire, and the call to action embedded in them. It is the story of tree, the story of transformation. It is a story of the unbroken chain of life. In these times of transformation, of calling a brighter light and cherished visions into our lives, please join me in honoring all of life with heart felt reciprocity and love.
The Unbroken Chain
I acknowledge this moment of wood surrendering to flames with my prayers and offerings as I silently witness. Sitting by the fire, listening. Here I feel the presence of ocean and streams, mountains, weather beings, forests, land, it is all here. When I imagine becoming fire, I am joyful, I am satisfied, I am myself, I am alive. When I become wood, I surrender into transformation, into the heart of fire. I allow everything that I’ve been to be consumed, I am an offering. Without me, fire would not burn. Without my sacrifice this light and this form would not provide for others. I am generosity, always giving of my life, I am tree.
These pieces of wood— fed to the fire from different trees are coming together in this moment bringing forth the flames by their union. How will they be reborn? Will they know each other in a forest and stand side-by-side? Maybe they will even be reborn as one.
Have the trees who were the life of these logs already been reborn? Are they growing together as new life, in a forest in the place where their living body once grew? Now, this part of their life is burning in flames—is there another part, seeding new growth in a bountiful community of Pines? Are they living and aware that their old body is being transformed at this very moment? Are the roots from this tree that is burning in my fireplace giving birth to a new forest? Does that forest feel this burning wood as it’s Kin? It is an unbroken lineage.
Maybe all the chipmunks and the birds and the woodpeckers and the crows and ravens and the deer will gather around this new ones body and be a part of its growth as it becomes mighty and strong. They will watch it shed its leaves through many winters or give its pinecones in the springs and summers.
Will it be an Aspen, feeding moose with its bark? Will mountain lion scratch its trunk to sharpen its claws and mark its territory? Will turkey and bear shelter here, hiding in the redwood bow? Will Bald Eagle perch at its peak? Will it be taken down and become a house for a human, or a Christmas tree? A piece of furniture, a table for people to gather and share meals, a casket or a chair? These trees are used to transformation. They know many forms and their lives are given to that. Each form they serve brings joy, sustenance, support. Honoring trees is honoring the cycle of life.
Caring for this earth, the air, the waters, the weather beings, honoring relationship with all of the natural world keeps trees growing. Keeps us taken care of and provided for. But we must provide back. It’s simple really. Noticing and loving and paying attention. Caring. Doing our part. Being mindful of all of life.
For Solstice my prayer is that this new year be one in which human beings become more deeply aware and mindful of conscious exchange and relationship. That we know our responsibility to be honoring of all living things. That our hearts burst in gratitude for all that have given to us so that we may live. My prayer is that this new dawn ushers in the crystaline awareness that we are all part of the un-broken chain of love, belonging, connection and generosity that is the gift of life.
Wishing you the blessings of a soul filled Solstice.
Karla
I have extended the current sale until the day after Christmas, and am offering 25% off through Dec. 26th on all Tulku jewelry.
At checkout use coupon code—
Rememberingthanks2020
If you would like to gift an oracle reading with the TULKU Oracle deck to a loved one, or book one for yourself, please contact me for the introductory price of $60.00 through the end of the year. With your gift, you also receive the one time offer of 20% off any Tulku order.
Contact me if you are interested in booking and I will send you a gift certificate.
Check out Tulkuoracle to learn more!
Are you interested in a powerful amulet to support you or others on your journeys? An Oracle reading to find guidance and hone in on the best medicine for you? Email me and I’ll hook you up with heart. Oracle readings are on special discounted offer through the end of the year.
Image is from the Raven Oracle Card in the TULKU ORACLE deck.
Continue reading
August 05, 2020
Hello my friends,
To you all— who are the body and breath of Tulku— the ones who take our work and make it even more alive with your presence and heartfelt connection— I give deepest sincerest thanks. These are strange times for our Tulku work, even stranger in Nepal than it is here. Our production is on hold due to Covid, and because of the exorbitant rise in gold and silver prices there is no gold to be found in the market in all of Nepal. So... while we have some new exciting designs in the works, we are at a standstill and I am selling what inventory I have, while it lasts.
I am taking this as a kind of hibernation that the images themselves are in so they can come back stronger and more vital when this Covid season is over. At the same time, most of you know I am using this time to finish the Tulku Oracle deck which I've been working on— on and off— for many years. Since it is based on the images of the amulets I feel this attention too is keeping our work alive. In the process as I write the oracles and dig deep, I am learning a lot more about the symbolism and developing an even stronger connection to what the amulets represent as well.
Aside from all of this, I want to announce and invite you to check out my new website (work in progress, but open now for eyes to see) —paintedream.com. I am calling the work I am offering on this site Tending the Oracle Within— and the offerings include Dreamtending and Oracle readings or a combo of both! Go to the website to read more about the offerings and what find out what Dreamtending is.
All you need is —
To be willing to open to creativity, to your imagination, to curiosity, to childlike wonder. Be open to surprises, to magic, to discovery, to adventure, to transformation, and to the guidance of your soul.
Journey with me to the voice of your deepest longing, and into the guidance of your heart. Be open to listening, to seeing, to experiencing in new ways.
Please come check it out!
I am offering free half hour long sessions as an intro to give you a bit of a taste. It's fun!
Got a dream? Let it bring you my way. Just reach out and tell me you're interested and we'll make a time.
Blessings and love,
Karla
Continue reading
May 13, 2020
Hello Dear Friends,
As many of you know (whoever sees my post on social media !) I have been in the magical wonderous company of fox these days. Having happened upon a den with four kits and a mama right up the road I feel like I have discovered the secret garden. I’ve been spending a lot of time watching the wee ones playing, the Mama caring, and the totally delightful interactions between them. I don’t have a fox oracle card created (yet!) but in some ways I feel that what I am learning from being around them is embodied in this card. So Wolf Eagle Goddess now has a healthy dose of Fox in her too.
This card embodies a process I have been in recently which has been guided by Fox. Maybe it can be helpful for others to hear this— if even one person can relate to my share it’s worth putting it out there. So here goes. A friend of mine reached out to me recently and said that her feeling about where I am in my connection to my self worth could be strengthened. That I could more fully own who I am somehow. What I took that to mean is that a more solid foundation of value for what I express in the world could root itself more deeply into the ground of me— become a more expansive, brighter knowing held in my heart. When I think of feeling fully worthy in myself— really whole— I imagine those fox kits with their Mama.
When I tune into their experience, I feel I have a Mama who is so powerful, capable and strong—so present —that there is absolutely nothing to worry about. From the perspective of the kit—he will get fed, the love and care he receives is unconditional and irrevocable, and he can fully enjoy the present moment of curiosity, exploration, learning and play. What a feeling. From here, there is just nothing that could be deemed worthy or unworthy. Mistakes? What mistakes? It’s all learning. And the amazing thing is that at the same time Mama Fox protects, my observation is that she also fully trusts them to find their way.
There’s something so fundamentally perfect about receiving this gift from Fox at this time. For my full creative expression to be engaged, and in honor of Fox, I hereby give myself the freedom and permission to play, be curious, dive into my dreams and imagination, and discover. And what I feel is that when I invite all of this in, I invite in wholeness.
This goes hand in hand with feeling the sense that there is also an irrevocable love holding me, a great Mama not only in the land of the ancestors, but in the Earth, in the sky above me, in the waters, in the presence of Fox Mama too. She is supporting me in my growth and learning, in my process of becoming, and whatever that looks like, it's ok.
There’s something about the safety this inspires— the feeling of acceptance and rightness in who I am that is being revealed in this great dig that the arrival of Covid has been the catalyst for. I and almost everyone I have talked to are having the similar experience at this time of really looking at ourselves and our lives through the lens of value. What is it that we are here for? What do we have to give back? What brings joy? Where is my bliss? I want to follow it. I invite you to do same.
As always, I am here to support you in the gifts Tulku brings.
Or in Dreamtending, or in just connecting.
In gratitude and joy with love from all of us at Tulku,
And the Foxes too
Karla
Continue reading
March 19, 2020
During this time of dramatic change— I—like the vast majority of us— am wondering about how I’m going to pull this off and make it through the labyrinth of challenges that lies ahead. Thoughts such as whether there will be a future for Tulku and if so what it could look like—are swirling around like swarms of black flies in the woods in Maine, greeting me at every turn. The ways I had strategized to proceed as a business are ineffective in this climate, and what I had grown to count on as income streams have all but evaporated. The tried and true trail I was on got washed out and I have been fully stopped in my tracks.
Have you ever gone off the path, wandered into the forest, along the mountain ridge, amongst the rocks, alongside the stream— and just followed what calls you without having anything in mind? Without any intention, but rather taking the time to meander through the landscape and follow who and what is calling you, with curiosity and awareness as your sole companions?
In the two disciplines I practice—Dreamtending and Plant Spirit Medicine— we often spend time wandering through nature and allowing ourselves to be called by who is calling us. There is something that happens, when you take your mind out of it and just allow your whole being to be drawn in curiosity towards that which attracts you. In Plant Spirit Medicine it is to be drawn to a plant who wants to share its wisdom medicine with you. In Dreamtending, it is to see the reflection of your inner world in the world around you and to engage in the living world as if in a dream. When you do this sort of thing, in my experience, magic always happens.
Yesterday I felt a lot of grief sitting heavy in me, just as many of us do these days. For me, the best remedy for every strong feeling is to take some time to be alone in nature. So I took to the mountain asking for nothing but to be drawn towards beauty, inspiration, connection and healing. And yes, so much of all of that happened, and more! As the sky thundered I sang too and got answers. I heard so many wisdom stories in the birdsong and from the trees. And I was drawn further and further up the mountain, only to meet my first moose!
I am feeling that one of the gifts of this time of great uncertainty is that we as human beings are forced to slow down, and all of us will have to go off the path we know. On offering is a chance to explore what is calling us in a time of reinvention and necessity. Can we find the stillness we so need amidst all the fears, and listen to the story as it wants to unfold?
What is it that longs to be lived through you for you to share with others? How will you share and express your gifts, and what new friends will you make along the way? On the mountain I felt the seeds of inspiration, healing and creativity being planted in me. This winter of being confined will yield to spring, when blossoms will come forth and summer when the bounty is full. Whether through writing, art, teaching, healing, music, meditation, movement or some other form, your vast inner worlds are surely excited for the special attention and the possibility for new expressions.
Let us all find our connectedness in this time of remaining physically separate and share the stories of our experience in the ways that are unique to us from our hearts and from our longing. And let’s be there for each other in the many ways we are called to be.
I for one am taking the time to dream up new offerings for my friends. The Tulku Oracle deck will get a lot of my attention as will new Plant Spirit Medicine and Dreamtending offerings. Stay tuned. If I can help support you through the powerful medicine of the amulets or any of these other offerings, please do not hesitate to reach out.
I am here for you, and I have time.
Wishing you the support and the blessings you need during this time and always,
Karla
Image—Vesica Piscis—TULKU ORACLE
Continue reading
March 09, 2020
As we climb out of the depths of winter, and the light of Equinox emerges and comes into focus, spring shares its warm and nourishing breath with us to help us too, celebrate life. Here we find the portal to align with the rythyms of the natural world in our desire to grow and to share the unique beauty of our gifts and our soul with the world around us.
At the same time, the human climate in the world has been one of growing fear, polarity and anxiety. It begs the question of how do we bring the bright light of life—potential and promise— into our awareness and cultivate that, particularly during a time when we are continuously being bombarded by the opposite?
For me, the most direct antidote to fear and negativity is to get out into nature. Take care of yourself in this way, too. Listen to the birds, notice the buds appearing on the bare trees, observe that even after the coldest darkest winter, new life always, miraculously appears. Look at the light as it falls and glistens on the bark of a tree who has seen another frozen season. Drink in every small beautiful sign of life around you and you will see it everywhere.
During this time when you are inundated with negativity and feelings of uncertainty and even threat, feed yourself on nature, feed yourself on beauty. Nourish yourself with the colors, light and textures of laughter, art, song, dance, celebration, friendship and love.
Let us be the antidote to this current climate in our interactions with others. Let’s each cultivate filling ourselves with light and beauty for the sake of that new life which is coming into this world and into our lives this spring.
If you are looking for support in the form of jewels to adorn your body, heart and soul— sacred amulets that carry medicine for our times— check out the Tulku collection. As always, I offer my services to consult with you should you have any questions.
Yours, in celebration of Equinox and new beginnings!
With love and light,
Karla
Image TULKU ORACLE, Manipura Chakra. Moving with Courage, intention and the bright light of purpose. ❤️
Continue reading
February 17, 2020
For this weeks blog, I would like to write about something I greatly appreciate—consciously choosing to open and tap into our feelings to reveal insights and to connect to our hearts knowing. This is the place I delight in seeing activated in others when I am selling Tulku at events. All day long I watch people tune into the amulets. They look not only with their eyes, but with their hearts— feeling into what it is their soul is calling for. When choosing jewelry from this place, the right match becomes clear. What often starts as adornment magically becomes the perfect medicine.
So what I have to share is perhaps a bit of a stretch coming from a website that focuses on jewelry—but it speaks to me to take the leap and do so.
When I was at my Dreamtending course recently, I had an amazing experience. As usual, we were attuning and connecting with the dream realm from our waking awareness. This is a vast terrain including all that goes mostly unseen by our waking eyes. It includes our ancestors, beings (human and otherwise) from dreamtime, and those who we love and have passed on as well as a host of others.
Really, we are attuning to the same place I see people feel into when they are at my Tulku table— the place beyond words. The place we all know and sometimes ignore—the home of intuition, feelings, sensations, images, inner authority, dreams and our own innate wisdom.
In Dreamtending class, we were given an exercise to connect to an otherworldly (waking) experience we have had in our lives, and to share it with a classmate. In my sharing, I was very surprised to notice that in the telling, part of the story was really lighting up, coming “back” to life as it were. There it was— a precious moment in the story of my mother’s death, that was shining like a huge sun—like a beacon—calling for my attention. This otherworldly light that appeared in a moment of time in the distant past—interestingly still shines intensely when I look at it now, across the boundaries of time.
In accordance with the guidance we were given in class—while in a dream journey— I started paying attention and moving towards this light. I became aware of it as a doorway— opening into something deeper—and I was thoroughly surprised when I moved through it. Here, on the “other side” I encountered not only my mother, but many other departed loved ones and ancestors. There they were, smiling and aware that I was aware. I was feeling their ever- present presence, not as something far away, but as being right here, with me, now. I was filled with joy as their love poured into me, and became aware of this light being a source of life.
This momentary awareness that life was actually being given from the other side, was the experience of pure love. The realization came that creativity, love, wisdom and nourishment is always flowing and being shared with us continuously from the “other side”. I now feel it is why they say in indigenous traditions that we go home to our ancestral place after dying. It is the place where the light of our life emerges from. Where the light of creativity dwells, and where the illumination of our souls purpose comes from. Touching this place is bliss and joy and love. Feeling it is the essence of knowing true support, the wellspring of our creativity, groundedness and sense of purpose. In this experience, I was filled with a sense of vitality, aliveness and possibility.
This is the place we touch into when we take a moment to just feel. When we slow down, and use our hearts to tune into that which is the object of our attention. This is the true medicine place, and it is our birthright to engage with it. This is the place I invite you to take your time to explore when you contemplate the big questions in your life. As always, on this journey of yours if there’s an amulet that would support you, I pray we have it. If not, let me know what it is and we will do our best to create it together.
In delight and gratitude for being in this precious life with you.
Karla
Image— the Tibetan Mirror. From the TULKU ORACLE deck (a work in progress)
Continue reading
December 29, 2019
Dear Friends,
I believe I am not alone in feeling the squeeze of this portal leading to the new year quite acutely this time around. My footsteps going through the doorway are uncertain. Buried under the sparkling snow of winters dream, the frozen ground is filled with seeds of new growth. It is also covered and fed with the ashes of what has died.
I’ve been feeling the fear and grief connected with uncertainty and loss circling through my life. I realize these feelings are very strong in the field and in allowing myself to feel them— though hard— there is a gift. In not shutting down or bypassing these painful emotions, I am connecting not only with all of humanity, but with the Earth Herself. Still, the feelings are mine—as they could be yours— and we are holding them in our bodies, thoughts, and emotions.
The world (and my life) is changing, and I find myself holding all of this with questions I ask myself again and again——where is my place, what is the work the world wants me to share, and how do I do that? Where is the opening to my future expression, and how do I find it? It all seems insanely important to answer, and as mysterious and illusive as a roof over my head is practical. I find myself trying to make it happen, and continuously thinking that I have to do something different. Meanwhile, I live my life and flow as best I can in the dance between effort and letting go. Creativity, sustainability and the dying which is food for both, are the stepping stones on this great river I am in the middle of.
There are sparks of light and hope that color these questions, and they are filled with curiosity and excitement. They are the sisters of fear and grief. I am reminded the light to follow is in my own heart, in the detail of a rock on my path, in the call of a hawk at just the right moment.
So, in honor of new growth, I propose that when we feel afraid, let’s take a breath and feel the seeds inside. Let’s ask for courage instead of asking for that which is causing us fear to go away. Meeting these fears and releasing the grip on the old, brings the nourishment that feeds new possibility and reveals something magnificent that is aching to come our way. Compassion is the gift that awaits and prayer always helps! Ask for Ganesh to help you open the door in your own heart and to find the courage that dwells there.
As always, I and my friends at Tulku wish you great blessings in 2020 and beyond.
Karla
TULKU ORACLE, (a work in progress…) GANESH
If you have drawn the Ganesh oracle today, you are likely embarking on a new journey in some aspect of your life. The appearance of Ganesh is confirmation that you are moving in the right direction and that the Lord of New Beginnings is by your side. At this time you can ask for His help in opening the doors and removing the obstacles to the fulfillment of your dreams.
The situation at hand is reminding you that your life is being guided and that you have help, though sometimes you must ask for it. At the place of new beginnings the challenges that present themselves can be unsettling, but there is also the excitement around the potential for new growth. Balancing these inner experiences is where the journey is birthed, and will set the tone for your next steps. Take time to sit in meditation, allowing all the feelings to come and go knowing this is all part of the process. Feel the ground rising up to hold you, as if you were riding on Ganesh’s shoulders, moving through the jungle without fear.
The teaching in this card is that of perseverance and trust. In this time of new beginnings, remember to ask for the energy of Ganesh to help you move forward with grace and courage through the uncertainty you may feel. Embrace the abundance of possibilities and blessings available to you now, as you embark on this new quest, and give thanks.
Continue reading
November 22, 2019
According to the tradition of Plant Spirit Medicine that I am schooled in—informed by the song of nature, and the ancient Chinese—in this part of the world, it is the autumnal time of year, when the natural world is transitioning into the deeper state of Winter. It is a time naturally given to us being more aware of what we value, a sense of what is sacred, and looking at the expression of authority, in all of its forms. Now, we are often accompanied by the emotion of grief, who walks hand in hand with loss. We also get to steep ourselves in the practice of letting go.
This past week I have gone deep while at the Dreamtending certification program I am immersed in at Pacifica University, in my old home of Santa Barbara. My dreams and experiences while working in the dream realm have been full of the two presences that never leave our side- life, and death. They are naturally more present during this time of year, as reflected in nature, and the poignancy of this dance has been very present for me. Life and Death have been showing their faces in so many different ways, awakening the feelings of loss and grief in me- as well as touching the deep wellspring of gratitude for the preciousness of every moment and every being I encounter on my path.
The gratitude part came in most strongly when— in the midst of this great dance— I received mysterious texts from a phone number I did not recognize. After much prodding to cryptic responses, I finally learned these texts were from my dear friend Granny Lambert- someone I’ve been with only two or three times in the last ten years, yet some how we manage to stay connected. Granny and I have an inside story to our connection, which is steeped in ways we have shown up for each other as an angel.
Granny’s mysterious texts at that moment became the voice of the divine— angelic for sure—perfectly in tune with my experience at Dreamtending. They were the perfect medicine I needed. In fact, the words she sent sliced my experience down the middle in such a way that my heart totally melted and cracked open. The hidden portal that resides in the center of the dance between grief and letting go, suddenly lit up brightly like a diamond in the following words—
Ring the bells that still can ring,
forget the perfect offering,
There is a crack, a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.
—Leonhard Cohen and Emmerson.
In deep gratitude for the light that is always present, that we may find, and follow. For friends, and for how— if we choose— we can all be guided by the great and mysterious force of light, that brings exactly what we need and reveals us each as an angel.
All of us at Tulku wish you a most blessed and deeply nourishing Thanksgiving, full of light.
With Love,
Karla
Stay tuned for the sale which will follow…..
Continue reading
November 07, 2019
When I was doing my all night fire vigil the other night—as almost 2 feet of snow accumulated outside—I was intently paying attention to the sound of the wood, crackling and singing with the fire. It was that hypnotic time—late at night, in a snowstorm, when most of the world is sleeping—and I had been fasting from food and water for many hours. I was in something of an altered state. From that different kind of sensitized awareness, I drifted into an experience of listening to the wood and the flames telling me stories. I imagined the stories to be from the life of the tree—what she had seen as a tree, what she had felt, what her life in a colony of trees had been like.
It was as if I was being sung the swan song of the tree, as she made her way into the other dimensions through the embrace of fire. As the flames danced on her body, I watched an enactment of what tree had witnessed, a theatrical presentation of what tree was singing to me.
I had the feeling I had entered into the dream of tree, and gratefully received the blessings of that invitation.
During this season of the giving and receiving of harvest, the movement of letting go, and readying ourselves for the gestation time of winter, I am feeling very grateful for the life that surrounds me. I am beyond words thankful for the exchange that happens in every moment—seen and unseen—that does a crazy big job in keeping my world and the world around me in balance.
I am thankful for all my friends I have met through Tulku and for the work we are able to continue doing together. May this month of harvest and gratitude fill your cup to overflow, and may you share with your loved ones in the spirit of gratitude, joy and the preciousness of life.
I will be offering a sale after I return from my travels to Santa Barbara (for Dreamtending Certification, level 2!!!) and Thanksgiving in (Boston with mi familia).
The sale will begin at the end of this month. so I can attend to you properly and our new items will be in stock.
Mark your calendars and Stay Tuned!
In the meantime, please check out the sale page!
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/s...
In Gratitude and Appreciation,
Karla
Image from TULKU ORACLE. depicting the Tree of Life
The Tree Is Life amulet is here—
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/p...
Continue reading
October 30, 2019
SAMHAIN Musings
Dear Friends of Tulku,
Folklorists say the origins of Halloween is the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds. Halloween is also said to come from the Celtic feasts known as Samhain. Samhain was a time when the veils between the worlds were thin— a time to commune with faeries and gods. On this day special bonfires were lit, and the night was filled with rituals and magic. The flames, smoke and ashes had protective and cleansing powers, also used for divination. It is said that the fires were lit as a magical invocation of the Sun, asking for help from His Powers of Growth to bring gentleness and balance during the dark time of winter.
This month for me has been about cultivating community, and the magical vision of people in ritual communion around the fire brings me back to one of my most favorite forms of connection and being in community—spending time around the fire. This is also a time (in California) where the experience of Fire is as an extremely frightening menace—an unpredictable nightmare which doesn’t go away. Lives—and the world—have been turned upside down. The experience of community is dramatically needed and very different in this case—with people coming together to help each other in times of great need.
During this Samhain season where we go through the doorway of twilight and into the darkness of winter, let us be there for others in the spirit of deep communion and as support. Build a fire and gather around it—invite your neighbors and share your deep hearts feelings generously with each other. The grief, the fears, the journey, and the dreams. Drink in the warmth of laughter and true companionship. Light the fire in your being that sings the song of connection. Join together in saying deep prayers for all the beings who are losing their homes and their lives to the fires that rage through their land. Send love to ease the fear and the trauma, and also receive that love for yourself in the sending.
Take this time when the light is getting low and the doorway to Spirit is a thin veil, to plant seeds and prayers in the fire of your heart.
With the balancing support of a blessed amulet from TULKU, the prayers in these seeds will be held with light and warmth throughout the winter, yielding a beautiful bloom when the days get long.
Please visit the Sale page on Tulku!
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/s...
Image from the TULKU ORACLE deck
Continue reading
October 24, 2019
Image from the Tulku Oracle deck (work in progress)
Deer Friends !
Here at my new home in Colorado I've been thinking a lot about community. I often feel shy about putting myself out there, yet when I do, I've been very fortunate to have met some wonderful souls here.
When I look to the natural world to learn more about community, my first thought is Deer. There is a group of five and sometimes six deer who come through my yard on a regular basis. They appear to be all ages— male and female— babies and mamas. They meander through the landscape with graceful alertness, their connection and awareness of each other apparent. They look out for each other and issue warnings if there is some perceived danger afoot, and at the same time they give each other lots of space.
We each have specific gifts to bring the world and the strength and guidance to bring them forth. Deer helps show us the way to expressing them through connection to the whole, intuition, generosity and sensitivity. Just as Deer has the ability to sacrifice for the nourishment of others, in sharing our gifts we contribute naturally for the benefit of the whole.
Walk surely this Life,
Your senses tuned to the Divine.
You are a Sister to all Beings.
Your way in this World
is guided by Spirit.
Trust in the knowing
of Your Precious Heart.
You are part of the Great Plan,
And your Song longs to be Sung.
Check out our Deer Amulet and other Totem favorites here—
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/amulet/totem
Also make sure you stop by our SALE page to see the newly added treasures at 20% off.
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/s...
Continue reading
October 01, 2019
This past August I moved Tulku and I to the mountains of Colorado. It all occurred very suddenly and unexpectedly—and looking back— I believe what really happened was that I was swept up by a divine tornado and very gently and precisely dropped.
I landed in a beautiful new home in a magical place I call Rainbow Mountain. Aside from receiving the welcome of a rainbow arching over the sky soon after I arrived, the name is because under my feet I imagine the earth is filled with gold and fluorite and stones of every color. I can feel those colors rising up through me, filling me with inspiration and juice.
Looking out over the 9,000 foot prairies from here, the surrounding mountains look like dragons. I figure that’s because they need to guard the many treasures here. Tulku is decidedly in the right place and in very, very good company.
The people I have met in nearby Boulder are warm and open and curious about what I do. They seem to love Tulku and everything it stands for. They also tend to recognize its unique power and authenticity pretty immediately, which is particularly delicious for me.
This weekend, I am doing a trunk show at a wonderful iconic bead place in town, called Nomad Beads. The hosts are incredibly generous in wanting me to have success. I have a new coach and friend who asked me what I want to achieve with Tulku this month— and aside from the ever-present need for sales— I found myself answering that I want to build community.
So here it goes, the statement of my intention, out loud and shared with the world—
I want to connect with like- minded people and introduce Tulku to this community.
I want to work and create and adventure with my Tribe.
I want to invite people over to my house to work with dreams.
I want to share the medicine of Tulku and my favorite part— which is going deep—matching a person to their amulet.
I want to journey together to the symbols and archetypes that are alive for each of us— the special ones that invite us to use them for support.
To align more deeply with this intention, last night I decided to work on an image for my Tulku Oracle deck (work-in-progress). I wanted the card I worked on to be based on an amulet that relates to the energy of building community. What came to mind was Honey Bee. This is one of my favorite newer amulets as is it is not only beautiful and masterfully carved by Rajendra, but what it represents is profound. Among other things, the huge creative force which is the work of Honey Bee, depends completely on the interconnectedness between the bees and their environment.
As I begin to put down roots in a new landscape and I learn about this place, I am reminded by Honey Bee of the importance of looking to who and what’s around me to help me create the honey that I want to share with the world.
I am excited to open up this month with the trunk show at Nomad, and to start to build my local community. Something tells me there are a lot of flowers out there for me to discover. If you’re in the area, please come say hi!
If you are not in town, you can take advantage of my offering for 20% off all Tulku now through October 8th. Use coupon code TULKUTRIBE at checkout.
With love,
Karla
Find your Honey Bee amulet here—
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/p...
Continue reading
December 13, 2018
Tulku is giving away 5 blessed amulets to people in need this holiday season.
Could this be you?
Those who know me well, know that over the years I have gifted many amulets to friends or acquaintances in need of special support. Particularly these days, I hear countless stories of people going through trying times. Whether related to health or other experiences of personal crisis— those challenges are often all consuming energetically and financially.
I would like to extend this offering of support to you now, the beautiful people who are our patrons and who know the power of our work.
Send me a message (to karla@tulkujewels.com) sharing your story and enter to win.
By January 5, I will choose 5 people, who can then choose from within the Tulku “Classic” line to find the right match for what they or their loved one needs.
Take a look here—
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/a...
Tulku amulets are made with the intention to heal and to help carry people through the hard times of life. They bring their healing gifts on both the conscious and unconscious levels through the alchemy of love, symbolism, intention, Mata’s blessings and how they are traditionally handmade.
We at Tulku are honored to share them with you and to be a part of the healing the people of this world so desperately need.
With Gratitude, Love and Light—
Karla, Rajendra, Mata, Kiran, Binita, Pravin, Kathy and Nikki
Pictured—the Feet of Guru Rinpoche with offerings at Pharping, Nepal. Taken on my recent trip during our Vajrayogini puja—performed yearly for the benefit of all those connected to Tulku.
Amulet is the Double Dorje for protection.
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/p...
Continue reading
July 05, 2018
Some of you know I am taking a certification course on “Dreamtending” at Pacifica College. My focus on learning how to tend dreams has got me thinking a lot lately about the Livingness of all aspects of this multi dimensional reality we are in. The language of dreams is symbols—highly potent, pregnant symbols that contain layers upon layers of story. The stories in our dreams are intricately interwoven with those of our waking hours, and being aware of this crazy tapestry makes life incredibly rich and magical.
I am finding this focus on dreams has deepened my relationship to the work I do creating amulets. I am more awake to the stories the amulets have to tell. Whether they are archetypal, totemic, chakras or yantras, they are seeming to me as if they are ancient beings. Layered with time and meaning, they are carriers of concentrated potency, each a particular doorway into wisdom, healing and the mystery. It is by engagement with them that we discover all that lies in their form.
Recently, I was working with “tending” or relating to a dream I had, which was actually a nightmare. This nightmare brought up a lot of old trauma in me— the emotions were an intense jagged rage, and deep grief. I took my dream to the Ocean, and brought along a journal and some colored pencils to draw the dream out, to depict how it felt to me in my body. After some time, I was aware of this blackness that in the past I had withdrawn into, manifesting as a most precious black pearl in the center of my heart. A blackness that was softened, shaped by the Ocean, by time, by love.
I had an image that came to me of a Dragon or a Phoenix inside this black pearl, as if the pearl was an incubating egg. At the same time, the Dragon / Phoenix is what guards this pearl.
Since this image came to me, and I have turned my attention to it, it has grown in the wisdom and healing it is sharing with me. It is as if I have a new friend, a new source of support.
I have had a tattoo of a Phoenix on my wrist for many years now, It has always had special meaning to me, but now this Phoenix on my skin brings me the reminder of so much more.
I encourage you to discover and engage with the symbols that are showing up in your life. To listen to their stories and allow their wisdom to more deeply infuse your life with magic. If there is a symbol or a totem that you would like us to create for you at Tulku, please reach out. I’d love to hear your story and to help you create something special.
In gratitude and wishing you blessings on your journey,
Karla
Continue reading
February 16, 2018
Relationship with your Totem
“The modern view is that human beings are the most highly evolved form of life and that other life forms… are inferior to us human beings. The more traditional view is… the other way around…”
--Eliot Cowan
In most traditional indigenous cultures, the family clan has a Totem which is a powerful part of their identity. The secret knowledge, power and wisdom of their totem is passed down generation after generation in service and support of the clan members. Their totem represents the gifts and strengths of the clan. Traditional peoples often wear amulets of their totem not only as an identifier, but as a source of protection and connection to the gifts they had been given.
Though most of us in the modern world have not received the blessing of being born into a family with knowledge of our helpers from the animal or plant world, most people have a strong connection to beings from other species. It could be an animal, a bird, a sea dweller, an insect, a reptile, a plant or one of each! These friends show up for us in a variety of ways, and not only in nature. They can show up for us in our dreams for example, or while we are meditating. Our totem connections are among the most beautiful allies we have in our lives, and they offer their help generously to those who remember to ask.
Whether you do or do not know what your totem is, you can ask for a messenger in your dreams or in a meditation. Before you go to sleep express your openness to meeting her, and ask 3 times for her to visit you in your dreams. State that you would like to develop or deepen your relationship with her. She is there and she has gifts to share with you, but you must bring forth your hearts longing for that relationship, and ask.
Be open, persistent and patient. She will come.
The special attributes of your totem are some of the gifts she has to bring you. To learn about those attributes, observe her in nature. Study her, see how she lives. Is your totem Owl— who sees and hunts in the darkness, while others are sleeping? Call on her to help you find your way in the darkness. Is your totem Dolphin, whose playful nature and high intelligence moves you towards being light in community and helps you in letting go of fear? Call on him when you need his natural lightness of being and ability to be with others in joy.
There are many books on totems that are wonderful sources of information as well. One of my favorites is Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. And if you want to go deeper into creating a powerful working relationship with your totem(s), my favorite totem class is taught by Eliot Cowan and Justin Starting. You can find out more about that here—
http://www.bluedeer.org/events...
Lastly, check out our newTotem Collection at Tulku!
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/a...
We are at the beginning stages of creating this line and welcome your feedback, requests, and ideas.
Keep checking back, as more are coming soon.
If you have a totem that you would like to see created in the form of an amulet, please share your story with me. Send me an email at karla@tulkujewels.com
As ever, wishing you great blessings on your journey through this magnificent gift of Life.
Karla
Continue reading
February 01, 2018
This is the question that everyone asks. It can be challenging to know which Amulet will be the best support for a friend or even for ourselves. The amulets act kind of like a tuning fork. Finding the right medicine amulet can be a powerful ally to your path and to your healing journey.
The “Shop by Intention” https://tulkujewels.com/shop/intention
feature is a wonderful tool to narrow things down to start. When you look at the pieces that are pictured there, read their affirmations, take in their meanings, feel into their symbolism.
Close your eyes and sit up straight with your feet on the floor while picturing and naming the piece. Notice the resonance in your body. Do you lean into it subtly, or do you pull away from it? Does it make your heart open, feel sweetness? Or does it make you feel nothing at all? Take your time. You can do this exercise for yourself, or for a loved one you want to lend support to through a challenging time.
Another tool is the Chakra Quiz.
https://tulkujewels.com/chakra-test
If you are looking for a gift for a friend, you can send them the link so they can do it, or do it yourself. The results you receive on the quiz reflect the Chakra that most resonates with where you are in yourself at this point in your life. Wearing that chakra will support you and your intentions the most powerfully. Having that kind of support in turn realigns everything and brings the other Chakras up in strength, which results in a more harmonious life experience.
Another approach many find helpful is using the Tulku book as a kind of an oracle. It contains descriptions for the amulets and has the benefit of being something you can hold in your hands. Much like consulting the Tarot, it is a way to be directed to the right match and to learn something, too.
https://tulkujewels.com/shop/books
To use the book as a divination tool, light a candle and hold the book to your heart. Set your intention to be shown a piece that will support you. You may be surprised by the outcome, often it is counter-intuitive. Whether you decide to go with the amulet you are shown, it is a way to find support and inspiration for your day.
If you have questions and need guidance, I am here to support you as well. Just reach out to me via the contact link on this website and share your questions with me.
Wishing you warmest blessings on your journey,
Karla
Continue reading
December 25, 2017
A Christmas Prayer from TULKU
On this Christmas Day I want to express gratitude, to sing it in an ecstatic song from the rooftop.
To yell it in brilliant 3d color from my heart to yours.
That the Gods and Goddesses and all the precious beings on this planet may hear.
I am grateful for all of you, for the companionship and gifts you bring to me in my life.
For holding my hand when I go through challenges and for reminding me there is a bright light that animates even the darkest times.
On this Christmas Day, I am feeling the gratitude to be in my Santa Barbara mountain home— with the fires burning at a safe distance. For the firefighters who make it possible for me to be in my home, for Grandfather Fire who spared us this time around and for the transformation He brings.
Today, my prayer is that I honor that transformation. That I and my brother and sister human beings learn in ever deeper ways to respect and honor the Life Mother Earth has given us by honoring every aspect of her body.
By respecting all of the Beings and developing relationship with them.
That we transform ignorance and neglect into consciousness and caring.
To the Waters, Fire, Earth, the Weather beings, the Sky, the ones that have legs and wings and roots and those who do not,
My prayer today is to never take any of you for granted.
That we human beings learn about balance and how to live in harmony with and on this precious Earth for our children, and our children’s children.
Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed, grace- filled Christmas with so much love and gratitude to be able to share my prayers and gifts in this one precious life with you.
Karla
At Tulku we are So excited to be welcoming in 2018 with a refined version of our expression in the world, and a brand new, fun-to-play-with, spectacular website!
To bless our new home, we welcome you to visit us at tulkujewels.com, and receive 20% off your order for any and all treasures you discover there.
Enter TULKUNEW17 at checkout for your gift
Continue reading
December 03, 2017
Imagine the delight coarsing through my being when I received the email from the jewelry buyer at the Smithsonian museum saying that one of the curators had recommended our work for the museum shop.
My first feeling was that It is such a great honoring to all of us at Tulku, but most especially to Rajendra (Bajracharya) for his exquisite craftsmanship. For his artistry to be recognized by such a prestigious institution—one that carries masterpieces created by other Newar’s from centuries long gone by— fills my heart with joy and gratitude. To my mind the curator sharing her recommendation at that moment is an act of delicious Grace. We are grateful.
If you are ever in DC please stop by and check us out!
Continue reading
August 24, 2017
I found the original Tulku Thockcha back in 2006 while looking for treasures, in a drawer, in a dusty old shop in the bowels of Kathmandu. It was at the very beginning of Tulku and Rajendra and I were just beginning to create the chakra line.
I love treasure hunting in the old parts of the city, exploring its antiquities and mysteries. I’m always on the lookout for ancient Magic—and once in a while I find it.
The Newari shop keeper didn’t know what it was, but I recognized my find as a precious Tibetan protection piece.
Tibetans say Thockchas fall from the sky already formed and are made of sky metal. I walked away with this jewel clutched tightly in my hand and a happy heart.
Though all of the jewelry we make is my design and our creation, I knew this was a piece that I wanted to make a mold of so that I could share it with others. I sat in contemplation with the piece that night and over a period of about a week. Feeling it and listening to it.
This is what it told me:
The Thockcha symbolizes the field of ultimate possibilities— the wellspring of unlimited potential and abundance that is the creative essence of our life. This is the vehicle to remind us to remain open and unattached, and to know that happiness, prosperity, love and bounty are unconditional gifts of the universe which flow through our lives continuously. As we connect with the vastness that is the essence of our souls we are reminded that we need not worry or be attached to outcomes, for the generosity and bounty of the universe is ours.
Find the Thockcha Amulet here.
Continue reading