worry dolls

I hadn’t seen Guatemalan worry dolls since I was 4 feet high!

My special friend picked me up from work with a little pouch of them because I had told her I was having a less-than-fabulous day.

According to legend, if you tell them your worries and place them under your pillow when you go to sleep, you’ll rest peacefully and wake up worry-free.

Sometimes I feel like a worry doll. I don’t get stuffed into a pouch and put under people’s pillows overnight but I do take other people’s anxieties on board. I’m a good listener. Maybe that’s because I don’t really enjoy speaking about myself intimately..

I wonder how much patience Guatemalan worry dolls have… Will they just sit and take anything you say? People worry about some pretty banal picayunes - do the dolls ever tell them to get over it? Or just want to talk about their own shit for once?

Beth Robinson’s Strange Dolls, which each have a story and character of their own, are made from clay, vintage fabrics, acrylic paint, and sometimes real human hair or teeth. I adore her version of worry dolls (right), which are said to be tested by the artist and hold over 10 000 worries each without breaking into tears.

“If you can solve your problem, then what is the use of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?” (Shantideva)

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Comment by katyzzz

November 26th 2006 20:19

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Ag,

Loved the dolls. An interesting post.

katyzzz

Comment by ag

November 26th 2006 23:01

Eat French Bread

Thanks katyzzz

I always liked the idea of confiding in an object that won't pass judgement. And like keeping a diary, once you give the issue words it's less overwhelming or something.

Have a worry free day!

Comment by Adrienne

November 26th 2006 23:05

I have some of these but they smell weird

Comment by ag

November 27th 2006 08:04

Eat French Bread

that does not sound ideal adrienne, not one bit

Comment by Adrian

November 30th 2006 20:37

Philosophy Blog

That's like Midas' reeds. You know? King Midas has donkey ears, is bursting with his secret, and has to confess... Then someone makes panpipes out of the reeds, and whenever they're blown, they speak the secret.

Comment by Lilla

December 19th 2006 22:57

From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
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Ag,

I put nine GWD's [in a pouch] under my pillow about two years ago, to stop the nightmares I was having from Post Traumatic Stress Dis-roder and I stopped having nightmares...power of suggestion...or real magic (?)

Great Post,

Lilla...

Comment by ag

December 20th 2006 10:25

Eat French Bread

Lilla, thanks for reading. I have heard a number of similar stories; I think there's something to it. Did you believe they were going to work at the time? I think that's an important part - it won’t work on sceptics...

Comment by Lilla

December 20th 2006 20:36

From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
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No, I can't say that I 'believed' 100% as such... but I never think everything is one way either... I guess you could say I reamin open to new energies with a prayer that they be for good and wait to see the results... I have found great success in many so called 'magical' things this way... there is a great healing force around us that we can tap anytime... I do too when I'm reading cards and channelling for people and I think much of it is ancient wisdom handed down like these dolls. I do not know much more about them, but will spend some time (now that you have reminded me they are there) to look it up... sometimes though, ag, I find that gaining an intellectual perspective of something dimishes the magic from it 'just being?' so I put off learning more for a short while...

Lilla...

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