> we have a lot of new world poets who still work with the
> spirits, and i've found blacksmiths to be more apt than woodworkers to 
> have
> similar respect.

In Viet-Nam, the first order of the day, before any work starts, is for 
the
master of the shop to tend the altar to Lao Ban, the patron of 
carpenters
and shipwrights.  Each carpenter is supposed to maintain such an altar 
at
home as well.  Lao Ban has two feast days annually, and these are 
observed
at the shop, with no work supposed to be done.  I believe the same would 
be
true of Chinese shops, since Lao Ban comes from Chinese mythology.

It's more of a reverence for ancestors, very Confucian.  Any Viet-Namese
carpenter will explain that "without the master, there would be no 
trade."
Therefore, it is right to recognize the source of one's trade.  So it's 
a
matter of making sure one starts each work day in the "right mind."

Not a bad idea, I think.

Mike in Sacto