Today, for those traditions that mark it, is All Souls’ Day. Its other name, in Catholic liturgical terms, is “The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed,” one devoted explicitly to those of that branch of that faith.
But there are other traditions that have incorporated it into their own observances, something common in this part of the world, and so today becomes a day to remember, and honor, our own ancestors, those who have walked long ago, and those more recently, as well.
Because of the originating religion’s inescapably colonial identity and agenda, the way it manifests among other cultures is often a product of the Church’s attempts, centuries ago, to enmesh it into those cultures’ traditional observances. At this season, that often means harvest celebrations, but our cultures have always known well the dangers and depredations of the deep cold and dark to come, and so marking this time as a way of honoring our ancestors is easily interwoven with that which accompanies that harvest, as well. In my own peoples’ ways, there are specific dangers that exist, or strengthen, during the winter months, and honoring those who have walked on, reassuring them that we still remember and value all they had to teach us, strengthens our own spirits.
And if ever we needed such strength, such courage, such renewed commitment, it’s now.
By “now,” I don’t mean just these days of autumn racing headlong toward full winter. I don’t mean merely the shortening of the daylight hours and the accompanying return of longer nights, nor the deepening cold or the snow already forecast for tomorrow night and the day after that. I don’t even mean the visceral horrors that have attended this particular election cycle, putatively ended by Tuesday night but in truth, never over in a country determined to enshrine its colonialist roots in new forms of fascism and repeated genocides.
I don’t even mean the deadly existential risk the whole planet faces from every climate already in collapse, a world on fire in genocidal campaigns of extermination and under water from catastrophic flooding, sea warming and rise, glaciers melting at record speed and catastrophic changes accelerating daily.
Or, rather, I don’t mean just those things, individually, but all of them combined. There have been dark days in human existence in the past, but collectively, we have never faces such an immediate combination of existential threats as now. We need wisdom and clarity, we need humility and generosity of spirit, we need love for our fellow human beings and other relatives and a renewed commitment to their well-being and survival.
We need the light of peace for a world in shadow, darkened by the spectre of death, and of fates worse yet.
And sometimes, we need that reminder for ourselves, up close and personal, something that is itself a source of happiness, but whose meaning we can neither ignore nor forget.
And that’s the animating spirt of today’s featured work. It’s a pair of earrings saw-cut freehand in a form and shape instantly recognizeable the world over, one dedicated, in no small part, to saving humanity from itself. Here, it’s manifest in Wings’s chosen medium, given a slight twist, or pehaps more accurately, tilt — as thought turning its meaning and power inward toward the wearer. From its description in the Earrings Gallery here on the site:
The Light of Peace Earrings
In a world increasingly in conflict, we need to find a space within the light of peace and conduct ourselves accordingly. With these earrings wrought freehand in the shape of the modern symbol, Wings honors the light, the symbol, and that which they represent, and urges us to work toward such ends daily. Each dangling drop is a medallion, a perfect circle of sterling silver, saw-cut freehand to form the iconic three-spoke symbol within an organic border of similar size. Each peace sign is buffed smooth to a high polish, just a few degrees off a mirror finish. A hand-drilled hole at the top of each is threaded with a sterling silver jump ring, the better to hold sterling silver coil-and-ball-bead French wires securely. Earrings hang 1-3/8″ across, excluding wires, in all directions.
Sterling silver
$225 + shipping, handling, and insurance
These earrings are just shy of an inch and a half in any direction, but they seem somehow bigger, bolder. Perhaps it’s the clean, flat spaces of shimmering silver; perhaps it’s the strength of their meaning and message. Probably, it’s both, and more besides.
I said above that Wings cut these in a way that makes them seem to turn inward, toward the wearer, as though sending the power of its message directly to that person’s mind and spirit. By the same token, though, they could be reversed, so that they seem to turn outward, to share that spirit with the world at large.
It’s a message we all need to internalize, and one we all need to share, now more than ever. It’s the light of peace for a world in shadow, warming the earth and illuminating a way forward for us all.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2024; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
