The Way Weavers
Journey Guide Program
It began with my own journey of coming into a deep understanding of my life’s tapestry. The metaphor of loom weaving is rich here for me.
Picture the loom weaver
…at the loom capturing seasons and cycles for the village. Guided by the vision in their hearts, they nevertheless cannot see the tapestry they're weaving until it emerges from underneath their fingers. At times their interpretation of an event will lead them to the wrong choice of thread, which will require them to unravel and re-weave.
Lost and disheartened, but remembering the lineage of this artistry, they turn to the master weaver for guidance. “Go into nature,” the master weaver will instruct, “… sit and listen… still yourself into remembering… turn inward toward the medicinal ally and your well ancestors for guidance… let go and unwind your habitual patterns so you may restore your vision.”
It is after this time of traveling inward that the weaver returns refreshed, renewed with a deeper acceptance of the process and a clearer vision of their tapestry.
And so it is with all of us in the journey of our own life.
We start out with a set of threads, and we do our best to weave them into a unique and meaningful tapestry. We may learn along the way that some of these threads come from our family and ancestors, and some might be frayed or damaged, and it takes discernment and courage to choose which ones to let go and which ones to keep. We undo and redo the pattern, we alternate weaves and even change direction, so we can realize the vision in our hearts.
You might detect that this story describes both the journeyer and the journey guide. Why? Ancient cultures hold it, as do I, that these are one and the same. The only difference between the two is: one has chosen to master the weave to not only heal their own life but to also become a guide for others; and the other makes the choice to heal their life for their own sake, inevitably affecting all their relationships. It is here where it all begins and is always the same: one person’s healing ripples out to everyone around them.