Home Page          Commissions          New Line of Stoles         About the artist            Order Form This Limited Edition line of stoles was released in 1995 and have now reached sold out status.  The following give brief descriptions of each of the stoles for your information. As with all Karen's work, all stoles are made with natural fibres.  These stoles measure 123 cm (48.5 ") from base of neck. For further information on the final stole remaining for sale in this line, email Karen at karen@brodiedesigns.com.   1. PALMS IN PERSPECTIVE Lent is a period of penitence in preparation for the Baptism of Easter. During this season we reflect, meditate, and examine who we are, our relationship with God, and the state of the earth God gave us. We take a step back from everyday life to get some perspective on our lives; sin, gluttony, negligence of prayer and service, etc. The palm branches in this design are symbolic of Christ's victory walk into Jerusalem. This celebration juxtaposes the darkness of his death only days later. It makes Christ's sufferings all the more tragic. The earth seen here serves to remind us of the part of Lent where we focus on others. God has given us plenty and we seldom stop to help those who are suffering. We confess that we have raped the earth and exploited other people. The sense of light surrounding the earth serves several purposes. It is to give the physical impression of an atmosphere of the world from a distance. It also gives us a feeling of hope and light. This reminds us of the presence of God, with Christ, in the wilderness. Even through the darkness of Lent we have the hope of every Sunday being a small celebration of the first Easter. The colour for Lent is violet, as seen here.     2. PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD In attempting to design for the season of Advent I was continually struck by the thought of "preparing the way of the Lord" In designing this stole there were images of a journey, a road to Bethlehem, a nightime sky before the dawn, and waiting for the sun. That is why darker shades are used. There are also images of quiet peacefulness on this journey, in a season that tends to be too full and too filled with excitement. Violet has historically been used, as Advent was seen as a season of pentinence. However, in distinguishing this season from Lent, blue is more commonly used now. Here I have combined shades of blue and mauve. On the lower right hand side is a messianic rose in red.   3. MY CUP RUNNETH OVER The inspiration for this design comes directly from the image of its title.  "My Cup Runneth Over" makes one think of God's overwhelming love poured out for each of us. Easter and Christmas are celebrated liturgically sharing similar symbols and the colour white.  It is common to use an image of the sacrament of Communion for both Christmas and Easter since all three celebrate new life.  The image of the cup running over seems a very powerful symbol to connect both seasons with Communion. The image of the sunrise reminds us of the new day of Christmas and the resurrection of Easter.  The wheat stalks illustrate bread, the body of Christ.       4. LOAVES AND FISH Jesus has compassion on the gathering crowds because "they were like sheep without a shepherd." Ordinary time, or season after Pentecost, is the time of the church year set aside for Christian instruction. The revelation of Creator, Son and Holy Spirit at Pentecost is studied and applied to life. We have to work hard to be open enough to God in our daily lives to be spiritually fed and satisified. We have to allow ourselves to be led. The three main images here are: the loaves, fish and shepherd's staff. The fish are stylized in the way Christians have historically shown they are followers of Christ. Ordinary Time is part of the season of Pentecost. Until Trinity Sunday, red is used, while green is the colour afterward. It symbolizes personal growth in the course of everyday life.     5. THE RUSH OF A MIGHTY WIND Trinity Sunday falls within the season of Pentecost. At this time we focus on the revelation of God in three persons: Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit. This stole illustrates a commonly used symbol for Trinity: three circles looped together. From this symbol, the Holy Spirit draws away and moves into the form of a dove. It is descending into flame as we recall the day of Pentecost as written in Acts; "And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Red is used to symbolize flame. Since Pentecost flows into what is known as Ordinary Time, a season which uses green to symbolize personal growth, green has also been incorporated into this stole.     KAREN BRODIE DESIGNS P.O. Box 20155, Golden, British Columbia, Canada V0A 1H0 Phone: (250) 344-7815 E-mail address: karen@brodiedesigns.com Home Page          Commissions          New Line of Stoles         About the artist            Order Form