Charlotte's Web Talisman Necklace: O My Soul

And you, O my Soul, where you stand, 
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space, 
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,—seeking the spheres, to connect them; 
Till the bridge you will need, be form’d—till the ductile anchor hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul. 

- Walt Whitman

Spider webs remind me that everything is connected and comes back to center, to source.  I remember quite well, reading Charlotte's Web as a little girl and crying my eyes out.  The passage I've never forgotten was this -

"When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle."

and that pretty much sums up how I feel about spider webs.  Whenever I need that connection to tiny miracles, I wear my spider web talisman.  Now I'm offering them to you.

May these beautiful gossamer threads touch your soul. Each one of a kind spider web is carefully collected and preserved in a glass locket.  The spiders that I'm co-creating with are L. Venusta. Venusta is a Latin word that means beauty or charm. The common name is Orchard Spider or sometimes called Mabel Orchard Spider.  No spiders were harmed in the making of this necklace.

"Why do you talk to the spiders?", my son asks.
"Because you may not take something without permission", I reply.

(If the spider leaves, I take the web and give thanks.  If the spider does not leave the web, I walk away and still give thanks.  Sometimes, the spider leaves as I approach as if to say, "choose me, choose me!")

When we return from our walk, I read him these words:

"Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect."  - Chief Seattle, 1854

About Spider Totems:

“Spider awakens creative sensibilities. It weaves a web of intricate and subtle fabric, as if to remind us that the past always subtly influences the present and future. We are the keepers and the writers of our own destiny, weaving it like a web by our thoughts, feelings and actions.” - Ted Andrews (from Animal Speak)


This is a seasonal item and will only be in my shop Summer thru early Autumn while I am able to find webs.

Singing Beneath the Stars

"I caught the happy virus last night 
When I was out singing beneath the stars. 
It is remarkably contagious -
So kiss me."  -  Hafiz

She stitches tiny stars on the toes of her slippers because she fancies the night sky...

Last Day of Skateboard Camp!

He came home speaking a foreign language...

"Mama, I can do an ollie!"
"Mama, I learned how to fakie!" 
"Mama, watch me Tic-tac!"

There were ramps and scrapes and bruises, but there was mostly joy.

Got Wheelz

“Live your Life. 
Live your Life. 
Live your Life.” - Maurice Sendak

First day of Skateboard Camp!

Persisting Stars 2

"The universe and the light of the stars come through me." - Rumi

Here's a cool rainy day project from my son inspired by the Perseid Meteor Shower and constellation tote that I made...

1.  Have a parent google your constellation, then print and punch out the stars with a hole puncher.

2.  Tape it down on a black or navy T-shirt.

3.  Use glow in the dark 3D fabric paint to fill in the holes that you punched.

 4.  When it dries, use a light blue fabric paint marker and a ruler to draw the constellation lines.


















 TA DAAAH!

The Sound of a Soul Waking Up

This morning, at daybreak, there was an astonishing light coming from the forest.  She stopped what she was doing as she could hardly move at the sight of it.  She understands now, how in ancient times, the prophets and sages believed they were visited by angels.   If there were such things as angels, she would say that she met one this morning, but she knows better.  She ran outside toward this ball of light and knelt in the wet grass. Sparkling droplets of water from last night's rain fell down from the tree tops upon her head like a baptism and she laughed.