I chose to use the two symbols most commonly associated with Pentecost: the flame (representing the tongues of flame that descended on the Apostles in Acts) and the descending dove (representing the “Spirit descending like a dove” at Jesus’ baptism, which appears in all four Gospel texts). Both symbols are on both sides of the stole.
On the viewer’s right side, at the very top of the stole is a dove descending, which falls just above the heart of the wearer. Below the dove, at the bottom of the stole, are flames, which leap and move even beyond the confines of the stole’s edges. Both are made from the same fabric, which combines orange, red, pink, and yellow in such a way that it looks like fire. I chose to use the same fabric for both in order to convey the sense that both are Spirit.
On the other side of the stole, nine flames descend the length of the stole. These represent two lists made by Paul in his letters. The first are the fruits of the Spirit, found in his letter to the Galatians, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, and self-control. The second are the spiritual gifts given by the Spirit, listed in I Corinthians: utterance of wisdom, utterance of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, various kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
At the bottom of the stole, a descending dove is surrounded by seven flames. These flames represent the seven gifts of the spirit. Traditionally, they are known as fear of the Lord, piety, knowledge, understanding, counsel, wisdom and fortitude, drawn from Isaiah 11 (although Isaiah only lists six, except in the Septuagint and Vulgate versions).
Each flame and the dove on this side of the stole has hand-stitched edging of gold metallic thread to really capture the sense of light, movement, and celebration.
Red is the color of Pentecost, and also the color usually worn (and given) at ordinations. This would be a great stole to be placed upon the shoulders of a new ordained "Rev."
This stole has a rounded neck. All my stoles may be made with either a rounded or pointed neck, but the design of the sample is the way it will be made unless I'm told otherwise.
Every stole is custom-made, and no two are exactly alike. Fabrics may not exactly match those pictured,but will be similar. If you would like pictures of the exact fabrics to be used beforehand, please send a request through a convo or buyer comments.
Please allow 2-4 weeks for your stole to be made and shipped (possibly more if you order around Christmas or Easter). If you need something sooner for a special event, send me a message and I'll let you know if it's possible.
**IMPORTANT: When you order, please tell me the approximate height of the person who will wear the stole, or a measurement from the back of the neck to where the stole should fall, so that I can make it the correct length.**
Care instructions: Machine wash cold delicate cycle. Tumble dry low/delicate or hang to dry.
Have any questions?
Contact the shop owner.
