Pondering about things like Egyptian tunnels full of statues and busts and thinking about Octavius--later Augustus--made me photograph our household gods, which were part of every day life for regal and everyday beings back then. Even now, many people I know of a "lucky" piece of china, an important photo, or a hat rack to insure good fortune, prosperity.

Our guardians of the door are some small, minor pieces picked up in Bali and Dubai, but the main gods are an elephant god from Indian, a magnificent bronze statue purchased in Egypt, and--of course-the only true god, Mothra. I don't know what deity the Egyptian depicts. He has the head of a horse (or unicorn if you want to take that horn into consideration) and holds a basin with a key that is the symbol of Ankh, the sign for life. He is obviously very important and powerful.

But, Mothra is the defender of civilization and contacts humans through telepathy when needed, like when we close our eyes and say, "Mothra (pronounced Mosura), please help; Godzilla coming." (For some reason I don't know why I never said, "Mothra; destroy the Bush administration" a long, long time ago.) And, quite frankly, her entry onto Wikipedia is larger than most kings or presidents and all the facts are listed devotedly here.

So, our household is protected by representatives from the corners of the Earth, except for one: the Western hemisphere. Oh, but silly me; that's the '45 in the drawer. (You don't keep that out.)