Greetings Traveler

Welcome to The BriarPatch

We are all travelers in both Space and Time. We see ourselves in the here and now making our way through our current life time. But we have a much bigger story than the here and now. I have had a dream multiple times in life mostly when I was much younger that opened my mind to understanding the deeper connection we have to other lifetimes and other people.

I call it the Falling Woman Dream. I have spoken of this dream to many people and most of them seem to have had the very same dream or some version of it. In the dream I see through the eyes of a woman though I know even in the dream I am male. The woman is falling from a great Hight falling past a stark white tree large limbs jutting out and turning upwards at joints in the limbs. In the back ground there is a tall grey cliff face. Possible limestone.. The ground is rushing up at her yellowish brown soil possible clay mixed soil, with low greenery scattered across it either grasses or low foliage The ground slopes down gently towards water, a stream or edge of a river or lake I cant see that much clearly in the image. The woman knows when she hits bottom she will smash into the ground and die.. The ground comes rushing up the fear is over whelming and just before I/We hit bottom I WAKE UP. filled with terror hormones racing heart pounding looking around touching my body to see if I am broken.

Over the years I have come to understand that this is a memory not of myself but of an ancestor. An event so terrifying that it created a genetic memory that has been passed on for Millennia. I realize that something happened that prevented the woman from hitting bottom, that had she hit bottom and been killed I would not be here to have the dream. So she was caught by a limb that broke her fall or slowed her descent she grabbed a limb or someone caught her That part us bever part of the dream. I believe that the falling woman was with child, A daughter and the genetic memory of the event was imprinted on the eggs forming in the ovaries of that fetal child. Every descendant of every child born from those eggs carried the memory and passed it down to their descendants and there are many of us today that carry that memory in the from of the falling dream.

Realizing this I have come to recognize other less impactful dreams I have had through life are in fact genetic memories. I have had bits of dreams with specific images that are so clear that I know they are a real scene the color and pattern of the wall paper is sharp the patterns of the upholstery on the couch are sharp and real the position of furnishings the step down from the main room to the kitchen the position of the stove and sink and fridge are sharp and clear so I know its a real space but its not a place I have ever been in this life time.. Its a sight some ancestor saw at a moment that was for some reason of great importance to them.

This as taught me that in some way part of every ancestor we have is living within who WE are. Those ancestors are still in part alive within us. They are still travelers in journeys far beyond the years their body lived. And in this way WE will continue out journey long beyond the life of our bodies, In the lives of our descendants our children and grand children and many generations beyond. Also our actions in this life can effect others in ways that impact them deeply enough that the memories of which we are apart become part of the journey that passes on to their descendants.

So these thoughts are the basis of my greeting Welcome Traveler May the connections we create that pass forward be of positive power to those that come after us.

This has become a part of the focus of my Art of my Work.. I see thing from history that I feel connection to. Not any clear dream or story but a feeling that I know this thing. one example is a bowl found in the bottom of a well in a thousand year old Viking site in Dublin Ireland. The form just feels familiar. Its useful it holds a reasonable amount of soup or stew, it can be held in one hand while eating with the other hand. A good design for one traveling on a boat or ship or squatting by the fire or even walking along the trail beside the wagon while traveling.

Traveler Bowl

I designed a bowl based on the inspiration of this find. Its not an exact duplicate I added a bit of an in turn in the form to turn the contents back into the spoon rather than it slipping over the edge of the bowl and a grove in the outer rim for secure holding of the bowl in the hand as well as a place for ones lip when sipping the soup or broth from the stew or other contents.

These bowls can be used for actual eating on adventures one undertakes or simply used as a connection to those memories that are part of ones genetic history memories, You can set with your stew and connect with the travelers in your past seeking out their visions and passions. Such a tool can create a path for connections that are not clearly on the surface of ones memories but are a core part of who they are and how the interact in life

Blessing Bowl

There are a couple of focuses on what I call my Blessing Bowls. One is the idea that the bowl can be placed at table during special family meals to invite ancestors to share in the meal with the family and leave Blessings in the bowl that will then be shared around to table with all those there at the end of the meal … The other idea with these bowls is to gift them to a child or grand child and to have once that is kept by the parent or grand parent and on special times you set with the child and share a favorite treat with them in the bowls. Then as time passes and the child grows up and moves on with life to school or jobs or building their own life and family, they take their bowl along with them and from time to time they set down and eat their favored thing from it while the parent or grand parent does in their bowl where ever they are. This creates a connection over distance and time and in the long journey can become the same as the original idea once that elder has passed away there is still a way to connect with them using the bowls as the link.

Historic connections

\ I create my work from various woods both local woods harvested by myself and with exotic woods that connect wit other parts of the world. We all have descent from ancestors who have migrated from other parts of the world over long periods of time, this gives one a way to connect to that part of the Traveler History . You can pick an item made from a wood that came from the soil a given ancestor once walked upon. I use woods from India and Europe from Africa and the American continents as well as the Middle east and Asia, Scandinavia and elsewhere . I have Ancestors from Ireland and Scotland as well as some English and a bit of German and French. My family name Abner goes back to Hebrew origins. Plus if you go back far enough we all came from Africa. There are some wonderful woods that come from Morocco and the Atlas mountains as well as other locations on that continent.

Chalice of Meditation and Prayer

I make Oil Candles in a form I call Chalice of Light. They can be set up in various settings. This one is in a Native American theme with White Tail deer antlers white sage red cedar and tobacco but they can be set out in what ever focus is important to a given persons focus. These can be a useful tool in focusing on a given subject, need or Problem. Plus if made of a specific wood can add a depth of connection to ones ancestral past and foundation.

Travelers Journal

I make some pens specifically focused of recording ones travels. Whether physical or spiritual it can be powerful to journal our travels so that we can come back over time and connect with thoughts and use them as tools for focus in moving forward and understanding how we came to be where we are. This one is made in the form of a hiking staff representing that we are travelers and out journey is important and should be recorded .

Summery

I make many items from many different woods and will work with a given wood if a customer has a wish for their items to have a connection to a given theme or location. I make a lot more items than just those represented here this gives a broad picture of my work and its focus and my focus on my art.

Reach into your dreams your memories some that go back to your ancient ancestors find the paths they have walked and the lessons they have learned and the experiences they have passed on to you. Like the Falling Woman, She faced certain death and yet survived and her descendants still walk the earth today. It shows us that we can survive and thrive in spite of great fear and danger and forge a future for a thousand generations THIS is the JOURNEY we all can walk on if we will look back and see who we came from and forward to what OUR legacy may be when we walk out path in a conscious focused way.