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Way of Life | Art print

Ask the Mountains

This is the landscape nomadic peoples of the Arctic have travelled for decades and generations. Moving their herds and homes and children safely tucked onto sleds, across the tundra. This is still the case in some areas. If you’ve witnessed the ever-changing play of colours and atmosphere during the Arctic winter and Polar night, it looks something like this; pastel skies, crisp clear air, moon in daytime and the sun hiding behind the horizon, blessing us with a few rays here and there before leaving for a few months. I am in awe at how my ancestors have survived and even thrived here for so long; I feel moved to my core by their know-how of the elements, seasons and animals. “Way of Life” art print, 2400 NOK 🩵💜🤍🧡 89 x 46,5 cm including white edges. The prints have the title written on the white part in front, and signature on the back.

Can be shipped anywhere 🙏🏼

Shown on dark wall 🖤
Shown on light wall 🤍
Acrylic painting, Adventure, Arctic, Art, Artist, Aurora borealis, Beauty, Culture, DIY, Finnmark, House, Indigenous, Landscape, På landet, Photography, Siberian, Uncategorized, Uralic

Never tire

Ask the Mountains

I simply never tire of seeing the auroras, no matter how often they appear. Here above our house 🌌 My phone camera didn’t do them justice of course.. Also, did a small aurora painting in December that I gave away on my Christmas Giveaway on my art page. 🩵

Arctic, Art, Awareness, Beauty, Buddhism, Dharma, Everyday life, Indigenous, Landscape, Meditation, Nordic, Photography, Quotes, Sámi, Sápmi, Taoism, Uncategorized, Yoga

Careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream

Ask the Mountains
Our garden river frozen, but still trickling 🩵

“The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.
Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it;
all we can describe is their appearance.

They were careful
as someone crossing an iced-over stream.
Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Shapable as a block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Clear as a glass of water.

Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?

The Master doesn’t seek fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
she is present, and can welcome all things.”

-Chapter 15, Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu

Adventure, Arctic, Art, Awareness, Beauty, Culture, Dharma, Everyday life, Finnmark, Hair, Indigenous, Landscape, Mental health, Motherhood, Nordic, Outfit, People, Photography, Saami, Sámi, Sápmi, Self portrait, Siberian, Spirituality, Tantric, Uncategorized, Uralic, Vajrayana, Yoga

The shortest way

Ask the Mountains

“Maintain the state of undistractedness, and distractions will fly away. Dwell alone, and you shall find the Friend. Take the lowest place, and you shall reach the highest. Hasten slowly, and you shall soon arrive. Renounce all worldly goals, and you shall reach the highest Goal. If you follow this unfrequented path, you will find the shortest way.” -Milarepa

October photos. Colourful sky, sunny days and snowy days.. It’s always shifting very fast here, you could almost say there is four seasons within one season 🌅🌦❄️
Prayer flags in our garden ☃️ The weather was interesting that day; grey sky and sea, white landscape and a heavy kind of silence.
Animals, Anthropology, Awareness, Chronic illness, Culture, Everyday life, Health, Keto, Neurological, People, Pregnancy, Saami, Sámi, Sápmi, Tromsø, Uncategorized

Is the Ketogenic Diet Safe in Pregnancy? (Very Important)

Ask the Mountains

This short video really highlights something that is close to my heart; right nutrition in pregnancy. Am currently pregnant with our second baby, and since going keto, the difference before and after is like night and day. Especially if I compare to my first pregnancy 4 years ago when I was not in ketosis. I was binging carbs all day and gaining a lot of weight, and barely had any energy. At the end of that pregnancy, I had to use crutches and/or wheelchair. The really shitty thing about using glucose as main energy source is that the more carbs you eat, the more you crave. I’ve noticed that when switching to (animal) fat as the main fuel, I don’t have cravings, mood and energy level is quite stable and I can function a lot better as a mum and basically as a human being 😅 I can write a longer more in detail post about what exactly I eat to maintain ketosis and how it makes sense for me to do that both from a health perspective but also from an ancestral point of view.

(Pictured: beef tallow I eat every day.)

Xx Monica Amrita Mani

Acrylic painting, Animals, Arctic, Art, Awareness, Beauty, Buddhism, Culture, Dharma, DIY, Everyday life, Heritage, History, Indigenous, Landscape, Meditation, People, Photography, Saami, Sápmi, Shamanism, Siberian, Spirituality, Tantric, Uncategorized, Uralic, Yoga

Tantra with shamanistic roots

Ask the Mountains
It is from Eastern Siberia that the word shaman comes from, which means to ‘heat up’. Where it originated before that, I do not know. The ‘new shananism’ people in the west speak of today can hardly be compared.
Shamanism and animism has permeated most if not all of the nomadic and semi-nomadic cultures in this part of the world. The shamans have traditionally been both women and men, though the word ‘shaman’ is masculine form. The feminine word for a female shaman is ‘udugan’ in Tungusic language. In Northern Sámi a shaman is known as a Noaide.
(Acrylic on mixed media paper, A4)
Shaman’s drum to aid in the trance travel

Here is some pictures I used for inspiration for my painting.

I can also highly recommend these practices on youtube by a Uralic Tantric yoga teacher Amrita Baba; where he teaches tantric practices with ancient shamanic masters. Here is part 1 of 4, and the other parts linked below video.

Part 2: https://youtu.be/vS-7P3B7N2Q?si=14fzDmiSptsM0a_q

Part 3: https://youtu.be/2h04mO6bPt4?si=jfKcEQCKLXDRqCcJ

Part 4: https://youtu.be/Auq6GWt-u84?si=BMk0oaolL6tJYPgC

Arctic, Beauty, Buddhism, Dharma, Everyday life, Landscape, People, Photography, Saami, Sámi, Sápmi, Self portrait, Tromsø, Uncategorized, Uralic, Vajrayana, Yoga

Namo Isha Ja – Guided meditation

Ask the Mountains

A heart opening guided meditation session led by Kim Rinpoche.

October night sky a few weeks ago 💙🍂

If we know our hearts and our own natural state, we will also simultaneously know how to love and care. Not only for others but for ourselves and our difficult emotions. Life is so full of difficult emotions, as we know. Compassion and forgiveness is always with you, like a silent friend.

Thank you for reading and still following my blog. It is most appreciated. My posts are very sporadic, as time flies by with the new baby. Long days but short weeks. Not enough hours to get it all done, and not enough hours to just enjoy him – this new little person that runs our lives now. Motherhood is equally hard as it is wonderful. I hope to get more painting and other artsy projects into my days again.