The Wool and the Bees: A Film and Reflection from Sibyl Dana Reynolds
- Sibyl Dana Reynolds
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Introduced by Fiach from Paisley Honey with guest reflection from Sibyl Dana Reynolds
Every so often, something arrives that feels less like content and more like a quiet crossing of paths.
When Mary Ann first shared a short film about Sibyl Dana Reynolds, I was immediately struck by how many threads seemed to meet: Paisley, ancestry, bees, prayer, wool, sacred making, women’s work, and the idea that what we make with our hands can become a form of devotion.
At Paisley Honey, I often think about the connection between making and prayer. A rosary, a pouch, a small devotional gift, a jar of honey, a stitch, a carved line, a bead held in the hand — these are not grand things in the eyes of the world. But they can carry memory, blessing, intention, and care.
Sibyl’s own story speaks into that same space. Her roots connect her to Paisley and to the textile workers of the mills. Her spiritual work is deeply attentive to creativity, nature, prayer, and the sacredness of ordinary labour. Her book, Ink and Honey, carries bees at its heart. So when this video came my way, it felt very natural to share it here.
You can watch Sibyl’s video 'The Maker' by Film Maker, Alexander Carduff, (SC Media) here. Beneath it you’ll find a reflection she kindly wrote for Paisley Honey.
The Wool and the Bees
My Scottish heritage inspires me to remember my ancestors and to listen for the whispers of their wisdom within stone walls, the changing weather, wool and tartan, and the cherished memory of the ancient drone of my father’s bagpipes.
As an elder, I am taking my place alongside my family lineage of women and men who understood that their making, as textile workers in the Paisley mills, could be devotion, and that beauty was worthy of tending.
When my thoughts turn towards my true homeland, my spirit is walking through the heather-covered hills of the Scottish countryside. Nature speaks to my soul.
The mystical and spiritual nature of bees carries a particular personal inspiration. The bees came to me as I was writing my novel, Ink and Honey. Their wisdom of the hive as community, and their humming, faithful labour to nourish life on earth, speaks to the bees’ sacredness that is worthy of our prayers.
My ancestral connection to the weavers of Paisley informs my stitching and my passion for wool and threads. Making, for me, is prayer through sacred intention and presence to the work of my hands. Each stitch is an invitation to remain awake to wonder.
I find companions for this path in Saint Gobnait, guardian of bees and healer of communities, and in Saint Benedict, whose invitation to prayer and work reminds us that the ordinary tasks of our lives, when imbued with prayer, become sacred practice and bless our world.
Perhaps making has always been this: a hive of small, intentional devotions gathered together into our creations to sustain us through the seasons of life.
May the ancestral wisdom of the past be infused with sacred attention to inform the present. May the bees, pipes, heather, and greening of the Scottish hills continue to bless us as we journey inwardly and outwardly.
About Sibyl Dana Reynolds
Sibyl Dana Reynolds is a spiritual director and the author of Ink and Honey Her work explores sacred creativity, prayer, feminine wisdom, nature, ancestry, and the spiritual life of making. You can find more of Sibyl’s work here:
Sibyl’s Journal: https://sibylsjournal.com/
At Paisley Honey, we often return to this same idea: that small handmade things can carry prayer, memory, and care. Our work with bees, rosaries, leather, engraving, and devotional gifts is rooted in that quiet belief: that making can be more than production, and that a handmade object can hold intention.
Paisley Honey is a Scottish handmade devotional gift business based in Paisley, with 32,000+ orders fulfilled across platforms and thousands of five-star reviews from customers around the world. You can read more about why customers trust Paisley Honey here
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