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The Antidote
Late Period, Ptolemaic, 30th Dynasty, c. 350–300 B.C.
The basalt torso of Pa-Maj is entirely covered in engravings of magical spells and images of gods. This splendid statue in basalt, unfortunately mutilated, represents a standing man with his arms along the body and the palms of his hands turned inside and is leaning against a full-bodied dorsal pillar that ends in a cusp.
The entire figure is covered with hieroglyphic texts and figures representing various anthropomorphic and magical zoomorphic deities who carry out a protective action against dangerous animals.
~ National Archaeology Museum, Naples
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“There are poisons you take on every day: sometimes they’re called mom, sometimes dad, sometimes grandpa and grandma. There are poisons that, often, don’t know they are poisons, but they have a toxic effect on us.
The “can’t say”, the “it’s not okay”, the “not now”, the “can’t understand”. These poisons are injected into us day after day with education, with blackmail, with fear.
There are poisons that are so much a part of you that you don’t recognize them for who they are. They are called inadequacy, not feeling enough, guilt, fear of abandonment, love of being deserved, having to be different because what is never fits…
