Bright Threads
(Threads from My Own Tapestry - Page 2)

Gradually the images changed and evolved becoming more complex, more sophisticated. Buddhas, angels of all kinds, dragons, unicorns and then the sunrise, the moon dance, the warrior, figures in prayer, figures in meditation. People started asking me to make them, more angels, moon goddesses the Celtic goddess Brigit, Arthur, Boadacea.

Men and Angels

From worlds of light the angels come, their beauty is untold
For words can no more tell of them than eyes their light behold.

From stuff of dreams their robes are made, so soft and bright of hue,
Like glitter on a cobweb bathed in early morning dew.

So close to God these angels live divine in grace and awe,
No trace of sin, no evil prize to tempt them from the Law.

Perfection is their way of life in loving harmony
No hate, no fear to overcome, no fight to set them free.

Their great work in the universe is mighty to behold
They give the moon her silver the sun his shining gold.

Their strength upholds creation through the glory of their power
From the lofty snow clad mountain to the tiny meadow flower.

And every single creature born of water earth and air
Knows the love of his own angel trusts the wisdom and the care.

Even wind and rain obey them, ocean waves will heed their call
Only man in his oblivion is unconscious of it all.

Yet unto man these lovely creatures give allegiance free of claims
They guide and guard and heal us whilst we blindly play our games.

For in this pain filled paradise this miracle called earth
Man has forgotten who he is why he has taken birth.

O man if you but only knew what destiny is yours
You would not let the beast of earth destroy you with its claws.

For the greatest of the angels will kneel on bended knee
To the man whose heart and soul are one in sweet simplicity.

And angels dare not change their ways, obeying they rejoice
For unto man has God bestowed the holy gift of choice.

The Warrior

The spirit of the warrior
is noble to the end.
Through life his sacred task
is to uphold and to defend.

His sword so sharp and powerful
he wields with skilful art,
And the purpose of his actions
always rises from his heart.

Not for him the lower squabbles
of life's intriguing greedy game,
His gaze turned ever forward
shining with no trace of shame.

Though this man is filled with courage
he knows much tenderness.
His heart is always willing
to help others in distress.

The greatest of his battles,
the fiercest trophy earned,
Will always be within himself
his cup of wisdom learned.

To win the battle without fighting
is his motto and his skill,
Though this man is always ready
prepared to die or else to kill.

He knows that in the Absolute
there is no right or wrong.
Only love and wisdom
will guide him all along.

I had my first exhibition with images of the feminine. “The different faces of the Goddess”. Mary Magdalene, Mother Meera, Mother Mary, Quan Yin and the old pagan goddess Hecate.

Mary Magdalene	Mother Meera
Quan Yin	Hecate
	By now I was making scenes: a woman praying under a tree in the moonlight; a person witnessing the sunrise behind the mountains; a pilgrim on his way to the temple; an angel carrying a baby and then trees - willows at night, trees reflected in water, trees in winter. I was also asked to make images of the feminine side of Buddha.
The following are all images that try to represent some of the different aspects of the feminine spirit.
This one tells of the simplicity of being feminine. The open, vulnerable gentleness which is so strong when it is real.
	This is about the Queen of Heaven. The full power of the feminine force which holds creation in her womb.
This image is playful and childlike in quality. She playing with the sun and the moon…(the sun represents the clear light of con-sciousness, whilst the moon tells of the in-tuitive world of the unconscious) She speaks of the balance within herself between her own male and female.
	This image is about grace, the graceful beauty that the feminine spirit offers the world. It shines through her and shows itself to us in the exquisite delicacy of a butterfly or the exotic scent of a flower, in the loving heart of a mother or the passionate eyes of the lover. With her beauty, she beckons to us to follow, to enter into the game of love and life.
This last image is about the mysterious feminine. The great depth of emotion that pushes us to engage in life, to relate to others and to really experience feeling. She is about our vulnerability, the places where it hearts, where we store our tears. But she also teaches understanding and compassion, for how can we know what another is feeling unless we have experienced pain ourselves, how can we really love until we have know both light and shadow.

These five wall hangings have gone to Buddhist temples in Japan.