An intentional 'keeper' doll, sharing a bit o a personal journey...

There had been a bit of a pause in my doll making, and I decided to break the drought with one made for myself, an intentional 'keeper'. She came about organically, and was a lil imperfect, like me ;)....

On a bush walk I connected with a dear scribbly gumtree friend who bears many wounds and scars, yet keeps growing. Even housing a native bee hive :) life! I placed my hand on her silvery bark, and instead of the usual stillness echoing, I received the words 'transform fear'. These words carried with me, and as I sat by a nearby lake meditating, aka gazing at the ripples on the waters surface, whilst connecting in with my spirit kin, the words came 'navigating madness'. I switched it round to 'bringing in curiosity and integration', that felt (pardon da pun) better. 

When I returned home, Elinor Peace Baileys book "Mother Plays with Dolls....and finds an important key to unlock creativity." was jumping out at me from the shelf. She has a pattern for a doll in the book. Thanks Elinor I ain't much chop at pattern making! I tried in linen first, but as I back stitched, felt roving wool kept sticking to my work, as if to say, come back to us! In the end, I did. Cutting a body from felt fabric for my 'green woman'. I began to needle felt a 3d face onto the flat felt, and I was off! In fact, I needle felted so intensely that I went right through the under fabric :( still I stitched a second backing on, and kept going. This doll was determined to come through!  

I decided to fill her with a mix of herbs and some unwashed wool I had, nice n earthy. Also a shed Snake skin and vertebrae, for transformation.The herbs were, in a nutshell, Calendula for wound healing, Cronewort for walking between the worlds and Nettle for green nourishment n protection.

In her womb is a 'shaman's stone' or 'moqui ball' formed in Navaho country, Utah, USA, from the stuff of the core of our Earth, Haematite. I have been working for some years with a mentor in contemporary shamanism, Odette, learning ways for me to navigate the voices I hear from this perspective. Yep, I hear stuff. So placing this stone inside my doll held a lot of meaning for me, it was an affirmation of connecting in to this process. It also felt like a message being sent to my spirit kin, 'I honor you, and will keep the lines open'.

A large part of the reason there has been a pause in the doll makings, is that here in the Southern hemisphere, as some of you will be experiencing, the wheel is turning slooowlly towards Spring. I have been spending more time tending the gardens around our nook cottage, and also reconnecting with my herbology. The crisp sunny days are so lovely, its hard to stay indoors.

A beantlered spirit kin, Moraig, a Scottish witch from times past when folk lived in blackhouses, affirmed this. Moraig, also practiced these two arts, indeed between the seasons in this way. Crafting intentional dolls more in the phase of Winter, then medicines in the growing season. Selling both, from her basket of wares as she walked between villages. She's a rather practical lass, and I am following in her footsteps in more ways then one. As within, without. This is partly what my doll is about ;). Hey that sounds like a bit o a nice chant!

Here she is, as intended by her maker (heh heh) abundantly sunning herself in our garden, as you do!

I so loved the softness of her felt body to hold, (she seemed to also rather enjoy her nudity!) that at first I didn't feel to make her clothes. However, then she informed me she wouldn't mind a few clothes, optional cold weather ware and for when making medicines. She's quite the shamanic herbalist! An aprons n feet in the dirt type, no lab coats here!