Creating Space

The human spirit is all about shifting fixed ideas and beliefs to accomodate the eternal change that is natural to us all. It is giving up  control of even the most minor decisions, and facing the open gates of change. It is a constant challenge, and we are all, on some level, fighting a great battle.

This has never been more clear to me than now, as I begin to ready myself for the emotional and cultural shift of aging into my 60's.

Plans, lifestyle, ambitions and goals that seemed so important at one time, seem less important now I have accumulated at least some scant amount of wisdom necessary to see beyond the fixed ideas of my youth and middle years. That there truly is a time and season for all things.

For me, right now, that season is to become awake to my own mortality, to explore what I'd yet like to experience and accomplish, while I still have relative health and ability to do so.

So how does one accomplish this transition with grace? I believe it is in our willing intention to 'create space' in our minds eye for something new. To open doors and windows long shut, and try on fresh ideas, to see how they might fit. To agree to view this part of our life with a determined joy, as the grand adventure we've perhaps, never allowed ourselves to consider taking, rather than the mess we never were quite able to clean up.

Right now, I am in the process of creating space for a different kind of future than the one I'd originally planned. Allowing things to happen, opportunities to arise out of the ashes of ideas I've left behind, seen as if for the first time, once I've allowed myself to see with a fresh eye. It is interesting to allow ideas, previously discarded, back into my thoughts. It is interesting to see how all my careful planning has at times, limited the possibilities of great joy!

I am ready for my next great adventure! One that will define what it is to live a wonderful life with the time I am fortunate to have left, and the wonderful people I am lucky enough to share it with.

More to come. Thanks for sharing this journey!

My New Spinning Wheel

As I have been an owner of many looms, so have I been the owner of several spinning wheels. Like Goldilocks, I've been searching for the one that is 'just right.' And I found it!
Like my weaving, I know I need to keep things simple to be happy. I found the unfinished Ashford II to be exactly what I wanted. 
I have been busy sanding til the wood is as smooth as satin. Soon it will be coated with a natural Danish oil and wax. I love the grain of the silver beechwood it's made of. It is a warm wood once finished and very pretty.
The wheel is MDF. Not so pretty in and of itself, but with some skill, it can be made to be very special. And that's what we all want right? A pretty fairytale wheel we can spin away on as we sit by the fire.
I chose seasonal wreaths as my theme for my wheel. I have done tole painting in the past, and find it can be quite relaxing and 'zen' like.  I expect painting this wheel will be a labor of love for me.
One side will have a wreath representing the fall, my favorite season. With its leaves of gold and scarlet, and coppery acorns, it will be a reminder of the season of my life at this moment in time.
The other side will have a winter feel. A season I will soon enter for myself, if I am fortunate. It will have juicy red berries and a bit of snow resting on it's bramble of wintery branches. And perhaps a bird for company.
It will be a pleasure to look at, and I hope, a treasure for someone else one day when I am gone.

Weaving a Dream

We all know personal dreams can grow and change over time. They are the way we learn to explore and accept what is in our real hearts, that we keep private for fear of failure or discouragement.

My first trip to Salt Spring Island is an example of this. I had seen an article about Saori weaving in an old issue of Hand Woven. I was just beginning to learn to weave at the time. It really spoke to me in ways that traditional weaving did not. I loved the idea of free form weaving in the moment, without rules or conditions.

I loved going to Salt Spring island and learning about Saori from Terri Bibby. This was a turning point for me, and I had a spirit dream the night before I left Salt Spring. My dream indicated the need to follow the call to a creative life, or risk killing a newly grown part of my spirit. But, I was afraid. Afraid of not being good enough. So, I did something else that didn't seem so unachievable for me.

That something else was Susan Barrett Merrill's, 'Weaving a Life.' I'd found her book nestled amongst Terri's wonderful collection of weaving books. It intrigued me. Because I felt somewhat disheartened about my inability to become a Saori weaver right away, I thought I'd give it a try while I sorted things out.

'Weaving a Life' was a wonderful experience for me! I grew in unexpected ways. Over time, I learned to be kinder to myself and more forgiving of others. Susan's teachings continue to be a strong foundation for where I am in my life right now. 

I still love Saori, and more importantly, weaving with a Saori philosophy. Trying not to be so afraid I will fail at something which is without failure. This is my final stretch of self acceptance and accomplishment in the artistic field. A chance to explore without fear of doing things wrong.  A chance to grow that little spirit, that begged to be nurtured during my first trip to Salt Spring not so long ago. I thought my dream was to become a Saori weaver. I discovered my calling is 'Weaving a Life.' I will live this dream. I hope you will live your dream too, whatever that may be.

Update 4/18/13
It's funny how perceptions can direct one's actions. All the while I thought I was being directed to be a Saori weaver, only to find my greatest comfort and joy in 'Weaving a Life'! I discovered a wonderful friendship and mentor in Terri Bibby, of Saori Salt Spring. She selflessly shares her skills and loves to see others grow. She is a remarkable woman. But the true treasure I was meant to find was not Saori, it was Susan's book, Zati:The Art of Weaving a Life. 

Weaving a Life as a Business Opportunity

Susan has given circle leaders a gift in WAL, in that she has given us the freedom to tailor WAL to suit a variety of personal situational needs.  Susan allows us to explore, create, and modify the basic WAL program she designed, and has created a business opportunity that she freely turns over to us to use in a way that benefits ourselves, and those we serve.

This is an exceptional gift! It's designed that way. It's about creating peace, and love within ourselves, to share with others. How we choose to use this gift is up to us.

Some leaders use WAL to serve in hospice, bringing a sense of ceremony, love, and support to those experiencing and sharing in the natural progression of life's end. 

WAL is an exceptional program to use with children, teens, and adults, to assist in the development of self esteem, and love of self and others. It brings the gift of peace when focused minds weave together in prayer. It is open to all faiths, and all people.

WAL allows us to 'share our stories' as we weave together under the guidance of a WAL leader in our local yarn shop. Keeping focus on the positive creates a strong sense of accomplishment at class end.

You as leaders, have the freedom to make your business be whatever you need it to be. For me, I am 'Weaving a Life in Paradise.' Designing classes with the help of Sara, that will meet the needs of their customers. The WAL message is not as formal, as it is tailored to the consumer. But the message is still there. The prayer is there as we symbolize our dreams and desires in an organic form, using luscious yarns, and basking in the praise of other positive minds over this little jewel we created. How good is that?

The Bowl Revisited

One of the most wonderful things about Weaving a Life, is being able to 'remake' each keyform again and again, thereby 'redefining' our spiritual selves in that moment. Creating each new keyform in prayer, with the intention of learning to love the self, that we may be fully open to God's love for us, is an important part of the process. Love, the giving and receiving of, is what makes us fully human. 

              

I think of this as I make my own new sacred bowl, in a spiritual space that is far from where I originally began when I started my 'Weaving a Life' journey. I am creating a beautiful 'sea' bowl for my orca totem. The colors and textures of the yarn and beads are a joy to look at and touch, and I can see my little orca being happy there.

  

Consider the keyforms as a means to evolve and grow in your spirit self, and that where you are now, is not where you will be at a later time. Revisit each keyform as you need to. Each teaches a different lesson that opens more fully to us over time. 

 Weave your life in Spirit! 

Seven Sisters Dreaming

I have a wonderful friend Francesca, who has such wisdom about her that those who enter her company leave it feeling blessed. This is a gift few people have, but her influence is profound and I am truly grateful for the changes I experience as a gift of her friendship. My friend will soon celebrate a birthday milestone and I am working on a special gift for her. In addition, I would like your prayers and intentions to flow her way so she may realize her own long held dream of owning, and operating a spiritual center and retreat. Please pray for the success of 'Seven Sisters Dreaming' for my beautiful friend, Francesca, on Spirit Mountain.

Weaving a Life and Saori

'Saori' and 'Weaving a Life' philosophies are very similar. There are no specific series of objects to weave in 'Saori', but the basic premise is the same: that weaving can be a metaphor for peace (inner, family, community, and world), and that every one of us embodies a spirit of dignity and self worth. Saori 'peace' banners are made, often in community, using a wonderful Saori travel loom. One single banner may have many, many,  contributors in it's creation, signifying the hearts and prayers of the community that created it. 'Saori', like 'Weaving a Life,' also stresses that there is beauty in the act of creation, that 'mistakes' are opportunities to see things (and people) in a positive and life affirming manner. I am constantly learning to apply the 'Saori' philosophy along with my 'Weaving a Life' practice to much that I do: knitting, spinning, and weaving, as well as my work with children. I ponder my 'mistakes' as a message to slow down, be less critical, and examine with choice, the beauty that is there before me.