Defense

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The living are careless. Negligent. They fool themselves into believing that what they cannot see can’t hurt them. That if they cannot see it, it does not exist. 

That there is no reason to be afraid of the dark.

They could not be more wrong.

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.

#ThrowbackThursday: Silver, Sky, and Sunrise

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog*, and today, it's a trip back in time eight years to a small spirit of the earth of this place, one who embodies silver, sky, and sunrise. It was one of Wings's extraordinarily simple works, a barrette of spare design, but it carried a complex spirit known to our peoples as a messenger of love, and of more powerful spirits.

The post is here*. Wings's main page is here. This one sold some six or seven years ago, but if it speaks to your own spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so share of the site links are much appreciated.

* In actuality, this is currently posted immediately below, on this site. Yesterday, our host's server company executed a hardware change that downed our site until the early hours of this morning, wiping out some posts in the process. While awaiting the file restore, I can't post over there, so today's post will remain here until NDN Silver is back fully online, at which point I will transfer that post to its proper location and unpublish it here.  The site is back up (for the moment, at least. The post to which this one points has been transferred to The NDN Silver Blog, and the links above have been edited accordingly.



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.

Something Shiny

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

My robes are the color of the night; my eyes, the color of the light.

According to the old way, they do not define me.

In the old tongue, the one of the people first of this place, my name means “One Who Gathers.”

Gathers together.

Gathers things.



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 Foundation of People and Place

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the most recent in one of Wings's signature series, one that embodies a foundation of people and place. This one invokes the spirits of the rain, spirits that will no doubt visit us today to cool the earth of land and village walls alike.

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.

Butterfly

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

But today, this season of camouflage is also a chrysalis.

Today, I wear diamonds.

Today, I am the butterfly.


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: Things of the Earth: A Solid Foundation

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's our last June entry in our Indigenous Arts series. Today, we wrap up the month's theme of things of the earth with a look at figurative works that form a solid foundation for our children, communities, and cultures.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Many of the works featured in the post remain available for purchase; simply inquire 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.

Reason to Sing

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

A week into the summer season, and our world is hot and humid. At the moment, the air has cooled the slightest bit, thanks to a passing storm that delivered no more than a few sprinkles, but plenty of clouds and wind.

That alone is reason enough to sing.

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: Foundational Stories

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for this Monday at the midpoint of the year, a time to reflect on the foundational stories of our existence. In this place, they are substance and spirit alike, linking past, present, and future together, all standing strong in the light.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The photo 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.



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.

Air Conditioning

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

For my part, I will sit here and breathe in the heavy wet air conditioning of the outdoors, while we all wait for the night rains.

But I will watch.

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.

To Shape a Wakened World

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work to shape a wakened world. It's a pair of earrings in the form of the trees who mediate the space between earth and sky, and the dreams that sustain them through all seasons.

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.

No Shortcuts

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

This is an old place, one haunted by unquiet spirits that preceded our own arrival — kin and clan, to be sure, our ancestors, some . . . but their lives fell victim to the same willfulness, the same headstrong and foolhardy behavior that has damned us all.

There are no shortcuts.

We, of all people, should know this.



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.

Upon the Earth, at the Center of the Storm

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that embodies forces that we are able to perceive only when they appear in combination with other elements. It's also a reminder that we are able to survive, to stand strong and sure upon the earth, even at the center of the storm.

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.

Standing Watch

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It is the old way, the way of the spirits, from a time when we all had invisible protectors.

We are kin and clan after a manner of speaking. I am a strong spirit too, a fierce protector with powerful sight, and I am adept at making myself invisible.

And each morning, I am standing watch.



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: Things of the Earth, and Cultivating Thanks

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, and this week, it's a look at things of the earth as tools of and for the spirits, reminders to us of the need to cultivate a life of harmony and balance and thanksgiving. At this time of year, when our days are punctuated by extremes of temperature and weather, they hold reminders, too, of our responsibility to the earth and to future generations.

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 share 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.

In Plain Sight

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

I am sheltered in the branches beneath this pale sky, but I know that this watercolor is deceptive, not the soft place it appears, but one in which the light is a living thing.

Like other things.

And so I choose my place carefully, choose the concealment of existence in plain sight.



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.

#ThrowbackThursday: The Sacred Space of the Heart

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a trip back eight years to a work that embodies the landscape of the heart. It's a piece that pulled together motifs very personal to Wings's own tradition in a complex and cohesive form, a union of elements that illustrated the concept of the heart as sacred space.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. This piece sold in 2009, if memory serves, but if the style speaks to your spirit, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can make 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 Wings and Aji, 2016; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Spun Into Gold

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

We who were the original tools of emergence have now emerged ourselves once again. We stand in the light, and the light transforms us.

From wood, we are spun into gold.

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.

To Live Our Days In Sacred Space

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work inspired by the ancestral place and sacred space in which we live. This land is a primary source of Wings's inspiration, and today's featured piece is an example of the ways in which our world and its spirits infuse his art.

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.

Deep Roots

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

We are kindred spirits, she and I, with deep roots and a long reach. 

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: Things of the Earth: Standing On Ceremony

Photo copyright Wings, 2016;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's entry in our series on Indigenous Arts, continuing with our month-long theme of the things of the earth. This week, it's the Pueblo's own micaceous pottery as act and actor in ceremony, along with a few variations on the themes in question.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Several of the works featured today remain available for purchase; simply inquire 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.

Illumination

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

For now, I am become the Eye of Spirit, weeping tears not of sadness, but of sunlight. On this, the longest day of the year, it is my task to shine a little longer, a little more brightly, on the world and spirits of Hunger Road. 



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: Earth As Sacred Space

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for the Solstice, for this day in which we cross the threshold from spring to summer. It's also a reflection on earth as sacred space, both the larger spirit that we call our Mother and the microscopic grains of sand and dust that collectively form the ground beneath our feet.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The framed version of this photo sold a couple of years ago, but it remains available for purchase in the form of unframed large and small signed prints; simply inquire 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.

A Twilight Season

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

We are twilight, unquiet spirits who speak silently together in color and shade, in light and shadow. 

We will return tomorrow, to bring the Summer night.



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.

No Stilled Life: Seeds on the Last Day of Spring

Image attribution: Left, cover art,
Anna Burdette; right, unknown.

Stilled lives, stilled life, still life . . . life stilled?

What do you do when your world comes to screeching, grinding halt, and yet it still expects you to keep moving?

I've been there. It's a singularity of sorts, one in which you feel yourself being sucked into a black hole while the weight of the universe camps out on your chest. It's a succubus, draining your own life force to animate its own void. In my language, we have a different word for that succubus, but its insatiable greed is the same.

A friend of mine (and of some of you who are reading this right now) has that weight camped out on her chest right now. It's an invasive, colonizing thing, one you never invite but it crashes through the door anyway and makes itself at home, taking the fat, using up all your resources, then badgering you for more even as it demands to know why you don't have anything left.

Here's the thing: We can help her get rid of it. We can help her keep moving forward and free, in spite and defiance of that colonizing succubus. On this last day of spring, we can provide a little seed money to keep her life growing and going strong.

First, though, I want to introduce you to my friend, want you to get to know her as I do. Then I want you to join us in giving her a hand.

For those of you who frequent the Great Orange Satan, you already know her as gchaucer2. She diaries only occasionally, but when she does, it's usually brilliant. She's a prolific commenter and builder of community, but she's also a woman after my own heart: smart and shrewd and incredibly salty, one who neither suffers fools nor misses an opportunity to skewer bigotries petty and grand alike. Her love of grand irony burns bright, and she has an acid wit as sharp as a scalpel, and as deadly, too. She's one of the few people I know whose language is as . . . umm, publicly colorful as mine — well, okay, not really, because it's hard to beat my own mouth on that score, but we're kindred spirits in our love of a good soul-cleansing epithet — and we share a certain similarity of background. I come from a thoroughly assimilated fundamentalist environment; she is the beautiful woman Wings refers to as "that hot ex-nun."

I'm going to tell you more about this woman whose spirit I love so dearly, but before we make the jump, I'm going to post two ways to help her out right here:

Donate via PayPal at stilledlives2 [at] gmail [dot] com.
Buy her book, Stilled Lives: The T-Town Murders, here. 

A note for those donating via PayPal: Please be sure to select the "Send money to friends or family" option, so that she does not lose a percentage of your donation to servicing fees.

Now, over the jump:

To Spare a Prayer for Rain

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's recent works that embodies the gifts of the earth even as it holds the talismanic spirit of the rain. On this last day of spring, it's a spiraling vortex of jeweled nuggets that assumes the form of the summer storm.

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.

Momentum

Momentum is a funny thing: Like the hawk’s flight, it seems to occur of its own volition, and yet it is the springboard that dictates its force, its length, its trajectory.


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.

The World Around Us

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that links shimmering earth and spiraling sky in the sacred hoop. Calling upon the Medicine of Bear, it's a piece that reminds us of the beauty of this near-summer season, and of the power and protection of the world around us.

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.

Disguises

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

They say the light illumines, but it conceals, too.

It is the perfect disguise — hiding, as the saying goes, in plain sight.

I remain myself, a small spirit who arrives each spring from the south, but when I sit atop this pole, I become a warrior, armored in 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.

Friday Feature: Earth's Identity, Water's Purpose

Photo copyright Aji, 2016;
all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a look at a work steeped in elemental tradition. It's a wedding of earth and water where earth's identity dominates, but the purpose is all water's own.

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.

Nesting

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It is the nesting season.

I will soon have my own unquiet spirits in need of food and the shelter and safety of this place. 

* Substitute this place for Hunger Road, and the actions of Wings for those of the woman, and you have nonfiction. My father did rip out nests without a second thought, destroying bird families and breaking my heart in the process. Also without a second thought, Wings gave these beautiful small spirits a safe place to raise their young — yet one more among the infinite number of reasons why I love him. 


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.

#TBT: The World of the Summer Season

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, we go back in time a decade or so to a work that embodies the world of the summer season. On this day, when our air is choked with the smoke of fires far to the south, it's also a hope for safety and a prayer for rain.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The featured piece sold many years ago, but if it speaks to your spirit, Wings can create a version uniquely your own; simply inquire 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.

Grace

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It’s a word that is the color of the bright blue sky and the soft summer air and shimmering beauty of the light, a word that is my path and my presence, and hers as well.

It means 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.

An Infinite Spiral

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work that weds earth and its waters to the heavens above, all by way of the storm. It's a whirlwind that reminds us that life itself shares its form, an infinite spiral of sacred hoops.

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.

Rising Moon

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

The dark hours are mine, a softer, deeper time.

It is a cold job.

Someone has to do it.

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: Things of the Earth: Carrying Water

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's edition of our series on Indigenous Arts, and a continuation of this month's exploration of the things of the earth. Today, we look at the earth's role in carrying water, and how that manifests in the art forms embodied in the Pueblo's traditional micaceous clay.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Some of the works featured in today's post remain available for purchase; simply inquire 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.

Out of My Element

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

I am out of my element.

Oh, the earth is solid enough beneath my feet, but my milieu is the upper world where I can soar.

It’s time to leave the green earth behind, to spring onto the winds and return to my element. 

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: Foundational Elements

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; 
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for what promises to be a very hot and busy Monday here. It's also one that returns us to much more ancient ways of being grounded, reminding us of the foundational elements that form not merely shelter, but identity as well. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. The photo 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 (right now, very 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.

Words

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

It is her task to tell their story, these unquiet spirits, and release them at long last.

Someday, when I am strong enough, I will give her my bark.

For her words.


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.

An Elemental Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2016; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the embodiment of an elemental light on what has dawned as a very dark day indeed. It's a work that weds an earthy past with the light of hope for tomorrow, fire and ice and air combined to shine upon the walls and windows of the village . . . and of our spirits. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. inquiries via the site's Contact form. I'm not even going to bother with the shares request this morning. The news out of Florida has left me heartsick, and our thoughts and prayers are with the people touched by this atrocity. What we'd really like on this morning is to see this country finally get down to the work of grappling with, and then heal, the soul sickness of bigotry that has always been one of its prime animating forces. That will require a great deal of light.



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.

The Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2016; all rights reserved.

I am the light, and I have overseen this place before anyone knew of it but I.



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.