The “less than an inch” of snow forecast for the hours of early dark proved to be even less than that: a little graupel scattered here and there, frankly not enough even to qualify as a dusting.
And then the wind arrived.
Our home is solid adobe, which makes it very nearly soundproof, but on this day, the shrieks of the wind are managing to find a way through. It’s been raging all day, at dangerous levels of speed and velocity — more suited, in fact, to the trickster winds of late March and April than these [alleged] midwinter days of early January.
Given that yesterday saw the area’s first road closure due to wildfire — just over the ridgeline in Mora County, no less: the source site of last year’s record megafire that burned through a quarter of a million acres, and from yesterday’s imagery, without a single flake of snow on the ground, or on the mountain slopes there.
That fire was contained, but it’s a harbinger of the worst possible sort. And in a winter at the heart of a twelve-hundred-year drought, we find ourselves praying ever more for the snow.
We realize, of course, that there is a degree of futility at work here. The earth has been so badly wounded as to disable her completely now. What once were less deliberate actions than automatic responses are now impossible, and we are realistic enough to recognize that no amount of prayer can summon snow from nothing. But we remember the winters of which the land and its seasons were capable, not so very long ago, and we recognize what remains that contributes to healing and rebirth, and we offer thanks to the spirits that still make it possible.
One of those spirits is manifest in today’s featured masterwork, one of Wings’s older pieces that has yet to find its home. Were he to create such a piece now, it would run about double the cost, but he has never considered raising this one’s original price, making it an unusual find among his current inventory. It’s a powerful work in its own right, and a personal favorite of my own, from the smithing involved to the clear sky blue of the turquoise to the rare violet blue of the royal lapis. From its description in the relevant section of the Bracelets Gallery here on the site:
Spider Woman Cuff Bracelet
Our dreams are the threshold between our contemporary existence and ways much older than memory. In many traditions, Spider Woman is the gatekeeper of such thresholds, and today, we still use the gift of her web to protect our dreams. Here, her ancient power is embodied in this spectacular cuff, hand-wrought from sterling silver and adorned with stones of protection and power. Her eight legs, texturized by hand-stamping extend from the dazzling oval lapis cabochon that forms her body. Hand-cut, hand-stamped pincers and silver spacer beads accent the protective Skystone of Sleeping Beauty turquoise that forms her head. Another view shown above and at the link.
Sterling silver, lapis lazuli, and Sleeping Beauty turquoise
$1,200 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Spider Woman (and her male counterparts) appears in numerous Indigenous traditions the world over, including several on this land mass. This spirit’s role varies widely, from gatekeeper to guardian, from trickster to a healer of dreams and so much more. In this household, she is a welcome visitor, and the webs the orb weavers among her kind create are as uniquely beautiful in the light as any crystalline snowflake. Her talent for weaving is undeniable, as is her gift of it to us: whether for catching our dreams or for conspiring with the snow in weaving winter’s cold blue blanket, allowing the earth to rest.
Now, the wind still rages outside the door; it shifts and shimmies, capers and dances in an endless spiral of scalpel-sharp air. What was blowing this morning from the southwest is now aimed squarely from the northeast, and soon it will shift again, defying us to keep up with its frantic patterns and pace. Bt it has managed to accomplish one thing that calmer air could not: Our extended forecast has changed once more, and as of a few moments ago, predictions are for five straight days of snow, beginning Sunday. Oh, snow in small amounts, true, but this land has already seen its first nascent wildfire of the year, and even a dusting helps. Like Spider Woman in this iteration, wind and weather are now hard at work weaving winter’s cold blue blanket, and the land will be better for it.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2023; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
