In my purse I keep a charm. Now I come to look at it closely, I realise I'm not entirely sure what it's made
from, except that it's metal of some sort, painted in some way. I possibly was told who it represented when
I was given it by a friend of my partner's, but, to my shame, I've forgotten.
It was long ago, one of those situations when you're a newcomer to a group of people and someone
welcomes you in a special way. His name was Sean and I remember his long hair and his beard and
his quiet voice and gentle presence. It was the mid eighties. He was an unusual presence amidst the
post punk new romantic hedonistic, narcissistic madness of the maelstrom of creative verve we
were all in the middle of for a while. Someone whispered that he'd been to India and never come back.
The first time we met, he showed me some exquisite drawings he'd done of trees and pine cones and other
natural forms all cohabiting on the same plane and scale, giving the seeds and other small things as much
space and visual attention as the very large and developed forms. I was somewhat stunned and charmed
and struggled to make any meaningful comment that didn't sound as though I was judging them rather
than appreciating them. The mind stammers in such moments sometimes.
Some time later, he gave my partner a tie pin in the shape of a grand piano, a lovely, amusing, appropriate
gift, and me, this charm. For no particular occasion, it felt as though he was honouring the
relationship between my partner and I, though they would both possibly snort laugh at this and tell me to
stop reading into things so much. ( My partner once gave me Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
to read, with the accompanying advice; don't read too much into it.)
Well I've kept it with me in my purse as a talisman ever since and I only really ever think about it if I
change purses for some reason, though I've never, until now, thought about who it is.
He reminds me of a character in a Japanese painting such as this
so a little internet research brings me to the 7 Lucky Gods in Japanese mythology and through a process of
visual elimination, I decide he might be Bishamonten, the warrior god, protector of the rhighteous.
I am not dismayed by the fact that he is the only one of the 7 lucky gods to be associated with war
and violence, or that he is often depicted holding a spear in one hand, because he is said to be a
protector of Buddhist temples, worshippers and their offerings and in his other hand he holds a pagoda
containing the gifts of the faithful. Said to have protected the Buddha as he spread his teachings, the
pagoda symbolises the divine treasure house whose contents he both guards and gives away.
Also known as Tamonten, meaning ' listening to many teachings ', he is guardian of the Northern
direction, living half way down Mount Sumeru.
I might be wrong in actuality giving this personality to my lucky charm, but for my own purposes and
situation, it works and I'm very glad to carry him with me. Thank you Sean. ⻚🍀
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