The forecast suggests a decent chance of rain, but so far, at least, the skies say otherwise. The haze that has bleached them white cannot rightly even be called clouds; it’s just the detritus of distant wildfires, smoke pall and pollen out of season combining to clog the air as surely as it does our respiratory systems. It’s already hot, oppressively so, and the air lacks that feel of impending moisture to make the discomfort seem worthwhile.
It’s a good day to be indoors, within the cool shade of the adobe walls that do so much more to insulate and control climate than the most powerful air condition, and conserve energy while they’re at it. It is more than shelter; it is safety and comfort, too.
As we enter another ceremonial season here, such thoughts remain in the back of one’s mind. This is not, after all, an especially hospitable land at the best of times, and these are very, very far from the best of times. But much of ceremony, depending on the tradition and purpose, often takes place out of doors, or at least far more exposed to the elements than the inside of adobe walls would ever permit. It’s not easy, but then, it’s not meant to be.
Which is not to say that the way of ceremony is deliberate hardship, or even simply hardship by default — certainly not in all cases. Our rites and rituals are as varied as our peoples and cultures and languages, and we all have many versions of ceremony, each with its own purpose, perhaps most often less as shelter for the body than shelter for the spirit. Some are for celebration; some, for prayer and giving thanks. Some are to honor bravery or work for the people, or to instill courage and a strong heart in the face of danger. Some are for protection, and some are for healing. But they all hold in common the effort to bring us, in one way or another, within the blessings of sheltering spirits.
Today’s featured work, one of Wings’s most recent and a masterpiece of traditional stampwork, is manifest as both and place and process, the way of ceremony and the sheltering spirits who attend it. From its description in the relevant section of the Bracelets Gallery here on the site:
The Way of Ceremony Cuff Bracelet
In the way of ceremony, illumination and wisdom and healing flow like water, the First Medicine. Wings brings them together to honor them all in this heavy-gauge sterling silver cuff bracelet. The band is slender but solid and wholly substantial; the stampwork, all freehand, is bold and deep and meticulously consistent. The cuff’s upper surface is chased by a complex and radiant Eye of Spirit motif, representing wisdom and illumination, guidance and protection. Each “Eye” held in the embrace of paired ledge symbols, similarly protective images that evoke the sacred aspects of ceremony. Along the inner band, a single graceful crescent is placed end to end to create a flowing-water effect. And along each thin edge of the bracelet, small deep whorls and divots lend added texture. Band is 6″ long by 3/8″ across (dimensions approximate). Other views shown below.
Sterling silver
$1,100 + shipping, handling, and insurance
This piece became an immediate favorite for me, a braiding of opposites that creates a whole far greater than the sum of its parts: slender but substantial, the stampwork heavy, deep, and impossibly consistent, the motifs bespeaking illumination and guidance, shelter and medicine at once.
And now, as time ticks steadily toward midday, what was only a short while ago the thinnest, sheerest of white veils to the east has transformed itself into a great wall of blue-violet thunderheads, their progress slow but motion steady.
Perhaps the spirits have decided to bless us with the gift this land needs most right now: healing, with medicine of the most original sort. The forecast this day dared us to hope for rain, to pray for its deliverance, water to soothe the earth’s burning body and our own souls, so scorched and parched.
Sheltering spirits, indeed.
~ Aji
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