I hope you’ll come into the studio and meet our meditating rhinoceros. He is a few hundred pounds of pure wooden love, hand-carved in Bali. I found him at the Tucson Gem Show last January and drove him all the way back to Napa Valley with my husband, John.
On the very first day of the Gem Show, I visited one of my favorite vendors, who always curates the most beautiful, heartfelt collection of gemstone carvings and other treasures. In fact, our travel chakra bowls and the fluorite Buddha also came from these wonderful people, and that Buddha remains one of my favorite pieces. But I digress…
The moment I walked into their showroom, I saw the rhino and instantly fell in love.
The year before, I had the incredible privilege of traveling to South Africa on safari with my family. During that trip, we were gifted the unforgettable experience of seeing a mother rhino and her baby, who was less than a week old. Rhinos are such large, majestic animals, and seeing one in its very first days of life was simply magical. It left a permanent place in my heart.
So when I came face to face with this gorgeous, whimsical wooden beast, I knew he had to come home with me.
My friend MaryAnn was kind enough to let him sit in the showroom for the week with a “Sold” sign on him. MaryAnn told me she had never had so many inquiries about a sold item and eventually had to move him to a less prominent location. I was so grateful to find him, there was only one, and he was coming home with me.
Today he sits proudly overlooking the studio, quietly keeping watch over the space.
The rhinoceros is known for its deeply grounding energy. It reminds us to stand firmly in who we are, trust our instincts, and move through life with quiet confidence. Beneath its immense strength is a calm, steady presence, a beautiful reminder that true power doesn’t have to be loud.
In celebration of the launch of our Instagram account and our upcoming Grand Opening, I have one favor to ask. Our meditating rhino still doesn’t have a name! I’d love your help choosing one. Follow along on Instagram and send me your ideas—we’ll reveal his official name at our Grand Opening in September.
