Another Life -- Another Time

"Magic Words"

In the very earliest time,

When both people and animals lived on earth,

A person could become an animal if he wanted to

And an animal could become a human being.

Sometimes they were people

And sometimes animals

And there was no difference.

All spoke the same language.

That was the time when words were like magic.

The human mind had mysterious powers.

A word spoken by chance

Might have strange consequences.

It would suddenly come alive

And what people wanted to happen could happen.

Nobody could explain this:

That’s the way it was.

-      An Inuit poem, translated by Edward Field

I cannot help but think of what our world would be like now if we could go back to the time when there were such a strong connections between our natural world and each other.

Connecting the Loops

I am beginning another abstract punchneedle.  I have created the design, I have figured out the color scheme and I have transferred the pattern to Weaver's cloth. 

The process of punchneedle, especially abstract, is still new to me and I am just getting used to it.  When I begin an abstract punchneedle piece it is really an 'unknown'.  I can gather up my threads of many colors, I can create and prepare the pattern design but I cannot really 'see' how it is going to turn out.  When beginning a piece of punchneedle the design itself looks awful.  In fact, beginners often ask their teacher 'what am I doing wrong, it doesn't look like anything'.  Until I punch several rows or even a complete section of a design I try not to even turn the frame over because if I do, all I see are disconnected loops just standing there, not making any sense whatsoever.  Until they connect, until they rest against each other they are just standing there looking funny.

This connection makes me think about how I am, as an individual, connected with so many other individuals.  Sometimes, we look like the individual loops - not making any sense and looking slightly forlorn.  When I think about it, I realize how very much we need our connections to each other in order to have our lives make sense and in order for each of us to be a 'complete picture'.  Just some random thoughts as I punch this day...

"Without a sense of caring there can be no sense of community". - Anthony J. D'Angelo