The Oracles. Sterling Silver & Onyx Ring.

Three hexagonal shaped onyx gemstones are cradled by a setting made entirely of life cast bat bones, made in companion to the Pythia necklace as the prophecies the Pythia gave in ‘gibberish’ were sometimes thought to be translated by priests into hexameter verse. Each stone therefore represents an ‘oracle’ or divination in ‘hex’ poetry- worn on the finger as tiny metaphors of  divine inspiration from the God of prophecy, oracles, music and poetry,- or- from the own divinations and oracles you may be giving to either yourself or others when you wear this ring as part of a ritual when you are diving.  Pythia was the name given to the high priestess at the Oracle of Delphi; a  would be possessed by the God Apollo to directly receive his enigmatic prophecies through her as she  inhabited a dream-like trance state. When she was consulted, she was thought to have sat upon the three legged tripod of Apollo deep within the subterranean levels of the site of Delphi, which was considered to be the center or ‘navel’ of the world and the site where Apollo slayed Python, son of Gaia, a serpentine/dragon-like monster. It is from the rotting corpse of Python beneath the temple, that Pythia gets her name. Much like modern divinatory requests, it seems the Pythia was consulted for ubiquitous queries as ‘whom should I marry?” to more history changing questions from rulers about to go to war. In every instance, the Pythia’s divinations were considered to be coming directly from Apollo and therefore unimpeachable, despite those who were unhappy with or would try to argue with the oracles given.  At the time of my writing this to you, we have surpassed the Winter Solstice here in the Northern part of the world and are in the liminal time before the start of a new year. This time of year is seed time / dream time, and is perhaps the most ghostly time of all year ; we descend into a period of darkness  as we wait for the light to return in the Spring. Nature has pulled back, everything green has died, the trees are bare, skeletal. It is a time for remembrance, for slowing down:  We commune with our dead. We divine in candlelight, in books, in cards, in other methods. We turn inward and dream more vividly as our ancestors visit us. In all this, our protection practices also must be strengthened; as much as the Oracle of Delphi was a prophetic site, it was also Apollo’s shrine- Apollo who is also known as the ‘averter of evil’ and who was looked to for protection as well.  This talismanic vessel can be activated/ charged for the long winter - for divinatory assistance, for dream companionship, for protection while descending into your personal winter Underworlds.      Bats and their cast wing and leg bones have long been a component I’ve used in my visual library as a way of creating a personal visual language. As nocturnal creatures, I feel a kinship with their natural predilection for the night time hours, but I’m also interested in how they use sonar to ‘see’, how as a metaphor bats as liminal creatures also remind us to look closer with our other senses, a way of ‘seeing the unseen.’ It’s my hope and intention that pairing them with other chthonic imagery and myth further adds to the visual meaning I’m aiming for, creating a collage of personal ideas while also tethering these physical jeweled objects to the spirit of the bat ( and other natural objects in the case of other jewels in my collection ) and to the spirit of the myths I’m invoking.   *DETAILS*: - Approximately 24mm at it's widest - 19mm from top to bottom  - Sits 9mm off of the finger - Solid sterling silver, oxidized to our favorite shade of gloomy grey, and hand finished to reveal the highlights beneath - Set with 3 fine cut hexagon Onyx stones  - Last image shows this ring with the Outsiders Nesting Band, found HERE.    Onyx: Onyx is best known for being a natural stone that acts as a kind of 'psychic armor' against the negativity of others. It is also used to soothe grief and heartbreak. It is a wonderful grounding stone and a stone of self mastery, enabling its wearers to have mental and spiritual focus. These jewels are hand cut and therefore may have very slight differences in size and may have small signs of the carver's hands along the edges. These are not fabricated by a machine, they are made by hand and therefore aren't uniformly perfect. The photographs accurately portray the quality of the stones and the cuts.     ***IMPORTANT*** This jewel is handmade to order, just for you, with care and focus. Please allow approximately 6 weeks for creation before shipping.                    Visit the Policy Page to make an educated and informed purchase HERE. If you have further questions, we are always here to serve you in a kind and timely manner: via bloodmilkjewels@gmail.com