July 9, 2010

It's three weeks since I got back from the Bead & Button show, but it's been hard to get my feet back on the ground and my body back in the studio. My deepest thanks to everyone who took the time to come by the booth and visit - hearing your stories, and seeing the things that you've made are what make Bead & Button so wonderful!

If you've seen my booth in past years, you know that I don't have much finished jewelry to show - production keeps me too busy. This time, booth wenches Becky and Liz brought beautiful pieces that they had made using my beads, and we had a great display! You can find their creations for sale in their Etsy shops: Becky's shop is at BeadyEyedMonster.etsy.com and Liz's is at LizsGems.etsy.com.



"(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me, remember me."
-- ee cummings, "in time of daffodils"

The full stanza from which this quotation is taken is
"and in a mystery to be
(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me, remember me."

This quotation and this image seemed to suit each other perfectly, but it's difficult to tell you exactly what the pairing means to me. Here are some of my thoughts about the elements I used, but the final interpretation of the combination is really up to you.

What the quotation says to me:
As a memory is relinquished or grows dim with the passage of time, its power over the rememberer is altered. If it is called back, the different time and circumstances can transform the memory and change its influence.

About the images of the ouroboros and the mandrake:
The ouroboros can represent the eternal recurrence, the idea that time is cyclical and that there are only a finite number of human experiences that repeat eternally. Jung said that the ouroboros could also symbolize wholeness: "The ouroboros is a dramatic symbol of the integration and the assimilation of the opposite…it is said of the ouroboros that he slays himself and brings himself back to life, fertilizes himself and gives birth to himself."

The mandrake root is an odd thing - alive, but soulless, but neither human nor vegetable. It is traditionally used in spells for transformation and change.

One loose interpretation of the message in the three parts combined is that we do have the ability to change or recreate our lives, and are not condemned to endless repetition. What do you think? I'd love to hear your ideas!