Symbolism, Sacred Art, Metaphysics

The Thread-Spirit: The Symbolism of Knotting and the Fiber Arts

$34.95

Written after years of studying both the textile arts and traditional symbolism, The Thread-Spirit is a compendium of the wisdom of both essential human exercises. Inasmuch as we express who we are through what we create and use, through our technologies, we are the human beings described in this book.

The technology of traditional societies is based on the application of metaphysical principles to practical ends. This is particularly clear in the case of the fiber arts— knotting, weaving, spinning, basketry, and the like—where a worldwide symbolism exists which appears to have its origins in Paleolithic times.

There is an underlying historical continuity to this symbolism that survives, but has been forced underground with the rise of rationalism. These traditions survived into the 20th century in more remote parts of the world, but they were generally no longer understood. The Thread-Spirit attempts to examine the traditions, as they existed and continue to exist, and reunite them with their ancient meanings.

Read an excerpt from the Thread Spirit here

Product Description

The technology of traditional societies is based on the application of metaphysical principles to practical ends. This is particularly clear in the case of the fiber arts— knotting, weaving, spinning, basketry, and the like—where a worldwide symbolism exists which appears to have its origins in Paleolithic times. Dr. A. K. Coomaraswamy referred to this symbolic complex as the sutratman (thread-spirit) doctrine and it is well documented by the literary, artistic and archeological remains.

Using a consistent set of symbols, our ancient ancestors sought to explain the relations governing the social order, the workings of the cosmos, and the mysteries surrounding birth and rebirth. The eye of the needle, for example, was understood as the entrance to heaven while the thread was the Spirit that sought to return to its Source. Creation is a kind of sewing in this version of the story as God wields his solar, pneumatic needle. Man is conceived as a jointed creature similar to a marionette or puppet but held together by an invisible thread-spirit. When this thread is cut, a man dies, comes “unstrung,” and his bones separate at the joints.

It was the American art historian, Carl Schuster who first discovered the significance of body joints in this symbolism and he believed that it was based on an analogy with the plant world where regeneration is possible from a shoot or sprout. Body joints play a role in such diverse matters as labyrinths, continuous-line drawings, cat’s cradles, dismemberment and cannibalism, and various rituals meant to ensure rebirth and the continuity of the social order.

Joints were also conceived as the knots of the body. It was originally believed that the spirit of a specific ancestor inhabited each body joint. The body as a whole served as a map of the social order, and by extension, the cosmic order. Joints were later used for counting, an extension of their original role in identifying social relations. Joints were replaced or supplemented by bones or knots and by Neolithic times we find a widespread distribution of knot technologies for counting and record keeping. The Inca quipu is the best-known example. These technologies preceded and supported the growth of numbers. Knotted cords were also used for measurement and for teaching music.

Cosmologically, it was believed that the earth turned around a pole (axis mundi) and this provided a model that was applied to all devices or natural phenomena that rotated (spindle whorls, drills, mills, wheels, whirlpools, whirlwinds, etc.). Because the seasons were brought on by this rotation, these devices became models of birth and death, time and Eternity.

Interlacing and knotting were meant to signify marriage bonds within the group and an especially elaborate symbolism was worked out to specify these relations. It was Carl Schuster’s belief that this symbolism was derived from the use of tailored fur garments, man’s first clothing.

There is much more to this story but what is clear is that there is an underlying historical continuity to this symbolism that survived from the earliest times until it was weakened by writing and finally forced underground with the rise of rationalism, at least in the West. These traditions survived longer in the East and into the 20th century in more remote parts of the world, but they were generally no longer understood.

  1. Click here to read an excerpt of Thread Spirit: The Symbolism of Knotting and Fiber Arts
  2. Click here to read a second excerpt

 

Reviews

A beautiful work of the greatest cultural significance, concealing a number of well-hidden historical “secrets” of mankind (if you know them). The references to “joint-marks” highlighted by Carl Schuster are among them. As for the transaction itself, it went perfectly!
G.C.L. (Amazon customer) (trans. from the original French)
Who Knew that God Could Sew? This wonderful book takes much of its method and information from Carl Schuster and E.S.Carpenter's "Social Symbolism in Ancient and Tribal Art" (a much shortened title)( Rock Foundation NY 1988). Siegeltuch's is a beautiful book designed along the same lines as the Schuster/Carpenter book with every image discussed right there on the page. No flipping back and forth for the reader. As a pure reading experience, the book is a delight (information: my wife Aileen Winter, designed the book, and I was a reader. Both of us, and Mark Siegeltuch worked on Schuster and Carpenter's 'big' book. Siegeltuch worked on the smaller version of the big book, "Patterns That Connect" (Harry Abrams, 1996). This is another example of comparative anthropology/archeology, a style of thinking about the past that went out of style a long time ago. There is room, however for the comparative method as all the books mentioned so far demonstrate. Siegeltuch's book goes over the points of discussion, without reference to far fetched contemporary theories involving aliens and spaceships. He defines knots in the table of contents, Magic Knots, Love Knots, Marriage Knots, Birth Knots, etc. In the next chapter, Mnemonic Knots, the distribution of those knots, Knot Calendars, Records, The Quipu, Biblical and Talmudic, the Abacus, Musical Knots (I'm skipping around), and finally "The Sutratman" the name given to the "Thread-Spirit" by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy to tie all the material to God and rebirth and to life and its representation over thousands of years and over all continents. This book is wide ranging in its use of images from far and wide but is so beautifully written that even a person who has difficulty tying his or her shoe will find the book eminently readable and a thorough education in ideas that are given no platform in today's academy. There are sections on "The continuous line," "Mazes and Labyrinths," "Knots, Joints and Ancestors." Chapter Four is devoted to the work of Carl Schuster. The closing paragraphs rise to a heigh of sublime speech as if to remind us that there are other types of world than the miserably material one that makes such demands on our pocketbooks and so little demand on our brains, except that we believe the propaganda that our world spews out like so much garbage--and there's no place to put it, either. Siegeltuch does great and beautiful service to the ideas represented in the book, and is generous not only with the earlier scholars, mainly Schuster, Carpenter and Coomaraswamy, but is generous to the reader in that Siegeltuch means to be understood rather than puzzled over. Bravo!, Mr. Siegeltuch for a wonderful book on a neglected topic. I hope we can expect more in the cloudy future.
T.M. (Amazon Customer)