The Crane Harp

So this time around a harp commissioned for a lovely lady who helps people on their own journeys in life and often on their final journey....

Excerpt from the Harps Australia website:

"This harp’s artwork was inspired by the work of Tina Tourin, founder of the International Harp Therapy Program (IHTP). Celtic lore associates crane knowledge as arcane wisdom and teachings.  In both Eastern and Western traditions, the crane is seen as a bird that carries the soul to safety and rest, in China to “ the Western heaven” .

In Celtic tradition, the soul was carried to the sacred “Isles in the West”. In European prehistory, Crane dances enacted by shamans symbolized the journey of the soul through death, incarnation and rebirth. Today, this ancient lore is enacted in the IHTP training of modern harpers to utilize music to create “a cradle of sound” to accompany and comfort individuals in life-death or crisis transitions. Nadia chose the cherry blossoms and delicate Asian style artwork as a fitting reference to the IHTP’s important work in Japan and Asia."

I hope she likes it.... :)

And after it was all strung up....

(with thanks to harps australia for these photos)

And just because I love it and because it is rather fitting with it's "last sleep" and harp theme...

The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon 1881–1898 - Edward Burne-Jones