Groundswell 2025 TablESCAPE description

The items on each table are symbols connected to the transformation of our souls;

humility, permanence, and the cycle of life

The muslin and burlap

Muslin and burlap were funerary materials to swathe the body for burial. It was a practice that stripped the body of earthly possessions and returned everyone to the earth in equality. Green or natural burials are renewing this practice. Burlap or sack cloth was worn by ancient mourners as an outward show of profound grief.

The river rock

Permanence and endurance; smoothness comes from the experiences of life, character is shown through how it has been shaped by constant flow and forces of time. Rock cairns were made from heaps of rocks to mark graves and sacred sites.

The Evergreen, discarded limbs and moss

Evergreens are an ancient symbol of life and death and rebirth. Ancient Egyptians, Celtic Druids, Pagans, Vikings and eventually Christians would bring them inside during Winter Solstice to ward off evil spirits, ensure a fruitful year, celebrate Christ’s triumph over death and in most cases acknowledge life’s cycle. As the tree ages in our forests, limbs are covered by moss, which thrives in death. Moss also clings to ancient headstones and monuments, marking a silent passage of time often outliving its hosts. There is a Tibetan moss, Takakia, that has survived as a colony for nearly 400 million years.

The Monarch butterflies

For many indigenous and spiritual people, the Monarch represents the souls of the departed returning to visit us. The migration of the butterfly arriving in Mexico coincides with the Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead; an entire culture believing these are our loved ones connecting with us.

Marigold

Beginning in Aztec times their vibrant color and very strong scent were and are believed to guide the souls to their loved one's altars. They were introduced to India through Mexican traders who brought the plant to them, where it has become a symbol of light over darkness; the flower of important occasions. Garlands mark new beginnings at weddings and adorn the body at the funeral pyre, warding off evil and guiding the soul.

The Nest and Eggs

From Indigenous, Native Americans, traditional Catholicism, to Celtic, and Buddhism, the nest is the idea of safety, sanctuary, nurturing, family, community, and a metaphor for divine care and protection. It is the transformation of the soul, rebirth, and the affirmation that all life is cyclical.