On the Solar Ritual
Hand motions required at the time of the sun ritual
"As you know only too well, mon ami, the ritual is best carried out under the bright light of the noonday sun, but neither is it prohibited in gentle haze. Use glowing steel, but avoid melted gold. Here that can only bring bad luck. I rei-terate, pay attention to how you position your hands, which here are at once a message and humility. The sun, appearing as a silver coin, can reveal treasure in the humid vicinity. The future can surely be read through the shimmer of the container raised toward the glowing sun; its explanations are unambiguous. Sunrise and sunset should be avoided during the ritual, for the softening of emotion caused by the spectacle may mislead, initiating uncertain interpretations for which we can only blame ourselves. Fasting and self-restraint are recommended prior to the ritual, but you must..."
Excerpt of Theodore Garbieu's letter addressed from the Mekong Delta to S. J. Robin's accommodation in Vicenza.
Idol for the Sun Ritual
ceramic, wood, gold leaf · 28 × 30 × 26 cmOn the Lunar Ritual
"A placatory instrument at full moon. We discovered it in the (102) barbican of the moon in Sector C1. It was primarily placed in house windows as protection against harmful lunar influence. It kept at bay the evil eye and the stronger waves of emotion that this cold eavenly sign can induce, as well as aiding in the concep ight say identifying symbol of idolatry has also been suggested; after all, whoever sets up such idols is no other than...
... of course the secret hand signs and other practices are not foreign to them either. The lonely marching participants in the alleyways held the 'moon candle' aloft, arms raised. They marched out of the city and in the sinister entrancement of lonely meditation they lowered the little barges to the ground, placing around them symbolic gifts (thrice-smoked walnuts, the root of the zikmuth, healing grasses etc.). Their preferred environment was the leafy woodland, or the ancient forest trees with their great crowns, for the mysterious glimmer of the foliage assisted in creating the messages. The object...
Detail from S. J. Robin's camp diary (1921)
Idol for the Lunar Ritual
ceramic, stone, gold leaf · 25 × 22 × 13 cm
