Nature Whispers...

Once upon a time, man tred carefully in Earth’s ancient forests. Hunters felt a powerful arcane connection to the Divine while in the forest and were intuitvely aware of it’s sacredness. They also realized the woodlands provided a sanctuary for the animals, trees and plants that sustained them in life, so they treated the land with reverence and respect. After leaving the forests, hunters suffered the loss of connection to the enchanted forest world and sought to bring this magic home with them. They crafted objects and jewelry from the wood, gems, animals they obtained while hunting. These 'hunting trophies' were displayed in the home as mementos.



They crafted amulets and talismans to adorn themselves with. They honored the sanctity of animal’s spirit, therefore the spirit of the animal retained it’s dignity in death. The pendants were regarded as supernatural objects and each piece was endowed with a special mystical power: to protect, to ward off sickness, strengthen the body, and keep away evil spirits. I just added these to My Etsy Shop! The toothy one has already been purchased and will be displayed at The Museum of Witchcraft in Switzerland!



It is not a coincidence that early explorations of the unconscious were undertaken in the vicinity of Earth’s ancient forests. Fables, folklore, and fairytales throughout the world have been handed down orally and eventually written about enchanted forests. The mythologies are always the same, only the cultural landscapes differ. Perhaps the most famous collection of folktales in our lives, is that of the Brothers Grimm, inspired by the valleys and wooded heights of the legendary Black Forest.



Our society is suffering from the loss of connection to nature. It is the mission of Beloved & Co. to awaken that connection and to remind people that we are part of nature, not separate from it. My Black Forest Relic Collection is a kind of Memento Mori to remind people about our current deforestation crisis: the tragic loss of the world’s sacred forest sanctuaries and the plants and animals it protects. The word "relic" denotes a supernatural object (usually a bone or other such) venerated because of association with a saint or martyr. Black Forest Relics are infused with the magic of the forest, the mythologies of the animal and a sense of imminent mourning...each one sacred in it's own right. I’ve decided to donate a portion of the profits made from the sales of my Black Forest Relics to an organization dedicated to defending wildlife. Originally I was going to donate to the World Wildlife Fund...but they said: "Please note that to communicate that you are making a donation to us based on sales, we require a licensing agreement. This entails a minimum annual guaranteed donation of $25,000 and registration as a commercial coventurer in four states. At this time we are not interested in a licensing agreement due to conflicting efforts with another jewelry line which is exclusive." So I'm looking into smaller grassroots efforts...any suggestions?



I've been feeling a deep obligation to give back to Mother Nature lately. I was the first seller on etsy to sell taxidermy jewelry and now it seems we have a trend on our hands. Within months of offering my handmade and vintage/antique taxidermy jewelry another seller began creating grotesque reproductions of the jewelry I was selling. For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you might remember me ranting about it. Soon to follow, yet another seller opened a shop offering even more discusting knock-offs of the aforementioned seller...offering jewelry made exclusively from dead squirrels. And now, another seller has opened up a shop solely offering the same kind of antique jewelry I sell.

The problem is not that I now have “competition” or that they may have taken inspiration from my shop or other lines of taxidermy jewelry currently being offered in the marketplace. (Although I do find it extremly bothersome that these greedy opportunists sought out a way to bank on someone else ideas.) The problem is these grotesque reproductions and even the antique peices, are being offered with no regard to the sanctity of the animal used in the creation of the jewelry. One seller has chosen a rusty meat cleaver as the shop’s icon. Pointing not to the sanctity of the animal, but to the violent death the animals experienced. I find the objectification of the animal macabre, blatantly exploiting the death of animals for profit...the animal spirit loses it's dignity in this context. The sacred is completly absent and this drives my point home, our society is suffering from the loss of connection to nature! Alex Grey's painting "Gaia" shows two opposing facets of earthly existence separated by the Tree of Life. On the side representing life out of balance our visionary artist chooses to represent the decadence of humanity through the smoggy skyline of Manhattan Island.



It seems history is repeating itself...the Victorians also felt, in the move from rural to city living, the loss of connection to the natural world and sought to connect with it through collecting taxidermy and other natural objects. The trend was popular within high society and so it became a symbol of status. To meet the demands of the trend, the marketplace for taxidermy grew. This drove the prices down making taxidermy and other natural objects affordable to the middle class. No other society has had such a smothering love as the Victorians had for the natural world. Everywhere was evidence of their fascination with the wild and exotic and their desire to possess it. From the great zoos that were opening around the country, to Natural History museums, and the conservatories that housed their rainforest plants. “Perhaps the ultimate realization of that controlling love for nature was in the art of taxidermy. Here a wild and beautiful creature could truly be possesed- it could become an object: wild but touchable, beautiful and captured.”



The Victorians in their lust for the beauty of nature did not forsee the devastating effects it would have on natural world. The taxidermy business was booming and it wasn’t slowing down. As taxidermy in the home became commonplace, the demand for more exotic tropies grew. And with this, a new trend emerged...the whimsical and bizarre world of Anthropomorphic Taxidermy and sideshow gaphs. Noteworthy taxidermy artists such as Herman Ploucquet, Walter Potter and Edward Hart inspired the work of Dr. Peter Hughes. Hugh's revealed an even darker side of man's malady. He had a number of wealthy admirers of his work who were willing to pay handsomely for various 'special' tableaux to be constructed to their particular specifications. For example: Twelve scenes from the works of children's author Beatrix Potter, constructed for a Mr. Hertz of Iowa, which depicted the author's familiar squirrels and bunny rabbits being 'imaginatively' abused by foxes and cats. And another series of dioramas inspired by De Sade's 'Juliette' in which the unfortunate heroine is represented by a tabby cat and her tormentors by sadistic rabbits, constructed for Lord Bangor. At the time of his death he was working on a commission depicting to recreate in detail various key scenes from De Sade's seminal '120 Days of Sodom'.



Since the Industrial Revolution, man and his machines have waged an official war on Mother Nature. "Civilized" man has become an enemy to the natural world. Not even 10 years ago, there seemed to be hope of an end to it. The wholesale slaughter of animals for museums, art objects, and fashion was not only undesirable, it was offensive. Remember all the “Fur is Dead” campaigns? Models refused to wear fur on the runway stating “I’d rather be naked than wear fur”. But things have changed, and we are seeing the trends return. Some of the same models promote and wear fur these days. How soon we forget! Don't get me wrong, I eat meat...I love feathers, fur, and bones...I own taxidermy! What I'm saying is, we need to make conscious choices. Choose sustainably produced meat, eggs and dairy! When buying other animal products, buy vintage/antique and when buying new...make sure it's from an from ethical source! We need to be aware about the impact overconsumption is having on our bodies and the environment. (Read This)