Decorative relief carved ceramic reproduction antique Oriental flower tile

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6x6 Oriental art deco antique reproduction relief carved ceramic tile.

Available to order in a variety of colors and finishes from http://earthsongtiles.com.

According to Buddhist legend there is a celestial flower that does not exist in the mundane world called the Udumbara flower. The Udumbara which means 'an auspicious flower from heaven' in Sanskrit, is said to blossom once every 3000 years. It's appearance signifies the arrival of the holy king who turns the wheel, rectifying the Dharma in the world. An ideal king who rules the world with justice rather than force and anyone, regardless of religious (or lack of) affiliations, that practices true compassion towards others will have the opportunity to meet him.

Decorative relief carved Celtic ceramic tile set

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Relief carved 4x4 Celtic knot with four custom shaped tiles to make a 6x6 set.

Available to order from http://earthsongtiles.com.

Here is another entry from Uncle David's Big Book of Numbers by David Botton

http://agoodeye.ca

FOUR is the first square of a prime number and because of its pleasing balance

and stability has represented Justice. (Perhaps that’s why we speak of a

square deal) It was once thought the world was composed of four basic elements;

air, water, fire, and earth. Four is certainly an “earthy” number as

four strong winds blow in four directions from the 

four corners of the earth throughout four seasons.

It requires only four colours to produce a map of the earth wherein no adjacent

countries are the same colour.

Einstein defined time as a fourth dimension, but many more have been postulated since then.

The Bible’s Old Testament tells of;

four rivers of paradise which prefigure the

four gospel writers of the New Testament who are also associated with the

four beasts of Revelations who bid us see the

four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (coming soon, so they say, to a theatre near you).

The Manu Smitri advocates four stages of life for Bhramin men;

student, householder, penitent, renunciant.

The Buddha taught Four Noble Truths which are (to paraphrase); 

Life sucks.

The reason life sucks is because we want stuff.

If we stop wanting stuff life wouldn’t suck so much.

There is an eightfold path that leads to the cessation of wanting stuff.

Some of the most pleasing musical intervals are associated with the ratios of one to four,

as string quartets know, and the Fab Four taught us to love more.

A pair of partners can play a multitude of games with the four suits in a standard

deck of cards or if something more active is desired ...

anyone for doubles tennis?

Decorative relief carved ceramic wave border tile

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2.5 x 8 relief carved and hand painted ceramic wave border tile.

Available to order from http://earthsongtiles.com

Today is the day of the ancient Roman festival of Volturnalia in celebration of Volturnus.

Originally a tribal river god with Etruscan origins, Volturnus was celebrated by Romans as a

god of fountains and flowing water to whom offerings were given to 'wash away' ones troubles.

Volturnalia was traditionally celebrated with feasting, drinking, and of course, being a Roman festival, games.

~Happy Volturnalia~ 

Decorative relief carved ceramic Burrowing owl tile / plaque

8 x 8 relief carved and hand painted Burrowing owl tile / plaque. This is the third tile in our endangered species series, $5.00 from every tile sold will be donated to the Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program http://www.mborp.ca  Available to order from http://earthsongtiles.com.
The Burrowing Owl, once a common summer resident of the Southern Canadian and Northern American prairies are now rare and endangered in these areas. As their name suggests these diminutive little owls with long legs nest underground, however, not being very capable of digging their own burrows, they must rely on the abandoned holes of of small mammals such as ground squirrels, badgers, prairie dogs and foxes. They are active during the day, hunting their favorite food, grasshoppers and beetles. They also eat rodents, small birds, reptiles and carrion. Modern agricultural practices have severely reduced Burrowing owl habitat as well as introduced pesticides which accumulate in the owls body affecting reproduction. Several education and recovery programs are now in place to reverse the population decline and help establish a self perpetuating well distributed population within their historical range. For more information on the Burrowing owl, recovery programs or to make a donation visit http://www.mbop.ca

6x6 relief carved Celtic Seal tile/plaque
Available from http://earthsongtiles.com
Seals have a strong and special connection with the human race. It is said some families are descended from the union of humans and seals and no matter how warm the day a person with seal blood running in their veins will leave a damp spot and sea salt crystals upon any rock they sit on. In places where seals are common, such as the Orkney and Shetland Islands and the West coast of Ireland, many tales are told of the creatures who once provided meat, oil, medicine and waterproof clothing to coastal communities. Many of the stories centered on seals helping humans, but by far the most prevalent tale was, and possibly still is, that some seals can turn themselves into humans. In the Faeroe Islands they believed this transformation took place at mid winter, in the Orkneys it was on the seventh day of a nine day period of high tides that occur twice a year in March and August. In the Druid tradition it was known as 'Alban Heruin' the light of the shore and took place at mid summer. The shoreline represents a magical boundary, constantly shifting between this world and the other world of the ocean, seals being of both worlds were believed to be able to emerge from the ocean at special times and become partly human for a while.