mjd - morning intention set into bowl - 2015

as the moon sets

and the sun rises

may i begin my day

awake.

may i move through

each moment

mindfully

lightly 

and with clarity.

mjd - morning intention set into bowl -2015

a heart 

bursting with love,

a mind

propped open,

may i shine

to lessen 

the darkness

of 

another being's

suffering.

mjd - morning intention set into bowl -2015

on things primal

i had the opportunity to work with components made by d'arsie at mamacita beads this week which made me really happy as i have long admired her work in pewter... a friend/neighbor asked me to make her something with a pendant and i got to pick out something too... she chose the good morning pendant for me to work with... having hit a rough patch in her journey, she is learning about herself by working through it, moving forward, being kind to herself... 


there is something about morning that brings hope and optimism... the birdsong that lets you know that first light is imminent... i decided to back the pendant with copper etched with an african proverb:

'however long the night.

the dawn will break.'

my choice in healing stones was howlite and green garnet... 

as for me, i chose the wise mama...

and she is divine... i knew i had to have her... she spoke to me on a deep level and needed to become part of a personal talisman... i had a couple of ideas in my head but nothing was feeling Right... and then, shannon posted her wonderful article on the abs blog - it had to do with creating neck cuffs... i hadn't made them because i thought i had to have a necklace mandrel... shannon freed me from that! my most favorite necklace in the world as a teen was a simple wire that i would put different things on... it got lost somewhere along the way, but i never forgot it... as i read the article, synapses started firing so fast that i had to run upstairs to get my visual journal... and just as quickly started pulling out components... this was a piece that surged out of me, demanding to be born... 


copper wire formed into a cuff... one wise mama... a hammered copper paddle with 'peace' stamped into it & adorned with gaspeite a stone believed to bring spirituality into every day life... a large drop of turquoise - master healing stone... the acorn known for strength, potential, patience... a resin paddle set with a small leaf... and an ethereal enamel bead by barbara lewis - made from glass and fire and metal, but exuding delicacy and earthiness...


fibers wrapping around one piece to represent the threads of life... and all intertwined with steel wire... fragile strength... 


and look at her back - she has the tree of life on it... 

and she's mine!!


* as i thought about this necklace last night and the placement of the wise mama being directly on the base of my throat, i decided to look up the throat chakra... it relates to honesty in expression - whether artistic or personal... hmmm, this is even better than it realized!


happy friday saturday! 

birdsong

'a bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song.'
- maya angelou

it's 5 am, or earlier, and the birds begin to sing... how do you feel?

as i have gotten older, i have learned to just lay there and listen - it makes me feel peaceful... no more groaning because it's earlier than my alarm clock is set for, i now count upon the song to wake me (that and the kitten licking my face because he's up too!)... and i know i am lucky - afterall, it could be car horns or sirens...

this charm by laura flavin at modernbird sums up the whole experience of nature in such a beautiful way... everything is what it is - and is true to its nature ... birds sing, flowers grow, rain falls, there is balance and harmony... this charm and the natural order yearn to keep things simple and beautiful... we are the ones who botch it up... i love the modern vision that laura brings to her pieces - her clean edge is both aesthetic and symbolic (at least it seems to me)... that is then combined with the diversity and beauty of her metalsmithing... i am truly in love with the textures she applies...

i know that soon the symphony will change and added to it will be the small but demanding chirps of hungry mouths... so when i hear the birds sing in the morning, i know that a whole world awaits, a world that doesn't need me... that no matter how my day goes, things will be what they will be, and i find that to be comforting... i'm ready for the day...