March 23rd, 2015

While at the zoo on Saturday, I stumbled across this:

It's a slice of Amethyst, shaped to resemble a stylized bear, along with some beads on a cord. I was drawn to it immediately, and when I saw it had been marked down from $50 to $10, I was sold. I love Amethyst, and the pendant reminds me of my grandma, who loves bears. 

The stylization used here is clearly intended to be reminiscent of Native American depictions of the bear. Bears were bringers of medicine, healing, and food, and it seems appropriate to associate them here with Amethyst, given the stone's propensity for healing. That being said, I need to do a lot more research before I try any deeper explanation of the bear's significance - most of the online sources immediately available come across as rather disreputable, and certainly not authored by First Nations people.

March 22nd, 2015

I missed my Ostara post, as usual, but seeing as it was also my birthday on Friday, I think the gods understand.

It's been absolutely perfect weather here at school the last couple of days, and when not going out for sushi with some friends or doing homework, I have gotten to enjoy it. In fact, I've had my window open all day today, letting in a nice breeze. 

I also got to go to an art museum, and to the zoo, yesterday, so that was a great opportunity to soak up some of the creative, springtime energies abroad in the world. Today, I finally got around to doing my ritual. My roommate moved out last Monday; seeing her go was sad, as we'd gotten on quite well for never having met before this school year, but it does mean that now I can have a proper altar laid out without having to worry about making her uncomfortable. It's pretty nondescript at the moment, but then, most of my decorations are back at home. 

And then I have my little Basil plants. They're growing very slowly, but they are growing. The taller one just started putting out a second pair of leaves. I put some eggshell in the pot for added nutrients, but I think I need to pick up some fertilizer. 

I put a moss agate in there, as well, to help encourage them to grow.

And now, for kicks, here's some pictures of spring flowers from the zoo yesterday. Happy (belated) Ostara!

March 16th, 2015

I realized that I have never posted pictures of all of my dreamcatchers, so I thought I might do that today, and also explain some of their history. In order, from newest to oldest, these are mine:

Made by my friend Destiny, she gave me this as an early birthday gift just last Friday.

A gift from my grandma, I received this one perhaps a year or two ago. She wasn't sure I would want it, so take from that what you will about her understanding of my interests.

If you dig way back through my posts on this blog, you will see that I went to Niagara Falls a few years ago. There was a Native American woman there selling traditional, handmade dreamcatchers, and I was more than happy to purchase one.

A Yule gift from my Aunt C, I've had this one for probably four or five years now.

My oldest dreamcatcher, I purchased this one while on a sixth grade field trip to Springfield. As I recall, I got it in a gift shop located in a reproduction of Abraham Lincoln's home town.

~~~~~

Dreamcatchers were originally created by the Ojibwe-speaking people of the North American Great Lakes region, primarily in Canada, but extending south into the American states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and etcetera. The Ojibwe words for dreamcatcher include asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word "spider", and bawaajige nagwaagan, meaning "dream snare".

In the 1960s and 1970s, during the beginning of the Pan-Indian (later the Pan-Aboriginal) Movement, Native Americans sought to unite their efforts for the protection of the rights of native peoples in the United States, and the dreamcatcher became a symbol of the First Nations. Some Native Americans, however, do see dreamcatcher as being over-commercialized, or even culturally appropriative, and it is important to bear that in mind.

According to Ojibwe legend, Asibikaashi, or Spider Woman, cared for the children of the native people. As the Ojibwe people spread across North America, it became harder for Asibikaashi to look after all of the children, so the mothers and grandmothers made magical webs for the children by tying sinew cord around willow hoops. The dreamcatchers filtered out bad thoughts, only letting good ones enter the mind during sleep.

The willow frames were traditionally either round or teardrop shaped, and the string tied in a fashion similar to snowshoe webbing. They could then be decorated with feathers and beads.

~~~~~

I am not Native American, and the brief history presented above was researched entirely on the web. It is not my place to comment on the trend of non-Natives using dreamcatchers, but I think it is important to remember that they are special objects and deserve to be treated as such. If you want to buy one, support actual Native Americans and purchase from them rather than getting cheap knock-offs, if at all possible.

March 14th, 2015

Look what my friend Destiny made me for my birthday!

It's a beautiful dreamcatcher! I've got a small collection, and this is a brilliant addition to it! She put so much thought into making the beads and the feathers elementally colored, and then added wind chimes, a turquoise stone, and a jar of fairy dust from Faery Fest. It's absolutely wonderful. I've got it hanging up in my room right now (I'm on spring break), but I'll be bringing it back with me to put up in my dorm.

March 5th, 2015

Okay, so, it took me a couple of days, but I did finally finish my bigger painting to put on my altar. It's about 12"x12", I think.

The symbolism probably speaks for itself, but in general I was going for elemental colors surrounding the God and Goddess.