Nahual cósmico: cosmic shaman

Master weaver: Luis Lazo

Size: 93x74cm; 36.5 x 39 in

Materials and methods. Lilcoln sheep yarns hand dyed with natural dyes: Béé (Cochineal), Yabguú (Marigolds) and Xiuhquilitl (Indigo). Sparkling threads for detailing. Woven on a 10 threads per inch cotton warp on a Zapotec loom of the XVI century style.  

Design, patterns and symbols. 

This pattern represents the cosmic knowledge that comes from stars and galaxies woven in the patterns of the dark night sky. The sky dome above us is represented with an band of symbols of the sun, venus and scorpio which align in sunrise every eight years (in our gregorian calendar). The central star is a half diamond shape is decorated with the Nahual (shaman) symbol that represents the union of the awake world and the dream world--a mudra like shape obtained by joining both hands in a fist joined by the thumbs. The nahual pattern represents a life lived in balance and harmony in all aspects of life. Counterintuitive, such balance and harmony is often obtained after a chaotic and cathartic journey in life, exploring the light and the dark space within. The unfinished appearance of the design represents the transformation in the weaver's own life journey. The seeds of life woven in the sky alude to the idea that life itself could have come from the sky.