Results...

And the winner is....

Teckla!

Congratulations! Email me at anathemum@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Thanks to all those who participated and all the kind words you said. Warmed this witch's heart...

Flow and the Giveaway.

As an artist first and a Witch second the ebbs and flows of my "muses" wane and sway with the calling of the deities and spirits. Lately I've been nothing but output; creating every spare moment I get. The cooling of the Earth and harvest does this to me and I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment. Sometimes I have a drought, usually in the summer. My spirits are quiet and nothing gets done and I wallow in my brains silence. I welcome the deluge of inspiration come the cooler months.

My altar space is currently full of experiments and successes. Chalks, brews, salts, tinctures, oils, amulets, teas. Medicinal and magical. Here are a few of the things you might have already seen, I have many more things headed your way.

Mystic Eye Bag

Hickory Snake Nut Amulet

Corvus Ritual Mask (sold)

Barn Owl Ritual Mask (sold)

Indigo Sigil Chalk

Hamsa Tarot Pouch

To celebrate my 100th sale in my shop and to say thanks for all the wonderful comments and kindness I've got another little giveaway for you.



The Acorn Amulet. To give honor to Dryads, Cernunnos, Pan, The Green Man, Artemis, or a Druidic Path. Holds aspects of fertility and protection. Strung with black leather cord in two widths. Measures about 12 inches long.

To enter, please leave a comment in this post. The winner will be picked on Tuesday September 21st at 5pm est. Reblogging or posting about this gets extra entries. Enjoy!

The Shenandoah

We spent the weekend in a small cabin with our great friends on the banks of the Shenandoah River. The weather was stunning and the river was warm. We dragged an old green canoe out from under the deck and paddled up and down the river looking at old mountains and farmland, giant cattails and forests of seaweed that lapped at the bottom of the boat. I felt my gods there. I felt at peace. The normal buzzing and humming of spirits was silent because they were no longer trying to reach me. I was there with them.

During the day I gathered up fallen branches and logs around the property and as evening fell I cleaned out the fire pit and we built a nice fire that we cooked our dinner and eventually dessert on. Fire roasted hot dogs and smores, nothing could be better. We sat around the fire listening to the crickets well into the night while just existing and enjoying the silence away from our jobs and lives. It was incredibly relaxing.

I didn't find much in the way of herbs but I gathered acorns as there were plenty to be had.

One new thing and one old thing in the shop today but both happen to be pouches. The Tambourine Evil Eye Bag and Web of Wyrd Rune Pouch, both embroidered and simply beautiful and at reduced prices. With the Yule season fast approaching, the decorations are already being put up in stores, we should begin to think about what we'd like to give a special witch we know. Give something handmade and unique to support their craft. I take commissions if you can't find something that's juuust right for them.

Tambourine Evil Eye Tarot Bag

Web of Wyrd Rune Pouch

The Gods Speak

Mockingbird skull and limb bone, Squirrel Jaw and limb bones

How do your deities call to you? For me it's a gnawing I get on the fringes of my brain. A buzzing of my mind. A need to travel deep within nature. A sudden idea for a creation, I always will sketch the idea to return to it later. They come to me in dreams, subtly or strongly. I will be drawn to their aspects and satisfy them with an offering or a gift. It isn't always a deity that speaks. It can be local spirits of nature, the thunder, the rain. Sometimes I receive an influx of gifts, mostly in the form of animals that have passed on, sometimes in a local wild crafting find.

I live near the Rappahannock River in Virginia. I enjoy watching her ebbs and flows, droughts and floods, and every year she claims more lives. At least 5 people die every summer while swimming in her cool waters. As an animist I believe everything contains a soul; rivers, trees, mountains, even the tiniest of seeds and the strongest of storms. Why is my river angry? Or is she? I wish I knew.

This weekend I will be spending time in a cabin right on the Shenandoah River. Maybe I will paint, maybe I wont, I'll let the river dictate my activities. The relaxation will be welcome and I'll come back with stories and some wild harvested goodies.

Before I go, a couple of new specialty candles and prints arrived in the shop this week. I'd love to do another deity painting. Any suggestions?

Cernunnos Spell Candle

Graveyard Dirt Spell Candle

Rainbow Eye Print

Hecate Print

Hickory Dickory Dock and the Mushroom Chronicles

Today Joey and I took Gypsy to the Prince William Forest Park for a nice long walk. We are so lucky to live within 10 minutes of a glorious National park filled with many trails and wildlife and magic. It's beautiful and I've hiked through about it several times. When I was a child my parents took me to marvel at wonders built by man. I will take my children to marvel at wonders crafted by nature.

We haven't had much rain this summer and all the rivers and streams are low. But since the air has cooled off many mushrooms have burst forth from the ground. We spotted nearly 14 different varieties the one trail we followed. I am poor at best when it comes to mushroom identification, except for Morels, Stinkhorns, and a few Amanitas. All of the mushrooms we saw were lovely and I plan on harvesting those I can properly identify next time.













I gathered a few Hickory nuts, some acorns, and happened upon these Cicada wings just resting on a small table guarded by the most peculiar caterpillar. We also found two fauns resting among the trees and they begged us to follow. Gypsy's nose wiggled and ears spun. They stood waist high and still had their spots and let us get strangely close before bounding off into the trees. We followed for a while before becoming tangled in spiderwebs and decided to stick to the trail.

Hecate

Anyone remember the Hecate sketch I posted here? Well I felt her tugging at me to finish it so I've worked on it a little bit for the past few days and completed it. I'm such an advocate for watercolors, I love their flow and movement and translucency.

Hecate; Watercolor on cold press watercolor paper; 2010
My scanner isn't high enough quality to do this piece any justice, even my 12mpx camera doesn't quite get it, so I'll be taking it to get professionally scanned this week. Often personal pieces such as this turn into shop items so I will be offering prints so you can adorn your altar or home.

Step by step (or when I remembered to take pictures). You can see my process here but it's mostly wash after wash to tone up the colors and then detail work. I also struggled with wanting to ink an outline which is something I've drifted away from, finding more of a heartiness without it.

Hecate is my matron and the Goddess I communicate with most frequently. I try to do little things for her everyday even if I don't need her for a spell or ritual. I draw something related to her aspects, give her small gifts, or read a book about her or that has her as a heavy feature. We cannot ever expect spirits or deities to aid us outright without signs and offerings of our devotion. With the darkening of the Earth steadily and swiftly approaching the Fleeting One will feel most at home, and so will I.

I'd love to paint your favorite deity! I will take commissions of this size, 6"x12" (15.2x30.5cm) or smaller of your deity. Email me (anathemum(at)gmail(dot)com) if you are interested!

Giveaway Winner!

To all those who participated or reblogged my post, many thanks and blessings to you all. This was fun and I'll be sure to have another giveaway soon.

The winner is...

Wait for it...

Blue Druid! Please email me at anathemum(at)gmail(dot)com so I can get your contact information. Thanks again and blessings to everyone!

Giveaway

So as a thank you to all my readers, as quiet as some of you may be, and in honor of the upcoming spirit season (I've got it on the brain really bad!) I have a small giveaway for you! A red wool spirit necklace.

Featured here is a rustic and simple necklace that will protect you during spirit travel and connect you to your spirits. It will aid you in opening those cosmic doors. Red wool is adorned with a carved wooden skull bead and an old iron key. Red thread has long been an aid in capturing negative spirits, protection, or as a spirit line. Anoint the old iron key with your favorite psychopomp oil and cleanse this piece often to remove anything unwanted picked up during travel. Wear during ritual or everyday. This necklace is about 18 inches (45-46 cm) long.

To enter my giveaway, please leave a comment in this post. The winner will be chosen on Saturday August 14th at 5pm so get your comments in before then! If you reblog this post once please link to it in your comment and you will get one additional entry, reblogged twice you get two additional entries, you get the idea :) Have fun and thanks again!

Barn Owl Mask

Cut, punched, and wet formed ash gray suede leather Barn Owl mask. Another ritual mask you can expect for Samhain.

Corvid Mask

Cut, punched, and sculpted leather Corvid mask. First in a series of many simple ritual masks that will be available for Samhain. Any requests?

This leather is as soft as butter and feels so good. Is anyone else as PUMPED as I am for Samhain this year? Cause I’m goin’ all out. Just you wait...