Woden

Alright, it has been a long time coming....

The story of Odin's sacrifice on the world tree for nine days, Geri & Freki, Hugin & Munin + more. This image can be purchased asap at Red Bubble (see sidebar), or I will be custom printing t-shirts and posters and perhaps an apron or two for the master chefs, all of which should be ready for May 24th weekend.

Brigid's New Heathen Moon

Hailz to the Goddess Brigid and her gifts of fire and poetry.

I've been working all day on this tribute image and in the middle of it I read an eloquent, simple and complete description of Heathenism from the BBC article Heathenry that may very well change my life.

First of all, every aspect from the high regard placed on the worship of ancestors and taking personal responsibility or the other ethics of Wyrd to the values of honesty, forthrightness, ethical obligation, frith and the lack of emphasis placed on magic and the strong sense of polytheism came together for the first time and I got shivers down my spine. These are my personal values and virtues also. Nowhere have I seen a reprint of them in their entirety in an external place, let alone belonging to a visible, established and welcoming community.

To further the wow factor I got some help clarifying the “Folkism vs. Universalism” debate at The Godhi's Hall via The Penzler Scale created by the author of that blog. It is a scale detailing the degree to which an individul Heathen or a group feels those outside of a Northern European racial heritage are welcome within the faith :

A) Necessary: “Everyone in the world should be following this as the One True Faith.”
B) Encouraged: “We should be actively recruiting people of other ethnic backgrounds.”
C) Welcomed: “We needn’t recruit them as such, but they are as welcome as anyone else.”
D) Accepted: “Because of ancestral ties, they might not have as strong a connection to these ways, but that’s their business, and I can accept their participation.”
E) Tolerated: “They’d be better off following their own ancestors’ ways, but we’ll allow them in, reluctantly.”
F) Discouraged: “Those people should be actively discouraged from taking up our ways, and sent seeking their own people’s ways instead. If they really insist, I don’t care — but they aren’t going to be a part of any group I’m in.”
G) Disallowed: “They simply cannot be a part of this faith, ever.”
H) Fought: “They must not be allowed to take up these ways — they are harmful by their very presence and/or should be gotten rid of by whatever means.”

which I'd like to help spread. Now I understand completely the problem.

I've gained such a great understanding today. And fittingly, it is Imbolc AND the new moon, making starting anything new extra special and potent, as today I feel I begin my Heathen journey. That being said, I've been informed that Thorrablót is the Heathen holiday/celebration of spring-coming complimentary to the pagan ritual of Imbolc.

My Tarot Design

I began my designs with the minor arcana suit of Wands because I am most familiar with the element of this suit; fire. My understanding of the world begins and ends with the elements. Although the elements are definitely the basis of everything in this world, the symbolism within the major arcana of the tarot is the sole property of the human psyche. It evades the broader mundane qualities inherent with issues of the minor arcana. I wanted to explore, creatively, issues beyond the human psyche, at first.

These first three cards are prototypes, generally speaking. I put them together in the general way they will look but I plan on improving the fine detail at a later date. I'm working out the template and the overall 'look' of the deck at the moment.

I have several ideas for titles but nothing carved in stone. Incidentally, one of my working titles is 'Stone and Bone' as these two elements will be the theme of the design. The other is 'Corpse Cafe', but I am not sure about that because perhaps my subject matter will wander out of that realm at some point. Regardless, I'm in no hurry to decide, I've got 75 more cards to design and that should keep me busy for a good while. I'm confident a title will present itself when the time is right.

© 2010 S. Camille Crawford
The Ace Of Wands here is represented by an open gate with a beckoning horizon. The spark of existence is created at the Ace of Wands, and although it is not possible to undo something once it has been done and we often have no control of what gets created in the world around us, there is a choice here. One does not have to enter the gate and pursue the glimmer projected in the spark. I have stood at this gate often and pondered my fate. This card has great meaning for me.

© 2010 S. Camille Crawford
The gargoyle in this image came from the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Originally his duty was to protect the cathedral from rain damage and evil spirits but I felt he was longing to wander the city he had been surveying for over 600 years. I decided to let him loose in the Two Of Wands. Hopefully he will have the opportunity to travel the world. He looks longingly from his dark enclave and ponders his new found freedom.

© 2010 S. Camille Crawford
My corpse in the Three Of Wands is actually doing a little surveying of his own. With either a telescope, or camera, he focuses his attention into a single frame of reference. Effort has just begun as he sits up in his coffin after a long sleep.

Grave Images

© 2010 S. Camille Crawford

There is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. It is all a dream, a grotesque and foolish dream. Nothing exists but you. And you are but a thought --a vagrant thought, a useless thought, a homeless thought, wandering forlorn among the empty eternities!
~Mark Twain~

© 2010 S. Camille Crawford
A couple of pieces construed from photographs I took at the St. James Cemetery in downtown Toronto.

Please read the ABOUT ME page regarding use of my images.

Sparrow Tea Party

© 2010 S. Camille Crawford
I called this Sparrow Tea Party because this little brown bird came to me on several occasions while I was sitting at an outdoor cafe sipping java. I don't drink tea, but tea party sounds better than coffee party or coffee break, so I went with it. Use your imagination.
Regardless, the little fellow had lots to say and I imagined he was telling me something of an overseas friend of mine, so I listened carefully as my body slowly slipped into oblivion.

I've been using it as my logo at Myspace. Not sure what else to do with it at the moment. It might look nice on a T-shirt.

Please read THE BLEEDING AUTHOR page regarding use of my images.