I made carrot cake to celebrate our daughter’s first birthday. We all lined up for a taste of sweetness fed by her little hand. I received the necklace four months prior, a gift to mark my first Mother’s Day.
Though being a mother was enough–enough of everything but sleep-Clay gave me this pendant featuring a silver coin of ancient Athens, minted between 449-413 B.C.
Athena was the patron goddess of the city of Athens, and her helmed head is on the coin’s front. Athena was the daughter of Zeus, the most powerful of the Greek Gods, and her mother was Metis, the ancient goddess of prudence. Thus, in Athena, there existed the optimal and harmonious balance of both power & wisdom.
On the coin’s reverse stands an owl. Athena was always accompanied by an owl. She was a warrior goddess and often too occupied to get out and see the larger world. Instead, she sent her owl. Every night the owl flew around the world, returning in the morning with news of the previous day. That’s actually how the owl got associated with wisdom.
Clay saw that my life had changed drastically. With a little baby, I was not going to be traveling around the world as often. So the owl could fly around the world each day and bring me the news from the outer realms.
By the way, it was three years since I wore those pistachio pearls trekking up Sri Pada for sunrise. Our jewelry weaves together all the days and nights we are granted, wherever we are around the world.
