The Inspired Planet

We were in Lenox, Massachusetts earlier this week and we stopped at The Inspired Planet, one of my favorite places on this earth. If you do not feel spiritual already, you certainly do upon entering. If you do not feel inspired when you are in this place - I hesitate to call it a shop because it is so much more than that - perhaps inspiration is not within your grasp.
The building is actually set into a sort of slope of land, and if its door was round, you would think you were about to enter the home of Bilbo Baggins. In order to arrive at this door, you must follow a dirt path through a whimsical sort of arch, past odd bits of sculpture, and around to the back. At this point, the path slopes downward to a door almost entirely hidden by vegetation - a "seek and thou shall find" sort of entrance. Inside is a hodgepodge of tiny rooms, some on different levels, rather like architectural afterthoughts. Asian music plays. Crammed into these rooms are artifacts, icons, postcards, symbols, carvings, textiles, jewelry, tribal, folk and religious art, talismans, bits of history, and articals from celebrations and every day life in cultures around the world. Here and there, glass cases hold tiny, rare items.
But the biggest treasure at The Inspired Planet is its owner, Dudley L. He knows the use and history of every single item in his shop, no matter how arcane, and he shares his knowledge generously.
I bought a marble from Bali, a mother-of-pearl spoon from some tiny Indonesian island, a turtle made from a strange exotic pod, silver earrings, incense from Mexico and Java and several postcards from far, far away. I didn't buy another dozen or so items that piqued my desire and curiosity. I left, happily, with a small bag of treasures and a large dose of inspiration.