Although the gift box is complete, i can’t post pictures yet, as it’s a surprise.  However, i CAN post pictures of the next project….a ritual box for Sekhmet.

the designs are done, and the transfers made.

the burning has begun.  Thank goodness.  I missed it.

The box owner wanted an elemental theme along the edges.  Earth, air, fire, water…pretty standard.  How to make it special?  Then i realized the elements should probably ones that Sekhmet would recognize…water could be the Nile River…in the North, we could have palm trees….i drew up a draft and showed it to her

she liked the idea, but wanted to change some things.  Not palm trees….sand dunes?  Could we have camels?  Yes, we could.  And what about the corners?

i’m a fan of the cross quarters.  From a logical perspective, mud for example, would go in the northwest, very fertile, protective in its own way, somewhere around 9 or 10 pm maybe, right on the fall equinox, final harvest finishing up or done…a time to reflect on accomplishments and prepare for the coming winter.

we talked about them and came up with the following….northwest would be the lotus, a plant that grows in water.

Southwest would be the cobra, which swims in water, but has a lethal bite like fire.  Sticking with the Egyptian themeing, we wanted something a little heirgoglyphic looking, but not limited to a side view.

Southeast would be phoenix, creature of air and fire.

but northeast…?  I found a heiroglyph of birds fling out of some lotus plants, but the image didn’t match the others.  She asked about Time….could Time be a creature of the northeast?

i thought so.  From the home of the mysteries to the land of ideas, what is there but time?  Untouchable, like air, but relentless and touches us all, like earth….when we are undone, time sends us back to the earth where we came.  And the symbol would be an hourglass, wouldn’t it?

and the i realized the sand in the glass could be the sand in the dunes, and it all came full circle.