Yaima

During the weeks I wove this tapestry, I also spent time sitting on the banks of a river that carves its path near my home. I remembered recently learning the meaning of the Argentine name Yaima: “that which water runs through”.

Synchronistically, I had also been wading through my own heavy emotions at the time, learning to trust my capacity to be a container for those feelings, like the banks of a river, rather than fully identifying with them or drowning in their heaviness.

Much like the ever-changing nature of a river, our emotions can shift from calm to turbulent, from whispers to roars. “Yaima” teaches us to embrace that variability, to find peace in being that which holds the water, no matter its form. It encourages us to honor the ebb and flow of our emotions, and to commit to becoming a sanctuary for them to move through and be heard.

Our emotions, represented by the coursing river, do not require us to drown in their depths, rather, they simply ask to be held, to be allowed a safe channel to flow through.

“Yaima” symbolizes the idea that we can be the stable banks of the river, holding our emotions in the safety of our hearts, and guiding that powerful force of energy towards the path of love that flows and unwinds without force or restraint.