WHERE: Join Rene Bahloo at a The Bhakti Barn in the heart of Cooroy for a divine weaving workshop SUNDAY 2ND FEB 2020.

WHAT: Using the local weed vine of cats claw, we will create a fairly large fruit basket/ harvesting tray which is strong, durable and beautiful. The day will include a ceremony-style weaving circle, a shared lunch, much flow of wisdom and a guided relaxation session with live music from Chris Lane to finish the day – perfect for you to float home in bliss! You will even have a basket to take home with you.

WHO: René Bahloo is an installation artist, facilitator and project coordinator, with a special interest in the practice and philosophy of basket weaving, using natural plant fibres. She shares her knowledge through weaving circles and facilitates grassroots journeys to remote Indigenous Australian and African communities, for deep connection to land, culture, healing and traditional weaving.

THE FIBRE: Cat’s claw creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati) is a native of South and Central America and is an aggressive climber that was used as an ornamental in older-style Queensland gardens. This vine has the ability to completely smother native vegetation, growing up over trees. Many bushland areas in our local vicinity already have serious infestations of this weed. Luckily for us, it’s an amazing vine for weaving baskets, so we can clear the bush of it without worrying about its sustainability!

MORE DETAILS: This is an opportunity to experience the ancient art of basket weaving as a deeply mindful and heart connecting practice. It is a space of sharing, creating, being and breathing, conducted through ceremony and celebration of life. Using natural materials from the land, you will learn to weave individual strands of fibre together to form a whole creation, while recognising and acknowledging the mirrors and metaphors that bind us together with nature and each other. Like a weave within a weave, this has the power of revealing a way of being that is nurturing, growthful, enlightening and honouring of the energy of creation. Together we will weave baskets that hold in their fibres all of the stories we share, flowing in symphony with the songs of nature as they unfold around and within us.