{"id":7528,"date":"2016-01-03T07:42:44","date_gmt":"2016-01-03T13:42:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=7528"},"modified":"2017-09-19T11:22:40","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T16:22:40","slug":"active-aging-role-model-ra-paulette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/01\/active-aging-role-model-ra-paulette\/","title":{"rendered":"Active Aging Role Model: Ra Paulette"},"content":{"rendered":"

Active Aging Role Model: Ra Paulette\"Active<\/h1>\n

We love featuring inspiring stories on SeniorAdvisor.com. In our monthly\u00a0Active Aging Role Model<\/strong> series, we feature a senior who\u2019s doing great things and living life with vibrancy. This time, we\u2019re honoring\u00a0Ra Paulette<\/strong>, a 75-year-old cavedigger carving works of art into the deserts of New Mexico!<\/em><\/h3>\n

In the depths of the beautiful but barren desserts of northern New Mexico hide some of the world\u2019s most intricate and surprising manmade works of art, all hand-dug by Ra Paulette, age 75. For the past 25 years, Paulette has been on a mission to not only express himself but to create tranquil, shared spaces for others to experience\u2026 all below the earth\u2019s surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using only basic hand-tools and accompanied only by his dog, Paulette spends hours digging, hauling, carving, and moving, leaving behind towering earthen walls, hand-carved into intricate patterns or large frescos, complete with seating areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, and pools. Despite having no formal training in art or structural engineering, his self-titled \u201cwilderness shrines\u201d often feature skylights, tiled elements, towering sculptures, and even running water. Much of his work is comprised on homes he\u2019s been commissioned to build, even though these projects often take up to two years. And since he only charges around $12 an hour, the final projects are truly a labor of love.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Inspires Ra’s “Dance of Digging”<\/h2>\n

When asked in a recent CBS Sunday Morning interview if he is obsessed with his cave-digging projects, he responds, \u201cWould you call a child being obsessed with play? You wouldn’t use that word ‘obsessed.’ You know, when you’re doing something you love and are drawn to it, you want to do it all the time.”<\/span><\/p>\n

So how does a man at his age, working alone with only simple tools, manage to create such impressive structures? On his website, Paulette explains that this type of manual labor is actually central to his self-expression. He believes it is a \u201cwhole-person\u201d activity that engages both the mind and the body.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen digging and excavating the caves, I break down all the movements into their simplest parts and reassemble them into the most efficient patterns and strategies that will accomplish the task while maintaining bodily ease,\u201d he explains. \u201cI\u2019m fond of calling this ‘the dance of digging,’ and it is the secret of how this old man can get so much done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cavedigger Film<\/h2>\n

Paulette\u2019s story, previously unknown to most outside of the local New Mexico area, was recently brought into the spotlight through an Academy Award-nominated film called <\/span>Cavedigger<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. Director Jerry Karoff followed Paulette for three years as he worked on various cave sites, many commissioned by local residents wanting unique homes or \u201clivable art.\u201d The film also follows Paulette as he forgoes all commission projects to begin work on his \u201cfinal\u201d and self-proclaimed most important project, a 10-year \u201cmagnum opus\u201d called the Luminous Caves. <\/span><\/p>\n

Paulette hopes these caves \u2013 the largest project he\u2019s ever undertaken \u2013 will be a meeting place for all sorts of religious ceremonies, meditation, weddings, and general connections with Earth and other humans from all types of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. He sees this final project as a \u201csocial artwork\u201d and a chance to not only showcase every technique he has learned over the past two decades, but to motivate visitors to make the world a better place by connecting them to something he feels is sacred.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChanging the world is a tall order. Art doesn\u2019t attempt to force change through direct action, but to catalyze it by affecting the emotional basis from which change can occur,\u201d Paulette explains on his website. \u201cWhen, through wonder and the sense of beauty, we move from the emotional realm of our desires and fears to the more expansive and deeper feelings of thanksgiving and appreciation of life \u2026 our actions will automatically be modified, creating a better world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

See Ra in action and watch the trailer for Cavedigger<\/em>:
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