This is the second installment in a series of interpretations of a single textile by myself and
a guest expert. Please see the first post here.
Through this blog, I have become acquainted with Jack Cassin, a well-known textile and carpet researcher and collector. He curates two fascinating websites, each well worth a visit: Rug Kazbah
Weaving Art Museum and Research Institute
Jack and I are discussing this textile. It is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and is documented as being found at El Azam, Egypt. Although it has not been carbon dated, or its age known from any other source, some believe it is Later Islamic Period (800-1200 AD), but Jack suspects it is older.
The actual colors are copper and white, similar to this piece presented on RugKazbah:
Jack's interpretation will be given in two parts.
Jack Cassin's Interpretation: Part 1
Some weeks ago Beth emailed one of my websites, The Weaving Art Museum,
and so started an email exchange.
During our correspondence she has been introduced to my world of historic
Near Eastern weavings, which is a very specific branch of what is commonly known as the oriental rug. And I have been introduced to her world of ASC,
Altered States of Consciousness. I am surely no stranger to altered states of consciousness having come of age during the early and middle 1960'’s when expanding ones consciousness was a happening thing. Trust me, I was a willing and active participant.
But the ASC Beth has introduced is an entirely, well maybe not so entirely, different thing, an interesting theory which might explain how certain designs, patterns and shapes used in artistic expression developed. Learning about this has special meaning, as I consider, and believe, many of the weavings that have long been the subject of my research and collecting efforts are spiritual tools.
What is a spiritual tool?
Good question and one I can best answer with an example. As many of you probably know devout Muslims must pray 5 times a day, and when they do this action it takes place in a quiet place as far removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Muslims need not go to a Mosque, their prayer can be done in a quiet corner, a roadside or any other location -– it is the act and not the place that counts. And the act is one meant to remove the participant from the mundane world of existence and bring the participant into the spiritual world of God. There is only one necessary piece of equipment, a cloth, textile, rug or weaving to place on the ground to separate the worshiper from the earth. This cloth can be decorated or not - —there is no rule or law defining how it should look.
OK, you might ask, what does this have to do with the idea of a spiritual tool? We all have heard about the "‘flying carpet"’ of 1001 Arabian Nights fame, right? And of course we all know there are really no flying carpets. Well, actually, there are, and here'’s where the idea of the spiritual tool and the prayer rug come together. You see, the act of Muslim prayer, falling to ones knees and performing a ritual of lowering and raising ones head from an upright position to touching the cloth on the ground, causes blood to rush from the brain and back again, which results in, depending on the individual and how fast and hard the raising and lowering is effected, a physical feeling of lightheadedness. This, like being in the removed-from-the-world quiet place and the performance of the ritual of lowering and raising of the head, all are part of creating a spiritual experience that is both emotional and physical.
But the ASC Beth has introduced is an entirely, well maybe not so entirely, different thing, an interesting theory which might explain how certain designs, patterns and shapes used in artistic expression developed. Learning about this has special meaning, as I consider, and believe, many of the weavings that have long been the subject of my research and collecting efforts are spiritual tools.
What is a spiritual tool?
Good question and one I can best answer with an example. As many of you probably know devout Muslims must pray 5 times a day, and when they do this action it takes place in a quiet place as far removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Muslims need not go to a Mosque, their prayer can be done in a quiet corner, a roadside or any other location -– it is the act and not the place that counts. And the act is one meant to remove the participant from the mundane world of existence and bring the participant into the spiritual world of God. There is only one necessary piece of equipment, a cloth, textile, rug or weaving to place on the ground to separate the worshiper from the earth. This cloth can be decorated or not - —there is no rule or law defining how it should look.
 |
| Prayer rug exhibited at the icoc in Istanbul from the TIEM Museum exhibition; presented on RugKazbah. |
OK, you might ask, what does this have to do with the idea of a spiritual tool? We all have heard about the "‘flying carpet"’ of 1001 Arabian Nights fame, right? And of course we all know there are really no flying carpets. Well, actually, there are, and here'’s where the idea of the spiritual tool and the prayer rug come together. You see, the act of Muslim prayer, falling to ones knees and performing a ritual of lowering and raising ones head from an upright position to touching the cloth on the ground, causes blood to rush from the brain and back again, which results in, depending on the individual and how fast and hard the raising and lowering is effected, a physical feeling of lightheadedness. This, like being in the removed-from-the-world quiet place and the performance of the ritual of lowering and raising of the head, all are part of creating a spiritual experience that is both emotional and physical.
OK, where'’s the flying carpet?
While there is no proscription for the prayer cloth to be decorated in any certain way, there exist, I am convinced, certain ancient complex patterned weavings, which because of their iconography and color juxtaposition, are able to induce a deeper level of spiritual experience for the user than would be possible with others or undecorated ones. They are aids to remove one from the earthly world and heighten the spiritual experience of being close to God. This act of prayer is, basically, a meditation and meditation is, basically, a form of self-hypnosis. Not to get further involved into a long discussion, a deliberately decorated prayer rug was, originally, a spiritual tool to induce self-hypnosis and the spiritual or God experience. During the act of prayer the shapes and colors of the icon-laden design would have, and did, induce a heightened state of consciousness, similar to the way a flashing light at the correct frequency can hypnotize. Over my decades of research I have come across a small number of early prayer rugs where the combination of iconography and coloration seem to fit into this category.
But this is not a discussion of hypnotic prayer rugs, they are mentioned to provide a simple way to illustrate one example of the weaving as a spiritual tool concept.
To recap: a weaving should be considered a spiritual tool when its iconography and coloration are able to generate an other-worldly, or inner-worldly, feeling and experience in/for a viewer. These weavings are very rare and, more often than not, archaic examples of their type. Naturally the spiritual tool concept is not scientifically provable, and for now readers will just have to believe it exists or not.
ASC is the same, as it is not possible to prove 100 percent, but both of these theories have basis in fact and can be shown at times to be beyond that shadow of doubt.
Beth suggested she choose a textile and we both discuss it on her website. I readily agreed and suggested our discussion go online as well on another website of mine RugKazbah(http://rugkazbah.com). The weaving she chose is a unique and unbelievably interesting one, its iconography intricate, complex and evocative. It is small in size, and was perhaps a ritual covering or an apron. No one knows why it was made or how it was used, and unless a miracle occurs probably no one ever will.
But this does not stop us trying to interpret how the design developed or what the icons it displays mean. Perhaps Beth will be able to decipher, using the principles of ASC, how some of the patterns were generated. And I for my part can, possibly show the relationship some of the designs it displays have with later weavings, and then offer some possible interpretations of their meaning.
MIRI
Beth suggested she choose a textile and we both discuss it on her website. I readily agreed and suggested our discussion go online as well on another website of mine RugKazbah(http://rugkazbah.com). The weaving she chose is a unique and unbelievably interesting one, its iconography intricate, complex and evocative. It is small in size, and was perhaps a ritual covering or an apron. No one knows why it was made or how it was used, and unless a miracle occurs probably no one ever will.
But this does not stop us trying to interpret how the design developed or what the icons it displays mean. Perhaps Beth will be able to decipher, using the principles of ASC, how some of the patterns were generated. And I for my part can, possibly show the relationship some of the designs it displays have with later weavings, and then offer some possible interpretations of their meaning.
MIRI
