Pagan Blog Project 2013 - Z is for Zoomorphic

Zoomorphic is showing humans in animal form.  Pagan religions have many Gods that have both human and animal forms.  The Egyptians pantheon shows their deities in both human and animals form or at times even a combination of the two. 

By Unknown author [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Bast (Baset) was often shown in cat form and often with the head of a cat and the body of a woman.  She was the goddess of the home and motherhood and is often thought of as a protector of family.

Baset - Renee Sosanna Olson - Sculptor

 Heqet (Heket) was the frog goddess, was depicted as a frog headed woman or in frog form.   She was a water goddess and said to be linked to the last part of child birth. 

Roland Unger [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Egyptian god Anubis. Made by Ningyou.

Anubis, god of embalming and mummification was often depicted as a jackal or with a dog headed man. 

Anubis - Renee Sosanna Olson - Sculptor

Other religious groups also use zoomorphic images to demonstrate deities.  

Christianity for example has some quotes in the Bible as follows:

Thou hunts me like a fierce lion. - Job 

…and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove upon Him. - Matthew

Behold the Lamb of God. - John

The Mesopotamia’s believed their lives were governed by deities with wings, tails and horns. 

Ben Pirard at nl.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

Tiamat is often described as a dragon or water serpent.  Tiamat is a goddess who creates an army of demons to destroy the other deities.  She is destroyed by Marduk to create heaven and earth.

By Uploaded by Hedning to Swedish Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Zu a god who takes the shape of a bird with a lion’s head, also from Mesopotamia.  He creates whirlwinds and storms with the flapping of its wings.  Zu ran into to Marduk after the theft of the Tablet of Destiny.

Hecate (Hekate) a pre Greco-Roman deity is often presented with animal heads.  She has been described as having the head of a boar, horse and dog/wolf. 

At the Crossroads* – Jeff Cullen Artistry

Here in a print created by Jeff Cullen, Hekate is shown at the crossroads with her torches, snakes and the heads described above.

  

Hecate Goddess* – by J. Barnum

Here in a print created for the cover of Hekate Liminal Rites, by Sorita d’Este & David Rankine; J. Barnum creates Hecate with a wolf, snake and horse head.

Zoomorphic representations for our gods and goddesses, in my opinion is meant to provide the viewer with the fear or honor the animal represents.  The ferocity of a lion or the stealth of a wolf, each of these attributes are things we as humans hold in high regard.  

For me, seeing the Hecate with the wolf head or the serpent I see protection and justice.  I see rebirth and fertility. I've created several statues with her with a serpent and one with a horse head.  The strength and beauty of the horse is something that I believe fits her.

Hecate - Horse - Renee Sosanna Olson - Sculptor

I believe that each of the animal forms we put on our deities represent the attributes we’d like to see in ourselves.

Namaste and Blessed Be

Sosanna

)O(

*Hecate Goddess & At the Crossroads used with the artists permission.

Throwing Thursday....

As a play on the current Throwback Thursday posting that's going on around various social media, I've decided to do a post around my pottery called Throwing Thursday.  Here's where I'll post links, videos or updates on my progress around throwing clay on my Clayboss pottery wheel.

I'll include reviews of different bats, clays and methods.  I'll also share video techniques as well as (maybe) videos of me in the process of actually throwing clay.

I'll hashtag everything with #throwing feel free to leave comments and questions.

2nd Throw on the Wheel - Photo Credit - Renee Olson

Pagan Blog Project 2013 - Z is for Zodiac

The Zodiac is basically a grouping of twelve sections for the sky that is assigned a specific astrological sign for each section.  When a person is born, within a set month that particular astrological sign is assigned to them in Western astrology.  A quick web search will return many site that break down the way the zodiac is divided up.  These sites will offer an idea of what each sign represents and what can be expected when dealing with people born to these signs.  Sites like Astrolabe offer a free chart.

The Chinese Zodiac assigns a specific animal for each year and then recycles those animals back for each year forward.  I've found that the Chinese Zodiac has been more accurate for me than any of the others I've researched.  To find your Chinese Zodiac follow this link for a calculator. 

alignedsigns.com

Here’s a look at me, from my zodiac.

My astrological sign is Pisces. 

Generally a Pisces will do everything they can to help a friend.  They make few friends, but those they do make are usually lifelong.  They do not like to be in a position of leadership.  They prefer to stay to the background but make sure that things are completed.  They benefit most from a strong mate to help them stay grounded.  A Pisces is like both a mirror and a sponge.  They soak up what is around them and reflect that back out.  A Pisces has strong emotion and should really trust their gut.  Soaking up the pain of the world can be the downfall of the Pisces and they have to work to shield themselves from psychic energy as they are an innately empathetic. Being the last house of the Zodiac, the Pisces is all about uncovering the unknown.

There is no limit to the number of videos on YouTube that will tell you all about the Piscean.

I was born in the Chinese’s year of the Rooster. (Nope Kallan, I’m not making that up)

Generally roosters are generally healthy but can become stressed moody when they take on too much.  They are hardworking and highly motivated.  They can be bossy and have a “tell it like it is” approach.  They are motivated by success and are very detail orientated. 

Roosters have a tendency to be quite at times and moody at others.  There’s really no way to predict their moods which change often.  Roosters love color and often dress flamboyantly.  Roosters abhor dishonesty and will not tolerate or be a part of any type of deception.  They find it difficult to keep secrets for surprise parties!

So?  What’s your sign?

Namaste & Blessed Be

Sosanna

)O(

Sosanna's Closet Yule Giveaway Winners Announced!

I'd like to thank everyone for participating in the 2013 Yule Giveaway.  Three prizes were awarded.

Our winners are:

First and Second Place Winners of the 50% off Gift Certificate in Sosanna's Closet Etsy Shop

Lin C. & Lisa M.

Grand Prize Winner of the 2013 Limited Edition Yule Witchy Scrunch Hat

Michelle D. 

The winners have been notified via email.  Thank you all so much for participating!!

Be sure to tune in for our Beltane Giveaway in May 2014.

Pagan Blog Project 2013 - Y is for Yummy Yule Log & Yule Giveaway!

Too many of us the term "Yule Log" refers to a tasty rolled cake usually made with chocolate and a rich cream inside that is amazingly tasty. I make a yule log out of pumpkin flavored cake with a cream cheese frosting that is completely to die for.

I've been known to sell a few of these around this time of year.  For this week's Pagan Blog Project, I thought I'd share my recipe for the Yule Log I make.


Roll
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. soda
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup pumpkin (canned- not pie filling, pure pumpkin)
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp. soft butter

How to put it all together
Mix the roll ingredients except nuts.
Grease & wax cookie sheet.
Pour into pan & sprinkle nuts.
Bake 15 min. at 375 degrees.
Roll into T-towel for about 10 minutes.
Unroll & spread in filling.
Then roll it back up.

Easy peasy, hope you enjoy!


Finally be sure to register for my OOAK Limited Edition Yule Witchy Scrunch Hat Giveaway.  You'll find all the details here!

Blessings

Sosanna

)O(

Pagan Blog Project 2013 - Y is for Yourself

We've heard it a million times, “Be Yourself.” 

From Oscar Wilde:  “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

To Lady Gaga: “Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.”

Every person on the planet is different.  We are all individual.  Not in a “special snowflake” sort of way. In a way that says we are all different and it is OK to be different.  We find things that we can participate in to find others who are similar to us.  Religion is a perfect example of this.

If you celebrate Yule or worship Yahweh, you are very different, yet the same.  Though the religions practices behind each of these are very different.  The individuals have the same right to practice them.  They have the right to be who they are.  They have the right to practice their faith without fear of being harmed by others.  Our forefathers thought this right was so important that it was the first item in the Constitution.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Now of course this doesn't mean that there isn't some issues.  Currently we have sitting government officials that would like to outlaw Islam.  There seems to be some sort of thought process in the minds of some religious people that in order for their religion to be right, everyone must accept it as the right one.  I'll use the extreme example of Westboro Baptist Church (WBC). 

Best known for protesting funerals, WBC makes no excused for their hard-line view of the bible and God.  They take the bible as the literal word of God whereas most other religions admit that the book was written by men and should be looked at in a more figuratively.  In WBC there is no room for anyone else to have free will or for anyone else to believe anything other than exactly what they believe.

Knowing that there is a church in Kansas that believes that it is OK to protest funerals, put t-shirts on little kids that say hateful things, does nothing to change my belief system.  The numerous churches nestled in my county of 557 square miles does not change what is safely tucked away in my heart and mind.  I’m quite OK.

Screenshot of Google Maps - red dots are churches

There are groups out there that feel they need to spread the word of God to all the earth.  Some could care less if I end up with eternal damnation.  For this, my friends, I feel truly blessed.  Evangelicals, for example believe that they need to get out and convert living person on the planet to Christianity.  From the remote indigenous tribes of the Amazon jungle to the witch down the street, no one is safe from the rhythmic bible thumbing of the Evangelical.  Often quoting the bible as a reason to do so.

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).

"Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

However they missed this verse.

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet” (Matthew 10:14).

Religion is one of the most argued topics in history.  For the most part, we cannot agree to disagree; so much so, that wars are still being fought today over religion.  Even within their own religious groups, it seems that there are those who are not allowed to simply be themselves.  The video below shows monks fighting in what each of them consider the holiest place on the planet; The Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

As I sat here writing this I had thought I would wrap up with how we should all be ourselves and allow others to be themselves.  But in my research to this point, it looks like there are just some people who cannot do that.  In fact, being themselves is actually to stop letting others be themselves.  So instead of me telling the world to live in peace and harmony, I’ll quote an article I found on Psychology Today.

Gretchen Rubin: “Be yourself, but keep your inner jerk in check.”

Blessings!

Sosanna

)O(

Birth of a Potter

When I was little I wanted to go live with my father.  I would ride by the housing area on the bus where I thought he lived and look at each of the houses trying to figure out which one might be his.  I checked every mailbox for the last name "Potter".  I looked and looked for my name, but I was never able to find it.

When I was nine or ten a new toy was released that I wanted so desperately.  The commercial was amazing.  These little kids were sitting at a table making pots!  I found this similar commercial online.  I wanted to be a potter...  HEY wait a minute, I was a POTTER!  I decided that very day I wanted to work with clay.

Gilbert Pottery Craft Potter's Wheel - Front of Box

I ended up getting my potter's wheel for Christmas and much like the other "as seen on TV" gifts it was crap. I failed miserably and it ended up in the trash.

The years rolled by and I often watched TV shows about making things with clay but never really thought about doing it again.  After all I had failed at age ten.

About 2 years ago I started doing some hand building with clay.  I worked up to making statues and masks. One day, I was chatting with hubby and said, I wish I could use a pottery wheel.  I told him my story of the motorized wheel I got for Christmas.  He reminded me how I didn't have any happy childhood stories.  We laughed and he said, so get one.  I thought for a second and then was like ... well  I suppose I could.

Last month we picked up two kilns for a steal and this month we purchased my ClayBoss Potter's Wheel. Today I went outside for my fourth attempt at working on the wheel.  My arms are a little sore as I'm getting used to centering and pulling the clay.  My back is sore as I'm using different muscles than I'm used to, hunching over to mold it.

I have to say, I love it.  I've not made anything to keep for firing yet.  In fact, I'm not entirely sure I'll be at a point to fire anything until next year.  But I am loving it.


I've had a few successes:

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

And a failure or two:

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

A lot has changed since I was riding that bus, searching for a mail box with "Potter" on it.  I'm no longer searching for a place where I will be accepted and loved.  I'm no longer trying to make and mold something out of nothing.  I now have the strength within myself to mold and shape the world into a place where I want to be and with that in my tool kit, I can claim the title of  Potter.

Looking forward to what new things I can make.

Blessings
Sosanna
)O(

Coupon Code for Cyber Monday!

Good Morning Friends! We're kicking off the Yule shopping season by offering 50% off all orders of $50 or more in our Etsy shop. Head over and check out what we've got up for sale. If you don't see what you're looking for message me!! 

Use coupon code CYBERMON13 on check out to get your discount. This includes all my *in stock* Witch Scrunch Hats!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SosannasEtsyShop