Yes, I walked when I was in Los Angeles last month, of course I did. It’s what I do wherever I am. And despite urban myths to the contrary I saw plenty of other people walking too. Like these good folks on Hollywood Boulevard:
And I went to Palm Springs and saw people walking there too.
And also in Yucca Valley.
And right at the very end, on my last day, I was walking in Little Tokyo in LA, and I wasn’t trying to have one of those ‘perfect moments’ to round off the trip, and I hadn’t even been thinking much about obelisks, I certainly hadn’t seen any on my trip, but then I hadn’t really expected to, and yet and yet .. there I was on East Second Street and suddenly this mighty metal obelisk loomed out at me.
My first thought was that it could be a decorative element for the nearby Japanese restaurant but it seemed a bit grand for that. A basic online search didn’t bring up anything and I told myself that was OK. Sometimes it’s good for a walk and an obelisk to retain a certain mystery.
But back home further searching revealed that it’s a work of art (as to some degree are all obelisks, I suppose) but this one is called Sliver Tower and it’s by the artisy Peter Lodato, from his "Wrathful Means" series which apparently “depicts the power and ferocity of Mahakala, the protector of Lamism,” though I don’t see how you’d know that from looking at the obelisk
But … and hold onto your hat kids, you know what’s on the wall of my living room, a thing that I bought on a whim in all ignorance from the local junk/antique shop – yep it’s a mask of Mahakala.
Spooky? Nah, just the kind of stuff that happens all the time. In Japan, I understand, Mahakala is a protective household god. I can really use one of those.
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