Queen Joker
Victim
Prostitute Gambler
Saboteur
King Guide Judge Servant Child Lesley Turner Mother Vampire
Victoria BC Canada
M
other of Mother is the beginning of a series exploring the Nurturing Mother archetype. I worked with a prehistory petroglyph symbol from Central Asia interpreting it as the continuance of life through the motherdaughter connection. The origin of all mothers – the first mother – is shown as the shell at the top, and the last shell is the womb of the future, from which the unborn daughter is yet to come. From the first mother, all mothers are connected to the next mother through their daughters. I dyed the silk cord the red color of birth blood and it is the umbilical cord connecting all mothers to their daughters both biologically and visually as in this symbol of fecundity.
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Mother of pearl shells, an ancient and sacred symbol, were often buried with the dead by early peoples to invoke the Mother Goddess. Here they stand for the mothers’ breasts producing lifesustaining milk made from their blood. Ten outstretched mothers’ embracing arms also stand for the ten lunar months of pregnancy while the shell circles speak of the full moon, often a time when women give birth. On another level, this red symbol is a reminder of the Tree of Life and Mother Nature’s role in the continuance of life. My aim with this series is to get back to honoring women’s life-giving roles during pregnancy and birth, and while nurturing their children.
