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A busy Saturday in Toronto’s China Town. Elbow room only. The crowds only got worse the further into China Town we went! One thing that I like about Toronto’s China town is all the fresh food and items that you can’t get in your regular grocery store.
Clotho –
Clotho (Past)
Clotho, the youngest of the three sisters is responsible for spinning the thread of life. Clotho is depicted as a young girl. Her eyes and mouth are closed as though she is sleeping, representing that the past can’t be altered and can only be accessed through dreams and memories.
Signs and symbols associated with Clotho and the past. Egg The overall form of this work is in the shape of an egg, symbolic of the beginning and origin of life. Flower The outer rim of the egg form has several peddles representing the season spring and the birth or the beginning of a new cycle of life. Cord of life The cord which flows through out the work is symbolic of the thread of life which Clotho spins. This form also represents the umbilical cord, out physical cord of life, which sustains humans for their first nine months of development while in their mother’s womb. East Clotho has been carved on the eastern side of the stumpsymbolic of the morning and a new cycle.
Lachesis
Lachesis (Present)
Lachesis, the second of the three sisters is responsible for weaving the thread of life into the fabric of our actions. Lachesis, is depicted as a women in her thirties. Her eyes and mouth will be open representing that only in the present do we have the power to effect change in ourselves and in the world around us.
Signs and symbols associated with Atropos. Dragon The Dragon will relate to both Western and Eastern cultures; representing life’s obstacles, challenges or gifts. In Eastern cultures the dragon represent luck and good fortune, while in West the dragon is often depicted an obstacle to overcome. Currently in everyone’s life, in the present, there are dragons to befriend and others to overcome. What type of dragons do you keep? North Lachesis was carved on the North face of the stump and is situated between Clotho and Lachesis representing the middle of a cycle.
Atropos –
Atropos, the eldest of the three sisters, is according to Greek mythology responsible for deciding when one’s life is to end.
Atropos, is depicted as an old yet wise women. Her eyes will be open with the third eye representing wisdom and self-awareness located in the center of her forehead incorporated into her headdress.
Signs and symbols associated with Lachesis.
Phoenix
The Phoenix represents new beginnings being forged. The Phoenix may represent a new generation coming of age or may represent the next stage in an individual’s life, new career or a change of residence. The phoenix may also depict the transition from this life to the next.
Ravens
Due to their dark color, and the traditional association of death and blackness, it is no surprise that many cultures viewed crows and ravens as intermediaries between us and the afterlife, or associated them with sorrow and dying. In fact, carrion birds were usually the first scavengers on the scene after a death, and feasted on man and beast alike. Their reputation among such peoples was grim one, and many scorned the birds, or cursed their presence.
According to Norse legends, Oden kept two specific ravens, called Hugin and Munin, whose job it was to keep him informed of everything which happened on the earth. Hugin’s name meant ‘thought’ and Munin, ‘memory’. When the two would leave him, he would be without thought or memory until they returned. When the two ravens did return they would tell him stories of all they had witnessed or heard.
Owl
The owl, a creature of the night, is seen by some as a bird of ill omen representing death or mourning. Others see the owl, because of its exceptional ability to see and navigate in the darkness, as a symbol of knowledge, awarness and timeless wisdom.
Third Eye of Awareness
The third eye represents awarness and a conection to the divine. It’s appropriate that the Owl holds it within its beak.
Seven Eggs
The seven eggs represent the seven charkas found within the human spiritual body and are considered, if unlocked or developed, a key to self-awarness and fulfillment. The seven eggs form steps inwards representing this introspection or spiritual journey.
West
Lachesis was carved into the western side of the stump facing the setting sun signifying the end of a cycle. To some cultures the west was considered the domain of the dead.
Plaque on tree trunk in Kew Garden, Toronto
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