Today (on Saturday!😮), I had to take my boss’s place, and I have just got back home, but I need to head out again soon!😜 I hadn’t planned to post anything but came across an old article I wrote years ago. So, I thought I’d share it with you before it goes stale. I hope you enjoy it somehow!🙏💖
Please don’t be shocked; this will not be an endless story! I have just a feeling that my last post about my yelping was, after all, too emotional and not clear enough.
To contemplate thereabout, I have to look at my past and review my life, but to avoid the immense length, I try to write it in a list form. First, I thank all my dear friends for their feedback, and especially among them, for their valuable suggestions.
My life is like a labyrinth; explaining this with my broken tongue (pen) is difficult.
1- It might be because of our mother’s lie to Al and me about our father’s death, which I had to carry for almost two months till I found it out by myself.
2- The next point is that Al and I were almost alone in our childhood. Our mother had to find a job to pay our father’s debt; though he was a famous writer and could be rich, he could never be a moneymaker. We had a big house with a broad yard, and you could imagine how frightening it would be for two children, nine & eleven-year-old to stay home in the evening, waiting for their mother to come home.
3- There, eternity loneliness develops, don’t you think? We have kept each other like the guardian angel, especially Al, because he was older than me, older in the year, and significantly older in mind.
4- The years passed, and we, Al and I, had made a wall to protect us. A wall, but not against our mother, a wall against the society in which we lived. That was a must, to avoid the stranger in our world. Oh yes, we have made a world just for us and nobody else. And it made us like foreigners in our own country.
5- It went all through our age of puberty, and there came the time of our mother’s death. She was married to another man then, and we (unfortunately) couldn’t accept him as a replacement for our father. Therefore, the wall grew taller and taller. The solitude casts our life.
6- We had a lot of experiences those days, so you might think twice about looking for people with walls around. I might tell you that in such countries under dictatorship and also the pressure of its traditions, the only way to escape to freedom is drugs. We had tried all possible and impossible stuff for many, many years. I can be proud to announce that I had all the drops in my veins, and now I am free of all.
7- Now about me: I have learned from my parents’ way of life that there had to be a genius to live with (in the form of a Couple. Two genius to live together… I don’t think that it might be advisable. I felt so because I had noticed how genius Al was. Therefore, I dedicated all my energy to my brother Al because I was convinced of his ability to create art. In Iran, I worked to earn money, managed a house, and all that was needed. It was, for me, a matter of course, even in our addiction period. (I was the one who could get the stuff.)
8- In all these happenings, I have forgotten to find my own identity! I know many people out there want to show me how to find it, but please stop! You have no idea!! I noticed that people, especially these days, want to give advice. (That is always calming to show the way to others) Thank you so much, but I think I am too far to see further. I might not know where I am going, but I am on my way.
9- Just to keep it short, since I lost my brother to serve him, I had to find my identity and what I am good for: I could be a musician, I could be an actor, I remember, as I gave up to make music and worked as a taxi driver, Al told me; Hey, don’t you want to continue composing? Then try writing! I thought, oh god, writing… how can I do that! I know that he knew we were both the offspring of artists. Therefore, we had to do art!
Hi everybody. Since Wednesday, our furnace has broken down, and my plans have been disrupted! I wanted to write some posts, but my brain is almost frozen! That’s why I took an old post from my other site (I really don’t know who created it; I didn’t!), which I also took from my valued friend, Lewis Lafontaine and his blog.🙏
So, here is an extraordinary vision from Carl Jung’s remarkable book, The Red Book. I hope you will enjoy it, and I wish you all a thrilled New Year.
Title image: Angel by Samuel Bak
Sir Galahad, source: George Frederic Watts
As he came around the following night, however, I had a vision: I was with a youth in the high mountains. It was before daybreak, and the Eastern sky was already light.
Then Siegfried’s horn resounded over the mountains with a jubilant sound. We knew that our mortal enemy was coming.
We were armed and lurked beside a narrow rocky path to murder him. Then, we saw him coming high across the mountains on a chariot made of the bones of the dead.
He drove boldly and magnificently over the steep rocks and arrived at the narrow path where we waited in hiding.
As he came around the turn ahead of us, we fired at the same time, and he fell slain. Thereupon, I turned to flee, and a terrible rain swept down.
But after this, I went through a torment unto death, and I felt certain that I must kill myself if I could not solve the riddle of the murder of the hero.
Then the spirit of the depths came to me and spoke these words:
“The highest truth is one and the· same with the absurd.” This statement saved me, and like rain after a long, hot spell, it swept away everything in me which was too highly tensed.
Then I had a second vision: I saw a merry garden clad in white silk, with forms walked, all covered in coloured light, some reddish, the others blueish and greenish.
I know; I have stridden across the depths. Through guilt, I have become a newborn.
We also live in our dreams; we do not live only by day. Sometimes, we accomplish our greatest deeds in dreams. On that night, my life was threatened since I had to kill my lord and God, not in single combat, since who among mortals could kill a God in a duel? You can reach your God only as an assassin if you want to overcome him.
But this is the bitterest for mortal men: our Gods want to be overcome since they require renewal. If men kill their princes, they do so because they cannot kill their Gods and because they do not know that they should kill their Gods in themselves.
If God grows old, he becomes a shadow, nonsense, and he goes down. The greatest truth becomes the greatest lie, and the brightest day becomes the darkest night. As day requires night and night requires day, so meaning requires absurdity, and absurdity requires meaning.
Day does not exist through itself; night does not exist through itself.
The reality that exists through itself is day and night.
So, the reality is meaning and absurdity.
Noon is a moment, midnight is a moment, morning comes from night, evening turns into night, but evening comes from the day, and morning turns into day.
So meaning is a moment and a transition from absurdity to absurdity, and absurdity is only a moment and a transition from meaning to meaning.
Oh, the German hero, Siegfried, blond and blue-eyed, had to fall by my hand, the most loyal and courageous!
He had everything in himself that I treasured as the greater and more beautiful; he was my power, my boldness, my pride.
I would have gone under in the same battle, and so only assassination was left to me. If I wanted to go on living, it could only be through trickery and cunning.
Judge not! Think of the blond savage of the German forests, who had to betray the hammer-brandishing thunder to the pale Near-Eastern God nailed to the wood like a chicken marten.
The courageous were overcome by a certain contempt for themselves.
But their life force bade them go on living, and they betrayed their beautiful wild Gods, their holy trees and their awe of the German forests.
What does Siegfried mean for the Germans! What does it tell us that the Germans suffer Siegfried’s death!
That is why I almost preferred to kill myself in order to spare him. But I wanted to go on living with a new God.
After death on the cross, Christ went into the underworld and became Hell. So he took on the form of the Antichrist, the dragon.
The image of the Antichrist, which has come down to us from the ancients, announces the new God, whose coming the ancients had foreseen.
Gods are unavoidable. The more you flee from God, the more surely you fall into his hand.
The rain is the great stream of tears that will come over the people; the tearful flood of released tension after the constriction of death had encumbered the people with horrific force.
It is the mourning of the dead in me, which precedes burial and rebirth.
The rain is the fructifying of the earth; it begets the new wheat, the young, germinating God. ~Carl Jung, The Red Book, Pages 241-242
Germans say, “Humans are creatures of habit” (Gewohnheitstier); therefore, I couldn’t stop posting my second one! And, of course, I didn’t want to fail to send my heartfelt wishes for a Merry Christmas to my friends. We all age, whether we want to or not, so here’s a satire I once saved many years ago from a Facebook friend whose I don’t remember, just to cheer up the mood.
Aged!
When one door closes and another door opens, you are probably in prison.
To me, “drink responsibly” means don’t spill it.
Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is the new midnight.
It’s the start of a brand new day, and I’m off like a herd of turtles.
The older I get, the earlier it gets late.
When I say, “The other day,” I could be referring to any time between yesterday and 15 years ago.
I remember being able to get up without making sound effects.
I had my patience tested. I’m negative.
Remember, if you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a Tupperware lid that doesn’t fit any of your containers.
If you’re sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to you, just stare straight ahead and say, “Did you bring the money?”
When you ask me what I am doing today, and I say “nothing,” it does not mean I am free. It means I am doing nothing.
I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me three days, but whatever.
I run like the one winded.
I hate when a couple argues in public; and I missed the beginning and don’t know whose side I’m on.
When someone asks what I did over the weekend, I squint and ask, “Why, what did you hear?”
When you do squats, are your knees supposed to sound like a goat chewing on an aluminium can stuffed with celery?
I don’t mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember things and get really excited.
When I ask for directions, please don’t use words like “east.”
Don’t bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head. That’ll freak you right out.
Though there is no Vietnam War anymore, Simon & Garfunkel’s Christmas song is still relevant, I am afraid! We might just keep praying for the end of any brutalities from the mighties! Peace and love to you all.🙏🦋💖🌹
The lifelike statue of Ka’aper the Scribe is the oldest life-size wooden statue from Ancient Egypt.
Today, I am sharing this invaluable fine art from ancient Egypt with you. Kaaper or Ka’aper (fl. c. 2500 BC), also commonly known as Sheikh el-Beled, was an ancient Egyptian scribe and priest who lived between the late 4th and early 5th Dynasties. Although his rank was not among the highest, he is well known for his famously exquisite wooden statue. A wooden statue of a woman, commonly considered to be Kaaper’sKa’aper wife, also came from the same mastaba (CG 33). Wiki.
Although the statue of that priest is famous enough, there is another tiny masterpiece: a statue of a woman, a noble lady, from the same mastaba. This is also a wooden statue, commonly considered to be Kaaper’s wife (CG 33).
Here is a report by the brilliant Marie Grillot about the delicate artistry of this statue. Enjoy reading, and Merry Christmas!
Statue of the wife of Ka-âper (Kaaper – Sheikh el-beled) – wood – Old Kingdom – 5th Dynasty (2513 – 2506 BC) discovered by Auguste Mariette in 1860 at Saqqara, in the Mastaba C8 Egyptian Museum of Cairo CG 33 – photo of the museum
Wooden statuary was only beginning at the end of the 4th Dynasty, and this Statue is undoubtedly among the very first referenced female representations…
Carved in the round, dark brown wood, it was initially covered with a “fine patina of painted stucco”, which has now disappeared.
The face of the noble lady is rather round; her eyes are stretched, and her mouth is closed.
She wears a mid-length hairstyle covering her ears. As Mohamed Saleh and Hourig Sourouzian explain in their “Official Catalogue of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo”, it is “streaked with locks that end in small curls, and divided by a middle parting”. They also specify that “this wig is commonly found in female representations of the Old Kingdom”.
Statue of the wife of Ka-âper (Kaaper – Sheikh el-beled) – wood – Old Kingdom – 5th Dynasty (2513 – 2506 BC) discovered by Auguste Mariette in 1860 at Saqqara, in the Mastaba C8 Egyptian Museum of Cairo CG 33 – photo of the museum
Her neck is adorned with a wide necklace of the usekh type, with some traces of colour remaining. The torso, with its marked chest, is thin and straight. Amputated by the upper limbs, it stops at the base of the shoulders. The statues were, in fact, made in several parts, and, in this case, the arms were added and attached to the bust using tenons. We can observe this “assembly” on multiple examples of wooden statuary…
The legs are also missing, but her attitude shows that she was depicted standing. She is wearing a long, tight dress held up by two wide, sculpted straps “slightly projecting”.
The wood, with its visible veins, has worked and cracked over the course of more than 4,500 years. In particular, we notice an apparent crack that goes down from the neck to the navel and two more discreet ones, starting from the top of the skull towards the chin and the other from the left eye towards the chin. At the level of the right groin, we also note a considerable lack of triangular shape.
Despite these injuries, this lady retained the nobility and dignity pertaining to her rank, and the sculptor took care to render and respect her.
Wooden statues of Ka-Aper – Sheikh el-beled and his wife – Old Kingdom – 5th Dynasty (2513 – 2506 BC) discovered in 1860 by Auguste Mariette at Saqqara in Mastaba C8 Egyptian Museum of Cairo – CG 34 and CG 33
In the “Guide du visiter au musée de Boulaq” (1883), Gaston Maspero describes it as number 1044: “Statue of a woman of which only the head and the torso remain. It was discovered in the same tomb as the Statue of Sheikh el-beled and is said to represent this character’s wife. In any case, it was wonderful and could be compared with Sheikh el-beled if it were not unfortunately so mutilated.”
Auguste Mariette, then the director of Egyptian antiquities, discovered the two statues in Saqqara in 1860.
Excerpt from the book: “Les Mastabas de l’ancien empire”, Paris, 1889, Mariette Auguste, Maspero, Gaston concerning the discovery of the wooden statues of Ka-âper (Kaaper) – Sheikh el-beled – and his wife discovered by Auguste Mariette in 1860 at Saqqara, in the Mastaba C8 Egyptian Museum of Cairo CG 34 and CG 33
In the book Les Mastabas de l’ancien Empire, published in 1889 and co-signed with Gaston Mapero, he presents the site and details the circumstances of the discovery.
“The oldest, the most extensive, the most important of the necropolises of Memphis is the one to which the village of Saqqara gave its name. The necropolis of Saqqara is located in the middle of the sand, just at the point where the desert begins and where the cultivated land ends; it is a sandy plateau which dominates by about forty meters the green plain extended at its feet. At the top of the plain, we find the necropolis…” He will uncover a huge number of tombs and mastabas there.
Excerpt from the book: “Les Mastabas de l’ancien Empire”, Paris, 1889, Mariette Auguste, Maspero, Gaston concerning the discovery of the wooden statues of Ka-âper (Kaaper) – Sheikh el-beled – and his wife discovered by Auguste Mariette in 1860 at Saqqara, in the Mastaba C8 Egyptian Museum of Cairo CG 34 and CG 33
Among these latter is the one that will be referenced, C 8 (the letter C corresponds to those of the second half of the 5th dynasty), discovered near the pyramid of Userkaf.
It will turn out to belong, according to Mariette’s transcription, to Khou-hotep-her (Ka-âper – Kaaper), a high official, chief priest. He was responsible for reciting prayers for the deceased in the temples and mortuary chapels where he officiated during the 5th dynasty (2465 -2458 BC).
“It was at the bottom of niche B, belonging to the small room, that the precious wooden statue was found… The head, the torso, and even the stick were intact, but the legs and the base were irremediably rotten, and the statue was only standing because of the sand which pressed on it from all sides. At the door C. of the small room, in the sand, and overturned in the place where it had obviously been thrown, was the other wooden statue,” he relates.
Statue of Ka-âper (Kaaper) – Sheikh el-beled – sycamore wood – Old Kingdom – 5th Dynasty (2513 – 2506 BC) discovered by Auguste Mariette in 1860 at Saqqara, in the Mastaba C8 Egyptian Museum of Cairo CG 34
The statue of Ka-âper is so realistic that, upon discovery, the workers struck by its resemblance to the “chief of their village” gave it the name “Sheik el-beled”. It is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic statues of the Fifth Dynasty… That of his wife, because of her “amputations”, will remain more “confidential” and will not know the notoriety of her famous spouse…
It is exhibited at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Tahrir Square, under reference CG 33.
Recently, I saw a critical performance of Richard Wagner on German TV about his racism, presented by an Italian or Spanish artist whose name I have forgotten. However, this reminded me of Nietzsche’s distancing himself from Wagner due to his disgust towards specific individuals, even though Nietzsche was in love with his sister, Cosima. (The reason may also be that Nietzsche had a very close relationship with a man named Paul Rée, who was Jewish.) For Nietzsche, the Tribschen period was far from idyllic. It was challenging as he constantly tested himself to meet Wagner’s expectations. He began writing his first book while regularly visiting the Wagners’ home in Tribschen, anxious about whether his work would satisfy Wagner. This era was marked by aspiration, vulnerability, and self-testing for Nietzsche. He was essentially an apprentice to a genius, experiencing a vital rite of passage in his creative journey.
Free AI Art (On the top: Surreal Abstract Painting.)
Neither Nietzsche nor Wagner understood one another realistically. Nietzsche saw Wagner as a benevolent father but felt disappointed by his egotism. Conversely, Wagner viewed Nietzsche as a loyal son who became a rebellious thinker. Both pursued psychological needs that overshadowed their friendship and intimacy.
Anyway, I found two paragraphs I’ve translated from one of his books, Menschliches, Allzumenschliches (Human, All Too Human). I present them to you because I believe they are very relevant to our “political” society today.
From the Book “Human, All Too Human”, Volume One
(No. 458) Guiding Spirits and their Tools.
We see great statesmen and generally all those who have to use many people to carry out their plans, sometimes proceed in this way, sometimes in that way: either they select very finely and carefully the people who suit their plans and then give them relatively great freedom because they know that the nature of these chosen people will lead them to where they themselves want them to go, or they choose poorly, even take what comes to hand, but form something suitable for their purposes out of every ton. This last type is the more violent; it also requires submissive tools, its knowledge of human nature is usually much less, and its contempt for human nature is greater than that of the first-mentioned minds. Still, the machine they construct generally works better than the machine from the workshop of the former.
Spiral to the Hole
(No. 460) The Great Man of the Masses.
The recipe for what the masses call a great man is easy to give. Whatever the circumstances, get them something they find very pleasant, or first put it into their heads that this and that would be very pleasant, and then give it to them. But not immediately at any price: you have to fight for it with the greatest effort or seem to be fighting for it. The masses must have the impression that there is a powerful, even indomitable willpower; at least, it must seem to be there. Everyone admires a strong will because no one has it, and everyone says to themselves that if they had it, there would be no limits to them and their egoism. If it turns out that such a firm will achieve something that the masses find very pleasant, people admire it once again and wish themselves luck instead of listening to the wishes of its greed. Moreover, he has all the qualities of the masses: the less they are ashamed of him, the more popular he is. So, He is violent, jealous, exploitative, scheming, flattering, grovelling, conceited (narcissist) or anything, depending on the circumstances.
A brief update: My challenging circumstances remain the same, but I’m relieved that my boss has exited the hospital. His blood tests are standard, yet he still cannot return to work. Therefore, I must continue managing things as the acting boss! I am always grateful for your support and companionship, and I wish you all a lovely weekend.🙏💖
Jai guru deva, OM (Nothing’s Gonna Change My World!)
Foreword! This year is a leap year, which makes the Gregoriancalendar a bit confusing compared to the Persian calendar. While the Persian calendar also includes a leap year, the extra day falls at the end of the last month of the Persian year and marks the end of (next) winter. In contrast, the extra day in the Gregorian calendar has already transitioned by February, when we reached the leap year. After researching, I discovered that my brother Al’s birthday is tomorrow. Unfortunately, I won’t have time to celebrate it then. So, I’ve decided to post this celebration today, and I’m sure Al won’t mind!
If we consider earthly time, he would be seventy-two; however, if one leaves the earth, time (and place)—at least in this variant—will no longer exist. However, as I still hear these tiktoks of the erosive passage of earthy time and count them, I return to these events to refresh my memories.
One of the memories that lingers in my mind is undoubtedly the Beatles. We grew up with them, and I clearly remember how, in the early sixties, we eagerly collected every new poster of theirs to hang on our room walls. This was somewhat unusual in Iran then, as most other youths listened to Iranian music. So, in our own way, we were odd!!!
Later, one of their songs, “Two Of Us,” became one of our favourites because it was about the “two” of us. I believe every lost child wants to find their way back home.
And I still hold onto those memories, learning from his wisdom; he was always a few steps ahead of me.
It’s my 31st birthday, and I imitate pink panthers!!
Honestly, I didn’t plan to post anything this weekend because I didn’t have time to come up with an idea. However, Al’s birthday inspired me to write a post. Additionally, tomorrow marks the anniversary of John Lennon’s shooting, so I’ve combined these two events in my thoughts. I believe Al and John share many points in common.
May their souls rest in peace. Nothing’s gonna change your worlds! Happy earthy birthday, dear peculiar brother.
Hello, friends! As I mentioned in my last post two weeks ago, I decided to take a break from sharing new posts to alleviate some pressure on myself. Unfortunately, my brief explanation about this decision led to misunderstandings among many of you, while a few friends grasped my point. So, to make it clear, I am not on holiday; I am working more than usual because my boss is still in the hospital. I appreciate your understanding!
Anyway, as you can see, I have a new post yet, though not something heavy. It’s light and deep, for sure! Simply put, as I’ve been reflecting on my experiences with WordPress over the past couple of years, I’ve realized that artists need inspiration to create art. However, that inspiration isn’t always readily available. This platform provides a wonderful opportunity for us to share our thoughts and feelings naturally rather than treating it like a mandatory series production we must complete out of obligation. Consequently, I have decided to give myself time and share my thoughts when I believe they are valuable. 🤗
I’m still experiencing a tough time because of my “Standby” position (Imagine waking up each day unsure if you can work from home or need to jump out and drive around!). I find it hard to focus on anything that could calm my restless mind, and I feel like losing my creative spark. I started working on the Egypt post, but it didn’t satisfy me, so I decided to share an instructive story and some charming videos about a great and knowledgeable thinker, Alan Watts. I hope you will enjoy it, and I can take another break!!
Let’s examine our lives and our existence. It is not so difficult; we just need to loosen the tension in every muscle in our body, especially our brains, and surf around.
Alan Watts played a significant role in popularizing Zen Buddhism in the West, paving the way for traditional teachers like Soto priest Suzuki Roshi. However, Watts did not consider himself a Zen Buddhist. In a talk animated by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, he clarifies, “I am not a Zen Buddhist; I am not advocating Zen Buddhism or trying to convert anyone. I have nothing to sell.” He identifies himself simply as “an entertainer.” Is he joking?
Watts was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1945 and served until 1950. He was a complex character—a strict anti-dogmatist who found rigid doctrine irritating at best and profoundly oppressive and dehumanizing at worst.
Watts wasn’t a strict Zen priest but learned a lot from Japanese Buddhist concepts, which he explains in the short section of the video above. He also found similar insights about the interconnectedness of all things in Daoism. Above, you’ll see a short animation by Eddie Rosas from The Simpsons, where Watts illustrates “Daoism in perfection” through a simple parable.
In this short animated parable by Steve Agnos below, he states, “The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity.” However, instead of illustrating a lesson about unity, he suggests that nature and reality are ultimately beyond our understanding. He argues that “it is really impossible to determine whether anything that occurs within it is good or bad.” Therefore, the most reasonable approach seems to avoid judging in either direction.
And how it can be easy to open our minds, honestly, to ourselves and use our brain to think over and not take the easy way to judge:
Alan Watts critiques the human tendency to make hasty judgments, as seen in this mastery “talk-animated” below by Tim McCourt and Wesley Louis of Westminster Arts & Film London. He explores personal identity and the ego’s separation from reality, emphasizing the theme of interconnectedness. Watts asserts it is “impossible to cut ourselves off from the social and natural environments; we are that.” To discover this truth, he encourages us to become “deep listeners” and to let go of embarrassment, shyness, and anxiety.
I am not selling anything, either! 😅 (unfortunately!!?), but I send my best wishes to you all. Have a lovely time and till then.🙏💖🌹
Perfume has a rich history in human culture, such as ancient Persia, which dominated the perfume trade for decades. This civilization is known for inventing non-oil-based perfumes, and the Persian nobility valued fragrances highly, with kings having unique “signature scents” reserved exclusively for them. Ancient Persia had many perfume-making workshops where people experimented with various distillation processes and scents.
“Khosrow & the Page” (Perhaps from the 7th century)
In Ancient Egypt, the elite highly valued perfume oils and fragrances. The god Nefertem, associated with perfume, is often depicted with water lilies, a key ingredient in ancient scents.
“Rise like Nefertum from the lotus to the nostrils of Ra, and come forth upon the horizon each day”.
Perfumes were created by distilling natural ingredients in non-scented oils, resulting in fruity, woodsy, or floral aromas. Notable figures like Queen Hatshepsut and Queen Cleopatra enjoyed these fragrances, using them for baths and personal grooming. It is rumoured they took perfumes to their graves.
Here is the story of finding a tiny but precious perfume bottle from ancient Egypt, written by Marie Grillot, with heartfelt gratitude.🙏💖
An Amarna princess on a vase-shaped perfume bottle: Hes.
Perfume bottle in the form of a hes vase with the representation of princess travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian, gold, coloured glass inlays New Kingdom – 18th Dynasty – reign of Akhenaten (1353 – 1336 BCE) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York – accession number 40.2.4. (by acquisition from the Carter Estate in London in 1940) – museum photo
This delightful perfume bottle, in the form of a “Hes”( meaning “praise” or “favour) vase, is 10.8 cm high, 3 cm wide and has a diameter of 1.9 cm. According to some sources, it is made of calcite (Egyptian alabaster or travertine), with a decoration made of carnelian, obsidian, gold and coloured glass. In “Scepter of Egypt II”, William C. Hayes details its manufacturing technique thus: “The conical stopper was here cut in one piece with the pot itself. Since its tiny neck would have been too small to allow the insertion of a drilling tool, the bottle was made in two vertical halves, hollowed out and carefully joined with an orange resin glue”.
Perfume bottle in the form of a hes vase with the representation of princess travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian, gold, coloured glass inlays New Kingdom – 18th Dynasty – reign of Akhenaten (1353 – 1336 BCE) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York – accession number 40.2.4. (by acquisition from the Carter Estate in London in 1940) – museum photo
Its charming appearance is enhanced by the presence, on one side, of a princess’s representation in inlays. Seen in profile, it reveals a naked, slim and youthful body. Her partially shaved skull displays on one side the “braid of childhood”; thick and black, it is thrown back. One leg is advanced, and she is in the apparent walking position. One arm hangs along the body, while the other displays a bent elbow and an outstretched hand, palm open. “The elegant gesture of the princess seems to signify a sign of greeting: standing on a lotus flower according to traditional symbolism, she embodies rebirth and rejuvenation”, analyzes Dorothea Arnold in “The Royal Women of Amarna”. Indeed, the ancient Egyptians considered the lotus as “the initial flower” and “the symbol of the birth of the divine star”.
For Egyptologist Valérie Angenot: “The gesture of the little princess, the hand outstretched in a cup, is stereotypical of the gestures of princesses since the time of Hatshepsut. It denotes the attitude of a child who wants to attract someone’s attention and address them by gently pulling their chin towards her. At Tell el-Amarna, the gesture is attested about fifteen times on the walls of private tombs, administrative monuments such as the king’s audience hall, steles, perhaps seal impressions, as well as on this vase. It exclusively features princesses, mostly to show that they interact or chat among themselves during long official ceremonies, which one imagines is tedious for young children. But we can also see them making this gesture in their interaction with their parents or even with the uraeus hanging from their foreheads. At Deir el-Bahari, Hatshepsut addresses the god Amon, her father, on whose knees she stands as a child. We must, therefore, imagine an elliptical interlocutor for this vase. Various reliefs show Akhenaten and Nefertiti performing a libation to the Aten with similar vases (but often adorned with a spout, 𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘵). Therefore, the ‘person’ to whom this little princess emerging from a solar lotus is addressing herself would be none other than the god Aton, whose honour the ritual would be simulated using this artificial vase. It is remarkable that we still find the same stereotypical gesture of the cupped hand sketched by one of the two Amarna ‘kings’ on the famous Berlin stele of Captain Pasi (ÄM 17813).”
Perfume bottle in the form of a hes vase with the representation of princess travertine (Egyptian alabaster), carnelian, obsidian, gold, coloured glass inlays New Kingdom – 18th Dynasty – reign of Akhenaten (1353 – 1336 BCE) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York – accession number 40.2.4. (by acquisition from the Carter Estate in London in 1940) – museum photo
The details of its morphology, such as the elongation of the skull, the shape of the face, and the marked belly, attribute it to the Amarna period… William C. Hayes gives this sensitive description: “The naked figure of the young girl – which seems to come straight out of one of the scenes preserved in relief at Tell el-Amarna – is delicately carved in a thin sliver of carnelian, the back of which has been hollowed out to fit exactly the curved surface of the vase. The hair of the figure, topped with the characteristic heavy side lock, is a piece of polished obsidian or black glass beautifully worked and skillfully fitted. Spears and triangles of purple glass (imitation lapis lazuli) and polished carnelian have been joined together to form the lotus flower on which the figure stands, and at the base of the flower, a spot of sparkling yellow has been provided by a piece of thin gold plate.”
This precious artefact dates to the New Kingdom, the 18th Dynasty, the reign of Akhenaten (1353 – 1336 BC). It is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it has been registered under the accession number 40.2.4, with the “ancient provenance”: “possibly Thebes.” As for its “recent provenance,” it is “speaking”: “Howard Carter Collection, acquired from the Carter estate in London in 1940.”
Portrait of Howard Carter, author and date unknown (London 9-5-1874 – 2-3-1939) Draughtsman and Egyptologist, discoverer, in November 1922 with Lord Carnarvon, of the tomb of Tutankhamun
Howard Carter, painter and designer, Egyptologist, collector, and discoverer with Lord Carnarvon of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, died in London on March 2, 1939. In his will (drawn up on July 14, 1931), he had designated his niece Phyllis Walker as heir to the majority of his assets, stipulating that, for all matters concerning the sale of Egyptian antiquities, she should refer to the executors he had appointed: Harry Burton and Bruce Ingram. The latter, noting in his apartment the presence of artefacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun, opted for restitution to Egypt. On March 22, 1940, Phyllis Walker wrote to Etienne Drioton, director of Egyptian antiquities, to organize this “return”. This is how around twenty artefacts will be returned, via diplomatic bag, to King Farouk… before joining the Tahrir Museum…
Howard Carter Draughtsman and Egyptologist, discoverer, in November 1922 with Lord Carnarvon, of the tomb of Tutankhamun With his niece Phyllis Walker, who will be his primary heir
Returning to this point in “Howard Carter, The Path to Tutankhamun”, Thomas Garnet Henry James confides: “A further comment on this sensitive subject is that the antiquities in his possession at his death, after the extraction of the Tutankhamun objects, were valued by Messrs Spink at £1093. This was certainly a low estimate, as was often the case in estate matters, but it indicates the relatively modest nature of his private collection…”
Thus, in this inventory carried out on June 1, three months after the discoverer’s death, by the London art dealers Spink & Son of St James’s Street (“Spink list”), this bottle bears the number 55.
Of course, the question arises as to whether it is linked to the young pharaoh’s funerary treasure…
Thomas Garnet Henry James’s opinion is as follows: “It can be said that any fine small object dating from the 18th Dynasty which appeared in a private collection or on the market in the 1920s and 1930s was almost systematically attributed to the tomb of Tutankhamun”…
Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter, discoverers of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 (KV 62)
As for Marc Gabolde, he draws up, in his excellent “Tutankhamun”, published by Pygmalion in 2015, a list of “Objects possibly coming from the tomb of Tutankhamun and not found (somewhere else) in Egypt”. This calcite bottle in the shape of a libation vase (hs) appears there with the following information: “The quality of the work and the materials, as well as the date that can be assigned to the object thanks to the iconography of the inlaid figure, leave little doubt that it could come from the tomb of Tutankhamun. The figure of the princess is incompatible with the time of Amenhotep III, and the royal tomb of Amarna has not provided similar objects, especially in such a state of preservation”…
It is another time to take it easy and breathe to reflect on a former joy. However, I am overtaxed (as some dear friends might have noticed!) by some more stress caused by my boss lying in a hospital for hip surgery, and I must do his orders as in my so-called retirement (seclusion). That means every day on standby! I don’t know when I just will be left alone!!
So, I just wanted to let you know that I will probably be almost off for the next two weeks. If you ever mind, you might forgive me for my lack of or late feedback! 🙏😅🙏 Now it is enough lamented; let’s go to one of the most beautiful Canadian islands.
You may remember I shared four parts about the last trip there on New Year’s Eve 2021/22. For the first time, my adorable wife wanted to travel “again” to the same place. I promise she had never done it before! Her reason was obviously the stunning warmth of the winter there, the excellent hotel, and the fine mail. But, we had to recognise that that hotel and everything around it was not as perfect as those days, and the weather wasn’t cosy warm despite being autumn and not winter. However, we gave our best to enjoy, as accepted!
As you know, it is a volcanic island, but we didn’t want to repeat our review from the last time but to see those we missed. Like the green sea, which “fortunately” is forbidden to get near down to it!
I think it is enough for today, and I thank you, I thank you, for your passion and compassion. Have a precious time.🙏💖🌟✌🌹
Sorry! I can’t simply ignore this issue or stop worrying about the current situation. Perhaps it’s because I was born and raised in a dictatorship, which gives me a deeper understanding of the coming danger than many of my friends here, who have mostly been born and live in freedom.
The question is, when a nation feels disappointed with its situation and confused about its future, how easily can its patriotism be aroused and nationalism used to heal its social wounds? It is not related to a country’s political governing and social freedom, as we observe it occurring in both directories and Western democratic nations. I often wonder why people tend to embrace nationalism during moments of last-ditch pride, frequently seen in contexts like football national cups (a common occurrence in South America), historical racism (as observed in German history), or in leaning on their ancient heritage (as seen with figures like Mussolini in Italy and the Persians, which still resonates today).
Through scientific understanding, our world has become dehumanized. Man feels himself isolated in the cosmos. He is no longer involved in nature and has lost his emotional participation in natural events, which hitherto had a symbolic meaning for him… He no longer has a bush-soul identifying him with a wild animal. His immediate communication with nature is gone forever, and the emotional energy it generated has sunk into the unconscious. (C. G. Jung 1948/1980, para 585)
In today’s world, and likely in the years to come, politics will inevitably influence our lives, whether we want it to or not. I don’t intend to denigrate anyone, but when a single individual holds leadership in one of the most influential roles in the world with vast authority, it raises alarms about the potential for tyranny. And I’m sure all friends here must admit that no one will be immune to that seduction!
The word “democracy” originates from the Greek terms “demos,” meaning “people,” and “kratos,” meaning “power.” Therefore, democracy can be understood as the “power of the people”—a form of governance that relies on the people’s will. The idea of democracy derives its moral strength – and popular appeal – from two fundamental principles: 1- Individual Autonomy: This principle asserts that no one should be subject to rules others impose. People should be able to control their own lives within reasonable limits. 2- Equality: This principle holds that everyone should have the same opportunity to influence society’s decisions. Essentially, it emphasizes the disempowerment of concentrated power held by a single individual, transforming governance into a system where leaders serve the population rather than rule over them.
Lyndsey Stonebridge explains in her book “We Are Free To Change The World” (Hannah Arendt’s Lessons of Love and Disobedience): >In Arendt’s sense, having a free mind means turning away from dogma, political certainties, theoretical comfort zones, and satisfying ideologies. It means learning instead to cultivate the art of staying true to reality’s hazards, vulnerabilities, mysteries, and perplexities because, ultimately, that is our best chance of remaining human.< She also reflects that fundamental questions about the human condition are not beside the point in dire political times; they are the point. How can we think straight amidst cynicism and mendacity? What is there left to love, to cherish, to fight for? How can we act to secure it best? What fences and bridges do we need to build to protect freedom, and which walls do we need to destroy?
Hannah Arendt closely examined the regimes of Hitler and Stalin, their functionaries, the ideology of scientific racism, and the role of propaganda in creating what she described as “a curiously varying mixture of gullibility and cynicism.” This mixture is how individuals are expected to respond to their leaders’ ever-changing lies. In her 1951 work, “Origins of Totalitarianism,” she elaborated that this combination of gullibility and cynicism is prevalent across all levels of totalitarian movements:
In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world, the masses had reached the point where they would simultaneously believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and nothing was true… The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.
It is important to recognize the significant danger of trusting someone who makes promises. Why do such individuals often resort to constant and blatant lying? One reason is that it serves as a way to control their subordinates completely. These followers may feel compelled to abandon their own integrity to echo outrageous falsehoods, subsequently becoming tied to the leader through feelings of shame and complicity. Professor Jacob T. Levy from McGill University highlights the insights of prominent thinkers like George Orwell, Hannah Arendt, and Vaclav Havel. He notes that they can help us identify a specific type of falsehood. He states that “saying something obviously untrue and forcing your subordinates to repeat it earnestly in their own words is a shocking demonstration of power over them. This practice was widespread in totalitarian regimes.”
“You can read my lips… Repeat my words as I repeat them! Doesn’t this sound familiar? Arendt and others noted— as Levy writes— that “being forced to repeat an obvious lie makes it clear that you’re powerless.” She also identified how an avalanche of lies can render a populace unable to resist, a phenomenon we now refer to as ” “gaslighting”:
The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth and truth be defamed as a lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world—and the category of truth versus falsehood is among the mental means to this end—is being destroyed.
However, time will reveal how a people or a nation can differentiate between right and wrong and how much their practice of democracy can help them recognize truth and falsehood. Democracy is not a gift that can be simply given; it requires thorough training to achieve its ultimate goal.
lampmagician 
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