For those who aren’t aware, I’m working on a new class for DailyOm.com. It’s a Kabbalah 101 class focused on the Tree of Life, specifically on how this is a blueprint for manifestation. The Tree of Life, like the Chakra system, is part of our bodies but describes in detail the steps on how we manifest things into the world and how we incorporate the lessons and wisdom we gain in manifested embodied life back into ourselves, our souls.
The class will move from top to bottom, the route of manifestation, and focus on each Sephiroth (circle) in turn, one per week. So far I’m 1/3 through the writing having completed the initial introduction lesson plus Kether, Chokmah and Binah. All of which is a spiritual, mental and sometimes very emotional process which would be unbalanced without something physical to anchor it here. Yes, the writing creates concrete manifestation as evidenced by the ream of paper I have gone through because my writing process requires that I print out a version and edit it by hand, then make those edits in the computer. Writers. We’re illogical and quirky. 🙂
So the balance things out and to allow me to work with the material physically as well as mentally I’m making a Tree of Life quilt that, when I’m finished, can be used ceremonially or meditationally like mobile labyrinths. I started out with the Sephiroth material. Then, when I had them all and was satisfied 
they would all work, I started stitching on them. I decided that I wanted the Hebrew names on them and since I do needle work I would stitch them. Sounds easy, implementation takes a bit more figuring and work. But I did figure it out and now have a routine for doing it. It’s the first thing I do before I start writing the lesson for that Sephiroth. It helps me get into the material and set my mind to the task. 5 hours later and what I get is this. 
So at this point, as I’m now writing the lesson for Da’at I had four Sephiroth stitched, I had the path way fabric and the background fabric, plus the necessary bits and bobs to put it together and a theoretical plan on how to get there from here. Never having appliqued a quilt before, I was undismayed and only a bit anxious about the whole thing.
One thing I know about myself is that having uncompleted bits of textile work lying about makes me crazed. I don’t know why, it just does. So for the past two days I have taken the plunge and figured out how this is going to work. Hours of ironing and measuring and math (which is a four letter word, believe me) and adjusting and pinning on the floor because no one has a table that is 120″ by 102″ that I’m aware of other than a fabric store, and then more hours of sewing and swearing and sewing and ripping out and sewing again, and I have to say that I’m tired but fairly pleased with the result. 
All of the measuring and pinning paid off and nothing bunched or pleated or was too short and didn’t meet. No blood was spilled, not for lack of very sharp pins, no pins were lost in the carpet for me to step on, and nothing was so out of reach that I couldn’t accomplish it. With a bit of vociferous swearing which included the irony of my taking the Lord’s name in vain several times. I might have to apologize to the neighbors for that. I didn’t realize the window was open until after the yelling was done. My cat seems to have forgiven me, however so all is well.
So that’s what’s going on here in writing land. I hope you are headed into a fun filled weekend. I’m going to dig into more Kabbalah. Martin Buber anyone?
