In a galaxy far away in a time afterwards there was an art therapist who would dance before each group, mist his studio with rose water and wash the tables with the essential oil of lavender. He would then ring the gong, call upon the four directions, and wait for his next art therapy group. He would do this after each session he facilitated as well as when he saw private clients. Each cleansing provided the opportunity for the group to start fresh with an emptiness, free of toxic waste and energy from the previous group. He noticed that when the room was not cleaned there seemed to be residue from the previous work. Almost as if the invisible was being made visible. The room felt heavier and he could not see or feel as clearly.

Sound real or fiction? Could you envision yourself doing this before each of your groups or clients. Although the above ritual may sound like some fantasy or crazy hocus-pocus, art therapist, James Torrenzano begins each group with a cleansing of his studio space. Without a doubt, the cleansing through sound and water is an essential component to his art therapy program entitled "The Enchanted Way" Based upon scientific studies that support that environments benefit from a richness of negative ion particles and that most classrooms and studios are positive ion rich. In fact too many positive ions in the air will bring depression and loathing. Try the following experiment:. Buy yourself a small mister, the kind you get for plants will do fine, place four to six drops of the essential rose oil in the mister, fill with distilled water. (tap water is okay although not as good). Mist the entire space, occasionally point the mister straight up in the air and stand under the gentle mist for a moment of charged air. In addition to misting the room there is good Feng Shui in the studio.. Feng Shui is the art of placing objects in a room to achieve maximum chi. In other words,, using chimes, gongs, mirrors, room furniture, fountains, aquariums and color can create good Feng Shui. This will help in creating a soothing power-full room of chi.

Chi is about the force or energy of life that is in all living things. The room is alive with chi, although we can not see chi, we can feel the effects when chi is blocked or when there is an abundance of chi flowing. For more information on chi there is a wonderful video entitled "The Search for Chi" from the Bill Moyer's series Healing and the Mind.

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I had the opportunity to give a key note address to the Head Start Program in Fairfax County. The talk entitled, The Enchanted Way was a wonderful chance for me to integrate some of the ideas I have talked about on this web page. The group was excited about ways to implement sand and water gardens into their classroom. In addition many of them have since made "rose misters" to use in the space. ( Visit studio space for more information on ways of using aromas in the classroom.) I am having this talk transcribed and will be posting the text in the articles and stories home page.