Thursday, September 23, 2010

for Wendy's children

 

 

 

i know these have been here before, but i want them all together. tomorrow they will
fly away in the mail to Wendy Golden-Levitt who works with children in Toronto.
The request for the "window hanger" came via her, from one of the children who
saw the "installation" i had hung on my own window when some of the older
children were looking at Jude's blog and then at other blogs on her side bar.
She related strongly with the swirling wind and the feathers, which are feathers
from Jude. She said to Wendy "hey there is this person who makes stuff from wind and
that textile stuff we use. she makes it see through but not really. she's got
these feathers stuck on where the light comes in and she sewed in some wind
when it was swirling."
and it all flowed from there.
during the time of my work in Jude's Spirit Cloth workshop and then
the Patchwork Beasts, there were two other occurances of very separate
but simultaneously arising shared imagery in two other girls' healing work and
in my cloth making; the Raven and the Lizard. This amazed us all, was
hard to imagine happening, but it did and tomorrow i will send all three.
I am so honored that these three girls and i "see the same". there is
a second window in the studio and i will make one more window hanger and
am so awed by the opportunity to offer these. as Wendy said in one of
her emails..."in Wonder at the Mystery of it All".
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32 comments:

Anne Marie - Toronto said...

That's very generous of you Grace! Where does Wendy work in Toronto and how old are the children? Did you know that I live here as well?

nandas said...

hey... they needed to be seen together. thanks... this is the work of a healing hand...bless you, wendy and the children.

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Anne Marie
because of the nature of the
therapeutic relationship, i really
know nothing of where Wendy works
with these children. It is
a private practice. Jude, Velma
and Glennis have their work
there and it is spoken of in
Hand Eye. i wish i knew how to
link to that, but i don't. one
more thing to learn.
the girls are 5, 7, and 10. and
i am sure, facing challenges that
most of us never have, and facing
them with courage and great
beauty of Spirit.
i am feeling the generosity in
the opposite direction, as in
being given a great and unexpected
gift of "making sense"....which
in this world is not all that
common in my experience.
as i have asked Wendy to pass
along to these girls, though they
and young and i am becoming old,
i perceive them as little sisters.
i think their lives will bless
those they come into contact with.
they are sensitive to things that
will matter very much to the planet.

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

nance...thanks for that. i sometimes feel like a broken record, but i needed them to be together this way. anytime anything at all is for healing, it heals the Whole. this i believe.
All are blessed.
the beautiful part for me is that
they asked.
they asked for what i have had
stored up inside me for a lifetime.
How good is that

Mnemosyne said...

that is beautiful!

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Mnem~ always gratefull for your
words of affirmation. i trust
them.

Anonymous said...

coming as late to cloth as you have, you have already traveled may lifetimes. Wonderful Grace. tears.

nandas said...

"what i have had stored up inside me for a lifetime"


this journey you have taken since we first started talking about fibers together ... is coming into blossom. you are finding your "voice" and i am grateful to be able to witness it!

Patty said...

You are generous in your spirit...everything you give helps others. You're my heroine!

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Patty...i smile and my heart is
happy. how funny....as in
a laughing heart. this whole
experience makes a lifetime of
...........love...............
make sense, finally
and you, my experience of you
in the classes, here...in this
message
so much a part of that.

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Anon and nandas
a seed can remain
as it is
full of potential
it needs fertile ground, it needs
water (maybe tears?) i needs the
time for it.
all seeds.
any seed.
maybe lifetimes
and so the seed waits.
but it is ready.

Anonymous said...

Yes, that is really beautiful - and magical. The way a stitch can touch someone and heal a wound is profound. Surgeons have known this nearly as long as women. Your words made me happy for you, Grace.

Deb G said...

Children of today, all children, are for the most part not surrounded with enough hand made things. What a beautiful thing you are doing.

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

anonymous...are you Robyn who
replied back on comment about
the woven bag?...on Jude's blog?

Suzanna said...

Three beautiful loving cloths...

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Karen ~ the whole process has
brought me to a turning point
which i don't quite know yet, but
look forward to finding out...

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Deb G...and that it's all just
pieces, fragments, hand stitched.
i am still so amazed myself.

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Suzanna...3 is a good number.

Manya Maratou said...

so many times here I am left full and speechless too
so may I say only
YES!!!

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

manya..i'm just glad you come.
xo

Storycloth said...

Hi Grace- ever since I read the article in HandEye regarding Wendy's work it has been chuggling around my mind. I sent the link to a girl working in an orphanage. And have talked about it to several people. I am very interested in her approach. I am thrilled that you are sending your cloth on. I cannot think of better use really. Heartwarming to see them lined up. Lovely story Grace, Gilly

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Gilly...thank you. it's a lot
of spiraling around for me in
many ways. my most loved friend
and i, years ago, were totally
engrossed in Jungian Psychology.
it has informed every other part
of my life since.

Storycloth said...

Oh that is interesting - can you recommend any reading? G

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

all of Carl Jungs work...
and many who studied with him
look on Bollengin Press
Marion Woodman
and today...Clarissa Pinkola Estes
there 2 book called
the Vision Seminars
that right off the top of my
head, but i will remember more
and send them along to you.
Part of his therapy was Active
Imagination. You will connect
with this.
HAPPY that you are interested!
xo g

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Gilly again, Helen Lukes and
Marie Louise von Franz

Storycloth said...

Ok great I'm writing these down and will have a look - I have just read Women Who Run With Wolves and it had a deep effect on me. Thanks heaps, G

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

Gilly, again again
Jean Shinoda Bolen
Meinrad Craighead, an artist
M.Esther Harding

Storycloth said...

Woohoo thanks - a feast. They are all in my diary. What are you working on now?

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

today, am "doing" my Alzheimers
person and then canning the
oh so ripening tomatoes. THEN
the futon cover that has been
so patient, and MOST looking at
all the cloths i started in all
3 classes, seeing if there is
one there that quivers, AND more
MOST, starting a new cloth, 2
new ones. i'd like to see what
doing a very small one feels like.
Thank you for asking! I will
come over to StoryCloth and tell
you to come see when i actually
begin.
If you can, look for anything
about Meinrad Craighead, she is
an amazing artist...you will like
her.
and if you haven't read Women Who
Run With the Wolves, that's
Clarissa Pinkola Estes, you would
love that too. let me know
xo

Storycloth said...

Ha just been reading about Meinrad- yes she seems amazing and yes I have read running with wolves - just recently- it is fantastic. I 'm going to follow up on Meinrad- amazing life. I am looking to see if one of my pieces 'vibrates' today too. But I might start a new base cloth. I'll look forward to your visit. Gilly, peace to you.

nandas said...

grace are the clouds in your raven piece purple? seems i remember you said purple... they read grey and black... hmmmm.

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

nance...yes..they DO read grey
and black and yes, there is a
faint cast of lavender...which was
ok, but i wished it was just
grey and black. i fooled with it
some with colored pencil to
dim
it
for whatever reason, i need it to
be just grey and black?
hmmmm
this is what i am thinking when i
say i want to make my own cloth...

i don't know.
tonight i received a message from
Wendy. things are picking up
Energy.
i think i need to sleep and dream
and wait for what is next.