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About Karalee

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 Karalee Bechtol
 -  Bead Enthusiast
 -  Owner/Creator at
 Homer Beads and Things
 -  Yoga Instructor
 -  Studio Owner at
                   Homer Hot Yoga
 -  Owner/Director at
                  Wise Woman Ways
 -  Ritualist
-  Ordained Minister
-  Jungian Psychotherapist
                  (in a previous life)

As a child, my mother took me to see Tibetan Monks create a traditional sand mandala, applying sand granules through small straw like tubes. These mandalas take several weeks to complete, and upon completion, the monks perform a ritual where they destroy it. 

 

They ceremonially sweep it up, collecting the sand in a jar which is then wrapped in silk and taken to a river where it is released back into nature. This symbolizes the ephemerality of life and the world. 

 

Viewing this ritual had a profound impact on me as a young child. 

I had been coloring mandalas as a form of meditation for years, when I saw an ad for a jewelry class called "Beaded Mandala Pendants".  I went, and have been hooked on working with beads ever since.

When I create something with beads, I always feel inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist monks I saw as a child.  There are Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns across Asia that bless and chant over beads strings they make called Malas.  I use beading as a form of ritual and meditation and am always praying over and blessing my work with positive thoughts and energy.

I became a professional jewelry designer when I began selling equestrian themed jewelry to the Santa Anita Horse Race Track near Los Angeles, California. I have sold pieces in several stores in Homer, Alaska including Fireweed Gallery, Wild Honey Bistro, Siren's Folly and Stowaway Cafe.

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