Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Handmade, relief carved ceramic oak leaf border tile



2x2 acorn and 2x5 oak leaf tiles shown here in a pine matte art glaze.

The sacred oak is deeply rooted in Celtic culture and lore and holds powerful symbolism in Wiccan belief and ceremony. To the ancient Celts, Greeks and Romans wearing oak leaves was a sign of status, symbolizing nobility, courage, strength, loyalty, family protection and honor. The oak is believed to hold extrordinary power due to it's ability to attract lightening, more oak trees are hit by lightening than any other tree. The element of fire and the gods Dagda ( Celtic), Thor (Norse) and Jupiter (Roman) are all connected to oak as well as Jupiters wife Juno, goddess of marriage, thus making the oak also a symbol of conjugal  fidelity & fulfillment. In the Drudic tradition the oak (Duir) is the tree of May, of June and Litha (summer solctice) in the Wiccan tradition.
It is in this time, as the earth begins to warm and come alive that we are reminded of life, fertility, birth and renewal. As we bear witness to the wisdom, strength and endurance found in the gentle persistance of nature, we are compelled to honor that which heals, comforts and protects us. All such earthly blessings are symbolized by the mighty oak.



Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mothers Day

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Happy Mothers Day
In 1858 Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis, a young Appalachian house wife started what she called 'Mothers friendship day' as a means to promote awarness about the need for better sanitation. Through the 'Mothers friendship ' clubs she established,  Jarvis was able to teach thousands of women the basics of nursing and good sanitation practices durring the civil war. Mothers freindship day, though never widely celebrated, became known in some parts of the United States as Mothers work day, the day after it was safe to plant tomatoes outdoors. In 1908, Prompted by her daughter in Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis's honor and mainly as a memorial to her Mother,  the first mothers day was observed  in both Grafton West Virginia and Philidephia. Grafton is now home to the international Mothersday shrine. The idea of Mothersday caught on quickly and by 1912 it was celebrated throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, South America, China, Japan and Africa with more to follow. It was on December 12, 1912 that the International Mothers day association was formed.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Happy May day relief carved hand painted ceramic tile set

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Relief carved, hand painted ceramic orange tree tile set available at earthsongtiles.com
 Happy May day!
The pre Christian custom of  rural comunities comming together after a long winter of isolation to welcome the abundance of a fertile earth has a long and often libidinous history.
In the Celtic pagan tradition May 1st known as Beltane, festival of fire is one of the two most celebrated festivals of the solar year, Samhain being the other. Depending on local customs Beltane has and is celebrated in many ways, but the focus is always fertility, purification and optimism. The return of vitality and passion. It's when the fertile earth mother opens up to the father sky and the union of earth, sun and rain brings about new life, strong crops and healthy livestock.