Unbottled

by Carol Abel

Letting the Genie out of the Bottle

I saw the genie
creep out from her bottled place
and tried to hide
but found her already waiting
in my dark corner
filling space and forcing me
to wander in the sunshine
and forget my fear.

Fran Sbrocchi

Drunk on Emotions

I pulled a bottle from the cool, musty cellar. Hmmm. It appears to be a Nemaha Valley 1982 Vintner’s Select. Using my fancy estate puller, I slowly withdrew the cork and heard the low-pitched “pop” as it broke free from the neck of the bottle. I poured the blood-red liquid into a glass and swirled it beneath my nose. Notes of promise and despair arose, along with an undercurrent of clover. A hint of lace and gardenias was slightly overpowered by top notes of fear and excitement. As I took a sip, the first note was cakey, definitely white, probably wedding, followed by strong flavors of cheap peach brandy and the sharp tang of disappointment. The finish was subtle, leaving behind a sense of mistaken identity, promises broken, and chances missed. This is the exact vintage I drank at my wedding, age 17. I had a glass just the same.

Karen Roberts

Bottle a Story

This is not quite unbottling emotions but check out the sea symphony and consider making a message or story in a bottle. Sarah Boland, of Pop Fiction fame, showed students her first books which she bottled and sold at a craft market. She had special labels made for the bottles, rolled up the stories and popped them inside. What a neat idea!

Caravanserai

On the roads, in the ports and in the Holy Cities there was always something to buy and sell.

The merchants of Damascus and particularly Cairo used the relative security of the Hajj caravans not only to sell at retail to the pilgrims, but also to transport funds and goods wholesale to Makkah. Additionally, the merchants would meet in the Red Sea ports with agents from India, China, South-east Asia and elsewhere. The caravans would bring European textiles, foodstuffs and a notable amount of coinage and return laden with spices, drugs, coffee and Indian textiles. Returning pilgrims were often weighed down with various objects of piety such as prayer beads, often in such large quantities as to suggest the intention of resale to the folks back home.

This all affected the culture. A Tajik from Central Asia, for instance, might bring a rug to sell in Makka, which might be bought by a North African pilgrim and transported back to Morocco. There, weavers could inspect and perhaps copy the workmanship and design of a craftsman thousands of miles away.

A peddler approaches the Caravanserai offering spirit teapots for pilgrims travelling with this caravan.

Peddler by Heather Blakey

Will you be adventurous, buy from this salesman and meet your spirit guide? Share your experience of 'unbottling' on the Caravanserai blogger.

December 4 2005

Unbottle Your Emotions through Art and Writing.

Bottles of Djin by faucon of Sakin'el
illustration by Heather Blakey

I had been mentored long ago,
to forget past fears and regrets,
"put them behind you, and move on."

and this I believed and give it a whirl,
and learned of PTSD and forlorn grief,
sinister shadows and cold, hard stones.

Then came a knowing, blessed relief --
that I am today what I have been,
and I saved those memories in boxes,
ordered on carefully dusted shelves,
to be retrieved by controlled will,
and cherished.

Today I gained some mirthful wisdom --
to use jars instead of hiding boxes,
and thereby gain an easier,
possibly more enchanting view,
of distortions made clear,
and sharp edged demons
contorted soft and lonely.

When we set out on the journey to explore the realm of the Silk Road I made the commitment to complete a sketch each day. Given that I had never believed I could draw this was quite an undertaking. I bought the best quality pencils and paper and a supply of books that provided insight into techniques and set about drawing the journey and the characters who participate. In no time at all I realised that my interest was in drawing 'fairy story' style illustrations and once I had my genre established there seems no end to suitable subject matter.

What I never quite anticipated was that drawing would provide such an outlet for bottled up emotions. It has provided very important therapy at a time when my husband and I are battling his bowel and pelvic cancer. As I have sat sketching, in an almost meditative state, memories I had thought had all but disappeared have come wafting back to comfort me.

When Darryl and I go to the oncology day ward to have his treatment I take a small kit of supplies and sit sketching. The time seems to drift by and stress evaporates.

Cathartic Writing and Art Techniques

1. Sketching can help you identify why you are feeling stressed. When Heather Blakey drew 'Koschey's Party Punch' she was coming to terms with why everyone is feeling heightened anxiety.

2. Shiloh Cannon Burns writes about a desire for a Special Spot and in doing so finds that very spot.

3. Unsent letters have proven therapeutic qualities. To learn more about techniques including guided imagery check out Soul Food's Writing for Well Being and Peeling the Onion sections The activities located here are tried and true and the Spirit Lifter section has lots of practical suggestions