The Wailua Home of Contemplative Arts

A polished ball of dirt. A dorodango, an art form in which earth and water are molded to create a delicate shiny sphere. How does one accomplish this?

You will need some moist dirt,....

....,some dry dirt or sand, a mindful attitude and patience!

Step 1: Start off by making mud and working it with your hands so that all air pockets are gone.

Step 2: With the mud, make a sphere, sprinkle some dry dirt until the sphere holds its shape.

Step 3: Place it in a plastic bag in the fridge for 30min at a time. This takes the moisture out of the sphere from the inside out.

Step 4: After the 30 minutes, sprinkle more dry dirt and work it into the sphere until the surface of the sphere is dry, then continue to repeat the 30min fridge process.

Step 5: Once sprinkling dry dirt doesn\

t stick to the sphere. It is ready for the polishing phase.'

Step 6: Pat your hand on some dry dirt, the fine dust that remains on your hand is then worked into the sphere. This process can take several days.

Step 7: Once the sphere is completely dry and it starts to slightly shine, it’s time to take a soft cloth and polish the sphere. Depending on the dirt, this process can take more than a week!

Step 8: Once the polishing is finished, a beautiful brilliant shine emerges,.. completed with only some dirt, a soft cloth and lots of patience, caring and love!

Who would have known, without being shown, that even some mud, with love caring and fun, can be so refined, to be a jewel to the eyes. This same thing can happen, to your mind and its habits. Hold your head up high, because if you find some mud inside, you can work it with Love, until you sparkle Divine.

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