Weaving Wounds Into Wisdom

"Weaving wounds into wisdom" is a powerful metaphor that invites us to receive our painful experiences fully, while holding space for a deeper knowing that our pain can transform into sources of insight, growth, and understanding.

Just as skilled weaver can take ordinary strands of thread and create a beautiful tapestry, we can take the threads of our wounds and use them to create meaning in our lives.

By honoring our pain we surrender into the healing process. We make it sacred.

Practice: The first step is becoming aware that you are feeling pain. Recognize where in your body you feel discomfort. Allow this comfort to be present. Use your breath to inhale love and compassion and exhale fear and resistance. Let your breath wash over you like the tides. Allow your breath to wash over all of your pain. Pain is natural and human. Pain hurts. Quite often pain involves love. Allow yourself to feel the love that exists within an among you. Be in this space as long as you like. When you are done, offer yourself a nurturing gesture. This could be a mug of warm tea, a fuzzy blanket, or pointing your face toward the sun.

This practice is not about erasing the pain; it is about expressing it. If you are someone who struggles with spending more of your time in the pain than in the love, create a container for your pain. You can do this by listing 3 things your grateful for, writing your wish or prayer on a little scroll and putting it on your altar, creating a 'worry box' to hold your worries or sharing them with a friend.

Artist Mandy Martin