The latter half of July, and we still have early June weather: bone-dry and unbearably hot. The trailing white puffs building up around the horizon today will hold no rain for us; even the wild birds seem to wilt in the oppressive heat.
We live now upon an earth on fire, even if the flames are mostly invisible at the moment.
It is long past time to kindle a fire in our hearts of a distinctly different sort.
Our peoples tend to speak of the earth in filial terms: She is our Mother, the universal parent who shelters and cares for us, the collective womb from which we, like all life, emerge. But not every tradition’s origin stories or worldview conceive of the earth in that way. And indeed, perhaps we need a new conceptualization to light a fire under humanity generally to begin to act on its behalf instead of to its (and our) detriment.
It is always a mistake to speak too much in “universals”: Our peoples are too unique, too distinct, too actualized within their own independent, sovereign, autonomous identities for most generalizations to apply very well. There are commonalities, of course; it could hardly be otherwise among indigenous cultures who are, traced back enough millennia, ethnically related. But what is sacred to one people may be taboo for another; the spirit associated with one concept in one tradition may find itself expressed as its opposite in another.
And, to be brutally frank, we do not need universals applied form without to our various cultures; rather, we need a set of “universals” that will encompass the entire world if we are to save it.
It perhaps behooves us all, then, to reconceive the ways in which we understand our relationship to the earth. When we speak of love, what comes first to mind, no doubt, is love of the romantic sort, and perhaps that has its own small niche here, too. But love can be broadly defined to embrace not merely other persons, but our whole world and its inhabitants, human and otherwise. If we love something, we want to protect it, to preserve its well-being, to ensure not merely its survival but its ability to thrive.
So why does modern humanity have so little love for the earth?
The answers, of course, are legion, built entirely around greed and convenience. But already, we are learning in real time what it means to have lost not merely our own love for the earth, but hers for us: Even humanity is losing its habitats. It’s time to relearn what it means to love, truly, and yes, universally.
Today’s featured works are a reminder: They are the last two entries in The Love Collection, a part of one of Wings’s signature series. They were released around Valentine’s Day last year, with an toward the romantic love that is its hallmark, but in truth, they can apply to love of every sort (yes, even the second one, if “courting” is understood in the sense of “persuading”). Today’s works are medicine and song for an earth on fire, pieces to take you by the hand and refuse to let go until you comprehend what they have to teach.
The first is the medicine; its image appears above. From its description in the relevant section of the Bracelets Gallery here on the site:
Love Medicine Coil Bracelet
In some cultures, it’s a charm; in others, more literal medicine; in still others, something more elemental yet. It’s love medicine, an aid in the seeking of love, sought for its talismanic power and ability to inspire love in the object of one’s affections, or at least in one’s confidence to approach him or her. Here, Wings brings together elemental medicine motifs in a charm that assumes a spiraling shape and power. The coil is anchored at either end with earthy round onyx beads that flow into larger round beads of sardonyx, red and orange and brown and black and white marbled together like the elements and the winds all melding in a powerful storm. Bright orange carnelian in polished nuggety chips lead toward a second length of sardonyx, all leading to a center segment of seven large round beads of deep red jasper, each highly polished and aswirl in mysterious wisps of color. Beads are strung on memory wire, which expands and contracts to fit virtually any wrist. Jointly designed by Wings and Aji.
Memory wire; red jasper; carnelian; sardonyx; onyx
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
In our way, we believe in love medicine, yes — but love itself is medicine, too. Real love, genuine love, shelters its object, cares for them, nurtures them, feeds them in body and in spirit. If we can reimagine our relationship with the earth to be one of love, unbridled and unencumbered, perhaps we can begin to heal her wounds, her burns and scars and drowned places.
The second piece, part of the same collection, is likewise representative of the symbolism of romantic love: the courting flute, a tradition among many of our peoples in the process of seeking a life partner. From its description in the same section of the same gallery:
The Courting Flute Coil Bracelet
The courting flute is a traditional Native red cedar flute, carved and painted at the end in the form and shape of a bird’s head. A young man who wishes to court a young woman will announce his attentions publicly by serenading her from outside her lodge, giving her an opportunity to respond, but from a respectful distance. Here, Wings pays homage to the cranes and woodpeckers and other birds whose song the courting flute borrows with a spiraling melody of coppery reds. At the center are faceted round orbs of smoky quartz flanked by fiery amber that flows, lava-like, into segments of round blood-red jasper beads. Each length of jasper ends in more smoky quartz, flanked at either end by amber. Toward either end, tiny nuggets of soft red branch coral terminate in old-style faceted copper barrel beads. Beads are strung on memory wire, which expands and contracts to fit virtually any wrist. Jointly designed by Wings and Aji.
Memory wire; red jasper; smoky quartz; amber; branch coral; copper
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Yes, this symbolism seems, at first glance, inextricably bound up with romance and marriage. But think for a moment: How do we use the word “courting” today? It’s an old-fashioned term now; young people certainly don’t use it to describe their romantic interactions. But it is used, and commonly, too, in other contexts: where the goal is to invite someone to join an enterprise, to lure or to persuade.
I suspect the earth will need a great deal of persuading before she is inclined to trust our kind again.
In our way, persuasion begins with respect. It begins with honor. And when it is time to honor a person, a spirit, or a place, we do so with song. We also do so with dance and feasting and ceremony, but an honor song is a thing unto itself.
Imagine the impact we could have on our world’s well-being if we could turn our own behavior into an honor song for the earth.
That, too, would be love medicine.
~ 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.
