About Cynthia

I am a textile artist, embroiderer, wood burner, costumer, painter, and weaver who sees magic and change in the chain stitch and a well done Palestrina knot. I wish I had more control over the ways of the human world but alas, all I can control are my actions and my attitude in life and the consistency of my stitches. And sometimes even that doesn’t pan out as hoped and I must rip rip rip.

Cernunnos / Herne

Posted on March 5, 2008 by Cynthia

The Stag Man has been in my life a very long time. I have many wonderful things in my home that reflect this affinity and connection. But my altar has been sadly lacking in largish. mannish, imagery. I have lots of Goddess things. A few years ago, a dear (or is it deer) friend gave me a lovely plaque for my altar. The seller said it was Selene but we both yelled out “Hekate” at the same time. She is gorgeous, carries a torch, a sickle, there is a moon, and a cornucopia. Hecate indeed. And all this time there has been nothing on my altar to match her in stature. Until today.

I found him at Sacred Source, a fabuloso online place for pagan statuary.

He came! He came! Errrr. He arrived! Clicky to make him biggy. Sorry, can’t help myself. You know how he is. *wink*

I sold several no longer treasured books recently to fund my upcoming metalsmithing class. And had a little left over. Truth is, I spend money but I’m also cheap. I hate spending over $40 for any one item. I usually put items that cost that much on the back burner for awhile or until I get a windfall or sell something. I thought, you know. It’s time. I have $ now, it’s time.

Some might think it odd that I have Hekate and Herne on my altar. But really, it only appears that way. What I have is Hekate. Then Epona and Herne. My daily devotions are directed first to Hekate alone. And then to Epona and Herne. But I needed Goddess and God visual balance on my altar and this provides it. The two plaques are joined by many things including:

a fork that a friend bent (to remind me of the “there is no spoon” concept)
citrine crystal ball
glass ball with waves and moon in a night sky
black dog
crow bone from my garden a year after a crow died. I waited until the elements had done their jobs and then collected what bones were left. I think this one is an upper wing bone. Too big for the leg I think. But perhaps.
antlers (some real, some not)
a Shiva lingham stone brought back from India by a friend
a woven wooden pentacle
a string of woven twig pentacles
an aroma burner which goes very well with my Hekate plaque, very Grecian although I think of Hekate as being older than that and from further East

May the God and Goddess bless you all with staffs and fecundity, protection and stamina, love and beauty…

Cancer for the week

Posted on March 5, 2008 by Cynthia

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, prayer flags are sets of brightly colored sacramental cloths that are inscribed with holy words and images of deities. They’re not designed for indoor use in solemn ceremonies, but are hung outside where the wind blows their blessings to the heavens and all over the world. I recommend that you draw inspiration from this practice. It’s a perfect time to take your spiritual yearnings out of the closet, away from the church and temple and mosque, and beyond all sheltered, temperature-controlled trappings. Build a shrine in the wilderness, Cancerian. Sing a hymn from a mountaintop, shower money on the river goddess, or create your own homemade prayer flags and hang them from a tree.

Oh yes indeedy!! Making lots of flags and banners I am.

Ten Things I Love – Body Sacred Edition

Posted on March 4, 2008 by Cynthia

10 things I love about my body – nabbed by request from Dianne Sylvan, Dancing Down the Moon

1. I love the color of my hair. My hair started going gray when I was 22. I immediately started coloring my hair. When I turned 40 I stopped coloring it. Mainly for these reasons. I was tired of the upkeep (rapid grow out to almost completely white roots), I didn’t care if men wanted dark hair, and I felt that dumping those chemicals on my body and into the earth was something I couldn’t do any more. No one was more surprised than me when I discovered that my hair? Is GORGEOUS! Silver silver silver with a few stay dark hairs that look black. Not white, not yellowed white. SILVER. It shines and glows and strangers and friends, of both genders, stop to tell me how much they love the color of my hair. And that I kept my silver hair long. They like that a lot. Women just love to touch it. Who knew?

2. The color of my eyes. Some days they are grey, some blue, and some green. Depends on the weather and what I’m wearing. And it appears my moods. I love that they do that.

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