By Land “Lord give me strength.” How many times have you heard someone say that? Implicit in that statement, we are reaching to the Divine Spirit for reinforcements. When you think of strength there are few things stronger than metal. So for our first charm let’s consider metal’s role in spirituality. Metal and metalsmithing play are important in traditional West African society, culture and spirituality. The idea of transforming a mundane, stiff material into something useful, is an act of alchemy that is treasured—it is nothing short of magic(k)al. The admiration for the transformative properties the metal-smith and all that goes into the process, led to a wealth of traditions within Hoodoo. Two of the objects that are the subject of the most lore are horseshoes and nails. ...
The virtual studio of author and artist Stephanie Rose Bird brings together artistic process and reflection with the literary arts, in a manner that is designed to be instructive and inspirational.