In the Company of Saints
Cat Therapy: Handmade, Wearable, Peace-of-Mind Sleeping Cat Altar on Chain
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$39.95
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This handmade medal on a chain is meant to be a tactile mantra: a tiny altar that can be worn and that, when touched, is a reminder of calming, meditative images, of a sleeping cat, a sparrow napping with the cat, and a meditating monk. I design, carve, and cast the medals myself. The medals are made of lead-free pewter and have designs on both sides. The medal comes on either an 18-inch or 24-inch alloy chain with a lobster clasp. Each necklace comes in a felt jewelry pouch with a history card that states:
"This medal adapts the image and theme of the Nemuri Neko (sleeping/peaceful cat) sculpture at the Nikko Toshogu shrine in Japan, a sculpture long associated with peacefulness of mind. The front of the shrine sculpture, believed to have been carved in the early Edo period (around 1596-1644), depicts a sleeping cat; on the other side is a sparrow. The meaning: like the lion and lamb, the two animals are so at peace that the sparrow can sleep with the cat. This medallion takes up this theme: it shows a sparrow napping on the back of a sleeping cat, with a meditating monk below, the idea being that peacefulness moves from the sparrow, down to the sleeping cat, and finally to the meditating monk below, the monk and animals quietly embodying Basho’s dictum, 'Sitting quietly, doing nothing....' The back of the medal has a sleeping cat with the words 'Sleeping cat, peaceful mind' below it. This thumb-sized medal is meant to be worn or held, the thumb moving, a tactile mantra, from the sparrow, to the sleeping cat, to the still monk, over and over, until calm settles."
"This medal adapts the image and theme of the Nemuri Neko (sleeping/peaceful cat) sculpture at the Nikko Toshogu shrine in Japan, a sculpture long associated with peacefulness of mind. The front of the shrine sculpture, believed to have been carved in the early Edo period (around 1596-1644), depicts a sleeping cat; on the other side is a sparrow. The meaning: like the lion and lamb, the two animals are so at peace that the sparrow can sleep with the cat. This medallion takes up this theme: it shows a sparrow napping on the back of a sleeping cat, with a meditating monk below, the idea being that peacefulness moves from the sparrow, down to the sleeping cat, and finally to the meditating monk below, the monk and animals quietly embodying Basho’s dictum, 'Sitting quietly, doing nothing....' The back of the medal has a sleeping cat with the words 'Sleeping cat, peaceful mind' below it. This thumb-sized medal is meant to be worn or held, the thumb moving, a tactile mantra, from the sparrow, to the sleeping cat, to the still monk, over and over, until calm settles."
