Shirley Allen Gallery & Boutique presents rudraksha collection
For three decades, the Shirley Allen Boutique and Gallery has been an island staple, and whether you’re looking for fine art, religious artifacts, rare shells, exquisite jewelry or a just simple string of beads, Shirley Allen is a gallery of wonders just waiting to be discovered.
But for this weekend only, Captivans and visitors are invited to Shirley Allen Designs for a special treat — beautiful strands of rudraksha seeds strung into strands of prayer beads, courtesy of Trishul, a dear friend of store owners Shirley Allen and George Siconolfi.
Over the past twenty years, Trishul’s Colorado-based music distribution business, White Swan Music, has provided yoga communities, gift shops and wellness and retreat centers all over the world with a unique selection of healing music — from dance tunes to ancient Sanskrit mantras — but over the past two years, Trishul has started to add various meditation tools to her inventory, including the rudraksha
Rudrakshas are seeds that fall from trees located in only five countries in the world, but according to mythology, rudrakshas — also known as “the eyes of Shiva” — entered creation when the Hindu god Shiva, while meditating on the welfare of mankind, shed tears of compassion, peace and joy.
The seeds, the smallest of which are considered very rare, are strung together to make malas, which have been used for over 1,000 years to count mantras and mediate, much like the way Catholics use rosaries in prayer.
The particular line of rudraksha malas are made especially for White Swan Music by a woman named Soma — a devotee of Enlightened Master Harilal Poonja, also known Papaji — who lives in Bali.
“Her work is absolutely beautiful. She incorporates these rudrakshas with freshwater pearls, precious and semi-precious stones and some of them are combined with 22 karat gold. The collection I brought with me to Shirley Allen was created by Soma especially for this weekend event,” Trishul said. “And what’s really great about what she does is that a lot of the money from her sales go to benefit an orphanage in Bali. She also provides work opportunities for Hindu windows — who, once they lose their husband, are deemed undesirable by society.”
So why did Trishul come all the way from Colorado to share this unique rudraksha collection with Captivans?
“Because of who George and Shirley are — they’re loving, beautiful, conscious beings and I think they work from the heart. Everything they have in the shop represents that. They select pieces that resonate with people, and they like to share things that are special. The minute I walked into Shirley Allen, I felt such peaceful and loving energy,” Trishul said. “I think this island is lucky to have people like Shirley and George.”
And they feel the same way about Trishul, who first connected with them through her music company.
“Trishul is love,” George said, “and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. We’ve learned so much from her.”
Trishul will be at Shirley Allen until Sunday, March 27, and available to answer any questions about the rudraksha malas. Trishul will also have shawls and Japanese and Tibetan singing bowls for sale throughout the weekend.
And as always, guests are free to browse the extensive collection of fine and wearable art on display and for sale at Shirley Allen, including Carter shibori clothing, Emily Mead’s jewelry, colorful Jams button-down shirts and sundresses, rare shells, art by Paul Jacoulet and much, much more — in particular, the work of many unknown artists. Does the name Roberto Cavalli sound familiar? Decades ago, Shirley Allen was one of the first people to give this up-and-coming fashion designer a chance — and now Cavalli’s work is seen on runways all across the globe. You never know what you’ll find when you pay a visit to Shirley Allen!
For more information about Shirley Allen, located at 11528 Andy Rosse Lane, call 472-3506, or go to www.ShirleyAllen.com.