In some old stories, Father Sun begins each day as a child born anew, growing as he journeys across the sky, thence descending as an old man, an elder among elders, to his final rest at night.
In a way, we are such children, too: given the great gift of each new day and the ability to greet it as an infant, our spirits new and view unclouded, to live out our life in microcosm, our journey around the hoop in miniature, in rhythm with each revolution around the sun.
But we are children of the sun itself, too — a red sun, fiery and fierce and bright as once our brand new spirits were. In return, we sing our Father across the sky, call him back daily to his journey, and thereby ensure a warming earth and illumined path as we travel our own far below.
Sometimes, it’s instructive to recall what life was like when we were as bright and new as every dawn, when our world glowed, untarnished, with the warmth of our people’s blood and bone, identity and ancestry, spirit and tradition. It is this newborn brilliance that infuses today’s featured work, a piece that was conceived as a infant’s ornament but even before birth had matured into a work suitable for child and adult alike. From its description in the relevant section of the Bracelets Gallery here on the site:
Born of a Red Sun Cuff Bracelet
We are peoples born of a red sun. Wings honors its life-giving, life-sustaining power with three slender strands of silver braided together, flowing outward from a fiery carnelian orb. The outer strands are formed of slim lengths of half-round wire stretched gently outward at the center and bisected by a delicate strand of twisted silver, all three soldered securely together at either end. The outer bands are stamped with tiny wingéd beings that fly to the point where the band curves around the wrist, below which and extending to the ends are chased lightning patterns, summoning the imagery of those who hold the power of the storm. At the center, a glossy oval carnelian cabochon, all blood-red translucent fire, rests solidly in a saw-toothed bezel. At five inches in overall length, the bracelet is sized appropriately for small-wristed adults, youth, and children. Band is a half-inch across at the widest point; carnelian cabochon is a half-inch long by 3/8″ across at the widest point.
Sterling silver; carnelian
$425 + shipping, handling, and insurance
But it is not just us, and not just the sun — it’s the whole world born anew each day with the dawn. On this day, it feels like some sort of essential truth: earth brilliant and glistening after yesterday’s storms, grass studded with diamonds shimmering in the light.
We are children born of a red sun, and we have had to learn to walk in many worlds at once. On the best days, we are given the chance to walk in a world bright and new.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2017; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owners.
