...divine droplets...

A going away gift...or two!

etherika — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:31:58 GMT

It's crazy how things work out sometimes. When something comes to you that feels meant to be, but it's just the wrong timing. If anything, I am very happy to have had the opportunity to possibly be the intermediary who has saved a couple little lives. The situation with animals here in Bali is kind of sad. There are so many people from other countries who have set up home here, so luckily you do see many dogs that are healthy and cared for, but there are so many stray, ferrell dogs and cats here and some in conditions that take a compassionate person want to cry. I'm a sucker when it comes to cats, one adopted us last year in Bali and we developed a strong bond, but as karma had it she was either really sick or having babies and acting very strange when we had to leave her and head home. I try not to develop bonds with cats here for that reason, but when you want to possibly extend a cats life or give it a few months of a good life, I think that's better than leaving it to suffer or starve. In a nutshell, last night after leaving a restaurant, Jerod and I hopped on our bike to head out and celebrate a bit more. As we got on the road we witnessed 2 very small, almost new born, kittens crossing a busy street together. They nearly got hit by a motor bike in the other lane, but by luck made it safely to the other side... they immediatly came to us crying...they were so small and helpless. The locals around us all begged us to take them, we tried to resist knowing we were heading back to the states today, but they got us a box and something felt meant to be in the situation. I realized I needed to get them away from the busy street. They were the most affectionate wild cats ever! It was so much fun nursing them to health. They slept with us all night and they instantly gave me the role of Mama. Something in their instinct made them think I was their mom. It was a little difficult to get used to, since they were suckling my neck all night thinking I could feed them. I felt they were abandoned at too young of an age and it was sad that they were so persistent in their efforts to be fed by my neck, but I could not help with that. It was a difficult task to find them a home. Many of the other foreigners in our neighbourhood already have taken in stray cats and have their hands full. Luckily the woman I have met because her monkey gets loose almost every day and comes into our villa and steals stuff, was willing to take them in and find them a home. The other option was leaving them with the landlords sons here who suggested to us that we put them in the trash or on the road! That was the exact situation we were trying to save them from... I know I can't save them all, but in this case it felt like the right thing to do....It might seem like a small thing, but that's what this big world is made up of....many, many small things... This time in Bali has made me realize the fragility of existence...I have a greater appreciation for every moment I have here and all the beautiful creatures great and small which I share it all with... (I would post a photo of the cuties, but our internet here connection won't allow it)

Spirit vision is upon us....

etherika — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:11:22 GMT

As Jerod and I are here in Bali working intensely on our new clothing line, we have also been working out all the details for our visonary healing retreat in the Peruvian Amazon which is occuring April 12th, in conjunction with the full moon. If you have been thinking about participating this year, please note that we have 5 spaces still available. You can reserve a space by contacting me personally asap. Here are the updates: ~Honorary Guest shaman (in addition to our resident shaman) Guillermo Arevallo (universal Echo) ~Raw food culinary chef ~Daily guided yoga ~Visionary art workshops For a full description of what is offered for this retreat please look at my last blog entitled "spirit vision 2008" If your spirit is calling you to partake in an experience such as this we would be honored to guide you on this journey with us. For reservation respond *personally* to me or e-mail me at etherealelemental@hotmail.com We will be back in the Northwest in 2 weeks...See you all soon! many blessings... ~erika and Jerod

spirit~vision 2008

etherika — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 04:10:31 GMT

~ Spirit Vision ~ Amazonian Visionary Healing Retreat 2008 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Location: Jungle retreat center 1 hour North of Iquitos, Peru up the Amazon River Dates: April 12th ~ 22nd, 2008 - in conjunction with the New Moon Cost: $1300.00 US Retreat Includes: · Taxi pick up from Lima airport to hotel in Lima. · 1 night accommodation at a hotel in Miraflores, Lima. · Round trip transportation from Iquitos airport to the retreat lodge. (includes taxi and boat) · 10 nights Jungle Lodge Accommodation: Each room has 2 double size beds and a private bathroom. 1- 2 people per room, pending upon availability. · Meals: The food consists mainly of local fruits and vegetables and fish, fresh from the jungle and river. A wide range of food is provided for you to pick and choose. It is served in a buffet style. We will cater to your particular diet. * Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served every other day. * On the days of the ceremonies, 2 light meals (breakfast and lunch) will be provided. · Interactive/ Intuitive preparation of medicinal plants with shaman. · 4 Ayahuasca ceremonies guided by native Amazonian shamans. · Visionary Art workshops and presentations with native ayahuasquero and international artists. · Laundry service. · Emergency Phone service provided. · Jungle/ Lodge guides speak fluent English and Espanol. · A variety of recreation is available for free time. * Boat excursions to exotic locations * River dolphin watching * Informative medicinal plant walks * Jungle walks through primary rainforest * Visit to the native 'Yaguas' tribe * Visit to an animal sanctuary * Free time for creating and relaxing * And many more surprises! Does NOT Include: Airport Taxes - There are small fees when departing anywhere in Peru.( $3-5.00 US) There is a larger fee when departing internationally.(approx. $30.00 US) * Airfare is not included - International flights and roundtrip flight to Lima / Iquitos. · Personal Expenses - hotels, food and 'extra' transportation (around Lima and Iquitos) outside of retreat. · Taxi fare from hotel in Lima to airport. Message: We would like to invite you to join us for our third annual 10 day Amazonian visionary healing retreat. It is located at an exquisite retreat center / jungle lodge 1 hour north of Iquitos, Peru up the Amazon River. The hosts of the lodge are very welcoming and accommodating, taking care of all of our needs. Our intention for this retreat is to create space for all participants to explore inner creativity and healing through shamanistic practice of sacred plant medicine. Our resident shaman will guide us through 2 ayahuasca healing ceremonies. This year we are also honored to have a special guest shaman guide us through the additional third and fourth ceremonies. We would like to make this experience relaxing, enjoyable, inspiring, and complete for all participants. Since this retreat has a special focus on creative expression we are providing time and space for a variety of art activities. Examples are painting, drawing, writing, crafts, music etc. In which ever medium you so choose, please come prepared with your art materials to create your own forms of artistic expression. The retreat will be April 12 ~ 22, 2008. The highlight for this time frame is that it is occurring during the new moon. The size of the group will be no larger then 15 people in order to keep the group intimate and solidly connected. For interested participants: We must receive an initial RSVP in order to organize the group. We require a $500 non-refundable deposit by or before March 1st, 2008. Please do note that space is limited and is on a first come first serve basis, *highly emphasized*. * Feel free to ask us any questions or voice any concerns through e~mail. Upon reservations and/ or special requests, you will receive more specific details regarding the retreat. Many blessed visions, Jerod Knapp and Erika Lahtela RSVP and Info: info@jerodknapp.com etherealelemental@hotmail.com Please write "retreat" for the e-mail subject title < Feel free to pass this invitation on to anyone who you think may be interested >

Trunk Show and raffles tomorrow!....

etherika — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:53:57 GMT

Hello Seattleites and etherealites.... I just wanted to remind you not to miss out on a great opportunity to get some unique new clothing at reduced costs! We will be discounting everything from 10-50% , so that we can make room for the new designs to come! Please come help support our mission. YOU make it all possible. I wanted to let you know about 2 raffles that we will be offering tomorrow at the trunk show. Both Raffles are only $5 to enter and here are your 2 choices. Raffle #1: Enter to win any ethereal elements garment of your choice! This includes all our designs except for the limited edition women's jackets. Raffle #2: Enter to win a life size high quality giclee print on canvas by Jerod Knapp. The print will be on display for viewing. Hope to see you tomorrow and may luck always be with you... Date: Saturday December 1, 2007 Time: 1:00 - 6:00 pm Address: 4755 Thackery Pl. (cross street 50th) Seattle, WA 98105 Contact: Erika Lahtela (206) 778-4636

ethereal elements trunk show (Seattle) 12-1-07

etherika — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:45:15 GMT

The sun is traveling around our planet and is now giving it’s warmth and light to the other side….We have had a beautiful festival season sharing our creations at many outdoor festivals far and wide … We have some really nice stock remaining that we are now discounting from 10 - 50 % off! (this special day only!) We have also re-ordered some of the things which we had sold out of… We Have MUCH more MENS(!!!) designs(compared to our last sales), ranging from pants, tops, vests and jackets … which are fully stocked in ALL sizes and waiting to be worn by you or your man…. We have beautiful, limited edition women’s jackets, fully versatile and waiting to warm you up this winter….and then when the sun returns you can transform the jacket into a short jacket or vest or a long vest… I only have a few left and they will be on sale! We also have a wide range of other women’s garments as well… This is in time for when you may be looking for gifts for loved ones or yourself… It will be your last chance to come and enjoy this current line before we go away to Bali and create our new line, which will be ready when the sun returns to this side of the globe…. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!… ALL STOCK MUST GO TO GOOD HOMES !!! Date: Saturday December 1, 2007 Time: 1:00 - 6:00 pm Address: 4755 Thackery Pl. (cross street 50th) Seattle, WA 98105 Contact: Erika Lahtela (206) 778-4636 Other info: • Refreshments will be provided • Cash, Visa, mastercard and discover cards accepted We Look forward to seeing you there!

ethereal elements earth and ether summer tour

etherika — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:08:29 GMT

Hey all~ We are finally back from all our crazy and delightful travels and we are now, right now, kicking off our summer road show!.... Maybe we will be where you are going to be so that we can finally share our intergalaktik designs for women, and men with you!........ Warning!....These garments are of a very high vibration and merely adorning oneself in one of these creations will most definitely result in uncontrollable, blissful ascension... you have been for-warned!..... If you would like to lift your spirts and raise your frequency then please come and check out our booth at these up-coming divine gatherings!.... July 19th - 22nd "Dream Time", Colorado www.dreamthefuture.org July 27th - 29th "Prophecy", Orcas Island, WA www.oraclegatherings.com 2nd weekend in Aug ethereal elements trunk show, Seattle, WA More details TBA~ stay tuned!! Sept 20th - 24th "Symbiosis", Northern California www.symbiosisgathering.com I will send out a new post if more shows arise.... We hope to see you out in the ethers on the earth.... ~ee

THE GOODZ!!! (and the badz...)

etherika — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:22:03 GMT

Well... here I am camped out for the day at my mom's house awaiting four of the ten boxes of my designs that I made in Bali. This is like the moment of truth...butterflies are fluttering in my belly and I must find ways to occupy myself until possibly 5pm, maybe earlier. It has been a VERY intense journey since I have been back. It has been occupying all my focus and energy. My body recently caved in from all this anguish and I have quite a nasty bug. This whole process has effected me on a very personal level. I have discovered so much about myself and this is a time of complete tranformation for me. It has not been easy... I have been tested in every way and have had to really dig deep for my inner strengthand courage to make it through...Today I look forward to receiving 40% of my creations... to see the product of my blood, sweat, and tears in reality...even though it is less than half of the order and it's 2 weeks late. So, what has happened is that after jumping through many loopholes with figuring out the shipping, I finally wired the money to the king of the team over there. After hearing nothing for a few days, I called his phone. His wife answered and we had a very difficult conversation with the phone lines, but I did find out that he was in a car accident and is in the hospital, in a Coma!!!... It has been 2 weeks and he is not better... Luckily his wife wanted to help, understandijng my situtation that we have 2 festivals we are vending at in california next week, so she took all the money she had (since she cannot access his account without his verbal consent) and was able to send 4 of the 10 boxes, 15 of the 32 designs... I wish I could have been there to choose what she sent because my most favorite designs are all cooped up in a box in Bali awaiting to be loved and appreciated by their mama and then by those who will get to adopt them!!!... ;) So after jumping through many more loopholes the other day when my sickness really kicked in, I got the confirmation yesterday that my boxes cleared customs and would be delivered sometime today! So here I am passing the time with anticipation and joy... My other boxes of goodz will not be received for our California adventure and will probably not be sent for another week or two... :( I had a very strange dream last night. There was a big collision of 3 cars. I couldn't tell if I was in one of them, but then I witnessed that Jerod and I wer killed. For a moment there was panic, but then we were guided and explained as to what happened and we realized that nothing was really different except that we were totally free of all the constraints that have been bringing me down. We were free! We were given a house on the water and we lived in an attic for the time being. I got so happy at one point, I shot up out of the house, right into outer space and did a few spirals around the stars and then I flew back down to Jerod in the house. A Living woman came to me and asked if she could have my clothes. I thought about it and realized I didn't need them anymore so I said she could take what fits her, but I had some other friends that should have them too... It was such a weeeird dream!!!.... My awaiting continues... Iet me know if you are interested in seeing the goodies! I will post photos soon.... ~love and light...

Bali balance....

etherika — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 10:18:28 GMT

We made it!.... Jerod and I are here in Bali and kind of settled in. We have a house that we are renting which is outside of the main touristy area, so we get to see real balinese culture.... we have rice feilds and tropical trees around us and we are neigbours to some factory where they work all the time and pound and sing to cheesy top 40 alot... we are very happy though... we love eating breakfast and working on designs out on our porch which is surrounded by many lush plants... We also have a cat! She came to us last week. The day before she arrived we were having lunch out and I fed a hungry skinny cat some of our tuna tacos and then I told jerod if a cat were to come to our house I would feed it and take care of it. The next morning curled up on our doorstep was a very cute and skinny orange cat. She's warmed up to us really fast and we all hang out all the time... we named her pumpkin. We take beach walks every day...YES! my ankle is great!!! I had trouble with it the first few days..it was always swolen from the heat, but all of a sudden it was ok and I have absolutly no residual pain or discomfort from the accident... Things are cooking away with the tailor, but this is the time of waiting for us before we see what is to come... I love it in bali...We have a motorcycle which Jerod drives and he is really good at driving in this chaotic traffic here...I leave it to him for now.... many plans to explore other areas when we are free to do so.... for now there is alawys so much to keep me busy... The heat is so extreme here...but I can't complain... the word that most describes our experience here is balance...

up...UP...and...AWAAAAAAAY!!!....

etherika — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:43:47 GMT

Yippee! I do afterall get to say those words on this day...The process of this injury has been quite amazing and insightful indeed. It truly felt like a test. To test how I would handle this slight interuption to my trip preparation. The good news is that there is confirmation from those around me that I have passed the test with flying colors, mentally, spiritually and physically... and the inner confirmation is the most profound... I have found a well of strength and optimism throughout this. Of course I had to go through the usual stages. After an accident there is the moment that your body experiences the trauma and that energy goes throughout your body. It can become stuck in there for awhile... I did have the inital trauma followed by total bliss(weird, huh) then anger, regret, fear, pity....then back to confidence and perserverence and bliiiiisssss..... The physical confirmation I received to my healing was from a dear healer friend of mine who treated it last night. She commented that the stage that my sprain was in was how it should be 1 whole week after the accident, but it was only 3 days into it. She said whatever I did was really amazing work, but for the first 2 days I know that I was not actually doing "all the right things".... like wrapping it too tight etc, eating sugar and salt, etc.... So I feel that the incredible healing was more on a spirtual level... if this was in fact a test of my soul and I passed the test, then I guess my body is just going along with it... Like I said.... Mind and spirit over matter, and the body will follow.... Now here is for the amazing part. The incredible synchronisities that occured with my healing.... 1) Sunday evening we had planned to have Jerod's mom come and visit to say goodbye. She used to be a nurse for years now she is a massage therapist.... She did some drainage massage and taught me ways to properly treat it. The next morning it was hardly swolen at all and there was no pain. All day I continued to walk on it with slight pressure on one side of the foot. 2) Monday afternoon. Running all of our last minute errands. Our first stop was to the house we just moved out of. A guy that jerod used to work for and his partner moved in there. We needed to pick up some things from them. They seem like your average people...She hurt her left leg as well... we were talking about it. I mentioned I should have reiki performed on it. She then said " well, I'm a reiki practicioner" and then perfromed a reiki session on my foot! wow.... 3)Monday evening, our last errand. We had some things we needed to drop off at the house we will be moving into upon our return from Bali. Our friend who owns the house is an AMAZING healer... acupuncturist, herbalist etc etc etc... So, she gave me the most amazing treatment, she popped a cpl bones back into place, did, some acupuncture, massage, vibratory work to release the trauma from my body.... She also had me walk on it fully.... training me to walk again... and I can, and it is really good for my healing... All of these healings were gifts from the universe... wow is that a blessing x 3.... So, I feel great and I have quite a few things to take care of today, but we are leavng this evening! I look forward to the stories I can share with you all and the designs that come into manifestation... I will be having trunk show as soon as I get back, so I will keep anyone who is interested informed... I plan to do a "trunk show tour".... Anyways.... many blessings to you all and thank you for your love and support.... Blessed be....

THANX to the treez!

etherika — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 08:15:19 GMT

I just realized that some people don't want the full story... so here is the poem, naked, stripped and vulnerable for your receptive eyes.... Just know that a tree made me write this and it's for all those dying trees out there on this planet!! oh yeah, and for all the tree killers and lovers too.... :) NOW, this dying tree has a voice through me!!! Thank you for giving… Despair- Have you ever known Where to find the truth within your bones? Anquish- Will you ever care About the blood Running though another’s veins? Destruction- Can you hear the screams Of your ancient ancestors As their trunks and limbs Are sacrificed For human need And mostly in-humane greed? When you trade a branch for a buck, A tree for some cold hard cash money, And a few old cedars for a view, Do you get what you want? Do you get what you need? Think about the world around you! You are truly consumed by your own selfish greed… What about other’s needs? What about the needs Of our planet and the trees? When your mother or father Dies before you Leaving you empty and alone Remember the inner truth resides Within Gaia’s stones… Can you nourish and replenish The seeds which have been sown? Just think about the loss, (So much more than what it cost) The Loss of a resource Which gives life Unto all the living… Before you take an axe And kill the very extensions of Life itself!!!... Bow down with the wind and say thank you… ...Thank you for giving!... (if you want the full story go to my last Blog....)

Inter~synchronicity

etherika — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 04:24:32 GMT

We play music through the trees with instruments of our own release…'' Ebbing and flowing through and through outwardly expressing our inner truth…'' Call it inter~synchronicity when the trees blow this way and that sending messages through the whisper of leaves, dancing in the cosmic breeze…'' Leaving imprints of symbols encoded deep within the core of the vessel…'' A tree trunk, a body, a skull and a sea shell withholding the essence of that which is living for this moment in time…'' Fulfilled with the life force and expressing the divine, I send you a message of the elemental kind…'' Encoded in this crystal life form, existing as we are now…'' Forever the wind blows messages through whispering leaves…'' Calling forth inter~synchronicity Ever~flowing in the cosmic breeze…''