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March 2020 - Guarding Gaia/Mother Nature
Design notes from Chris:
More than a decade ago, I tried my hand at designing a coin based on the idea of mother nature and it was a singularly satisfying experience. I longed to repeat that experience, but this time with so much more time designing coins I was curious at how my methods would change the outcome. The most startling part of the experience is how much more thought was involved now. I spent more time delving into the icon of Gaia / Mother Nature and I'm amazed at how much I missed the first time around. The idea of Gaia is old... really old... really REALLY old. We're talking 3rd millenia B.C. old. The oldest recorded clay Mesopotamian tablets describe the nature of the earth mother and her role in providing a world of beauty for us to explore. Over the millenia, she's bore many names: Jord, Ma-ka, Demeter, Nokomis, Pachamama, Akna, It Bunoo, Papatūānuku, Tatéi Yurianaka, Máttaráhkká, and dozens more. Throughout the entire world she's revered and appreciated.
As I looked into the various aspects of her nature I also found a variety of symbols used to describe her being. She's the wheel of life turning, the goddess of seasons and the earth blooming, the bossom of life between sun and moon, the infinite winding of the never-ending path and I've tried to incorporate these into the face side of the coin. Gaia looks on with an expression between benevolent and threatening, part flora and part fauna with a wild and free tangle of hair washing throughout the elements and the infinity knot. The circles/cycles of life are repeated again and again throughout this side of the coin reflecting the historical and mythical role.
On the reverse side I began to explore Gaia as reflected in the modern day and in the life of cachers. The various symbols of the modern world to protect and revere her encircle the inset pathtag. Waterway preservation for cleaner habitats, recycling efforts to keep her clean, CITO efforts to remove trash, efficient use of energy to preserve her resources, clean energy efforts to work with her wind and sun, green building of homes and finally low carbon footprint mobility. Each of these diverse fields is focused on paying back to Gaia for all she provides for us. When we cache with care we're showing reverence and preserving the bounty of her being for future generations.
Every time a cacher encounters this coin, they're reminded of all the many ways we can do even small things to continue Guarding Gaia.
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