Earth Song Tiles

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com ~Happy Full Worm Moon~ As the temperatures rise and the ground begins to thaw earth worms begin to appear, heralding the return of the Robins and spring soon to follow. More Northern Native American tribes knew this moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of courting crows signaled the end of winter or the Full Crust Moon because of the way the snow crusted from thawing in the warmer days and freezing at night. In some areas it was also known as The Full Sap moon, marking the time of Maple tree tapping. The Full moon of March by any name is joyfully considered the last full moon of winter.

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com Humming birds have long been admired for their beauty and diligence. In the ancient Nahuatl language spoken by the Aztecs they were called "Huitzil"a word derived from the zip of their darting flight and humming wing beat. The speed and agility of the Huitzil has made it a symbol of vigor and vitality and due to the accuracy with which they use their long sharp beak, a connection to skill with weaponry and intimacy. Humming bird tali...smans were worn by the Aztecs to aid in mastery of weapon use and sexual potency. The symbolism of intimacy comes from the very real intimate relationship between flowers and humming birds, many species having evolved symbiotically with the flowers they pollinate and use as their primary energy source, both altering to become perfectly fitted and accessible to each other. Humming birds feed on ornithophilous flowers which are high in sucrose and reflect light in a particular way that attracts the birds, but not insect pollinators which prefer flowers high in fructose. This helps prevent "nectar robbing" as well as making the flower dependant on the humming bird for pollination. Nectar, being low in necessary vitamins is used primarily for fuel and the bulk of their nutrition is from small insects. Despite this they must drink from hundreds of flowers a day for only about 20% of the day, the rest of the time they need to perch in order to digest and conserve energy. Humming birds are very territorial over their food source and the constant chasing of one another, which is so entertaining to watch, is not play, but a fight for survival. Because of their high metabolism, the highest of any animal excluding insects, they are always on the brink of starvation. At night or when food is scarce they go into a hibernation like state known as a torpor. During torpor their heart rate slows to 1/15 of it's normal rate and kidney function mostly stops. This prevents the bird from starving or dehydrating overnight. Warmth brings them out of torpor and they must find nectar within about 20 minutes. Feeders can be helpful to humming birds ( though not so much to the flowers they pollinate) but when supplementing a natural food source like a flower we must remind ourselves of the intimacy and trust between humming birds and real flowers that tell them by their color and shape that they are there for them to survive, so by putting out a feeder to attract them we are making that same promise and it becomes our responsibility to up hold it. :) See more

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com Some of the oldest traditions of mankind revolve around the rites of spring, celebrating growth and the renewal of life. Ostara, celebrated around the spring equinox, 20th-22nd of March in the northern hemisphere and around the 23rd of September in the southern, is one of the eight major Wiccan holidays. In Welsh mythology it is the time when the god of light, reborn on the winter Solstice is now strong enough to defeat his rival twi...n of darkness and mate with the great mother goddess who every year at Imbolc ( February 1st) returns to virginity. The indigenous Mayan people have celebrated a spring equinox festival for ten centuries. As the sun sets on the day of the equinox, the great ceremonial pyramid, El Castillo in Mexico, is bathed in late afternoon light. The lengthening shadows on the long staircase of the pyramid give the illusion of a diamond backed snake in decent. This is the return of the sun serpent to the land. Most ancient rites of spring revolve around goddesses, many returned to virginity for the event and resurrection. The earth mother goddess Asasa Ya is honored by the Ashanti people along with the sky god Nyame at the spring festival of Durbar. Eostre is the ancient Teutonic spring goddess whose name is the root of the present day spring celebration of Ostara. The Roman goddess of spring flowers Flora was honored at the festival of Floralia, April 28th - May 3. The Norse fertility goddess Freya returns every spring with her magical necklace representing the fire of the sun. Each spring in India the Hindu goddess of art, wisdom and learning, Saraswati is honored with prayers and music at the festival of Saraswati Puja. #HandmadeCeramicArtTile #DecorativeCeramicTile #CeramicGoddessTile #CeramicSaraswatiTile #HandPaintedCeramicTile See more

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com The tree is one of mankind’s most potent symbols. It is the embodiment of life, the point of union of the three realms (the heavens, earth and water), and an axis around which the entire universe is organized. Ancient peoples widely believed the tree to be infused with an abundance of divine creative energy, often personalized in the form of supernatural creatures such as the green man, which could be consciously harnessed by the ade...pt to access altered states of being. Tree worship was widespread in nearly all parts of the earth where they were able to grow, and some tree symbols are virtually worldwide. For example, evergreens universally stand for longevity and immortality, while deciduous trees represent regeneration and rebirth, each in their own way serving to reassure humans of their own continuing existence. Individual species generally acquired their own, culture specific significance. The oak was revered by the Celtic and Norse, while in ancient Greece and Egypt various tree species were sacred, each to their own god and goddess. In ancient China, people protected trees in the vicinity of tombs or temples, believing that the spirits of the dead and gods resided in them. Many trees were thought to have healing properties because of their resemblance to specific illnesses, like the trembling aspen, which was used in the treatment of fevers. Hazel, which was thought to possess magical powers, was used to make magicians wands and for water divining. With the early arduous task of clearing for agriculture, the darkness, chaos and uncertainty of forests compared to the order of cultivated land, came to symbolize mystery and transformation, home to sorcerers and enchanters. Wood itself also carried symbolic meaning and represented the ‘prima materia’ in the Middle East and India, the fundamental material from which all things were made. #HandmadeCeramicArtTile #CeramicTreeTile #DecorativeCeramicTileSet See more

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com ~Happy Spring Equinox~ AND ~International Frog Day~ :) For thousands of years frogs and toads have lived in the stories and myth of almost every human culture, taking on almost every conceivable role. From the devil to the trickster to the mother of the universe. Unfortunately some folklore surrounding them is negative, especially lore based in Medieval Europe where in the eyes of most Christian religions of the day frogs and toads... were typically thought of as evil, demonic creatures who possessed witches spirits. Such folklore was the result of inquisition propaganda and did not reflect earlier Pagan beliefs, which were more in keeping with many other cultures that have and still do view amphibians in a more positive light, relating them to good fortune, protection, fertility and more. In Egyptian mythology the frog goddess Heket was a very important figure associated with matters of fertility and pregnancy. Working together with her husband, the creator Khunm, Heket was believed to give all creatures the breath of life before they were placed in the womb. In many ancient Chinese legends the toad is a trickster and magician, but also the keeper of the powerful secrets of the world and immortality. Many tribes of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica worshiped a goddess that took the form of a frog with many udders. Her name was Ceneotl and much like the Egyptian goddess Heket she presided over fertility and childbirth. Frogs were also considered spirits of rain. The Aymara tribe of Peru and Bolivia fashioned small frog images which they placed on hill tops to call down the rain. Early Aztecs saw the toad as the earth mother goddess Tlaltecunti who embodied the endless cycle of death and re-birth. The life cycle of frogs and toads involves at least one major transformation from tadpole to adult and many species also shed and eat their skin as they grow. This may well explain why so many cultures see frogs as a symbol of creation and transformation. In the most famous frog tale in Western culture, 'The Frog Prince' the frog is depicted as a master of transformation. In earlier variations of this story the frog or toad is a woman. Frogs and toads have been our companions on earth for countless centuries and the human imagination with it's need for meaning and hunger for stories casts and re-casts them as a major character in the story of the world. But their numbers diminish and we hear less and less from these companions. What richness our stories will loose if we stop hearing their voices and their spirit is lost. #HandmadeCeramicArtTile #CeramicFrogTile #DecorativeCeramicTile #HandPaintedCeramicTile See more

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com Congratulations Stephan Leland, your name has been drawn to receive one of our 8x8 Celtic cross tiles...thank you again everyone :) #FreeArtDraw #CelticCrossTile #HandmadeCeramicArtTile

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com Ancient Egyptians placed great value on the domesticated cat, who were important in curtailing the spread of disease and protecting grain stores from rats. Their status has been likened to that of the cow in modern day India and the death of a family cat was cause for great mourning, those who could afford it had them embalmed or buried in one of many cat cemeteries. This is possibly the reason why the cat headed goddess, Bast was on...e of the most favorite deities of the day. She was the daughter of Ra, known as a wild goddess who was originally depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, connected to the sun and later in history a cat headed woman with connections to the moon. To those in her favor she bestowed great blessings, but her wrath if displeased was legendary and to harm a cat, sacred to her, was a great transgression. The worship of Bast, also known as 'The eye of Ra' was widespread and her cult had a great deal of power. Some Pharaohs even took her name in their king names. Her temple in Bubastis, the capital of Egypt for a time, was rivaled in splendor only by the temples of Ra, her father and Horus, her brother. :) #CeramicCatTile #HandmadeCeramicArtTile #CelticCatTile See more

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com ~Beside the Fire~ Author Unknown Where glows the Irish hearth with peat there lives a subtle spell,... the faint blue smoke, the gentle heat, the moorland odors tell of white roads winding to the edge of bare untamed land where dry stone wall or ragged hedge runs wide on either hand. The cottage lights that lure you in from rainy western skies; And by the friendly glow within of simple talk and wise, and tales of magic, love or arms from days when princes met to listen to the lay that charms the Connacht peasant yet. There honor shines through passion dire, there beauty blends with mirth, wild hearts ye never did aspire wholly for things of earth! Cold, cold this thousand years- yet still on many a time stained page you pride, your truth, your dauntless will, burn on from age to age. And still around the fires of peat live on the ancient days; There still do living lips repeat the old and deathless lays And when the wavering wreaths ascend blue in the evening air the soul of Ireland seems to bend above her children there. #HandmadeCeramicTile #CeramicArtTile #CeramicCelticTile #DecorativeFireplaceTiles See more

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com A new member of the Earth Song Tile studio, our daughter Ellyn...with three of us we can hopefully get things out faster :) #HandmadeCeramicTiles #CeramicArtTile #DecorativeCeramicTile

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com One of the most frequently mentioned birds of the ancient Irish & British tradition, the crane represents secret knowledge, patience & longevity. The same symbolism is attributed to the crane in Chinese culture as well, where next to the phoenix it is the most favored of all the bird symbols. Cranes dance in circles, which the ancients associated with both the movement of the sun and their role as guides, leading souls out of incarnation and back again to birth ( the stork?) Many cultures around the world were known to enact ritual crane dances, using nine steps and a leap while weaving in and out of a maze pattern to symbolize the journey of the soul. #HandmadeCeramicTile #CeramicCraneTile #DecorativeCeramicArtTie

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com :) #HandmadeCeramicTileSet #HandmadeCelticTile #CeramicDragonTile #DragonTileArt #HandmadeCeramicTile

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com :)

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com And here's the tile for our October draw...an 8x8 relief carved Celtic cross, this tile, as with all our decorative tiles, can be installed as a feature with matching plain tile or it has a notch in the back so it can hang on its own. Like and share this post and your name will be entered in the draw, to take place around the end of October :) #FreeArtDraw #CelticCrossTile #CeramicCelticTile #HandmadeCelticArtTile

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com Congratulations Marie Gibbs, your name has been drawn to receive one of our 8x8 relief carved and hand painted garden flower tiles :) Thanks again everyone for sharing! #freeartdraw #HandmadeCeramicTile #handpaintedtiles #CeramicTileArt

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com For many cultures around the world the female deer or hind's natural qualities of gracefulness, gentleness and dignity have made them a symbol of the sacredness of life. For the Huichol people of Mexico the 'magical deer' is of very special significance. Representing both the power of the maize to sustain the body and peyote to enlighten the spirit, the deer is also said to pass some of her qualities onto the people of the tribe. In...teresting to note that the character of the Huichol people tends to be light, flexible and humorous, and they have avoided open warfare with the Spanish as well as with any Mexican governments, but still hold to their own traditions. The Celts held hinds as supernatural animals, often referred to as 'fairy cattle', herded and milked by a local, benevolent fairy giantess that could shape shift into a red deer who would oft times lead this or that hero to adventures in the underworld. In some Native North American symbolism deer is a strong healing totem that helps humans to conquer the fear of death and leads their souls peacefully into the spirit world. In Buddhism they are considered the messenger of universal love and there is a Mandala (sacred painting) of a deer standing on a white cloud with the tree of life above. Meditating on this mandala is said to open ones consciousness to the mystery of infinite peace. #ceramicceltictiles #HandmadeCeramicTile #handmadeceltictile See more

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com Dolphins have been perceived by humans of many cultures around the world as remarkable, magical beings, with a plethora of lore and legend surrounding them, since ancient times. The seafaring Minoa of the Mediterranean seem to be the first culture to have had Dolphin lore. Though they left little written records, beautiful murals found on palace walls show the importance of the dolphin in their mythology. Later in Greek Myth they wer...e associated with the sea god Poseidon, who was often depicted surrounded by Dolphins. Aphrodite, goddess of love was also often depicted as either riding or accompanied by Dolphins. When set upon by pirates at sea, the god Dionysus changed the raiders, rather than simply destroy them, into a pod of Dolphins. These transformed pirates were ever after charged with rescuing and protecting boats and sailors in distress. The image of the Dolphin as a protector of seafaring humans persisted in myth and legend. Byzantine, Arab, Chinese and European sailors all had incredible tales of Dolphin rescues. It was said a ship accompanied by Dolphins was sure to find a safe harbor, calm seas and fair weather, and as with the Albatross it was the worst bad luck to harm them. Although there is much lore about it throughout history, Dolphins have often been known to have rescued humans in reality. It was thought at one point they did this simply because they like bringing things up to the waters surface, but there is good evidence today that suggests they also do it purposefully. With their amazing intelligence, grace and playfulness, the Dolphin, as it has for millennia continues to capture the imagination and affection of much of human kind. #celticdolphintile #HandmadeCeramicTile #handmadeceltictile #CeramicDolphinTile See more

earthsongtiles.com earthsongtiles.etsy.com ~ Northern Autumn~ The wheel has completed another of it's infinite turns. Waning light and impending darkness in brief equipoise... Ripe, the goddess mother now passes to crone, and the forest god prepares for death. A time to honor the toil of countless ancestors, the fecundity of the earth, the balance of growth and decay. Accept now the soil is dying warmth is ebbing cold lies ahead. Celebrate that the wheel continues to turn. ~Shannon Gresham~ #CelticArtTile #HandmadeCeramicTile #celticknot #ceramicspiraltile See more