Empower yourself by creating your own Coat of Arms

Historically, Coats of Arms were only available for the elite; lords, knights and kings. It was a means of identification and protection on the battle field. The use of Coats of Arms dates back to the 11th century from the Romans, where combatants painted crosses on their shields. Later the symbols were placed on clothing and flags. Dragons, lions, birds, horses, cows, bears, flowers, plants and mythical creatures made up the crests that were the coat of arms for various aristocratic families. This one from the 14th Century is one of my favorites.

If you were to design your own coat of arms what would it look like? I started creating my own coat of arms as a creative way of becoming empowered. The construction, appearance and symbolism of this process enables me to identify what it is I have to offer society, honor my past and affirm my presence. This coat of arms I sewed onto an old dress. The cross represents the fours directions, the grey (shield) background represents above, the red square below and the orange diamond represents myself as the anchor.

It occurred to me to introduce this practice of creating your own coats of amrs into the Dancing with Horses workshop. The components of the design would be revealed in an inner journey. After creating and attaching the design to an article of clothing or cloth, the participant would wear this in their final Dance with a Horse.