I was recently shopping at the Sheffield Cat Shelter Charity Shop on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield, UK. Having found a pair of shorts, I walked over to the glass top counter to pay. Catching my eye and looking up at me was a wide eyed, big grinning stone skull flanked by four smaller comrades. Unaware of their origin, the moment my eyes fortuitously met the larger skulls eye sockets, I felt a connection, a strange sense of familiarity and a pop of energy.
When passed over the counter, the larger skull was cold, smooth and tactile to touch. With it’s wood like tone, the skull was perfectly shaped, proportioned and weighted to fit in the hand, allowing fingers to ripple over the wide grin and circulate the smoothly worked eye sockets. Without giving a second thought, I had handed over my cash and was leaving the charity shop, eagerly clutching the pair of shorts and mysterious collection of stone skulls.
Arriving home, I laid out my bounty. Transfixed, I gave my new found wide eyed friend a gentle clean and removed the price sticker, revealing an intriguing tree-like rune carved into its base. Oozing with characterful good energy, my wide eyed friend was clearly the work of a spirited individual. A special find worthy of further investigation.
After some research on the internet, I found images of similar stone skulls by Ivo Manus. Clicking onto Ivo’s website, I began feasting my eyes on the Gallery pages and Heritage section. I was hooked into the world of Manus Skulls. Digging deeper, I read through Ivo’s Skull Stories and found an article focussing on Ivo Manus’s Ivolian series. The similarities were uncanny. Ivo’s group photo of Ivolian Skulls in the Skull Stories article looked like my new friend’s long lost family portrait :)
Feeling certain I had fortuitously stumbled upon a Manus Skull, I dropped Ivo an excitable email and attached a photo. Ivo replied, not only confirming the wide eyed skull was an Ivolian [later to be called Evolians] carved from Steatite, but also one of his earliest Ivolian Skulls from November 2013. Ivo even shared his original photos taken just after the Ivolian had been birthed! My grin was matching that of my new found Ivolian friend.
In many ways, I feel the Ivolian Skull made me their guardian and the connection was foretold. Inspired and keen to support Ivo directly, I was compelled to buy a second Manus Skull to keep my Ivolian company.
In contrast to the fortuitous find of the Ivolian Skull, I selected my King Skull with bornite crown from Ivo Manus’s online shop. The selection process presented an opportunity to browse his collection and select a skull that resonated with me. The King Skull carved into a grey blue tonal matrix, with his wry smile, prominent cheeks, drooped eyes and iridescent bornite crown has proved to be the perfect companion to my Ivolian and a powerful addition to my creative space.
Manus Skulls and Creative Energies
The Ivolian Skull and King Skull now sit amongst my most prized possessions, keeping watch over my creative space. My creative exploits focus on the protection of nature and the environment, the Ivolian’s tree like rune, woody tone and even the location where I found him offer a firm nod to my work. I have been fortunate to have had some success, riling enough destructive folk to ensure anonymity must remain.
I became guardian to the Ivolian Skull and King Skull during a tricky period of my life, their arrival was a well timed and welcome boost. Energising and helping focus my creative psyche, the Steatite Ivolian Skull and King Skull with bornite crown sit side by side on a shelf in a hand made wooden cabinet. Positioned alongside other spirited objects, the purposeful pair look out across my room, watching over me, projecting positive energies and quietly manifesting creative intentions. Sitting atop the cabinet is my creative workstation where I produce audio visual content and prepare hand drawn artworks for launch.
Steatite can be used for cleansing energy, promoting mental clarity, creating a peaceful environment and clearing blockages in energy fields. Bornite has a high vibrational energy, inbuilt magnetism and can help stimulate the creative process, amplifying manifestations and bringing new ideas to life. Both steatite and bornite have been the perfect addition to my creative space, bringing balance at a turbulent time.
Since the arrival of the Ivolian Skull and King Skull, I have sought to not only harness these natural energies but also the energies imbued by Manus himself, through his spirited carving and infused intentions. Despite life’s obstacles, my productivity and creative output has been strong and well directed, owed in part to the influence of my Manus Skulls.
Thank you Ivo for my uniquely spirited companions and the energy you have imbued them with.
If you ever find yourself in Sheffield, be sure to check out the Sheffield Cat Shelter Charity Shop on Ecclesall Road. The best charity shop in Sheffield, paws down!
All the best energy to you and yours,
Mike, Sheffield, UK ✨