Today is one of those oddities of winter here: sunny, but without blue in the sky.
That’s not so unusual; it snows while the sun is shining here, a function of tightly localized systems within small cloud masses that don’t obscure the sun. But it’s warmer today, “clearer,” insofar as there is neither precipitation nor any chance of it, and yet the skies are more gray than not, a world wrapped in the sheerest of cloud veils on most sides.
They will mostly have lifted by sunset, or, more accurately, been pushed past the peaks by the breeze. But for now, it’s enough to obscure the brightest rays of the sun, and the setting of the moon a half-hour or so ago, too.
We shall need to be awake in the two or three hours before dawn to see the moon’s ascension again tomorrow.
It’s not entirely unlikely, this notion that we might be awake to witness it. This is winter, and the elk are abroad at night, and the dogs regard it as a personal affront. They awaken me at all hours now, begging to be allowed out to defend the land against all comers. And despite my irritation with the disruptions to my sleep, I invariably use it as an opportunity to consult the skies, to seek the winter moon, ascendant on the wings of night.
Today’s featured work is the very embodiment of this event, rendered in precious metal and stone. It’s a pair of earrings in the form and shape of the Water Bird — in this incarnation, one that carries the moon itself on its wings. From their description in the Earrings Gallery here on the site:
Ascension Earrings
The Water Bird is a figure simultaneously sacred and a part of our lives, one whose spirit has long appeared in Wings’s personal tradition and one that he has long infused into his work. These representations of this powerful wingéd being seem to belong wholly to the winter season, feathered spirits able to transcend the snow and ice and early dark, capable of ascension to the light. Cut freehand of sterling silver, each is wrought in classic symbolic shape, head pointing upward, wings arched, tailfeathers spread. A pair of hand-stamped crescents placed back to back give form and shape to the head and hint at otherworldly vision; a single arrowhead point defines the tail. Body feathers are represented by a trio of longer points, while hand-chiseled lines form the upper tailfeathers. Long, elegantly rayed mountain motifs are spread gently atop the wings, articulating the layers of covert wing feathers. at the heart of each water bird rests a fabulously adularescent oval cabochon of rainbow moonstone, perfectly translucent and refracting rays of cobalt blue, as thought each water bird carries with it the light of pure illumination as it ascends to the place where the spirits dwell. Small silver jump rings hold them securely to sterling silver wires. Earrings hang 2″ long (excluding jump rings and wires) by 1.25″ across at the widest point; moonstone cabochons are 1/2″ long by 3/8″ across at the widest point (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; rainbow moonstone
$725 + shipping, handling, and insurance
If I am to be honest, there’s a reason I don’t feature this pair much: It’s are my personal favorite. It doesn’t matter that I possess a similar pair, one he made expressly for me with stones in the shade of my eyes. These have spoken to me from the moment of their creation, and I feel inordinately protective of them. Of course, there’s also a very dear friend who loves rainbow moonstone as much as I, and there is no small part of me that thinks they should be hers.
But it’s Spirit who knows for whom they’re meant, and who am I to stand in the way of that?
I suspect, though, that will prove to be another like us, one who honors the feminine aspects of the night sky, one whose spirit is naturally inclined toward upward flight, one whose prayers seek a higher plane.
Perhaps even one with a particular affinity for winter moons, ascendant even in the darkest, coldest hours of night and season.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2020; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
