Creation - Center Square Sacred Woman Quilt

A quick posting of the first square made for my Sacred Woman Quilt. This one is in the center of the quilt and contains my symbols for Creation. I will be adding what the symbols mean to me later, i.e. the meaning of the Man in the Maze/labyrinth, Sun, Moon & 7 Stars, Black hole in the center, Red beads around the center, etc. For now I just wanted to post the picture to get me started on recording the info of my quilt.

The symbols:

One of the first things you will notice about my entire quilt is that each square contains a circle. That started with this square, the creation square. The circle, it is the encompass-ment of the all, the ancients had this knowledge as they used the circle to signify God, the almighty creator as well as the sun for the giver of life on earth. The circle is complete and infinite, it represents all creation and the infinite creator. In the centre of the circle a dot appears, this addition symbolized the earth in the universe or the sun in the solar system. These are the very beginnings to all cosmologic understandings, belief systems and philosophies that we find today across the world. So, I started my quilt with a circle........
The center dot of my circle is black. Black to represent the VOID, also referred to as where we come from. The darkness in the center also represents the womb, the red beads surrounding it represent the menstrual blood and women's ability to create and give life. (It is a course on Moontime Teachings and Sacred Woman.)

As you will see, there is a lot of meaning worked into the quilts created at these teachings. When you are open and paying attention to the spiritual side of your life, these messages, signs and symbols will come. I am not certain why I used seven stars but that is what I felt. Also, they represent the possiblity of coming from space, a higher dimension. Some things took there place on the quilt from the subconscious. The labyrinth is known as a seven circuit labyrinth. I added the sun and the moon to represent male and female energy.

Orbs again........

I got a new digital camera around Christmas time last year. Prior to that, my old camera was quite the trickster. Orbs were constantly showing up in my photos. With the new camera, that phenomena seemed to stop. . or only rarely did an orb show up. I was to the place that I thought it IS just moisture and camera settings that create these in the pictures. Today, I was snapping a few pictures of my Sacred Woman Quilt, on a whim I said, "If there are any orbs present, let them show up in my picture." The result is posted above. When I looked at the picture on the camera view, I didn't see them. When I downloaded to the computer.....there they are...floating all around the top of the photo. Most obvious one is on the left corner of armoire. They continue across the top of the room. This is the room I sleep in.

So, I guess, if you want orbs, ask for them.

More on Sacred Kitchen Fire......

Here is the pot/container I fashioned during this part of the Sacred Woman teachings. It represents the idea that the womb is a container.

Through the use of fire, women created pottery. Pottery is the art of transformational process by mixing special kinds of earth with water, in specific proportions, molding it into a specific shape, and then firing it. The oldest found pottery dates from the late seventh millenium BCE. From the pottery decorations came written language.

The pots were sacred to women because the pots represented the womb of all life. We are as those pots - the life giver.



Sacred Woman teachings on Food and the Sacred Kitchen Fire contuinued:
Our grandmother's kitchen was where women sat around the stove and worked out and balanced their lives and relationships. Today, as we sit around our kitchen tables and offer a cup of tea to a friend who needs a listening ear, we turn our kitchens into healing centers. The tools we use are the kitchen utensils, stove (fire) , foods, herbs, and spices. The foods, herbs, and spices nourish bodies, minds, and spirits. Remember, as we "stir the pot" we put our vibration into the food. It is important to be in a prayerful place while preparing food.

Make your kitchen sacred as you and your family and friends gather around the Sacred Kitchen Fire for fire is held sacred to the Moon Mother daughter of the Eternal Earth Grandmother/Mother. It is the tool of all tools. Fire helps us prepare and conserve foods. Fire is the critical tool of the alchemical process. By taking the water and heating it and adding the herbs to the hot water, one can extract the essence of the herb for healing. Over 95% of the world's current health care medicine's used in the remedies of today, according to the World Health Organization, were provided by the ancient woman.

Sacred Woman Quilt Square, Food/Sacred Kitchen Fire

This is the season of Thanksgiving. The cornucopia brings to mind my Sacred Woman quilt and the square that represented Sacred Food/Sacred Kitchen Fire.

Sacred Woman teachings state: As we become Sacred Woman, we are consuming greater purity, self-knowledge, peace, healing and wholeness. We consume and become: The company we keep, our environment, visions we have, the sounds we hear, the smells we smell, what we watch visually, the food we eat, the men with whom we become intimate.

Our stove is our modern day sacred fire. Without this fire we would not be able to have our kitchen be a sacred healing laboratory as we make the teas, oils and healing foods.

I was guided to emblish this square with corn and a cornucopia, symbol of food and abundance. A wise Medicine Man once said that if a philosophy did not " grow corn" it had no value. So, I put the question "does it grow corn" on this square as a reminder of the importance of making wise choices over all that we consume.

Corn is a gift from the earth and a daily staple of the Native American people who consider corn pollen sacred . The pollen of the corn is dusted off the tassels and used in ceremonies by the Navajo as a blessing, and is offered in prayer. So I have included a corn stalk on my quilt to honor this plant. The roots of this plant are visible to speak to you about the importance of connecting to the Earth Mother.

Also found on this square is a cornucopia. I will quote Jamie Sams from The Sacred Path Cards on the teaching of this symbol:

When Great Mystery created our world, everything that would ever exist was created as ideas in the Thought or Spirit World. This nonphysical plane of awareness is eternal and can be drawn upon anytime there is a need. The thought forms that provide all that is ever needed on the Good Red Road of physical life exist in eternal readiness inside the Field of Plenty. To call these ideas into manifestation, one need only come to Great Mystery with a grateful heart, which will bring the needed ideas into physical reality.

In our Seneca Tradition, the Field of Plenty is seen as a spiral that has its smallest revolution out in space and its largest revolution near the Earth. This shape could be likened to an upside-down tornado. When our Ancestors assisted the Pilgrims in planting Corn and raising crops so they would not starve, we taught them the understanding of the Field of Plenty by bringing the cornucopia baskets full of vegetables. The Iroquois women wove these baskets as a physical reminder that Great Mystery provides through the Field of Plenty. The Pilgrims were taught that giving prayers of gratitude was not just a Christian concept. The Red Race understood thanksgiving on a daily basis. The Field of Plenty is always full of abundance. The gratitude we show as Children of Earth allows the ideas within the Field of Plenty to manifest on the Good Red Road so we may enjoy these fruits in a physical manner.
. . . the Field of Plenty houses all thought forms that supply abundant creativity to the Children of Earth. These new ideas are available to every Two-legged and can be made manifest through acknowledging the ideas, then acting on them. When there is a need, it is sent by the Field of Plenty, in idea form, to the consciousness of all life-forms. These ideas begin to manifest as they enter the physical realm and are acted upon by humans. Every need in our world can be met when we act upon any good idea that comes into our minds.

Cornucopia

I really like this necklace. It is full of symbolism and is accompanied with the following story:

The Secret Legend of the Horn of Plenty...

The Horn of Plenty is from the Latin, cornu copiae, meaning an inexhaustible abundance of richness and plentitude. In addition to being strongly linked to angels, 2,000 years ago the Greeks believed in an enormous magical horn that overflowed with dazzling gold and silver coins. Pursued by many, envied by all, The Horn of Plenty brought great wealth to whoever possessed it.

The story of this beautiful and valuable cornucopia jewel reappears in the story of Zeus's birth. Zeus had a father named Cronus, who had overthrown his own father, and a mother named Rhea. Cronus learned he would suffer the same destiny with one of his own children, and in order to try and prevent this prophecy from happening, he swallowed all of his children as soon as they were born. But by the sixth, Rhea devised a plan to stop him. She found a stone and wrapped it in swaddling clothes and gave it to Cronus. Cronus swallowed the stone and Rhea crept away to a crystal cave where she gave birth to Zeus.

Zeus was nursed by Amalthea, the divine goddess of nourishment, who had the power to change from a beautiful nymph into a goat with soaring horns that curled all the way to her back.

She nursed and raised Zeus, feeding him milk and honey. One day, legend has it, one of her horns broke off so she filled it with herbs, pomegranates, grapes and other bounteous fruits. In return, Zeus bestowed upon it the magical ability to grant wishes. When the receiver made a wish, the horn would be filled with whatever the receiver wished to have.

Because of its close tie to power, wealth and good luck, the cornucopia appeared on ancient coins all over the world for centuries to come. It is the most important symbol of plenty, wealth and the fulfillment of wishes in the mythology. Now it's your turn to let the cornucopia work its centuries-old magic for you.

Garden Stepping Stones

I had hoped to make a few stepping stones before it turned cold but I didn't get around to it. I am posting a simple stone layout as a reminder of a good reference library book on the subject for next spring. The book is Pebble Mosaics by Scheneebeli-Morrelll and Gloria Nicol. Call # 635 Scheneebeli. I like the simple Greenman design.

My name Tinka

I started life being called Christine. Soon to be given the nickname Tinka which followed me all through school. My dad often just called me Teen. I became Chris after meeting and marrying my second husband. He said Tinka was a silly name and he wasn't calling me that. Yes, I still married him and it lasted 20 years, but that's another story. My son who would never call me Chris, pointed out that Chris is a boy's name. I did eventually get a divorce and somewhere along the line I became used to identifying myself as Christine.

I looked into the origin of the name Tinka. I think it was really my grandfather, who came from Bulgaria, that started calling me Tinka. Originally he may have called me Katinka which was their version of Katherine and my grandmother's name. Katinka got shortened to Tinka...This discussion brings to mind that my grandmother's sister had a daughter named Tilka.

My mother once mentioned that she would have named me Vicki. I was raised Catholic. I guess it was customary to name children after a saint. Are there any St. Vicki's?

Also:Native Americans have SBtinka which means magical dancer. And, the girl's name Tinka is a variant of Celeste (Latin), and the meaning of Tinka is "heavenly".

Today, with the popularity of the name Bella, I guess I could have been called TinkaBella.


1/28/2012: New information on the name Tinka.  I guess it is a common name in Bulgaria. The feminine names "Tinka" and "Tina" are used in Bulgaria, "Tinka" is a Bulgarian name, while Tina is international. In Bulgaria "Tinka" and "Tina" are often thought as abbreviations respectively of "Latinka" and the originated name from "Latinka" - "Latina". "Latinka" is the Bulgarian word for the flower "nasturtium". That is why "Latinka" and "Latina" have a nameday on Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter) - the day of the flowers and willows (the names of the other trees also have a nameday).

 

Ebay, etc

When the yardwork slows down and I spend more time indoors, I begin to put a little effort into selling a few items on Ebay and the Artfire site. Monday I will be mailing this vintage BoHo Velvet dress to Germany. I hope the buyer is pleased.

Water, etc

I heard today that this is the driest it has been in 47 years. I made an effort to keep water close by for some of the wildlife. A few days ago I purified my well. That means I dumped a couple bottles of bleech down the pipe, took off for Aurora and left the bleech to kill off anything lurking in the pipes and well. Now that I am back it will take a few days to get the chlorine out of the system. If the little critters can hang on for a few more days, I'll have water for them again.

Painting again

My 88-year old aunt wanted her kitchen painted yellow. So I'm working on it. No pale yellow for us....says she might like to have her living room pink/rose. I'm liking this!

No rest for the wicked. . . .

While in Aurora I went to the Home Depot for bug spray since one of the trees is covered with bag worms (that tall blue spruce with the visible brown spot in the photo below)...while there I found this 5 gallon bucket of deck/siding stain marked OOPS - regularly over $130 marked down to only $15. I've been wanting to stain the deck and gazebo down there so I bought it. I also got some deck cleaner and after spending Friday cleaning these areas I was afraid to leave it too long before staining. Would have been OK for a couple days but I remembered I've got my aunts kitchen half done and need to spend this week finishing it. What started out one wall has expanded to the cabinets and everything! So, I decided to stay Sat and finish my work so I could get back to the kitchen and my yard which is ready to be mowed again. Also, I didn't do the benches inside the gazebo but it will go quickly next time.

New lawn ornament. . .

Well, this morning my view is different through the kitchen door. It's a new lawn ornament.

Vine ball. . . .

I had some leftover vines out by the barn. Last year I made a few yard ornaments with them. I didn't want to throw the leftovers away so I have started a giant-sized vine ball. It's about 30" right now. I hope to make it even bigger and shape it up in the process.

Pretty little things. . . .

Last year I got a dragonfly for my window with points earned at the local casino. Well, I had more points this year and used them to purchase a butterfly.

Round 3 with the bird. . . .

Okay. Think I got him this time. First time I knocked down the nest, he came back. Second time, I knocked down the nest, screwed all the loose boards tight, put a cool whip lid over the circular hole left corner. He just treated it like a flap and rebuilt the nest up there. This time, Round 3, I put that big sign up there......don't think he can budge it and the hole is covered. Hope any potential buyers don't look up.

More photos here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=176512&id=619312953&l=788015ff2e It's Listing 269207 with ReMax in Aurora, In. I love the house. Just can't be in two places, too much work, etc.

Friends from waaaaay back.

An impromptu get-together with some of my old high school buddies....loved seeing them.

Chief Mower, Mechanic and Maintenance Person. . the farm

I thought I would take a picture of the peonies before the rain gets to them. I hope to take some to the cemetery. Peonies from the same plant that my grandmother used to take flowers to decorate her husband's grave over 30 years ago.

Then, I figured why not take a picture of my summer hobby - mowing! These pictures give some idea of the mowing I do during the season but doesn't include the small woods/garden, lot between my house and neighbor, bottom barn lot pasture area and 20 acres of trees.

Village People at Hoosier Park

Great show, happy songs from the Village People at Hoosier Park: Macho, Macho Man; In the Navy; Trashy Disco Segment and, of course, YMCA. Included was a demonstration, straight from the horse's mouth, on how to make the "M" correctly. It is NOT over your head like a monkey!

A Portrait of Milady's Eye, Eye Miniatures

I have a 1926 Mentor Magazine listed for sale http://www.artfire.com/users/Panacea. A Portrait of Milady’s Eye, is the title of one article discussing eye miniatures that were the fashion over a century ago. According to the article, the vogue for eye portraits began when the newly married Mrs. Fitzherbert commissioned famed miniaturist of that time, Richard Conway, to do a miniature of her right eye. She had this mounted in a gold locket as a Christmas gift (1785) for her husband, George, Prince Regent, who reigned later as George IV on the throne of England. The prince doted on his loved ones eyes – had often told her so. She made the romantic prince a present of one as a keepsake miniature!

From the magazine:

In Egypt the picture of an eye was a familiar symbol. It was worn as an amulet, to insure the special guardianship of Ra, the Sun God.

The “All-Seeing Eye”, omen of protection and good faith, was adopted as an emblem by the Masonic Lodge. During the French Revolution, an “eye” was the token that admitted strangers to secret meetings. But the languorous, eager, gay and youthful eyes shown here were painted only as tokens of sentiment, and had no other signifiance. (The photo above.)

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I like the Astrology Zone website http://www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/ because it makes a prediction of how your month will go. These notes are backed up by comments on the position of the planets and which ones are causing the influence. On a personal note to me..........

Some Libras have been anxious to solve a home or property situation and have felt stymied. You can blame Saturn in retrograde all year, but all that will change once Saturn goes direct on May 30. From then to the rest of the year (until January 26, 2011), you will have smooth sailing, or at the very least, an easier time setting things in place than you have so far. Watch the days surrounding the date Saturn turns direct at month's end for subtle clues that indeed, things are moving in the right direction at long last. If you hoped to sell a house or buy or renovate one, or want to help a parent in a substantial way, the barriers to completing your goal should begin to fall away after May 30.

* The move of Saturn to direct speed on May 30 will allow you to get your home or property-related project on the launch pad. By July you should see big progress.

So, I have high hopes to get my Aurora property listed and sold by July. I swear, I will be ready to dump all my metaphysical ideas if something doesn't shake out soon with this property! Maybe I already am living my belief: You are in exactly the right place to learn the lessons you are meant to learn. And, since I seem to make the same mistakes over and over, I guess I will continue to ride the same train over and over. So, what exactly do I think my lesson is this lifetime? I believe it is to stop trying to please other people and do what makes me happy. Then, I will attract others with the same goals and aspiriations. How about you? Have you got your lifetime lesson figured out?

Porch varmits. . . .

On my most recent trip to Aurora, I finally tackled the nest that was built in the top of my back porch. I was able to pull out most of the nesting material but was unable to reattach the board because my drill was back at the farm.......100 miles away. Next time I hope to remember to pack it. While trying to get rid of that little pest, I noticed another squatter on the light globe. . . . a snail. Now what do you suppose it eats up there?

Here is my version of a table lamp..........someday I will get a "real" table for my kitchen. With these lighted grapes, there is no need for candlelight.

Weed control. . . .

I removed two wheelbarrow loads of weeds from the herb garden. There is still MORE work to do in order to get it presentable. I don't like to use an herbicide around the plants but the stone walkways are impossible to keep clean without it. There is black plastic underneath but the weeds seem to find a way...........I haven't been able to spray because the wind seems to blow here incessantly.

Check out this flag!

Amelia Jenks Bloomer

I found this photo in a "The Mentor" magazine dated 1926. It accompanied an article about Amelia Jenks Bloomer whose name is immemorially associated with that useful article of wearing apparel.. . . the bloomers. The story goes that Mrs. Bloomer tried to persuade her countrywomen to follow her example in wearing garments which she described "of more graceful and convenient character," skirts not only remained but grew in size. Women wearing pants did eventually catch on...........

Clearing out closets, etc

My old PC really crashed this time. I don't even want to think about fixing it again. So, I loaded it up with several boxes of other items and took it to the Goodwill. My last experience with a computer repair person was not a good one. Anyway, I advised Goodwill that the monitor was good but the PC wouldn't start and they said they would take it off my hands. Good riddance! I will use my laptop until it blows. I feel it is kind of pointless to buy a new computer with all the bells and whistles when all I have is a dial-up connection. Maybe someday I will update to cable or satellite.

It felt good to get rid of all this junk......I hope to part with much more!

Knit things

It was so cold the first couple weeks of January that I didn't want to go outside. I spent the inside time trying to do some knitting. I made a slouchy hat which in my opinion came out just a little too wide. I was, however, satisfied with the little amulet pouch and hand warmers.