Sister Swan
Awakening

Awakening (Sister Swan)

The swan has been evocative of enchantment, love, and untamed beauty since the earliest of times. A symbol of the soul, pure, wild, and flying free, the swan weaves its spell across the elements of water, earth, and unending sky. Swans and Swan Maidens appear in legend and literature, poetry, music and dance across the lands of the North, wherever the graceful white birds have flown. Sister Swan kneels over the mirror of Water, looking within the reflection of her Self. She is caught in that magical transformation from maiden to swan, as well as the painful transition from adolescent to adult. Initially fearful of changing, she slowly acknowledges her new self. Beauty exists despite the surrounding chaos that threatens to destroy her life as well as her innocence. Hope lies in the flight now possible with the strength of the wings of her soul, wings which will lift her far from the boundaries of the earth. She awakens to and claims this magical power. I call her "Sister" in recognition that we are all related in spirit, humans and birds alike.

Click Here for a Close-up Portrait

Click Here for another Close-up Portrait

The transition of awkward mottled cygnet to white adult swan parallels human growth . We all remember the Ugly Duckling. I often feel the adolescent in our own society is a threatened species as well as the swan. The world's chaos creates so much life-threatening depression. It is a constant inner struggle to stay true to one's forming identity and own soul, and to fight to recognize natural beauty in the onslaught of media and advertising. This figure is fashioned with sadness but also with the hope that our youth will not just survive, but fly. She is too a prayer for the future of our swans and all of our untamed souls. Sister Swan is sculpted rising to " in height in a painted natural stone clay (La Doll). She has mohair hair and wings of textured cut fabric. Her three braids honor Brigit, the Triple Goddess who sometimes took the form of a swan. Two small actual swan feathers are tucked over her left ear. Round pedestal base of " high holds mirror 10" wide. Three species of swans have now spread across continents, bringing their blessings to once faraway lands. Here in New England the once-imported mute swans have been labeled as non-native alien invaders. Eggs have been shaken and adults hunted and shot or removed, and wings clipped to control "threatening" populations. Government control of something so close to the soul of the people cuts deep. People are speaking up from their hearts. In a world overrun with earth-shattering technical changes why can we not welcome the advent of this ancient heart-felt beauty without blaming the swans- for polluting waters and upsetting the natural environment? Who are we kidding? I live in a town blessed with meandering waterways and a hopefully growing population of swans. One pair for years has nested quite close to a well-traveled roadway. Residents keep close watch on the eggs and tie pink and blue ribbons to the fence when they hatch. Many stop daily in hopes of a glimpse of the parents or the growing babies. Once driving by the nearby lake I saw a flock of a dozen swans settle for a landing, huge wings beating as they landed gracefully on the water. It was a rare sight, as usually only a mated pair or family group swim together. That memory always lifts my heart.

---