my Mother, our Great Mother matrix

you have always stood strong in the eye of it all…

A while back, when we were last moving, I stumbled upon two drawings I had done in 1981—a couple of rough sketch renderings of my adoptive mum and dad. I had completely forgotten about them and was quite stunned when I pulled them out of that ol’ dusty box… …

above image… my mother © 1981…

Certainly, there’s a heck of a lot going on with these two images, and I could say more personally—though I won’t. I did want to honour and acknowledge my mother (RIP) during this Mother’s Day, which marks the 2nd year of her passing.

These two portrait drawings, created unconsciously decades ago, now reveal to me a dialogue between the energies of matriarchy and patriarchy. The first, honoring my mother, radiates warmth, openness, and the protective embrace of the Great Mother—qualities so often sidelined or diminished in patriarchal cultures. She is also expressing ‘Stop!’ to the relentless abuse she endured, as does our blessed earth Mother.

The second, of my father, (RIP) with its stark lines and rigid divisions, reflects the structures and boundaries imposed by patriarchy, which has relentlessly sought to contain, control, and even erase the fluid, nurturing power of the Mother archetype. Together, these images speak to the ongoing struggle—and the urgent need—to honour and reclaim the matriarchal wisdom within us and our bruised world.

Below, i’ve attempted to write a poem (a work in progress) that honours my mother and the Great Mother matrix of all.

my Mother, our Great Mother matrix

Mother you are the earth beneath our feet
bearing a weight of storm within silence, where
you stood so strong in the eye of it all, just like our
Great Mother, you endured, what should never be endured

your weathered hands always moving, giving to strangers
while your voice at home was a storm surging
under a roof that thundered with anger, mocking and scorn
i never could understand why you were so unhappy

the divine feminine in you pressed on through cycles of
pain, just as our earth Mother, wounded by uncaring hateful hands
yet She still freely gives life and beauty to all, continuing, unceasing
you held your anger like a thunder drumming in the distance
your sorrow a long deep river that shaped our home

i believe all Mothers carry this ancient burden
the world’s wounds and the traumas of their own
though still you rose each day, heart offering and freely giving 
what you could, i know you wanted in some way, to be gentle

though gentle you never seemed to know, still
you tirelessly fed us, clothed us, kept us way too safe
a fierce and fragile force that never wavered, steady undying
honouring the sacred work of creation, love and duty

even when the world forgot to see and honour you, i now
deeply respect how you mothered through the hardest weather
doing the best you could with that dark sky you were given
your strength, a quiet enduring flame that never ceased to glow
know i love you dear mum, i love you our Great Mother, the womb of all, thank YOU!

—weaver x (((💜)))

• that 2nd image, my father…

above image, my father… © 1981

and, a video for you, ‘holy mother’s protecting chain—a Shaker hymn’... happy Mother’s Day! — i invite you to listen to our Great Mother sing… 🎶

below, painting the recent dark moon sphere… in watercolour… x (((🌚)))

painting the dark moon sphere - watercolour by weaver © 2025