Winged Messenger

Materials used:

painted plaster cast of my face;
wood, Gallatin Forest, Montana;
poppy seedpods, my garden in Bozeman, Montana;
pheasant feathers, Montana.

(wall mount)

The materials used to decorate this colorful mask, “Winged Messenger,” are simple and few. I felt the mask, with mercurial wingtips above the ear places, spoke for itself and needed very little in the way of adornment or decoration. It reminded me of the Roman god Mercury, with his winged sandals to aid travel and the delivery of messages. Hermes is the Greek equivalent of the Roman name, Mercury. Hermes…or Mercury…either one could be this “Winged Messenger.”

I love that Mercury is the wing-sandaled patron god of travelers, transporters of goods, and tricksters! My “Winged Messenger” has no sandals – only a face, and it seems as if the face could fly without a body, being "fleet faced" rather than “fleet footed.”

Mercury is also the messenger of the gods. I believe we are all constantly being offered divine messages from our guides and guardian angels. This mask is a good reminder to momentarily stop the busyness of our daily routines… and listen… to be open to whatever in-the-moment thought or message serves as a secret reminder of who we truly are.

In Roman mythology, this Roman god of eloquence is also a presider over roads and travelers. I have done a tremendous amount of traveling, much of which has been out of the USA, and it is comforting, at any time en route, to envision this Winged Messenger's face and tap into the patron’s protection. I associate this mask with the element of AIR, because Mercury is always flying, in transit, when I call his image up in my imagination.