The ancient women sat together,
a stitch of red thread through
the sacred temple veil,
a weave of mythic tales
whispered to one another.
A song chanted
Pass the thread, pass the thread
ooooo, oh, oh
Come together, come together
ooooo, oh, oh
Claim your voice, claim your voice
ooooo, oh, oh
Give the blessing, Give the blessing
ooooo, oh, oh
Passed into the hands of
great-great-great grandmothers,
sewers of quilts to warm small children
with slow breath, a lace
of laughter through each fiber.
Pass the thread, pass the thread
ooooo, oh, oh
Come together, come together
ooooo, oh, oh
Claim your voice, claim your voice
ooooo, oh, oh
Give the blessing, Give the blessing
ooooo, oh, oh
Slid into wrinkled hands
of the feminine, maker of flags
for the love of her nation,
a prayer of peace
blessed into the future wave.
Pass the thread, pass the thread
ooooo, oh, oh
Come together, come together
ooooo, oh, oh
Claim your voice, claim your voice
ooooo, oh, oh
Give the blessing, Give the blessing
ooooo, oh, oh
Accepted by a flock of aunties
who clicked, knit, purl, knit
and clack, clacked their rosy lips
about secrets of women
that began at the edge of time
Pass the thread, pass the thread.
ooooo, oh, oh
Come together, come together.
ooooo, oh, oh
Claim your voice, claim your voice.
ooooo, oh, oh
Give the blessing, Give the blessing.
ooooo, oh, oh
Received into my mother’s needle,
she who crafted those small x’s into
a masterpiece of embroidery,
her love deliberately sown
into each winter’s stitch.
Pass the thread, pass the thread
ooooo, oh, oh
Come together, come together
ooooo, oh, oh
Claim your voice, claim your voice
ooooo, oh, oh
Give the blessing, Give the blessing
ooooo, oh, oh
(now) I’m handed the red thread
in the bowl of my palm,
tiny fibers twisted,
a ball of possibility. Here,
I reconnect with me.
I wrap it around my slender wrist,
let it touch my skin,
a visible reformer,
a simmer of voice and knowing,
yeast rising through warm dough.
Pass the thread, pass the thread
ooooo, oh, oh
Come together, come together
ooooo, oh, oh
Claim your voice, claim your voice
ooooo, oh, oh
Give the blessing, Give the blessing
ooooo, oh, oh
I give the skein to my sister,
her and I forever connected by
a cord of blood, yet, with this balm,
we see each other anew,
companions not competitors.
Passed around the circle,
a mixed bag of pilgrims
shoulder to shoulder, their
voices wash away my trepidation,
this, a witness of belonging.
No, the thread cannot be contained,
thrown out to community
where leaders thirst for meaning,
a tool that enhances their clarity and truth,
“I’m overextended. I long for the trees.”
This crimson is woven
through states and countries, an
invisible weave where women
lead sacred formation
in ordinary settings.
Do you see? This scarlet cord
falls from the window and
wraps the wide world
(all the colors of the rainbow)
in a raw love of reception.
This seam is
a channel and holder
of all the stories,
a symbol of
the Divine path woven.
And, still, today,
the ancient women sit together,
they spin, cackle
and chant their song.
Can you hear it?
Pass the thread, pass the thread.
ooooo, oh, oh
Come together, come together.
ooooo, oh, oh
Claim your voice, claim your voice.
ooooo, oh, oh
Give the blessing, Give the blessing.
ooooo, oh, oh
I’m a weaver of the thread.
A claimer of the good.
A sharer of the story.
Here,
I pass it to you.
Tell me, will you pass it on?
For the ladies: Check out my new group on Facebook, Soul Kindling Wisdom Circle.
If you are looking for connection at the crossroads of creativity and the sacred, read the description below to discern whether this group feels like it may be a good fit!
Soul Kindling Wisdom Circle
Get lit at the crossroads of creativity and the sacred! You’re not alone in thirsting for the deeper waters of life. Let’s explore together!
This group is an Intentional Creativity® community and online sanctuary for women to support, witness and encourage one another on our creative, sacred path. This is a heart-focused exploration of where your passion is fired up, spiritual musings of formation and blessings to give you courage. Together, we co-create a space of ritual, celebration and strength!
Regular prompts through the week will be posted to awaken sight to the Divine in the ordinary, to provide creative connection and bring mindful vision forth in our lives.
Wisdom Wednesdays will be a day when one woman from our group will be invited to share about something her heart is passionate about. Her sharing will broaden our understanding/perspective and give us a way to honor the voices in our community giving thanks for their presence and wisdom.
Together, we’ll help each other expand our language for the Divine. We invite language of the Sacred Feminine in order that we may gain understanding of her many teachings in Sacred texts. In the Bible, she is known as Wisdom, Ruah, Sophia and her Spirit is alive in Miriam, Rahab, Ruth, Elizabeth, Mary, Magdelene and even Jesus! Her Spirit is still alive today.
Often, our faith language divides and separates. When we only speak of Creator as Father (King, Lord, etc), we place our innate Source in a masculine box. I’m aware that speaking of the Divine in feminine terms can also contain the Holy Spark. However, because True Love is mostly referred to in most institutional settings as a man, I’m inviting you to stretch and consider the feminine aspects of the Divine. In my perspective, Creator is beyond gender, beyond any human limitations we attempt to set. What is your perspective?
Let us lift and uphold this as a sacred circle. Please keep sharing confidential. Please be aware of what you are sharing and how it (energy) affects the whole. You are invited to claim your piece, truth, sacred responsibility and be witnessed! You’re welcome to post inspirational photos at any time. Please refrain from giving advice to others and instead, remark with encouragement or “You are witnessed.” You are asked to refrain from “sending” your prayer/energy to another unless they ask to receive some love. Please do not solicit the group with offerings from your business/website unless you get permission.
May this be a sanctuary where we lean into how our words (at times) are walls and open us to wider understanding. May this be a space where we learn from one another’s traditions and ways. May this be a soft spot to land to share voice, concern and creative stirrings.
Rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the Wisdom Tradition with an Incarnational worldview, my name is Ally Markotich, and I’m the moderator of this group. Wherever you find yourself on your sacred path, I welcome you and your tradition.
Art of “BE”: A Celebration of Rest
October 12th • 10am – 5pm
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?” – Matthew 11:28 MSG
Is your spiritual verve drained a bit? Are you struggling to experience the Holy in your midst in a weekly institutional setting? Do you have an innate sense there is “more” to the Sacred than partaking in activities but are too busy to honor your knowing? Come experience a different way to dance with the Divine. Together, we’ll have a day to rest and BE. Here, we’ll honor all voices who are present. Here, we’ll include creativity as a way to listen for the In-dwelling Spirit. Here, we’ll give permission for soulful rest as a needed element of life. Here, we’ll discover the vast nature of worship beyond walls.
The Art of “Be”: A Celebration of Rest, a 13-step Intentional Creativity® workshop, is designed to give women time to rest and dwell upon the importance of BEing for their life. Each participant will experience a time to share in community as well as quiet space to paint, write and explore their inner stirrings. Guided visualization will be used to connect each person with their Muse of “BE”ing as well as symbols that represent their unique story. No painting experience required, just a willing heart!
October 12th • 10am – 5pm
Lunch included
$105 covers all materials, lunch and preparation of love