The paddle as an object, is metaphorically used to guide us through the river of life. I have chosen paddle forms that are considered women's paddles (notice the "broom stick" handle, and slender pointed blade, designed to guide the direction of the boat, rather than propel it forward). I have discovered that this same paddle form has been found at sites of the Neolithic cultures from Northern Europe, dating from the 4th millennia B.C.

I begin with the form of a snake, both single and double headed, spiraling around the shaft of the paddle. Within the group of paddles (Flight, Bird Goddess, Nightwing, She knows the dark night of the soul) the snake, representing the vitality and continuity of life, and seen as earth bound, connects with the bird/bird goddess, which represents the archetypal release of spirit. The image of the snake is connected with the cycles of death and rebirth in nature because of its own cycle of hibernation and the shedding of its skin. The bird is symbolic of the release of the spirit from the physical bondage to the earth. Thus, the encounter of the snake and the bird portrays the cycle of life/death/rebirth, and the conflict of earthly and spiritual desires.