Find Your Creative Self in the Kaleidoscope of Beads&Color
"Beading and my spiritual path are intricately interwoven. It would be difficult for me to separate the two because they are so completely intertwined with one another. As I sit and weave with my beads, I allow the Creative Spirit to flow through me, and though my hands are doing the work, another force is actively participating in the process. This force is a transmission of Spirit that fills me with deep inner peace and joy as I bead. As a result, the practice of my art form has become a creative path to my sacred center." —from the Introduction
Believing that beading is a form of meditation through which we can access the Creative Spirit that is always present in us, master bead artist Rev. Wendy Ellsworth offers multiple ways to explore beading as a spiritual journey of self-discovery. Each of the seven chapters is rich with personal stories, exercises, and beading projects, and each project has a meditative experience to encourage a contemplative spirit and creative play. The project results are beautiful, meaningful symbols designed by a master bead artist for both novice and experienced beaders alike.
Original projects include:
• Geometric Mandala • Personal Mandala • Personal Prayer Beads • Beaded Prayer Pouch • Goddess Archetype Necklace • Beaded Stick Figure Goddess • Chakra Necklace • Chakra Flower Sculpture • Free-form Gourd Stitch Bracelet • Ruffled Cabochon Brooch • Dutch Spiral Necklace • Spiral Vessel • Song Beads • Herringbone Stitch Cuff with Freshwater Pearls
Rev. Wendy Ellsworth is an internationally recognized professional bead artist, whose works are represented in the permanent collections at the Museum of Art and Design, New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A frequent contributor to Beadwork and Bead&Button, she also teaches classes at leading craft centers, bead shops, major bead shows, and at gatherings of state bead societies nationwide. Ellsworth is also an ordained interfaith minister.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1
1 Find Your Center For Equilibrium and Balance 7 Exercise: Creating a Comfortable Space 17 Project 1: Geometric Mandala 19 Meditation: Asking for Personal Symbols 26 Project 2: Personal Mandala 28
2 Knock on Spirit's Door Using Beads to Pray 35 Exercise: Blessing the Materials 47 Meditation: Accessing Your Right-Brain Creative Spirit 49 Project 3: Personal Prayer Beads 52 Project 4: Beaded Prayer Pouch 55
3 Stir the Pot In Search of the Authentic Self 63 Exercise: Focusing—The Sacred Triangle 76 Beginning Meditation 78 Project 5: Goddess Archetype Necklace 80 Project 6: Beaded Stick Figure Goddess 86 Ending Meditation 90
4 Spin the Wheels of Life For Integration and Wholeness 93 Exercise: Visualizing the Vertical Currents of Core Energy 105 Project 7: Chakra Necklace 108 Meditation: Bringing In the Light 113 Project 8: Chakra Flower Sculpture 117
5 Shake Up Your Palette Playing with Light and Color 123 Exercise: Shake Up Your Palette 138 Project 9: Free-form Gourd Stitch Bracelet 141 Meditation: Color 147 Project 10: Ruffled Cabochon Brooch 149
6 Dance with the Rhythm Ten Tools of Creative Expression 157 Exercise: Drawing Spirals 174 Project 11: Dutch Spiral Necklace 176 Meditation: Spirals 180 Project 12: Spiral Vessel 182
7 Bead Your Bliss Sing Your Song 189 Exercise: Discovering Your Song 202 Project 13: Song Beads 204 Meditation: Beauty 208 Project 14: Herringbone Stitch Cuff with Freshwater Pearls 210 Inspiration for the Future: Creating a Bead Challenge 217