December Component of the month and a giveaway!

You might be reading this with a delicious turkey sandwich made from leftovers (my favorite part) but I hope the holiday found you well. I have many things to be thankful for and one of them is my online community of fellow artists, beaders, and like minded friends.

Without further ado - the December Component of the Month: 

Ceramic labyrinth pendants by Jenny Davies-Reazor

When I decided on this symbol as the piece for December - I was thinking ahead to the reveal date. The end of December - New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

The labyrinth differs from a maze in that a labyrinth has one path in to the center. Mazes are designed to confound with dead ends and the like. Labyrinths are found in many cultures around the world, and in many styles. Found in cathedrals, Medieval labyrinths were seen as a symbolic path to God. They often served as a substitute to a religious pilgrimage. Native American labyrinths can represent a path to an ancestor, in a  search for wisdom, or even the ancestor himself. A famous mythic labyrinth was that on the isle of Crete, where dwelt the Minotaur. Half bull and half man, he was slated by the hero Theseus with the help of Ariadne. 

Counter Clockwise: Chartres Cathedral, Cretan style, turf labyrinth, Tintagel rock carving,  Chartres style. 

In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the labyrinth. Walking a labyrinth can aid in attaining a contemplative state- as the body is occupied the mind can at times find clarity. They are used as a walking meditation and often located at churches and retreat centers. As they are a path to the center, your center, your self...they can provide insight and at times inspiration. With New Year's being a time where we all feel resolved to start fresh- I found this an appropriate symbol for the Component of the Month! 

Where will your path take you in 2013? There may be twists and turns, you may lose sight of the destination at times, but if you have faith and stay on your path, all will be well. 

How this challenge and blog hop will work (please read all the information carefully!)

• I will give away 1 component to each of 5 winners selected randomly from those who leave comments below this post. The color sent will be a surprise for the winners.
• Please include your EMAIL address in your comment so that I can contact you ASAP should you win.
• Please - only leave a comment if you can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it within the time given.
• The names of the 5 winners will be announced on November 30th 2012.
• This giveaway is open to US, Canadian, UK and European countries.
• The blog reveal will be on December 31, 2012. 

Should you want to participate and your name is not drawn from the proverbial hat - I will be listing more on my Etsy site on Monday November 26th when I return from Thanksgiving!

Thanks for participating, everyone!

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

Resources: 

www.Labyrinthos.net

Labyrinth locator

Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool by L. Artress