A relic from the distant past

As I celebrate my second year of "official" wood spindles making...today I found this relic from the past.
This is a spindle that I whittled from some reclaimed pine wood when I was twelve.
My grandmother had taught me to spin on an Italian drop spindle but didn't want to let me use her spindle, so, stubborn as I always have been, I went and made the closest replica I could from memory, with an old knife and no experience in wood cutting.
All things considered, I didn't do too bad! 😂

Finding this spindle has me thinking about how the seed of fiber and spindle making has been in me for a very long time...there is something magical in this.

I would like to take that twelve years old girl, bring her with me at the lathe, and create with her the spindle of her dreams...
Or maybe that's what I already do every time I play with a new spindle design ❤️

Dream :: Playing with the Ancestors

It may be the Veil thinning, it may be some things going up in my life that have me reflecting on my roots and who came before me...
But I have been pouring all of it in a new batch of spindles.

I took as reference the newest addition to the herd of antique Italian spindles, a small dainty one that is perfect, with its weight and size, to spin lace weight.
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And then I decided to "play with the Ancestors". Instead of going for a simple replica as I already did in the past, I decided to give this spindle a modern twist and something mine.
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I asked...what would my Ancestors tell me?
The answer kept coming in the shape of dreaming. Dreaming the dream. Conjure up things in the realm of reality that have been in my mind. Bring them forth with my hands.
A practice that has saved my mental sanity more often than I can tell, and that is proving oh so important again.

The little white feather...
I am agoraphobic. I don't go out much, my distances from home are short. But I am lucky to have a park behind the house, and I go there when I need to ground and hug a tree. Often, during these little walks, I'll find a tiny white feather, and that, to me, is always a message. "You are seen, you are loved, this is a pinch of magic for you".
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Thank you. All love.

Sacred Grounded Heart

Posted on Instagram on December 7, 2019

I think there will always be a place, between my fingers, around my neck, dangling from silver bracelets, for these small kind of amulets.
There just is something in layers of meaning cut in small pieces of silver.
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I have been fascinated with sacred hearts since when I was a child. There was a small oratory in town, dedicated to Mary Magdalene, with ex voto on its walls. These silver flaming hearts were a thing of mystery and magic to me...
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This is a sacred heart to remind us to stay grounded, to live in our heart and to be aware of the space in our pelvic floor.
A connection that can keep us balanced and tuned in to what really matters.

Grandmother Bear pendant

Posted on Instagram on December 6, 2019

A warm thing of Baltic amber, with a rainbow and inclusions, to dream up while you are deep in the cave with Grandmother Bear, resting and nourishing yourself.
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This is the season to lay low on the earth, listen to her beating heart and assimilate her wisdom.
To slow down, breathe softer, ground and nourish.
We are like the seed, enveloped in darkness, sleeping and gathering strength for when spring will come.
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This amulet is a reminder that it's ok to be like Bear and slow down, to follow our needs and timing. That is ok to take that extra nap or an hour to do something that makes you feel replenished.

Faith

Posted on Instagram on November 16, 2019

I have to have faith that this shadow has a meaning and a purpose.
That I can lean into it, soften, allow its essence to work on my soul as it's needed.
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I keep looking at the seeds.
Tiny miracles tucked in darkness, willingness to break and push in order to expand.
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So I take the metal and create a small womb. I tuck a marigold seed in it, and a dried petal.
Marigolds that are bright and cheerful, resilient creatures who never worry about taking up more space.
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I make a little prayer-talisman as a compass to promise a way.
Because right now, I don't know which way is up.
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Copper, silver and brass with a glass dome.