#Pagan woodwork

[lailoken]

Forked Spiny Hawthorn Wand (For Sale)

This wand was created using the bifurcated limb of a propitiated Hawthorn tree. It measures approximately 28 inches/72 centimeters in length and approximately 3.5 inches/9 centimeters at its widest point. It bears seven long spines, and so it must be handled with care.

After being debarked and dried, the surface of the wood was carefully smoothed, making sure to preserve the thorns present on the wood while rendering the surface sleek. It was then stained using a pigment of Ochre and Walnut Shells and polished with a ritually enlivened oil of empowerment, before being sealed the with a traditional wood varnish made from an array of precious and potent arboreal resins, such as Amber, Storax, and Dragon's Blood.

This lovingly crafted implement, granted by the Whitethorn Spirit herself, eagerly awaits its wielding partner. It is priced at $89 + shipping, so if you're interested in acquiring it, then feel free to either message me here or purchase it directly from my shop.

[paganimagevault]

Sogdian wooden idol from Kuh-i-Surkh (Tajikistan) 5th-8th C. CE

"Head of a Sogdian carved wooden idol, found in a cave at Kuh-i-Surkh, Tajikistan. The idol was originally adorned with clothing, jewelry, a diadem, a sceptre, and an incense burner, and must have been hidden in a cave after the Arab conquest. In its heyday, the idol would have worn a crown, a long robe, boots, and carried a sceptre and a censer. At his feet were gifts donated by worshippers - swords, daggers, jewellery, armour, among other things."

-taken from Nadeem - Eran ud Turan's twitter

[daisypinkpaw]

Vegetable Lamb 🐑🌻

[olekciy]

Braided belts with zoomorphic buckles. Hemp, wood, amber, malachite.

[thebowynntradition]

Bowynn Gods: Kalen

Kalen  (Kah-len)  Kalen is the god of woodworking, architecture and protector of homes. He is the patron god of architects, craftsmen, construction workers and anyone whose profession has to deal with woodwork. At the same time, he is a protector of trees.

     Kalen is the son of Phoenix and Sumon and the brother of Gondor, the smithy god and consort to the goddess Panu, the gemologist. Along with Gondor's consort, the four are the master craftsmen of the gods. However instead of feasting and resting at night in Alaway, the four have a sacred home elsewhere in the world, in a most sylvan forest. The home itself was constructed but Kalen himself but in no way out-shines the Daunnat, Alaway or Tennaet. Infact, at one point Kalen as a child dared to try to improve the great immortal's home of Alaway that Anhur had built. Ahnur was so enraged he had taken away Kalen's tools and skills for a year. It was Kalen that spent 7 days with the first tribes of people, showing them the arts of woodcraft, took making and architecture. And it was even Kalen that provided the first structure in Europe when the first tribes of people arrived, so they had a place to stay.

     Despite his constant work, Kalen is a most happy and free giving god, who loves and takes pride in his skills. When not laboring hard, Kalen is whittling away and wood burning, making toys and small gifts for gods and men. He is said to be a most handsome and strong man, equal in handsomeness with his brother Gondor with long hair, a file and hammer in hand and a craftsman apron on his body. When about mortal folk Kalen will appear as a craftsman or a chimney swift, which is his totem animal; the chimney swift being the guardians of homes in Bowynn culture. Sacred to him are all architectural tools; hammer, saw, nails, file, level and these are the best gifts to offer Kalen, if not real ones, votive images of the tools. Most often given is a bundle of long nails, cold water and votive images of chimney swifts.

[mjolnir-viking-jewelry]

Vegvisir (wood carving) – 280$

Material: oak Size: Height - 40 cm (15,74 inch) Width - 35 cm (13,77 inch) Vegvisir - runic compass (not to get lost during navigation). Whoever wears this sign, never get lost or during a storm, or in bad weather, even if the path is unknown. Anyone who wears this sign will never get lost in the storm or in bad weather, even if the path is unknown. In addition, it will help the sign not to lose in life.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Saw your post about talking to people at parties. Got any tips for making adult friends outside of the party setting? I’ve been pretty isolated since moving cities and literally just don’t know where to start

Going to places where people expect to talk to each other is generally good. I often go to church to make friends but if you’re not into that there’s other stuff too. Local coffee shops and bars and community message boards often have advertisements for such groups hanging up. Women’s hiking, queer prom, single’s mixers, local clubs, etc. You can also Google (thing you’re interested in or are) group (city). Some places have gay men’s support groups, black women’s networking events, Esperanto clubs, Spanish or English speaking practice, tutoring opportunities, cycling groups, woodworking clubs, sign language classes, Deaf and hoh events, craft fairs, whatever you could want. Bumble also has a friends/bff section if you prefer to meet people online. And if you want the structure or friend aspect of religion without the organized religion requirement there are Unitarian Universalist churches, atheists and skeptics clubs, meditation classes, spiritual retreats, pagan meetups, and other stuff like that you could look into.

[ernmark]

What the blog could have been, had the URL not been taken by a bot:

Presidential-Streetli: the official blog of a sentient streetlamp and its hopeful political campaign (lots of promises regarding infrastructure improvements)

Pristine-Sacrament: an aesthetic blog focusing on stunning photos of sacraments from various Christian sects, with a weekly tradition of Eucharist Tuesday

Numerous-Carol: this blog collects holiday themed songs from countries around the world. Says it's all holiday inclusive, but only actually active between November and January.

AfflictedStrobe: a database of recent movies with photosensitivity warnings, including timestamps and the relevant things that happen while you have to look away.

ResourcefulCampFir: a low-tech camping blog focusing specifically on coniferous forests.

CrazyCommunicator55: a retired therapist offering somewhat outdated mental health advice to anon askers

Fresh-Lathe: a carpentry and woodworking blog

Antisocial-Heartbeat: this one's a late teenager just getting into the swing of their goth phase. Writes wonderful poetry

ExploratoryHag: this blog belongs to a post-menopausal woman getting back in touch with paganism after her divorce. She's still figuring out how to upload pictures from her phone, but her cooking and handiwork is breathtaking (when it isn't too blurry to actually see)

[lailoken]

Rosemary Wand (SOLD)

This Wand is made from the wood of a propitiated Rosemary bush, and it measures approximately 14 inches/35.5 cm in length.

Once the length of wood was cut, debarked, and dried, I then went about fastidiously smoothing the surface with a variety of sandpapers until I was satisfied with the texture. I decided to leave this piece unstained, so as to highlight the natural beauty of the wood, though I did varnish the wand to deepen the color, bring out the grain, and highlight the multiple "eyes" naturally present in the wood. To do this, I used a varnish ritually crafted from an array of potent arboreal resins, such as Dragon's Blood, Storax, and Amber, which I then finished off by polishing it with a personally devised oil of ceremonial empowerment that also serves as a lovely wood conditioner.

Rosemary is a powerful botanical ally, known for possessing especially potent virtues of protection and remembrance. Between these, and the care that went into crafting this wand, I believe it will serve its chosen wielder very well in the coming future.

If interested in acquiring it, you can either reach out to me here about purchasing it directly, or you can purchase it from my Etsy Shop.

[girlfromthecrypt]

Introducing the Such Happy Campers ROs:

𝓑𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓵 𝓛𝓪𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓻

gender: male [trans, ftm]

age: 27

height: 5 ft 8 (172 cm)

occupation: none/volunteer/camp counselor

faith: Wiccan, pagan, spiritualist

physical description: Basil is slim, athletic and prone to moving with a measured, uncanny grace. He has fair skin that tans easily in the sun. His chin-length hair is artfully shaggy and dyed in brown and gold layers to resemble a tiger eye gemstone. 

notable: Faded top surgery scars. A red and blue lightning bolt tattooed on his sternum. Multiple small, simple gold earrings.

clothing style and aesthetic: Basil always dresses in either bright, cheerful colors or various natural hues. He prefers his clothes to be layered and airy, often sporting vests or flowy shirts with boho-style patterns. Sometimes, he wears several beaded necklaces and rings.

hobbies and interests: folklore, woodwork, true crime, traveling

Basil is harmonious, optimistic and outgoing. He appreciates humor and puns (even if they're at his expense). He takes neither himself nor others very seriously. 

When romanced however, a lot of his confidence turns into stricken stupidity. If you want to see a cocksure, assertive character losing his cool and tripping over himself, look no further.

Though it might just be a challenge to get him there.

[olekciy]

Smoking pipe "Faces of Veles". Apricot, willow, lilac, beech, Ural malachite, lapis lazuli, Black Sea volcanic rock. 29 cm.

[hyperlexichypatia]

**Cracks knuckles and wades into The Discourse**

"Can atheists be culturally Christian?" is entirely the wrong question.

Of course they can! Plenty of people don't believe in the religious doctrines of Christianity, but still do things like celebrate Christmas or Easter, have church weddings, and other culturally Christian activities. Take for example, me -- I'm a Deist who is also culturally Christian. Christianity is the religious lens I understand best, even if I don't necessarily agree with it.

Plenty of atheists and broadly-secular people who live in majority-culturally-Christian places, like most of the U.S., also are often oblivious to the Christian basis of their cultural practices, and may think of culturally Christian practices are "universal" or "secular" or "for everyone." This comes up every time someone brings up the inappropriateness of public schools/places celebrating Christmas, when people come out of the woodwork to insist that of course Christmas isn't religious, they know plenty of secular people who celebrate it! (Note: This is often blamed on ex-Evangelicals, but I don't think that's fair. Ex-Evangelicals know what Christianity is. This is something I see more from people from secular families in mostly-secular areas who don't think about religious diversity because it's not relevant to their lives.) (Additional Note: Do not @ me with "WELL, ACTUALLY, Christmas is PAGAN--" No. Your history is oversimplified and bad. You are not celebrating Yule. You are not celebrating Saturnalia. You are celebrating Christmas, a heavily secularized Christian holiday with some cultural influences from European Pagan traditions.)

Additionally, many atheists/secularists/non-religious-people whose primary reference point for religion is Christianity (whether because they're ex-Christians themselves, or just because that's what they know from cultural osmosis) make broad, inaccurate assumptions about All Religion based on their projected understanding of Christianity, e.g. "I'm not religious because I don't believe that an omnipotent God controls everything in the universe and rewards or punishes people when they die." Okay, cool, but not all religions teach that, not all religious people believe that, not even all Christians believe that.

So, of course atheists can be culturally Christian, maybe without realizing it or thinking about it. Anyone who says they can't isn't paying attention! And that's why "Can atheists be culturally Christian?" is entirely the wrong question.

The right questions are "Is it reasonable to assume by default that anyone who lists their religion as 'atheist' or 'none' must actually be culturally Christian?" and "Is it reasonable to blame anything you don't like on 'cultural Christianity'?" and no! It's not!

Sometimes simply does not have a religious affiliation. And that's okay! There is a tendency to interpret "none of the above" as "Oh, so, the default thing, but a milder version of it," and that is... not accurate.

There's this vague sense that non-religious people aren't really a religious minority, that they're really just play-acting at being religiously marginalized, because after all, they're actually just non-devout Christians. Discrimination against non-religious people doesn't necessarily look the same as discrimination against religious people (like, there aren't atheist holidays that people are being denied time off work for), but it's still very real, and falls the hardest on non-religious people with the fewest cultural ties to Christianity, the very people erased by "Atheists are just cultural Christians" discourse.

Furthermore, the traits and beliefs and ideologies and biases that get called "culturally Christian" are often not actually unique to Christianity at all. Certain concepts, like an emphasis on redemption through death, are culturally Christian (although even that one is sometimes found in other religions), but to hear the people calling everything "culturally Christian" tell it, no other religion, culture, or philosophy on Earth has ever believed in virtue ethics, valued hard work and stigmatized "laziness", or been judgmental about petty infractions. Nor, I can't believe I have to say, is "Christians do it, so it's bad" a good argument against things like freedom of conscience or disability rights (neither of which are even especially popular among Christians).

The problem with way people are talking about "cultural Christians" isn't that atheists or other non-Christians can't be culturally Christian (of course they can) or that Christianity doesn't have pervasive influence in majority-Christian societies (of course it does). The problem is that people are using "culturally Christian" in inaccurate and nonsensical ways.

[ravenofsilver]

I’m at work and forgot my sketchbook at home so sorry about the lack of detail but Basically this with maybe modifications depending on what is required structurally.

So! Uhhhh long story short? I’m pagan, I think all pantheons are good pantheons and it is ok to mix and match them provided they’re ok with it too. The three primary deities I work with most often are (in no particular order) Apollo, Ixchel, and Tlaloc. Sun and moon and storms/rain (and also so many other things but that’s a different conversation). I live in an apartment with not a ton of room for three altar spaces, so I want like. A combined space? Nothing huge. But something that honors everyone.

So! This! The actual table top isn’t that crazy or novel, an epoxy resin piece with dried flowers, herbs, decorative art etc symbolic of the three deities. It’s the base that’s giving me a bit of anxiety. I was hoping to set the top on a wooden base, and have wooden legs with bits carved out? Like scenic panels. One side Sun-themed, and one side moon themed. And to keep the storms in mind, from the underneath I was thinking of maybe hanging glass beads to imitate the rain? Which is kind of crazy (the feral raccoons that live in my brain love it, which is how I know it’s Weird) but if the whole thing sat in front of a sunny window I think it would be nice.

I’m not sure if there’s like. A stable way to do this though or if I’m just. Crazy.

It’ll be an adventure, I guess.

The feral raccoons that are in charge of my creativity have once again escaped their enclosure

On an unrelated note. Woodworking can’t be THAT hard to learn right? …. Don’t answer that.

[talonabraxas]

The Sacred Trees of The Druids and The Pagan Tribes of Old Europe Few peoples held trees in such high regard as the Celts and their Druids. I may also add that I consider the beliefs of the Thracians (my ancestors) to have been very close to those of the continental Celts during the period of great learning and the high – rise of the Druids. This was not a blind and primitive worship, but a genuine veneration based on an understanding of the importance of trees to material and spiritual human existence. The evidence of the close relationship between Celtic peoples and trees is clear in the landscape, with woodlands that have been carefully managed for up to three thousand years and extensive network of hedgerows. Certain trees – alder, apple, ash, birch elm, hawthorn, hazel, pine, oak, rowan, thorn, willow and yew – are mentioned persistently in Celtic tradition.

Indeed, so important were trees to Celtic peoples, that there were laws to protect them and govern how they might be used. In Ireland they were divided into four classes: “Nobles of the Wood“, “Commoners of the Wood“, “Lower Division of the Wood“, and “Bushes of the Wood“. Misuse of timber and living wood was punished with fines according to the class of the tree involved. Many of the methods of woodland management that are still in use today (although much in decline) were used by ancestral Celts to ensure that their precious resource was renewed. Pollarding, coppicing, planting, drainage, hedging, and so on, along with foraging (by people and animals) were all used to good advantage. The qualities of different timbers were well known and there were even woodworkers who specialized in operating with a single timber. Yet this mundane use of woodland never obscured the emotional and spiritual relationship that ancestral Celts had with trees that surrounded them.

Although most people no longer consciously acknowledge this bond, it still exists and there are times when it makes itself known. The Great Storm that tore across southern England in October of 1987 uprooted 15 million trees in a few short hours. This was believed to be the wrath of the ancient Anglo-Saxons gods, for the English people neglected and abandoned the old faith, accepting a foreign religion that wasn’t even remotely compatible for the Europen peoples. That same politicised faith soaked with the blood of millions of innocent people for the benefit of a small group of “god’s chosen people” calling themselves “the elite“. The wind wrought great damage on houses and other human constructs , and there was even a loss of human life, but it was the destruction of large numbers of trees that left many people in a state of shock. Even now the landscape is so altered that it can be disorientating.

Mythologically, the Celts believed we were descended from trees, springing like fruit from the branches. Even J.R.R. Tolkien wrote and portrayed this idea with the Ents in The Lord of The Rings and his other books. Serving as an allegory or as a metaphor, it was evident what he was trying to convey to the reader. In particular, the Celts believed we were descended from the great Oak. How widespread or absolute a creation myth this was, is uncertain, but a sacred tree regarded as a ‘tree of life‘, was to be found at the heartland of many Celtic tribes. There is no doubt that the Celts had an equivalent of the highly important Scandinavian and Germanic conception of ‘The World Tree’ – Yggdrasill. The importance of the tree to the Celts, is well attested in classical and Celtic sources, and it is likely that a tree did stand at the centre of sacred cosmology in the same way that it stood at the centre of tribal life.

[auxiliarydetective]

OHC Day Fourteen: Musical AU

Some Unconventional Musicals

For this day, I once again had a lot of options. And I couldn't choose because I honestly thought multiple of these were too cool not to share, so you're getting multiple again.

Featuring: Ezori, Shimotsuki Kaede, Lindewen, Ofelia Marenzi

Your Inner Song, starring Ezori

In this sci-fi musical, Ezori is the protagonist. But, hear me out, she doesn't sing. Other characters very much do – hell, even T'Pol might be heard singing at least once – but Ezori herself stays quiet. After all, she doesn't talk either, so she also will not sign. The most you'll hear over her throughout the musical would be humming, whistling, but never actual words.

This musical would definitely have to be a musical film instead of a stage production because the ENT jumpsuits don't really make for good stage costumes. Characters would be very hard to differentiate.

As for the plot, I don't really have much of a concept for it, but I'm very sure that the finale would take place inside some sort of mindspace. This is the first and only time where we hear Ezori sign, after not even hearing her voice for the entire runtime. Her singing appears as this seemingly disembodied voice, with nobody knowing who it belongs to. But then it's her. Chills~

The Squirrel-Tailed Thief, starring Shimotsuki Kaede

The plot is fairly simple. It's Kaede's youth before the events of the Wano Arc, living as a poor kimono dyer and woodworker by day and the eponymous thief by night. Expect some shenanigans, blatant lying, Robin Hood vibes...

But here's the twist.

This musical has heavy kabuki elements. Kabuki pieces often comment on political events, so it's the perfect genre for Kaede's story, and Wano is based on Edo-period Japan, so that's perfect too! The costumes would feature heavy makeup, there would be stagehands dressed in all black doing the practical effects (maybe even with the classic twist of Kaede hiding among them and then shrouding her disguise and appearing onstage like a true hidden thief), the movements and acting would be noticeably inspired by kabuki... And yes, of course the music is dominated by traditional Japanese instruments like the shamisen, koto, shakuhachi, tsuzumi etc. Hyoshigi are used to indicate beats of the story, the changing of scenes and the like. Kaede's leitmotif is played with the koto.

The Tales of Linda Seasong, starring Lindewen

This is a story where the characters themselves don't really sing. Instead, the focus is on Lindewen, under her alias of Linda Seasong, who acts as the narrator of this collection of many tales. She travels from town to town as a bard, telling these stories, which is the frame in which the musical takes place. Tonight, she's performing in the venue that the musical is being performed in that night, the next she'll be in the next, she says.

Lindewen sits on a pedestal at the back of the stage, illuminated by dim lights as a thin fog covers the stage. In front of her, the stories she narrates take place. In every story, there's one character who looks like her, but she never confirms nor denies that it is in fact her. Still, the costumes seem to suggest it, as the characters in question share her color scheme. Also, unlike other characters from her stories, these doppelgängers are never named.

The music is in tune with the plot of her being a travelling bard. I can't really describe it, I think it's been described as pagan folk, but I mean a very specific type of song, so I'll just show you:

This is Lindewen's character playlist, and it's full of songs like these. (This playlist might change over time, but the songs by Faun are the ones I mean.)

Flying 40s, starring Ofelia Marenzi

Listen, I haven't watched Masters of the Air yet, so I can't tell you a specific plot, but I shall give you vibes:

Imagine with me a war movie. But the protagonist who you're following isn't actively participating in the fighting. You know that it's happening, but you're not there yourself. Ofelia is our protagonist and we know that she's a flight nurse and that her male friends are mostly pilots and crew of bombers, fighters and the like, but we never see either of them on a plane. We just see the consequences. The cast dwindling in numbers, new people arriving, others disappearing.

Instead, the focus is on Ofelia's other job as a singer. As such, the music is jazzy, with lots of songs also sounding straight from an Andrews Sisters album. As the musical goes on and the songs become a little distorted, with the lyrics and music starting to reflect the darkness behind the scenes. The final number has none of that darkness though, it's about celebrating the end of the war, the euphoria of it. But then, after the number is over, everyone clears off the stage except for Ofelia... And the final final number is something like this:

This is actually Ofelia's faceclaim, by the way

There is no encore.

General Taglist: @starcrossedjedis @oneirataxia-girl @daughter-of-melpomene @bravelittleflower @box-of-bats

@eddysocs

Star Trek Taglist: @enterprise-come-in

One Piece Taglist: @supermarine-silvally

Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

[ahedderick]

Here comes the sun

Aw, man, I'm sitting in the living room and the sun j-u-s-t popped over the ridge, lighting up the yellow walls and the woodwork in the kitchen. It's so lovely.

I'm not pagan, but I always notice and quietly celebrate the equinoxes and solstices. I think I'm going to drink some tea about it, and have an egg sandwich.