What if we could see— not only with our own eyes, but through the eyes of those who came before us? What if our vision held more than the present— the whisper of what was, and the echo of what may yet come?
In a time when so much pulls us away from what is living, where screens glow brighter than the stars, something deep within us longs to reconnect: to nature, which holds us without words, to the ancestors, whose wisdom whispers through our inner landscapes, and to each other, in a web of moments, breath, and care.
We also long—often without knowing—for an invisible guardian: someone who watches without needing to be seen, whose presence doesn’t announce itself, but is quietly felt.
And sometimes, in the midst of our own becoming, we become that invisible guardian— for a child, a colleague, a hope, or a future we may never see. We watch, we weave, we wait—without recognition.
“Eyes Woven with Time” is more than a theme. It is an invitation. An invitation to witness time not as a line, but as a thread— spun through memory, braided with breath, looped through what was and what may yet be.
Even today, Viking symbols quietly shape the tools we use. Take Bluetooth (shown left): its logo is formed from two ancient Norse runes— ᚼ (Hagall) and ᛒ (Bjarkan) —the initials of Harald “Blåtand” Gormsson, a Viking king who united Denmark and Norway including northern part of Sweden. What once marked stone now signals between devices, quietly reminding us that some connections—like stories, symbols, and legacies—are timeless.
What once marked stone now signals between devices, quietly reminding us that some connections—like stories, symbols, and legacies—are timeless.
Here, time is circular. Choices ripple. Glances become legacies.
We are called to see through the gaze of the Norse Norns—Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld—who weave the threads of time: memory, presence, and possibility. These ancient weavers dwell at the roots of Yggdrasil, shaping the fate of gods and mortals not by predicting, but by crafting time itself. Urd for past times, Verdandi for present time and Skuld for future times.
The Norns were not myth alone; their presence was believed to be real and active in the Viking world. Their weaving was echoed in the carving of rune stones like the Frösöstenen in Jämtland, from around 1050, where Austmaðr marked both religious transformation and remembrance. These stones were not just memorials—they were temporal bridges, ripples in the great weave of time.
Urd reminds us of the depth of what has been. Verdandi lives in the unfolding now. Skuld invites us to act with courage, knowing today’s choices ripple into tomorrow.
They call us not only to witness time, but to shape it— to become guardians of what we protect, preserve, and pass forward.
And perhaps that guardianship begins in stillness. Modern research shows that stargazing, looking toward the horizon, and even daydreaming awaken something essential in us. These moments of open attention and expanded vision are not distractions—they are returns. They make us more hopeful, more creative, more empathetic, more calm, and more insightful.
Just as the Norns weave fate beneath the stars, we, too, are invited to pause, to look up, and to begin weaving.
The guardians once walked among longhouses and shorelines. In places like Birka and Uppsala, their presence still lingers—in burial mounds, rune stones, and reconstructed villages that echo the rhythm of their time-bound weaving.
The animal guardians represent how we live within the Norns’ weave—how we embody, protect, and interpret time’s threads. Each carries a unique form of wisdom: the strength of the bear, the instinct of the wolf, the cleverness of the fox, the belonging of the reindeer, the peace of the dove, the clarity of the eagle, the insight of the owl, and the mystery of the lynx.
These beings are nature’s companions to the Norns’ vision, grounding their cosmic weave in everyday presence and action.
Here, eyes are more than sight. They are symbols of inner knowing, ethical vision, and future-minded care. From the stroke of a brush to the shimmer of fur, the animal guardians within this space remind us: wisdom doesn’t always speak—sometimes it simply watches.
Like the shield maidens and farmholders of the Viking Age, many guardians walked softly but led fiercely—holding homes, harvests, and hopes when others sailed far.
Ancient Guardians, Future Eyes
Bear – Guardian of Strength and Protection
The Bear is the elder, the mother, the one who remembers. With ancient power and grounded presence, she teaches us when to act, and when to rest. She guards the space between fury and stillness, where protection is soft, and strength—immovable.
Reindeer – Guardian of Migration and Belonging
The Reindeer leads with grace and certainty, carrying ancestral knowledge through ever-changing landscapes. She knows the path without seeing it, carrying stories across snow as if the sky had antlers.
Wolf – Guardian of the Wild and the Edge
The Wolf walks the in-between— between wilderness and civilization, solitude and kinship. At the edge of knowing, she waits. Where the wild begins, she listens for your return.
Eagle – Guardian of Vision and Perspective
The Eagle soars with quiet strength, seeing far beyond the moment. She reads the sky like memory, gathering clarity from height and reminding us— true vision needs space.
Fox – Guardian of Cleverness and Truth in Disguise
The Fox guards insight, subtle truth, and quiet transformation. Truth wears a flicker and a grin. She hides in shadows, leaving clarity in her wake.
Owl – Guardian of Deep Wisdom and Night-Sight
With eyes that pierce the dark, the Owl reveals what lies beneath the silence. Her wings do not speak, but her stillness does. She turns her head— and the past exhales.
Lynx – Guardian of Hidden Things
The Lynx is nearly invisible—but always seeing. She walks the realm of mystery and restraint. You may not see her— but she sees you. Where secrets sleep, she walks with care.
Dove – Guardian of Peace and Sacred Breath
The Dove is the soft exhale after the storm, the message sent in hope, the hush where love takes root. In the hush after endings, she remains. Breath, forgiveness, the flutter of peace— becoming light.
A Gaze That Stays With You
“Eyes Woven with Time” is ultimately about how we choose to see— and what we do once we’ve seen.
It honors:
• The quiet watchers—those who notice what others avoid.
• The intergenerational gaze—linking past and future through present care.
• The inner eye—of soul, intuition, and unseen knowing.
• The cosmic eye—reminding us to look up, to wonder, and to remember our place in the great weave.
• The sacred responsibility of seeing—because once you see, you cannot unsee.
This is a space where glances become bridges, and threads shimmer like timelines. It’s not just what hangs on the wall— it’s what follows you home.
Even our names carry echoes—’son of’ this, or ‘from’ that farm—reminding us we are threads spun from someone else’s story. The Viking tongue still lingers in the soil and syllables of today.
The Exhibition Experience
Step into a living tapestry where time breathes, wisdom watches, and guardians stir just beyond the veil.
“Eyes Woven with Time: Guardians of the Invisible Threads” invites you on an immersive journey through Vision, Memory, and the Quiet Power of Guardianship—woven with brushstroke, breath, and story.
This is more than an exhibition.
It’s an awakening of your inner eye.
UPDATE: The Virtual Art Exhibition is now closed and artworks form the exhibition will be shown at the upcoming exhibition by Novisali at Danderyds Konstrund. Read more here: > Eyes Woven with Time
Reflect. Remember. Reweave.
To deepen your journey, we invite you to use the Personal Reflection and Art Guide — a companion to help you pause, see, and feel more fully:
> Novisali Personal and Art Reflection Guide
*What guardian(s) do you feel most connected to right now?
*What kind of guardian(s) are you becoming?
*What do you see now that you didn’t before?
*When was the last time you looked up—and what stirred in you beneath the stars?
*And what will you do with that vision?
Poem and Song
Eyes Woven with Time
A song; Eyes Woven with Time – What what’s us when no one sees
A Poem of Guardians of the Invisible Threads by Novisali
What watches us when no one sees—
When stars fall silent through the trees?
What ancient gaze, both wild and wise,
Still flickers deep behind our eyes?
In stillness, breath, and quiet grace,
The guardians move through time and space.
What if we saw not just with sight—
but through ancestral eyes at night?
A bear’s deep gaze, the reindeer’s stride,
A lineage walking by our side.
What if the now held echoes true—
Of what has been and what’s to do?
The wolf awaits where wild things grow,
She guards the edge we fear to know.
In roots of Yggdrasil they weave—
The Norns, who thread what we believe.
Urd whispers softly of the past,
Verdandi shows the breath that lasts.
Skuld calls us forward, bold and wide,
With eagle’s eye and sky as guide.
Above the clouds, we see anew—
That every glance may ripple through.
Through each, a thread—through time, a gaze,
Not measured in our fleeting days.
But in the way we care and tend,
To kin, to earth, to journeys’ end.
So let us see not just ahead,
But where the past and dreams are wed.
Let eyes be more than tools of sight—
Let seeing guide us into right.
In every breath, a chance to see—
Not just the world, but who we’ll be.
For once you see through woven time,
You guard the weave—a truth, a sign.
In stillness, breath, and quiet grace,
The guardians move through time and space.
A fox’s grin, an eagle’s flight,
A wolf’s soft step in morning light,
An owl’s hush, a lynx’s lore,
A dove’s release, the bear’s core.
So here we stand, with eyes made new—
From fur and feather, fang and view.
Through every gaze, a thread is spun,
By those who watch what we’ve begun.
In seeing now through time’s embrace,
We choose to guard—this life, this place.
References;
About Novisali
Novisali, (alias Liselotte Engstam), is besides her roles as professional board member and advisor, a multi-media artist, with a curious, explorative mind and an ambition to learn and extend art experiences to current and new audiences using both traditional and new digital mediums. More information and exhibitions can be found via Novisali.com
This blog post was is also shared at the blog of www.liselotteengstam.com, with the artist name Novisali.