Gratitude and Deepest Respects

I extend my deepest respects to this land that I rest on.

I am a Settler / Immigrant of Filipinx descent living in gratitude in Tkaronto on Turtle Island on the Sovereign Dish with One Spoon Wampum, Treaty 13 lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg and the Haudenosaunee nations and gathering place to many Indigenous First Nations including the Métis and Inuit.  I honour all the Sovereign Indigenous People all over the world for their strength, resilience, and vision.

I send my deepest gratitude to our elders and Ancestors for their love and for planting the seeds that we now harvest so that we may nurture present and future generations.

I give thanks and send my deepest respects for the mentorship that I received from Monica Bodirsky (www.monicabodirsky.com). Senior Master JB Ramos (Combat Science Warrior Arts of Asia), and Kumu Pa’a Nui Lawrence Aki with Kumu Pa’a Kyrian van Vliet (www.manaomolokai.com) for their wisdom, generosity, inspiration, and profound influence on my spiritual and daily practices. The seeds they planted continue to grow in my garden.

And, last but not least, I have been blessed with family, friends, and a community who have been loving, inspiring, and supportive. Thank you to everyone for adding to my abundant, and wonderfully diverse garden.

Pugay.

A little bit about me.

I am a witch, artist, designer, craftsperson and mother. My spiritual practice is a syncretic earth-based spiritual practice that includes ancestral veneration.

My journey has led me through various media and disciplines such as jewellery making, encaustic painting, kinetic sculpture and carving. My practice has now circled back to jewellery making and carving to honour the memory of my ancestors.

Currently my work centres around concepts of identity, empowerment, and sustainability within the context of earth-based spirituality grounded in ancestral veneration. I am committed to creating pieces that are designed with ethically sourced local materials from indigenous and community-centred companies. I create handmade, carved objects that honour, nurture  and support everyone on their journey.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rowena (she/they)

Photo ID: Amazing photo by  Lisa East of me smiling widely outside in my garden I’m dressed in black. My salt and pepper hair is shaved short on the sids and longer on top. It’s finally growing out after having shaved it for the last 2 years. I’m sitting in front of some sprays of purple and pink flowers and greenery against a brown backdrop. A memory of a wonderful afternoon captured by Lisa on a Sunday afternoon during Venus hour.