Dawn broke across a peach and silver sky, heavenly territory now ceded to violet thunderheads that may yet deliver the promised precipitation.
Unbeknownst to us until this morning, we had a small shower last night. The only evidence was the dappling of the dirt on the driveway, a clear indicator of rain, brief but steady. It was not enough, and yet, in its way, it was — certainly insufficient to break the grip of this long drought, but capable of reviving the land in the short term once again. The grass stands tall, the flowers blossom, open and full. And with water in the pond and the dragonflies adance, it finally feels like summer.
On such days, our world here is alive with a flowering power.
This is no Sixties psychedelia; no, it is an immanent spiritual and physical force, one that renews the Earth as she battles for her very life now. It is a force for good, and a force for grace, one that holds out the prospect of second chances, of not only rehabilitation but reclamation.
These forces and the warriors who hold their power find expression in today’s featured work, one that seems to embody Mother Earth herself — the water and the flowers, the soil and the light, the prosperity that comes with Serpent and the medicine that is the province of Bear. From its description in the Pins Gallery here on the site:
A Flowering Grace Warrior Woman Pin
In spring, the world dances with a flowering grace, an earth newly healing in harmony with the light. Wings captures healing and harmony, grace of motion and flowing dance, in this latest entry in his signature Warrior Woman series, created in memory of his mother and to honor the courage, strength, and power of women. In this iteration, she sways gently with wind and light, her body turned ever so slightly in profile as she moves to the drumbeat of the earth’s own heart. Her heart is defined at the top of her body; beneath it, flowers bloom in a repeating pattern between the folds of her dress. In her right hand she holds a simulacrum of the sun, a small round peach moonstone glowing gently with the nascent dawn; in her left, the crescent moon bears the traditional symbols of healing, a bear’s paw repeated around its arc. Sterling silver pattern wire stamped with stylized, flowering Eye of Spirit designs, forms the spirit over her right shoulder, itself a symbol of spring-like prosperity and abundance. The pin stands 2.75″ high by 2 inches across at the widest point; the cabochon is 3/16″ across (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; peach moonstone
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
In recent days, this work and those like it have assumed a special resonance for me. They are members of the signature series closest to Wings’s heart: the Warrior Woman, the first made for his mother as she fought the diabetes, too long undiagnosed by supposed experts, that would eventually claim her kidneys and then her strong beautiful heart. The rest are made in honor of women’s courage and power, but always, always in her memory, as well.
And this one suits its role perfectly: She was, after all, a woman famed for her flowers, for her ability to coax them from tiniest seeds into full flowering beauty and grace. She was a warrior, no question, but one who fought always on the side of love. Love was her own power, the force that animated her, that informed and infused everything she touched, including her beloved blossoms
Hers was a flowering power, too, one whose spirit informs the land and season, and the petals newly alive within them today.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
