Sunday, March 25, 2012

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6x6 relief carved Celtic tree of life ceramic tile

The Ash tree, also known as the world tree or tree of life figures prominently in both Celtic and Norse mythology. In the Druidic tradition it is known as the cosmic ash, associated with the month of March       and the link between inner and outer exsistance. To the Norse it was the world tree, with thick strong branches supporting the universe, earth at it's center and deep roots in hell. For the Celts the Ash tree represented the connection of the three circles of exsistance, confusion, balance and creative force, a continual rebirth as passage is made from circle to circle untill the land of the blessed is finally reached. Historically the ash has also been used to remove spells and hexes, cure warts and repell snakes.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Decorative relief carved ceramic lily fairy tile

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4 x 10 Relief carved ceramic Lily tile.
Some of the oldest traditions of mankind revolve around the rites of spring, celebrating growth and the renewal of life. Ostara, celebrated around the spring equinox, 20th-22nd of March in the northern hemisphere and around the 23rd of September in the southern, is one of the eight major Wiccan holidays.
In Welsh mythology it is the time when the god of light, reborn on the winter Solstice is now strong enough to defeat his rival twin of darkness and mate with the great mother goddess who every year at Imbolc ( February 1st) returns to virginity. The indigenous Mayan people have celebrated a spring equinox festival  for ten centuries. As the sun sets on the day of the equinox,  the great ceremonial pyramid,  El Castillo in Mexico, is bathed in late afternoon light. The lengthening shadows on the long staircase of the pyramid give the illusion of a diamond backed snake in decent. This is the return of the sun serpent to the land.
Most ancient rites of spring revolve around goddesses, many returned to virginity for the event and resurrection. The earth mother goddess Asasa Ya is honored by the Ashanti people along with the sky god Nyame at the spring festival of Durbar. Eostre is the ancient teutonic spring goddess who's name is the root of the present day spring celebration of Ostara. The Roman goddess of spring flowers Flora was honored at the festival of Floralia, April 28th - May 3. The Norse fertility goddess Freya returns every spring with her magical necklace representing the fire of the sun. Each spring in India the Hindu goddess of art, wisdom and learning , Saraswati is honored with prayers and music at the festival of Saraswati Puja. 

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Handmade relief carved ceramic wind man


The stormy March has come at last
with wind and cloud and changing skies;
I hear the rushing of the blast
that thorough the snowy valley flies.
Ah! passing few are they who speak
wild stormy month in praise of thee,
yet though thy winds are loud and bleak
thou art a welcome month to me.
For thou to northern lands again
the glad and glorious sun dost bring
And thou hast joined the gentle train
and wearest the gentle name of spring.
And in thy reign of blast and storm
smiles many a long, bright summer day
when the changed winds are soft and warm
And heaven puts on the blue of May.
Bryant

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Decorative ceramic Celtic moon tile

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8x8 relief carved Celtic moon woman ceramic tile

One Night in Spain ( Full Moon at the Bullfight )

Tonight, the moon howls at the dogs; her silent screams
echo in their dungeon dreams
where wild ancestors pace the dust
of ageless patience for their prison walls
to slowly crumble, one day surely fall,
as all the worlds walls one day must

Pale the naked moonlight shines with empty lust
for all that she can never touch;
her shadows and the distant sun,
niggardly that grants her few weak beams,
enough to stir up dog’s and lover’s dreams
yet leave her barren still; the lifeless one

Just once, just once to stand beside the primal fire
its touch to melt her cold desire;
to swoop down from the astral plane
and hunt the fugitive pleasures of
mortality; hunger, fear; just once to love
and quaff its bitter ferments, hate and shame

As on the firmament now tilts her rays to rise,
from sultry summer loft she spies
blood ritual below, in final spurt:
then with obscene and desperate delight
entwines her glare within the fierce arc-light
and hurls it at the sacrificial dirt

The tortured bull, on seas of leaden agony adrift,
to submerge it’s only wish,
through twisted catacombs of mind
has crawled for shadowed corner, there to hide,
there to face alone the rushing tide;
for peace, if only with last breath, to find
In poor mockery of passion moon flings her spiteful rays

uselessly into the fray

Off sword and mirrored suit they fly,
shattered and unseen, except by chance
one single, thin, illuminating lance
finds it,s target true; the round bull’s-eye

Bloodied and supine, the beast, of rage bereft;
its eyes, though darkening windows, yet
still admit that slender shaft;
by which chaste lunar glow is there revealed,
in that last refuge, dim memories
of moonlit summer meadow, cow and calf

Softly now through time the bull’s lost life subsides
back unto the other side
In tranquility the beast now lies,
and innocent again with mother near,
her gentle lowing sounding in his ear
The bull takes one last loving look, and dies

Poor moon, frustrated still by what she’ll never know
Takes her sluggish tides in tow
And scribes her lonely arc above the earth
Tugging at the hearts of beasts and men
Though how, she cannot ever comprehend
For she feels not our pull, so strong though we feel hers

J. A. Gresham

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Relief carved Celtic heart ceramic tile


6x6 Celtic Knot & heart tile
Available at earthsongtiles.com

The very ancient festival of lupercalia, February 13-15 in honor of Lupercus, god of sheperds and partly in honor of Lupa, the she wolf that suckled the orphans Remus & Romulus, founders of Rome, is said by some to be the origin of Valentines day. In Roman tradition the festival began with the Luperci (brothers of the wolf) priests. Foreheads smeared in sacrificial blood wiped from the knife with milk soaked wool, wearing only a goat skin, they would circle the city of Rome hitting women who lined the route with shaggy goat thongs. This was believed to ensure the barren fertility and the pregnant easy deliveries. Another of the festivities included eligable men drawing maiden's names from an urn, who they would pair with for the remainder of the festival and sometimes longer. Around 496 AD Pope Gelasias, feeling that this pairing of couples was not in keeping with the Christian teachings, ended the festival and replaced it with St. Valentines day whom he declared the patron saint of lovers (that being a whole other story) February 14 then became the day for men to draw the names of saints from the urn and spend the following year emulating their drawn saint. This practice fizzled out and by the 15th century Valentines day had returned to coupling eligable singles. Attemps to revive the saint pairing later never caught on.During medieval chivalry days the Valentines custom was to draw names in pairs, the man then wearing his chosen name on his sleeve, honor bound to attend and protect her. The 17th century saw the custom of exchanging elaborate hand made cards with flowery verse. Pre fabricated cards and a reduction in postal rates in 1797 ushered in the practice of mailing Valentine cards. Suddenly, most likely due to the anonimity of the mail, great numbers of racey, sexually suggestive cards began to appear. A great stir was caused amongst the prudish Victorians and several countries actually banned the exchange of cards due to the large number of obscene Valentines circulating. In the late 19th century the Chicago post office rejected tens of thousands of cards as not being fit to be carried through the US mail. Valentine cards were not to be stopped and today February 14, jokingly refered to as a 'hallmark' holiday has the highest sale of cards than any other day of the year and I'm sure there's a good smattering of sexually suggestive ones among them. So Happy Lupercalia!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Decorative relief carved Celtic ceramic tile willow tree set

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10 x 21 three piece relief carved, ceramic Celtic willow tree set
Available at earthsongtiles.com

The willow tree figures prominently in the mythology and folklore of many cultures, associated to the feminine lunar rhythms of life and utilized throughout history for healing, tools and spirituality. It is a symbol of romantic love, healing, protection and fertility. Along with the hazel and birch, willow is known to be one of the best woods for water divining and the bark has been used for it's pain relieving qualities since ancient times.
In the Celtic tradition February is the month of the willow which has long had an association with Pagan rituals involving the enhancement of psychic abilities, to connect with intuition, dreams and visions and to poeticly inspire writing, music & images.
A tree of dreaming, inspiration and enchantment.
Sacred to the moon.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Decorative relief carved ceramic crocus tile

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3x3 ceramic relief carved crocus tile
Available at earthsongtiles.com

Imbolc, the ancient pagan festival of the lactating ewes, celebrated on the 2 of February marks the center point between fall equinox and summer solstice, the dark half of the year. A time to prepare for growth and renewal by blessing seeds & tools and paying homage to the dieties of fertility, especially the goddesses in their maiden aspect. Hearth fires are doused and rekindled and candles lit to honor the strenthening of the sun. Ibolc is a sacred day of the goddess Brighid who's snake emerges from the womb of the earth mother to test the weather, this being the origin of ground hog day. The crocus, being a member of the iris family, associated with Eos, Venus & Aphrodite as well as the sun, mars, leo & fire is one of the traditional decorations used to celebrate Imolc.