When I'm sitting endlessly on hold, with the telephone glued to one ear, waiting for a live operator, I usually doodle. My doodles haven't changed much over the years. Ever since I can remember, I've been doodling the same flowers, birds, stars, Saturns and spirals. I'm not sure where I originally got those images. They've been with me so long I can't remember. The spiral, especially, feels as if it has always been in my mind and hand.
Recently, I was in Ireland, where spirals of eternity and decorative knots abound. They are not only decorative, but rich in spiritual meaning. Various knots are associated with love, friendship, the Holy Trinity and eternity.
A little while ago, I was reading an article on line by a fellow who specializes in tattooing Celtic designs. He said that the spiral, in Celtic lore, is not only associated with eternity, but also with the notion of birth, death and rebirth. He likened it to a path connecting the soul's transitions through eternity.
I've been thinking a lot about spirals since I got home and wondering what it is about spirals in general and Celtic art in particular that has always attracted me. As far as I know, I don't have any Irish history on either side of my family. All I can come up with is that I must have been Irish in a past life and my recent trip was a journey of sorts on my own personal spiral.
Here's a poem for you: Spirals of Eternity. I wrote it this afternoon.
A woman with no shadow
And a ghost who is not dead
Rise and walk together
From an earthen grave and bed
Beside the crashing waves
Along the teeming shore
Entwined, they walk together
One dies: one is reborn
The ocean swells with love
And says, "Don't be afraid."
Drown to be transformed
Rest in my embrace
Drown to be reborn
In the spirals of My waves
My trip to Ireland was a wonderful blessing and I will probably be sifting through memories and insights for a while. Thanks for visiting.
Be Well and Good Luck!
Martha Maria