Monday, March 29, 2010

Full Crow Moon...

Happy Full Moon! March's Crow Moon heralds the end of winter...yay! I'm looking forward to a busy Spring and Summer! I've been invited to participate in an all female group art exhibition in June, so I've started working on some new pieces. I want to cover some old bottles and stones with leather so I started doing a little research on leather sculpting. At one point I googled "leather covered objects" and my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I stumbled across designer Natalia Brilli. Her line of leather covered sculptural objects, handbags, jewelry and accessories can be found at gravitypope. Here are a couple of my favorites from her collection!

jay bird skull pendant...

leather covered coyote skull...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Littlefeather Organics



Littlefeather Organics is the brainchild of Earth loving Mama, Emmelie Brunetti. There are several natural product lines under the umbrella of Littlefeather Organics; NOMAD Exclusive Handmade, HOPI Botanicals, HAWKWEED'S Free Spirited Herbal Healing, and NUNA Hair & Scalp Elixir. The Littlefeather Organics aesthetic is reminiscent of old Native American Trading Posts. I caught up with Emmelie recently and she had some very inspiring things to say regarding the Native American aesthetic of Littlefeather Organics. She states,

"The underlying Native American theme that runs as a connecting thread throughout my ideas, products and brands, aims to reconnect the circle by raising awareness about the importance of preserving Native American culture, as well as all other indigenous societies, by recognizing their distinctive ability to maintain a healthy and spiritually rich relationship with the Earth. The idea of wanting to name my project HOPI botanicals came to me in the middle of the night. I knew then and there that this was my calling. For me, HOPI also refers to an acronym formed by the words Holistic, Organic, Pacific & Indigenous. These are the four main pillars of the philosophy which supports my products & activities."



The Hopi Prophecy says mankind must return to Peaceful ways to halt the Destruction of Mother Earth. Tibetan Buddhists have a similar prophecy, which was discussed when the Dali Lama met with the Hopi Elders a few years ago. It's Universal. I first heard of the Hopi Prophecy many many Moons ago, when I was in High School. I was a fan of The Cult and had a HUGE teenage crush on Ian Astbury, the lead singer. A friend of mine gave me a mix tape that included a song called "Moya" by Ian's first band, Southern Death Cult. It's about the Hopi Prophecy. Coincidentally (or not), Emmelie created a custom medicine bag for Ian Astbury just recently! Check out her line NOMAD - exclusive handmade solid perfume amulets offered in a custom leather medicine bags, uniquely designed to accommodate the different silver and turquoise boxes. A blend of exotic oils, amber essence and precious woods hand poured into one-of-a-kind vintage Navajo pill boxes. Emmelie's always creating something new so check out her blog for updates!



The Hopi Prophecy speaks of the white man who would come to them and help transform the entire continent into a spiritual paradise. But the Prophecy also warns that if the white man does not give in return for what is taken, then the Hopi will hold the land till human beings learn to live in harmony with Nature and each other. The Power under the land will be used for destruction...Earth Changes! Emmelie Brunetti has taken this prophecy to heart and plans to donate a portion of her profits to various indigenous causes. Her first donation was made to Wisdom Keepers, a Native American non-profit cause and grass-roots organization that provides cross-cultural, intercultural and intra-cultural educational opportunities in Tennessee.



Thursday, March 18, 2010

Respect the Elders

The rocks were here before people were here. Lakota traditions say that life began with the rise of a great stone from the waters of creation. The Lakota word "tunkaschila" meaning “grandfather” is sometimes used for the word "stone" because stones are referred to as our elders.




I love these magick stones by Jos van Wunnik

Related Posts: Speaking Stones

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Monday, March 15, 2010

Eshu Alagbana: part 2

artwork by Gordillo Arredondo

Read *Meet Me at the Crossroads for part 1 of this topic* I'm still receiving questions about Eshu Alagbana in my inbox but ebay won't allow me to post answers because there's only 12 hours until the bidding is over! If the Reserve price of $333 is not met, I will relist or work it out behind the scenes, as I have several interested parties. (Why $333? 3+3+3=9, 3 is Esu's number and 9 is Oya's number) Meanwhile, there are still some issues to be addressed, so here we go, questions and answers...

Q: Hello... Do you know what its made of and what is in side the hole on top of its head, or is it still loaded... Thanks for your time...

A: Hello! The bowl is filled with the appropriate herbs, roots, dirt, bones and such that are attributed to Eshu Alagbana. It was then covered with a layer of cement and wax. The head itself is set into the cement and is made out of a coconut shell. I've only added herbs attributed to Eshu and Oya to the head, but it is not full at all. I would leave the herbs in there because it is part of the Ashe (energy) of the Eshu that resides in this head. There is plenty of room to add more herbs or even cemetery dirt from the gates of the cemetery or the crossroads. I will be happy to send along some cemetery dirt to whoever receives this Eshu. I have some from the Masonic Cemetery New Orleans and the St. Louis cemetery, home of Marie Laveau, the legendary Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. (the dirt was traditionally paid for with coins and rum) This is only necessary if you intend to work with the Guédé Barons (Baron Samedi, Baron La Croix, ect.)

An army of "Spiritual Eshus" The one in the middle is most likely the one in charge.

Q: I am curious to know how this Ellegua changed hands 2 times. All Elleguas have to be consemated in the owners name. I myself have an Ellegua and would not part with him, have you asked this Ellegua if in fact he is alive and has been fed if he wanted to go to a new home? This is a very odd for me to see someone selling Ellegua online on Ebay. Are you positive you want to do this? Also Elleguas are given for life not a certain probationary period stage. I am tempted to bid on him only becuase he needs a home, but I wouldnt want him to conflict with the Ellegua I already own. Any thoughts on any of the questions I submitted?

A: This is a "Spiritual Eshu" NOT an "Elegua Head" A spiritual Eshu represents a certain "Path of Elegua". It is NOT fed with blood. An "Elegua Head" represents the Orisha Elegua and is fed with a blood offering when it is created in the name of it's owner. That is the Elegua you keep for life. I would not sell an "Elegua Head" consecrated in my name. If you don't know the difference between a Spiritual Eshu and an Elegua Head you should not bid on this item. I say this with RESPECT. Ache!


Gordillo Arredondo

Further more, this is no mass produced, over-the-counter Eshu! This is the real deal. Now that I think about it I don't think anyone who isn't initiated with at least having received their elekes and warriors should even think about bringing this into their home. I don't want to be held responsible for any chaos that might ensue. This is not an artifact! The entity that this effigy houses, is a very real supernatural creature which occupies a parallel world to us. It is a being of free will and has the power to travel large distances at extreme speeds and can be in more than one place at a time. (Eshus are the same as the Djinn) He is powerful enough to harass and even possess humans. You must rely on a Higher Power (GODHEAD) to protect you when working with supernatural forces because they might try to trick you or bend you to their own will Also, this Eshu is prone to romantic infatuation with females so this is better off in the hands of a man. It will compliment the sexual prowess of a male owner! If it's owner is a female he might chase away the men in your life because he is very over protective. However a female who has Oya on their head can probably handle this path of Elegua.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child





"Directed by Tamra Davis, the documentary features never before seen footage of the prolific artist painting, talking about his art, and existing in the two years prior to his death in 1988." Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child premiered Feb 21st at Sundance.