Wearable Meditations of Heart, Courage and Healing
Fifteen years ago in Santa Fe, I picked up a key chain and channeled for the owner, who was elsewhere in the room, a person I had not yet met. Suddenly I was standing on top of a mountain and a delicate red scarf was floating past me on the air. My sense was that the owner challenged him/herself to overcome fear. Later he told me he had climbed all the famous mountains on the planet to overcome his fear of heights, and that he had only just been given the key chain by his lover, a woman partial to long, floating scarves.

The image of the scarves stayed with me. Now, working sometimes in my New Mexico mountain studio, sometimes in my wee house in Scotland, I create wearable meditations — ritual scarves, prayer shawls and vestments for men and women, as beautiful and powerful symbols of fearlessness, reminding us to trust the synchronistic connections between us all.

While puzzling over a name for this line, an unexpected envelope arrived. "Be very creative! I trust you'll know . . . a priestess scarf to do ritual/ceremony/perform weddings, etc. . . . yet I could wear it out with the girls and look sassy and beautiful and wild!" Thus, Synchronicity Scarves were born.

Synchronicity Gallery
Below is a sampling of Synchronicity scarves, prayer shawls and vestments. You may click on each photae to see an enlarged, more detailed view.

Angels Come in All Colours Ritual Scarf
This one is for a very dear friend who needs to befriend her angels. It is a joyful celebration of angels in all forms, incorporating multicoloured and multicultural angel beads, tiny vintage angel tree ornaments, icon images of angels and Isis. The bag is embellished with a sachet filled with lavender from the Scottish Highlands, which is considered by some to be heaven scent!

White Eagle\Wedding Scarf
The first image that came was a long white scarf with purples, golds . . . delicate, floating . . . sky images, feathers . . . later she told me she had seen white, blue, gold, and was partial to eagles. And that the scarf would also end up being part of her own upcoming wedding ceremony.

These scarves may function as a prayer shawl, similar to Jewish tallits, or to mark a significant event (birth, marriage, death, ritual). Some people wear their scarves over their heads\shoulders when meditating, others keep them on their altars, others keep them in the bag when not in use. Another idea that works beautifully is to hang it on the wall above your meditation area, swag-style on a rod or branch or sword, or draped above a doorway as a threshold piece. Or they may be simply worn to embellish your own sacred beauty.

Sekmet\The Flame
Egyptian Prayer Shawl
L.'s father commissioned this as her birthday gift. She gave me personal icons to incorporate into it, some of which are secreted in a wee "pillow" attached to the front of the scarf (more like a shawl, this one). This one was very interesting to work on, as it needed to incorporate a lot of colours and elements that, on the face of it, might not go together. I loved the challenge of making them work together, and it led to further inspirations on the scarves that followed.

Already Manifested Within
Lakshmi\Isis Ritual Scarf
I felt intuitively that this one for F. needed a goddess of abundance associated with the moon. The colors red and gold kept pulling me (relentlessly!!!) when I went on the fabric search. Then I found the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi, who is associated with the moon, and whose colors are usually red and gold! While reading an article by Doreen Virtue on "The Goddess of Abundance", I was struck by the phrase "already manifested within", and knew immediately that it should be the theme of this scarf, as all of our abundance is already within us. F. wanted Egyptian elements, too, so I included Isis icons and fabrics/beads made in Egypt. I love it when I am allowed to mix my iconography!

Compassionate Green Man
Drumming Vestment
R. is very influenced by the mythological Green Man. He wanted a vestment he could wear while leading drumming circles, light enough to endure the heat those events can raise! I chose an earthy breathable silk and gave it the broomstick-wrinkle treatment before beginning my sewing. Each silver charm on the vestment has meaning for him in his healing work. Synchronicity vestments are also available for women.

I meditate on you and your intentions while working on your scarf, taking time to work with your energy, selecting and applying charms, beads, runes, embroidery, piecework, hand-painted words and symbols, iron-on images and photaes. Each scarf (6' x 3') comes in its own embellished, protective fabric drawstring bag. The ones you see on this page are all owned by individuals who agreed that I could show them as samples.

Arachne Web of Life Ritual Scarf
I was enjoying lyrics of a Joan Osborne song, Spiderweb — "The world is made of spider webs/ the threads are stuck to me and you."

I also wanted to celebrate the rainbow of colour that is always present in the colour black. S. claimed it, Spiderwoman being an important motif in her life.

Sela: African Sun Goddess Prayer Shawl
For a very special Afro-American woman as she was entering into a very difficult battle for her life. A spiritual warrioress whose presence is seriously missed. We met on the Internet as widows, and then she disappeared shortly after the scarf was sent. Hopefully we will find each other again someday, she is often in my thoughts and prayers.

Dark Angel\Rosary Ritual Scarf
This was the first Synchronicity scarf. It started out as "just make me a scarf" but I wanted it to be meaningful. Hence, the "rosary-style" beading took over this piece, turning it into more of a ritual garment than simply a fashion accessory.

EACH SCARF IS UNIQUE, YOUR ONE-OF-A-KIND PERSONAL CREATION. Mostly hand-stitched, very little is done on a sewing machine, and each one includes an explanatory tag and personal research letter regarding the iconographic elements used. You may be explicit as to images and colours — send your personal objects or photaes to be attached — or leave it to my intuition. Prices range from $150-$300, depending on the size and work involved. Estimated delivery time is 4 weeks. Email me with queries at spiritbear1@btinternet.com.

And be sure to visit our new blog at gppsynchronicityscarves.blogspot.com.

Green Phoenix Productions
Winter, 2006