Section V, Chapter 7; First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

It’s one thing to read the violence of history; it’s another to live it, dreamed into being from the depths of ancestral memory.

Ghosts can summon the fires of memory — and sometimes, more tangible fires, too.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Really Good Guy Needs a Hand Right Now

Universal hazmat symbols; attribution unknown.

Too many of us live on the edge, all the time. It's one thing when you can control your income, keep it flowing in on a regular basis.

It's something else entirely when your income source is forced to close temporarily. And when you work in the service sector, closure means no hours, and no hours means no income. 

That's what happened to our good friend Drew. He messaged me the other night to let me know what was going on. Here's what he had to say: 

It is a temp one time thing, the place I work at is closed for a hazmat clean up and has left me short for rent and deposit on my new place. If you have time throw a good word in for me with whoever  you may still be in contact with. 

So things aren't as dire as I thought but I am still gonna be short. I have until Monday. Can get 100 for plasma by then and 150 for my TV plus whatever temp work comes this weekend. With my 8 hours or so flex time I should only be 500 short. Not sure when the insurance check will come, may not be until the following Monday but will be enough to live on until the full ones start coming.

Unless that changes again.

Of course, Murphy's Law dictates that such an even will befall your employer the moment you make a $$-dependent move in your personal life — in Drew's case, getting new housing. He has a roommate, and neither of them can afford the loss of his tenancy in the place.

Now, can I just take a moment to note how purely shameful it is that this is a culture in which a person is forced to say, "Hey! I'm in danger of losing the roof over my head, but it's not as bad as I thought, because I might be able to get 100 bucks for selling the plasma out of my own body!"

Seriously. Reduced to selling off one's very self just to survive, and he's only one of millions doing so. 

Most of y'all know him as Drewid, from the Great Orange Satan, and he's a hell of a nice guy and a great ally to folks from marginalized populations. He's that rare person who recognizes his own privilege, even at times (like now) when life isn't privileging him very much at all, and is willing to wade in and do the hard work of pushback against bigotry and discrimination and other form of abuse by the dominant culture against people of color, members of LGBTQIA communities, and women. 

That is rare. It's actually pretty easy to talk the talk, and lots of folks do it without anteing up anything else. But Drew walks the walk, and he's taken a lot of flak for it.
Now, I want you to understand the kind of person Drew is: He's pretty sure he can get by on $500, and he doesn't want to ask for "more than his share," as I think he phrased it to me, and so he's keeping his request as minimal as possible. But now I want you to go back up to his message for a moment and re-read it. Notice all those dependencies, all those "ifs?" 

Getting what he's guessing for a product of his body. Getting another $150 for his TV. Getting temp work. Getting "flex time." Getting the insurance check (by his employers).

Not a damn one of those is guaranteed in any way. So what I'd like to do is shoot for double what he's asking, just to make sure he's got a safety net. He's uncomfortable with that, I'll tell you straight up, but that's the case with honest folks who don't want to take something they haven't earned, and don't want more than their fair share. but in this culture, "fair share" has been so diluted as to be without meaning, and so I asked his permission to let me pester y'all about raising more purely as a request from me.

The last I knew, Drew was out of Internet range (although his cell IM was still working, hence his ability to get the info to me), and so the link I'm about to post is still outdated. He was hoping to raise funds to buy a food truck — the guy's fabulous cook, a genius and an artist with food — and become wholly self-sufficient. That's a long-term dream, though, and for now, bills need to be paid and he's found work with a pair of wonderful co-owners of a restaurant and tea room, good people of the kind we all say we want to support. I went to their Facebook page this morning, and saw the photos of the interior, floor ripped out as part of the abatement process. I don't know the details, but I do know it's a terrible blow to their business.

So for now, his GoFundMe page reflects his long-term dream, not immediate survival. He's planning to update it today when he gets back into wifi range. But if you have a spare five, ten, twenty, a hundred bucks? Consider kicking in to help keep a roof over the head of one of the good guys. Five dollars, by a hundred people, covers his minimum estimate. That's the cost of a coffee at Starbucks. Or a beer. Cheaper than a pack of smokes. It's lunch at McDonald's.

Here's that link again: GoFundMe. And even if you can't give, please share: Facebook, Twitter, anywhere else you participate, with your networks IRL.

Thanks.



All content, including photos and text (except as otherwise noted), are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: A Spirit as Rare as the Blue Moon

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the last Friday Feature of July and the last in our month-long series featuring the work of a very special artist. In a sense, we've saved the best for last, because this one is the showpiece. Since we were blessed with an extra Friday this month, to go along with our blue moon, today we're bringing you a piece that exists in the company of what is now an equally rare and yet still-powerful spirit.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, shares of the site links are much needed and welcomed with our thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Section V, Chapter 6; First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

She stares somberly at the sunrise, the dawn sky rapidly revoking its earlier promise of clouds and cooler air.

Ghosts want their stories told. Too often, everyone else wants to keep them silenced.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#TBT: Stone as Shell and Salvation

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a trip back seven years, to a special stone and an especially powerful spirit. It's the one and only turtle he's ever made in the form of a cuff (although he's created many others in a variety of formats). It's also a one-of-a-kind piece, thanks to that stone (although he can always make a unique version with a different stone, one designed especially for you).

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. And, as always, shares of the site links are much needed and welcomed with thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Section V, Chapter 5; First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. 

There is no sleep anymore, no rest; there are only dreams.

When ghosts are forced to walk, they are often forced to carry righteous anger along with them on their journey. Sometimes, that anger tells their stories . . . and sometimes, it protects the teller.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Spiraling Path of the Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's Wings's latest: all new, and utterly phenomenal (in every sense of the word). It's magic and mystery, journey and destination, all whirling together in one spiraling path of the spirits. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, shares of the site links are much needed, and much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Section 5, Chapter 4; First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

The rest of the day swirls past in fog, one of wet gray heat, the other of the cacophonous voices on the pages and in her head.

When history finally permits the ghosts to speak, they tell stories of heroism . . . and of harm.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Jewels and Gems: The Fruits of the Earth

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's entry in our ongoing Jewels and Gems series. Today, it's a stone of summer, one that evokes the colors of the fruits of the earth (and of the earth itself). The earrings sold years ago, but the small cabochons remain available in Wings's inventory of stones, as does the large cab shown near the end of the post. If it's a stone that speaks to you, he can create something just for you; simply inquire via the Contact form.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, shares of the site links are much needed and much appreciated.

On a programming note, my appearances beyond regular postings will be scattered this week, and those may occur later than usual in the day. We began irrigating again yesterday evening, and that will consume most of the week, particularly for Wings, which means that (migraine notwithstanding) I'll be picking up tasks in other areas. My e-mail is still being held hostage regularly, so the most effective ways of reaching me at this point are through the site Contact form, or FB and Twitter DMs. What I can promise is that for tomorrow's post, I'll have a new and and absolutely stunning piece by Wings for the day's featured item.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Section 5, Chapter 3; First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015;
all rights reserved.

An icy wind stings her skin like tiny needles.

Ghosts pay visits via many bridges and paths, some in this world, some in another.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: A Palette of Place

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's our Monday Photo Meditation for the last week of July. This week, our focus is on color and hue: on the blues and greens and browns and golds that are the colors of the season in this place that we call home.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, photos are available for purchase in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the Contact form on the site. Also as always, shares are much needed and appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Igniting the Air, Birthing the Rain

Photo copyright Aji, 2015;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the final entry in this week's Wednesday/Weekend series highlighting Wings's own work. As with yesterday's featured item, these are brand new, completed only yesterday. They are also my own brand-new favorite, a work that speaks to me at levels and in ways that defy my ability to articulate them.

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

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Section 5, Chapter 2; First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

The marsh hawk coasts just within sight on the currents of a burning blue sky. 

He is harbinger and escort simultaneously, the sign of ghosts about to rise up, and the one who midwifes their resurrection.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Fall of Water and Sky

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's what I promised you earlier: Wings's latest, completed only this morning. It's also something in keeping with the week's theme, incredibly high-grade material that's wholly elemental. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, shares of the site links are very much needed and welcomed with thanks. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

What we're working on:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Yes, he raised that one on his own. The one still on the ground to his left was far heavier yet, and it took both of us to do it (with me in a skirt, no less).

With any luck, today they get set permanently.

Of course, this means that other things are necessarily delayed. Today's Hunger Road installment is already done and linked in the post immediately below this one. As I indicated on Wednesday, Wings has several new pieces in the works; a couple of them will be finished today. I'll be bringing you one of them in today's post at The NDN Silver Blog later on this afternoon; the other one, in tomorrow's. 

In the meantime, I have stalls to muck out and a great many other tasks to complete. I hope one of them involves getting the tar paper and mortar set around those posts. I'll see y'all in a few ours.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Section V, Chapter 1; First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Shafts of light knife through the crevices of the old gray wood, vantage and angle rising rapidly, setting the dust adance in furiously shimmering spirals.

Sunlight resurrects and exposes ghosts of all sorts. Sometimes, it makes it possible to hear their voices, in their own words.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Back to Hunger Road. Introduction to Section V; First Line:

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

When the rock is rolled away, more than empty space emerges from the void.

Sometimes resurrection brings with it more than the ghosts themselves.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Earth, Animated and Alive

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's our Friday Feature, and this week's entry continues with recent themes in an especially striking way. It's a work that is itself a gift of the earth in multiple ways, at once beautiful, animated, subversive, and wholly alive.

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

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Someone joined me at morning prayers today.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

It's hard to tell from the photo, awash as she is in brilliant sunlight, but she's a young kestrel. None of her clan has visited here in six years.

Since we mostly don't reckon the meanings of the visitations of animal spirits by specific characteristics (despite what you'll read and hear elsewhere), I had to look up what the alleged "meaning" of Kestrel is. Supposedly, she's a sign of the knowledge of when and the ability to strike: fast and clean and surgical, a harbinger of the ability to recognize and seize opportunity.

It doesn't feel very true, but after a six-year absence, after a week filled with markers, an appearance in this time and place? Who knows?

_______________________________________________________

Update: For those following my writing elsewhere: Tomorrow, we return to Hunger Road. And one of our words for kestrel translates roughly to . . . marsh hawk.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#ThrowbackThursday: Creating the World

Photo copyright Aji, 2015;
all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The Indian Silver Blog, but today, we're going back in time only two to three months. Today's piece was a special commission, one born out of a recent blog post at Wings's site, and one in which he recreates the world in miniature.

The stones like the one in today's featured piece are, of course, sui generis; there's no replicating them. If it speaks to you, however, Wings can certainly use one of these gifts of the earth itself to create a piece just for you, it's power and symbolism uniquely yours; simply inquire via the Contact form. 

The post itself is here. Wings's main page is here. And, as always, shares of the site links are very much needed, and equally appreciated.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

It is the Grandmothers and Grandfathers . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

who create the world in elemental skies.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Lines

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Some markers are lines in the sand, less between self and other than between soul and universe. Some are barriers, breaks against outward harm; others are openings to let the spirit grow and stretch.

I've had reminders and repetitions of both the last few days.

The day before yesterday was an anniversary of the barrier sort, a closing of a door, partway, at least, on one chapter of my life. Simultaneously painful and still a release, the original date, now nearly a decade ago, is a door that refuses to stay shut, much less locked. More, it's less door than open barrier, like the one shown above; the memories and the fallout seep in and around and through, despite my best efforts, periodically, at slamming it shut again.

It doesn't make for a good week, even at the best of times.

Today was a marker of a different sort: a reminder of what may turn out to be the most important day of my life, at least in one regard, although I had no way of knowing it then. That date goes back even further, and it's nothing short of a miracle, a gift of Spirit, that it remains an open portal, one allowing for evolution and expansion, for good things. 

Still, lines are disruptive; they command attention and demand thought and memory. They require much, and what they give in return is not always welcome. 

Two days ago, it was a marker of a sun setting upon a life.

Today, it's a marker of the beginnings of emergence, of coming into the light. It has not been an easy climb, with many stumbles and even falls along the way, and while the opening is in view, it remains out of reach.

But for once in my life, I'm not climbing the ladder alone.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A World Beyond the Reckoning of Time

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Recently, we've devoted Wednesdays at The NDN Silver Blog to featuring brand-new works by Wings. Today, however, we're returning to an existing piece. [Don't worry; he has several other new works in various stages of completion. I'll bring those to you as they're finished.] For this week, we're continuing our theme of the gifts of the earth, and in subtly spectacular fashion. This cuff has always been one of my favorites, one of those works whose power you can feel upon your wrist.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. And, as always, shares of the site links are very much needed (never more so, in fact), and very much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The world's own air . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

midwifes the birth of elemental skies.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Take one of those; whack it right down the middle.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

That's how I feel right now.

I can't put it off any longer. Tomorrow, I'll be selling off pieces of myself. Survival.

My heart hurts.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The breath of the world, . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

the bodies of the spirits, at play in the elemental skies.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Jewels and Gems: An Indigenous Gift of the Earth

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's entry in our ongoing Tuesday series on Jewels and Gems. Today's featured gem is one that is, in terms both local and literal, a truly indigenous gift of the earth. It's also one of my favorites, one I've been holding off on covering until now, when it could be paired with other "earthy" entries like the photographic one from yesterday.

The post itself is here. Wings's main page is here. The pieces featured in today's entry have all long since sold, but he does have a few more staurolites in his gemstone inventory, so if this beautiful bit of stone and its symbolism speak to your spirit, use the Contact form to inquire. He can make a unique piece all your own. And, as always, shares of the site links are very much needed and are welcomed with our thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

I Need to Make It Rain

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Everything will be late today. I mean everything.

I'm battling still-bottlenecked e-mail and yet another migraine. I've spent most of July with both, and no, there's nothing for it except to ride it out. Same with the autoimmune pain that has spiked again. Same with the constant underlying fear that accompanies a lousy economy and the attendant lack of sales; it never ends, it's always there hovering, and so is the fear that the bottom can drop out even further at any moment. I hate living in fear, but that's the state of things in this society.

Before anyone says it:  Yes, there are a few items newly marked "sold." You know why? Family obligations. A great many of the things that get marked "sold" are actually gifts, whether as part of cultural traditional responsibilities or as ordinary gifts to someone who needs something. We do that a lot, without talking about it. But I'm mentioning it now, because there's always someone to say to me privately, "But you've sold X, Y, and Z." There are things that need to be done, and they get done. And it often means a financial loss. Which is fine, but right now, I need to drum up some gains to counterbalance all the red in the ledger.

All posts will be late today. Maybe only a little; maybe a lot. In the meantime, I need our friends to share two links: Wings's site; and my Patreon link. Because truly, I cannot do it by myself; there isn't enough of me to go around. I'm doing everything I can to make it rain. Believe me, I'm doing everything I can think of and more, but there's a limit to my own solitary reach.

Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: Things of the Earth

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's our Monday Photo Meditation, and today, it's a return to the things of earth by way of three of my all-time favorite images by Wings. These three were an integral component of his one-man show last year, and their reasons for inclusion were fundamental to the identity and nature of the exhibition itself.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The photos, all signed, matted, and framed, remain available for purchase, and signed and numbered 8"X10" prints (photo only; no matting or framing) are available for $100 each + s/h/i. If you're interested in purchasing one in either format, simply inquire via the Contact form. 

Business has been extremely slow for this time of year (all over the area; even the area's biggest bookstore, an institution here for decades, has gone out of business), and I cannot emphasize enough how badly we need shares of the site links right now. If you have testimonials to share, those help, too. Thanks in advance, from both of us.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

To dance in a volcanic eruption . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

in elemental skies.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Elemental Forces, Kept to Hand

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, as promised, it's the companion piece to the work featured yesterday. It's also one of my favorites, a near-perfect work in design and execution, and one that embodies some powerful imagery.

The post itself is here. Wings's main page is here. We need sales, so please share the site links with your networks. Thanks.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Dunes of earth and air, fire and water . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

in a scape of elemental skies.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Oppositional Elements and Magnifying Spirits

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

It's Saturday, which means that it's time for the second entry in our Wednesday/Weekend series at The NDN Silver Blog, our weekly series featuring complementary works by Wings himself. Today, it's the first of a pair of existing pieces that coordinate beautifully, in substance and in spirit alike, with Wednesday's brand-new work. The second of the pair will be featured tomorrow.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Shares of the site links are very much needed right now, and very much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The wind and the willows . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

all bow before elemental skies.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Thunderbird rising . . .

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

in elemental skies.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Small Earth Spirits

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

It's this week's Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a twofer: small earth spirits embodied in a pair of powerful little miniatures. It's also a bit of a rumination on the role played by such little beings, entirely disproportionate to their modest sizes. The same is true of the quality of the work featured today: tiny, but powerful.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Shares of the site links are very much needed and appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.