Red Thread Circles

 ᎤᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ  ᎢᏤ  ᎠᏕᏘᏱᏍᎬᎢ   U-li-he-lis-di  i-tse  a-de-ti-yi-s-gv-i / happy new year! What's on your creative table in 2025? For 2024, our pastor Erika Marksbury got a grant to use Bonnie Smith Whitehouse 's lovely book, Seasons of Wonder, for inspiration and focus. The grant covered copies of the book for the congregation, plus supplies for our monthly Makers Meetings and funds for field trips; and we met in small groups for monthly discussion.  I really enjoy Bonnie's approach of interweaving gathering as a circle (!!), sharing creativity, connecting with nature, each other and the Divine. I've ordered her Kickstart Creativity  cards. In the introduction, Bonnie quotes Steven Charleston ,  ' It is all a circle, the ancestors said -- an endless circle within a circle. The drum is a circle.  The dance ground is a circle. The earth is a circle.  There is no us or them, no top or bottom, no beginning or end, no lines of division -- o...

  In November we often celebrate the abundance of harvest season.  A Cornucopia is a hollow container, shaped like a sheep or goats horn filled with an abundance of fruit and vegetables. (Cornu copiæ - literally, 'horn of Plenty') The term was first used in English in the 1600s, denoting a sense of overflowing abundance.  Jacobs sheep - Bideawee farm Some inquiries to consider as you contemplate abundance:  What fills your basket? Who and what are you grateful for? What gifts do you have to share? Cornucopia My cornucopia is filled with abundance from the gardens, and I looked up the flower essence definitions for each, and added their names in ᏣᎳᎩ (tsalagi / Cherokee) Syllabary.  Apple for sweetness 🍎  Corn for Earth connection/ grounding 🌽  Kale - remembering past skills Borage for comfort and courage Grapes to help us see our gifts 🍇  Filbert - speaking our truth / seeing into shadows I used my Inktense pencils and neocolor 2 crayons, ...

 We had so much fun at today's circle - thank you Luna for leading and Cindy for being our co-pilot!! Luna invited us to share a way we enjoy pumpkin, and they all sounded so savory - from essential oils, to soups, Rice pudding and Gluten Free pumpkin Cheesecake! Made us all hungry!  One of each I had a lovely time sitting back and creating - and will play with messages in a bit! I pulled out my fluid acrylics (love the gold!) and decorated the gourd first - then painted a ᎢᏯ (i-ya - pumpkin in Cherokee) in my journal.  Punkin play zine I used a pre-election mailer as the base for a little zine - painted random strokes for a background, and then added collage (I even found pictures of ᎢᏯ (pumpkin)   I'll add it's name and more words later 🎃 Zine - Back and front covers There were some great ideas on favorite ways to use pumpkin - now I'm hungry!! Here's a recipe for a Pumpkin bean soup, that's similar to one mentioned (it's vegan and Gluten Free.) ...

 A practice I've engaged in several times is choosing a word for guidance over the year ahead.  My friend Kathleen has offered this in early January at our church for 7 or so years (virtually during lock down), and i joined the group again last weekend.  We start with sharing our last word, the a review of the previous year, listing highs and lows - and look for themes. Feel into what you wish for this year ahead, and for a word to support you.  Kathleen invites us to use a dictionary or thesaurus as we come time this word. Last year I chose Weave, as I wanted to share new friendships and experiences. One of my church friends began a singles group, and a Native Voices bookgroup, and I also joined our Edible Landscaping group, so deepened with current friends and wove in new ones!  Weave - 2023 Our singles group meet Saturday for a wee feast,  and each drew a card from a Hawaiian healing deck. My card 'Kaulike' invites balance - and we bespoke finding balanc...