at our etsy shopIn August when I returned from my eight days of silent retreat at Wernersville, I wrote about watching a day come into existence through my stained glass which was hanging in the window. The mandala had been made for my spiritual director for the week, who was once again guiding me into relationship with Sophia.
I call the piece, A Sophia Spiral Mandala, which doesn't just happen to have 21 pieces of glass. It has 21 pieces of glass because the design came to be after spending time with Sophia and a passage (The Book of Wisdom, chapter 7) that includes her 21 attributes:
22 For within her is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, incisive, unsullied, lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, shrewd,
23 irresistible, beneficent, friendly to human beings, steadfast, dependable, unperturbed, almighty, all-surveying, penetrating all intelligent, pure and most subtle spirits.
This week I decided to make a new mandala for our craft shows. I cut out four pieces of five types of blue green glass and than pulled out the Youghiogeny glass for the 21st. As I was writing a blurb to describe the mandala, it occurred to me what that 21st piece is. As we grow to know God in all images, we spiral into ourselves, and what we find is our true self. And there is nothing I can put in that location better than a piece of amazing glass from western Pennsylvania:
I love how Ruth Duck takes her wonderful new lyrics and places them into melodies I adore. Here is verse 3 of "Wash Oh God our Sons and Daughters"
O how deep your holy wisdom! Unimagined, all your ways! To your name be glory, honor! With our lives we worship, praise! We your people stand before you, water-washed and Spirit born. By your grace, our lives we offer. Recreate us; God, transform!Now close your eyes and imagine Sophia searching for you and you searching for Sophia and the amazing beauty that resides in us and so wants to shine in the light:
peace, hope, and joy be with you.
The piece is tranquil, and the story behind it is mesmerizing. You do such beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteSnowcatcher--- Thanks. I seem to have a story for most of what I have created
ReplyDeleteBeautiful mandala.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things about Wernersville was going up to meet with my director each morning and being first greeted by your glass hanging in the window of the waiting area.
This is just lovely! (Found it through your wife's comment on Shawna Atteberry's kind review of my Sophia's Book of Hours). And thanks for pointing out that there are 21 attributes of Sophia in that passage--I had never counted and it's quite the mystical number. Also recalls the 21 praises of Tara.
ReplyDeleteFind me, Sophia . .
ReplyDeleteso beautiful.
Hello good folk who commented here. Tomorrow I head out to the land of silence where I was introduced to Sophia. This is at least my 8th long retreat and as always I am not sure of what will transpire... sorrow, joy, boredom, healing, ...
ReplyDelete