New mural brightens Crestline

Crestline is getting a colorful shot-in-the-arm at the Akasha Healing Center this week. Those at Akasha have commissioned a colorful mural painted on the exterior of their formerly nondescript building for all to enjoy.

The mural has immediately caught the attention of those who pass by as it is being created, with many stopping, getting out of their cars and complimenting the artist.

“This mural has been in the planning, design and imagination stages for a long time,” said the Rev. Thaddeus Meairs, Akasha’s owner.

The building being painted by muralist Molly Collins began with a bright, multicolor, almost psychedelic rainbow flowing into a night sky and includes many lush tropical details, including palm trees, bird of paradise plants and a waterfall. It depicts the four Hula goddesses: Pele the Goddess of Fire, representing the south; Lilnoe the north; Laka the east; and Hi`ika the west.

“It is meant to be a tribute to the Hawaiian culture, which we at Akasha take very seriously,” added Meairs.

“Akasha is not currently open (due to the limitations imposed by the coronavirus), so we decided to take this opportunity to get the building into shape and to do all the projects we never had time to do while open,” Meairs said. “Now that the building’s decades-long flooding problems are solved, we also are redoing the interior. We’re adding a therapy room, redesigning the room for yoga and other classes and adding a tattoo studio, with special sinks from Morocco. Katerra Hartling, who specializes in cover-up and corrective tattooing, will be here.”

Akasha will resume their classes when they reopen with Tai-Chi, belly dancing lessons, yoga and, of course, several forms of hula, from simple to ancient and Hap-aha-lole hula sessions. They will be offering body care with facials, scalp treatments and more.

Of course, their holistic life coaching sessions will be available, along with chakra balancing, reiki, crystal-enhanced reiki and cupping, plus hand and foot reflexology. Their pantry will have locally made jams, honey, breads and other healthy food items. They will have books and accessories for all their classes and customer needs. Akasha is planning several retreats this next spring at The Skyforest Inn, with focused study sessions in several areas, including hula, belly dancing and yoga.

Akasha’s grand reopening will be in the spring, when all the projects are complete. “We have ordered many new items for the center and hope the community enjoys the mural, while awaiting our reopening,” Meairs said.

Artist Molly Collins is well known for her “A Passion for Painting” paint-and-sip art classes she’s held in the mountain communities over the past couple of years. She has an extensive resume of large mural projects that she has completed for The Los Angeles Zoo, the Madrona Marsh Nature Center in Torrance, and the George F. Canyon Nature Center in Rolling Hills Estates. She has taught for the CaArtwork Project and has restored murals in several churches in Los Angeles.

Locally, in addition to creating the Goodwin’s Market multi-media mural on the demise of the grizzly bear in California, Collins has also painted the deer mural in Blue Jay and restored the statue at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Arrowhead. Collins has also created many personalized murals of forests, lakes and animals in many mountain homes, some of which have been focal highlights during the Lake Arrowhead home tours.

It is fortunate that Akasha chose muralist Molly Collins to create such a unique mural for the Crestline community, because good art uplifts a community. Everyone will notice it as they drive through town. It is a positive addition to the other murals in the Crestline community.

The Akasha Holistic Healing Center (www.akashahealingcenter.com) is located at 24060 Lake Drive in Crestline, across from Forest Shade Road.