She Wolves of Midwinter, Slavic & Balkan Animism in the traditions of a Shaman (part 2/2)
By Phoenix the Elder – Continued from Part 1: Animism and my Shaman dreaming ritual: Zack is in High School and does drugs weekly, and because of that, he was weak in the dream and had lost power and if he continues this behavior in his waking life, by 30 he will have no more connection […]
Mother of Goddess – Matushka Zemlia
Matushka Zemlia Poem by Phoenix of Elder Mountain Blessings upon me from the Mother of the Moist Earth from whom my Soul and the Children of the Souls are all born. I take your hand as you are the binding that weaves the river into matter, into me. There is nothing false about any Mother Goddess and […]
Karelian Magic
By Phoenix of Elder Mountain – The Republic of Karelia is a region in northwest Russia, bordering Finland. Beside Lake Onega, capital city Petrozavodsk is home to cultural artifacts at the National Museum. On an island northeast, Kizhi Museum is an open-air complex of traditional wood buildings. Northwest, Kivach Nature Reserve has pine woods and […]
Folk Art Nettle Fiber
Nettle, Hemp, Flex and Willow Fibers Nettle – In spring some stalks of grasses and nettle are broken by the wind or too dry in summer, some places have to exfoliate the top layers of the cortex, which contains the fiber. Their flexibility and strength is long appreciated by the birds for example, the crossbill […]
Ritualistic Fire
Phoenix the Elder – A picture expresses a thousand words and a spiritual image expresses ten thousand. The composition of this beautiful image depicts a Slavic Pagan Ritual, the day after Hallows’s Eve (all Souls day). Included in the image are rectangles in the foreground with bowls of water and lighted candles as part of […]
Shamanochki Horned Kichka – The Evolution from Grandmother Shaman reduced to Maiden Bride
By Phoenix of Elder Mountain – I am particularly interested as a shaman, in my ancestral grandmothers and their ancient prehistoric rituals which were dominant before the 5th through 8th centuries. Before writing, we had art and oral traditions that carried our stories during the long winter moons and the celebrations of life. Much can be seen […]
The Midnight Sun: A Generous Invitation to the Marriage of the Soul and the North Winds. Traditions of Kolyadki & Auseklis
By Phoenix of Elder Mountain Dreaming (and other contributors); Edited by Sarah Bernstein – The Midnight Sun is a very ancient tradition of the Moon Cultures. The earlier shamanistic cultures and the dreamers before them carried the symbolism of all things today. For the Moon lights our way through each season in all her images […]
Siberian Shaman’s Bird Mask
On some of the drums of the Siberian Shamans, there is an image of a hooked curve and line which symbolizes the Horse, like many Slavic and Balkan traditions which the horse is present in folk art and textiles. The Circles symbolizes both Sun and Moon, and lastly, the Beaks and Eyes of the Bird […]