"The Weaver" Print

In Southern Italian culture, the weavers were women who did the sacred work of weaving the threads of life, of fate.  They wove their prayers and their visions, their hopes and dreams into the cloth they created.

In every temple ground there was a place set aside for the women who wove the garments of the gods and goddesses. In every home there was a loom where the women wove the cloth the family would use to make clothing, linens and items for the daughter’s dowry.  It was all done with prayer and with the knowledge that as she wove, she created future worlds. Women were buried with the sacred loom weights they had used all of their lives. These were decorated with beautiful symbols: meanders, spirals, wave motifs and much more…suggesting the flow of fate, the cycles of time, the interconnectedness of all things. They were holy talismans.

The act of weaving itself – the repetition, the rhythm, the connection between the weaver and the threads of fate put the weaver into a trance-like state. A state rich with the creative force from which she could literally alter destiny.  Perhaps for this reason alone many mythological figures were depicted as weaving: Athena was the Goddess of handcrafts, who taught the women to both spin and weave. Arachne was a masterful weaver, who was turned into a spider because her skill was so great. The Moirai, or the fates, were the women whose process of deciding the fates of humans was often depicted as weaving, spinning and measuring the lengths of thread.  

I often ask myself: What am I weaving?  How well do I spin?  What sacred threads am I measuring to ensure they continue into my family and community’s future?

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Originally created with acrylic & Terra di Colori paints. Your print will be signed and numbered by Gail, then carefully rolled and sent in a cardboard tube. Frame not included. Note cards are blank inside and come with a kraft envelope.

"I use vibrant color (often sourced from minerals and botanical sources gathered at sites I visit and the essence of which I want to depict), line, symbol, image, rhythm and word, to expand consciousness, share ideas, enhance connection, push boundaries, question limitations, accentuate the luminous, initiate healing and express my wild heart, soul and spirituality. My work is informed by the natural world around me - the plants, trees, mountains, waters, wild animals, bird song and all the textures, sounds and aromas of the living Earth expressing herself.  I draw inspiration for my work from the deep well of the Divine Feminine, as well as from Old World myths, sacred stories, poetry, art and culture."

Gail Faith Edwards