Altered Book Pages- Chakra HandBook
Shaped board book, gesso, assorted solid and pearlescent stamp inks, magazine clippings, rubber stamps, colored pencils, metallic leafing pens, vellum, Style Stone, 2009
This small (6" x 5") book has 6 interior sets of facing pages, as well as a wrap-around cover, for a total of 7. For some reason, the numbering made me think of the system of 7 chakras.
The chakra system, to put it very simply, is an ages-old eastern philosophy that states the human body has seven energy centers running from the bottom of the torso to the top of the head. Each chakra represents an aspect of our lives, from the most physical at the bottom to the most spiritual at the top, and the goal is to get them all in balance. Whether or not the chakras are "real" (some researchers associate them with seven major spinal ganglia), getting the different aspects of your life balanced seems like a good idea. Sometimes people pay big bucks to get their chakras "aligned" with crystals placed on their backs or things like that, but a better approach would probably be to simply try and become aware of which areas of your life need to be improved and then work on that.
A good book for those interested in learning more about the chakra system is Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System (Llewellyn's New Age Series)
Rubber stamps from Lost Angeles Rubber Works and ASLstamp.com. Many other supplies used (such as ink) are available from Arts'n'CraftSupplies.com
Altered layout copyright 2010 Kendra Harness/Lost Angeles Rubber Works