Sometimes when I pass a jogger, I play a small game with myself. I wonder whether they are running toward something or away from something.

It is often surprisingly easy to decide. Some move with tension, shoulders slightly tight, as though the ground itself were urging them onward. Some sprint as if escaping a tiger. Others move like someone trying to keep just ahead of a determined door-to-door salesman.

The pace may be identical, but the direction of the spirit is not. Those running toward something move as if answering a summons. Their stride has the urgency of a lifeguard heading toward the water, or the confidence of someone who believes the future is waiting just ahead.

Watching them, I sometimes wonder whether life itself carries the same impulse. Whether much of what we do, often without realizing it, is shaped by that same momentum. We are always moving toward something we desire, or away from something we don't.

I have been thinking about that question while contemplating the Easter lily, which I recently introduced as a seal. It is a flower that appears at moments when people are often doing both at once. The lily stands at weddings and funerals, at Easter altars and beside hospital beds, at moments of celebration and moments of mourning. Few flowers stand so naturally at the threshold between joy and grief.

The plant itself deepens the symbolism. For months the bulb remains hidden underground, dormant and unseen. Then in spring it rises almost improbably from the soil, sending up a stem that opens into luminous white petals.

To me, the purpose of this art is not to escape the world but to return to it more fully. The rituals of beauty can offer a kind of balm, but their deeper work is illumination. They remind us that even after long periods beneath the surface, something in us still knows how to rise.

The Bunny Basket

Tomorrow I will be demonstrating the newest penny, one that carries the abundant feeling of spring.

Around this same time last year, I released the Bunny Basket Penny. It sold out the day it was introduced and has been one of the most requested designs since.

While organizing the studio recently, I discovered that a single piece remained. Rather than returning it to the archive, I decided to release it.

I am listing it at a collector’s price, reflecting both its rarity and the demand it has carried over the past year. I am releasing it now for anyone who has been hoping to find one. This will continue to be sought-after penny for centuries to come.

New Powders

We have just restocked the chrome powders, now housed in improved cases that make them easier to store and use. I was also able to release them at a more accessible price this time thanks to help with packing, which is surprisingly time-consuming with these powders. If you have purchased before, you'll noticed an improvement in container and some savings as well.

There are currently three shades available: Celine (Silver), Eos (Dawn, a warm golden silver), and Midas (Gold). You may collect all three as a set or purchase them individually.

They are remarkably simple to use. Chrome powders work best with Kathryn Hastings waxes, or other high-quality North American waxes. Simply allow the wax to cool completely, then apply the powder with the included applicator to achieve a perfect chrome finish.

Hard Waxes

Other exciting news is that the hard waxes have returned. I am now carrying a wider range of colors, and for the first time I am introducing smaller curated bundles in sets of three.

The smaller sets make it easier to explore the palette and begin building a personal collection. These waxes provide such a lovely ceremony to sealing. Here are the various bundle options:

The Helix Edition

With the newest penny debuting tomorrow and becoming available with Wednesday’s new moon, you may be interested in collecting the Hastings Étui Helix Edition. We are still under one hundred in the Collectors’ Register. The number recorded there reflects when someone collected, marking those who first recognized its magic.

To running toward ourselves,

Kathryn