Orange & Brown Soapstone Mushroom Man

Mushroom Man soaking up the sun

He is a little scuffed up.

Meditation is good for all that ails you, body and soul.

A man of stone can easily take anything  lying down.

Even though he is only about three and a half inches tall, he weighs almost half a pound. He has an equanimity most yogis would study a lifetime to achieve. Of course he is  made of stone. And being that he's soapstone, he is easily scratched and scarred. But for me  this only adds to his mystique. 
Nobody knows the trouble he's seen. Nobody knows where he's been.
I found  him on a shelf in a second-hand store and he shone like a star amongst the banal crappola. He has a healing message . 


UPDATE:

Silly me, ahem, apparently this mushroom man has something to do with psilocybin.  I am not recommending psilocybin any more then I would recommend any other medicine, as I am not a doctor. But I would not say it's a terrible thing either. I really don't know. I don't think it is a good idea to do anything that is not legal, as it could land you in jail. But under the right circumstances, it seems psilocybin could be helpful in treating certain maladies. Check out this article published in a science journal in Jan 2012 (Yes, that is quite a while ago, but with all the economy and political stuff going on, I never noticed...maybe you didn't either.)   

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152043.htm

Venus Star Bowl

The bowl has a bronze(ish) patina on the outside and a polished golden inside.

Is this  bowl from the 16th century,  the 1960s, the '80s, or  perchance, is it from the future?   Is it a bath bowl? a medicinal bowl?  A magic bowl? An alms bowl? Is it from India? Iraq? Iran?  Pakistan?Afghanistan? Mexico? China? Some Greek island or some village perched on a Himalayan mountain?

Studying this  repoussé brass bowl has taken me on a journey back through time--all the way to a consideration of the ancient goddesses and  then  through some other strange, meandering,  circular terrain--In my research I viewed  other similarly shaped bowls, but with the antithesis of design--meager lines and waves, rather than the rich and exotic wonders that embellish this bowl

There are myriad pictures of bowls in the Metropolitan Museum of Art that are somehow lacking, in comparison to this bowl. Those bowls do not have the deft charm that this bowl has. They do not have the stirring, mysterious piquancy that lingers into one's dreams, that this brass bowl has.  ;-)

The number 8 is mirrored from the star within the circle,  to the waves of vines. There are four animals and four flowers.

As a former philosophy professor, Pierre Grimes, used to say, “what do you know?”

Although I have examined it closely with my hands and eyes, under various lighting conditions. And I am intrigued by what I feel and see...

After all my research (and I must say here that my research, although relatively extensive, has not extended to consulting experts, nor has it included trips to university libraries), I have come to the conclusion that I don’t know much about this bowl.

Is this a lion? A lemur? A bear?  It is the only animal facing forward.

 I know that the animals on the bowl are not animals that I am familiar with and they don’t resemble  any animal figures  decorating objects from anywhere that I have ever seen. But then, oddly, they do somehow look familiar. Do I know them from dreams? I note that only one animal seems to be viewing the viewer.

Doesn't seem to be the usual Islamic star, although the script would suggest that it could be.............? If it were of religious significance and it were Islamic, the bowl would not have depictions of animals, from what I understand.

Of the  four flowers  placed between the animals, three are  open and one is  just beginning to bloom. (lower right corner).

The script on the sides of the bowl might be Farsi. It might be Thuluth. Maybe it’s Indian. What does it say? I wish I knew.  Is it nonsense,  magic runes, prayers, or poetry? Or is it something more prosaic?

Vines with finely etched leaves snake around and through  the writing.

  As  to what the symbols on it actually  mean or where it might be from...I am still in the dark. How ironic, for although the  eight-pointed star does not seem to be the classic eight-pointed star of Islam. It  does, however, seem to  resemble the Ishtar star--  "Ishtar the Bringer of Light.” The bringer of wisdom?  Or does the star symbolize Venus, who may be the original goddess, whose guises include,Inanna/Ishtar/Astarte?....This is a very confusing and  weighty subject.

It is said that the number eight signifies the infinite. The ever repeating patterns of life renewal. And from what I've read, this is  partly the tale that Venus has to tell.

I found this  bowl in a pile of dusty things that seemed to be the dregs of a garage sale that ended up at some thrift store. Was it my imagination that it seemed to call out to me? I felt shocked to find it in such a place.

Everything on the outside is in low relief on the golden inside.

 I seem to remember that when I took it to the cashier, she remarked that it was  interesting, but very dirty.  I took it home and washed it with a little mild detergent and began to seek answers. I haven’t found anything conclusive. But I will continue to keep my eyes and  ears open. If you the reader, wish to offer any pertinent comments,   I  thank you.

In my wandering I  did find one interesting website about Venus and many other interesting topics. I will include the link here.

    http://www.maverickscience.com/venus-aphrodite.htm

Ganesh Tea Pot?

 This little pitcher (it measures four inches tall by six inches, from handle to spout), appears to me to have a rough resemblance to the great Hindu deity, Ganesha. Although his trunk is not curled, one could see why it would not make sense with his present duty as (water?) pitcher.  The one other authority I questioned on this was not really an authority, he was only a person sitting near me when I decided to write about this.

                                                                               

 He thought that this pot  wasn't Ganesha. He thought that this was just some ordinary pachyderm head. He thought Ganesha has a much fancier face. But I have interesting reasoning powers and so I have deduced that this is indeed a representative Ganesha watering  pitcher, or maybe and more likely, a teapot.  No average elephant would  have those gold-edged, fan -shaped ears.  And look at those wise eyes. Most elephants would not look at you  like that.  

 At first,  I thought this little pitcher/teapot was a cream pitcher. Then I noticed the spout has little  holes. I thought maybe the little holes were more suitable to sprinkle water, maybe holy water? Or water for the special flowers to decorate somebody's shrine? Now I am thinking teapot.  I really don't know yet. But I will keep researching. 

                                                                                     I gave Ganesh the old tap with fingernails test and the ceramic body gives a lovely ringing sound.  But it certainly isn't translucent when I hold it up to the light, so I guess that precludes porcelain and we  might  assume that  it is some other type of ceramic,  maybe simply white clay... For its size, it is  very heavy, suitable  for an elephant head.

                                                                                     

There are no markings anywhere, so I can't be sure where it is originally from.  But I would guess by  the flower design on the forehead and by token of the fact that I believe it to be a  depiction of Ganesha,  this  charming  artifact is a former denizen of India.                                                                                                                         As mentioned previously, the body of the pitcher/teapot , is very heavy, as compared to modern such contrivances. Maybe the artisan was still

practicing his skill, or maybe that was the fashion at the time when this piece was made. It is sturdy!

                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      As many of you will know, Ganesha was the child of Shiva and Parvati.  There are so many stories about his birth and his attributes.   But briefly stated, it isn't just the Hindus that love the guy. He is widely worshipped or at least admired  by the Jains, some Buddhists and various other religions across the board. Most Christians don't acknowledge him, unless they happen to be the  open-minded-lovers-of-all-mankind type of Christians. Or the Christian-Buddhist-Hindu type of Christians,  Probably Thomas Merton would have been impressed with him.                                                                 GGanesha Ganesa or Ganesh also known as Ganapti,  Vinkaya Vināyaka), and Pillaiyar  And other names as well is supposed to be an excellent remover of obstacles and  will do wonders for the writing (I guess I better start putting flowers in this little pot.) He is also supposed to be good for knowledge and the arts. He has something to do with the first Chakra and the  Kundalini.  
                                                                                                                      
              Okay, that should be enough to whet your appetite,  you study up on him if you like. And if by any chance you run into anything in your research that might shed light on this joyful expression of divine honor, do let us know. We here at the Museum of Stuff Redux are not too prideful to edit.