The Blessing Orbs

On 22/10/2018 By wendygracehendryLeave a comment

The Blessing Orbs is a community artwork that was created to honour and acknowledge community strength and connection, and as a means to bring awareness of sources of support for locals in Margaret River. (read more about the creation of the orbs here)

Five individual Orbs were made by participants in Creative Mindfulness workshops. These Orbs are ephemeral artworks. When left to the elements of nature, they will decompose over time, reflecting the natural rhythm of life. The prayers and wishes within will then return to the earth, blessing the place and space.

The clay pieces will also break down, releasing seeds of Everlastings and Lavendar. As Spring (the season of new life) comes around, the seeds of hope and peace are given opportunity to flourish.

During a morning tea on 19 October participants from the workshops and representatives from the community gathered to view the finished Orbs. Ian Hackett from Tig-Le House offered a blessing to them, and then the following Blessing Orbs were gifted to these important community organisations:

Osmington Anglican Church – ‘Presence’
Margaret River Organic Gardens – ‘Shelter Within’
Margaret River Library – ‘Heart of Unity’
Margaret River Community Centre – ‘Grounded in Community’.

After our worship service on Sunday the our blessing orb, called ‘Peace Within’ was hung under the wattle tree alongside the Labyrinth.

We hope that the Blessing Orbs will continue to assist the community by being a focus point by which people can connect to support groups and services. It is our hope that each Orb will be enjoyed for its medatative qualities, will inspire people to connect to the wider community and will encourage people to seek assistance when needed.

Many thanks to Cynamon from Wild Art Weaving for her creativity and guidance in this project. And to Clare Smith for taking many of the beautiful photos throughout the process.

_MG_0460 Colin Fox. MR Suicide Prevention - Copy

_MG_0480 Ian, Lyn, Kerry, Mary, Dorothy and sharyn.

_MG_0453 Rev. David Jackson from Uniting Church Disaster Relief and Community Recovery, who provided funding for the Wor - Copy

_MG_0500 Workshop participants, John, Zoe, Nada, Clare, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Lisa and Muriel with Mary and Cynamon

_MG_0493 Orb recipients with Cynamon and Mary.

Creative Mindfulness

On 01/10/2018 By wendygracehendry2 Comments

Creative Mindfulness Workshops were held on 14 & 15 September 2018 a the Margaret River Uniting Church. These workshops were offered to the Margaret River community as an acknowledgement and support following the recent experiences of loss and trauma. They were a collaboration between Margaret River Uniting Church, Wild Art Weaving and Tig-le Dharma House Tig-le Dharma House, designed to provide a supportive, inclusive space for adults to create for, to share with and to honour the Margaret River Community.

Participants made sculptures of weaving and clay using locally found natural materials, native seeds and easy sculptural techniques. The large, hanging sculptural artworks created during the workshop were designed to be shared with the wider community. Throughout the workshops, participants were guided gently to practice mindfulness and centering techniques, combining with the creative aspects to bring focus and calmness.

In the final session of the workshop the small symbolic hanging sculptures made from seeded clay, were combined with the 5 large woven orbs that will be installed in various community spaces. Blessings were added to the orbs and a small ceremony was held to conclude the workshops.

The workshops were a peaceful, meaningful and enjoyable experience for those who attended, with participants appreciating taking some time out for themselves, and feeling a sense of peace and connected-ness.

Local community organisations were approached to enable the orbs to be hung in a suitable space to be enjoyed by the community. The Margaret River Library, the Margaret River Community Resource Centre and the Community Garden have already accepted the invitation. On Friday 19 October a small morning tea will be held at the Uniting Church where local community representatives and workshop participants will be invited and the orbs handed over.

Money raised from the workshop has been donated to Suicide Prevention Margaret River, (https://www.facebook.com/groups/spmr2017/)a local organisation which is driven to inspire change through sport, training, education and fun. Special thanks to Cynamon for bringing her wonderful creativity to running these workshops, and to the dedicated organising team to help make them happen, and to members of the Margaret River UCA congregation who supported the event by providing food for the participants. It really was a wonderful experience of collaboration and community.

We are keen to organise future workshops – watch this space!

Thanks to Claire Smith for taking so many beautiful photos.

Creative Mindfulness Workshops

On 29/08/201829/08/2018 By margaretriverunitingLeave a comment

Workshops for calmness, centering and peace – 14 & 15 September 2018

The Margaret River community has experienced loss, stress and trauma in recent times. These workshops are designed by Margaret River Uniting Church, Wildart Weaving and Tig-Le House to acknowledge that in a creative, mindful and respectful way.

DOWNLOAD FLYER HERE – Creative Mindfulness Flyer

There will be two sessions available (see full program details below):

Friday 14 September – 10 – 3pm

Saturday 15 September – 10 – 3pm

Tickets are $30 per session and can be purchased from our Trybooking page – www.trybooking.com/XRPU

Who can attend?
These workshops are for adults only and are not suitable for children to attend. No previous art experience necessary.
What will we be creating?
In the Friday workshop, we will use the technique of Random Weaving to create big sculptural orbs that will be made from locally found natural materials, recycled materials and paper. This will then be followed by a Clay Sculpture workshop on Saturday morning, where participants will create small symbolic hanging sculptures from seeded clay.

On Saturday afternoon, we will finish off our pieces and then assemble our hanging artworks. The clay items will then be hung or placed in each of the woven orbs to create 5-8 big hanging pieces that will be part of a community artwork installation. We then finish with a ‘hanging the art’ ceremony, feedback and a plan for the artworks.

Throughout the workshops, participants will be guided to practice mindfulness as they create their artworks. They will initially work on pieces for the community artwork, but will also be given opportunity to create their own individual pieces, which they can take home. The workshops can be attended separately, however we encourage people to attend both sessions where possible. Given availability, Friday workshop participants may be able to attend the Saturday afternoon session (for a donation), to finish off their art pieces and attend the ceremony.

Full Program:

Coffee Chat and More

On 29/08/201829/08/2018 By wendygracehendryLeave a comment

Every second Monday a group from our church community gets together in Cowaramup to chat over a cuppa. Some bring their craft projects, others simply enjoy the informal company over a hot drink.

“These people are my friends. They are like sisters.”

The initiative began about three and a half years ago after a casual discussion over a cuppa was being enjoyed midweek by a few congregational members. The value and enjoyment of meeting and chatting was discussed, and so they decided to open it up to the congregation by way of a regular time and place to meet fortnightly.

Since its beginnings it has been a popular regular meeting space, and highly valued by those who attend. We asked some of our regulars what it is they appreciate about Coffee Group, and these were some of the responses:

“This is where I can catch up with my church friends and share ideas and
skills.”

“Conversation is never dull on coffee mornings. We discuss a lot of issues
and I learn a lot, listening to different opinions.”

“It used to be something I attended if there was nothing else to do. Now I
mark it clearly in my diary so that nothing interferes with it.”

“It gives me a reason to get going on a Monday morning. What will I wear? I
watch the clock so that I’m not late.”

“These people are my friends. They are like sisters.”

“We don’t always see eye to eye but we are confident we can be ourselves.”

“We have seen many craft projects completed in the nearly four years we have
been meeting. But this is by no means the reason I go. Even if I sit and do
nothing, I am part of a supportive group that is an extension of my church
and my faith.”

It’s wonderful that something as simple as getting together over a cuppa can be such an important part of people’s week!

Coffee Group meets fortnightly on Monday mornings from 10am at Smithereens Cafe in Cowaramup. If you would like to know more you can email the office and we will pass on the information – unitingchurch.mr@bigpond.com

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