Carried when things are unsettled. It goes in a pocket and gets held without much thought, usually in the minutes before something difficult. The appointment, that talk, saying goodbye.
The marking · A single syllable in a ring of clouds. On the back, a double vajra and seven marks. Nothing else settles until the one at the heart does.
Carrying · Pocket, bra, under a pillow, propped on the top edge of a laptop screen, the small compartment in a bag. Flat enough to sit in a closed hand without announcing itself.
Practice · Hold it, wipe a thumb over its face, take a breath and start.
Gifting · The one most often given rather than bought. Usually to someone with a date in the calendar they're dreading.
Carved from a single piece of palo santo, aged more than thirty years. No living tree was cut for it.
