whispers

ever softly - mjd 2014

a whisper 

uttered

oh so softly,

an embrace 

that holds you 

oh so gently

assuring that 

you'll be alright. 

-------------------

a talisman to ward off thoughts that a gentle nature is a sign of weakness - i don't know of anything stronger than an open, kind heart. 

it began with a pouch

fragile strength talisman - mjd 2013

it began with the making of a pouch - 

thoughts of being able to keep that which you treasure close... but with the option of changing it, as our needs do not remain the same.

spiral carved into stone

the other side got a mandala.

to offer support on your way

i offer

wisdom (pearl)

clarity (crystal)

healing (ancient baltic amber)

balance - finding connection to earth and the infinite (stone)

connection to your inner voice (grey moonstone)

stitching and knotting and braiding - the necklace is made of linen, silk, cotton, muslin, with antique venetian glass beads and a few vesuvianite stones. 

a very meditative piece to make - 

transitions

transitions - mjd 2013

the hours

between tides

the day

between sunrises

and sets

transitions - mjd 2013

the years

between a broken branch

and a piece of driftwood

the eons

that form and shape

rock.

there is a rhythm 

to this change

that soothes the soul

and demonstrates

that every thing

every 

thing 

e

ver

y

thing

has an inherent nature

and path

that becomes apparent

when we grow quiet

and listen

to within.

a gift of growing old

is being witness

to what years 

of following your rhythm

reveals. 

invisible cords

a thousand invisible cords - mjd 2013

'when we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe.'
- john muir

mjd 2013

just imagine what we would see
if we could make the invisible cords visible.

but
since we cannot, 
we have the heart to guide us
and remind us.

mjd 2013

the tugging we feel
in joy, 
sorrow, 
compassion, 
understanding

are all evidence
that we are connected not only to each other
but to all living things.

RAW - marker

'no one saves us but ourselves.

no one can and no one may.

we ourselves must walk the path.'

~ buddha

there are (often) times along the path when the terrain becomes rugged or confusing... challenging us fully to stay true... if we keep moving forward, we get past it... 

leave a stone on top of a fence post or on the slope of the mountain, to remember where you have been, the lessons you learned...

duality

'every one is a moon,

and has a dark side he never shows to anybody.'

- mark twain

this 'duality' necklace started with the raven bead from mak of maku studios... it had a mythical feel to me, as the raven has been surrounded by legends for centuries and from all over the globe... even carl jung wrote about this bird... unfortunately, the raven often gets a bad rap due to its superior job performance in the natural world as a scavenger... 

the norse god odin had two ravens that accompanied  him at all times... in welsh lore the raven is associated with wisdom... but i love the stories about how the raven brought light when it left the darkness of the cosmos... the light of understanding... and from this, jung came up with his teachings of the raven representing the shadow self, or dark side of the psyche... our dark sides must be acknowledged and examined in the light of our conscious selves... there we find balance...  

the center two rings of the pendant represent coming full circle in understanding... the spiral of the infinite, a beautiful bead by mary ann at linden avenue designs (all glass in this piece by mary ann) & a shimmering piece of labradorite which is thought to enhance clarity of thought... from there we find another glass bead by mary ann that you can see into the depths of ... a white crackle raku bead to counter the dark raku disc and glass on the other side... and a hammered, antiqued sterling blank with 'self' imprinted upon it... reminding us that all facets of the self must be acknowledged to be complete...

a breast cancer awareness bracelet made in sterling with rhodonite and ceramic... the words hope, love and believe are stamped on sterling discs... believe has a fluttering butterfly on it, representing the growth & change that only a struggle can provide us with...