About the Event

Join us for a day of creation and contemplation centered around hikaru dorodango, a meditative practice of hand-shaping earth into smooth, polished spheres.

Most dorodango are made from two simple ingredients: dirt and water. You are invited to bring 3-4 cups of dirt that is meaningful to you (pure sand and ash will need to be combined with clay to create a bond). Everything else will be provided. 

Though a bit messy at first, the dorodango process inspires mindfulness and connection to place. It is a lovely way of capturing earth that is special to you, whether it reminds you of home or a place you have traveled. You may also be interested in bringing some of the cremated ashes of a pet or loved one to memorialize in your sculpture. 

Over the course of this 2-hour workshop, you will 1) learn how to form an initial mud ball, 2) cultivate the drying process, and 3) practice burnishing your dorodango to your desired sheen. But most importantly, we will practice contemplative awareness together in community. 

About Haymitch

Haymitch St. Stephen is a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose work focuses on contemplative spirituality and transformative experience design. He holds a master’s degree in Learning Design + Technology from Stanford University. He is the author of Friend of the Devil: A Story of Mental Health, Mistakes, and Self-Forgiveness. He lives in Midway, Utah, where he is currently building Great Way Sanctuary.

Following his grandfather's trade as a mortician, he works with individuals, families, and funeral homes to create hand-crafted dorodango memorials by combining the cremated remains of their loved ones with a naturally-sourced clay substrate harvested high in the Wasatch Mountains. The resulting dorodango is more than a mud ball, or sculpture. It's a living artifact, which family and friends can take off the shelf often and hold in their hands.