HAC Celebrates Its First Red Robe Ceremony (Graduation)

Headmaster Tom Tessereau with new graduate, Rachel Crider at the Red Robe Ceremony on May 22.

Every tradition starts with a first time.  On May 22, 2015, The Healing Arts Center initiated two new graduation traditions at its 2015 May graduation.  The first was a new honor society called The Order of the Twin Hearts.  This society is designed to honor exceptional students who are nominated by the faculty and certified by the school president.  Order of the Twin Hearts recipients must have high academic standards, superior technical skills and exemplary attendance.  This term, OTH honors were extended to Rachel Delaney and Laurel Brack.  

The second new tradition launched this May was the "Red Robe Ceremony".  In order to emphasize the healing aspect of massage therapy education, The Healing Arts Center has added meditation robes to the its graduation ceremony.  Faculty wore the full meditation shawl, or "zen", worn by Buddhist practitioners and students were each given a wool and silk meditation shawl used in Pranic meditation along with a sterling silver heart chakra pendant.   The ceremony designed by HAC's Core managers was a strong visual reminder that HAC is committed to using its education to eradicate suffering, anxiety and pain from the human experience.  "It is this commitment to compassion and well being that we want our graduates to take with them as the move on to what is next," said HAC president, David Kenyon.  "Our education is unique, it is powerful and it is a path to transformation and fulfillment - our students know this, but we are now making sure that this is the primary conversation that surrounds our school and our culture."

Aside from adding a sense of formality to the proceedings, the Red Robe Ceremony is a strong visual reminder that graduates of the Healing Arts Center have been trained to be healers over and above massage therapy technicians.  "We want our graduates to never forget that we train them to make a difference for their clients, but also in the karmic chain of human relationships.  When they improve the life of one, that person goes out into the world treating others with kindness and spreading the wellness," Kenyon said.  "It is this karmic legacy of the healer that HAC wants its graduates to appreciate as they take their skills out into the world."

Congratulations graduates.  And welcome to the circle of healers.  We hope that you will go forth and use your skills to improve the human condition.