Fire of Creation
I’ve long had a close relationship with fire. Fire has been a deep medicine for me that was instrumental in my journey through grief after the tragic loss of my son in 2002. During that time of intense grieving, I lived near the active volcano in the Big Island of Hawaii and regularly saw the fire of the Earth pouring down the mountain into the sea. I learned while I lived there the art of fire spinning and became a professional fire dancer. This practice, and developing this relationship with fire, was a strong guiding force in my life for many years. My husband and I met around a fire, and I give gratitude to this element for creating the perfect circumstances to bring us together. Fire is the passion that makes life worth living, even when loss feels to great to bear.
But fast forward to early 2022, and I was going through a time where I felt like I had lost touch with the fire element. I got sick with this weird virus that has been going around since 2020, and even though my symptoms were quite mild, it affected me most by zapping my inspiration, depleting my energy, leaving me totally apathetic and exhausted. As a creative soul who has always had a good energy level, this state of feeling completely debilitated energetically was not only depressing but also scary. What if I never got my energy back? The depression led me down some dark roads in my mind, where I contemplated giving up weaving entirely, because maybe I would never be inspired again, and besides, I’m terrible at it anyway. Has this ever happened to you? Well, then, you know it’s not a fun place to be. Lacking all inspiration and spark, I would walk in my studio, look around, feel zero desire to do anything, and turn around and go back to bed. Ugh. That is not how I want to live my life!
Then one day a voice clearly told me in my mind, “GO IN YOUR STUDIO RIGHT NOW AND START MAKING THE FIRE PIECE”. I had been tossing around ideas for this fire piece for a few months before I got sick, and although some ideas had been percolating in my mind I hadn’t yet solidified what I was going to do for this piece. But suddenly I just had to start working on it, because I knew (or rather, a clear voice told me) that the very act of working on the piece would be my medicine and lead me back to my creative self.
So I did. I went through the motions and trusted my instinct and measured the yarn, and dyed it, and put it on the loom, and wove it, and finished it exactly on the day of a highly auspicious astrological event in Aries (a FIRE SIGN) that only happens like once every few thousand years. Wow! And in that process, I did it! I healed, I reconnected with my inner fire, I reignited my passion.
So I am here to tell you, that art can heal, and that creativity has a value, and that making things with your hands is not just pleasing but also deeply therapuetic.
And so I dedicate “Fire of Creation” in honor of the Divine Creative Spirit which, at it’s core, is the Life Force that can also be called God, the Great Spirit, Allah, or whatever name you prefer. This Life Force is the spark that lives in me and lives in you, and fuels the creation and life of all things. And it needs to be stoked, kindled, honored and respected to keep it’s flame burning bright. It is available in the shop here. Take a look, it may be exactly the medicine you need as well!
