Arcane Accents

Lǫgʀ, the Sea-Rune, descends in circling cycle as an echo of returning from Njǫrð's (or even from Ægir's) realm. As all waters find their way to the sea, so they are returned to the world of men in proper time - both the current of Life and the flow of its Laws.

Let this eternally echoing rhythm of life and motion - move you, as well, to hear and to feel and to know yourself in the sure and certain heartbeat of the world.

All ice melts and then returns, all tears dry and then return, and you yourself with them, again and again - will you, then, rise to return stronger?

My daughter and I had so much fun decorating the tree. It’s such a beautiful and festive addition to our home. (The cats are on the warpath, fully enriched!)

These are two of my favorite ornaments. The Kolovrat is by @arcaneaccents & the amanitas are by @solacecreations with a little painting addition done by my daughter.

Warm holiday wishes to you all, from our home to yours. 🌲❄️

“Your principles can’t be extinguished unless you snuff out the thoughts that feed them, for it’s continually in your power to reignite new ones. . . . It’s possible to start living again! See things anew as you once did—that is how to restart life!”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.2

Comfy illustration by Finnish artist Inari Krohn 🇫🇮🌲

I might not be particularly festive or productive this Yuletide, but I am very tempted with this recipe.
https://food52.com/recipes/39191-creme-brulee-pie

"I overcame myself, the sufferer; I carried my own ashes to the mountains; I invented a brighter flame for myself."

Gm

Frankish Zierscheiben

The stars are like letters that inscribe themselves at every moment in the sky. Everything in the world is full of signs. All events are coordinated. All things depend on each other. Everything breathes together.

Plotinus

I have something I'm working on but it is a big fat secret right now so hopefully I can post it in a couple of weeks. 🙏

This is before and after adding texture to the forehead area. The pet portrait is almost done! Tomorrow I will add some finishing touches, the pet's name as well as the birth and death years on the back. After that, I will seal it with several coats of polycrylic, add a hanger on the back, and it will be complete. 🐾

I want to share some of my thoughts on loss, suffering, and grief.

This isn't usually how I post online, especially not on this account. I suppose I'm doing it now because these are thoughts I would normally have discussed with my husband. They've been floating in my mind in scattered pieces for weeks. I so dearly miss talking to him about philosophy and the bigger picture. He was a wise man. I'm wiser for having been with him.

It's impossible not to fixate on what has been lost. In losing a spouse, you lose not only the person, but your future. Especially when you have children. You lose your closest source of intimacy and support. You lose choices in how you're going to raise your child(ren). You lose all of your plans. You lose the life you were carefully planning, curating, and fighting for together. With a very small child, you find yourself bearing the grief for two... grieving what they can not.

I try to follow these thoughts with what I gained with him. Chiefly the most precious thing he left behind and entrusted fully with me- our beautiful child. A home. And a love that can never die, so long as my soul lives. I have gained the wonderful privilege in this life to know what it means to love and be loved well by a good man who would never have failed me. Many women never get to experience such beauty in their lives. Many people never get to experience true love.

I try to assign meaning to this suffering. I try to assign meaning to my loved ones' suffering, my own, and all of us who have been so robbed of our dearest. I try not to ask "why" anymore when I lose my loved ones. "Why" is not for me to know yet. The Divine isn't going to tell me why. The Divine is going to aid me in creating and discovering the "why" for myself.

I don't bother crying about fairness. Life isn't about fairness. Fairness is something we humans created to socially value and apply to our cultural norms. There is no fairness in nature. But there is Divine justice.

I choose to put my faith in being able to do it again. I'd face all the suffering and loss of this world again if it meant I could face it with him by my side. To have another chance in another life to get to grow old together. To know previous lives together when I finally cross over to join him.

Probably the hardest part of this loss, emotionally, is knowing it must be accepted. There's no way around it. I could choose not to. I could drive myself mad with the grief and refuse to accept his having moved on to the next realm. But it would harm not only me, but also our son.

The only inherent right we really have in life is how we choose to respond to our circumstances. And I know the only choice I can make, that I must make, is to gradually let myself learn to accept it, as badly as I wish I didn't have to. To let go of my "wishes". To let go of the life we had and the life we wanted. To do so in a way that doesn't allow bitterness and resentment to fester in my spirit.

"It's not what we endure that matters, but how we endure it." - Seneca

My husband loved stoic philosophy. I would buy him books on his birthday and holidays. And I deeply cherish the conversations we had when he was reading them. I so love his mind.

If you read this through, I hope it deepened your own perspectives either in agreement or disagreement and I really hope you're having a lovely holiday season and cherishing those you love most.
Because we don't get to keep them.

“Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view. It’s not activity that disturbs people, but false conceptions of things that drive them mad.”

—SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 12.5

Nyx was goddess of the night of the primordial gods (protogenoi) who emerged as the dawn of creation.

She was a child of Khaos (Chaos, Air), and marrying with Erebos (Darkness) she produced Aither (Aether, Light) and Hemera (Day). She spawned a brood of dark spirits including the three Fates, Sleep, Death, Strife and Pain.

Nyx was an ancient deity usually envisaged as the very substance of the night; a veil of dark mists drawn across the sky to obscure the light of Aether, the shining blue of the heavens.

When autumn peaks against a gray sky.

Northern Roots. ❄️
Here’s a glimpse of my winter/Yule collection:
I aimed to embody the spirit of snowy Scandinavia with these beaded earrings. A beautiful reminder of my ancestral homeland and the landscapes that inspire me.

The purpose of science is to explain how.

The purpose of spirituality is to explain why.

Swa þes middangeard
ealra dogra gehwam dreoseð ond fealleð;
forþon ne mæg weorþan wis wer ær he age
wintra dæl in woruldrice. Wita sceal geþyldig,
ne sceal no to hatheort, ne to hrædwyrde,
ne to wac wiga, ne to wanhydig,
ne to forht ne to fægen, ne to feohgifre,
ne næfre gielpes to georn ær he geare cunne. (62-9)

So this earth declines and falls, every single day;
And so a man cannot become wise
before he has his share of winters in the world. A wise person should be patient,
should not be too hot-hearted, nor too hasty with words,
neither too weak a warrior, nor too reckless,
neither too fearful, nor too quick to rejoice, nor too greedy,
nor ever too eager to boast before he knows for sure.

The Wanderer (Old English) from The Exeter book

Yes, Cleopatra was closer in time to us than she was to the Pyramids. What’s more stunning is that the Pyramids are closer in time to us than the Göpekli Tepe temple.
https://redd.it/1gtfxes
@r_interestingasfuck

My first finished piece in a long, long time. I really enjoyed weaving this organic cotton and raw silk scarf. Remembering the beautiful gardens and happy memories from our old farm as the threads passed through my hands.

This piece has reignited my passion for fiber arts. I'm really excited to contribute it to the benefit art auction for my friend, a recently widowed mother and incredible artist. I'm naming this piece 'Wunjo' (pronounced "woon-yo) after the Wunjo rune which represents joy and comfort. I hope it brings its new owner much joy. 🤍

Delft blue earring and brush set

“The grief that does not speak whispers the o'erfraught heart and bids it break.” - Macbeth

Let's cut some wood

Our Yuletide Blessings mead is freshly bottled and ready for the season, sitting at a warming 16% ABV. This year’s batch came out crystal clear, with a beautifully balanced aroma of orange and spices, touched with just a hint of vanilla.

I’m pleased with the adjustments I made to the spice blend, using less cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger compared to last year, which I think gives it a smoother, more harmonious profile. I believe this batch will only get better as it ages—an ideal treat for those cold winter nights.

Also as an update: I have been looking into obtaining a farm winery license, this will allow me to produce and sell my mead. I will need to purchase some more equipment to streamline the process but it's all underway.

Round 1 of the Artisanal Auction to benefit J of Arcane Accents is now complete!
What an absolutely massive success!

Round 2 begins tomorrow. I am tickled by the excitement of knowing what treasures await! Our community is so exquisitely talented and generous.

So head on over to the Artisanal Auction, read the rules & info and stick around to see what’s next. This will be live for several weeks. Such a perfect opportunity to find artisanal handmade goods by our Folk for this season of gift-giving.

𝖄𝖚𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝕮𝖑𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖈𝖘 ❄️🪡

My mini earring collection is now available. Woven with love and reinforced for longevity. Heirloom quality beadwork. Lightweight with lots of icy sparkle.

SHOP HERE

Despair
John-Joseph Perraud
c. 1869

It's strange the way real life foreshadows itself.

I have organized an art auction to benefit my dear friend J of Arcane Accents. Her husband unexpectedly and tragically passed away recently and our wonderful art community has come together and donated exquisite pieces to raise money for J and her young son.

The auction is now live. There will be five items in each round. Bidding lasts 2 days. There will be one off day in between rounds for me to finalize transactions. There are tons of exquisite donations so stick around for a spell! This is a unique and fantastic opportunity to snag handcrafted artisan goods made by our Folk for the holidays or for yourself - and for such a wonderful cause.

The gratitude in my heart for all the help and art donations I’ve received is tremendous. Thank y’all so much. This is what community is all about. :ᚷ:

Rasmus Bjørn Anderson (January 12, 1846 – March 2, 1936) was a prominent Norwegian-American figure known for his work as an author, professor, editor, businessman, and diplomat. He grew up in Wisconsin, the son of Norwegian immigrants from Rogaland, Norway. Anderson played a significant role in highlighting the contributions of Viking explorers as the first Europeans to set foot in the New World, and he was also the founder of Leif Erikson Day.

"To know one's ancestry is to know oneself. The threads of our forebears' lives are woven into the fabric of our own existence."

- Life Story of Rasmus B. Anderson

🐴☀️Вышивка по мотивам украшений викингов. Брошь в виде коня, VI век н.э. Бирка, Швеция

Ваш репост помогает развитию моего творчества. Спасибо.

🐴☀️Embroidery based on the motifs of Viking jewelry. Brooch in the form of a horse, VI century A.D. Birka, Sweden.

Your repost helps my work. Thank you.

"Land is the only thing that matters, because it's the only thing that lasts."

- Margaret Mitchell
Gone With the Wind

This piece will be available in the upcoming auction for J.

From the bottom of my heart, this truly means so much to me. Thank you so much to all of you incredibly lovely people.

As my living room fills up with the most wonderful pieces of art by our Folk, donated to raise money for J in the upcoming auction, the sweet gratitude and appreciation for our artistic community just grows and grows.

Thank y’all, from the bottom of my heart, for coming together and helping me make this possible.

Holiday Gift Boxes
10% off at checkout

1. Gift Box
Two favorites in one set for hair and skin
Kammi's Beauty Balm
Vetiver Tallow Shampoo Bar

2. Men's Gift Box
The best selling items purchased by the guys
1 oz Lemongrass Virginia Cedarwood Beard Balm
1oz Tallow Balm Unscented
8oz Fir Needle Shampoo Body Wash

3. Gift Box
Sweet set with some newer necessities
8 oz Aloe & Olive Oil Shampoo Body Wash
2 oz Frankincense Whipped Tallow

4. Deluxe Gft Box
Big box filled with some of your favorite self care items
2 oz Castor Oil Rosemary
2 oz Yarrow First Aid Salve
2 oz Blood Orange Deodorant
Vanilla & Oatmeal Bar

https://traditional-apothecary.square.site/product/holiday-gift-boxes/77?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=7GVGS3ATDQEN6DVCFPU7QSKB

After about 9 hours of work, this hand burned portrait of my daughter on a basswood round is finally finished!

🔍 Find your favorite song!

Dealing with heavy shit by lifting heavy shit.

I'm still around and hanging in there, yall. Life has been passing by in a haze, just trying to put the pieces back together. I still hope to release a few doodads for Yule and fulfill a couple seasonal commissions. Thanks for sticking around.

All hung and ready for the show. I also got an up close photo of the celtic border.

"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."

- J.R.R. Tolkien

Hello friends! I’m excited to share that some of my creations will be a part of the upcoming auction. You can look forward to unique handwoven Othala and Triskelion beaded earrings, as well as intricate embroidery pieces of the Web of Wyrd and Mjölnir, plus a surprise item! Alongside my work, many other talented artists will showcase their pieces that are available to bid on as well. This auction is a wonderful opportunity to support a dear friend who is going through a challenging time. Keep an eye out for more information about the auction – you won’t want to miss out!

It took me 3 days, but I finally fished this just in time for Halloween.

Large carpet bag made from upcycled materials. It measures 17.5” long, 14” tall, and 8” deep.

Lots of pockets: one exterior zippered pocket, one exterior slip pocket, one interior zippered pocket, and three interior slip pockets. It also has a swivel clip and adjustable, detachable shoulder strap.

The bottom is made from water repellent fabric and has 6 purse feet.

This is for sale on Telegram until Saturday when it will go into a brick and mortar shop if not sold here.

$120 plus shipping

SAMHAIN

Samhain (/ˈsɑːwɪn/ SAH-win, /ˈsaʊɪn/ SOW-in, Irish: [ˈsˠəunʲ], Scottish Gaelic: [ˈs̪ãũ.ɪɲ]) or Sauin (Manx: [ˈsoːɪnʲ]) is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or "darker half" of the year. It is also the Irish language name for November. Celebrations begin on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasa. Historically it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. A similar festival is held by the Brittonic Celtic people, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales. Samhain is believed to have Celtic pagan origins, and some Neolithic passage tombs in Great Britain and Ireland are aligned with the sunrise at the time of Samhain. It is mentioned in the earliest Irish literature, from the 9th century, and is associated with many important events in Irish mythology. The early literature says Samhain was marked by great gatherings and feasts and was when the ancient burial mounds were open, which were seen as portals to the Otherworld. Some of the literature also associates Samhain with bonfires and sacrifices. The festival was not recorded in detail until the early modern era. It was when cattle were brought down from the summer pastures and livestock were slaughtered. Special bonfires were lit, which were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers. Like Bealtaine, Samhain was a liminal or threshold festival, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld blurred, making contact with the aos sí (the 'spirits' or 'fairies') more likely. Most scholars see them as remnants of pagan gods. At Samhain, they were appeased with offerings of food and drink to ensure the people and livestock survived the winter. The souls of dead kin were also thought to revisit their homes seeking hospitality, and a place was set at the table for them during a meal. Mumming and guising were part of the festival from at least the early modern era, whereby people went door-to-door in costume, reciting verses in exchange for food. The costumes may have been a way of imitating and disguising oneself from the aos sí. Divination was also a big part of the festival and often involved nuts and apples. In the late 19th century, John Rhys and James Frazer suggested it had been the "Celtic New Year", but that is disputed. In the 9th century, the Western Church endorsed 1 November as the date of All Saints' Day, possibly due to the influence of Alcuin, and 2 November later became All Souls' Day. It is believed that Samhain and All Saints'/All Souls' influenced each other and the modern Halloween. Most American Halloween traditions were inherited from Irish and Scottish immigrants. Folklorists have used the name 'Samhain' to refer to Gaelic 'Halloween' customs until the 19th century. Since the later 20th century Celtic neopagans and Wiccans have observed Samhain, or something based on it, as a religious holiday.
Today, Samhain remains an important festival in modern Pagan, Wiccan, and Celtic Reconstructionist traditions, often celebrated with rituals, bonfires, and feasts to honor the ancestors and the cycle of life and death.
Bywikii.,

https://traditional-apothecary.square.site/product/holiday-gift-boxes/77?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=7GVGS3ATDQEN6DVCFPU7QSKB

Some people WRONGLY dismiss Halloween as a commercial American custom. Others think the origin of pumpkin jack-o'-lanterns is exclusively Irish or at least “Celtic”. In reality these lanterns are as much British as Irish, and the tradition is found in other Germanic nations such as Germany and Sweden too.

Prior to the American pumpkin tradition, people in Ireland, Scotland and England used turnips, swedes and mangelwurzels. The lanterns were associated with the Catholic holiday of All Hallow’s Eve in Ireland, but protestants in Britain sometimes moved the festival, such as in Somerset where it was held on the last Thursday of October and was called “punkie night”. Punkie means ‘jack-o-lantern’ in West Country dialect and these were carried about in a tradition much like trick or treating in America. They didn’t always have faces carved on them, but they were always intended to scare away evil.

The word punkie probably comes from Old English Pūcan or pūclas which were evil spirits in Anglo-Saxon folklore, cognate to Swedish and Norwegian puke “evil spirit”. The Irish word púca”spirit” is probably a loan from Old English as the p sound didn’t exist in primitive Gaelic.

The earliest attestations of carving such lanterns are from Worcestershire in England in 1840, Hampshire, England in 1838, and Scotland in 1808. So there is no reason to think it originated in Ireland. Various traditions of bonfires and carrying root lanterns or blazing fagots while going door to door for food existed across the British isles but the switch to pumpkins instead of turnips occurred in the USA.

The tradition of using turnip lanterns was still extant as far East as Sussex in 1973 when it was recorded among children there by Jacqueline Simpson in the Folklore of Sussex. Therefore, the introduction of the American pumpkin jack-o-lantern in Britain occurred while the native turnip tradition still existed, so there has never been a time when British people DIDNT make jack-o-lanterns for this season.

The same kind of tradition is attested in the 19th century among Germanic people on the continent who made vegetable lanterns between late October and early November. This tradition still survives in places and the lanterns are sometimes mounted on poles as they are carried about. Their names include:

German: Rübengeister ('turnip spirits')
German (Swabia): Schreckgesichter ('horror faces')
Swiss: Bochseltieren ('rumble animals')
South Germany and Lorraine, France: Rummelbooze ('turnip disguise')
German (Hesse): Gliihnische Deijwel ('glowing devil')
Swedish: rovgubbe ('turnip man')

As in the British Isles, the lanterns are often said to represent spirits and the children who carry them receive treats. Other times they are placed outside the house to protect the home from evil.

In my own video essay on the pagan origins of Halloween, I demonstrate that just as Halloween has a pagan precedent of Samhain in Ireland, it has other pagan precedents across Europe including Slavic Dziady, Baltic Mārtiņi or Mārtiņdiena, and the Germanic pagan festival which marked the start of Winter and was known in Old English as Winterfylleth, in Old Norse as Vetrnætr, and included a sacrifice made to elves (ancestral spirits) known as Álfablót.

Therefore this season has always been associated with spirits of the dead in many European cultures and Halloween is highly traditional and far from a merely commercial American innovation.

𝕮𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖒 𝕭𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖆𝖑 𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖆𝖑 𝖂𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊

:ᛟ:

Made with light pink glass pearls, Swarovski AB bicones, satin seed beads and faceted rose quartz.

A true honor to weave such a feminine & lovely piece for such a beautiful & monumental occasion. 🪡⚡️

Mfw I see a beautiful antique piece of furniture on marketplace that someone has farmhoused with bright chalk paint and distressed to hell.

Working on some more mini wreaths 🙂

Just finished these simple zippered tote bags. The exterior fabric was a table runner and is synthetic. The interior fabric is 100% cotton sheeting that I thrifted. The handles on both bags were made from thrifted belts. The bottom is cork from my stash and each one has three purse feet and a flower zipper.

The smaller one measures approximately 12” tall and 9” wide. The larger one is about 13” tall and 10” wide.

Selling for $30 each plus shipping. Comment if you’re interested.

I want to say a very heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who has been reaching out, checking on me, ordering from my website, and supporting me through this incredibly difficult time in my life. There are so many of you and we have such a lovely little community here and I am very touched. Time and space get away from me these days, so I'm sorry if I have missed anyone or haven't been very attentive. Please know the kindness and support really does mean the world to me.

I hope you're all having a lovely autumn and many good things to look forward to in the coming months. ❤️

The Goddess of Spring (Walt Disney Productions, 1934) follows the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades.
There once was a time in the long, long, ago, when there was joy and laughter everywhere, when the flowers that grew, blossomed all the year through, and the world was eternally fair. For there lived a maiden, so gentle was she, that all the world loved her tenderly, and life was then so pleasant, that joy was ever present, and the world grew more lovely each day. The flowers danced around her, they formed a wreath and crowned her, the Goddess of Eternal Spring, the Goddess of Eternal Spring.

Hand burned raven flying over water pendant necklace is now available for purchase HERE.

Going to try to release some ornaments this year, still. 🙏

Holiday Gift Boxes will be released soon! As always, there will be something for everyone. Included will be customer favorites such as Beard Balms, Tallow Balms, Shampoo and Body Wash, Shampoo Bars, and the coveted Kammi's Beauty Balm. All wrapped with care and attention to detail, ready to gift to a loved one.
https://traditional-apothecary.square.site/

𝕾𝖑𝖆𝖛𝖎𝖈 𝕱𝖔𝖑𝖐𝖜𝖆𝖞𝖘 🪡⚡️

This trio is from last year. Classic red & white with pearls.

This painting has taken me months to finish. Initially started for the monthly theme "solar", which I ended up not making the deadline for, it also changed to encompass the theme "harvest" for the following month. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.

And thank you to my friend J for suggesting the gold sun all those months ago. It was a beautiful choice ❤️

Assorted paintings and drawings from what seems like another lifetime ago.