Dawn, on the day of the Solstice, and the world comes slowly aglow with a softly radiant light.
The eastern sky is as orange as the micaceous clay for for which this place is known, and as shimmering, too. Already the clouds have advanced through a kaleidoscope of hues, from violet to rose to coral to amber and now, a golden orange fast fading to the silver shades of mica. It is clear, and cold, and impossibly still, and the air holds the promise of magic still to come.
The actual moment of the Solstice will occur at 3:23 PM here, still eight hours hence. Most of popular culture doesn’t recognize such details, and so much will be made of the notion that this is the shortest day of the year, and the longest night, too, but in point of fact, those occurred yesterday. By nightfall this day, the light will already have begun its incremental return, and we will already be inhabiting the new world of the Earth’s new year.
None of that takes away from the magic of this day, of course, nor from the reality of new year and new world that are this season’s gifts of the cosmos. It’s why we decline to become too invested in popular interpretations and understandings of the ancient phenomena our ancestors knew so well; there is mystery to be found in them, and medicine too, entirely on their own terms.
And at this time of year, the whole world lives for the light.
Because in our way, such concepts are inextricably bound up with each other, new light and new year and new world all braided together in the cosmic glow of simple being, today’s featured work seems especially apt . . . and all the more so given its connection to Wings himself. From its description in the Other Artists: Pottery gallery here on the site:
This classic water flask was hand-made many years ago by Wings’s sister, Cynthia Bernal Pemberton (Taos Pueblo). Made of Taos Pueblo’s iconic micaceous clay, the flask is pristine but for the turtle carved in relief on the front. It hangs from a white deerhide thong. Stands 7.5″ high by 6.5″ across at widest point (dimensions approximate).
Micaceous clay
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
Some of our peoples’ origin stories tell of Grandmother Turtle, the modest and humble being whom none of the larger, more flamboyant animals thought had anything to contribute to the task of saving the First People — and yet, in the end, it was she (and only she) who could give them a world upon which to live safely, the world of the great hard shell of her back. It seems fitting, somehow, that she should have pride of place on this work, one ostensibly designed for the purpose of holding water. That is, after all, the means by which this land came to be called Turtle Island: because this humble spirit was generous enough to lend her shell to beings unable otherwise to survive, was willing, in effect, to create for them a new world to live in the light.
And now the sun has cleared the ridgeline; the low angle of the light is still strong enough to wash over the land. A high light veil of clouds trails around the sky, and the earth seems to glow.
Like us, the land is waiting for this afternoon’s moment of magic, of mystery, of medicine — a world shimmering in anticipation of the hope and promise of the light.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2018; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
