The computer is beginning to behave again, and I am getting to those new listings...more pieces are on the way, both here and on Etsy! Including two more drawings!
:: SALE In My Etsy Shop::
I'm back from Colorado and have decided to have a surprise sale in my Etsy shop! It's time to clear out the old items and clear the energy, so everything has been marked down significantly. Some of the older pieces have been reduced a great deal. If you have had your eye on something, now is the time to claim it as your own, because some of the items will be going away after this. The sale will run to the end of November. Have fun!
:: 3 Mountains -- 3 Days ::
Last week I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday visiting three spectacular mountains in succession, to do ceremony and reconnect with these great Beings. The mountains are ones I've been working with spiritually and shamanically for a few years now: in New Mexico, the Sandia Mountains above Albuquerque and Mt. Taylor near Grants; and in Arizona, the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. These three are aligned in a straight line that runs east to west, a fact that I discovered only after I began our work. In the Andean tradition in which I was initiated, the spirits of nature are central and mountains and their spirits, known as Apukuna, figure very strongly. The process I've been led to use is probably much less formalized, as I work directly with the nature intelligences, or Devas, that overlight the mountains, although I suspect that what we call Devas and what Peruvians call Apukuna are one and the same. I make offerings and share and move energy with the mountains themselves, and help maintain a conduit of energy that connects them, which in Peru is called a ceque.
Why work with mountains when I am such a "desert person"? The Devas that overlight the mountains watch over entire regions, as the influence of the mountains' energy extends well beyond the mountain itself. In this way these intelligences help manage the energy flows on the Earth, as well as those coming to the planet from elsewhere. They also help the evolution and quality of life, including the human, so what they do affects us very directly. My spiritual/shamanic work is centered around working with these energies as they arrive on the planet and are distributed around it, and it is in this capacity that I work with the mountains. And...these mountains are in the desert, after all.
I started with our mountain, the Sandias, a magnificent wedge of upthrust granite and limestone towering above the Rio Grande Valley. I see and connect to the Sandias every day from my studio, and have come to know this mountain as a benign guardian presence. From my secluded perch on the crest I looked westward, directly along the ceque connecting the peaks. For each mountain ceremony, I opened my mesa, or shaman's bundle, along with three sets of stones from Peru, each of which has been attuned to one of the mountains.
The next day I packed a bag and headed out on I-40 to Mt. Taylor. It was another warm, brilliant day, but I still needed a jacket in the wind up there. I only saw one other person up there on the jeep trail. Mt. Taylor is an ancient stratovolcano, and I returned to a spot high in a spine-like outcrop in the caldera for my work. Like the Sandias and San Francisco Peaks, Mt. Taylor is a sacred mountain to the tribes in the region. To the Navajo it is Tsoodzil, the sacred mountain of the South.
I find the Deva of Mt. Taylor to be a distinctly feminine being, whose vast, calm presence holds the land around in balance and beauty. I have come to associate this lovely mountain with the stars and the color blue. It is also a mediating influence along the corridor of energy. The quality of energy here is stronger than in the Sandias, more intense...it may have something to do with it being a volcano.
After completing our work, I bumped back down the very rough track and continued on towards Flagstaff. The Navajo sacred mountain of the West, the San Francisco Peaks are much farther out along the line, and I always love watching them appear on the horizon on approach from the east. Alas, when I got to Flagstaff (hoping to quickly find a room and then dinner at Beaver Street Brewery), it was sheer pandemonium. The streets were full of traffic and when I tried to check into a hotel I learned it was Homecoming weekend and there were no rooms left in town. So...I got back in the car and drove down to Sedona for the night. That little detour turned out to be full of very serendipitous happenings and it was made clear to me that I was meant to be there...at this point I've just learned to go with it. The next morning I watched the sun rise on Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, and then drove up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff and the mountain.
Another spectacular day. The circumstances were very different here, though, as the heights are closed to vehicular traffic and the closest I could get without a long hike (which I was in no shape to do) was the Snowbowl at the end of the road on the western flank. This is a gorgeous area, at about 9500', and as you can see the aspens were at their peak, and I think everyone in the state had come to see them. Privacy was a major concern, so I walked out across the meadow and considered where to go, as I did want to be able to see the peaks while we were working. As I stood there a large hawk, which had been circling over the trees, flew straight out to me, did a U-turn, and then flew back over to the forest: Follow me. So I did, and found a cathedral-like grove of aspens that framed a view of the peak. Exquisitely beautiful.
Again, this mountain was quite different. My first encounter with it was challenging, almost austere, but this time I felt truly welcomed and at home. Also volcanic, the San Francisco mountain is a tremendously powerful receiver of energy coming onto the planet, and overlights a huge area in service to all life. This exchange felt more like an initiation than work, and I came away feeling greatly blessed.
Not a human soul came in sight during the entire time I was there. When all was complete, I packed up my mesa and the mountain's stones for the last time and made the long drive home with much to think about. This work will continue as I learn and remember and grow along the path. It was a great privilege to be able to visit these magnificent beings.
By the way, if you are curious about learning more about Devas and working with the subtle realms in general, I highly recommend David Spangler's excellent, clear, and very grounded books, in particular Subtle Worlds: An Explorer's Field Notes, and the sequel Working With Subtle Energies. David was a founding member of the renowned Findhorn Garden. If you want to explore the Andean shamanic tradition, I recommend Masters of the Living Energy by Joan Parisi Wilcox. It's the best overall book on the subject I've found.
:: Copper Sage ::
Something warm as an autumn sunset in the high desert, this one is new for you today. Tomorrow I will post some photos of my journey of mountain ceremonies from the last three days.
:: Journey Bag ::
The Journey bag is here...
:: It's Been A Busy Week... ::
The last week has been a busy one, with much new work on the way. I just finished a beautiful elk hide journey bag that I began last Monday, and plan to list it here tomorrow. It's a functional bag, all handstitched and beaded, perfect for holding your treasures on walkabouts or outings. I also took a couple of days to create a set of copper metal clay elements, which should be appearing in new pieces soon as well. Between all that and dealing with some family matters that have arisen, my days have been very full.
Last Wednesday was a spectacular fall day and my son, Max, and I went hiking on Cabezon Peak. Cabezon is 45 miles to our northwest--I can see the top of it beyond the west mesa from where I'm sitting in the home office. Cabezon is a massive volcanic plug, the core of an ancient volcano that rises almost 2000' above the Rio Puerco valley, to a height of 7785'. You can climb all the way to the top, but the trail up to the area just below the basalt tower was plenty for me! I brought some copper metal clay and mold making compound with me, and some great pieces came of it. Other than Max nearly stepping on a rattlesnake, it was a great day. Here's a slideshow from our hike...hover over the images and the captions will appear.
Check back tomorrow for the new journey bag!
:: Artifacts ::
I simply love these.
:: From Desert Travels, the Latest Work ::
My new pieces follow the tracks of desert sojourns...enjoy!
:: More Amber For Fall Equinox...! ::
...and here is the wand!
:: Amber for Fall Equinox! ::
The new amber talismans are here! I also have a ceremonial wand adorned with amber, which will be listed soon...Happy Fall Equinox everyone...here's to cooler weather!
:: Chaco Medicine Bag ::
This little one took a while to manifest, but it's a delightful piece!
:: Exquisite Artifacts and Hand-Knotted Pearls ::
One of the best pieces I've made this year. Enjoy...
:: New Talismans ::
Here's a new talisman for you today, and I have another one ready for tomorrow...
:: Down To Earth ::
Here they are, those luscious Spirit Beads I've been promising. This is a marvelously earthy set. I almost kept it because I love the amber so much.
:: Canyon Rim Necklace ::
I have this wonderfully earthy and organic pendant necklace for you today. There is also a great new set of Spirit Beads waiting, but I won't be able to get it listed for a few days.
There was a strong storm here last night, water leaked in, and we have three rooms with soaked carpets (including my new studio carpet), and are dealing with the cleanup today. This weekend I have a class to attend, so look for them early next week.
:: A Blessing Bowl ::
I am very happy with this little bowl! I used to make more ceremonial objects and would like to do more of them again...this is the first of the new wave...
:: Ancestral Turquoise ::
This is my finest prehistoric-style necklace to date...truly a treasure!
:: Sandals, Mogollon-Style ::
This is why I haven't listed anything new since last week...on Saturday I took my prehistoric Southwestern ornament-making gear up to the beautiful Valles Caldera Preserve in the Jemez Mountains. They were having a special event and doing demos of primitive earth skills as a part of it. While everyone baked in 100 degree heat down at home, we set up shop under a large tent and enjoyed a day of gorgeous views and weather in the 80s, punctuated by a gentle, cooling thunderstorm.
Nick Jarman, ranger and archaeologist, had cut two large bundles of banana yucca leaves down near Socorro, and was making Mogollon plaited sandals. In many ways, the Mogollon culture was very similar to the Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) culture, but was centered in the mountains and deserts to the south of the Four Corners region, and this particular type of sandal was made by them.
I watched Nick prep the wide, fleshy leaves by bruising them with a stone against a log, but didn't really get to watch the whole process. My enthusiasm must have showed, though, because when the day was over he gave my both bundles of leftover leaves (a LOT of leaves...), handed me a copy of an article about how to make the sandals, and told me to use the leaves in the next couple of days before they dried out.
So, on Sunday morning I took everything out back under the portal, located a couple of appropriate rocks for pounding the leaves, and got to work before it got too damn hot. I had a small stone knife I'd bought from Matt Lewis at the Caldera, so everything was done old-school with primitive tools. It took a while to figure things out, like splitting and trimming the leaves, and splicing, but amazingly the result looked pretty authentic. You start at the toe and then bend the long end over and secure it for the heel; the extra padding provides instep support. Then I used the article's illustrations to do the straps.
This morning was actually cool so I made the other sandal and redid the straps for both. You're supposed to wear them while they're still green and squishy so they'll mold to your foot, but I was in the studio on the new carpet so that didn't happen. As they dry, they will become stiff and turn the familiar basket-brown.
I'm still left with a lot of leaves to process for fibers...but I might try another pair of sandals as well...
Meanwhile, there are several really special prehistoric-style pendants and necklaces to photo and list here and on Etsy, starting tomorrow!
:: Primal Dreaming ::
Here's a new one for you, a very primal piece that I am very happy with. It has that sense of coherency that comes with only the most successful pieces, and a great feeling.
So no, I haven't disappeared from the face of the Earth. After such an intensely busy spring, I took some time off in June to go see Amma and then promptly caught a bad case of bronchitis that was going around the crowds there. I was down for two weeks and ever since then have been in primitive mode, and am really on a roll with it. I have made a number of new pieces using primitive stone tools, handmade yucca fiber cordage, and homemade pitch glue for mosaic adhesive, and spent a day over around Zuni pueblo hunting and gathering raw materials for grinding at the trading posts.
None of these pieces will show up here as yet. Even though I have sworn off doing shows, the flintknapping group received an invitation to do a demo at the Earth Skills Gathering up at the Valles Caldera Preserve on July 23, and I decided to go do a demo of prehistoric Southwestern ornaments. I'll have a wide range of things to sell, from simple stone pendants on yucca cord to the more elaborate pieces, and then I'll list whatever doesn't sell either here or in my Etsy shop.
Other than that, things are quiet here in the high desert. The big heat has set in and we are all awaiting the monsoon rains, which are thus far nowhere to be seen. Eventually they will come, sooner or later.
Stay cool, everyone...!
:: Yucca Cordage Time! ::
Hey everyone, I'm back from an exhausting and amazing few days with Amma. As always, it was an intense time, but filled with the incomparable blessings of my beloved satguru. I like to set aside as much money as I can to spend in her shop, because every cent of the proceeds goes to her many charities and institutions. And since much (probably most) of the materials and labor for the merchandise in her shop are donated, that's a lot of bang for your buck. I want to thank all of you who have supported my work in recent months, and let you know that most of that income went to support those charities.
On Saturday morning before I went up to see Amma, Pueblo artist and archeologist Mary Weahkee was across the river from us at the Kuaua Ruins giving a demonstration of yucca cordage making. I had met her several years ago and was glad to have the opportunity to hone my skills. I took a bunch of pictures and scrawled notes, which I am deciphering in my notebook, and today a roaster pan full of our yucca leaves is simmering in the oven. When they're done I'll prepare the fibers and make some cordage. Eventually I hope to be able to make cordage that is fine and soft enough to be used in necklaces.
So with the advent of summer I am slowing down from the intense pace of the spring, to work on improving my skills, explore some new things and get back to drawing, which I have been missing very much lately. There's a bowl of turquoise on my worktable wanting to go into settings, too! I'll keep you posted.