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Archive Posts
Behind the Story: The Road Taimu Leaves Behind The surviving evidence beneath Third Day of the Wind: a caravan road from Elusa to Hegra, the risks Taimu leaves behind, and the point where history gives way to reconstruction. 29/09/2026
Third Day of the Wind In the Negev, around AD 240, a dyer waits for her husband to explain what has changed since his return from Petra. Outside, the wind enters its third day. 27/09/2026
The Taste of Ashes A historical short story. As danger approaches her village in the Zagros Mountains, Avesta must weigh her husband’s warning against her ties to home and community. 05/10/2025
Where Clay Divides, Where Clay Joins – Chapter 7: The Woman Who Spoke to Rivers The stranger arrived with the dawn mist three days after the salt merchants departed, following the high-water mark where the river had swollen during last year's exceptional floods. She moved like the Mlabri forest people Lyra had seen once as a child—reading the ground with… 22/06/2025
Where Clay Divides, Where Clay Joins – Chapter 6: The Fire That Sings to a Hollow Sky Three days before the salt-traders were due, their laden bullocks slow-marching from the arid plains beyond the White Hills, the serpent kiln began to breathe. 27/05/2025
Where Clay Divides, Where Clay Joins – Chapter 5: The Threads in the Kiln The dawn light filtered through bamboo slats, laying slender shadows across Lyra’s sleeping mat. She rose quietly, leaving behind the soft breath of her children so she could greet the day alone. Each morning in the cusp of twilight felt like a gift: the clay’s… 23/05/2025
Where Clay Divides, Where Clay Joins – Chapter 4: The Breath Inside the Vessel Lyra woke before the first gibbon called, the dream of swirling blue still vivid behind her eyelids. In that dream she had seen a pot spinning in the twilight, hollow as a conch’s throat; inside its walls, a small sky drifted by, corrugated with slow‑moving… 16/05/2025
Where Clay Divides, Where Clay Joins – Chapter 3: Clay Under the Banyan Lyra kept one ear tuned to the rattle of pots in the communal shed and the other to the voices of her children—two bright daughters and an adoptive son—laughing somewhere beyond the bamboo fence. Clouds billowed in the bright sky, drifting low over the hills.… 07/05/2025
Where Clay Divides, Where Clay Joins – Chapter 2: Whispers and Cracks Dawn crept over the ridge, turning mist into a pale silk that draped the terraces. Lyra knelt at the riverbank, ankles sinking into cool silt flecked with crushed fern fronds. Behind her, bamboo groves whispered in the breeze, and the distant croak of reservoir frogs… 21/04/2025
Where Clay Divides, Where Clay Joins – Chapter 1: The Secret Shape Welcome to the beginning of Where Clay Divides, Where Clay Joins , a serialised novel set in Iron Age Southeast Asia. This is the first chapter of Lyra's story. You can find the full Table of Contents . 17/04/2025
Shaping the Space Between: Clay, Spirit, and Belonging An Ancient Southeast Asia Setting Imagine the cusp of the Iron Age, around 600 BCE. Breathe in the pre-dawn air, thick with moisture, woodsmoke, and the deep green [Read More] 17/04/2025
Why Love Can Feel Threatening Explore love, empathy and resistance to change in personal growth, relationships and work, with reflections on self-compassion and understanding. 18/08/2024
Making Room for Difficult Feelings Explore inner transformation through acceptance, forgiveness and a quieter mind, in a reflection drawing on Jung, Stoicism and Buddhist ideas. 01/04/2024
Unblocking the Sacral Chakra: Reconciling Pragmatism and Passion in the Pursuit of Personal Fulfilment “Tell me, what is it you plan to do With your one wild and precious life?” The Summer Day, Mary Oliver Introduction The age-old debate of passion vs [Read More] 30/03/2024
Allowing Life’s Absurdities: The Cosmic Laughter, Hidden Divinity, and Manifestation Introducing the Philosophy of Allowance We often find certain life experiences unpalatable. With or without direct personal encounters, cruelties and vulgarities exist in the world, people resist or [Read More] 30/09/2023
What Dionysus Can Teach Us About Letting Go “…Well-fed, fruitful, increasing joyful bounty, Bursting from the earth, god of the wine-press, mighty, With changing form, a cure for men’s pain, holy bloom, A pain-hating joy for [Read More] 12/09/2023
True Freedom vs Issues with Authority and Resistance Introduction This post will explore the complex interplay between freedom, authority, and resistance. I will share my personal journey as well as philosophical insights. My hope is that [Read More] 26/08/2023
When Does Sacrifice Become Self-Abandonment? A reflection on sacrifice, suffering and authentic becoming: questioning fear-based self-denial and finding meaning in personal transformation. 17/08/2023
The Seed of Potential: A Mythic Journey Towards Self-Realisation The Seed of Potential In life, we often harbour a seed of potential, a dormant force within us, that we are yet to fully comprehend. This seed, a [Read More] 06/08/2023
Illusion, not Darkness: Unmasking the True Enemy The dichotomy of light and dark has long been a central pillar of symbolism across cultures and spiritual traditions. Traditionally, light represents knowledge and truth, while darkness symbolizes [Read More] 02/08/2023
Prioritising Authenticity: The Key to Empowering Our Destiny In today’s fast-paced world, embracing authenticity can often be challenging, yet it holds the key to truly empowering our destiny. This article delves into the concept of authenticity, highlighting its [Read More] 31/07/2023
Exploring Duality and Non-Duality: Insights from Zoroastrianism and the Bhagavad Gita Introduction to Duality and Non-Duality In this blog post, we will explore two philosophical concepts—duality and non-duality—and their implications on existential questions. We will dive into the teachings [Read More] 29/07/2023
How to Pray, the Neoplatonist Way Introduction: The Hymn of Proclus In the quietude of my spiritual contemplation (see my post yesterday on the divine union https://angelswithblackwings.com/a-divine-union-the-dance-of-the-self-and-the-sacred/), I found myself drawn to the hymn of Proclus, a notable [Read More] 28/07/2023
A Divine Union: The Dance of the Self and the Sacred The self can feel adrift, unmoored from any guiding star. We yearn for connection to something greater, a source of strength and wisdom beyond our own. Prayer, then, [Read More] 27/07/2023
The Endless Game of Life Fear, Attachment, and the Hero’s Journey Life can feel like a rigged game. Fear and attachment are the cruel puppet masters. They yank at our strings, dictating our [Read More] 19/07/2023