Excerpts From the Book “The Lace Reader”

There is lace in every living thing: the bare branches of winter, the patterns of clouds, the surface of water as it ripples in the breeze... Even a wild dog’s matted fur shows a lacy pattern if you look at it closely enough...

CHOOSING THE LACE: Each Reader must choose a piece of lace. It is hers for life. It might be a pattern handed down through the generations or a piece chosen by the reader for its beauty and familiarity.

CLEARING THE LACE: The Reader must first clear the lace, then the seeker, then herself. This step is taken to remove both past influences and future expectations. It is into this clear space that the question is cast.

To clear the lace: the presence of joy.

To clear the seeker: meditation or prayer.

To clear the Reader: breath alone.

FINDING THE STILL POINT: In a round piece of lace, the still point is found at the center. All patterns emerge from it. In the laces of Ipswich, the still point is not as easy to find. The Reader must rely on intuition. Within the still point, past, present, and future exist simultaneously and time, as we know it, disappears completely.

ASKING THE QUESTION:It is important to ask the right question of the Lace. This may be the Reader’s greatest responsibility.The Reader must be certain, as she asks the question, that the Seeker is prepared to receive the answer. If the question is right, and the Seeker is prepared to receive, the answer will be immediate.

READING THE LACE: The Lace Reader must stare at the piece of lace until the pattern blurs and the face of the Seeker disappears completely behind the veil. When the eyes begin to fill with tears and the patience is long exhausted, there will appear a glimpse of something not quite seen. In this moment, an image will begin to form... in the space between what is real and what is only imagined.

INTERPRETING THE VISION: The beginning reader must resist the urge to interpret the images seen. These images are symbols and belong entirely to the Seeker. The Reader must work with the Seeker to uncover the meaning of these personal symbols discovered within the pattern of the lace.