Tag Archives: new beginnings

A Crone’s Story

23 Jun

First there was this, early this morning,moon setting

Then there is this cloth. This cloth that started from a comment my grandson made. About how cool it would be to have a zipline to/from the moon. He wrote it down for me so I would remember. I started the cloth during our vacation.  Initially I thought it was just going to be a light-hearted piece.  Putting his comment to cloth.  It became something else all together.

We have been home now for one week and this is the story of how the cloth changed, and how I evolved with it. This was a peek through the hole in an oyster shell.window of a shell Her journey had taken her many place and the cosmic thread that held her in place–well, it was red and had sustained her for a long time.  She was connected to the moon yet able to fly.  But she couldn’t see.  Her vision was obscured. And she knew she needed to see things clearly.  Very clearly.  Cosmic flight can be a tricky thing.cosmic without eyes But I ignored what she was saying. I thought, “She’ll get over it. It will be o.k. in the long run.” And in the meanwhile, the base below her feet started changing. And it became very complex and jumbled.cosmic umbilicus 1 and it didn’t take long until the currents of the underworld were so unpleasant that she could hardly bear to stand there. At one point the red puppy grew fangs. It changed from a companion to a threatening creature. Drops of blood dripped from its mouth. I was beginning to listen now. Didn’t like what I was seeing and She didn’t like it either. And she talked for awhile.

Talked about transcending seemingly impossible challenges. Talked about soaring even when her tether appeared attached to powerful, limiting forces. What do we do in those instances?  What do we do? She felt she had choices.  That we always, in all ways, have choices. In fact, she insisted on taking responsibility for her life–for making her own choice.  It wasn’t an easy one.  There were many factors involved.  Many things to consider–but in the end, it was clear.   And so–heeding her surety of intention– with one quick motion the ties that were holding her down were severed.  The cloth was separated.  And suddenly the cloth was permeated with an amazing “lightness of being.”

cosmic umbilicus3

Still, there was work to do. She wanted a real face– she had a need to be seen for who and what she was.  A face that showed the map of her life. It’s trials and joys and work and weather. A crone’s face. And it took hours. There was a lot to think about.  A Lot.  And the eyes were next.   Of course she needed eyes.  To SEE things.  Not just to LOOK–but to SEE.  To see AND be seen.  And to understand what it was she was seeing.

I even heard her say that it’s never an easy process to really see deeply into the reality of   existence–and all its wonders.  And even though she’s still a bit shocked over the changes of the past week,  and yes–a bit sad– her eyes ARE open. Her heart is open as well–open and intact. The earth may still be her grounding reference, but she knows in her heart that her wings were meant for soaring.  And she gives thanks for the gift of sight.cronecompleteThis particular style of story telling was inspired by Saskia’s postings at  tales from the bird hut. Scroll down to “Little Bird has Left.”  The crone’s style–well, you’ll have to ask her about that.  And as you may have guessed by now,  my story and her story cannot be separated.

Solstice Drummer–Remembering

3 Jan

The solstice altar cloth became this–a drummer–echoing the remembered beats of the hearts….Solstice Drummer

Solstice Drummer

 from NEWTOWN.   And we listen.

Travelling Home

Travelling Homehonoring more

(Clicking on the images should enlarge them.)

Stepping Up

6 Dec

For months and months I have been hanging out at various fabric artists’  blog sites–sometimes leaving comments but generally just viewing from afar.  And for several months I have been taking what can only be described as a journey through cloth–and in to self– with the fabric artist Jude Hill at http://spiritcloth.typepad.com.   So now it’s time.  Time  to share.  Time to give back, in a sense, to the community of cloth at large.  Time to reach out and probably time to sometimes ask for help.    But like so much we encounter in life, things are often not as they seem.   So I’m beginning this process having no idea where it will lead but ready to “follow thread” nevertheless.

It has often occurred to me that working with cloth is, in many ways, a metaphor for life.   Perhaps the process of blogging will be the same.  It feels like a commitment to self, a commitment to record the moments in between what we generally call the “big things” that happen.   Those little moments that actually define the warp and the weft of our existence.   I’m guessing that process and perseverance in blogging, as in the creation and re-purposing of cloth, are two elements of equal importance.    So I will proceed now with the intention to continue–remembering the lines of the I Ching:  Perseverance furthers.

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