Showing posts with label Dream Catcher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dream Catcher. Show all posts

Monday, October 8, 2018

the Sacred, the Wild



Gathering String

Gathering String by Gay Isber 

I am a hyper-vivid dreamer – sleeping or awake. My eyes seems to shut down and I can see in my mind’s eye creations that put together items so perfectly that I just have to physically make them. Almost every morning, I wake up and can see jewelry that honestly wows me. If I don’t see them, I will wait in place, replay the last dream until I spot it. It is almost always there, just waiting or playing hide and seek. It makes me love going to sleep. In my nighttime dreams, I often see things that have never been seen before, even colors that are not really there, smells are included sometimes, sometimes I am speak in Spanish, I taste things, music is often in the background and twists and turns evolve into problem solving my latest quandary. They are so rich in texture and character that I feel like they are block buster movies. If I could somehow get tubes in my head to siphon off the visions into a monitor so that others could see what I see, I would be rich. 

My brain, while I sleep just loves: having adventures, making jewelry, entertaining me with story lines and creating arts of work. Last night, for example, I saw a new breed of glowing, sparkled bugs that hopped far away with a click and a snap when I touched them, glittering as they soared in a rainbow colored arch – they were so cool and fun and I loved how they soared and sounded. Often, I see my childhood homes but also amazingly cool designed interiors that I wish that I lived in. I see friends from years ago and hear their voices perfectly. I get to see other items that just please my soul. But every day, I see jewelry right when I go to sleep or immediately when I wake up. It is such a gift to have your days’ work laid out before you hit the coffee pot. Not every item gets made. I have many that keep coming to me over and over and they will keep appearing, until I finally make them. Currently, three items I just can’t seem to get up the ingredients to make are always there every morning, waiting patiently. I have a degree in journalism, from way back. My first love is writing – thankfully, as it has been my most used tool over the course of my adult life. In my fantasy life, I rent small, stylish homes, always with an amazing views and write for a month at a time – only to move to another location to do the same again. It really reveals my nomad tendencies. I have moved more than 20 times in my life and look forward to moving again. The gypsy magpie in me always wants me to create jewelry – shiny things and dark things. And that has somehow, mostly paid the bills. 

I am a true slave to creating things.

As a reporter “gathering string” is a term where you collect tidbits, facts, phone numbers, contacts, ideas, locations and other information that will assist in writing the story. Shortened to “string” it is much like I do to create jewels. During the day, I collect string and then at night my brain puts my string into dreams and solid formed ideas to entertain me. I prewrote this article in my dreams. The ether is so good to me – such a gift. My string includes: audible books, color combinations that excites my eyes, fossils that I find interesting, articles on nature, birds, museums, TV shows, books, Pinterest, and more. I am passionate about historical items. Flowers always excite me – (if I had a penny for every dollar that I have spent on plants I would be rich). I am just naturally curious about the world around me but 

I find travel the best for my string gathering.

I use to shy away from fashion magazine, and still kind of do. They overwhelm me if they are great. If they inspire me, I often write to the editor. I read the New York Times and sometimes just have to take in small doses of the T magazine, if it is a wonderful one. They have special editions on design that they print a few times a year that have sometimes been super inspiring. If they are great, it will overload me with excitement and it can just be too much. I will look at it until I feel my heart speed up and race. Only by closing it am I relieved. I rarely leave my studio during the day. Just ask my hubby, I can go a few weeks without peeking out my front door. I must be the creepy lady at the end of the cove that is rarely seen. I am content to just make things as fast as possible to keep my muses at happy. Thankfully, I can order the world through the Internet. It is the Internet of Things and I love those things. And string! I certainly love string! All rights reserved 2016 www.gayisber.com gayisber@gmail.com


The Nature of Science by Gay Isber. [2016]


Wednesday, August 2, 2017

In essence, holy.



August 6


"A Black woman's dream of herself creates herself each day anew."
- Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories







"A Black woman married, free and happy within herself is quite a sight for the jaded spirit to be around and experience as truth manifested." - Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories 5.11.16






"Elegance is a premise of womanhood, the center point of a mature woman and a way of being despite the crudeness round about the way..." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 8.24.16


Sunday, November 20, 2016

Merging with a Known

Ultimate Dream Girls

la reve


African woman's solace is treasured by She 


"Merging with the perceptions of Beauty and who one thinks She is is the endeavor of the soul of a Magician learning to conjure, or create a life with a woman..." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 12.2.14 














Thursday, April 30, 2015

DREAM CATCHER

absolute beauty of Desiree's composition 

There are absolutes and they fall into the categories of art, formlessness, and composition. Deep in these recurring dreams of compositions we can write in the changes, and form the bounty, and make vague the borders, or cling to the misconceptions, or hear and learn of dreams not yet formed into temporal  space and design. It is a mythical design the form of dream we live in when enveloped and intertwined within the folds of the women designed for us, meant for us and calling us into the form they need, and we want to be in to be received by the dream She is. - Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories 7.22.13



Monday, December 31, 2012

SLEEP



Dreamcatcher Origin Story – Ojibway

Long ago in the ancient world of the Ojibwe Nation, the Clans were all located in one general area of that place known as Turtle Island. This is the way that the old Ojibwe storytellers say how Asibikaashi (Spider Woman) helped Wanabozhoo bring giizis (sun) back to the people. To this day, Asibikaashi will build her special lodge before dawn. If you are awake at dawn, as you should be, look for her lodge and you will see this miracle of how she captured the sunrise as the light sparkles on the dew which is gathered there.

Asibikaasi took care of her children, the people of the land, and she continues to do so to this day. When the Ojibwe Nation dispersed to the four corners of North America, to fill a prophecy, Asibikaashi had a difficult time making her journey to all those cradle boards, so the mothers, sisters and Nokomis (grandmothers) took up the practice of weaving the magical webs for the new babies using willow hoops and sinew or cordage made from plants. It is in the shape of a circle to represent how giizis travels each day across the sky.

The dream catcher will filter out all the bad bawedjigewin (dreams) and allow only good thoughts to enter into our minds when we are just abinooji.

You will see a small hole in the center of each dream catcher where those good bawadjige may come through. With the first rays of sunlight, the bad dreams would perish. When we see little asibikaashi, we should not fear her, but instead respect and protect her. In honor of their origin, the number of points where the web connected to the hoop numbered eight for Spider Woman's eight legs or seven for the Seven Prophecies.

It was traditional to put a feather in the center of the dream catcher; it means breath, or air. It is essential for life. A baby watching the air playing with the feather on her cradleboard was entertained while also being given a lesson on the importance of good air. This lesson comes forward in the way that the feather of the owl is kept for wisdom (a woman's feather) and the eagle feather is kept for courage (a man's feather). This is not to say that the use of each is restricted by gender, but that to use the feather each is aware of the gender properties she/he is invoking. The use of gem stones, as we do in the ones we make for sale, is not something that was done by the old ones. Government laws have forbidden the sale of feathers from our sacred birds, so using four gem stones, to represent the four directions, and the stones used by western nations were substituted by us. The woven dream catchers of adults do not use feathers.

Dream catchers made of willow and sinew are for children, and they are not meant to last. Eventually the willow dries out and the tension of the sinew collapses the dream catcher. That's supposed to happen. It belies the temporary-ness of youth. Adults should use dream catchers of woven fiber which is made up to reflect their adult "dreams." It is also customary in many parts of Canada and the Northeastern U.S. to have the dream catchers be a tear-drop/snow shoe shape.


The above story is a combination of information gathered by Lyn Dearborn from California, and Mary Ritchie of the Northern Woodlands, with assistance from Canadian elders. Miigwetch.




Tuesday, October 30, 2012

DREAMS OF CONSCIOUSNESS CHANGE

"For a moment I saw the Tree of Life, the concentric teachings of the Medicine Wheel, and ever so briefly, was blinded by a light. I closed my eyes instinctively to absorb the bit of pain from that light emanating from the art, and simply sat still until the Women's voices began song, and chant..." - Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories 10.27.12

Art of the Feminine
 Aritst: BlavatskayaI

"In this dream of consciousness 
we are changing the way we are dreaming the World." -anon