WINDHORSE
The windhorse is an important symbol of Tibetan culture for both its symbolism and the energy in which it represents. The prayer flag is known in Tibet as the windhorse (Tibetan rlung rta).
Wind is the natural element of the horse. As it gallops across the plain the wind arises to meet it, its long mane and tail flowing freely as it speeds through the stillness of the air, creating wind. On the back of the windhorse is the auspicious faceted jewel, or wish-fulfilling gem, radiating peace, prosperity, and harmony wherever it travels. The riderless horse speeds like the wind across the heavens, its strength inexhaustible, its hooves like the wings of the four winds.
The windhorse carries our prayers up to the heavens so the gods may hear them. For this reason, the image of the Windhorse is found in the centre of the prayer flag, surrounded by four mythological creatures at each directional corner. Prayer flags consist of auspicious mantras, designs and prayers which are woodblock-printed onto squares of cotton cloth in each of the Five Buddha colours.
The Tibetan medical and astrological systems define four categories of of personal health and harmony: life energy, health, personal power and success. The windhorse itself symbolises the combination of these four categories as positive personal energy. The energy of wind is needed for the movement of vital airs through the subtle body, creating a potent current of movement on which the mind/heart, as windhorse energy, can ride.

“The result of letting go is that you discover a bank of self-existing energy that is always available to you- beyond any circumstance. It actually comes from nowhere, but is always there. It is the energy of basic goodness. This self-existing energy is called windhorse in the Shambala teachings. The wind principle is that the energy of basic goodness is strong and exuberant and brilliant. It can actually radiate tremendous power in your life. But at the same time, basic goodness can be ridden, which is the principle of the horse. By following the disciplines of warriorship- human bravery to be oneself, particularly the discipline, you can harness the wind of goodness. In some sense, the horse is never tamed- basic goodness never becomes your personal possession. But you can invoke and provoke the uplifted energy of basic goodness in your life. You begin to see how you can create basic goodness for yourself and others, on the spot, fully and ideally, not on a philosophical level, but on a concrete physical level. When you contact the energy of windhorse, you can naturally let go of worrying about your own state of mind and you can begin to think of others. You feel a longing to share your discovery of goodness with your brothers and sisters, friends of all kinds who would also benefit from the energy of basic goodness. So discovering windhorse is, first of all, acknowledging the strength of basic goodness in yourself and then fearlessly projecting that state of mind to others.”
Chogyam Trungpa; Shambala-The Sacred Path of the Warrior

Windhorse Gallery is the realization of years of research and buying
by co-creators Laara and Charlie Cooper. They have manifested their vision
of bringing authentic and diverse Tibetan and Buddhist art to Australia. Charlie was magnetised to the ancient wisdoms of the East as a teenager growing up in England. This led him on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas at 17 years old to commence a life-long journey into meditation. He is a passionate entrepreneur of International trading in artifacts and his fascination for spiritual and physical beauty can be demonstrated by the goods he collects and trades.Charlie spent a total of 9 years living in India, much of that time in the trans-Himalayan regions of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh where he began meeting Tibetan traders and learning of their unique art. He would often purchase antique carpets or statues from Tibetan refugees, offering a higher price than other dealers, to set them up for life in a Monastery or to help them get started in their new life. From a young age, Laara was intrigued by the east and travelled to India at the age of 18, leaving her native Canada. Over the next 10 years she lived in Eastern countries, immersing herself into the diverse cultures and languages, studying meditation, yoga and alternative healing methods. Since 1999, she has been directly involved in the study of Buddhist sacred art. They met at the top of the world in the Himalayas, fell in love and returned to Australia to create their rainforest retreat. There they married and the dream of the Windhorse Gallery began.

"We both share a passion for this unique culture and people which brought us to travel to remote areas of the Himalayas including Ladakh, also Dharamsala, Nepal and eventually to Tibet itself. We were both captivated and impressed by the beauty and quality of the artworks of these people and felt inspired by the wisdom, humility, compassion, and kindness of this ancient culture. Windhorse Gallery creates an opportunity for us to share this vision and message, as well as helping directly the Tibetan and Buddhist people. It supports them on a basic financial level and helps to keep their ancient art alive by giving it exposure. We choose artists who create their works using only traditional sacred methods and materials, which in itself is a dying art these days, threatened by commercialization and cheap imitations. Through our personal journies in the East, meditating with mystics, retreating in the Himalayas and living amidst the culture, we have been given a direct appreciation and understanding of the inner realms which this sacred art depicts. Therefore it is really our love, our passion to share this wisdom.

We are responding to the number of people interested in Tibetan culture and to those who wish to bring an item into their lives which is not only that of tremendous quality and beauty but also something that contains a deep message of peace, wisdom, and compassion, and acts as reminder of the depths of one’s inner being."