Go To Festivals

Just got back from a festival
and off to another!

Barefeet - New Design

The quote is from the  The Society for Barefoot Living . I first heard of it  from my brother who is a member.  Since he does not wear jewelry, I plan to give him a Barefeet Pendant in bronze for a key ring. 

Our Barefeet Pendant was created for Earth Day 2011 with a prayer: 

  May all people walk gently on the earth. 

Barefeet is available now....well....more or less, the feet are running out of here at a very quick pace!    Symbols Page.

Art Form- design in wax

Right now I am working on a bail for a new pendant. A bail is the hoop-like attachment that allows the pendant to be worn on a chain. This particular one is giving me a fit as the design is asymmetrical and just will not hang right. I am trying various things.... adding weight here and there but it still will not hang right ...yet....I am determined to get it.  Easter is coming and it feels like a resurrection piece at this point and I want it by Sunday. The  bail needs to be a part of the flame and not distract from the piece. It is the most challenging bail I have encountered so far in my design work,  I think because it is so asymmetrical.
The piece will be called 'Flaming Chalice'.

Unus Mundus and Moon Goddess

Meaningful coincidence happens by the fact that both observer and connected event ultimately stem from the same source, the Unus Mundus. On March 19, the moon's orbit will make its closest approach to Earth in 18 years while at the same time be in full phase. Such a coincidence has been named a "SuperMoon". Some people predict all kinds of weather and natural hazard mayhem, including strong earthquakes, around the time of the Supermoon. 

Unus Mundus is Latin for “one world”, is a term which refers to the concept of an underlying unified reality from which everything emerges and returns to. It was popularized by Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. About 25 years ago I made a few wooden (rosewood, cherry, boxwood, etc) pieces with mother of pearl faces and called them Unus Mundus. Around the same time period I made about 30 wood pieces and called them Moon Goddesses”. They usually had moonstone or mother of pearl bellies or faces. Perhaps it is time for the return of the all powerful Moon Goddess and Unus Mundus.

Quatrefoil

Who among us has not sat in a patch of clover searching for that special four-leafed one?

According to Wikipedia, "the four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally. According to legend, each leaf represents something: the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.^"

This power-packed little symbol has been with us for thousands of years...

• In Celtic culture, the quatrefoil symbolizes "the wheel of being".
• In Christianity, it is seen as a variation upon the Christian cross, and some claim that each of the leaves of the quatrefoil symbolizes the four evangelists of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
• In Native American culture, the four leaves of the quatrefoil are believed to symbolize the four ends of the earth. This represents Native American prayers to the North, South, East, and West.
• Since it is easy to divide a quatrefoil into equal portions or into other shapes, it has also come to symbolize harmony, symmetry, and proportion.

Sophia Gathering #3

Our third Sophia Gathering was in Asheville ,NC on December 20. Vivie Bernard is our second Sophia . Find out more on our Sophia's Garden page.

Symbolic Language

I am going to begin to write a little about my experience with symbols. I have been creating and  working (consciously) with them for over 25 years. Sometimes I use familiar symbols, sometimes I combine symbols or join them together to see what the effect is and  and sometime I invent my own. I am always aware that simple lines are one key element to a symbol that works.  When I get it right there is an "aha" moment. I have found that symbols/shapes appear in different cultures and ages that are precisely the same. For example: square, circle, triangle, spiral, star, oval ,cross. After many years of working with symbols I was delighted to discover the work of Angeles Arrien. She has researched familiar shapes and symbols and I find her work  informative to me as I try to understand my own work.

Finding a symbol that resonates with you can have the effect of striking a tuning fork. The vibrations realign (or jar) your emotional body. Upon viewing a symbol that uses sacred geometry to establish its lines along with intention you may feel an emotional response pleasant or unpleasant. A symbol that works it is much like music and harmony. When a musical instrument is in tune it is pleasant to listen to and it can move molecules (or the listener) in an organized or (emotional) way.  When a symbol is just right for you it resonates with you and can move you. Different symbols can reach you or move you at different times in your life journey.

I have noticed that sometimes people cry when they look at some of my work. That is because I think the symbols are working on that level I just spoke of (kind of like music). It is fascinating to me as I sometime cry also when I get it just right.