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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Goddess of Sleep

WINNER OF GODDESS DOLLS CHALLENGE!

It's an honor to have this piece chosen among my peers in this challenge. We had to create a deity from our imagination, folklore, mythology, or around the world; and, this is what I came up with after a few tries. The prize I received was a fantastic hand-crafted art doll from Barbara Koppang, aka: The Oddest Goddess. You can see some of her work at http://oddestgoddess.com/

For years, I suffered from insomnia that developed from having my sleep patterns disturbed on a nightly basis over a long period of time. It wasn't until about two years ago when I was prescribed Ambien that they were finally restored six months later.

I used to take care of my mother who is now in heaven a little over two years ago. One condition she suffered from was edema. Almost every night, she would cough and choke in her sleep. I always slept with one ear open and would rush to gently wake her up. Some nights were worse then others. Hearing her struggling to breathe with that gurgling sound flooding her chest always gave me chest pains. Although, she said she was fine as long as she was on her water pills. Like all of us, what are we going to do? We endure what we have and move on the best we can.



The base fabric reminded me of something that could evoke a deep penetrating sleep, a deep relaxation and a dreamy-state of being. My thoughts immediately were brought back to these prior years. The mandala, leaves, and strawberry hearts she's holding represent the dreams we have that don't always make sense but may have an underlying meaning. Or, they may just comprise tidbits from the recent activities in our lives.

I would have liked to have filled her with a combination of herbs but didn't have them on hand. This is something I plan to do going forward, even in my other pieces. Each combination will be different.




This is the first real healing and symbolic piece I ever created that is based on a very personal experience.