Red Thread Circles

One of the earliest projects in our Color of Woman teacher training was the invitation to create simple art journals, setting our intention, using simple supplies and an inexpensive composition book as the container. These journals, called Cosmic Smash Books by an earlier graduate, Catt Geller, became companions for many of us on our quest, holding notes, inspiration, and process pages. I made several that year, and many others since.We began and covered books in our last Red Thread Creatives circle, and this week, created a grounding, resting or process page. We were led by Linda Allen, a CoW graduate and Smashbook Guide. Linda is a big fan of using junk mail and other throw away for booklets and pages. In our last session, I painted a cover for the journal I was already working in, using a sturdy paper bag from my daughter's stash. My youngest granddaughter came outside to paint with me, making hers for a spiral bound notebook.
This week, I worked in an altered children's boar…

The invitation to one of my early Red Thread Circle read:'It is often said we need to give our children roots for grounding, and wings to give their visions and dreams flight! Our creativity also thrives with roots and wings!  

Come explore what gives you stability, & vision into the dreams you'd like to give wings. We'll play with paint and paper and you'll leave with an altar piece to remind you of your own Roots & Wings.'  

What gives you Roots? What grounds you into your body, your home, your community? What do you - and your surroundings need to thrive? Where do you yern to spread your wings? 

What bogs you down - old baggage, old stories that 'it's about time' you tossed? What leaves are ready to drop?  We drummed & rattled to connect with our roots, the things that give us stability. 
Our images shared commonalities, trees, earth, sky, greenery. We played with acrylics, tempra, a leaf stencil, collage to create our images of well rooted t…

Red Thread Circles are a way to connect in a respectful, mutually supportive group, and inter-weave the threads of our stories. The Red Thread has a profound capacity for connecting hearts and minds around what matters. When we face a challenge, we "tug on the Red Thread" as a reminder we aren't alone, and may tap into this web of support.
We often meet around a topic, and share stories, dreams and aspirations. At other times, we will focus on a simple project, first setting an intention, or framing an inquiry: what is the old story? What lights my soul fire? What is mine to cause and create? 

At the beginning of our time together, we sit in circle, and then pass the thread: each sister takes a minute or two framing her response to the inquiry - often something like, "what would you like to release today?" Then she wraps a length of yarn around her wrist, and passes the rest on. During the second round, we often claim a gift or talent we'd like to deepen with…