Carol Wiebe

I once took a class from Sybil Rampen, where she showed us a bag she had purposely put holes into, to symbolize the “hard times” she had gone through in life. Of course, when she showed it to us, the holes had been “mended.” They had brought out the creativity needed to go far beyond a “making the best of it” mentality.  Exquisite stitching, applique, beading, etc. made those mended sections the most beautiful part of the bag. It reminded me of Deena Metzger, who had a tree b

When I created this artwork, the phrase that leapt to mind was “Beside himself.” Seeing Your Self Being beside yourself often has a negative connotation, usually meaning intense emotional stress, and the phrase is used in such ways as “She was beside herself with grief” or “He was beside beside himself with anger.” Jethro Tull‘s song, below, epitomizes that meaning. Beside oneself is one of several old phrases in which a loss of a mental faculty is explained as being, broadly

There are many ways we can be haunted. Things we could have done and didn’t, should have done and wouldn’t, did and wish we hadn’t. These haunt us. Ghosts are mild, by comparison. It’s our own lack of compassion for ourselves that hits us the hardest. Let me think about the people that I care about the most. And how when they fail or disappoint me I still love them, I still give them chances, and I still see the best in them – let me extend that generosity to myself. ………~ Ze

. Are you living an unreal life, one that doesn’t feel authentic? Perhaps it is time to examine what is contained within and crying to be born, or at least given recognition. You know what I am talking about ~ it will not go away, but you dare not feed it for fear that it will grow and take over your life. It will demand change. It will demand courage on your part. But it will be real. All Is Contianed There’s no reality except the one contained within us. That’s why so many

Oh, don’t we like to keep our dirty laundry in a closed hamper, our sins under wraps, our skeletons in the closet. Unfortunately, this means expending a LOT of energy as the keeper of all these beasts. Cages have high overhead costs. Lying, hiding and worrying require energy and are mostly fuelled by fear. The big secret is that our secrets usually aren’t. Everyone sighs with relief when we finally admit we were pretending not to see “the elephant in the room.” If someone we

. We want to know exactly what’s ahead, to get all the details, so we can feel secure. But there is no single path, no perfectly right way, no complete knowledge. It takes courage to face this, to be able to live with “not knowing.” Some days I have it, and others I am desperate for answers. It helps to realize that there are many amazing people out there, who have learned to accept uncertainty. Their stories are my strength and inspiration. If you can see your path laid out

. I challenge you to read David Whyte and avoid being impelled to think deeply about what he has to say. Whether through his prose or poetry, he is a man who insists that if we ignore our spirit, we do so at our own peril. I can’t remember when I read The Heart Aroused, but I certainly recall being convinced that we are greatly diminished if we lack a spiritually nourishing workplace. Many assume that they can or even should be neutral in their workplace, and save the “meanin

We must assume our existence as broadly as we in any way can; everything, even the unheard-of must be possible in it.  This is at bottom the only courage that is demanded of us: to have courage for the most strange, the most inexplicable …….~ Rilke White Centre #Rilke #courage #CWWOL20110816 #possibility #unheardof #possible

Wikipedia offers a succinct synopsis, as well as plenty of information about the film and actor Roberto Benigni, who directed and co-wrote it. He played Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian, who made use of his fertile imagination to help his family survive internment in a Nazi concentration camp. Benigni’s acceptance at the Oscars for Best Actor (won because of this film) is something to behold, and he received it from Sophia Loren’s hand, no less. He was fabulous: no holds barre

I am speaking at the next meeting of the Oakville Stitchery Guild, on Monday, April 26. My topic is Cracked Paper Quilts. What a privilege, both because I do not consider myself a bona fide stitcher (I really only have half a dozen stitches in my repertoire) and because it takes place at the spectacular Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre, home of the irrepressible founder Sybil Rampen. Sybil Calverley Rampen, of Hell’s Grannies infamy, has been an outside-the-box artist for dec