A brand allegory reveals itself in an ancient practice
A question for you might be—“have you ever stacked stones?”
“And, what for, why did you arrange them?”
Start at the bottom, rise up.
Stacking stones is a symbolic act and it’s a global proposition—
with a multiplicity of meanings.
Traveling worldwide, I’ve seen them in the Himalaya—Bhutan and Tibet, on the plains of Mongolia, the Atlas Range of North Africa, the jungle pathways of Costa Rica, and a broad grouping of mountain ranges throughout the US—the Cascades, the Olympics, Tetons, the Rockies—and I’m sure, many others, in East Coast rock-piles.
Simply—first off, the symbolism is the quest for balance, you’re setting stones, unmatched in their character, like ideas, one on another, to newly formulate, the first time ever—a new structure.
Second, and in stacking stones, you’re drawing—setting—an imaginary threading to the center of the earth, that would be the weaving of gravity. It’s an invisible snapping-line that is, too, a tactile sensation, as the stone balances. Or it doesn’t.
Thirdly, the practice—from the top stone, gravity pulls the stone, a centering of the teetering set of balanced stones. And, like the analogy to the brand—and the workings around enterprise-related strategy and marketing—a tiered expression is a balancing of point-on-written-point—one message fits another, is built on core foundational messaging, and the stacking of statement.
A strong base, sets the story.
Four, in our allegorical expression, any brand needs—as in the base setting of the stone—an authentic base, it’s true, it’s solid, it’s the largest, the heaviest, the rootwork of the story—it’s the basic truth that everything rests on.
Great brand storytelling is solid, everything comes back to it.
The base of it all.
Five, it’s surprise. The captivating cairn is positioned in a way that says, “wait, someone’s been here—it’s a welcome.” And, positioning—the siting of the cairn, its presence at location—
surprise is part of the revelation, “wow, what’s that, how did that get here?”
The idea—a relevance, it’s sitting right, in the right moment, the most unique placement—but it’s there for you, your made it, it’s your installation, it stands out, there.
The flow of time, and—
in this moment. Stand.
Balanced.
Get to a summit, capture a crag—point the way.
Mark a day,
sunset the future.
Still, to the sixth analogous alignment—think of the long line—from the top f the idea to its base, the foundation at, proverbially, the center of the world. Good ideas, inspirations and inventions—poetically, they dive deep and rise up as stacks of ideas, balanced one on another—and each is a story that, in the arrangement, contributes to the string of the narrative.
Who else does this—arranging stones?
Explore the ovoo of Mongolia; the mani stones of the Himalaya, and Sai no Kawara, the pathway protectors of Japan, the spirit trail markers of Korea, doltrap.
And you can make your own.
Here’s a cairn collection of books that we designed—as a stacked cairn—
for Scott Oki.
The stacked Book Cairn
Stack—find the balance—some stones
and see where they take you.
It’s a lifelong practice, actually.
My Dad, George W. Girvin, balancing stones,
rest his soul—left us at 97, 7.5.2024.
Tim | GIRVIN | West Queen Anne Elementary School
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Setting a heart of stones
