Am I missing something, or are html formatting not allowed in an lj-cut? My tables get blown away, as do my links. I really would like to be polite and use cuts, really I would. *sighs*
So - yesterday over lunch I went thrifting to see if I could find a box that I could use for a shrine. I like little small intimate things, and even though my hubby knows that I'm heathen as all get out - I like my figments of faith to be - private. Anyhow, I'm thrifting, and I'm wandering around the stroe three or four times looking for just a simple wooden box. I had been to this place a while ago (I love thrifting) and had seen this big silverware display box made of wood that had two doors that swung out, and I thought of what a wonderful shrine it would make. It wasn't in very good condition though, so I didn't buy it. When I went back, I kinda had my eye out for something like that - but it didn't HAVE to be that box. Anyhow! I talk to myself (often) and as I was coming around a corner at the front of the store, I asked myself if it had to be a certain size - and the instant response was 'Nah, it can be any size!' and just then, I laid eyes on it. It was a little box that was orginally designed to hold four different ballerina puzzles for a little girl (12 pieces in a puzzle). But - it was SOOO perfect. It's about 8 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 2 inches deep. The thing that makes it so cool is that there were wooden separators inside (to keep the puzzles apart) which make four little boxes/shelves. Plus!! The lid slides on and off through a little groove mechanism - which makes it even better because that means that I don't have to worry about room for the door to swing open.
I already know how I'm going to decorate it. On the front, I'm going to put the 42 Declarations. On either side, I'm going to put a ostrich feather - one white and one red to represent the twin aspects of Ma'at. The bottom will be blank, and the top will most likely be blank as well, so that I can put stuff on top of it as need be. I'm not sure what to put on the back - I was thinking of putting an Ankh - but really - how common is that? I was also considering putting a pair of scales on the back - that seems to make more sense to me.
I wandered around some more, and spotted this gorgeous blue glass that looked rather like a lotus - too big to go inside, but the PERFECT size to sit on top.
So, I grabbed both of those, and headed back to work.
While I was at work, I started seriously thinking about the shrine. I (obviously) need a representation of Ma'at in it, and something to hold the offerings, as well as something to hold some incense. I thought about a feather, or something along those lines - but once again, it wouldn't fit into the box. And besides, I had fallen in love with a particular statue of Ma'at - and, well, I wanted it. This is the statue that I fell in love with:
Isn't it LOVELY??? But of course, I'm not getting that. I considered just putting a picture of it in there, but - nah, that didn't feel right either. Then it came to me - FIMO!!!
I have a very viable idea for a small crafting business that involves the use of FIMO, and so I have - loads of it scattered about the house. I realized that I could make EVERYTHING out of FIMO - the representation of Ma'at, the offering bowls - heck, I could even adorn the shrine itself with FIMO! So - last night I went home and made a tiny little statue of Ma'at that - kinda resembles that one. I didn't look at the picture while I was making it - I didn't want to be influenced by what IT looked like - I just wanted it to be RIGHT. I finished it in about two hours - at least the start of it - and it looks REALLY nice. Considering I've never really TRIED my hand at sculpture of ANY kind - and considering how LITTLE it is (if the whole thing is 3 inches high I'd be shocked) it's - lovely. And funnily enough, I used some FIMO that I already had out from another project - just bits of colors that I mixed together - and it's a gorgeous dark coppery brown color. I still need to refine the face, and add more little details - but overall, I did REALLY well with the statue of Ma'at.
The offering bowls on the other hand! *lol* For some reason (and really, I shold have KNOWN this was a bad idea) I decided to use beer caps (I know, I know) as the base of a bowl that I would make. I planned on making it in two parts - first just the rough shape of the bowl with FIMO on the sharp edges, baking it hard, and then finishing them with a larger piece of FIMO. So - I started on the bowls, and - it took me awhile to get them right (really simple it should have been too!). I popped them into the toaster oven that I use to bake my FIMO, set the timer, and didn't look at them once they were done.
*laughs* I took a look this morning, and I'm assuming from the heat that the metal transferred - the bowls just melted. Literally. The edge that I had made had collapsed into just a flat rim around the bottom of the beer cap. So. Back to the starting point for the offering bowls. Ma'at is settling now (I've also learned my lesson around rushing and not letting the clay SIT before trying to do fine work on it), and I think I will try the offering bowls AGAIN tonight, this time, without the 'extra' stuff.
So now that I have a shrine, I started thinking about what offerings would be appropiate. Could I make little symbols - bread, grain, water, flowers, etc in clay and offer them on a daily basis, and offer the real thing on special days? Because Ma'at didn't really HAVE a cult centered around her - there isn't much detail. I've gathered that her color is white (but was that a later addition based on our ideas of purity?) and - that's about it. I still have more research to do, but for now, bread, water and incense will be about it.
Also - I mean , other than representations of the Netjer that you are honoring - what else goes into a shrine? Most that I've seen tend to focus on multiple dieties - which is cool, but I don't know - well, I suppose I could fit FOUR into my shrine, but it would be rather cramped. Two would be the max I think - one box for the representation, and another box for that netjer's offerings - no more. I already have another small wooden box that I plan on using to keep my supplies in - natron, oils, incense, lighter, maybe a small bottle of pure water, the clay offerings that aren't being offered at that time, etc.
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