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Art & Morning Altars™

Whether we’re searching for new lands or new perspectives, the challenge is often the same: to leave behind familiar maps and step into mystery. When words fall short or we feel stuck in the same old story, visual language offers a different way in and through. 


"Often the hands will solve the mysteries that the intellect has struggled with in vain."
- Carl Jung -


Please know that this isn't about being an artist or knowing how to accurately paint a still life, it's about going exploring off the beaten path - an adventure! You may find yourself holding a lump of clay or an oil pastel stick, creating a collage or a treasure map...leaving logistical planning behind as you allow other ways of knowing to come through your hands to shape insight and stories you didn’t know you knew. Imagine that! 


©Peggy Tileston  A response to the question, "How do you feel when you're at work?"

The visual language I love to share most with others is the creation of nature mandalas and other forms of earth art. As a certified teacher of Morning Altars™, I can assure you that it's far more than arranging leaves, sticks and petals into a pretty mandala or design. It’s a practice of wonder, intention, and presence—a therapeutic bridge between inner and outer landscapes, a map of the psyche. Creating a Morning Altar becomes a journey in itself: grounding, healing, and illuminating. As Day Schildkret, founder of Morning Altars™, writes:

“Art, nature, and ritual have always offered a light in dark places. Individually, they can tether us to presence, purpose, and beauty during unpredictable times, rooting us into what truly matters and guiding a way back to our hearts and homes.” 

The practice unfolds in stages:

  • Wandering and Wondering – We begin by slowing down, reawakening curiosity and awe. We gather natural elements with care, cultivating a respectful, reciprocal relationship with nature and the world around us.
  • Placing and Clearing – We choose where to create and prepare both the ground and our internal landscape. We clear distractions, set an intention, or simply listen for what wants to be expressed.
  • Creating – We shape our altar using texture, pattern, and color. There’s no right or wrong—just noticing, responding, allowing fragments to become whole. Note: You can create indoors with everyday materials. A paperclip, a feather, a saltshaker, that stone you keep on your windowsill—they all belong.
  • Gifting and Sharing – We dedicate the altar to ourselves, someone else or for a particular purpose. We might photograph it to remember and share the experience.
  • Letting Go – We acknowledge and experience the truth of impermanence by walking away and letting go of our creation, or mindfully dismantling what we’ve made. 

When we work together with Morning Altars, I also include:

  • Preparing – We’ll begin with a conversation about your intention and I’ll introduce you to the essence of this practice.
  • Integrating – Afterward, we’ll reflect, gather insights, and explore how what you've learned can ripple into the rest of your life.


Images from a few of the participants in an online workshop I hosted for student therapists on the theme of "Self Care" 

Whether part of an ongoing process or a one-time event, the Morning Altars practice can be a powerful companion on your journey—especially for exploring inner landscapes and moments of transition, or marking significant events. I also offer custom workshops and installations for events and ceremonies.

Curious to see what unfolds when you create with nature, art materials, intention, imagination and wonder?

Reach out here to schedule a complimentary 20-minute chat.


"Can we speak in flowers? It will be easier for me to understand."
- Nayyirah Waheed -


©Peggy Tileston  This spirited 5 year old asked if she could make one, then promptly deconstructed mine to construct her own. As it should be :-)