As I said, not everyone is pleased by the same images. There are stuffed dolls of each of the major Egyptian Deities, or Netjer as those into more precise Egyptian terms call them. Some find these dolls cute and charming and are willing to shell out the $150 bucks for a 18" fully jointed doll. No doubt, creating one is labor-intensive, so I do understand the pricing.

Still, even at 1/4 of the price, these dolls don't 'do it' for me. (Don't let me discourage you, though. Do visit the stuffed doll site. Whether or not you end up craving a doll or two, there's quite a bit of interesting history there.) However, I'm not drawn to these dolls. They just don't seem dignified enough. Am I too rigid? Do I lack sufficient humor? I suspect it's all a matter of taste, for I am playful in my own way. Yesterday at work, while removing the tags on a garment designated for dry cleaning, I noticed one of the tags was attached by a small bead chain. I kept the tiny chain and brought it home.

Meanwhile, I try to have a sense of humor in my own way, as I play with my own dollies, erm UM ahem... STATUES! I got the idea of trying the necklace on my various Deity statues. I gave my statue of proud Set first dibs, but his neck and hair are too big. It wasn't suitable for serious Ma'at or fierce Sekhmet, either. But on playful Bast, who is the ''goddess of pleasure, music, dancing and joy,'' it seems a perfect ornament:

However I find for myself its expression, I like to be playful. It's fun!

A quote from which I can learn:

There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this playfulness or the playfulness flows from the equanimity; and they can persuade other people who are in a state of agitation to calm down and manage a smile.

--- Edward Hoagland (b. 1932), U.S. novelist, essayist.