Ajijaakwe: March 2016

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Before the Storm

Photo copyright Aji, 2016;
all rights reserved.

Before the storm, the wind catches; the soul falls away, or so it seems . . . but the self survives, even though the storm is here.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

For Ace

I knew him as Ace. I learned today that he is gone . . . and with him, all the images he might have captured, all the stories his work might have told.

But that's a selfish take on tragedy.

I didn't know him well, but I knew him well enough to appreciate the kind of person he was. Online, he supported posts and causes that were near and dear to my own heart. In his own posts, he gave me the great gift of images from lands near to and much like those of my own people — lands that, for me, exist now only in memory, lands that I know I am unlikely ever to see in person again. Through his eyes and his lens, I was able to revisit the sort of lakes and rivers, woods and trails, lush trees and delicate creatures that spoke the word "home" to my spirit. And his love and respect for all of them, from the greatest lake to the smallest stream, the most towering maple to the tiniest insect upon a desiccated leaf, shone through with clarity and honesty.

I don't have anything approaching his talent. But somehow, this is the image that comes to mind, and I think he might have appreciated it, as amateurish as it might be: a pond turned cornflower blue by the kiss of the sky; arising out of it, a willow branch turned bridge; crossing the bridge and reflected clearly in the blue, two tiny modest spirits of a sort unloved by most of the world, yet with their own role to play, and, up close, their own special beauty.

Ace had, on rare occasion, opened up a bit about the battles he fought. They broke my heart and sparked a flame of recognition in my own soul — not identical, but similar enough for me to feel what he wanted to communicate, and the pain in the gulf between. He is crossing a different sort of gulf now. In our way, he will be crossing his own bridge, the one to the other world — indeed, in our way, he would likely already be there, journey complete, ready to enjoy what exists beyond our current reach. To the spirits who hold the powers of the universe, we must look, I suppose, very much like these small flies, so vulnerable . . . and yet, we, too, eventually reach the other side.

Rest in peace and power, Ace. I am grateful for the gift of your presence here for the time that was yours in this world, and wish you the gift of beauty and wonder and joy and love in the world across that bridge.

Today's Share Request

Well, I might as well get today's request out of the way. Sad news from elsewhere, and so I'm just not feeling it right now. \I'm just gonna post the link to our YouCaring page, with a request to share via the widgets on it. I'd like to raise another $500 ASAP, to get us to the 30% mark in advance of receipt of the task-specific blueprints probably next week, so your shares will help with that.

Still a lot to do today, mostly things that seem kind of unimportant right now, so I'll leave it at that for this round. Thanks to everyone.

#TBT: Wild Spirits of the Air, and Those Who Make It Rain

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, we go back only one short month, to a commissioned work that invokes the spirits of the air, those who ride the winds and bring the rain. These earrings were created specifically for a dear friend, one who has her own special relationship with the wild birds.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Because everything Wings creates is one of a kind, he will not duplicate these, but if the general style speaks to you, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; he can design a version uniquely your own. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

We've hit $4K; can you help us get to $4,500?

That would be 30% of our overall goal for this stage of our home-building fundraiser. We've got just over three days left in the week; can you help us raise the next $500 by sharing the link?

Here's how: Go to our YouCaring page and share it via the widgets; also grab the widget code from the lower right-hand side of the page and post it in your various online and social media communities. [We're also two Facebook shares shy of 100, so it'd be nice to hit that target, too.] Many thanks to everyone who has shared, liked, e-mailed, donated, and otherwise given us a hand. We owe special thanks to two folks for whom I have no contact information, initials BWM and SS, for the items from our Amazon wishlist that we picked up at the post office today; at this moment, those purchases help us more than I can put into words.

Speaking of the creatures for whom those purchases are intended, here's an update for those tracking such things. Sunny appears to be no longer egg-bound. She's still rather a mess, and so skittish that I can rarely catch her, but she's feeling enough better to be the first out of the gate in the mornings, runnings and flapping and squawking (and, apparently, laying somewhere along the line). Griffin is feeling better, although he's still having some significant gastric issues. He's eating again, and more lively all the way around, so I'm hoping that at this point, it's just a matter of time. I don't think it's systemic; I think he got into something. Why? Because She-Wolf came down with similar symptoms since the weekend. She's still got it, too, but also clearly feeling better than she was a few days ago.

We've sprung Cree from the clog for a week or so, to give her foot a break. She's moving fairly comfortably even without it, and the sole remains bone-dry. We'll get an eval on Friday, when the vet comes to look at Shade. We've taken the styro pad off Shade for a few days, to give her frog and sole a chance to breathe a little bit, but she's still gimpy, and we think rotation is probably a sure thing at this point; the question will be the degree and the damage done. She's getting films taken Friday morning, so I'll know more then.

No, it never ends.

Hopefully, we'll have mostly good news on Friday, though, and hopefully even better news in the days to follow in the form of specific blueprints for the various early stages of the house. I have my fingers crossed that we have both prints and available contractors sometime next week. When I do, I'll begin posting process photos then.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Moment of Grace

It is time to be bold, to call, to sing . . . in a moment of grace.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

More Than a Dream, a Vision of Renewal and Rebirth

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's Wings's latest, the first in a new group of earrings in the works. These are positively electric, and they hold the promise of spring even in the face of the bitterly cold gale-force winds at play here.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

One More Step Today . . . .

It has been . . . a day. We could start with the fact that two dogs are now sick (although both seem to be getting better slowly), or with the complete disappearance of our paid helper for more than a week now, (lost yet again, apparently, to an affliction that is rampant in both our families), or with an invasive individual who showed up unannounced and uninvited to behave with a complete lack of manners (wolves are more polite and have better home training), or with the 40-mph winds that have rocked this place all day (in very literal terms).

But I'm tired (understatement of the year), and sick of it all (another masterpiece of understatement), and we did have one very good thing happen that trumps the rest of it: Since our floor plan for the house is now set, Bob came by to spec out where each utility hook-up is and how it will fit into the new house, and has promised us, as he put it "more pretty pictures [i.e., the plans specific to the foundation and frame and plumbing and wiring] soon." His turnaround time has been remarkably quick thus far, so I'm anticipating being able to to see something concrete very shortly.

So, of course, it's my daily (nightly?) appeal: Please keep sharing the link to our YouCaring page, via the widgets on the page itself. I'm hoping to hit our next short-term goal for this stage (i.e., 30% of the overall total for this stage) by the end of the week; $600 will do it. If folks post a sentence or two to their various networks, it helps to grab the widget at the lower right-hand side of the page. We have a long, LONG way to go, and I have no choice but to keep at this, day in and day.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped us out with donations, shares, and other forms of support thus far. And apologies to those who don't yet have their thank-you notes; I've been so overextended this past week, I've had no time to sit down to much of anything, and no functional brain power for anything that requires it. They are coming, I promise.

When the Wind Slows

Photo copyright Aji, 2016;
all rights reserved.

And the light again retakes its rightful place, the self dances in its dusky rays, visible and ascendant.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Indigenous Arts: WoodWinds, and Winds Within the Wood

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's entry in our ongoing series on Indigenous Arts. Today, we continue with the month's elemental theme by revisiting Air, this time in the form of Wind (and with a nod to an element sacred to some other non-Native traditions, Wood). It's a selection of wood, winds, and even woodwinds.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Transubstantiation

The sun is not gone, deadwood is not dead . . . nor is anything else.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Improvements and Slow But Steady Progress

Thanks to everyone who shared our YouCaring page directly from the widgets on the link itself since last night. Please keep the momentum going; you never know who will see it and decide it's a worthy cause, and they only see IT (i.e., the image of the project, rather than a placeholder) when it's shared from the page itself. We're only $100 shy of the $4K mark, and $600 short of hitting our target for the week of 30% of this stage's goal.

Again, here's the link. On the lower right-hand side of the page, you can grab the widget code, which will cause the image above to display (and auto-update) anywhere you post it. Thanks to everyone who's helped out so far. We just sent off the final okay on the basic blueprints this morning, so now it's on to specific plans for foundation, frame, plumbing, wiring, etc. It's getting very close now.

Also, for those wondering about Griffin, he had a much better night last night, going out only at 11 PM and a little before 6 AM (which means that I finally got some sleep). He's sleeping more soundly, too, although he's (naturally) exhausted at this point. After eating nothing yesterday, I'm now getting a mixture of raw buffalo and watery rice into him, with some flax powder mixed into it to try and help his lower GI tract. Fingers crossed that it all starts working today. And now, I've got to get caught up on thank-yous and all the thousand and one things I couldn't get to this weekend.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: What the Wind Brings

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for the last Monday in a very windy month. This is a difficult season here, and today's post reminds us to value the way such difficulty allows us better to appreciate less troublesome times.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, the photo remains available for purchase in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. Also as always, sales are much needed, so share of the site links are much appreciated.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Becoming

Between the lines, the light becomes self, separate from its source . . . it touches another self, and in the spaces between, I become.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Two Requests

As the title up there says, two requests today. The first is the obvious one. We've had zero shares from our YouCaring page since Thursday, and we need them. I'm beyond exhausted (basically continuously awake for the past 37 hours straight, and very little sleep even before that; more about that in a moment), so I'm going to be really blunt here: Please don't bother liking or sharing my Facebook links to this post or the fundraising site. It does essentially nothing. What we NEED is for people to do as I've requested consistently from the beginning: share via the widgets (or by cutting and pasting the link) on the page itself, and by grabbing the widget code and copying it over. I realize people mean well with the FB likes, but everyone's seen it, and it doesn't show anything but a link to this post, so please don't bother from this point forward. Yes, I'm cranky; I don't have words to describe my health right now. [Well, actually, I do, but no one wants to hear them). Here's that widget, and you don't need to be on FB or Twitter to use it; you can post it anywhere. PLEASE use it:

Now, the second thing, which has to do with my boy up there at the top, and also why I'm getting no sleep.

I hate Easter. There are lots of reasons for that, mostly associational, but for the last three years straight, I've hated it because every single one of those three years, Griffin has gotten sick. Yes, I realize how unlikely that sounds, given that Easter falls on a different weekend every year, but it's a fact. I thought maybe we'd escaped it this year, since I did not wind up spending the night of Good Friday in the doggy ER, as I did in both 2014 and 2015. No such luck. This time, it's not his CVS, for the most part, but a gastric issue. Still, I'm up around the clock working on him, letting him in and out, chasing him down outside in 10-degree weather at four o'clock this morning, etc., etc. I'm out of energy, mental and physical resources, and patience for much else. So please, whatever good vibes ya got, send 'em Grif's way. He's in great health otherwise, and at 15 and a half, we want to keep him that way.

Thanks. Now I'll leave everybody alone while I get evening chores done and then probably go pass out.

After the Winter, Fire and Rebirth

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that embodies a spirit of this day: the purifying renewal of fire in the aftermath's of winter's dormancy, of resurrection and rebirth amid the flames. It's one of my favorites among Wings's works, one laden with symbol and substance.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Sacred Space

Above and below, inward and outward, dark and light: the world and self, both sacred space.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

So this is where I pester you for the day.

Yes, it's that time again. I'm tired of it, too, but we've got a long way to go.

We're past the 25% mark for this stage of our fundraising effort to build a home (after five years without), in large part due to Avilyn's post on our behalf. We only need another $640 to hit the 30% mark. I'd like to do that by the end of the coming week, if possible.

So here's how to help: Go to our YouCaring page, and from there, share the link via the widgets on the site. If the share widgets are incompatible with your browser, please cut and paste the link from the site's address bar. Also please consider posting a sentence or two in support, and when you do so, copy over the widget code found on the lower right-hand side of the page. It auto-updates, and it really helps substantially more in terms of dollars raised if you do it this way, rather than by sharing my FB posts.

Much gratitude to everyone who has helped us thus far, with donations, likes, shares, purchases from Wings's site, purchases from our Amazon wishlist, and moral support.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Sun's Red Fire Upon the Wing

Photo copyright Aji, 2016;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a small spirit of summer arrived in advance of its real-life counterpart, here to warm a cold and blustery day. It's a powerful piece of great beauty and fire, rendered in symbols as valuable as its substance.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Heading for 30%!

It has been a day. A week, for that matter. The wind has died down in the last few moments; if we're lucky, it won't start up again tonight, and I'll have decent connectivity. Also snow.

I'm hoping the holiday weekend slows everything down enough to afford us some time to focus on the plans; we have a few specs to review and questions to answer in anticipation of the foundation and framing and other specific blueprints. I'm still hopeful that we can break ground within a week or so, but a lot depends on contractor availability.

The good news is that we are past the 25% mark on the overall fundraiser for this stage of the process. Avilyn's diary helped tremendously with that; you can read her post here. It will only take another $640 to get us to the 30% mark, and I'm hopeful we can reach it by this time next week. So we need folks to continue to share the link to our YouCaring page by way of the widgets on the site (or by cutting and pasting the link directly from that page). Please also copy the widget code on the lower right-hand side of the page and distribute it. Believe me, it helps substantially more if folks do those two small things.

Many thank to everyone for their help thus far. I'll be sending out the next round of thank-yous once my connection stabilizes enough for my e-mail to work properly.

The Veil

What emerges from the vortex is a sign of peace in a warrior's spirit, flying across the threshold through the rent in the veil.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Summoned From the Earth, Set By the Fire, Held In the Palm of One's Hand

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's small spirits of the sacred and the mundane, sized to hold in the palm of one's hand. We have seven such works remaining in inventory, all summoned from the earth and set by the fire, all modestly priced and imbued with culture and tradition.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Vulture

He is become the death-eater, the sin-eater, and the gleaming bones he leaves behind begin, at last, to heal.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Past the 25% mark! Please help us keep it going.

Thanks to Avilyn investing time and labor today in a diary for us at the Great Orange Satan, we're past the 25% mark! Please help us keep it going; it would be SO wonderful to break ground as early as sometime next week.

Here's how: First, obviously, you can rec and share Avilyn's post on our behalf. Also, please share the link to our YouCaring page via the widgets on the page itself (or by cutting and pasting the link directly from the page), and by copying the widget code from the lower right-hand side of the page.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped us with donations, likes, shares, and other forms of support. I've wept several times today already, and it'll probably happen again before the night's over. Thank-yous going out tomorrow.

#ThrowbackThursday: Fire, From the Earth, In the Water, On the Air

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a trip back in time to 2008, and a fiery entry in one of Wings's collections in miniature. It's Dragonfly, unusually large and powerful, embodying the fire in very literal terms. It's a piece that sold moments after bringing it into the gallery — and one that, thanks to the variability of the stone, cannot be replicated exactly, not that Wings ever makes two pieces exactly alike anyway. But if the style speaks to you, he can create a version uniquely your own; simply inquire via the site's Contact form.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The Light

Invisible on its own, seen only in relation to that which holds it, carries it, the self remains . . . the light.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Plans! And more plans.

We have plans! Of both sorts. Above is a general draft of two sides of the exterior of the house. It's not nearly as large as it probably seems; small footprint, built up rather than out. The lower sketch is of the front of the house, which will have (as did our old one) a southeastern exposure. Lots and LOTS of passive solar. There's a lot by way of that sort of sustainability and energy efficiency that we can't afford now (hell, if we were rich, we'd take it virtually all solar, but that's $50K, and that's the house and then some). But it's being designed with an eye toward upgradability in that regard. In other words, we make it as energy-efficient as we can afford now, but build it in such a way that if funds permit down the road, we can continue to improve on that aspect of it.

The guy who is doing the blueprints has just informed us that he's now turning his attention (as in now) to specific blueprints — sets of plans for framing, plumbing, and wiring. Once those are in hand, everything begins in very concrete terms (including the writing of checks to contractors and lumber and hardware stores and the adobe manufacturer down at Alcalde). So you know what's coming, right?

We need shares of the link to our YouCaring page, now more than ever. I need to emphasize here that sharing the FB posts doesn't do much (if anything). What I need people to do is go directly to the fundraising page and use the widgets; if they don't work with your browser, cut and paste the actual link. It also helps even more if you post a couple of sentences about it and include the widget code from the lower right-hand side of the page. This is what that code produces:

It updates automatically with a running total.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped us thus far, in so many ways. Fingers crossed that by next week, we have a work schedule set for breaking ground.

A Fiery Season, and a Prayer for Rain

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's most elemental works: a piece that embodies fire even as it invokes the rain. It's a bold and beautiful prayer to the forces that animate this season, a hope for harnessing them to our protection and benefit.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Inside the Whirlwind

An outline, a silhouette, a fraction of me only, but inside the whirlwind, I am no longer invisible.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Indigenous Arts: Through the Fire

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's entry in our series on Indigenous Arts. Today, we look at the fourth element, fire, as spirit and symbol, and as seen through the lens of Wings's work and the work of other Native artists from the area.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Many of the works depicted in today's post remain available for purchase; simply inquire through the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

Best-Laid Plans, and Other Sorts

I am extra fragile today, I know that, and there are lots of reasons for that (most immediately, a blinding migraine, other pain issues, a looming anniversary, take your pick). But I just got through bursting into tears over something that is undeniably a happy thing: The plans for our house are about one change from complete. We just met with the guy who's handling this part of it for us (an old friend of Wings, a guy whose house Wings helped build decades ago). He's a genius at this stuff, and he showed up with a set of drawings and explanations that far exceeded anything I envisioned. We can finally "see" it, and I'm starting to believe that it's going to happen.

Reality is settling in in another way, too, of course: The sheer cost of each stage is so intimidating that I don't dare let myself think too long about it, or I'd get completely paralyzed by fear and nothing would move forward. It's going to take a lot to get each individual stage to completion.

We are not likely to be able to schedule the dig work before next week, which, as it turns out, may be for the best. Winds here are currently clocking at a sustained 31-ish mph, with dangerously strong gusts, and this is projected to last until the weekend. We are also without our helper, who has decided that he needs to check himself in for an assessment this afternoon and try to get himself back on one particular type of Red Road. Wings has done that Himself, although members of my own family have been notably less successful, and so we both support him wholeheartedly (and in practical terms, as well).

At any rate, we are expecting to have the one major change to the plans that remains done by sometime Friday. Then, I think contractor availability will be the only potential obstacle to the excavation work. From there, things will start snowballing fast, and so will expenses, so we're going to need your help.

First, please share the link to our YouCaring page. I know you don't believe me, but please take me at word: Please don't share the link to this post, or the FB share; please share from the fundraising page itself, using the widgets or cutting and pasting the link. Also please add a couple of sentences about the project, and copy over the widget code found on the lower right-hand side of the page. It'll auto-update. And, of course, if you haven't kicked in and are inclined to do so, we're profoundly grateful for that, too. But I'm most concerned about shares at the moment, since you never know who might see it who will be moved to contribute.

Much gratitude to everyone who's donated, shared, or otherwise given us a hand thus far. I'm way, WAY behind on today's work, including the post at Wings's site, but I'll get to individual thank-yous this evening (after I get the posts done, try to help an egg-bound chicken, take care of other chores, fix dinner, and a thousand other things).

Monday, March 21, 2016

Center

Out of place and out of time, finding courage, confidence, calm . . . a center.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Target date moved up a day; please share the link.

Well, our Wednesday meeting has been moved up a day: We meet tomorrow to try and finalize the plans enough to break ground on the house. This is going to be a fraught week as it is, so I'm not entirely sure whether to regard moving this up as a blessing or something less than that. If nothing else, the pace will, I hope, keep my mind thoroughly occupied through a day later this week that will be a very, very difficult one for me. I hate most markers, and this will be an anniversary of sorts that will be trial by fire and more for me.

At any rate, this puts me officially well behind in terms of our fundraising sub-goal for this period. I had wanted to hit the 25% mark (i.e., 25% of our overall goal of $15K for these two stages of the process), but we're still $700 short of that point. So please, continue to share the link to our YouCaring page with all your networks, on- and offline. Please share directly from the page, using the widgets if possible, by cutting and pasting the link if they don't work. Please also grab the widget code from the lower right-hand corner and add a sentence or two. Doing those two things makes a HUGE difference in effectiveness. [We haven't had a single share from the page itself in three or four days.]

Many thanks to everyone who has donated, shared, or otherwise given us a hand in this process. If you can spare some good vibes for helping me to get through this week on a personal level with mind and spirit more or less intact, it'd also be much appreciated.

Monday Photo Meditation: Feeding the Fire, Feeding Body and Spirit

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for day, week, month, season . . . and spirit. We've spent the month exploring elemental themes, and this week's is fire — a purifying and sustaining spirit, in more ways than the obvious ones.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The photo, from his one-man show, remains available for purchase in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

The Midpoint

At that moment of magic, of mystery, of medicine, the Maiden* emerges . . . in the shadow of the midpoint of the light.

* For those unfamiliar with the reference, "Maiden" here refers to a specifically Southwestern indigenous spirit. The hoodoo is entirely the wrong shape, but in the angle of the light on the vernal equinox, what here we colloquially call a Hopi Maiden emerges in shadow in perfect form. [In actuality, her traditional butterfly rolls were historically likely found far beyond Hopi, including in this place, long before the contemporary styles took hold.] To see the spirit she embodies, look at the woman on the right here, or the fetishes here.]

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.