Demonology

I lost some beloved young tomato plants this summer and I want to honor their life in a way that will remind me of them and make me smile each time I remember.  I’ve always adored Japanese prayer slips,”ofuda”, for their spiritual function, and notable aesthetic. I also dig the concept of Chinese wish-trees, the bows of which are adorned with majestic clusters of fabric strips, each containing the written hopes and dreams of an individual who chose to add a piece of themselves to the branches. Both are sometimes found dancing within nature, just as all things in life swirl about and yield to the currents of circumstance. Like our wishes and prayers, these slips surf on the whim of chaos like ghosts. I see ofuda and talismans all the time in the media I consume, from movies to games (the gifs above were snagged from Monster Hunter Rise,…