about
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empty hand CREATIVE is a multi-dimensional project that seeks to envision a way of living and being that is sacred, sustainable, and deeply meaningful, and to restore balance and wholeness through liberatory creative process.
It is the weaving together of various contemplative practices, communion with the natural world, embodied presence, and psychospiritual explorations of self, identity, and belonging.
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Aligning with the traditions of Zen Buddhism and Daoism, empty hand CREATIVE aims to create, inspire, and live from the contemplative space set forth by these principles and precepts:
non-grasping/non-attachment
impermanence
reverence for nature
way-seeking mind
embodied presence
non-violence
balancing yin & yang, or the receptive & the active
service
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Birthed out of a dark night of the soul and a period of solitary retreat, this endeavor aims to express and explore the psychospiritual journey.
The term empty hand gains inspiration from a number of spiritual traditions, but most notably, from Zen, Daoism, and martial arts.
meet the founder
Ray Lewey is a spiritual seeker living in the remote highlands of Central America. He gains inspiration from the mountain-wandering Zen poet-monks and Daoist sages, who taste directly the sacredness of the natural and the mundane.
As a transgender man navigating between worlds but never fully belonging to any, he identifies with the archetypes of hermit, exile, and orphan.
Ray is a practitioner and student of Zen Buddhism, Maitri Space Awareness, Qigong, and Ashtanga yoga, but holds deep respect for all spiritual practices and traditions.
He has a Master’s degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology, and when he is not wandering in the forest with his dog or writing songs, he works as a licensed professional counselor in private practice.
Ray is also a certified meditation instructor and Adjunct Faculty at Naropa University.