14" x 7" relief carved half round cat tile
Available at http://earthsongtiles.com/
Nocturnal & independent, cats are most frequently associated with the moon and feminine mysteries. They were domesticated in Egypt around 2,000 BC. Bastet, the ancient Egyptian moon Goddess as well as other dieties were represented by the cat. In Druid tradition cats are also sacred to the lunar Goddess, appearing in Irish, Welsh and Breton folklore. They have a particularly powerful connection to Scotland where numerous clans held the cat as their totem animal.
A pictish tribe named the cat people lived in Caithness, the promontory (ness) of the cats. Sutherland in Gaelic is Cataobh, Cat Country. In the west, the Churches fear of the powers cats were said to have in the spirit world as well as their aliance with Shamans & magicians caused them to be the victim of persecution and cruelty. Many thousands of cats in Briton & France were tortured and burned. The Chinese on the other hand credited the cat with the ability to banish evil spirits.
