By holding the intention for the day … I was able to let come forth what had to come … in both image and word.
Intentionally counting the OmerFrom the second day of Passover until Shavuot, Jews count seven weeks – seven times seven days – to commemorate the period between the Exodus from Egypt and the Revelation at Sinai. When the Temple stood, a certain measure (omer) of barley was offered on the altar each day; today, we merely count out the days. has brought me nine years of depth, expression, and healing. It has been a transformative journey from a form of personal enslavement to freedom and revelation. Beginning in 2009 I chose to paint each day of the Omer as a practice, a nod to the unspoken act of expression in the moment. By holding the intention for the day (HesedLit. Kindness It is said in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) that the world stands on three things: Torah (learning), Avodah (worship), and Gemilut Hasidim (acts of kindness). she’b’Hesed, for example) and by preparing a surface for painting ahead of time, I was able to let come forth what had to come, one day at a time, in both image and word.Â
The power of art for healing, both in making and viewing it, motivated me to create a fiscally sponsored non-profit called Mending Spirit, art for healing, bringing art, artists, and art making to some very challenging places. I also began to see individual clients for work in this realm; together we collaborate in discovering the practices and modalities that will work the best for them individually. I have discovered how deeply art can positively affect the world of those who struggle, who are under stress, and who are suffering.
I will begin my tenth year of painting for the Omer in 2018. This has been an act of sacred intentionality. I continue to work with Art for Healing in the world and I know that this work is a result of my Omer practice and is a gratitude I cannot easily express. I encourage others to see what the Omer might bring.
View and purchase the 2017 deck of Omer practice cards here.
D’vorah Horn is a studio artist, an education and professional development consultant, and a therapeutic expressive mentor. Working with children, teens, and adults she acts as a guide to individual expression while exploring techniques in enhancing self realization, communication, and stress reduction. Her current studio and practice space is in Cheltenham, PA. D’vorah holds degrees in philosophy of education and political theory, as well as Masters degrees in human development (MSW), early childhood development, elementary education, and Montessori education (Med). D’vorah has had several recent exhibitions of her paintings and has placed her work in nursing homes, hospitals, hospices, and palliative care centers around the country as an aid in healing. In 2014 D’vorah founded a Fractured Atlas–sponsored non-profit called Mending Spirit, art for healing. Learn more about D'vorah Horn at her website and Facebook page.
