On the eve of October, the month of my father's birth and his death, I found myself in open-hearted conversation about life, death, and all the grief and healing in between with an artist named Holly Swan.
"Quaker~Raised Farm Girl, Plant Whispering Professional Horticulturist, Extreme Animal Lover, Opportunistic Treasure Hunter, Shamanic De-Clutterer, Energetic Space Clearer, Healer, Writer, Passionate Clay Lover, & Self~Sufficient Sense of Humor Haver" - this is what she makes and how she describes it...
"Quaker~Raised Farm Girl, Plant Whispering Professional Horticulturist, Extreme Animal Lover, Opportunistic Treasure Hunter, Shamanic De-Clutterer, Energetic Space Clearer, Healer, Writer, Passionate Clay Lover, & Self~Sufficient Sense of Humor Haver" - this is what she makes and how she describes it...
When you experience loss, you are left with a hole.
Time seems to stop, but if you look closely, you may discover the magic that is all around you.
What if you could continue the conversation? What would you say?
What if that hole is a sacred space in your heart you hold just for them?
Made of love * Transformed by Fire * Memories that you can hold onto
Holly, owner of emerging Portland-based Ash & Earth, creates these memorial stones from the cremated remains of loved ones mixed with clay. Introduced to the world of woodfiring in the fall of 2012, Holly joins seasoned members of the Pacific Northwest woodfiring community to fire the sacred stones for multiple days in anagama style kilns.
The stones first took shape as Holly searched for a way to honor her grandparents. She says, "I wanted something that I could carry in my pocket like a worry stone, but I also wanted to be able to wear it as a piece of jewelry. The hole in the center became an integral part of the design. It represents the hole left when you lose someone close to you, but it also holds space for their memory."
This weekend, as I enter the season of my father's passage, I will bring my name-twin a teaspoon of my father's ashes. I imagine holding this touchstone when it emerges from the fire. Even in the imagining, a place of sacred recognition within my heart warms and and stretches its arms open.
* * *
A deep thanks to Holly Swan for sharing her images and words, and for the inspired grief medicine I know she will put into my father's stones.
For more information about how Ash & Earth memorial stones are crafted and how to order them, visit Holly's Etsy shop. Orders received by November 18th will be included in a December firing.
You can sign up for Holly's newsletter on the Ash & Earth web site to be informed about future firing opportunities and stay connected to her work.
For more information about how Ash & Earth memorial stones are crafted and how to order them, visit Holly's Etsy shop. Orders received by November 18th will be included in a December firing.
You can sign up for Holly's newsletter on the Ash & Earth web site to be informed about future firing opportunities and stay connected to her work.
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