We are the water between the grains of sand
The Sandwater Children are a tribe of people who are known to have practiced a hedonistic, animistic and deeply spiritual tradition. They believed in the balanced existence of feminine and masculine energies in everyone and orientated themselves among 81 symbols. It is unclear who has created the symbols and how old they are. The Sandwater Children themselves claimed that their ancestors, who had been able to fly, had passed these on to them. Each of these 81 symbols seem to stand for an experience or a state, which one must encounter to live a fulfilled life. The members of the tribe themselves tattooed these symbols on their bodies in the order they lived through them. They started at their chin and continued the line all the way down to their pubic area and up their spine. Although the Sandwater Children are known to generally have practiced sky burials, there have been a few well preserved corpses to prove this. According to their tradition, a person's spirit remains on the earth until it has lived through all the symbols. The undertaker was responsible to provide everyone with the complete selection of tattoos as well as one final one, which only the dead get.
Although there is some literature written by the Sandwater Children, there is little historic evidence left about them. Doctor Cornelius Claviez from the University of Winston in Western New York, who used to study them as an anthropologist, claims that it was the fear based, consumerist, detached lifestyle of the Western World which has made them go extinct. He further explains that lifestyles and religions can be diseases just as pox or measles, which are known to have eliminated tribes and cultures in the past.
The only thing worth living for… is Life.
The Sandwater Children were known to be mainly nomads. They lived among rocks and mountains as well as along the sea and in the rain forest.
It is believed that they originated in the Middle East and then spread out to Europe and Africa.
Traces of their Symbols have been found in North America, which suggests that they crossed the sea and spread out in the New World as well.
ceremonies and talisman
Throughout history ceremonies or rituals as well as talisman and amulets have been used to bring protection and harmony to our lives. Some may see this as magic or hocus-pocus, but the truth is such things occur in everyday life. Jewelry, prayer beads, the cross, the rosary, or anything you hold to bring you luck are all modern day talisman. Just the same, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and publicly acknowledged annual events are all rituals and ceremonies we continue to take part in without realizing that’s what they are. When you blow out the candles on your birthday not only are you practicing a ritualistic ceremony, you are also using the candles as a talisman.
(Original Illustration)
The Creators
Adrian Fuller
was born in Rochester, N.Y. and grew up in the finger lakes of Western New York. Home schooled and raised Quaker, he is still practicing the religion to this day. He has been a multi-faceted artist his entire life using music, writing, painting, and sculpting as an outlet for his creativity. He has studied symbols and spirituality for years, drawing inspiration from nature, travel, and human interactions. He has burned buildings, broken ladders and bottles, and pulled his own teeth.
Daniela and Adrian met in 2011 on a rooftop in India. They now split their time between Taos, New Mexico and zurich, switzerland with their son and dog. they continue to roam the planet together in search of stories.
Daniela Huber
was born in Zurich, Switzerland and raised partly in Singapore. From her Fundamentalist Southern Baptist upbringing she has explored spirituality in other forms. Traveling to over thirty countries has given her insights to all walks of life, providing inspiration for stories to come. An author, illustrator, and ceremonial tattoo artist, Daniela sees magic and good nature in all humans, proving this in her work. She has seduced the enemy, left the shoes out in the rain, and gone out to find unicorn milk.