Mid-August, and precious little is flowering here now; drought has sent the trees and other plant life fleeing into October mode, trading bright green robes for blankets in shades of gold and brown. The wild creatures are as unsettled by it all, unsure of their place and time in this suddenly-changed world.
Little is consistent save the light.
Oddly, even that seems to have changed: Angles seem sharper, lower to the earth; points of origin and setting seem altered now. It’s an indicator of just how different our world here has become that even our perceptions of day and night feel unreliable.
As we find ourselves heading toward winter long before we should be sparing much thought for it in the first place, though, the light is the one gift we must appreciate. There is no water; the rains decline to come; the earth is unutterably dry. And still, with each dawn comes the flowering of the light, and Apocalypse is pushed back another day.
Today’s featured work captures this phenomenon, the sheer cosmic magic of it, in unusual ways. From its description in the Rings Gallery here on the site:
A Flowering Light Finger Cuff
In summer, the whole world blooms beneath a flowering light. Wings summons silvered blossoms into being year-round with this finger cuff, a self-adjusting ring that rests gently on the finger even as it reaches upward to touch the light. Anticlastic shaping provides graceful curves at either edge and an underside as smooth as silk. Before shaping, the hand-cut band was milled in a contemporary floral pattern, large slender petals like peacock feathers spread across its surface in a random array, rising gently to provide a textured surface. The band tapers elegantly at either end for a comfortable fit. Cuff is 11/16″ across at the widest point, and 7/16″ across at its narrowest on the ends (dimensions approximate). Other views shown at the link.
Sterling silver
$375 + shipping, handling, and insurance
The millwork on this ring is a mystical thing: spirals at the center, tiny suns and moons in orbit, their rays reaching outward with all the elegant grace of a peacock’s feathered fan. It functions as a spectrum, too, its arcs and loops and whorls catching the light, holding it momentarily, refracting colors in what seems a display of pure magic but is in fact simple reflection. Its pattern summons images of a celestial lightway, one run by Dawn Horse and flown by Night Bird, one that fixes sun in its place even as it spins the moon and sets the stars in the sky.
We have passed a tipping point — several of them, in fact — and what seemed sure and certain only a year or two ago now appears impossibly out of reach. But the light remains: flowering at dawn to warm our days, then folding its petals to rest in the dark.
We must give thanks for that which remains a constant in our world . . . and learn how best to use it now.
~ 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.
