Handmade, relief carved ceramic Celtic deer tile

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~Happy Holidays~

Relief carved 9"round Celtic deer Knot ceramic tile.

For many cultures around the world the female deer or hind's natural qualities of gracefulness, gentleness and dignity have made them a symbol of the sacredness of life.

 For the Huichol people of Mexico the 'magical deer' is of very special significance. Representing both the power of the maize to sustain the body and peyote to enlighten the spirit, the deer is also said to pass some of her qualities onto the people of the tribe. Interesting to note that the character of the Huichol people tends to be light, flexible and humorous, and they have avoided open warfare with the Spanish as well as with any Mexican governments, but still hold to their own traditions. 

The Celts held hinds as supernatural animals, often referred to as 'fairy cattle', herded and milked by a local, benevolent fairy giantess that could shape shift into a red deer who would oft times lead this or that hero to adventures in the underworld.

In some Native North American symbolism deer is a strong healing totem that helps humans to conquer the fear of death and leads their souls peacefully into the spirit world.

In Buddhism they are considered the messenger of universal love and there is a mandara (sacred painting) of a deer standing on a white cloud with the tree of life above. Meditating on this mandara is said to open ones consciousness to the mystery of infinite peace.

Decorative handmade Celtic hound ceramic tile

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4x18 relief carved Celtic hound tile

In ancient Ireland the 'great Irish hound' known today as the Irish wolf hound was held in such high esteem battles were fought over them and the laws of the day permitted only Kings and nobles to own them. Often adorned in collars and chains of precious metals, Wolf hounds were frequently given as presents to people of importance. Though mainly kept for guarding property and herds as well as hunting, there are many stories of the bravery and ferocity of these colossal hounds in battle. The greatest Chief of the Fianna, who's soldiers fought on foot side by side with their dogs,  was reputed to own over 400 hounds. Today Irish wolf hounds have a much different reputation being often refered to as 'Gentle Giants.'

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6x12 relief carved English Holly tile

Holly trees occur almost everywhere in the world and are surrounded in myth and legends which are usually but not exclusively associated with winter and winter magic. It was sacred and favored among the Ancient Celtic Druids in whose tradition the Holly King rules the land from Summer to Winter Solstice sharing the year with the Oak King. Due to the widespread belief in it's ability to ward off evil, wreaths and sprigs of Holly would be hung indoors in the winter. As well as for general protection, Holly wreathes provided a safe place for fairies to shelter from the cold, avoiding friction between them and their mortal hosts. Also traditionally known to protect against lightening strikes Holly was closely associated with thunder gods such as Thor and Taranis. In Japan Holly is a popular New Years charm and there are a number of amusing and somewhat lewd legends involving Holly there. The seeds and berries of the Yaupon Holly were used by the early people of the American South to induce vomiting and hallucinations during purification rituals. In South America the Guarada have a tale of the bearded god Pa-i-shume who taught mortals to make mate, a stimulating, healthful beverage made from the leaves of the Paraguay Holly.

Decorative, relief carved ceramic wind man

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15 x 73/4 relief carved ceramic wind man tile or wall plaque.

For many civilizations both past and present wind is not only a powerful and mysterious force of nature, but is also an important force behind many spiritual beliefs. The wind is celebrated as one of the five great elements in Buddhists teachings and viewed as the nature or state of a god. In early Japanese culture the wind was considered a pure substance of universal power providing a spiritual connection between departed ancestors and the living. Legends of wind gods and spirits are widespread and plentiful in the North American Native tradition and in Greek mythology there were gods who created and ruled the eight wind directions with each direction represented by it's own unique wind deity.

Decorative relief carved and hand painted ceramic swan tile

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12x12 relief carved and hand painted ceramic swan tile

 "You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things."

~ Mary Oliver

Decorative relief carved ceramic marmot tile

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New 8x8 relief carved and hand painted Vancouver Island Marmot tile.

This is the first tile in an endangered species series I'm carving.  $5.00 from each tile sold will be donated to the Vancouver Island Marmot recovery foundation.

One of the rarest mammals in the world,  Vancouver Island Marmots live in colonies on small patches of south and west facing alpine and sub alpine meadows,  hibernating below ground from mid September until late April or early May. The marmots Summer is spent foraging on grasses, herbs and wildflowers. Boulders typically found in these meadows are an important feature of  a marmot habitat providing convenient lookout spots as well as heat sinks to help regulate their body temperature, marmots often spend early mornings and evenings stretched out on them. Nose touching and play boxing are common social behaviors, and when alarmed marmots give piercingly loud whistles. The Vancouver Island marmot has five distinct whistles and trills for different purposes, more than any other marmot species. Once,  relatively small colonies were distributed widely in alpine meadows throughout Vancouver Island and to avoid interbreeding two year olds of both sexes would disperse to other colonies to find a mate. In order for dispersing marmots to find potential mates there must be a healthy community of colonies within range. In the mid 1990's the marmot population began to rapidly decline until by 1998 only 70 were recorded in the wild and with the exception of one lone colony on Mt. Washington they were all located in one small geographic location east of  Nanaimo lakes. With populations being so fragmented, dispersing marmots were unable to find mates. Although still critically endangered, thanks to recent recovery efforts the population has increased from less than 30 in the wild in 2003 to an estimated 320-370 marmots on 28 mountains in 2011.

For more information about the Vancouver Island Marmot and on going recovery efforts please visit 

The Vancouver Island Marmot recovery foundation 

Decorative handmade Celtic ceramic tiles

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Antique Scottish fireplace featuring thistle, Celtic knot and dragon tile insets.

Samhain, the end of the harvest season when the veil that lies between the spirit world and ours is thinnest marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year. Known as Halloween by most and Nos Calan Gaeaf in Wales, the eve of the first of winter. It marks the beginning of a new cycle. To the country folk it was the day to lead the livestock down from their summer pastures to the shelter of the stable for the dark half of the year. In early Ireland it was traditional for people to gather at their tribes ritual centers for the main feast of the year, giving thanks to the spirits that drew near for the harvest now safely preserved and stored for winter. Households would extinguish their hearth fires and await the lighting of the central new years fire, around which there was much feasting and ritual. At the end of the festivities, it was from this ceremonial fire that all the home fires of the tribe would be re-kindled and the ashes from it spread on the fields in blessing.