SELVY THIRUVENGADAM

Founder / Artist / Facilitator / Author / Musician

Multimedia Artist and Master’s Degree Art Therapist / Sandtray Therapist / Drum Circle Facilitator 

Click Here to Check Out My Book: Love Ladies

A Little Talk Story about me and how Mystic Bee Sanctuary came to BE...

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I started experimenting with art as a very small child and continued with formal training in Painting and Psychology, acquiring 2 bachelor’s degrees from Syracuse University in 1991. I went on to achieve a Master’s degree in Art Therapy in 1993 from The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, which partnered with Rush Medical College for Psychiatry / Psycho-Pharmacology education. My Master’s Thesis was: Using Art Therapy as a Cathartic Tool for the Reduction of Anxiety on an Acute Medical Unit with Patients Presenting with HIV and AIDS.

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I worked with diverse populations in acute medical and psychiatric facilities, substance abuse treatment centers, residential treatment facilities and private practice and specialized in helping people with addictions and chronic severe mental illness. I have meditated since I was 3 and have taught meditation to my clients and others for 30 years. I have provided individual and group art therapy, including sandtray experiences. I have led community and private workshops, provided professional trainings, supervision, retreats and therapy groups for 30 years. I have also enjoyed offering art / collage journal classes, Joy On Life’s Terms (J.O.L.T.) workshops, Women’s and Men’s Sacred Circles and retreats that include meditation instruction, personal spirituality exploration, art exploration / instruction, and sandtray experiences… and some sharing of scrumptious healthy meals, singing and dancing to great music and even occasionally howling under the moonlight! Kona Coffee and yummy desserts are often thrown in there too!

I believe Art is Medicine to our Spirits, lifting hearts and bringing joy, and that Art, and life, can be Prayer. I am blessed to know my own paintings are in private collections all over the world.

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A personal note about me:

A pivotal time for me was in 2012 when I had a hysterectomy and entered menopause which was followed by multiple losses of primary people in my life in the span of one year. I am a product of my life experiences and this was a time of painful spiritual growth. As each loved one passed, I was left feeling and thinking: “What the heck, God?” I turned to silence... and meditation and my creative connection to invite Grace into my struggle and found Plan B: Mystic Bee Sanctuary. I retired from my private practice work and have committed fully to embracing the need for promotion of peace, comfort and joy on life’s terms and to sharing this message with others in my work. It is a backdoor to the depression, anxiety and insomnia that I encountered with clients over the years, that I have learned to be with and that I strongly feel is a pandemic in our world today.

The name Mystic Bee speaks to the mystical nature of being and tips a hat to bees who are quintessential symbols of living in natural harmony. Their present plight highlights our on-going plight as humans to honor our inter-connectedness in nature. The shared altruism for the bees unites participants of Mystic Bee Sanctuary in a common effort to remember the major role bees play in our lives and to promote their welfare.

In 2005, I was ordained as a minister of Absolute Monism (Pure Oneness- believing everyone has the God given rite to seek their own Higher Power) by a mentor of mine, one of the special people who passed away in 2013. I am licensed in the state of Hawai’i, and have the honor of working with the 12-step recovery world as a person who provides spiritual support to those who do not have a church. There are many people who have a spiritual connection to a Higher Power of their understanding, or are seeking a connection with a Power greater than themselves but do not have a church, and at times, need spiritual services. Since 2005, I have had the honor of providing a variety of these services which include house blessings, human & pet loss and grief support, private J.O.L.T. sessions (Joy On Life’s Terms), weddings, vow renewals, funerals, memorials / life celebrations and private spiritual counseling, including bedside support during end of life transitioning and also at the time of death. Each Celebration of Life has taught me more about the need for inner and outer peace, comfort, and joy. I feel deeply blessed to be connected to others providing these sacred services, to minister to my community with kindness and to be of service to those who come to Kona to celebrate LOVE!

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The only doctrine of Mystic Bee Sanctuary is TO BE KIND.
 

In the span of 1 day:

Life as a Spiritual Ritual.

I believe there is a ritual every morning beginning with the light in the sky, our Sun, like lighting a candle to begin our fresh start. And in the evening as the Sun goes down and the moon rises, the rituals of our lives continue, sanctifying the slow descent into darkness, honoring the shadows of our lives. 

I have deeply turned inward to feel the sorrows of losses I have been abundantly given in this lifetime. And from this journey I have learned, and learned, and learned. 

To honor these lessons, I share my life rhythms on my YouTube channel, Mystic Bee Sanctuary.

There I continue to share how I bring Sacred Ritual and Mindfulness on Celebrating ALL of Life. 

Comfort is necessary and available in healthy & unhealthy forms.

Being gentle with myself and others is a great choice, one moment at a time.

In the valleys of the day: I forgive, have compassion, I am of service and survive life until I can thrive again.

To participate in the infinite small experiences as a tiny human being in a vast mysterious cosmos, as well as cherish my friends and family, are truly the gifts and riches of my lifetime.

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Mystic Bee Sanctuary has come from my personal spiritual and artistic journey, observing along the way that some folks desire a space to meditate together that is free of any religious or multi-spiritual ideas. A place to just come and BE, in silence, together, feeling the experience of quiet togetherness… in wonder together… in comfort together… in discomfort together… in ‘I have no idea how I feel right now’ and in ‘Wow, I just heard something from within!’

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It is a place to develop & support Conscious Contact with a Higher Power

OF YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING.

Mystic Bee Sanctuary is a place to meditate and celebrate ALL OF LIFE. The good, the bad and the ugly….Even the boring and the “stuckness.” It all just is… This is a place to sit and be with it all... and listen to the quiet within. It is a place to provide comfort to those who may feel alone in their spiritual journey by coming together in silence.

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I have traveled the world since I was a small child and was taught meditation at the age of three. I have instructed people in a variety of meditation styles, from beginners to advanced meditators. I have developed my skills in teaching meditation & believe in a practical approach. I use different meditation experiences that allow for beginners to experience a gentle entry into the mysterious world of meditation and often advanced meditators enjoy getting back to the basics alongside beginners. Many folks believe there is something to beginner’s mind that is the essence of all meditation.

I believe having a routine, a place to be, is key.

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How can you get meditation into your life?

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By coming to the Mystic Bee Sanctuary YouTube Channel for meditation, you could have 90% of the answer to that question! The last 10%... well, that is where Great Mystery Lies…

That’s between you and your Higher Power!

I will also offer Drumming & Art Making as a meditation practice and for Peace, Comfort & Joy.
It brings me joy to see the joy in participants as they connect to their own creativity and Divine Energy!

I am excited and enthusiastic about sharing Peace, Comfort, and Joy!

I hope to see you there!

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May Peace Bee with You and May You Thrive in Your Hive.