Buried Book Project
It’s free to participate in this global collaborative healing art project. Read all about the project below and join us!
WHAT IS THE BURIED BOOK PROJECT?
I started burying fabric meditation books in the ground in 2021 as an experiment. What emerged was a beautiful, healing collaboration with the earth. I find the process deeply transformative and connecting to the earth and myself. It is a practice in releasing and letting go and inviting subtle transformations and mysteries to come into the creative process. I find deep ties to what is happening within me to the process of offering these soft books to the quiet, rich darkness of the earth. I find myself reflecting on what has been buried inside of me that I couldn’t see but was impacting my life, what past experiences have been hidden inside that are ready to be released and alchemized…this process has been incredibly powerful for me.
Shortly after I received the idea to bury a book on day while sitting at my art able, I learned that there is an ancient practice in Tibet called “earth terma” where sacred objects and spiritual knowledge are buried in the ground in the Himalayas for future people to discover and learn from. That connection to what I felt called to do with my books has felt so serendipitous and meaningful. Tibet is a country I have felt a deep connection to since I was a teenager.
I have mailed off a few books to be buried around the world and eventually unearthed by friends who have volunteered. They are all generous, kind people who offered to bury a book for me when I shared the idea on Instagram.
That got me thinking, while I love this collaborative project already where I create books and send them to others to bury, I would also love to invite people to make their own books and bury them too. Now people from all over the world have joined in.
HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?
It’s really simple. Make a fabric book with fabric, thread and maybe paper that speak to you. It is important to use natural materials since the book will be going into the earth. Slowly stitch on the pages, allow the process to be soothing and healing and take the time it takes. If you haven’t made a fabric book before or would like some guidance, you can take my online class, Make Fabric Meditation Books.
HOW DO I BURY A BOOK?
Once your book is ready, pick a special place to bury it. Dig a hole as deep as you like (I dig about 6 inches or so down) and gently place the book in the hole. Set an intention in your mind for what you want to release and what you want the earth to do with the book. Some intentions that I have used are: I ask the earth to alchemize grief and sorrow that is held within the book I made, I ask the earth to infuse the book with healing energies and I intent to release and let go of all that is no longer serving my highest purpose here and ask that the earth take what I need to release within the book and transmute it into the highest energy of love…play with this idea of setting an intention, use your imagination and come up with something that resonates with you in the moment. It can be anything. Our intentions/thoughts are incredibly powerful.
Once you have set your intention, then set the book in the hole and cover it with dirt. Place a stone or some kind of marker on top so you remember where you buried it.
Here are some of the incredible books that have been buried around the world by beautiful souls…
If you’d like, bring to mind any of the questions listed below or anything else that you are ready to let go of and would like to give to the earth to transmute and alchemize for you into new insights, new growth, new awareness.
SOME QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
-What am I ready to let go of?
-What do I need support with letting go of that I might give to the book and the earth to decompose and alchemize?
-What needs to release inside of me?
-What experience in my life has tangled emotions within it that I might release to the book and the earth?
-What would I like some healing support with in my life? What if I brought that intention and hope to the book and the earth when I release it into the ground?
-What did I bury long ago in my life that might be ready to resurface and be released?
HOW LONG DO I BURY IT FOR?
That is up to you. I have buried mine for 30 days but you can try 45, 60 or 90 days (or longer) and see what happens. I suggest starting with 30 and digging it up to see what has happened and then put it back in the ground if you would like it to transform more. Set a reminder on your calendar to dig it up.
AS THE BOOK IS UNDERGROUND, SOME THINGS TO PONDER:
As the book is underground, notice if any questions or reflections come to you. Write them down. Journal with them. This can be very gentle and without pressure. I find I ponder what is happening down there to my books, if the raindrops are finding there way down into the fibers, if creatures are crawling across the surface, if the mycelium are working their magic with the materials…what changes are occurring? What alchemizing without my control is happening? What healing and pulling apart, what transformation is happening down there?
UNEARTH THE BOOK:
When it’s time, unearth your book. Document the process with photos and a video if possible so you have a record and we can experience it with you. Share any images or videos on Instagram with the hashtag #buriedearthbookproject or email them to me at emmafreemandesigns@gmail.com if you’d like. No pressure to do either though, if you don’t want to.
WASH THE BOOK:
Wash the book with a hose, in a river or puddle nearby or a bucket of water. Let it dry in the sun or on. Clothesline or on a rag inside.
READ YOUR EARTH BOOK:
When it’s dry, read and feel into your book. Notice any subtle (or not so subtle!) changes that occurred. Photograph the book and create a video flipping through it, if you like. How does seeing the book make you feel? Is anything coming to the surface within you?
I find, that sometimes I am invited back into the book to continue creating. I will sometimes pull out stitches or add new stitches here and there. The creative process can continue to evolve for as long as you like. There are no rules at all, you get to decide what resonates with you.
DOCUMENTING THE PROCESS:
Document when you bury it with photos and a video. Share those if you like on Instagram with the hashtag buriedearthbookproject so I can see what you are doing and share with others who are interested in our collaborative project.
SHARING REFLECTIONS:
Share any reflections on the process in a post on Instagram or in an email to me at emmafreemandesigns@gmail.com, if you’d like to share.
You can see the others who are participating by looking at the hashtag buriedearthbookproject on Instagram. Eventually, I will create a page on my website with all of my buried books that have returned from around the world and those that others have made too!