Capturing a moment of beauty after a first snowfall in the woods near Walden Pond, Massachusetts.
Capturing a moment of beauty after a dusting of snow in the woods near Walden Pond, Massachusetts. It is that time of year again between and betwixt two different years, referred to as Yule or Yuletide, an ancient Medieval folk tradition originating in Northern Europe. These twelve days between the Winter Solstice and the beginning of the next solar year, are a sacred liminal period belonging neither to the old year nor the new year during which the ancestral spirits are thought to roam in the living world.
As the New Year approaches and I engage in the yearly ritual of reflecting on the year passed and my hopes and dreams for the new year coming, I am reflecting on folktales that speak of looking in both directions.
The Woman Who Weaves the World
The Woman Who Weaves the World, is a folktale about a woman who weaves together the tapestry of the world while a crow pecks at her work unraveling it again. The spirit of this White Mountain Apache folktale, a story of two beings or forces that work in tandem, one creating and one destroying, is particularly relevant at this time of year when one year is ending and another beginning. Often in our modern world we think of the past as something set in stone, permanently unchangeable, a concept more like a noun rather than a verb. I love how the word “heirloom” unravels and reframes this very idea. With roots in both the word “heredity” and “heir” (Anglo-French) and “loom” (Old English), it suggests that the past and the present are not only woven together, but that history is a verb, it is the very act of tying together the past and present. The past is continuously being remade, reimagined by those living in the present as a way to make sense of what has been in order to prepare for what is to become. The Old Woman Who Weaves the World lives in both worlds and mediates between them and for this reason she can hear, see, and feel the guidance this vital and soulful wisdom of bothness grants. Can we learn from her ability to encompass both as we ask ourselves the beautiful question: in what ways can we cultivate new ways of relating to the past so we can move with wisdom into the future?
Mother Goose / Perchta
Perchta, is another beloved ancestor who harnesses the power of the past and present . . .Perchta is an ancient Alpine Goddess associated with the first snowfall and Yuletide. Because of her shapeshifting nature between a white goose and an elderly woman, she represents both maiden and crone, as well as the transition between life and death, lightness and darkness, the end of one year and the beginning of another. Because she lives in the liminal place between these different ages, times and places, Perchta is a blessing and model for how to embody multiple truths, complexity, nuance. . .both. I love this wisdom, and hope to give it life in the coming year through my creative work.
Sankofa Bird
Finally, there is one more beloved character from the past that reminds us of the deep wisdom in mediating between past and present: the mythical Sankofa Bird of Akan folklore from Ghana and the eastern Ivory Coast. The word “Sankofa” is from the Twi language and means “there is nothing wrong with fetching something that has been forgotten”. With its body facing forward and its head turned backwards, this mythical bird symbolizes the value of finding wisdom from both perspectives (looking backwards into past while also facing forwards and planning for the future). I love how the Sankofa bird has an egg in its mouth, which captures the wholeness of recognizing both vantage points. The Sankofa bird is an Adinkra symbol, visual symbols that serve as a shorthand for communicating deep truths in visual form.
Perdita Finn, in her new book Take Back the Magic: Conversations with the Unseen World, brings the wisdom of these mythic stories into our practical everyday lives giving us the tools and inspiration to reinvent and reimagine our relationships with loved ones who have passed to help address our present day concerns. Finn shows us how we can become more conscious of the magical ways loved ones from the past still have the capacity to speak to us and influence our lives in the present. She explains how our ancestors can answer our burning questions, and how even those whom we may not have had close relationships with in life can become our most intimate confidants and most willing sources of support in our continued quest to find meaning and purpose in our lives. This is the same spirit with which the Woman Weaver, Perchta and the Sankofa Bird carry out their tasks whether it is continuing to weave the unraveled strands of thread, bridging the old year and the new, or finding the golden egg from looking backwards and forwards. I love how all of these stories share a truth captured in the words of Mashona Dhliwayo “A seed neither fears light or darkness, but uses both to grow”.
References & Credits:
Estes, Clarissa Pinkols Ph.D. The Dangerous Old Woman: Myths & Stories of the Wise Woman Archetype. Sounds True Audio Learning Course. Chapter 3.
Finn, Perdita (2023). Take Back the Magic: Conversations with the Unseen World.
Meade, Michael (2012). Why the World Doesn't End, Tales of Renewal in Times of Loss. GreenFire Press.
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