“My dream ...

Thank you so much, Nis. My dream has come true—I made my own dreamharp. Thank you for guiding me step by step. It was an incredible and amazing experience. I hank you, Cornelia, for supporting us too. And thank you to my classmate, Alwyn, for your company. All the best,”

– Binbin 🥰, 30 Nov 2024, Workshop Participant

“die Umdrehungen werden immer weniger 😀

Liebe Cornelia, lieber Nis Vielen Dank für die Videos. Auch der Kurs hat mir gut gefallen und ich habe grosse Freude an der Dreamharp. Bin täglich am stimmen. Aber die Umdrehungen werden immer weniger 😀. Euch eine schöne Zeit und herzliche Grüsse ”

– Chantal, 27 Sept 2023, Workshop Teilnehmerin

“safe place to heal

The serene and tranquil surroundings and wonderful hospitality with new friends made the workshop very enjoyable. As I carved away at the wood, I felt a carving and re-shaping also taking place within myself. It was a safe place to heal, work silently, laugh, cry, sing and I appreciate it all. Hearty thanks to Nis and Cornelia!”

– Vinodha, 30 Apr 2023, Workshop Participant

“Thanks

I really enjoyed it. Was great!! Have a great weekend”

- Jay, 16 Apr 2023, Workshop Participant

“amazing workshop

Hey Nis! How are you going in this crazy world? I just realised I never sent you the photos I took at our workshop in Dec, I've attached them in this e-mail :) I still play my harp almost every day and it's become a big part of my morning ritual of coming back to a more present place before starting my day. Thank you for creating such an amazing workshop. I quit my job at the start of this year due to mandates and have been selling some clothing & other things at the fremantle farmers market. It has changed my life and I feel so much happier doing something I love. Best Wishes!”

– Amy, 12 Feb 2022 , Workshop Participant

“incredible offering

I thought I would bring my harp in to tune and play on my breaks but when it turned out that I was assigned to one of our patients who has been here a very long time, a woman permanently dependent on a ventilator (breathing machine) awaiting a bed in a community facility who is very alert and stable and able to communicate easily, I thought I would ask her if she would like to see my harp. She was delighted... Once I had her ready for bed, I went into her room and played the harp for her until she fell asleep (with a lovely smile on her lips). A few other nurses and staff saw me playing it and by morning I had shown it to many people and they, too, were enamoured by its sound and feel. The next night (24th) the patient I was caring for asked me to play it again and so I did. By morning, I felt brave enough to carry it through the halls of our unit softly playing, some of the other nurses were begging me to come home with them! Everyone absolutely loves the harp and I have met no resistance whatsoever, they can see and feel its therapeutic qualities. I am so pleased that I will be able to use the harp in my professional work here at the hospital! Tonight, I will be facilitating my first yoga class since returning home and sharing the harp with my friends there as well. Thank you for helping me to share this incredible offering with so many others, I am so grateful for this... Sending you joyful vibes across the world, may light forever fill your heart.”

– Nadia xoxo, 31 Dec 2017, Workshop Participant

“making possible

Thank YOU for making this workshop possible and all your patience, knowledge, guidance and nurturing environment. It was truly a very soul enriching experience for me and I could not be happier with my precious and unique DreamHarp. It has hardly left my body since arriving home - no chores completed because I can’t get enough of plucking, strumming and just exploring the wonder and delight playing it brings me (of course I use the term “playing” very loosely as I have no skill, but it is the magic of this instrument that it still enables me to produce ethereal and uplifting sounds). Of course my beautiful instrument is still adjusting and stretching so I am also gaining much skill in tuning it and I believe my “ear” is improving rapidly, but am lucky to have an electronic tuner”

– Yvonne, 28 Feb 2017, Workshop Participant

“dream come true...

Making my Dream Harp with Nis at Pulse Art Studio was a heartfelt and profound experience in many ways. Nis is such an expert and seamlessly guides you through the process. It was physically (and emotionally) challenging but so rewarding on many levels to achieve the crafting of your own instrument. I love my longed for harp and as I hold it against my heart each day, I feel the deep and sacred song within it. I thoroughly recommend this journey if are considering making your own instrument. Thanks, too, to Cornelia for her lovely snacks and beverages and company and the heartwarming dinner we all shared at the end. Thank you Nis for making this dream come true...Thank you for creating the Dream Harp and for sharing it with the world...”

– Kim Echammaal, 31 Oct 2016, Workshop Participant

“Oh West Wind…

I have been playing my new Dreamharp today. Thank you for sharing your skills, talents and patience with us. Oh West Wind will travel with me and it was a great challenge making it. It was great to be spontaneous and take up the three day workshop. I did a little reading about the symbolism of wind and found this. Wind represents the spirit, the vital breath of the universe. J.C. Cooper points out that wind represents the power of spirit in sustaining life and holding it together. Hence the symbolic association of wind with cords, ropes and threads. As stated in the Upanishads, "The rope of the wind…The thread is the same as the wind."”

– Laurie Cochrane, 31 Dec 2015, Workshop Participant

“A GIFT OF HARMONY

Several months ago, I was invited by the Baha’i Community to a Fundraising Dinner aimed at purchasing a Peace Pole for our community. Such a Pole serves to act as a silent prayer symbol for peace on earth; a peace that is sorely needed in these troubled times. At the Dinner, the theme of peace was expressed through fellowship, speech, song and music. One item particularly touched me.I could actually feel the music from what is called a “Dreamharp,” a small lyre carved and formed completely out of one piece of wood. Its soothing and vibrating tones entered my being and tuned up my soul. The experience was deeply calming, and I found the idea of an instrument being able to harmonize a person intriguing.I related this to one of my friends, and a week later he offered me the gift of attending a three day workshop to make my own Dream Harp. He appreciated how much I needed a holiday but knew that, without the finances, the likelihood of my escaping from endeavours for justice in our Church and the world would be slight. This present provided a mini-vacation, a chance to have a break from my work. Before beginning my adventure, and during my Morning Prayer, I began to recognize and meditate on references to harps and lyres in the Psalms. David writes: Make a joyful noise, all the earth; break forth into joyous song! – Sing praise to God with the harp, with the lyre and the sound of music! All creation sings before God who comes to judge the earth. God will judge the world with justice and the peoples with equity (David, a skilful lyre player, who endured many battles and was often at war within himself, seemingly found reprieve from his struggles when playing this peace-communicating instrument Psalm 98). At the beginning of the workshop, our teacher, Nis, and we six participants introduced ourselves to each other. To my delight, two other Catholics from my parish had also enrolled. We were each given a choice of three woods from which we could carve our Dream Harp. Unsure, I waited for the others to choose What was left was a flawed, rough, sawn piece with a knot near its edge. It was not particularly attractive in colour, but Nis said that this piece of Morton Bay Fig would produce the mellowest of sounds. That fitted entirely with my aim to produce soothing music and besides, I instinctively tend to align myself with the rejected. This piece, in its imperfection, was perfect. Next, we were asked to draw a design within the body of the wood. This fulfilled the practical purpose of creating a strong bridge for the instrument, but the design also provided an opportunity to stamp our Dream Harp with our own special image. Vicki, [1] whose cancer had returned for the second time, drew symbols of her three children. Steve and Evelyn, who were making their harps for children and grandchildren, chose nostalgic scenes that had surrounded former homes. Larry chose a fish, the ancient symbol of Christianity, and Ann, an environmentalist, chose a dolphin. I chose a dove of peace, a Christian and Muslim symbol of harmony, suggesting the mutual sharing of aspirations and efforts to build a just and peaceful world. Except for Steve, none of us had ever used wooden hammers and chisels, let alone made an instrument. However, under Nis’s patient and skilful guidance, we slowly carved into existence a beautiful instrument stamped with its redeeming sign sprung from the trials and tribulations of each of our lives. It was not an easy exercise. At first, I had no idea of what I was doing. My amateurish hammering splintered the top layers of the wood. But this potential instrument was very forgiving and with growing humility, I learnt to carve the wood with care, discovering the worth of its fault and the underlying beauty of its ordinariness. The woody knot became the central feature, an eye of the dove. And when I worked with or across the grain, it yielded straight and swirling patterns, giving flight to my dove, journeying towards peace. On the third day, we inscribed the back of our instrument with messages of significance. Most wrote something to their families, while on mine I inscribed a poem: “Dove of Peace, Come Into Our Hearts. Make them Just, Help them Love.” After sanding, oiling, stringing and tuning, I held my Dream Harp close to my heart. That long-awaited moment had finally arrived. With each gentle strum, I felt the vibrations enter my being. My Harp’s charm was irresistible, calling me to sit quiet and receive its gift of Harmony. There has been a profound lesson for me in all this. The pursuit of justice and peace through social activism finds its equilibrium and power through the practice of inner peace. And for that insight, I thank those in my harp-making community, and especially dear and generous friend. Nisargam, the designer and craftsman of such instruments, can be contacted through this website. ”

– Dr. JANE ANDERSON, 30 Sept 2011, Workshop Participant

“A POEM

I wrote this poem after the workshop, I hope you like it.

I met a man who made a harp,

he carved it from a tree

He carved it all with love and care,

then shared his skills with me.

I chose my wood and chisled deep,

carved and shaped with care,

And all the while I toiled with love,

harp music filled the air.

Beneath my hands I felt her heart,

her life, her form, her shape.

I cut away the wood with ease,

for her spirit to escape. Now I have my harp to play

I've set her spirit free

I gently strum her strings of gold.

and she sweetly sings for me."

– LYN MONTEL, 31 May 2008, Workshop Participant

“The Making of a Dreamharp

I attended a Dreamharp workshop with Nis. I have had little experience with carving and worked with wood a bit when I was at the Perth Waldorf School as a kid. I am now also studying Art at uni doing my majors in Painting and Ceramics, but creating a musical instrument out of a piece of wood has been a completely new experience of exploration of a unique material, which is able to express time, growth, colour, form and texture without you doing anything to it. So how is it that a tree with its own characteristics can be carved into an instrument of even more beauty and character? An Instrument whose vibrations touch your soul, heal the heart and create a harmony of sound in whichever way you play it. How is it that carving the wood brings you to an inner peace where creativity flows and the mind no longer has control? Where you work with the natural grain of the wood and bring it to life in a sculpture, which expresses its uniqueness as well as expressing your own truth and an essence of self. It is through a meditative state that you let go of the stories of the mind “I can't do this”,” it’s too hard”, “I have no experience”; by becoming part of the wood and sculpting it in a way which enhances all previous aspects of it. Being part of the wood also allows you to see shapes and patterns emerge, and pictures or symbols, which have meanings to you, become integrated into a design. The essence of life flows through your hands and a piece of wood slowly becomes an instrument, a sculpture, an artwork. Through the creation of my Dreamharp I have learnt that sometimes you need to let go of all expectations to be able to fully live and be part of the experience. It was an amazing journey, which has taught me the importance of imagination, and of the letting go of what’s holding you back, as well as the value of a piece of wood, and the endless possibilities of creativity. Thank you Nis,

– Danica Wichtermann, 23-25th 2007, Workshop Participant

“A LYRE WORKSHOP

I took part in a Lyre carving workshop conducted by Nisargam in October 2001 and loved every minute of it ! It was a wonderful experience to take a piece of rough sawn wood and , with the help of a skilled and patient teacher , turn it into a beautiful instrument.

As a Playgroup Leader at the time , I used the Lyre to call the children to Storytime and settle them ready for listening.My daughter ( 4 yrs old ) immediately took to playing it whenever she could at home , always producing beautiful music. It always has a very calming effect on her.

This year I began teaching Class 1 and have used it regularly in the classroom. The children love to play it , listen to it and identify the songs they sing and play on their recorders. They play it freely by improvising and seem to really enjoy the freedom to 'play', discovering the music they make pontaneously.

It is truly a beautiful instrument to have in the classroom and the calming effect is a real bonus at times !

– SUE THOMSON , 31 Oct 2001, Workshop Participant