It is dark now: Twilight comes early, and the trees are hidden in the shadows now, their presence only the occasional hint in the silvery moonlight.
None of that matters; we know they are here, stands and groves that cascade down the mountain slopes, scattering their young down here at the feet of the peaks. The most ancient of evergreens are far older than we, and their kind predate our presence, too. Their ancestors kept our own alive, creating a world hospitable for human habitation. They have saved us in other ways, too, possessed of a kind of timelessness that serves as an example for us: No matter the weather or season, whatever winds may blow, it is possible to stand, to breathe, to be born in the light.
On this day, Wings returned to what was once an annual creative event: the fashioning of pins in the form of small holiday trees. Recent years have been so fraught with other concerns that it has been well over half a decade since he produced an evergreen series, but by day’s end, he had summoned into existence a quartet of our own green guardians of winter in miniature. Each, predictably, has its own unique identity, its own character and spirit, but all are of a piece with the indigenous landscape, in the manner of their living counterparts. And while pine trees, particularly the piñon, are closely associated with this place, these four pay tribute to the other evergreens that are so wholly a part of this land and so essential to its survival. All appear in the Pins Gallery here on the site. From the first pin’s description:
Sunlit Cedar Tree Pin
A sunlit cedar welcomes the winter light. Wings pays tribute to sun and season, tree and earth on which it stands, with this little pin cut freehand from sterling silver. The flared and scalloped trunk stands sturdy and firm, while the tips of the branches reach upward slightly, as though to meet the sun. The orb’s rays, peeking out faintly from beneath snowclouds, garland the boughs, while the small flowery tips of the cones, hand-stamped, spangle the surface. At the middle, the evergreen’s rich hues show themselves by way of bezel-set cabochons of lapis and jade, while a fiery amber sun rests near the top. Tree stands 1-1/2″ high by 1-3/8″ across at the widest point; cabochons are 1/8″ across (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; amber; lapis lazuli; jade
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Cedar is common here, if less well-known to the dominant culture than its counterparts. It is, however, an integral part of our traditional ways: cleansing, purifying, an agent to heal our bodies and send our prayers to spirit.
Among the evergreens of this area, perhaps the most lush are the spruce. We have five blue spruce here on our land, scattered around the general environs of the house. Two are full-sized, having now grown into giants; two are allegedly dwarf blue spruce, but in recent years have surpassed what we expected would be their height limit and are still growing; and one, planted in honor of a warrior brother now walked on, is a true dwarf blue spruce that nonetheless is thriving, tall and strong for its kind. All find themselves reflected in the next pin, one that embodies their kind and color. From its description:
Star-Spangled Spruce Tree Pin
A star-spangled spruce stands firmly rooted in the blue glow of a winter’s night. Wings coaxes tree, stars, and shades of a winter’s dusk into showing themselves with this small shimmering pin. The tree is cut freehand of sterling silver, with dancing boughs and a scalloped trunk. Radiant five-pointed stars, hand-stamped, spangle the branches, all garlanded with the faint light of a sun setting beneath the stormclouds. At the top, a brilliant six-pointed star points in all directions, while the spruce itself shows through in the blues of the night by way of three bezel-set cabochons, one blue turquoise, one lapis lazuli, and one the deep purple of amethyst. Tree stands 1-1/2″ high by 1-3/8″ across at the widest point; cabochons are 1/8″ across (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; blue turquoise; lapis lazuli; amethyst
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
If the spruce looks most like a traditional Christmas tree, save for the classic pines, the juniper is perhaps the least readily identified, although it is native, common, and popular, albeit under another name. Where I come from, it’s known mostly as red cedar; its wood is red indeed, and fragrant, too. It’s also readily distinguishable from its cousin by virtue of the purple-blue juniper berries that adorn its boughs and branches, tiny little bunches of ornaments that are intensely-hued and edible, too. The third in this series evokes this beautiful tree’s look and spirit. From its description:
Icicled Juniper Tree Pin
An icicled juniper shines with tinsel made of snow and light. Wings honors the shades of winter green and the power of the light with this tiny tree, cut freehand of sterling silver with upturned boughs and and flared trunk. The small but steady rays of the winter sun garland its branches as the scattered blossoms of remnant berries, hand-stamped, peek through; a winter butterfly, a bit of holiday magic, floats past beneath the twinkling star at its top. The icy tinsel shimmers in a single moonstone, while the jade and turquoise of the evergreen shows through above, all by way of small round bezel-set cabochons. Tree stands 1-1/2″ high by 1-3/8″ across at the widest point; cabochons are 1/8″ across (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; jade; blue turquoise; moonstone
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
But while juniper is well-known here, if not by its real name, there is one evergreen less recognized than moat: the fir. It’s not rare, but is often found higher up in the mountainous backcountry. It’s a strong and beautiful wood, one that forms the lintels and twisted posts of our home. It’s also one whose spirit manifests in the final of these four pins. From its description:
Snow-Wreathed Fir Tree Pin
A snow-wreathed fir stands strong in the blue of a winter’s twilight. Wings summons the spirits of tree and storm in this diminutive pin, a tree for the holidays adance beneath the falling flakes. Cut freehand from sterling silver, the little fir’s boughs are garlanded with chased symbols of a sun setting beneath the clouds. Flowering snowflakes are scattered across its branches, three hand-stamped and two formed of overlaid conchas, tiny repoussé sterling silver starbursts fanned out in crystalline form. In winter holiday tradition, a hand-stamped star twinkles from the treetop. Tree stands 1-1/2″ high by 1-3/8″ across at the widest point; cabochon is 1/8″ across (dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; lapis lazuli
$325 + shipping, handling, and insurance
People know that the evergreens are . . . well, evergreen — not only do they spurn the process of dormancy that consumes their deciduous counterparts this time of year, but they thrive in the cold and the snow. But most folks have probably never contemplated what that actually means, for the trees, for the world, and for us.
Where deciduous trees mostly engage in photosynthesis by way of their leaves (the aspens are a noticeable exception, their trunks also capable of performing the process year-round), evergreens don’t bear leaves as we usually think of them. But their needles serve the same function, absorbing carbon dioxide in exchange for returning oxygen to the world.
It’s not too great a stretch to say that the stands of evergreens native to this land quite literally build and rebuild our world, daily, seasonally, yearly, eternally.
It’s one of the reasons the trees are sacred. Our ancestors knew well that our welfare is bound inextricably with theirs, that the health of the trees was a gauge of the health of our world.
Here, these old guardians still stand strong, but their numbers are dwindling: climate-change-induced drought, wildfire, bark-beetle infestation, colonial clearing and development. Humanity has not respected their being, or their purpose, and we shall all pay the price for that.
For now, though, the forecast has changed; a bit of snow may be on the way in the next twenty-four hours. The holidays are here, for those who celebrate, but more to the point, winter is here, and the evergreens survive, for the moment.
We must learn to take our cues from them, but also to help them to do what, until now, they have always done unaided and unencumbered: to stand strong, to breathe, to be born in the light.
~ 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.
