Healing Knits Canada

Maitland River Capelet

2012-10-21T13:37:00.001-07:00

Dreams of the Maitland River Capelet

I am laying on my back floating down the river. It is a perfect night. Warm, very little breeze. The sky is
black, and the stars look crisp in the sky. The golden rod is blowing gently with the tiny breeze.

I can see bats flying overhead and I hear the frogs as I float by the lily pads. The moon is full and bright.

Very soon I come to the stone bridge that takes me away from the dream place of the Maitland River. The place where the river is healthy and clean. Everyone knows it, and we have all contributed. This is the place where we can lay, floating
on our backs and know that everything is okay. This
Maitland River exists. Can we find it together?

When is the next time that you will be down at the
river at night, drinking in the beauty and stillness, telling the river who you are, and asking for the gift of a dream?

Step on the Stone Bridge and see where the Dreams of the Maitland River take you.

The Dreams of the Maitland River Capelet is featured in the North Perth Arts and Culture Council Artist of the Month program for October.

Would you like to learn how to knit in a shamanic way? Visit Introduction to Shamanic Knitting Retreat for more information about an upcoming retreat!

The Maitland River has been a huge inspiration for me over the past 4 years. Enjoy this video about ceremony and the importance of connecting to your local watershed! It also holds the very first song that I have ever written and arranged! Thanks for watching!

Please share your experiences with your local watershed!

The Dreams of the Maitland River Capelet was modelled beautifully by Caitlin Leishman

An Introduction to Shamanic Knitting Retreat

2012-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Merge with your Inner Yarner

An Introduction to Shamanic Knitting

November 3-4, 2012

at Six Directions @ Pioneer Farm, Eagle, Ontario

This retreat will assist you with getting comfortable with the beginning aspects of knitting, and how to connect knitting in with your spiritual practice. We will discuss the use of different types of yarn, and what the symbols on the yarn mean, as well as the many different tools and knitting needles that can be used for knitting and what their purposes are.

You will be invited to connect with the spirit of the yarn to understand what the story of your unique knitted piece will be. We will sing our love and joy into the knitting that we create, just as many have done in the past and still continue to do so today. As many have discovered, knitting is a very beautiful form of prayer work.

For this retreat, you do not need to know how to knit, though some familiarity with knitting would be helpful, it is not essential. The basics will be reviewed throughout the weekend.

We will be using the technique of shamanic journeying to connect with the yarn spirits. If you are not familiar with shamanic journeying, please connect with me and we can discuss this beforehand. Even without the training in shamanic journeying, you will be most welcomed to attend and experience shamanic knitting!

Space is limited, so sign up early!

Date: Saturday, November 3 - Sunday November 4th, 2012
Location: Six Directions @ Pioneer Farm
                 24810 Talbot LIne
                 West Lorne, ON
                 N5X 2E3
Cost: $120
Facilitators:  Heidi Burrowes and Beth McLellan

Provided: Yoga mats, blankets, filtered water, tea, coffee, some snacks and a very sacred creative experience……

Meals:  
Breakfast and lunch provided  - fresh and local fare always a focus
**please bring a small supper dish (or salad) to share. You may also bring a small snack to share if you wish  **

Accommodation:  
All natural mattresses and linens provided :
4 twin beds, 1 queen bed, 1 double bed available

Please Bring:
Layered clothing, outdoor clothing, journal, shawl or scarf, size 8mm knitting needles, a beautiful and simple yarn (eg. no extra fringey type things), a yarn darning needle, crafting scissors, a small supper dish (or salad), a small snack (optional), a special bead or an item that calls to you that wants to be woven into your first sacred knitted piece.

We only have space for 6 to 8 participants!
Register today to reserve your spot!\

To Register, please email heidibearca@yahoo.ca and place Introduction to Shamanic Knitting Retreat in subject line. Thank you!

Purple Memories Scarf

2011-12-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

This scarf was created by the ancestors,

It was created by the dinosaurs,

They are thankful to be celebrating with us.

We toast with glasses of red wine.

We are held softly in their embrace,

They whisper to us

"You must find another way to connect with us.

We are here. We love you.

Leave our remains at peace,

Hear us, Feel us, Know us in a

new and ancient way.

We are here, and we love you."

The story of this scarf is a gentle and loving reminder of our connections with those who have passed before us. There is a feeling here that perhaps our dependency on oil is because of our deep desire to connect with our ancestors. The soft embrace of this scarf reminds us that our ancestors are thankful for our connections to them, and asks us to be mindful of our next steps.

This scarf will be gifted to someone on January 1st, 2012. Click 'like' on the Healing Knits Canada page for a chance to be in the draw!

Thank you!

May you feel this connection deep within your bones, and know that you are in the gentle embrace of the ancestors.

The Path of Wood and Roses Scarf

2011-12-09T16:09:00.000-08:00

When you were born and for a long time after that,

It is easy to see the path that you are on because

your grandparents and your parents have woven your path for you.

Your Grandmothers and your Mother walk a pink and brown path

of Roses and Wood.

This is the path that they have begun to lay for you.

There comes a time when you move forward on the path

that has been woven for you and you begin to choose a new path.

When you begin to choose a new path there will be many things

that will distract you.

Things may begin to look different, they may even be a little confusing.

You may not be able to see how this or that connects in with

your life.

Sometimes you will see sparkly things along the way that are

off of your path, and these sparkly things may call you to

leave your path.

Always know that even if the path looks different, even if you have made new choices,

even if you become distracted,

when you look down to see the colour beneath your feet,

the colours of you Grandmothers and your Mother,

the colour of Roses and Wood, you will know

that it is still your path.

The path that was woven for you,

and also

The path that was chosen by you.

To discuss your own special knitted piece, please contact: heidibearca at yahoo.ca.

Co-Created Loving Mindfulness Hat

2011-11-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

This hat was co-created by Heidi Burrowes and Gail Beech, an Energy Medicine Practitioner,who shared her ideas for this hat.
This video hopes to give you a sense of what to expect if you decide to co-create a design for yourself with Heidi Burrowes.
If you have a great design in your mind, but are not sure your knitting skills are up to the challenge yet, you could work with Heidi to make your idea a reality.
Either Heidi could knit your project, or help to guide you while you create your project.
To co-create a knitted item, please email heidi at yahoo.ca. Place 'Request knitted item' in subject heading, and then share with me what you are looking for!
To find out more about Gail Beech, Energy Medicine Practitioner, please visit: www.GeneralIntention.com

Home to the Rainbow Tribe poncho

2011-07-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

Glimpses of what's coming....

2011-06-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

In May, I was priviledged to spend some time in Niagara Falls. Feeling the power of the Falls even while resting was wonderfully refreshing! It was amazing to spend some time drumming and connecting with Helping Spirits while being surrounded by knitting.

During my short stay, I was able to hook up with a friend, Krissy who took some shots of some of my knitting. There are new pieces coming, and this is a quick glimpse of some of the items that are on my needles right now.

The orange piece in the center already has a few fans, and it is not

even finished yet. The story of this piece is being developed as well. Look for it available for purchase this fall!

Knitted socks are on the needles in the pic to the right. I love homemade knitted socks! Nothing tells me that my feet are cosy better than a pair of handknitted socks. The yarn that is being used for these socks, reminds me of lifesavers candy, so I call socks that I make with this yarn, my Lifesaver Socks!

'Loving Embrace' Knitted Scarf' Retreat ~ February 12-13, 2011

2010-12-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

Join Heidi of Healing Knits Canada for a weekend exploring the creation of your own personal 'Loving Embrace' scarf. This scarf will be created based on short adventures into your imagination.

During the weekend, you will begin to get a sense of how you can create beautiful, handmade items that have personal, and symbolic meaning for you. This is a spiritual adventure into knitting, and we will be wearing our 'Loving Embrace' Scarf during a special honouring ceremony over the weekend.

Basic, intermediate or advanced knitting skills would welcomed. If you do not know how to knit, you are invited to gain a basic understanding of casting on, knitting, purling, and casting off before coming to the retreat. Other stitches may be taught over the weekend.

Spaces are very limited, so please register early.

The cost for this retreat is $150 per person. This includes accomodations, meals, and the knitting program.
A $50 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your space on this event that is sure to fill up quick! You can register with the paypal button at the bottom of this post, or contact me at heidibearca@yahoo.ca to find out how to secure your spot!

Click here to register for the 'Loving Embrace' Knitted Scarf Retreat.

Join us Saturday morning, February 12, at Six Directions, a 2 story red brick farmhouse just outside of Eagle, Ontario. It is very close to the Sacred Waters of Lake Eerie, and there are 150 acres of land to connect with and explore. This home has a very comfortable feel, with all Natural and memory foam beds, covered with bamboo sheets for comfortable trips to dreamland.

If you wish to join us on Friday night, so you are fresh and ready Saturday morning, there is a fee of $25 for that night. (Supper and Saturday mornings breakfast not included in this price) Please let us know when registering.

Individual healing and treatment sessions are available throughout the weekend for an added cost;

30 minute sessions for $30

thai yoga massage

reiki

reconnective healing

reflexology

palm reading

*please sign up for these when registering

Suz ~ the beautiful, will be providing wonderful meals during the course of your time spent here. Please notify us if you have special considerations for either food or lodgings.

If you do not have paypal, contact heidibearca@yahoo.ca with the subject heading of 'Loving Embrace Scarf Retreat', and we will get back to you ASAP.

Click here to register for the 'Loving Embrace' Knitted Scarf Retreat

Come to the Bookery and tell me what you like about Debb!

2010-11-30T13:35:00.000-08:00

This is a special, free event for people who are interested in finding out more about healing knits, and to honour the brains behind the Bookery Cafe in Listowel, Ontario. Over the years, we have watched, laughed, tried delicious coffee's and shopped through moves and changes at the Bookery. How exciting, and I am so thankful that this store is in Listowel!

Join Heidi Burrowes of Healing Knits Canada to share in the creation of a knitted item of gratitude to be gifted to Debb Greer, proprietor of the Bookery in honour of the colour she brings to the Listowel landscape.

On Friday, January 14th, 2011, from 10 am - 6 pm, Heidi will be knitting, singing, drumming, and hearing your stories of gratitude to be woven into this gift of thanks. Drop in and leave whenever you wish throughout the day. There will also be an opportunity to speak with Heidi about the upcoming "Loving Embrace" Scarf course happening throughout February at the Bookery.

At the bookery, you can Grab a Steaming Cup of Freshly Brewed Fair Trade Coffee or Tea ~ Lose yourself to the Sound of Celtic Music Playing Softly in the Background Whilst you Meander Through a Maze of Towering Rustic Shelves Housing More Than 30,000 Books of All SortsYou'll feel you've been transported to another place & time. An old world library in an ancient Celtic Land......

The Bookery is a Celtic Inspired Book Shoppe that maintains a well organized and diverse collection of fiction and non fiction books. The store is logically laid out, roomy with intimate nooks separating each genre. A truly unique experience .

The Story of the Maitland River Shawl ~ the first of the Healing Knits

2010-11-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year, in the spring, I was contacted by the North Perth Arts and Culture Council, and asked if I wanted to create an art piece for their upcoming fundraiser. They requested that this piece represent at least one of the five senses. I agreed to submit a one of a kind knitted piece for the auction.

I journeyed to ask what piece was needed for the auction, and received information that described a triangular shawl with trees, and Queen Snakes in the design. A bunch of wavy rayed lampmussels also played a part in what this shawl was to become.

I had never created a piece this way before. I had never journeyed to find out information about what I was going to create. This is a very potent way of creating a powerful piece.

This was a very tedious piece, requiring approximately 170 hours of my time, and much of my patience and grounding as I always strived to remember the purpose of this piece.

Here is the healing story of this piece:

Most of your body is water.

You are a walking, talking piece of the river that you drink from.

Taste the purity of your water.

See how clean your water flows.

Smell how fresh your moisture is.

Hear how your water gently moves around your body.

Connect with how beautiful you are.
Melt your ice inside, and love your water.

This piece was a continuation of the Maitland River Walk. It was another way of sharing the lessons learned during the June 189 km walk of the Maitland River. Incorporating the five senses as well with the teaching was a fabulous extension of the teaching.

The deadline for the project was quickly coming, and going, without this project anywhere near being finished. However, it was ready before the auction.

I dropped it off at the home of an organizer, Cathy, and she brilliantly set to work figuring out how to display it in the best way. I had been told that because the piece was so late it would not be able to be auctioned in the live auction, and that it had to be at a silent table. The retail value of this piece was $2000. I was asked for a reserve bid, and stated that the reserve bid was $1500.

The day after the auction, I was contacted regarding the shawl. I was told that it was auctioned at the live auction, and sold for $1500. It was a weird moment for me. I was excited that someone had found value in the shawl, and that my work was being recognized as an important part of my community. Also, it was very helpful for the organization that had asked for that donation, they were going to be able to cover their operating expenses a little easier now.

It feels to me that for a long time, we have been living mass produced lives, where we have been working hard to advance ourselves as individuals. It seems that the time has come to begin to deck out our bodies and homes in handcrafted, personlized loving items, and work hard for the advancement of our communities.

This shift in thinking has already begun to change my life. If you took a deep breath, and closed your eyes, thinking about applying this philosophy in your life, do you imagine differences?

Healing Knitting Courses/Workshops/Retreats

2010-11-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

The purpose of one of these courses is to:
*assist you with coming to your center
*make the world a more vibrant place by bringing healing love through intent and creation
*to encourage more time spent outdoors (because, after all, it's much more fun to go outside when you have beautiful, personally expressive clothes to do it in!)
*to help decrease our dependency on, and begin to learn how we may honour, the crude oil that we use.

Even if you are just beginning to learn to knit, these courses are a wonderful way to become involved in creating meaningful story pieces that you can wear, or use to honour your home. Various knitting stitches will be covered, and any practical 'problems' that may come up or 'mistakes' during the project will become changed into personal expressions.

If you are a seasoned knitter or a beginning knitter, you will be invited to experience modifications and yarning experiments that can be both comforting and challenging.

If you wish to book a retreat/workshop or course for your healing center, knitting shop or other location, please contact Heidi at heidibearca@yahoo.ca, and place Healing Knits retreat in the subject heading. Thank you!

Healing or Ceremonial Knitting Commissions

2010-11-13T06:12:00.000-08:00

If you are asking to have a healing or ceremonial knitting project completed on your behalf, here are some things that you need to know. You will be invited to share why this piece is important to you. What brought you to asking for a healing piece? You will be encouraged to share what colours, textures, images, smells, tastes are comforting and healing to you.

When there is a healing piece being created, I work with my helping spirits, and they guide me through the process, often giving me a story that goes along with the piece that is being created especially for you.

The piece in this photo was created especially for a young woman who was going into surgery. The surgery was to help improve her airways to help her breathe. The images for this poncho came through very clearly when I journeyed to my helping spirits to find the story. A bright sun, for healing light. The wind swirling towards a tree, the tree open and clear to receiving the wind as breathe. The lyrics from a Michelle Branch song kept coming through too. "If I just breathe, every little piece of me, you'll see, everything is alright. Breathe, let it fill the space between, you'll see, everything is alright. If I just breathe." I sang this song as I created this poncho. The poncho was delivered to the young woman's grandmother, and she was visibly moved as I explained the meanings and symbols on this poncho.

When you contact me requesting a piece, the first thing that I will do is journey to ask my helping spirits if I am the right person to create a healing piece for you. I will ask if that is what is needed, because perhaps there will be a better way for you to receive what you need. If I am shown a piece to be created for you, then I will give you the information that I have received, and we will discuss what direction to take at that time.

During this discussion about your piece, an estimate of the final cost will be presented to you. If the piece is commissioned, the deposit will be half of the estimated cost. This deposit is non-refundable. The final cost will never exceed the estimate, though it may be less.

Welcome to the Healing and Ceremonial Knits Canada page!

2010-11-11T10:26:00.000-08:00

It is such a pleasure to be beginning this blog! I am very excited to share with you about healing and ceremonial knitting. It is something that I am very passionate about, and I thank you for coming here, to witness this passion.

Over the last 3 years, I have been doing my own healing work through Shamanism Canada. Learning core shamanism has been so helpful to my life. I follow my intuition and my helping spirits, surrounded by a loving and supportive shamanic family. This has helped me to begin to define my heartpath in this world, and part of my heartpath is creating healing story knitted pieces for myself and others, as well as helping others learn to create their own vibrant pieces to bring into the world.

Shamanism is a very active spiritual practice. A large part of it is about dreaming our world. What kind of a world do we want to live in? Then we take our answers and help to physically bring them into the world. I want to live in a world where people express themselves in healing ways. I want to live in a colourful, textured, elegant world filled with fun!

Perhaps you want to help discover what your beautifully dreamed world would look like. Whether you are a very experienced knitter, or just beginning to knit, all skill levels will find both comfort and challenge with the projects presented in the courses, no matter how big or how small.

If you are someone who would like to commission me to create a piece for you, I welcome a conversation with you about what it is that you are looking for!