Prima Clavis

Limited Edition T-Shirt By Anoushe ́ Shojae-Chaghorvand & Joshua Reiman

All proceeds will be shared equally by both artists :)

Prima Clavis (The first key) is inspired by The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine - a widely reproduced alchemical book first published in 1599 by Johann Thölde. The keys use allegorically enhanced images to reveal the production of the Philosopher’s Stone, a mystical substance capable of turning base metals into gold or silver. It is through transformation, be it folklore, alchemical, metallurgical, psychedelic, or spiritual, which are the root of where storytelling and myth begins.  With each step in the process, the symbolic fashions and conceals a way towards an illumination. Only a knowledgeable reader or alchemical adept can be expected to correctly interpret the veiled language.

In comparative mythology, the Masks of God, as referred to by Joseph Campbell and Lowry Burgess, refers to the deities of the various mythological systems, whether Zeus, Indra, Isis, Yahweh, etc., are manifestations of a divine and transcendent source of being - that which is beyond thought and conception, beyond the personality of the self. This transparency leads to transformation, opening up radiance behind the mask. A conduit to the soul.

This channeling of energies is revealed through the body as a vessel, an iron cupola, a kiln, a mold, for material investment, flowing metal – magma – light, creation and recreation through transformation. The body and its many masks, transcends the individual towards a space of ceremony. Eventually the individual disappears. A supportive setting can provide profound mystical experiences. Experiences such as unity, transcendence of time and space, a sense of insight into the ultimate nature of reality, feelings of ineffability, awe, and profound positive emotions such as joy, peace, and love. This is primal and human.

Hand of Sabazius inspires the hand on the shoulder. It is a sacred symbol of the deity of fertility and vegetation who was worshipped alongside other gods—particularly Zeus and Dionysus, the god of wine. The hand on the back, the reaffirming sense of being secure.

Through many iterations and conversations, we have come up with ‘the first key’ for your brain to conjure meaning and for your distinguished fashion sensibilities to be enhanced.