Sloth, Gluttony And Wrath

The final three rings of my Seven Virtues series have been made for a little while now but it's been a challenge finding the time lately to get to the computer to introduce them.  This exercise in creating these rings has made me ponder each and every one of them - although I don't consider myself a religious person, I do feel that every sin and / or virtue listed in this series deserves some thought and consideration, as we come across them everyday.

Sterling, Banded Onyx

The final three installments are Sloth, Gluttony and Wrath.  

Sloth - when a man, who in his own eyes is more sensible  than the rest of his fellow man as he sits idly by and refuses to labor.  Those who are guilty of physical as well as spiritual laziness are said to reject grace and God.  

Diligence to counteract sloth. 

Sterling, Ocean Jasper

 Gluttony - the over indulgence of food, drink or wealth, an over-consumption to the point of waste and extravagance.  In our consumerist society today, gluttony and greed go hand in hand, 

the counteracting virtue is temperance.

Sterling, Natural Geode Crystal

  

And finally, wrath - an uncontrolled emotion of hatred and anger, also known as rage.  

Violent, blinding and self-destructive, the heavenly virtue for wrath is often easier said than done ..forgiveness.

What we do and how we react on a day to day basis leads us back to one of these cardinal sins and their heavenly virtues - not a day goes by when we don't fall victim to our pride, 

envy those that have what we wish we had, consume more than we need, 

become self seeking in our lust for the unattainable.

Envy, Greed, Pride, Lust, Sloth, Gluttony and Wrath  

Ironically, at the end of the day it is also what makes us human, 

and as long as we make the effort to better ourselves I think we're heading in the right direction and doing alright.  

It's for this reason that I've chosen to stamp the virtues on the inside bands, rather than the sins.  

I believe that it's more important to be reminded of what we should strive for rather than what we need to leave behind.

Made entirely of sterling and various beautiful creations by Mother Nature, these rings will be listed in my little shop later today.  

It's my hope that each and every one of these rings will find themselves with the owner they are meant to be with - and if you miss the chance to claim one, rest assured that there will be others and yours will find it's way to you soon.  Thank you to all of you who have contacted me regarding these rings!

Wear these rings as reminders of goodness.

xo Blue Gnome

Snail Mail Treasures

A lovely little surprise in the post today, a hand written card from Lisa, the winner of my brooch giveaway!  It's such a rare treat these days to receive anything personal in the snail-mail express, I have to say this has certainly made my day!  And the kind words..you are most certainly welcome Lisa and thank you!!

Along with this, some very exciting news of a bundle of joy due in February 2013..congratulations A & B!  And a houseful of visiting relatives from overseas tomorrow..this week has been hectic but 

a wonderful hectic!

I'm hoping to post the last few rings from my Seven Virtues series this week and the beginning of next, then if time permits list them in my shop before our 2 week holidays in beautiful British Columbia.

Must get busy, busy, busy..

What little treasures do you have to look forward to lately?

xo Blue Gnome

A Wink And A Smile.

Yesterday was a tough day. 

A day that I was happy to see the end of and when sleep finally came in the early hours of the morning, I fell gratefully into her embrace.  But it was a restless night and this morning, I found myself awake much too early with creaky bones and an emotional hangover.  As if to mimic my mood, the heavens have presented us today with grey overcast skies, dark storm clouds on stand by, as if waiting for a cue to start raining.  A day when all I want to do is bury my head deeper into the covers and nurse my bruised soul, maybe throw in a little bit of self pity too for good measure.  

Then from the other room, small shuffling noises..a quiet coo and a sigh..then a happy little giggle.  The realization hitting me that my days of hiding in my bed feeling sorry for myself are long gone, I force my legs over the side of the bed and look down at my feet

and wiggle my toes.  

We've come a long way, I say (think) to them, and I'm grateful for you. You've never let me down and when I have a spare minute, I'm going to clean you up and make you look so pretty.  

I promise.  

And so our day begins - as I enter Leo's room I'm met with an ear piercing squeal of delight, his favorite stuffed animal getting thrown every which way as he frantically kicks and waves.  I smile back at him, thinking..when was the last time my mere appearance made someone go berserks like that?  Another squeal..and I laugh out loud, the storm clouds above my head dissipating, gone in search of someone else to rain on.

We came downstairs shortly thereafter and as I opened the door out into the backyard, we were met by a cardinal, singing so loudly and clearly - breathtaking in his vibrant crimson feathered coat.  

Then suddenly, not one but five monarch butterflies fluttered above our heads, around and around, chasing each other playfully not 2 feet from Leo's delighted little face, small hands outstretched.  

And I knew all of a sudden that it was going to be ok.  

Because without the valleys there would be no mountains.  

And the cardinal and butterflies?  

I like to think that it was a reminder, a wink and a smile that for every bad day there are so many good ones.

Wishing you all a glorious week of mountain peaks. 

xo Blue Gnome

Lust

Ah..it's time for one of the biggies.  

Lust.  

Not just associated with sexual longing, it is also the lust for an object. 

The lust for power.  

The lust for bodily fulfillment, not to be mistaken for love.  

An intense longing or desire, so intense that you think of nothing else and become obsessed with attaining it.  

Would it be presumptuous to say that we've all experienced it in some form?  I can say with certainty that I have.  

It consumes you, leaves you disordered and self seeking.  

Derived from the Latin word, castus meaning "pure", the contrasting virtue is chastity.

Sterling, Imperial Jasper

The fourth talisman out of a total of seven, this particular ring is large and showy.  I've chosen a beautiful rose hued imperial jasper, the markings mimic an oozy, thick glaze of crimson desire. 

The patterning seems to coat the jasper, dripping over the edges of..sanity.

Once caught in its clutches, you become but a helpless insect caught in the molasses-like flow of amber.  

It is difficult to break free..chastity to counteract lust.

Wear this ring as protection from lust; may you always choose to be pure of mind, body and soul.

Pride

Sterling, Labradorite

Possibly one of the most well known of all sins - pride is often thought to be the worst sin of all, as it is believed to be the source from where all other sins are born.  

The desire to be more attractive or important than others - failing to acknowledge the work of others and loving oneself more than your fellow man.  The original sin is said to have been committed by Lucifer, son of the morning and an anointed cherub of God, when his pride led him to compete with God himself.  The consequence was his fall from Heaven.  And the rest, we know from there.  

The heavenly virtue to pride is humility.

What more appropriate stone than the labradorite to illustrate such humility - at first glance, this stone looks nothing more than a lump of grey..but from within shines an ethereal glow.  Not showy or obnoxious, it waits quietly for the light to hit it at just the right angle and the result is breathtaking.

For when your heart is pure and your intentions honest, the light will always shine through.  

When sometimes silence speaks louder than words, it's not necessary to always have something to say.  

Humility breeds kindness, and kindness breeds charity.

Wear this ring as protection from pride;  may you never judge a book by its cover.  

Greed

The second piece in my series of rings is dedicated to charity, the counteracting virtue to the sin of greed.  This cardinal sin is the pursuit for wealth, status and power far beyond what is required for survival or comfort.  A sin considered to be directly against fellow man since a person cannot be over abundant in external riches without another man lacking them.


Living in todays indulgent consumerist society, greed runs frequent and rampant.  

Sterling, Druzy

For this particular virtue, I've chosen a beautiful bronze druzy.  

A crystalline formation that occurs when molten rock cools quickly, trapping gasses within.  When nutrient rich ground water flows overtop, it deposits layer after layer of minerals that eventually crystalize.  After hundreds and possibly even a few thousand years, we are gifted by mother nature what you see here..an over abundant example of mineral deposits, a showy side of the usual gentleness of mother earth.

A parallel between the superficial wealth sought after by the greedy, this druzy is but an ordinary quartz beneath it's brilliant, sparkly exterior...the contrasting virtue is charity.

Wear this ring as protection from greed; may you always choose to be charitable in your wealth.


xo Blue Gnome

Envy

I've been working away on several new pieces lately - there are a ton of new ideas swimming around in my head that I can't seem to focus on just one thing to create!  So my shop is quite an upheaval, a complete and utter mess..but trust me, it's a meticulously organized kind of chaos going on down there and I hope to be able to introduce many of those pieces to you soon.

I've been working on a series of rings based loosely on the seven sins - or rather, the seven contrasting virtues.  I feel, more than ever now, the importance of focusing not on the sins of man but on the positive virtues created to counteract them - god knows we need more good these days - 

good deeds, good thoughts..good energy.  

Surrounding ourselves and our loved ones with thoughts of love and ribbons of beautiful white light to cast those shadows away..watching the news lately, there is a serious lack of goodness in the world.  

Actually on second thought, I take that back.  There is plenty of goodness and many people who are good but good deeds don't make the news nearly as often as the tragic and sad.  Why do we not hear of the happiness of falling in love?  The simple act of helping someone cross a busy intersection, giving money to the person who's short a dollar at the cashier without expecting anything in return?  Helping a stranger look for her beloved pet?  

Why are we so obsessed with the darkness?  

Why do stories of anguish and loss captivate us so?

Each of these seven rings, or talismans have been created with love, laughter and a heavy dousing of early morning sunshine.  With every strike of the hammer, a loving memory; every touch of the torch, well wishes and thoughts.  There is magic in these rings - your magic; as each of these rings find their way to the person they are meant to be with.  The words stamped on each band represents the contrasting virtues of a cardinal sin - this particular one kindness to counteract envy.

Sterling, Agate

  

Ah, envy.  It's a sneaky one.  It creeps up on you slowly and surely that you hardly know it's presence until it's got a firm hold of you and your heart.  A constant and agonizing gnawing at your very soul - to want and resent others for what they've accomplished and what they have.  A justification to hate.  

Like a drop of the blackest ink into the purist of pure waters, it has the ability to grow and spread quickly, to make the clear waters murky.  Rational thinking is muddled with envy..the contrasting virtue is kindness.

Wear this ring as protection from envy; may you always have kindness in your heart.

xo Blue Gnome