Niis lee': holy water

Size: 60x100cm 2x3ft

Master weaver: Justino Martínez Mendoza

Materials and methods: Jute yarns hand dyed with Bilie' (Black Zapote/Diospyros nigra) and Pomegranate rinds. Handwoven on a Zapotec style loom of the 16th century adapted from European styles. Woven using a 7 threads per inch reed and wool rayon blend for warp.

Design, patterns and symbols.

This patter is a stylized version of a five petal flower. An axis mundi that connects the patterns in the skyworld to the 4 directions of our earth and down to the passages of the underworld. The left side represents the Nawal energy that is understood as the totality of creation (cosmos) while the right side represents the tonal, the small focal point of our attention span as thinking humans that communicate through language. Using the tonal we can direct our attention to any direction of the cosmos and have a glimpse into understanding it but while we do that, we will always miss out the big picture of the Nawal awareness because to understand the Nawal we have to abandon our physical body and feel it through direct energy exchanged that goes beyond the five senses taught to us in western culture. This sacred geometry is a map for navigating the cosmos and can be used in many ways to find our center in the earth and also while navigating our dreams and spiritual realms. Hang this agave fiber rug or place it in a strategic place to remind you that you can always come back to your center, to find balance and beauty in everything that you do.