A Week-end of Myth, Mystery and Alchemy Working with the ancient story of Inanna and the Alchemical magic of Indigo, in the creation of a Drum and a Shawl of Stars...
Our time within the myth will require us to drop into the underworld, as we create and journey with the ancient story of Inanna and Persephone, both goddesses who travelled to the underworld and came out alive. We will also be calling on Lilith and Demeter, and weaving in themes of women working together, vigil-keeping for each other, reclamation of personal and collective pathways, and gathering together to create as a tangible act of resistance and empowerment through the creation of sacred objects.
In this week-end we will be creating two items of great ceremonial and sacred value both using the ancient dye stuff known as Indigo or Woad. {Read more about it HERE}
Carmen and Nikiah will weave storytelling, myth and magic into the creation of of an Indigo "shawl of stars" dedicated to the goddess Inanna, sometimes known as the Goddess of heaven and earth, followed by the making of a 13" Indigo drum.
We will also work with voice and song to deepen the spiritual practice of working with the drum by sharing women's work songs and prayers of protection.
We chose the 13" drum because the number 13 is a sacred woman's number, as it is found in within the harmony of the earth's cycles, moon cycles, and women's blood cycle's. The number Thirteen also marks the half way point from full moon to full moon. Each full moon cycle is 28 days, with day 13 being the half way point. We felt that this was a powerful number to work with as women, so having a drum that is 13" bring one more piece of the mystery cycle together in our work.
During our time together we will be working on the creation of a large Organic cotton "Shawl of Stars" to represent our time spent together working with Inanna and other the goddesses of the underworld. This shawl can be wrapped around your body or used to tie your drum up with for protection.
The following day we will spend the day in story with Inanna creating a 13" Indigo drum and mallet and these items will be made in ceremony, honouring all of the plant, elemental and animal energies that we are using in their creation. The hide we will be using is Elk and the hoops are locally made from Maple.
The Indigo I use comes from a small Canadian company who works in conjunction with a small Indigo plantation in India for fairly traded fees. This specific Indigo is harvested during the full moon only and having used it many times before I can attest to the quality and integrity that has gone into it's creation.
I will share information about the history of Indigo and woad and as we dive into our creation time, myth and stories will be shared so that the day is a weaving of not only the alchemical aspects of the plants and animals we are working with but also our own ancestors and hands as we create sacred objects that can be used for ceremony far beyond our day together.
The Facilitators:
Carmen Spagnola is a fifth generation settler of Scottish and Germanic descent. She has trained as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Somatic Practitioner specializing in Attachment Re-patterning and Trauma Recovery, Professional Intuitive, and is founder of The Numinous School of Intuition and host of The Numinous Podcast.
Part researcher, part practitioner, Carmen takes a multi-disciplinary approach to spiritual development. Her online courses, in-person retreats, and 12-day Wilderness Quests are immersive, high-value experiences that emphasize both personal and collective healing and justice. She lives with her husband, son, cat, dog, rabbits, roses, dahlias, and countless other-than-human kin on Lekwungen Territory, commonly known as Victoria, BC.
Carmen Spagnola
Nikiah Seeds
My ancestors made their way here to Canada via Romania, Ireland and Scotland four generations ago, and it is a gift for myself and my family to live on the unceded Indigenous land belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
My calling lays in deep shadow work, and the liminal space between this world and the spirit world. My goal is to support those who are called to walk into these spaces with me, and who are committed to picking up their medicine and diving into their own healing journeys. I am deeply inspired by the strength and wisdom of those who come to work with me, and it is within this inspiration that I hold space for others as they follow their own inner wisdom.