1000 Cranes
In Japan, there is a tradition of folding one thousand paper cranes--senbazuru—as a way to carry a wish or prayer into the world. It is often undertaken for things that feel impossible: healing, protection, peace, or the endurance to face something overwhelming. While I am not Japanese and do not claim this tradition as my own, I believe in magick and I approach it with deep respect.
Instead of one thousand paper cranes, I am creating one thousand digital cranes in my Elysian Enchanted Realism style, and each one exists in a different scene, and no two are the same. Every crane is an act of attention and care—an offering shaped from time, imagination, and love. Taken together, they form a sustained magickal working: a visual prayer repeated one thousand times, carried forward day by day.
This prayer is for my husband Andy and for us, beginning on December 26, 2925 during the Waxing Crescent Moon, set to complete on September 21, 2028 (Rosh Hashanah and the Northern Hemisphere's fall equinox). We are married in spirit, but not yet legally, and we are separated by 8000 miles. Moving to New Zealand is not possible for me because their immigration requirements include having a clean bill of health to not strain their healthcare system or social safety net, and I am chronically ill and on disability; Andy is planning on moving to the United States but the path there is difficult with the financial logistics of starting one's life over again across an entire ocean, the bureaucracy involved, and a political climate growing openly hostile to immigrants.
These cranes are not just beautiful images—they are a declaration of faith that we will find our way through. A prayer that love, persistence, and sheer stubborn hope can carve a future where Andy and I are finally able to build the life together that we deserve.
Click the thumbnails to see the full-sized images.
Instead of one thousand paper cranes, I am creating one thousand digital cranes in my Elysian Enchanted Realism style, and each one exists in a different scene, and no two are the same. Every crane is an act of attention and care—an offering shaped from time, imagination, and love. Taken together, they form a sustained magickal working: a visual prayer repeated one thousand times, carried forward day by day.
This prayer is for my husband Andy and for us, beginning on December 26, 2925 during the Waxing Crescent Moon, set to complete on September 21, 2028 (Rosh Hashanah and the Northern Hemisphere's fall equinox). We are married in spirit, but not yet legally, and we are separated by 8000 miles. Moving to New Zealand is not possible for me because their immigration requirements include having a clean bill of health to not strain their healthcare system or social safety net, and I am chronically ill and on disability; Andy is planning on moving to the United States but the path there is difficult with the financial logistics of starting one's life over again across an entire ocean, the bureaucracy involved, and a political climate growing openly hostile to immigrants.
These cranes are not just beautiful images—they are a declaration of faith that we will find our way through. A prayer that love, persistence, and sheer stubborn hope can carve a future where Andy and I are finally able to build the life together that we deserve.
Click the thumbnails to see the full-sized images.
