Gifts of Tara: Multimedia Post

A thinglink and panoramic of the Gifts of Tara, a local Tibetan crystal shop on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley, CA.

The entrance to Gifts of Tara on Telegraph, today Tenzin opened up the shop at 1pm. I walked in to say hello and catch up with him. I hear binaural beats playing through the speakers near the door. You can feel the calmness and positive energy once you step foot into the shop.

Tenzin urges me to take a picture of the lungta flags. He tells me that the lungta (English translation: Wind Horse) is a prayer flag. Families put them outside their homes so that when the wind blows against the flags, it allows the prayers to flow in the air and bless their homes.

Tibetan bowls that Tenzin informs me were hand crafted. He tells me that these are popular in Tibet while the ones with carvings in them are mostly popular for tourists. “Listen to the difference,” he says as he spins the wooden handle on the carved bowl and then the hand crafted Tibetan bowl.

Beautiful prayer beads that are placed on the main desk that Tenzin sits behind. Tenzin says that while he is saying his prayers or even in times of stress he counts the beads one by one to calm him down.

This is Tenzin! He is wearing a Tiger Eye bracelet, a Turquoise ring and prayer beads that were given to him by a family member. Tenzin tells me that his favorite stone is Turquoise and how he wishes his birthday were in December so that it’d be his birthstone. Tenzin’s zodiac sign is Cancer so his birth stone is the Ruby or Moonstone but claims he feels more connected to Turquoise. After checking his birth chart we discovered that he has a Capricorn moon! This explained his connection to Turquoise. He was relieved when he learned this about himself.

A short look inside the Gifts of Tara shop and an interview with Khephra Shaw, a regular customer.

Though the store owner did not feel comfortable being recorded for an interview, he was still kind enough to tell us some background on himself and his shop.

“We started off at a table on Telegraph, right there in front of what used to be Blondie’s, but I think it’s Abe’s now. We used to set up right there everyday,” says Tenzin.

Tenzin and his twin brother carried on the career of selling crystals and Tibetan apparel from their father. His father began selling crystals and apparel once arriving to America from India with the intent of not only making a living but also spreading love and change into people’s lives.

“If we can make a difference in someone’s life thanks to the energy that our crystals bring to their lives, that’d be great. That’s the goal, to be even the smallest change in someone’s life. It means everything to me,”

Tenzin explains how the Gifts of Tara has a much bigger purpose than just an economic one. That he is a shop owner because of the face to face interaction with people.