One of the many great blessings in my life has been the opportunity to study with cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien, author of Signs of Life. Again and again I have returned to her work and teachings, and now my daughter has begun to do the same. Perhaps it was the recent recognition of the seeming importance of the circle in my life that drew me to picking up the classic favorite. It had been years since I had taken the Preferential Shapes Test therein, and thus the book held particular opportunity to renew my experience. In Signs of Life Angeles, ever seeking and honoring cross-cultural perspectives and links through the myths, fables, fairytales and values in world cultures, examines the importance of five universal shapes found naturally in all cultures, often with similar interpretations and meanings, reflecting their archetypal nature. The five shapes examined in Signs of Life are simply the circle, the square, the triangle, the (equi-distant) cross, and the spiral. As gardeners we are all well familiar with the repetition of these shapes in our natural landscapes, as are we well versed in our recreating them through our various avenues of creation.

What Signs of Life does so simply and eloquently is to invite the reader to arrange and value the five universal shapes in order of current personal preference. Is it the square you are most drawn to? Or the triangle or circle? What follows is an enlightening process whereby one may examine what this might actually mean in your life today. Why are you drawn to the square, a symbol of foundation and consistency? What might it might mean that the triangle holds no interest for you at the moment, thus placing it in the fifth position? What unfolds is a fascinating tool for not only illuminating your own current process and priorities, but also for objectively reflecting what a loved one might be focused on at the moment in his or her own process, allowing for greater understanding, respect, acceptance and compassion for those we love. Don’t you just love it?

“The soul never thinks without an image.” Aristotle

Very briefly the five shapes represent the following:

The Circle–symbolizes wholeness and the experience of unity
The Equidistant Cross–symbolizes the process of relationship and intergration
The Spiral–symbolizes the process of growth and evolution
The Triangle–symbolizes goals,visions and dreams
The Square–symbolizes stability, solidity and security

After deciding in what order you are currently attracted to the five universal shapes Signs of Life illuminates the significance of the position in which you have placed each shape. I once again found this to be a fascinating process, as did Antonia when she was here for Christmas. I will now be examining how I can honor this realization in my everyday life. And, frankly, would it not be utterly fascinating for an inspired gardener to use this book and then to employ his or her findings in planning next spring’s garden? Oh, I do hope so. I will not be one bit surprised if one of you is already thinking in terms of triangular beds for herbs or a square raised bed for strawberries. Is it you? Signs of Life might be a fun way to find out what is brewing below the surface as you are imagining your new creations! Do tell!

Love and New Year’s blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Posted on January 3rd, 2009 by Kathryn
Filed under: Book Notes | 16 Comments »

Every year there is a tipping point when I know in my heart of hearts that Christmas is truly here. Over the years the tipping point has been different each year. I am certain I am not alone in this perception. What is it for you? A Christmas carol sung in church one bright wintry morning? The first snowfall? Finding the perfect tree? Baking cookies? The knowledge that a loved one will be coming home for Christmas? The scent of pine, vanilla, or eucalyptus wafting through your home? A gingerbread-man brought to you by a neighbor? I watch with anticipation, and wait, and it always comes. This year what I’m noticing is that it was not one moment, but an accumulation of moments that I think culminated around one particular thing: the wreathe.

The seeds of the wreathe being my Christmas symbol were actually sown on my birthday last March with a gift certificate from Smith and Hawken, which I knew immediately I would use for a wreathe, and waited until the holidays to utilize. With the simple addition of the perfect bow, that Thanksgiving wreathe morphed this month into the loveliness now greeting guests who come to the front door. Don’t you just love it? I do!

Once this was in place I found myself drawn to the wreathes in my Christmas collections, though still I was not fully connecting the Wreathe Dots. Next I playfully placed a wreathe I have used at the front door in past in Antonia’s room (she’s coming!), to warmly greet her upon her entrance.

Yesterday I unexpectedly found a fresh wreathe at the Saturday farmer’s market which is now hung in the main bathroom, filling the room with the clearing scent of eucalyptus! Lovely!

I have among the older Christmas decorations a red jingle bell wreathe bearing a small gold angel. This found a home simply hung on the door handle of Antonia’s bedroom, a cheery reminder of the season and of past Christmases.

Other Christmas beauties found their way into my home. The amaryllis purchased at Nicole’s Tierra, with which you are now familiar. You will recall this is where the Scarf show took place.

And a box in the shed revealed this small tree made of small pine cones, of which I am fond, and always decorate with a small string of round white lights.

Things were falling into place. Yet I began to labor over a centerpiece for the dining room table when I realized that a lamp I had installed over the center of the table–lending a warm light over Christmas dinner, I thought–also came with the limitation and challenge of needing a rather flat centerpiece! Hmmmm. What to do? I remembered that last Christmas my dearest friend Conny had found a wreathe one would expect to hang on a door that she simply put flat upon her long beautiful dining room table. I was surprised, but it worked! Given that I had already put three layers of tablecloths on the table, I needed a slightly different solution. When I bought the Christmas tree, I purchased a wreathe, determined to come up with a creative solution. Here’s what Stage One of that process looked like from the outside.

Now here is a sneak peek at how I accomplished Stage One: went to Ross where I have this belief system that I Can Find Anything I Need (and invariably do) and immediately found a very large glass plate, with upturned edges. Then, if you look very carefully, you will see teeny snippets of dishtoweling that I cut up and tucked at the very edges of the plate, which is conveniently soaking up the water in the bottom of the plate, keeping my wreathe moist through the holidays! Bravo! (So pleased with myself!)

But, oh, that center was crying out for something! My Flower Mandala Self kicked in and I saw one thing and one thing only. Can you guess? I bet you can. It’s Christmas, afterall. Yes. Red roses. Lucky me, I found some that were not classic, but more rugosa-type and here was the splendid result!

I personally cannot think of a better tribute to Christmastime, my dear readers.

But what was this thing about wreathes, afterall? Even the faux-fur ringed hat I chose to bring out this Christmas has a circle about it. I turned to one of my best resources (more about that in an upcoming post) and found the perfect passage, which I will now share with all of you.

…Everything an Indian does is in a circle,
and that is because the Power of the World
always works in circles,
and everything tries to be round.
…The sky is round,
and…the earth is round like a ball,
and so are all the stars.
The wind, in its greatest power, whirls.
Birds make their nests in circles,
for theirs is the same religion as ours.
The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle.
The moon does the same and both are round.
Even the seasons form a circle
in their changing,
and always come back again to where they were.
The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood,
and so it in everything where power moves.

–Black Elk in Black Elk Speaks

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you. May your Christmas be blessed with dear family and friends, a light heart, a happy spirit and much love.

Christmas blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Posted on December 21st, 2008 by Kathryn
Filed under: People at Life | 33 Comments »