I've been spening time working in my "Henna" sketchbook this week....
...I find it helps to really get "into" the subject.
The first thing done....
...was a cover....
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSNmJC2GA7_ZA5pe5yjKUhYx7j7um6w5MIvF0cF6hNs6Q9lVFmjDy3wkxopiINk8Mg_EUOO3xP0HhxDEHJJg-fr6FQCbiQy0yGfU32nwoiUOmD3avmGEFPwE9QWsznnuyOXmba-brzvhu/s320/DSC00182.JPG)
...because it had only had a plain blue one before.
More pages have been filled....
...with "Henna Goddesses"...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkp0RmZZ3q6kx5EKTfDAwJqdNDmT3R2P_bG2qe2rZ1IidemTT1RWCTQLZGI6nBlSqNZfIh_NkGlSfRw4mGuNFgkOD__gHoLqxny2IYZsMtKyhz1uT6n7LJ7BLZMA3Yex2fyHaC8zndac9/s320/DSC00187.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInO12vS8307l5EQyVxnWEm6YFLSbEdqxfZtkMinnJ2_ExPcu7hId7gWkrMo2RSX_cMAbn66b8Vcm0NKRtZgpp2eiau1H_7pJS3HDiTxZVAro5cYez9YD_5hGsJpELAwApMhzHpvZaRZSd/s320/DSC00186.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdS9b6fmrjSjboLdKw5v30bPGeINP9iBwqyb0P2UY-QX5dGGx3Oywjw3ihqM2LFwoCeayq1joDkb9O49XAfmoJ2xwZLvGCxZFNxg3Q0RgHj-TTQZLdhLymz-_A1eA3JCamLlUKR0D9iUhN/s320/DSC00185.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuXwmYPSxgl9z3NUODARMnoAQPpfWP6_uScA3HkoMvut1QmyClUU1thyphenhyphenBUd2g0ENlDT21ZRnh1Sbpxq4UeHcNW9kaDs9PZrSyO-neDOGP2H5xOespNJ8f9CEcJvqtwiD34lwY36EUokri/s320/DSC00184.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2y2UxXWsztRgI1lk2MBn61Nb3ZHYy7exSXfkFpyMKTEd_dIwzE4qSDcwQT1y8Q68LB4vvw6qAwU4fdeJ7Y4eADh2n_TY21er91RHA8R28xHMxd6MPiKl6o4bmn4WMG5quvlm46JN_Ogc/s320/DSC00183.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutPk0fBxLV4OBWwXeCvjhawyIOEeTbCapPK-bBW9At3cGrJ3gyNSgYOXODlQ7LtAZya-AlFru67py_qV6TP9fR9hZxHcXTiZqiUku6R9SEGzEnUUgnuevKYI4QonCRFjgSbuNd4dltAPj/s320/DSC00191.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2dp627w9WYoLPr06K1qIa2XLdInAREUCX8Mic1P6B0kbUB0Sb8g3Ie9gVSaqb7TbVGiI4Wwxt-xny9mweNX5g-RyfEWDp-yXEj0rYiBX1SUoA36zHqyIClQBeDXShs1GvbAPRYR0JY4v/s320/DSC00190.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVxwUhsJIp3BpJlRc2F4boiFViWh2eEPUbrzYCKHx-UjItmIRK5iTxI1qDPWdvXlrqgErYq3QaMN0dEQ8ob7l4b4VY8SMcOrSe6AEiQKu2ras0kUj3UY2S3w6BeUMOoel2rNlbEPCEhBN/s320/DSC00189.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsMEMfXwBH3Z5P524aFSAmj9EOs54YTHUzcq323QT372t7Kl3WxC2uNKKOAJuEviB350JWgFqHxcPHrCL2MaHqkGZS_wOzPGV9ZpVso9vHfp4iiAqz1hLKxwhu5-_eIO6MuOXqX8bGcPh/s320/DSC00188.JPG)
....and some Ancient Berber letters...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7QwG6-wv3Z8xSXkwyS_QTcP7ne-Iho324cEbeSmR949gegrPsUq4ciAMhNC7G0l4fBgJMtcoeBJxu-N3pNno1EBAhZ1wuAtpBoU84oZpRi2435wVGTer5hVkc5DBXSbucI9m-pE6d4og/s320/DSC00194.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J44JAR3ncAD1xv4HDDPyy8EsUQl9rNTSbE_F18afbahbyN1b4dJoDw_mSEM35gEGIb_nCf81gucZrt6dwi2hjQkZ-OZeTukDXwj4Kxt62yJ3xfWG86w84_7so5QWgWxZXhX0buCISgJI/s320/DSC00193.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBTBq4PqSXFX-7_jG23e3RQJos65ZDufCk9DNR_BTIBqWViu5GUBWtOMXIShgLeKnVxtBCmKjS1LMbgx0WvjpOW_7GPgeQc3MFMCzT1HtB2M6_IZFCkH6ssN82P7UJ_umOhhUzwcixFZz/s320/DSC00192.JPG)
These are something I'm finding very interesting indeed. They were used on special
haiks along with magical symbols that afforded protection to the wearer.
There is a
haik of particular note...
...one that belonged to a "wise man/magician/healer"...
This has a great number of symbols painted on it...
...an example of one is here...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2krQ_466CuuCQFvs_bU7flA7ARCVTGDJoxtxQXxLVb2tmoWi5NYzV9IMoG-NMD-HE8ccijaXL6gHrynyRU82NniGv5qTE8zI35H5DdmmOMHdxjjN-o1tsFNdPJIra3jnigysRKvsuWoy9/s320/DSC00195.JPG)
As soon as I saw it, it struck a chord....
...as I have a number of books illustrated by Rachid Koraichi, an Algerian sufi artist.
These are a couple of pages from "Rumi - Le miroir infini" (Rachid Koraichi/Marina Lostia)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8D-BperQrP3Pxa_zeiX5epLJq1dvx2bWib-W58cKhPDi4PO7L62SDcbLTtGMOKvxxqNG2HOdNO0tk2p2gx7pMBVW451PLjsPsXYWQEdOJa-BnwpdLxoiePNqmBBkDihWUyt3YFB32CnPL/s320/DSC00199.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEjHzX-iHMEYQXFXLqKf6yVQuhVGNo7wWeLGUs7-WkNahsE-ZAcfahYALhFtBBowU87PCZdPI3hlt1abS224nMdBCyJa5SsSH1tOruLsy_MIId6DSiBrKJxbZkz25CSI7zBIe4gG56ahd/s320/DSC00198.JPG)
...and these are from "Tu es mon amour depuis tant d'annees" (Rachid Koraichi/Nancy Houston)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGcqxaWCortauA2XwThoPUPH4fNZKB4Gu0BxH8yy_rhAFTxQM9VpZx7nz1GNYDldwuGUgG01-m4EXW8AHIWOivJPykAnODTuuS6oSVkSnYow24lWs18TyiU0x6RrBqmb_v4DAzjvC41U7/s320/DSC00201.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSb02iVUAnT3WTUd1TPtc_8bRnTx8GyszefQq4HYMm3vdY1N2meYtbSuddyVb0bpUTWoF4111tCTzQxq3E6sJqZqthozWor8q19RQNtJC2XQcTQD-sAl2JHh8qCvmI7r1qdH88UnwzpCS/s320/DSC00200.JPG)
This book is never far from my hand.
Any book with words like....
"Tu es mon amour depuis tant d'annees, dit l'ombre a la lumiere et la lumiere a l'ombre......... sans toi je ne suis rien"(You are my love for all time, said the dark to the light, and the light to the dark.....without you I am nothing)
...and...
"sans femme, pas d'homme.... sans homme, pas de femme.... offrandes reciproques...."
(Without woman, no man.....without man, no woman....reciprocal gifts)
...should have a place in everyone's home........
Sorry!...I haven't worked out how to find the letters with accents yet :-(