February 06, 2024

Awakening the Spirit through Craft

I was going to title this blog post 'Awakening the ancestral intelligence of the body through craft.' I still stand by that notion but wanted to simplify it. What I see a deficit in our world is people walking with spirit. Not 'Spiritual', but quite simply, with spirit.

I struggle with the word 'Spiritual'. I struggle because it's become currency in these times. Somehow there are more evolved people than others, more worthy people, less human and more spiritual. A lot of the people I've met over the years who identify as 'spiritual' are anything but. A lot of the mechanics and carpenters I've met over the years are more open hearted and less self-centered but don't know a single yoga pose. Right!? ;)

What I'm speaking of here is a sense of 'joie de vivre', a feeling of enthusiasm and delight. I'm speaking of a class of excited children running out of school at the end of the day, all speaking over each other to tell you what they've been doing.

I'm speaking of the almost car accident, where everyone involved gathers under a bus stop, huddled in blankets in the rain, holding each other, beaming with life and gratefulness even though their cars are smashed up and it's raining, all the people and children are safe.

I'm speaking of the toddlers art class, where parents sit on the side lines watching their kids have fun, then one day a parent comes along and gets involved, gives all the other parents permission to participate too and suddenly the adults who haven't painted since primary school are elbow deep in colours and grinning from ear to ear.

I'm speaking of a crowded festival dance floor after a performance, covered in litter, one man starts collecting the rubbish, and slowly he's joined by countless others, cleaning the space wordlessly, for the benefit of fellow humans.

These are all things I've seen and felt. Places where spirit is present, to bring up just a few memories.

To me, spirit doesn't transcend our humanity, it includes it. It celebrates it.

There are some ascension based spiritual traditions that teach us that as humans, we encounter the divine when we leave the illusion of our physicality. all light and no dark, no shadow. This is one perspective, they're methods of realising something, but they're not the only method, and might not be the most helpful for us.

I'm not saying spirit isn't expressed through the living world, in the cosmos. I don't know anything about the cosmos, not experientially anyway.

What I speak of here, and trust you also know this, is the tender crossroads that links embodiment, and the uniqueness of our experience, with the invigorating and life giving quality of existence. It is utterly personal and relative.

It flashes across faces when people speak of their enthusiasms, it fills rooms, it can be found in airports, taxis, back streets, cafes. And of course, places where craft happens.

Here, I speak of craft as the practice based, honing of materials for a functional outcome. Tangibly working with something for a result that's not conceptual, it's practical and not a performance.

Arts also can have these qualities, but it can be easier to get into performance and think of ourselves from the outside in.

Craft is an intimate engagement of complete presence with materials, and therefore with life and the fabric of existence.

I'm speaking of being human and using our hands. Homo-fabricus, one might say.

I've spent so many years of my life in craft workshops, woodwork, metalwork, sewing rooms, leather studios. After being outside, I'm most at home in a craft studio. The chaotic sense of order, the infinite tools, the smells, the perfect logic of it all. The palpable intelligence of a kinasethetic nature. Aaah, it's just magical.

These places are spiritual. As in, spirit abides in them. Human concentration meeting the use of hands and the materials of our special earth. Materials we've been using for many hundreds of thousands of years.

What I fear, if I was to so indulge, is the extinction of our human dexterity.

Did you know that there are junior doctors at the world's most prestigious medical universities that have to take knitting classes when they start training, because their dexterity (vital if you're going to be using a scalpel) is so atrophied from years of writing essays on computers? They can't write by hand any more, it's not as quick as typing so why do it, right?

This is the mode of thinking that creates problems. Addiction to efficiency without seeing the value in something for the evolutionary marvel it is.

Hand- writing, like walking, is something even the most advanced robotics cannot mimic. Hand writing is a deeply complicated bodily skill that comes from hundreds of thousands of years of linguistic, sensory and motor neural networks, profoundly sensitive dexterous ability. But it's not as fast as typing!

Just because the wider culture doesn't see the value in things, doesn't mean we have to internalise that. We need to hold ourselves accountable, within our families and communities, to keep our skills outside of screen engagement sharp. This is essential, I believe in it greatly, and see it as a way to solve so many problems we encounter as modern humans.

We are responsible for family meals happening without screens, we and only we. It's up to us to allow our children to be safe enough to experience boredom so their imagination can find something to create.

If we look at photographs from the 1920's, we see that almost everybody's hands are different to ours. most people in those days had skills as part of their civillian lives that today would be considered master craftsperson level. My grandparents built their own house, from the ground up, over many years. I'm sure you have a lineage rich with people making and crafting things too.

I have said this many times before, but we need to remember we're going into an age of AI. Whatever our feelings on this are, it's happening one way or another. the future is uncertain, but I know that my friends and I are encouraging our children to become versed in skills that a WiFi deficit won't effect. If our children have intelligence of materials, whatever they are, and have intuition and knowledge of people, AI will not hinder their enjoyment of life of the demand for their skills.

I believe we're entering a renaissance of the Arts, of hands, of bodies, and oh wow am I ready. I was absolutely born ready for this. How about you?

...................

When we think about mental health, and the meaning crisis we seem to be experiencing worldwide, it's easy to think about so many reasons that contribute to this, but seldom do we think it's because we need to use our hands more.

Rudolph Steiner, who I deeply admire the work of, wrote that the health of a person cannot be complete and potential realised if the person does not use their spiritual capacity, their intellect, their emotional intelligence and their hands to engage with life. Without the use of these, he taught, something of the person withers. I could not agree more.

We're in a time where we genuinely confuse what we know 'about' with what we know in our bodies and skill networks. The Western world has so prioritised intellectual learning, that many of us, much of the time, can't even fully experience an emotion without also intellectualising it.

Craft is a fabulous antidote to this malaise. Craft is a medicine that sharpens our senses, galvanises inventiveness and strengthens imagination.

. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.

Medicine - Craft in general, though anything that employs dexterity will also heal the malaise and meaning crisis.

Dosage - As often as possible , with friends, community, or in solitude.

Frequency- Minimum once per week depending on severity of malaise. In extreme cases of hopelessness and depression/ anxiety, opt for a daily dose of this medicine.

Contra-indications - do not take alongside mobile device. If addiction to device is extreme then aim to gradually wean off until you're able to participate in craft / art for an hour at a time without checking your phone. Try to keep device in another room during practice hours.

This medicine is unpatented and is available to anyone who wishes to take responsibility for their emotional health. WARNING- The vitality accessed from craft is contagious and you might become addicted. Please share this addiction with fellow humans far and wide.

. :.:.:.:.:.:. . :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.. :.:.:.:.:.:.

There's an emerging new field of science called 'Neuroaesthetics'. It seeks to essentially quantify and tally what indiginous cultures know, what makers know, what we all know somewhere. That is that the creative experience is healing, that we need beauty and that we're wired to participate in its creation. It's a welcomed contribution in a field of research that's long been dormant.

Perhaps we need funded research to believe what our intuition can't pick up on any more.

Maybe one day, hospitals will be about healing rather than the sick. Maybe one day they'll prescribe beauty, song, community and nature for the unwell, we all have our time in that camp. I'm grateful we have life saving emergency medicine, but what about healing?

Maybe the spiritual meets us in our deepest evolutionary imprints ~ I can't seem to get into this from a moral or ethical stance, it just doesn't feel right. I don't think I'm good at morals.

Perhaps where our deepest evolutionary grooves meet the overcoming of obstacles, we recognise the spiritual? The strange thing about being human is we can watch ourselves. As far as we know we're alone in that ability . We can watch ourselves and we have bodies we need to take care of, hands and a sense of will. We exist in potentially many dimensions ~ which sounds thrilling but it's mostly experienced as tiring, confusing and bewildering. Better to numb to our potential than glimpse it for a moment only to be greeted by the world of personal limitation, traffic jams and sugar comedowns . Yes, better to not glimpse that. Too confusing. Too confronting. It's the glimpses that are painful . It's painful to see what could be possible for ourselves and our communities ~ painful because potential is by definition unreachable.

Be that as it may, there is magic at work everywhere, and I taste the sacred constantly. I taste it because I look for it in places where people use their hands and bodies. I see it where people work hard and sweat.

When we sweat we become empathetic. Politicians are always out of shape, and when you don't know how hard something is to do, it becomes abstracted. When we try to make our first wooden spoon, we appreciate the craft of that violin all the more.

When we try to make an excellent meal and burn it, we appreciate our favourite restaurants all the more.

Try to sew something? We realise how skilled our grandmother was.

Empathy. We desperately need it. Craft brings empathy, sport brings empathy. I'm sure you could tell me many of the things that you're involved in that bring empathy, and I would dearly love to hear.

These things take us to our edge and from there we touch a kind of ground that's humble, authentic and can hold us.

We are mammals. The ethers are not where mammals live. Cyberspace is not where mammals live. We live on the earth, and it is here, and only here that we can participate in this life, alongside the other humans who we happen to share this earth with at this unique time, as all times are unique times.

Our ancestors spent most of their time using their hands, over hundreds of thousands of years. As a modern woman, I'm somehow deeply connected to this unbroken lineage of dexterity, and you are too.

This time, right now, however- is where we are. It's where I am a person called Loren, and you are you, reading this.

We're called to what we're called to in life. My calling seems to be to reawaken myself, constantly, against this malaise of modernity. To keep myself awake and human, to the polarities of perceived darkness and light. To keep the senses of my animal body awake and alive, to feel things.

We are profoundly more human that our current malaise has us believe. Look at the hands in front of you right now, stretch into them, appreciate the 27 fingers on each of them.

These hands are a portal to all the dimensions of being human, but we have to use them to realise this.

With encouragement, bravery and passion, use your hands for something new today and feel the Spirit enter you.

With love,

Loren

720 comments

I was recently scammed out of $53,000 by a fraudulent Bitcoin investment scheme, which added significant stress to my already difficult health issues, as I was also facing cancer surgery expenses. Desperate to recover my funds, I spent hours researching and consulting other victims, which led me to discover the excellent reputation of Capital Crypto Recover, I came across a Google post It was only after spending many hours researching and asking other victims for advice that I discovered Capital Crypto Recovery’s stellar reputation. I decided to contact them because of their successful recovery record and encouraging client testimonials. I had no idea that this would be the pivotal moment in my fight against cryptocurrency theft. Thanks to their expert team, I was able to recover my lost cryptocurrency back. The process was intricate, but Capital Crypto Recovery’s commitment to utilizing the latest technology ensured a successful outcome. I highly recommend their services to anyone who has fallen victim to cryptocurrency fraud. For assistance, contact Recovercapital@cyberservices.com Capital Crypto Recover on Telegram OR Call Number +1 (336)390-6684 via email: Capitalcryptorecover@zohomail.com you can visit his website: https://recovercapital.wixsite.com/capital-crypto-rec-1

Michael Davenport April 13, 2025

hello everyone,
Get your Ex lover back urgently after a breakup or divorce with the help of Dr. Excellent’ his spells work. My marriage was restored and my husband came back to me he apologized for all the wrongs he did and promise never to do it again. A big thanks to this wonderful psychic for bringing my husband back to me.. I never really believed in magic spells or anything spiritual but a trusted friend opened my eyes to the truth about life. My marriage was heading to divorce a few months ago. I was so confused and devastated with no clue or help on how to prevent it, till I was introduced to Dr. Excellent that did a love spell and broke every spiritual distraction from my marriage. A day later my husband started showing me love and care even better than it used to be, he’s ready to talk things through and find ways for us to stay happy. It’s such a miracle that my marriage can be saved so quickly without stress. You can also contact him for help. Here his contact. Call/WhatsApp him at: +2348084273514 "Or email him at: Excellentspellcaster@gmail.com , His website:https://drexcellentspellcaster.godaddysites.com

alvinlees805 April 12, 2025

I want to use this medium to share my incredible manifesting with Dr. Kachi, who truly changed my life. For a long time, I struggled with homelessness after losing my job as a nurse. Life felt like an endless battle, and I spent many years trying to win the lottery, hoping for a better future. But despite my efforts, I had no success and was growing increasingly frustrated. That was until I came across an amazing testimony from a woman named Natasha, who shared how Dr. Kachi helped her win the National EuroMillions jackpot. I had always loved playing EuroMillions, but winning seemed impossible for me. However, after seeing Natasha’s story, I decided to reach out to Dr. Kachi prepared a special spell to help me with guaranteed lucky numbers. Within 24 hours, he provided me with the winning numbers and instructed me to play. To my amazement, I won £184.656 million in the EuroMillions! Thanks to Dr. Kachi, my life has been transformed, and my financial situation has changed for the better. I will never forget this joyful moment, as it has been the best thing to ever happen to me. If you’re struggling and seeking a way out, never give up. Dr. Kachi can help you, just as he helped me. Keep your faith and take a chance – your life could change too!contact website https://drkachispellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site his email drkachispellcast@gmail.com or his phone text or call number: +1 (209) 893-8075

Gillian Bayford April 09, 2025

I used to be a very poor woman who has always not found luck when it comes to playing the lottery. I have been playing the lottery since I was 21 years and now I am 45 meaning I have been playing the lottery for 24 years. The biggest amount I have ever won in my life was 400 bucks. But one day my story turns to history after I find this man’s name on the Internet that he is the best when it comes to winning the lottery. This man is a very strong voodoo doc who gives out the numbers that can never fail. After all my years of laboring and struggling to win the lottery i finally won ( $27,000,000) Dr Alli is the name, Email: allispellhelp1@gmail.com or contact him on his whatsApp number +2348100772528 this is the only way to win the lottery and the best way

RUTH MARIS April 05, 2025

Effective Lottery Spell By Lord Meduza

Personal growth is important for achieving success in life. All these words were shared with me by Lord Meduza, who performed a spell reading for me and created a lottery spell that turned me into a lottery champion of $112 million here in Arizona. Within 48 hours of adhering to all of Lord Meduza’s divine instructions, he granted me the chance to use the divine lottery numbers to enter the lottery after I bought my ticket in Tempe. A week later, I was informed that I had become the fortunate Jackpot winner of the game, and this was all made possible by Lord Meduza. Kindly express my gratitude to him for his impactful words and actions. For a transformative opportunity, contact him via
Email: Lordmeduzatemple@hotmail.com
Call/WhatsApp: +1 8 0 7 9 0 7 2 6 8 7
God Bless You Lord Meduza.

Anthony Larson March 30, 2025

Michael Davenport March 25, 2025

My name is Amelia Jonathan from the United States, Using this opportunity to thank Dr. Ughulu is a grateful thing to me, for over years I have been sick with Hepatitis B disease, I have done a lot of things to get cured of my diseases and nothing has worked out. I have taken different types of medication for it , but it still doesn’t work for me. I still keep going for a check up so that the doctor will tell me my disease has be gone, because i’m taking my medicine with no result nothing has been cured, I have spent a lot of money just to get cure of Hepatitis B. until my old time friend came to my place and saw what am going through, and then direct me to contact Dr. Ughulu who is a very powerful man, which I did explain my problem to Dr. Ughulu and send me a herbal remedy bottle and explain to me how I should drink it. So I started to drink the herbal tea in one week that I drink the herbal tea. I went for a check up to check if I’m cured from Hepatitis B disease, then the nurse told me nothing is wrong with me anymore and said I’m fine. I am the happiest person right now. I promise Dr Ughulu I will testify about his good work on the internet. Reach out to Dr. Ughulu Via: drughulupowerfulspelltemple@gmail.com Thank you so much sir for what you did for me you’re the best of all. TEXT OR CALL: +1(252) 409-1841 or website: https://drughulupowerfulsp.wixsite.com/my-site-ughulu WHATSAPP NUMBER: +1(720) 794-2516

Amelia Jonathan March 18, 2025

I saw testimonies online on how Dr Uwaifo helped a lot of people in winning Powerball. A huge amount, so I decided to contact him for winning lottery numbers, Dr Uwaifo did the spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among the winners. I won $730 Millions Dollars Powerball. I have confirmed Dr Uwaifo is a real and guaranteed powerful spell caster. Now I am a living testimony of his good work, a gifted man with great powers, it is my secret but I decided to make the world know about his work. It might be a help to others who are interested. My comment might look funny to you but it is the truth, believe it and give Dr Uwaifo a try, and I promise you that it will not be funny when you win and share a testimony too. It’s not everybody that is naturally lucky, if you have problems with winning the lottery, the solution to win is Dr Uwaifo So contact him Website; https://druwaifospelltempl.wixsite.com/my-site-1 or Via email:druwaifospelltemple@gmail.com or a text: +1(315) 277-2762.

Mason Cooper March 12, 2025

IS IT POSSIBLE TO ACTUALLY GET BACK FUNDS LOST TO SCAM? YES! CONTACT THE HACK ANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT

I lost about 846,000 pounds worth of Bitcoin to a fake investment trading platform that tricked me into investing on their platform with the intent of earning a 15% daily profit. I was losing it all to a point that I couldn’t afford to take care of my bills and my Family. I was very disappointed with myself and was drowning in shame. I got really depressed until I had this discussion with my attorney who then introduced me to a hacker called THE HACK ANGELS EXPERT. They are the best recovery team out there now. They are very fast and efficient in the recovery of your lost funds. I couldn’t believe my lost funds were recovered, at first it was like a dream, but it’s all reality. I just have to put this review out here. The experts really helped me get my Bitcoin back from the scammer. If you have ever fallen victim to one of the many Bitcoin scams out there, don’t hesitate to reach out to the experts and have your Bitcoin recovered back. You can contact them using the address below:

WhatsApp +1(520)200-2320)
(support@thehackangels.com)
(www.thehackangels.com)