"It Is Finished When Seven Are One"

My pal Derrick Cruz of Black Sheep & Progidal Sons just sent news of his latest collection, The Seven Sacred Planets. Seven handcrafted multipurpose pins are available in bronze or sterling silver, individually or as a set. This is a Fall/Winter 2010 Collection, but they are available now for Pre-Order! Don't you want them all!? If I had to choose only one, it would be Mercury because Mercury is the true Gold of the Wise! Derrick is offering a V.I.P. discount to my readers, so when placing your order enter this Discount Code: 111110LLavona



"Just as the sun shines through a glass, the sun and the moon and all planets, as well as all the stars and the whole chaos, are in man." Paracelsus, Alchemist and Visionary (1493-1541)



Mercury, the archetype of the "Alchemical Hermaphrodite" or "Divine Child" which is the result of the "Mysterium Coniunctionis" or the sacred marriage between the sun king and the moon queen. The Divine Child archetype has started to act and will be acting very powerfully in our world in this new Golden Age. Another name for the Hermaphrodite is the Rebis which is the final product; the fully actualized divine child birthed from the alchemical, sacred marriage.

Theft of Light

Derrick Cruz, the visionary designer behind Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons, sent me his lookbook introducing his new accessories collection titled "Theft of Light." In addition to creating things that are visually stunning and meticulously crafted, Derrick is an Urban Storyteller. To Indigenous people, storytelling was a sacred process. It was the rich imaginations of the storytellers who tried to explain the relationship of humans to their natural and supernatural environments. Native people did not distinguish between the physical and supernatural because everything was viewed as a vast continuum; whether it be animate or supernatural, the world existed in 'real time' and in a conscious state of existence. Every living thing was a member of one large family: the four elements (earth, air, fire and water), plant, animal and human worlds were connected to each other. I think Derrick is intuitively aware that modern people are craving to live in harmony with Nature...we desire more natural, intimate relationships and long to understand our place in the cosmos. His latest collection is perhaps then, a Call of the Wild...check out his website to view the entire collection!



"Nature is your school, your laboratory, the gateway to liberation, and the panorama of God's manifold majesty. Seek to know the lessons it is ready to teach; all things are as Brahman as you are." ~ Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 10



"Theft of Light" is conceptually situated at the crossroads of Native American Mythology and an urban outsider instinct, it introduces large and bold looks, re-purposed traditions and creatively up-cycled materials." The line an homage to Derrick's late father, Jose Rafael "Jun" Cruz (1951-2009) and his Puertorican Taino roots. He explains, "the images I've shared with you are snapshots of what that basic tribal tendency looks like in my head – illustrations for a chapter in my personal book of myths."

Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons joined forces earlier this year with Odyn Vovk. Together they kicked off Fashion Week Spring 2010 early (with steel-toe boots I might add) on 9/9/09, in New York's East Village. Odyn Vovk [oh-din va•hk] translates to One Wolf. As stated in the program, the name reflects “cunning, wisdom, searching, dreams, magic, transformation, death, rebirth, and protection.” You can check out the details from the show here ➵ ➵ ➵

Derrick R. Cruz

Derrick Cruz is the designer behind Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons. He creates beautiful handcrafted jewelry, accessories, and functional Art Objects, each piece rich with symbolism. I was instantly taken with Derrick's jewelry the from the moment I saw it! Below, is the "Only Daughter" necklace (that I soooo covet) from his Bendición Collection created for BBlessing. One of five visual chapters in a story inspired by a vintage portrait of a little Hungarian girl in a black dress with her bees.



"After weighing the words "Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons" for some time, their blatant reference to outsiders and men seeking redemption caused a greater alien to rear its head—an only daughter among favored sons. Quiet and stern, she seeks no grandeur. With her are the bees, heralds of our awful stewardship of the world. These are the friends she keeps. Deprived of guidance, our daughter enters a hero's journey..." Oh my poor bleeding heart, I swear this brought tears to my eyes! The story goes unfinished though, there will be two more visual chapters to the collection! I pray there's a happy ending for the lonesome bee girl...

Recently, Derrick was featured on the Selby website. Intrigued once again, I proceeded to his website to see what see what he was up to. He has a line of fancy limited edition, handcrafted straight razors for ale swillin' razor cheeked rouges! The 'Mammoth Razor' is comprised of a mammoth ivory and sterling sheath, a masterfully restored vintage blade and a quartz Stanhope lens. Each razor can be personalized with a custom image in the Stanhope lens and or the addition of a Scrimshaw engraving on the handle.



More importantly though, is his project inspired by the disappearing Honey Bee. While researching bee mythology a few years ago for his his Bendición Collection, he found out about the honey bee crisis refered to as "Colony Collapse Disorder". Whole colonies of honeybees are abandoning their hives en masse and are not returning! Approximately 80% of all insect pollination is accomplished by honey bees, so this could effect the entire global food supply...scary! No bees=no food! Derrick curated this amazing installation called "A New Hive" at Earnest Sewn in New York, in an attempt to bring this matter to awareness. For this installation, Cruz collaborated with designers and artists Monica Byrne, Cory Gomberg, Caroline Priebe, and Ryder E. Robison to showcase beekeeper-inspired suits, limited-edition eighteen-karat-gold honeycomb accessories, drawings, and sculptures to benefit the nonprofit group Bees Without Borders. Look at this room...isn't it gorgeous!? In the center of the room, 3,000 bees are in an observation hive made from found objects.



He created eighteen-karat gold pendants cast directly from a piece of abandoned honeycomb wax.



Then he had PapaBubble Caramels Artisans insert the necklaces in a 25-inch hivelike pyramid made of sugar. The pieces of gold were in crevices filled with honey. From what I understand, anyone who wanted to purchase a pendant would have to crack through the hive, stick the piece in their mouth, and suck the honey off to get to the gold....hmm...delish!



“The rich folklore and natural history of honeybees inspires an ethereal childlike curiosity in individuals…Curiosity leads to contemplation, internalization, and then to genuine concern. I hope A NEW HIVE will help us regain respect for these amazing creatures; after all, almost everything we eat is made possible by bees." Derrick Cruz



Donate to "A NEW HIVE"! Proceeds from donations to "A NEW HIVE" will support research and education focusing on the development of sustainable beekeeping practices as well as the up-keep and foundation of new hives in local gardens.


* A side note*
I used to make beeswax candles, soap, lip balm, skin salve and sugar scrub using beeswax and honey. I noticed a sharp increase in wholesale costs so I starting using other natural products. Soy wax for my candles, ect... But the healing properties of honey are unparalled so I started searching for a local source. I thought maybe I could find a local bee farm just outside of Chicago. (I found out about the honey bee crisis during this time.) While trying to find a local source, I discovered that people in cities everywhere are keeping bees right in their backyards, rooftops, and community gardens! Chicago has beehives on top of City Hall! I met a woman who had live bees shipped right to her house! My current living situation permits me from keeping bees unfortunatly, but I found a non-profit organization near by called the Chicago Honey Co-op. I'm hoping to volunteer in the Spring!

"Urban beekeepers, an unofficial secret society of asphalt naturalists, romantics drawn to the beauty of a beehive's intelligent design, epicureans seeking the delectable taste of locally procured honey, and off-the-grid types keeping nature alive in the city."



The healing properties of honey are not just recognized by holistic health practitioners. For example, Derma Sciences Inc., a New Jersey company that makes medicated and other advanced wound care products, began selling "Medihoney" the first honey-based wound dressing in 2007 after it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The product is effective in healing wounds which are resistant to strong antibiotics.

Beeswax candles have an instantly recognizable scent – a subtle and deliciously sweet honey-like perfume that induces an instant feeling of calm and wellbeing. When burned, beeswax candles release negative ions that improve the quality of the air. As opposed to Paraffin candles that are a by-product of petroleum–a fossil fuel and pollutant. Also, the light produced by beeswax candles is natural like sunlight...solar frequencies. The light produced by paraffin candles is like a fluorescent lightbulb...chaos frequencies!

Honey is the Nectar of the Goddess: check out The Bee Goddess

SCRIMSHAW

Recently a nice gentleman named Robert Chaplin stopped by my blogspace here and dropped me a line. In turn I visited his blogspace and made a new discovery. Robert is an amazing artist and uses his blog to share his newest work. He posted one particular piece that I love...an awesome etched piece of vintage ivory. I have seen such things before, but now I know what this lost artform is called, "Scrimshaw". Usually the pieces I have come across have nautical themes, ships, whales, ect. It all makes sense now... Scrimshaw artistians are usually sea faring people. The artform goes back to neolithic times. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it became the craft of sailors and whalers. Scrimshaw can still be found amoungst the Eskimo people, but otherwise "Scrimshanders" are a dying breed.



One of my favorite sites to visit is Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons, Purveyors of Dark and Uncommon Goods. Founder, Derrick Cruz is a self taught Scrimshander. He offers dark romantic men's jewelry and functional Art Objects...rich with symbolism. And I know that inside every Black Heart beats one passionate and Blood Red! The best things get tarnished over time!




When asked about the significance of the company's name in a recent interview he said "The phrase Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons jumped out at me while reading Kafka was the Rage by Anatole Broyard. I sympathize with this story. When I left Brooklyn to live in the Village, I felt as if I had acquired a new set of relative...uncles I had never met before...men who lived in odd places...who had shunned family life and been shunned in turn, who were somewhere between black sheep and prodigal sons of a paradoxical kind. An aura of scandal, or at least of ambiguity, hovered over these uncles...there was a flaw in their past, some kind of unhealthiness, even a hint of insanity...my favorite writers...i felt them waiting, almost calling out to me...they were all the family I had now, all the family I wanted. With them I could lead a hypothetical life, unencumbered by memory, loyalties, or resentments."




His scrimshaw pieces are carved out of pre-banned vintage ivory piano keys. You really have to visit his site...every collection has a beautiful narrative to accompany it. Each piece is presented in artfully crafted box that looks like an old a book.