Aluna (The Great Mother) Seahorse Pendant

Description

Aluna pendant set with your choice of Emerald/Ruby/Sapphire and diamonds and a teardrop natural pearl.

This seahorse jewelry design is dedicated to the Great Mother-the one who sustains and provides life to this planet. The one that was known to the ancient indigenous Jaguar/Kogi tribe of the pre-Columbian era as Aluna. This is a powerful symbol of balance, conscious existence, survival and prosperity.

The details in this pendant are based on pre-Columbian jewelry art, features pearls which were found in ancient pre-Columbian pearl jewelry. Pearl earrings and ancient pearl necklaces usually incorporating emeralds and of course gold.
It is a seahorse necklace which is based on ancient artifacts that were found in “The River of Gold”-the pre-Columbian treasures from Sitio Conte in Panama.
This seahorse necklace is part of our ecological jewelry and environmental jewelry.

It is a homage to the Kogi tribe -one of the most advanced societies living today, and probably the last direct descendants of the pre-Columbian culture of central and South America.
When I created these seahorse jewels I combined different aspects of the ancient cultures of pre-Columbian America.
The double image of the seahorse was taken from an artifact discovered in 2009 in Peru.

I’ve used this duality in order to represent the Kogi understanding of the balance between spirit and matter, the inside and the outside, the masculine and the feminine, creation, and destruction.
The symbol at the bottom of the pendant is the ancient symbol of Venus, which is the most important star in the Mayan cosmology, but it is also the symbol of the different ethnic groups.
The Kogi –an ancient tribe, descendants of the ancient Tayrona culture who survived the Spanish invasion hiding in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains. The Kogi fled 400 years ago from the war, death, and plagues brought by the Spanish conquests.

In the refuge of the mountains above the Caribbean shore of Columbia, they lived in isolation according to their philosophy of balance between the human potential of spirit and mind and between the forces of nature.
These people remained faithful to their traditions and faith and they share a common historical cultural and religious background with the ancient people of the land.
The Kogi (along with the Wiwa and Arhuaco tribes) obey the ethical, ecological and spiritual commandment of a primeval creative force which they refer to as “The Mother’ or “Aluna” in their language.
In a long hard and strict initiation process that starts from birth and may last up to 18 years the priesthood known as “Mamas” learn how to connect with “Aluna –the great mother and taking their role as keepers and protectors of the Earth, by keeping the cosmic balance or actually the ecological balance.

The religious and philosophical concepts of the Kogi, as well as their perception of their role in this world, is completely opposite to the western belief system and understanding.
They see time as one long present with no “past” or “future”-for instance, the Spanish invasion is something that just happened and they speak about the “SE” the creative force and the spiritual center of existence.
For the Kogi people, the world is a living being the “Aluna”.
They see this force as the source of the human mind, soul, and creativity.
It is an unmeasurable force and unseen. It exists in the metaphysical realm which is the source of the physical reality and binds all its components.

According to their cosmology, the world is composed of nine different layers and they see creation as a pure reflection of their cosmology (for example the nine month of pregnancy reflects the nine layers of the cosmos), or the mountains reflect and symbolize the universe. Everything in nature has a higher purpose, and in that manner, every living being is a teacher, and each part reflects the whole. In this cosmic structure, the human being is in the center since enlightenment can come only through the human creativity and human spirit.
The Kogi call themselves “The Elder Brothers”. The real protectors of the earth and they see their mountains as the center and the heart of the world.
They refer to the rest of humanity “The Younger Brothers: who threaten the existence of life with their ignorance.
The Kogi base their lifestyles on their belief in “Aluna” or “The Great Mother,” their creator figure, whom they believe is the force behind nature. The Kogi understand the Earth to be a living being and see humanity as its “children. They say that our actions of exploitation, devastation, and plundering for resources is weakening “The Great Mother” and leading to our destruction.
Their work and their role is to achieve harmony and balance in all the realms of creation according to the guidance and will of the Mother –Aluna.
In order to protect their role and to preserve their traditions, they remained hidden from the outside world. However, during the early 90’s they broke their silence and let a small BBC TV crew enter their mountains and villages in order to spread their message and their warning to the younger brother who plunders exploits and destroys Earth and it’s balance.

For me this is not just a piece of jewelry but also a powerful reminder of the balance that was lost between us and the earth, and how each one of us can understand that every living being is a teacher, and each part reflects the whole, in such a way that every action matters In this cosmic structure and that real awakening can come only through the human creativity and human spirit.