Decorative relief carved Celtic triquetra ceramic tile/plaque

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8x8 relief carved Celtic trinity or triquetra ceramic tile/plaque.

Available at http://earthsongtiles.com

The belief in three connected worlds or aspects is found throughout the ancient traditions, magic and mythology of cultures world wide. In Celtic tradition the three words consisted of sky, earth and the underworld. Deities related to major celestial cycles and patterns dwelt in the sky world, ssymbolized by the sun, moon and stars. It was considered the highest realm of seer ship in shamanistic magic. The earth, home to humans, animals and other entities including gods and goddesses relating to the forces of nature is the most complicated. With the other two worlds overlapping it, earth contained a measure of all three aspects. The upper zone being connected with forces of weather and bird flight. Human, plant and animal life along with the four directions is contained in the middle zone and was considered the general territory of human consciousness. The lower zone of sacred springs, wells, lakes, caves and burial mounds taps into the underworld. This was the realm of fairies, elder gods and goddesses and the dimension of dark magic relating to the crone or dark goddess. And then there was the underworld, linked harmonically to the stars it's inhabitants were ancestral beings, ex humans and deities along with other entities controlling the mysterious energies of life, death and rebirth.

Handmade decorative carved ceramic wave border tile

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2.5 x 8 relief carved ceramic wave border tile.

Available at http://earthsongtiles.com

Rivers, wells, springs and lakes were sacred power sources to the Celts. Such places held not only energy, but were the dwelling place of divine beings giving form and expression to the various geomagnetic and other world  forces interwoven at any specific location. Water worship was often connected to healing and many models of body parts have been found in springs and other ancient Celtic places of worship. In addition to inland water and river goddesses and gods, the Celts had well defined sea deities, many of which also had loosely defined roles as stellar deities. The sea and heavens connection was possibly due to the importance of the stars in navigation for sea-faring peoples along with a deeper significance based on the observation of celestial phenomena which occupied so much of our ancestors religious and magical beliefs and practices. 

Decorative relief carved Celtic fairy ceramic tile/plaque

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8x10 ceramic relief carved Celtic moon fairy tile/plaque, there is a notch in the back so it can hang on it's own or be permanently installed.

Available at http://earthsongtiles.com

Mist clad in the light of the moon

Star spun seekers - I search for thee!

Faery light - I ask thy boon

Of branch and thorn and Elder tree!

Wood woven creatures, shadow weavers.

River keepers - come to me!

Just beyond reaching,

never in keeping,

spirits of faery - I call to thee!

Wind hewn wildness,

dark and brightness,

spiral enchantments - born of the sky!

Cradle me with elven hands,

abide with me, thy human child!

~W.B. Yeats~

Decorative handmade relief carved Celtic green man tile/plaque

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6x6 relief carved ceramic Celtic green man tile/plaque.

Available from http://earthsongtiles.com

Happy Summer Solstice to the Northern hemisphere

The first day of summer has long been recognized and celebrated by many cultures the world over.

In the Druid tradition it is a time of great magical power and the green man is honored as being at the height of his power before the start of his demise.

The ancient Egyptians built the great pyramids in such a way that the sun on solstice day when viewed by the sphinx, sets precisely between two of the pyramids. Recently the remains of an astronomical observatory in a long buried Maya city were found in Guatemala where all the buildings were designed to align with the sun during the solstices. One of the most famous early 'calendars' Stonehenge in the UK has been associated with summer and winter solstice for around 5,000 years and observers still watch the solstice sun rise over the heel stone just outside the main ring of standing stones. For many ancient populations closely associated with agriculture the summer solstice were more than just magical, it marked a turning point in the growing season and these 'calendars' were very important. Knowing when events were going to happen and being prepared for them was essential to the communities well being.   

Decorative relief carved ceramic pair of griffin tiles

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 Book matched pair of 4x10 relief carved ceramic griffin tiles guarding the herb garden.

These ones are done in one of my favorite glazes, 'Old copper'.

Depicted as a mix between an eagle and lion, the mythical creature known as a griffin has roots reaching from western Europe to Eastern India and beyond. They are most commonly portrayed as regal and wise beasts commanding respect and spending most of their time seeking out and guarding treasure. In some legends they are known as tricksters, wily masters of riddles and contests of wit.

Because they represent both wisdom and power, griffins became a popular choice as a coat of arms for many families and armies from ancient to medieval times.

 Research suggests that a possible origin for the griffin myth comes from early fossil findings of the 'pentaceratops' dinosaur from the Cretaceous period. These fossils found near gold veins long before people knew of dinosaurs formed the bones of a large, beaked four legged creature...

Decorative relief carved, hand painted ceramic Celtic Fairy tile

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8x10 relief carved and hand painted ceramic Celtic Fairy tile/plaque.

Available to order from http://earthsongtiles.com

'Sidheog' Fairies, Who are they? "Fallen angels who are not good enough to be saved, nor bad enough to be lost" said the peasantry. "The gods of the earth" says the book of Armagh. "The gods of ancient Ireland, Tuatha De Danan" say the Irish antiquarians.  Many poets, and mystic writers from all ages and countries, have declared that fairies are behind the visible. Part of the chains on chains of conscious beings who are not of the heavens, but of the earth with no inherent form, changing according to whim or the mind that sees them.

Decorative handmade, relief carved ceramic Celtic mermaid & seal tile/plaque

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8x8 relief carved Celtic Mermaid and Seal ceramic tile/plaque with a notch in the back for hanging.

Available from http://earthsongtiles.com

In days gone by the creatures of the shoreline that breathed air and maintained an attachment to both water and land were considered sons and daughters of the waves whose presence was most often considered a threat to humans. Ancient British fishermen believed the cry of the curlews as they flew up and down the beach warned of shipwreck for those who ventured out. In the North of France, Cormorants hunched on the rocks were said to be waiting for the souls of fishermen. All along the coasts of Europe, shore folk regarded Gulls with awe and superstition. Some shore creatures partaking of both land and sea were considered much more than just harbingers or embodied ghosts. Beings such as Selkies of the Northern coasts of Scotland, Ireland and Iceland who Assume the form of grey seals basking on the rocky shores by day and walk as men and women by night are shrouded in stories of mortal interaction. In the Shetland Islands they were known as the 'Fin Folk', a race of tribes that gardened the sea bottom and had crystal palaces hidden by seaweed, lit by twinkling phosphorus and gilded with northern lights.