It’s the last full day of official winter.
Of course, hard lines never survive here; this is place of constant blurs and overlaps, of contention and conspiracy as a way of being. We have had intermittent spring weather since last December, and we shall have more of winter at least through April, perhaps into May. But to the colonial world, these tidy compartments and sharply defined boxes matter, and it forces us to treat them as though they matter, too.
We are far more interested in what the world itself presents, its gifts and what we might see as otherwise, and such patterns as may be identified and trends extrapolated from them.
Those last are far less clear these days.
But what is clear at this moment is the pale blue sky, the absence of any more wind than the faintest breeze, the warming air, the glow of of silvered sun. And tonight, what will be clear is the turning of the moon, a day and a half off full by then even if only slightly visibly on the wane.
It will be, truly, the last of the winter moons, but also a reminder of Grandmother’s constancy in an unsettled and unsettling time, a light for every season’s night, full, new, and at every phase between.
Today’s featured work is the embodiment of the power inherent in this feminine steadiness and strength. It’s one of the newest (and one of only three remaining in current inventory) in Wings’s longstanding signature series, The Warrior Woman, the series that is perhaps closest to his heart. The link tells the story of why. As always, each is unique, with her own distinctive identity and spiritual power, and this one speaks specifically to the power that lights these threshold nights. From its description in the Pins Gallery here on the site:
The Turning of the Moon Warrior Woman Pin
We find guidance in the turning of the moon, and in the light of the stars that direct our path in the dark hours. With this latest entry in his signature Warrior Woman series, Wings welcomes our Grandmother’s glow and the illuminating light of other guiding spirits. Cut freehand of sterling silver, this Warrior Woman wears a dress accented with eleven stylized arrowhead motifs, ten of them paired to form a cascade line of Eyes of Spirit. The same symbol traces a counterclockwise route around the crescent moon in her left hand, following that night orb’s natural path. Over her right shoulder coils a serpent, a motif of abundance, scales formed of flowers pollinated by a kaleidoscope of butterflies at the end, busy following their own prescribed path. In her right hand, she holds a miniature of the moon itself: glowing rainbow moonstone refracting radiant blues and icy translucent white. Pin stands 2.75″ high by 2 inches across at the widest point; the rainbow moonstone cabochon is 3/16″ across (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; rainbow moonstone
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
At 9:33 AM local time tomorrow, the vernal equinox will visit our world once more. In the neat compartments of colonialism, they will label it “spring,” although here we know that spring only arrives on the notes of the first meadowlark’s song of the year.
More confusing to our own rhythms is the disjunct between the position of clock hands relative to the forces of light and dark: The colonial world’s latest doomed attempt to control time itself is inflicting its annual harm upon our bodies and spirits now. But there are some constants that remain in our world, despite the best efforts of those outside it to disrupt and destroy. One is the sun, its path and radiance independent entirely of human influence.
And one is the moon, our Grandmother, a light for every season’s night.
We will look forward again this evening to her ascension.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2022; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
