roman toothpicks and cloths to shine your soul with

                                 
                                             

hag stones

hag stones also known as alder stones, witch stones, serpent's eggs, or aggri
are rocks found mostly by water ways with natural holes worn into them. they have been used for centuries in many cultures and are known for possessing magic powers.
hag stones are thought to dispel evil, prevent disease, protect the wearer, and if you gaze through the hole it is believed by some to be a portal into the fairy realm.

there is something about their versatility, strength, and transparency which evokes a kind of curiosity, any collector would be proud to stumble upon these pretties.

                                                   

collected in Muğla province on the fringes of the Aegean sea, Turkey 

an aroma clung to the wind
lifted by the sea
reaching to me
a greeting that lingered long beyond any stretch of time
it whispered
'count moments not aims sculpted by the mind'
and as our earth sprouts so indulgently
the former life sacrificed
an ever bounding rotation
praise the instant
 each inhalation 

seek clarity with the intentions which dance deep within you

allow the cycle of rebirth to sweep through 

releasing each moment with a new

....

a symphony crept from me 

as I stitched together bird calls and discarded brick clinks

surrounded by mounds of wings 

once swept by the breeze

engulfed in a meadow of magic plants 

that when steeped cure disease

....

its a place where jaw bones rest in the river bed 

writing stories never bothered to be read

....

small steps

highlighting one elder at a time;

A friend recently shared this saying with me: 'as we inch closer to our death we begin to take smaller steps' 

While contemplating this I chose not to think of these steps as a kind of attempted delay but instead felt that as the years stack upon themselves the feet that have moved through them now know relativity, understand time and have mastered the art of savouring. 

At the moment I am in Turkey where most of the older generations hold the traditions intact and as the weeks go by and I make my rounds traveling this region I will devote my respect to these gems who have endured the joys of life through producing, selling, creating and well, just living... 

small steps 1: basket man

This man claimed to have a need for creating these wonderful baskets, said it gave him a mind of peace which would otherwise be anxious and rambling. He was proud of the fifty years spent with his wife and also lit up when his son appeared. He was my momentary idol with his patchwork pants and authentic patena... simply weaving the moments.

Spread love!

Love is the negation of all thought and effort,

You are innately love.

Love is the content of your true self, 

What you are beneath everything else, 

so dust off your heart and

Let it shine!

                                       

Use your hands, they're for creating magic. 

Everything is whispering to you. 

In that whisper is an invitation to become a translator, asking you to insert fragments of divine into this world. A reminder that you are a master whose duty is to manufacture grandeur. Go forth and shine, get twisted into existence, let your spirit fly and allow the direction you are sent to be your joy...

glance 

upon 

awakened 

dreams

fill my moments with gloomy skies so I can walk in the drops, drink spicy milk in an arched alley refuge, listen to the song of liquid surroundings and make pictures of the golden orb hiding in the clouds with its light constantly bounding... 

tiny steps to invite the dynamic:

create a style of exploration, keep a record through drawings, photos, writing or collecting objects

places to discover..

 .meander in the woods 

.visit a shop of antiquity

.browse a local art gallery

.dip your feet in a rushing spring

.take a cozy, introspective foot bath 

.eat a foreign cuisine

.meditate(there is a bounty of treasure just in you) 

and the list goes on!

project: exotic rag doll
in the spirit of loving, sharing and representing unity I have for quite a while now been posting art for the public eye. My favorite endeavor so far has been the mini rag dolls crafted from discarded string and cutoffs from my custom tailoring. I bind them up in the mind of love and peace, adorn them with eyes(usually rusty roadside rings) and whatever other embellishment that may be near by, lingering. They are then taken to the streets and a conspicuous place is found for someone to stumble on to the special little devotion beast. With most I try and include an inspiring message, intricate poem, few word positive boost or just the doll itself.

  

forecasted loneliness

dissected innocence

pinned up for display

reiterate

a space beyond

the flutter of eyelashes

holographs distract us

become architectural masters

drafters of the ornate

release the weight that matter creates

and waltz with vibrations

Akbük,Türkiye

My first english conversation in weeks! I was daring myself to enter the glisteny turquoise water when on my way in were some british children half submerged. I questioned them about the ominous black patches near by to which they replied, in their proper accents: 'it's only a miniature kelp forest'  This was a Pandora's box for their adorable babble, after sometime and much to my surprise I came to find that they were highly informed about the sea... yet soon after they had enchantingly inflated my imagination with all the childish rants about pirates, parrot fish and undersea islands filled with music treasure, not gold, but music! their father came along and dropped the anvil, all of this was a recitation from a television show and we were only on episode 3 out of 100, they've seen them all....

serve love not replacements 

I'm not meaning that there is no love in a family unit that sets their child in front of a screen every now and again but when you understand how much of a sponge a tiny, developing mind is the closest influence should be the ones just near. Mom and pop could craft tales of the sea and maybe even ask for some 5 year old assistance to fill in the blanks with their own cerebral creativity, through pictures or on going story telling with the ever so addicting cliffhanger. Life should be an interaction, not a reaction, the constant strive for entertainment supplements is a pirate to the magic that we all have the ability to create.

                         
deep jewel

rich with salty breath

ancient pillars mimic

divinity; astronomic

sanctuary compelled

by the instant

continuously dwell

in a wildcrafted crown

of passion

Temple of Apollo, Didyma, Turkey                       

old town; just behind the train tracks,

where stray cats hover over dumpsters

and tiny dirt streaked gypsies play tag along stone streets.

Nazilli, Aydin, Turkey

turn up the heat on your exotic coffee

let the foam roam deep, heavenly

into drenched bellies

pry open third eyes

for a faint whisper devised: "there's rainbows inside"