The Sisterhood Bracelet ®
It was 1993, and I had been living in a town in the Andes at an altitude of 3000 meters in Ecuador for about two months when I started working at the Pizzeria Siciliana, run by Aida, a mixed-race woman who had learned how to make pizza from an Italian cookbook without ever tasting it anywhere else. I must admit, however, that her pizza was truly delicious. My coworker was Alicia, a 12-year-old girl, beautiful as the sun, with a freckled face that created a fun contrast against her dark skin. Like all the indigenous women of Otavalo, she wore her long, shiny black hair, with blue highlights, down to her waist, tied back in a ponytail and covered with a colorful headband. Alicia and I quickly became friends.
I was enchanted by her way of working and listening to the stories she shared with me. She was a skilled, quick girl, and in her own way, wise. I was fascinated by her and all the women of that indigenous community, even though it seemed almost impossible to establish an authentic relationship. I often reflected on how women in those places matured differently and much faster than us Europeans. One day, after work, we aimlessly walked towards the countryside at the edge of town. Another woman joined us, and as we chatted, we strolled together. Our pace was decidedly different: I with my usual quick step, influenced by the frantic rhythm of northern life, while Alicia and Marcela walked serenely, dragging their feet a little. I found myself continuously a few meters ahead, stopping to wait for them, thinking, “Oh my gosh, so slow! We’ll never get there!”Alicia smiled, looked at me, and said, “Katja, where are you trying to go?” In that moment, the world stood still. Where was I rushing to? Why couldn’t I walk slowly and enjoy the afternoon? Wasn’t the sweet presence of my friends and the wonderful landscape enough? I stopped saying a word and remained in silence, listening. Alicia, a 12-year-old girl, unknowingly gifted me one of the most important lessons of my life, and it wouldn’t be the only message I would receive from her.
After about eight months, the time for departure was approaching. During the farewells, Alicia took off the bracelet she wore on her wrist and placed it on mine, saying, “Katja, I give you my bracelet, a symbol of the women of Otavalo, because for me, you are the only gringa with an indigenous heart.” It was a moment full of meaning, gratitude, and recognition; I was happy. Otavaleña women wear this string of red beads on both wrists as a symbol of protection.
I wore Alicia’s bracelet and didn’t take it off for 20 years. I had it on my wrist at my wedding, when my children were born, and during every important occasion, I would glance at it and call it to mind. Rarely was I without it or wearing something else. Why? It was an important object; I felt its strength, but what did it truly mean to me?
In 2005, I encountered “The Sacred Circle of Women” with the teachings of Diane See Dancer. I began to recognize in the bracelet a first symbolism; that string of beads could represent the red line that connects Women to Mother Earth, our menstrual blood. Through Sisterhood and its teachings, Alicia’s bracelet began to mean something deeper. Thus began my journey of discovery.
The Pain That Transforms
In October 2012, after a 20-year relationship, I separated. I thought I was ready, but I was wrong. Separating from someone who has been close to you for so long is truly difficult. I went through a dark period, lost my job, and found myself alone and lost. The bracelet I wore on my wrist broke. Fortunately, it happened at home, but despite that, I felt desperate and scared, with tears in my eyes and my body shaking with sobs: “You can’t abandon me, you can’t!!!”
As I gathered the beads, I sat at the table determined to reassemble it. Tears flowed like rivers as I began to string the beads with my eyes closed, using only touch. The crying calmed, the sobs stopped, and a meditative calm enveloped me. After an indefinite amount of time, I entered a trance state. Every bead I touched and strung transformed into a woman, and I was catapulted into her world. I could look her in the eyes. One was crying like me, another was getting married, one was cooking in front of her hut, another was staring blankly from the window of her large office, one was dancing, some were young, others old. I touched a bead, and my consciousness traveled through different countries, cultures, and colors of Women. I continued this way for about an hour.
The Understanding of the Heart
THE JOURNEY TO ECUADOR – An Unexpected Gift
I was halfway through when I came back to myself. With anger, I let go of the thread, and my thoughts screamed: “And me? Where am I? What is all this telling me?” On the table, struck by a ray of sunlight, there was a shiny silver bead. Here I am. Here is where I am. I strung the silver bead, declaring: “Among all these Women, I AM here too!” I am the center, special, beautiful, and bright. This bead represents me; it reminds me to shine for myself, to give myself the importance I deserve, and to never forget who I am.
We women tend to think of others first; it’s easy for us to give of ourselves but difficult to love ourselves. We are all guided by our wombs, influenced by our cycles, which make us perceptive even when we don’t grasp the message. We are unique, yet all the same in our being and feeling as Women. If I learn to recognize that this is strength, that this is our power, and if I understand that all of us, without exception, are guided by the womb, then I understand the meaning of the vision that has intertwined in the bracelet with all the red beads.
Now I know I must be the center of my life, and I understand that, to do this best, I support and allow myself to be supported by women near and far, in a continuous cycle.
At the age of 25, I received a precious gift from a young woman. Life waited for me to mature and gain enough experience to help me understand how to transform it into a symbol of feminine power. This radically changed my way of seeing and living life.
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
You can wear it only after completing a year-long journey with Katja
I don’t know who came up with this idea, but it is absolutely not real.
You may wear the bracelet only if it is given to you as a gift.
A symbol becomes meaningful the moment it is worn with intention. Therefore, believing in Sisterhood is a personal journey. Receiving it as a gift is a beautiful sign, but giving it to yourself is even more so!
If we are no longer friends, you must remove it.
Too often this happens; friendship is something different from Sisterhood. If the bracelet is given by a friend with whom the relationship ends, there may be a desire to remove it or have it removed, because it takes on the meaning of that bond. But the bracelet represents recognition and respect toward all women. Relationship dynamics between friends are delicate and intimate, yet they do not erase the desire for Sisterhood. You can also wear it only after having attended at least one festival.