art ~ spirit ~ transformation
e*lix*ir
e*lix*ir comes into being to showcase the work of artists who find inspiration in the Bahá’í vision and to foster an aesthetic whose key ingredient is the conviction that the mission of art is to inspire, transform, and uplift individuals and communities.


“Solstice” woodcut by Ray Hudson

Ivory and Paper


by Ray Hudson


After failing in their first attempt to return a magical amulet to the people of Kagamil Island, Anna and Booker have returned to try again. Their first visit ended with an escape from the Woman of the Volcano, a spirit of fire who ruled over this part of the Aleutian Islands. The people of Kagamil Island could turn themselves into fox, and the amulet is an ivory carving of a fox. This excerpt is in Anna’s voice. She is a 14 year-old Unangax^ (Aleut) girl. Booker is 13 and the owner of a magical bookmark.

. . . . (continued)


Photo by Bev Rennie

A Small Piece of Heaven on Earth


by Saba Shadabi

In the Markazi neighborhood, in the widest alley, four acacia trees laden with white flowers perfume the alley with their heavenly scent. In front of the acacias, on the other side of the alley, two pine trees stand, dressed in green in every season. They stand like faithful soldiers, protecting the house behind them. Their king is a diligent gardener, my father, who, every Saturday, waters them. The house they guard is my father’s house, a piece of heaven on earth.

. . . . (continued)

 

Praise for e*lix*ir

Congratulations and thank you for this garden. This oasis. This temple. It has lifted my spirit.
— Patricia Ranzoni, Maine poet and Bucksport Poet Laureate

In her essay, Sahba captures the spirit and voice of one more soul whose potential has been muted (hopefully just for a time) by the profound forces of time, place and humanity’s baser nature. Thank you for helping the Sahbas of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education in Iran develop and share their voices beyond the confines of their current circumstances.
— Stephen Karnik, Chief Administrative Officer Bahá’í International Community, New York

A copy of e*lix*ir just came up on my computer screen.... A sense of the future arts came into my heart, and I am silenced. Oh my stars, we have begun!
— Esther Bradley-DeTally, Author of Without a Net: A Sojourn in Russia

I am writing to say that Issue #3 of e*lix*ir has moved me deeply. I felt transported ... by a wide range of emotions, from gratitude to humility.
— Allison Grover Khoury, Children's and YA Editor and Blogger

 
© 2017 e*lix*ir journal. No re-use authorized without the express written permission of the e*lix*ir journal editor and the artist.