Weaves the Web
is the --------------. She is the --------. Her wisdom teaching is about learning to to WORK the TRUTH in a-------------.
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* The spider web design on the back of this drum is made from the rawhide dipped in white acrylic paint.
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"Spider Woman instructed the Navajo women how to weave on a loom which Spider Man told them how to make. The cross poles were made of sky and earth cords, the warp sticks of sun rays, the healds of rock crystal and sheet lightning. The batten was a sun halo, white shell made the comb. There were four spindles: one a stick of zigzag lightning with a whorl of canned coal; one a stick of flash lightning with a whorl of turquoise; a third had a stick of sheet lightning with a whorl of abalone; a rain streamer formed the stick of the fourth spindle, and its whorl was white shell."
-- Epigraph to Spider Woman: A Story of Navajo Weavers and Chanters, by Gladys A. Reichard, first published 1934, republished by Rio Grande Press, Inc., Glorieta, NM, 1968 "For Navajo weaving is meditative work that invites Woman into the energy center of the balanced universe. A place where everyday happenings merge with the mythical. Here sunlight shimmers through virginal tight-strung warp. Here Father Sky and Mother Earth unite. Here Spider Woman weaves her tangled web. And Changing Woman / White Shell Woman--the primordial--prevails." -- Noel Bennett, "Navajo Weaving Way: The Path from Fleece to Rug" |
My Journey with Penelope to visit Weaves the Web
Penelope was already there ahead of me on the beach. Suddenly there was a Native lady just standing there beside her, also waiting for me at the windswept tree... Her hair was straight and long, her skirt touched her toes, she was a full figured woman. I didn't have to go anywhere to meet her. I was surprised and curious so I asked "why are you here?" "... Good place for collecting long grasses and seaweed for weaving baskets. There are lots of spiders here too as you well know" was her reply and then "Research the three Norns, the one who weaves... and warp and weft." She sat down at her loom to work on weaving a Navaho type blanket or something... "keeps the fingers busy and frees the mind for other things" she said. She continued as she worked... |
"You can create your life as though it is a tapestry using visual meditations. See the threads bringing the image of what you want into focus. Each line woven reveals more of the image. Threads can be undone and situations can be rewoven energetically so better images can emerge while the future is still unfolding. Rumpelstiltskin is a good story to look at as an example here. Spinning and felting workshops are possibilities for Spring and Summer using the wolfdog fur... as potential revenue for the Sanctuary... as part of the GWM teachings."
Warp and Weft The terms warp and weft are used in reference to "woven" textiles. These are the technical terms used for the two types of thread used to create a finished woven product. The warp is the tightly stretched lengthwise core of a fabric. The weft is woven between the warp threads to create various patterns and forms.The weft threads make up the body of the fabric. They may be one color or they may be multicolored. Some weavers use different types of materials for an assortment of textures. In many cases, the weft threads are attached to a shuttle which is run back and forth through the warp. On weaving machines, setting up the weft can become very complex especially when patterns are being woven. |
The warp is stretched onto a loom before weaving begins. It may be coiled onto a spool for very long or large projects. This spool is unwound as needed while the finished weaving on the other side is rolled to keep it out of the way. A weaver starts with the warp threads because they must be able to withstand tight stretching. Warp threads tend to be stronger and coarser. They provide a core of support to the finished piece, giving the textile body and form.
Some people refer to the weft as "the filler thread" since it fills in the design. The archaic word "woof" is also used in some regions. The word for weft comes from an old English word wefan which means "to weave". Since these threads are literally woven in a textile, this makes sense. Warp comes from an old Norse word varp, which means "the cast of a net". So the warp of a fabric acts like a net to capture the weft, holding these threads firmly so they won't escape otherwise it would all unravel. Collectively, the warp and weft compose the body of a fabric. The terms warp and weft are sometimes used metaphorically as in the case of saying, "dancing is the warp and weft of her life". Weavers learn about warp and weft first, since no woven fabric can be completed without understanding the concept. Once the basics are mastered, the weaver can explore an assortment of ways to modify their designs and create unique finished products.
Some people refer to the weft as "the filler thread" since it fills in the design. The archaic word "woof" is also used in some regions. The word for weft comes from an old English word wefan which means "to weave". Since these threads are literally woven in a textile, this makes sense. Warp comes from an old Norse word varp, which means "the cast of a net". So the warp of a fabric acts like a net to capture the weft, holding these threads firmly so they won't escape otherwise it would all unravel. Collectively, the warp and weft compose the body of a fabric. The terms warp and weft are sometimes used metaphorically as in the case of saying, "dancing is the warp and weft of her life". Weavers learn about warp and weft first, since no woven fabric can be completed without understanding the concept. Once the basics are mastered, the weaver can explore an assortment of ways to modify their designs and create unique finished products.
* This was a commissioned painting done by Sonara
on a drum face. |
Celtic Knots "Knots end things, tie things off, bind spots to hold energy in place. Knots of energy can be undone or loosened to allow energy to flow once more. Knots can be used to measure distance too." All hand-knotted rugs are based on a foundation of warp (vertical) threads and weft (horizontal) threads that are strung on a loom. This is the infrastructure that houses the knots (what the knots are tied onto). This infrastructure must be kept in good condition or knots will be lost and the actual body of the rug will become damaged and begin to disappear. The ends of the warp threads make up the fringe. While fringe is esthetically pleasing to many people it is actually made to eventually wear off while it protects the knots from wear. |
"Tell me about the Star Weaving's drum, please..."
"It involves working with the ley lines, the grid of light that surrounds the planet. Grid lines connect. Currents of energy travel along the lines carrying messages, adding to or taking from points at various intervals. Energy is always moving and shifting, being rebalanced depending on an area's particular needs at any given moment. The beads on the back of the drum can bring two lines of energy closer to align them, enhancing them both or focus them on a singular path. Seemingly different energies can connect to other energies in order to join forces and strengthen each other. Wolf helps A. to follow her nose, a knowing path. Wolf and Killer Whale, two different star systems work together in the one drum. White, red and black for the Goddess; Maiden, Mother & Crone." |
Spider Webs
Webs allow a spider to catch prey without having to expend energy by running it down. Thus it is an efficient method of gathering food. However, constructing the web is in itself an energetically costly process because of the large amount of protein required, in the form of silk. In addition, after a time the silk will lose its stickiness and thus become inefficient at capturing prey. It is common for spiders to eat their own web daily to recoup some of the energy used in spinning. The silk proteins are thus recycled.
A spider starts by connecting outside points, anchoring the borders that hold the web suspended in a vertical position. The spider is a predator that waits patiently for an unsuspecting victim to get caught in it's trap, usually to become food. Humans can learn to recognize when they have become caught in a web, for example, a web of lies and deceit. By following the lines, one can trace events back to the point of origin to make the connections that reveal the bigger picture or the lesson that needs to be learned.
- the events and or words that entangled them
- either pull apart the threads or cut the cords to disentangle themselves.
* According to Wikipedia, spider webs have existed for at least 141 million years, as witnessed in a rare find of early cretaceous amber from Sussex, southern England. Insects can become trapped in spider webs providing nutrition to the spider, however; not all spiders build webs to catch prey and some do not build webs at all. A Spider web is typically used to refer to a web that is apparently still in use (i.e. clean) whereas "cobweb" refers to an abandoned (i.e. dusty) web.
Cobweb paintings which began during the 16th century in a remote valley of the Austrian Tyrolean Alps, were created on fabrics consisting of layered and wound cobwebs, stretched over cardboard to make a mat and strengthened by brushing with milk diluted in water. A small brush was then used to apply watercolor to the cobwebs, or custom tools to create engravings. Fewer than a hundred cobweb paintings survive today, most of which are held in private collections
In traditional European medicine, cobwebs are used on wounds and cuts and seem to help healing. Spider webs are rich in vitamin K, which can be effective in clotting blood. Webs were used several hundred years ago as gauze pads to stop an injured person's bleeding. The name hoar comes from an Old English adjective for showing signs of old age, and is used in this context in reference to the frost which makes trees and bushes look like white hair. It may also have an association with hawthorn when covered in its characteristic white spring blossom.
Webs allow a spider to catch prey without having to expend energy by running it down. Thus it is an efficient method of gathering food. However, constructing the web is in itself an energetically costly process because of the large amount of protein required, in the form of silk. In addition, after a time the silk will lose its stickiness and thus become inefficient at capturing prey. It is common for spiders to eat their own web daily to recoup some of the energy used in spinning. The silk proteins are thus recycled.
A spider starts by connecting outside points, anchoring the borders that hold the web suspended in a vertical position. The spider is a predator that waits patiently for an unsuspecting victim to get caught in it's trap, usually to become food. Humans can learn to recognize when they have become caught in a web, for example, a web of lies and deceit. By following the lines, one can trace events back to the point of origin to make the connections that reveal the bigger picture or the lesson that needs to be learned.
- the events and or words that entangled them
- either pull apart the threads or cut the cords to disentangle themselves.
* According to Wikipedia, spider webs have existed for at least 141 million years, as witnessed in a rare find of early cretaceous amber from Sussex, southern England. Insects can become trapped in spider webs providing nutrition to the spider, however; not all spiders build webs to catch prey and some do not build webs at all. A Spider web is typically used to refer to a web that is apparently still in use (i.e. clean) whereas "cobweb" refers to an abandoned (i.e. dusty) web.
Cobweb paintings which began during the 16th century in a remote valley of the Austrian Tyrolean Alps, were created on fabrics consisting of layered and wound cobwebs, stretched over cardboard to make a mat and strengthened by brushing with milk diluted in water. A small brush was then used to apply watercolor to the cobwebs, or custom tools to create engravings. Fewer than a hundred cobweb paintings survive today, most of which are held in private collections
In traditional European medicine, cobwebs are used on wounds and cuts and seem to help healing. Spider webs are rich in vitamin K, which can be effective in clotting blood. Webs were used several hundred years ago as gauze pads to stop an injured person's bleeding. The name hoar comes from an Old English adjective for showing signs of old age, and is used in this context in reference to the frost which makes trees and bushes look like white hair. It may also have an association with hawthorn when covered in its characteristic white spring blossom.
Dreamcatchers
"Follow the natural laws of Sacred Geometry and mathematics, a spiral weaving symbolic of but not a true spider's web. It is a different energy that also weaves a vortex. The intention is to draw into itself the bad dreams, catch them in the web and allow the good dreams to pass through to the Dreamer. The weave is a pattern that repeats itself in Nature. Two other examples of spiral weavings are found in the growth patterns of pine cones and rose petals." - Reweave the energy into a healthier pattern. - Free up and release much needed energy for more productive endeavors. - the only way to move on from a past full of pain is to confront it. Personally, my big dream is to weave the Grandmothers teachings with those lessons I learn from Wolf and share them with others. |
"I think you have much to go on now. It has been fun. Enjoyable... when one takes the time to seek understanding of my gifts."
This is the last thing she said to me, so I drummed myself back from my journey.
This is the last thing she said to me, so I drummed myself back from my journey.