The Spirituality of Structure:
When Intensity Is Hidden in Clarity
When Intensity Is Hidden in Clarity
The tables in the PDF documents below illustrate the structure of "Weft and D'rash" through the titles of its series, subseries, and tapestries:
Table 1.a: I have created 36 tapestry series.
To make it easier to find a series, subseries, or tapestry in the project, I have organized
the 36 series in reference categories:
the 36 series in reference categories:
[a] - Inspired by the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible
[b] - Inspired by later texts and commentaries
[c] - Inspired by the liturgy
[d] - Inspired by traditions and history
[e] - Connecting Biblical texts and present realities
[c] - Inspired by the liturgy
[d] - Inspired by traditions and history
[e] - Connecting Biblical texts and present realities
(On the website, the [a]-[e] divisions correspond with the menubar division lines under the entry "MY TAPESTRIES: 36 SERIES.")
Table 1.b: In order to show my chosen perspectives on these 36, often vast topics that the series titles represent, I have added subtitles.
Table 2: I often weave more than one series on a given topic, thus quite a few of the series are divided into subseries. They present an opportunity to expand the tapestry project while keeping the series list (and the website menu bar!) focused and at a reasonable length.
Table 3) By 2023 Weft and D'rash consist of about 650 tapestries. Creating tapestry titles can be a challenge. I like working with words and phrases, but sometimes the title needs to be a reference rather than an imaginative title. Especially when I use a quote from a Biblical text as the complete title it might look a little didactic and boring, but it is for a reason: it simply feels 'right' given the context. The tapestry titles are many, and the documents are organized into tapestry titles [a], [b], [c], [d], and [e].
Keeping Track . . .
I started WEFT and D'RASH in 2007. Although I think of 'a thousand' as an approximate number, and a phrase meaning 'many,' it states a goal. I find it inspiring to name the series, subseries, and tapestries, and to systematically transfer the project onto tables as it grows. (It happens that when I revisit the titles, that they beg to be changed.)
. . . Yet the Project Is More Than the Sum Of Its Table Cells
The structure is intentional, not just a practical device. On the tables, WEFT and D'RASH appears neatly organized in rows and columns, but as expressed in the many titles, there are layers of meaning. Also, the table cells are connected to others in an invisible web. Thus WEFT and D'RASH is more than the sum of its table cells. It is not a list that I keep adding to at the bottom, but a frame with subframes to which I keep inserting more panes as needed or as I am inspired.
