Wintry Week 1: Unutterably Ourselves

"All the birds and creatures of the world 
are unutterably themselves. 
Everything is waiting for you."  - David Whyte

 A giant paper snowflake hangs from a tree marking the trail to the workshop where a warm fire awaits the girls...

A creative banquet awaits them inside the workshop.  Mysterious little nests of cotton cord hold 3 wooden beads, a clue for the journey ahead.






















 When they arrived, we sipped hot cocoa before heading into the forest for a nature walk.   There we took photos that will be used for our canvases in the coming weeks.

 We returned refreshed and inspired to begin our first project, the owl talisman.  Owls can see in the dark thus the owl totem teaches us to see the truth in any situation.  As we move into the dark winter season, our owls will serve as a symbolic reminder to trust our intuition.
 

The process of creating this talisman aligns beautifully with owl wisdom.  We begin with a bundle of string, unable to see the owl within it.  We learn patterns and practice them until we understand them.  Sometimes we take a wrong turn and have to correct ourselves.  Sometimes we feel lost and have to trust that we know which way to go.  Soon the owl becomes more clear.  The patterns become more familiar.  We can almost anticipate what will come next.






















At the end of our weaving journey, we find a wise owl before us - one that taught us how to find our own way through the tangles of life, to notice patterns, to move from the darkness of not knowing into the light of understanding where the owl was waiting for us all along.

We celebrated with a feast of s'mores 'round the fire...

See you next week, Girls!

For those of you who wish to try making an owl at home, I found this really cute video tutorial on line.

Here's a different owl pattern, but there is a wonderful illustration of the basic knots that we used.

Here are some more macrame tutorials!!!