Introduction
No more 1 in 3!
Mother's Union protest
Inside Out
Poem written and narrated by David Roe
Butterfly Kisses
a poem by Gethsemane Lynn
Well respected church attender,
stalwart biblical defender,
leads his wife and children well
We're captivated by his spell.
He'd give the shirt right off his back
to anyone who has a lack.
He has a way with young and old,
and treats most everyone like gold.
He oozes charm, charisma too,
there's nothing that this man can't do.
They're hanging on his every word -
the greatest things they've ever heard.
Behind closed doors, he's on the prowl
a predator with silent growl,
whose mission is to use his power
to make his little woman cower.
Deadly daggers dripping honey,
little digs that seem so funny…
He's not hurting anyone,
it's just a joke - he's having fun!
He is the place confusion's born
for he's her solace and her storm.
A crooked master of her mind
through him, reality's defined.
She'll tend the children, wash the dishes,
let him give butterfly kisses,
while adoring crowds look on
for in his game, she's just a pawn.
Like sheep, the people flock to him
and cater to his every whim.
The wool is pulled over their eyes,
they cannot see behind the lies.
They're caught up in their reverie
of silver-tongue-tied flattery.
Like razored fences wrapped in feathers,
tickled minds all stick together.
In the midst of this parade,
his wife cries out, "it's a charade!"
But she is beaten by the throng,
because she chose not to belong.
Make her shut up, the people shout
she won't submit, so throw her out!
We do this in God's name, of course
for she has shown us no remorse.
Permitting such egregious sin,
of sowing discord deep within,
would go against God's Holy Word,
and cause disruption to the herd.
So we must take back our control,
for she has stepped outside her role.
We'll tame her tongue with gospel bridle,
lest she dare destroy our idol.
Guarding him is what we do.
It's not his fault she's such a shrew!
We've seen his works, he bears good fruit -
this woman is of ill repute!
And all the people will agree
to eat their own so happily.
Betrayal's fangs wrapped in a kiss,
A woman scorned; the truth dismissed.
audio-butterfly-end
Beauty out of Brokeness
Healing is possible
Healing is possible. We may never be the same again; we may not lose our scars, but our wounds can become a source of beauty. Click here to see a little bit about the Japanese art of Kintsugi that creates beauty out of brokenness.
EXPOSURE
Breaking Through To Freedom
Excerpts from one woman's journey from abuse to survival, freedom, healing and thriving
*Follow the link at the end of this section to read Thalia Senna's complete self-illustrated life story*
Cracked Pot
The cracks were beginning to show,
A part of me had died,
I keep that part in the dark
So no one could possibly know.
Jar of Hearts
I think I can’t be happier
You capture my heart…..in a jar?
The world around is radiant, bright.
Naively I believe I’ll be enough.
When did you disengage?
Why did my love meet with rage?
Your needs met by any passing heart
Your infidelities are my impossibly high standards.
Monochromatic world my light is gone
My heart so empty, lifeless, undone
Where have you been? This jar is too crowded.
Recoiling from your icy touch
Life has taken on a different meaning
It feels like you’ve disappeared
I’ve misunderstood, a simple mistake, all’s ok
I’m still alive….I think.
Why do you steal and collect hearts?
I’m half alive in this miserable jar.
I’m on view to the world
But my world is foggy.
Colourless, lifeless fog: fear, obligation, guilt.
To be authentic again not a specimen on show
No longer your ghost, don’t come back!
You will NEVER ever have me again.
Colour floods back into my world
And life beats into my heart.
I can just remember feeling this way before,
The scars will heal and I will be strong again.
Breaking Through to Freedom
I know for sure I can’t stay in this hell
But I know I have to get well
I will survive.
I know that I will lose some friends
But this confusion has to end
I will survive.
I know I will be financially poorer
But my life will be truer and fuller
I will survive.
I know this almost killed me
But now I am finally free
I’m not just surviving I’m thriving
Just watch me and see!
Links and Credits
Special thanks to Morten Lauridsen, one of our greatest living composers, for giving his personal permission to use O Magnum Mysterium for the No More 1 in 3 event.
Please watch the trailer to Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen here
The DVD is available at Inner Harmony
The film has received four Best Documentary awards, called ‘a heartening rarity’ by Wall Street Journal, and has been hosted by choirs and choir festivals around the world. It includes an extended segment on the creation and performance of Lux Aeterna as well as O Magnum Mysterium. (Michael Stillwater. Director. Shining Light.)
Restored UK official website
Mother's Union (Newcastle Diocese) official website
Heartfelt thanks to all who worked to make this project possible, including those who did little jobs, without which the big tasks could not have happened:
David Newton - photography and filming
Sid – David’s assistant
Amy Jessett – Kintsugi photography
David Roe – Poet
Furo Todd – poetry reading
Kim Fewell – artist and poet
Gethsemene Lynn – Poet
Emily Udell - composer and performer of 'New Beginnings' in Butterfly Kisses
Andrew Coad - website
Sarah Dobbs – ariel artist and kintsugi make up
Sylvia Hickey – Mothers’ Union vice-president and CADA co-founder
Thank you to all Mothers’ Union members who contributed mini videos
For helping with the ribbons and mounting the display, thanks to:
Jane, Helen, Chris C, Jo, Lorraine, Sylvia, Bill, Sue, Kim, Heather, Dor, Fiona, Chris H, and Sarah.
Special thanks to the congregation of St Nicholas’ Church, South Gosforth and vicar Jane Nattrass for allowing us to stage the No More 1 in 3 event on their site
Kintsugi (金継ぎ)
The Japanese art of Kintsugi is the art of mending precious, broken china with gold. The result is a different item. It will never be the same again and may not be able to perform the original function, but it has a new beauty and a different function. Last year I discovered Kintsugi and had a go at it. Here are the pieces I attempted. In this lies a picture of how our brokenness can be mended. We might never loose our scars, but they can become a source of beauty.
My first attempt was on an old tea set. My work is far from perfect; the photographer has made them look better than they are, but it was a start.
This was a very cheap vase from a well-known Scandinavian home shop, so it wasn’t worth much in the first place, but then it got broken, so was completely worthless. Now, with the broken edges coated with 24c gold leaf, it has a new value and a new function.
This carafe was smashed and some of the fragments were lost. In fixing it, it has not been possible to make it complete; there are gaps and bits are misaligned, but with the gold, that has become part of its beauty!
The turkey plate! This was a family heirloom and carried the Christmas turkey every year since I can remember. Then one fraught Christmas it became cracked. I couldn’t throw it away, so it sat for years on the delft rack until last year when I discovered Kintsugi. I had to make the cracks bigger before I could fill them with gold leaf, but now it’s a treasure again.
Human Kintsugi
I then wondered about using gold leaf on a person to suggest healing. Sarah kindly offered to take this on along with photographer David. Their work is also used in the poem Inside Out.
