Animals and plants and directions and elements, that’s my inspiration typically and it’s no different here.

I started working on this design a few weeks ago, just picking it up, doodling a little, putting it down, picking it up… D was sitting beside me for much of it so this project will always have a bit of his energy in it and always tug my heartstrings more than I thought it would. I made a lot of progress on my trip but much of it is still in my head. I worked on it on my first full day on the coast in the sun.

Each side of the box will have a corresponding plaque with an animal and a plant. The longer sides of the rectangular box will have smaller plaques with either viney stuff or witchy stuff like cauldrons or the like…

The lid is still puzzling me a bit. I like what I have but I’m still not sure how it works with the sides, which I love…

I was sitting there on the beach in the sun gazing into the universe and this bird, a bird I didn’t recognize, flew into my field of vision and then hovered there staring at me. Its body position was unusual as it was facing me the way you would see an angel hovering over you with wings spread out to the sides. The bird did this for probably 10 seconds. I just watched with my mouth in an O and felt blessed. Immediately after this blessing came to me. I made a note about the bird on the page in the above photo so I would remember it. This blessing will be on the inside of the lid of the box. To some it will be obvious that it is based on some of the elemental blessings/exorcisms from many witchcraft traditions but this was very personal to me. It makes me cry a bit because I was thanking the Goddess for the love she brought me even though my heart was, and still very much is, breaking.