http://www.spiralheart.org/
WitchCamp 2009Reclaiming Brigid
July 25-August 1, 2009Four Quarters InterFaith Sanctuary, Artemas, PA
This week, our friend David has taken free samples and loads of coupons to WitchCamp with him. We also donated several items to their auctions to raise money for scholarships for next year's camp. I believe that next year, the Goddess will be Isis.
I'm really hoping to get to go myself next year and set up a vending table. I think it would be so exciting!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
HUGE SALE!! Woohoo!
I'm really excited about this sale!
I'm ending Christmas in July with a BANG!
Until July 22 at midnight, all earrings are buy one, get one.
All malas are 50% off.
Check out the earrings here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6871864§ion_id=5956492
Check out the malas here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6871864§ion_id=5956431
Just send me a convo and let me know which earrings you want as your free earrings after you've completed your purchase. OR You can put it in the message to seller as you checkout.
I'm ending Christmas in July with a BANG!
Until July 22 at midnight, all earrings are buy one, get one.
All malas are 50% off.
Check out the earrings here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6871864§ion_id=5956492
Check out the malas here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6871864§ion_id=5956431
Just send me a convo and let me know which earrings you want as your free earrings after you've completed your purchase. OR You can put it in the message to seller as you checkout.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Why I Create: An Artists Statement
by Holly
Creativity, to me, is nothing short of sacrament. It brings us closer to the Divine, especially if you believe in a creator god. How else can we come close to understanding what the Divine is than by imitating him, her, or however you think of It?
Creating puts us into an altered state. We meditate as we create. The mundane world falls away and we are left with our own thoughts and that internal spark of Divine in us all.
For the most part, the things I create are also intended to imitate and honor the all-powerful creative force of the Universe. For this reason, I prefer organic flow as opposed to imposed pattern (not that there aren't crazy patterns in nature, read Metapatterns by Tyler Volk). I prefer earthy colors and natural materials such as shell, bone, wood, clay and stone. I have a fondness for skulls and anything that reminds us of the transformations we go through that align us with the Earth and show us what it means to be alive. This also translates to other common themes in my work, like butterflies and spirals.
I also have a fondness for using keys in my work. Keys are symbolic of guidance and answers--two things that I think we all seek. So keys, to me, are a powerful symbol of our interconnectedness with one another because of the things we have in common. I believe that Art is an exploration of the qualities that make us feel different and "other." Yet, if you scratch the surface, art becomes really an expose of the things that make us alike, connected to one another and in harmony with the Universe.
Creativity, to me, is nothing short of sacrament. It brings us closer to the Divine, especially if you believe in a creator god. How else can we come close to understanding what the Divine is than by imitating him, her, or however you think of It?
Creating puts us into an altered state. We meditate as we create. The mundane world falls away and we are left with our own thoughts and that internal spark of Divine in us all.
For the most part, the things I create are also intended to imitate and honor the all-powerful creative force of the Universe. For this reason, I prefer organic flow as opposed to imposed pattern (not that there aren't crazy patterns in nature, read Metapatterns by Tyler Volk). I prefer earthy colors and natural materials such as shell, bone, wood, clay and stone. I have a fondness for skulls and anything that reminds us of the transformations we go through that align us with the Earth and show us what it means to be alive. This also translates to other common themes in my work, like butterflies and spirals.
I also have a fondness for using keys in my work. Keys are symbolic of guidance and answers--two things that I think we all seek. So keys, to me, are a powerful symbol of our interconnectedness with one another because of the things we have in common. I believe that Art is an exploration of the qualities that make us feel different and "other." Yet, if you scratch the surface, art becomes really an expose of the things that make us alike, connected to one another and in harmony with the Universe.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Explanation of the Love Beads
With every purchase from our online stores http://www.theholybead.com or http://www.thesacredalter.com, I send out a love bead necklace with a small note. The necklaces are hand strung by me (Holly) on hemp in all different colors, tied off with a knot and a drop of glue. They are all about 30-33" long and each one is completely unique. I take a mix of colors and then randomly select them as a move along the string. Well, randomly, yet controlled :)
Back in December my mentor and friend passed away suddenly at the age of 50. It was devastating to me and my friend Annette. It has almost been six months now and I still can't believe it. He was one of the most passionate, caring, intelligent people I have ever known. He taught me about seeing connections instead of differences. He taught me to look for the things that we have in common with other people, cultures, and religions; to not see people as "other" but to see them as "same." He taught me that it was okay to make my own path on the way to the same goal we are all working toward.
One of the things everyone knew about him is how much he loved the Beatles. He and I used to regularly debate which was "the best" album . . . as if! Haha. I'm not sure how the idea came to be, but making love beads to honor his memory feels right. I feel like promoting peace, love and understanding is the best way I can honor the things he taught me and the impact he had on my life.
Love is a blessing. We can share it freely or we can hide it away. I prefer to share it freely because you never know what's coming at you just around the bend. I don't want to have any regrets.
Peace.
Back in December my mentor and friend passed away suddenly at the age of 50. It was devastating to me and my friend Annette. It has almost been six months now and I still can't believe it. He was one of the most passionate, caring, intelligent people I have ever known. He taught me about seeing connections instead of differences. He taught me to look for the things that we have in common with other people, cultures, and religions; to not see people as "other" but to see them as "same." He taught me that it was okay to make my own path on the way to the same goal we are all working toward.
One of the things everyone knew about him is how much he loved the Beatles. He and I used to regularly debate which was "the best" album . . . as if! Haha. I'm not sure how the idea came to be, but making love beads to honor his memory feels right. I feel like promoting peace, love and understanding is the best way I can honor the things he taught me and the impact he had on my life.
Love is a blessing. We can share it freely or we can hide it away. I prefer to share it freely because you never know what's coming at you just around the bend. I don't want to have any regrets.
Peace.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Christmas in July Sale!!
Some of the motivated sellers on Etsy have decided to have a Christmas in July sale starting today, July 8 and lasting until midnight on July 22. The Holy Bead has decided to jump right in and participate even though this is our first July on Etsy. It sounds like fun!
We have more earrings than we can count. It's our largest category and I've got even more to list. So, we can help you start accumulating your stocking stuffers and small gifts and you can help us decrease our inventory!
So here is the offer: Buy 2 pairs of earrings, get 1 free. Buy 4 pairs of earrings, get 2 free. Buy 6 pairs of earrings, get 3 free and so on. If you plan your order right, that could lead to significant savings!
All you have to do is go ahead and go through the checkout process. After you click "commit to buy" you can go on to paypal and pay for the full amount and I will refund you the price of the lowest priced earrings. -OR- If you would rather, I can send you a revised invoice through paypal. Just send me a convo and tell me that you'd rather do that.
Your third option is a little bit trickier. If you want to make you choices and let me know before hand, I can make a combined reserved listing for you with the earrings of your choice.
If you have any questions, comment here or send me a convo on Etsy.
If you would like to shop the Christmas in July sale at other Etsy shops, just type "ChristmasinJuly" or "CIJ" into the search box at the top of the Etsy main page.
Happy shopping!
We have more earrings than we can count. It's our largest category and I've got even more to list. So, we can help you start accumulating your stocking stuffers and small gifts and you can help us decrease our inventory!
So here is the offer: Buy 2 pairs of earrings, get 1 free. Buy 4 pairs of earrings, get 2 free. Buy 6 pairs of earrings, get 3 free and so on. If you plan your order right, that could lead to significant savings!
All you have to do is go ahead and go through the checkout process. After you click "commit to buy" you can go on to paypal and pay for the full amount and I will refund you the price of the lowest priced earrings. -OR- If you would rather, I can send you a revised invoice through paypal. Just send me a convo and tell me that you'd rather do that.
Your third option is a little bit trickier. If you want to make you choices and let me know before hand, I can make a combined reserved listing for you with the earrings of your choice.
If you have any questions, comment here or send me a convo on Etsy.
If you would like to shop the Christmas in July sale at other Etsy shops, just type "ChristmasinJuly" or "CIJ" into the search box at the top of the Etsy main page.
Happy shopping!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Holy Bead: An Introduction
I thought I would start out our new shopblog by writing a smallish bit on why Phoenix and I created The Holy Bead.
The Holy Bead is an Etsy shop, which can be found directly through http://www.theholybead.com . After trying to set up a Yahoo shop and failing miserably at the technical aspects, I started our Etsy shop because it freed us up to work on the beads, rather than consuming all of our time with the website maintenance. We both have "day jobs" so our time is limited.
We have many friends that self-identify as pagan, but I affectionately refer to them as "omni-religous." In our close circle of friends, we have a Christopagan, a Hindu-oriented pagan devoted to the god Murugan, a couple of Native American descent who regularly practice with the pagans in our area, several new agers and so many more. All of whom have rich and diverse religious practices, all of whom have drastically different beliefs, but who get along just fine.
One of the reasons for this is that there are certain aspects of religion that nearly all faiths seem to have. Not all, but almost all. Prayer is one of those components of faith that most people have in common. We meditate, we cast spells, we converse with God, we plead with Universe--all of these things bring us closer to what is Divine.
I have held meditation groups and, especially in the beginning, people have so much trouble focusing. Prayer beads are an excellent tool to aid in focusing because you can focus on the beads, which involve your sense of touch, sound, and sometimes smell, and then turn that focus to the task at hand.
I realize though that there are not many types of prayer beads available that suit people with practices that draw from different traditions. After reading several books on different types of prayer beads, I arrived at a conclusion: since they aren't out there, I was going to make them.
I found that I really love beading. I've always done some beading on and off. Mostly I'm a painter and a sculptor, but beads are hard to resist. There are so many different types of beads. It's mesmerizing. I have learned that beads have been made by nearly every culture since the beginning of time. So, in addition to prayer, we all have beads in common. I love feeling like I get to participate in something that has been going on for so long with my art.
So why did I choose "Holy Bead"? Well, beads are sacred; the art of making and using beads is a sacred act. Beads also have holes; that's what makes them beads. And finally, my name is Holly. I have been called "Holy" my whole life. People will look at my name and call me Holy, instead of Holly because my last name is Cross. So to me, it's a triple word play.
I plan to use this blog to discuss trends in prayer, beading, discuss types of prayer beads, conduct promotions for the shop (so follow if you want to get the big discounts and do fun contests!) and explore the things that make all humans *similiar*.
Our next post will be my artist statement and shortly thereafter, we'll get one out of Phoenix too!
The Holy Bead is an Etsy shop, which can be found directly through http://www.theholybead.com . After trying to set up a Yahoo shop and failing miserably at the technical aspects, I started our Etsy shop because it freed us up to work on the beads, rather than consuming all of our time with the website maintenance. We both have "day jobs" so our time is limited.
We have many friends that self-identify as pagan, but I affectionately refer to them as "omni-religous." In our close circle of friends, we have a Christopagan, a Hindu-oriented pagan devoted to the god Murugan, a couple of Native American descent who regularly practice with the pagans in our area, several new agers and so many more. All of whom have rich and diverse religious practices, all of whom have drastically different beliefs, but who get along just fine.
One of the reasons for this is that there are certain aspects of religion that nearly all faiths seem to have. Not all, but almost all. Prayer is one of those components of faith that most people have in common. We meditate, we cast spells, we converse with God, we plead with Universe--all of these things bring us closer to what is Divine.
I have held meditation groups and, especially in the beginning, people have so much trouble focusing. Prayer beads are an excellent tool to aid in focusing because you can focus on the beads, which involve your sense of touch, sound, and sometimes smell, and then turn that focus to the task at hand.
I realize though that there are not many types of prayer beads available that suit people with practices that draw from different traditions. After reading several books on different types of prayer beads, I arrived at a conclusion: since they aren't out there, I was going to make them.
I found that I really love beading. I've always done some beading on and off. Mostly I'm a painter and a sculptor, but beads are hard to resist. There are so many different types of beads. It's mesmerizing. I have learned that beads have been made by nearly every culture since the beginning of time. So, in addition to prayer, we all have beads in common. I love feeling like I get to participate in something that has been going on for so long with my art.
So why did I choose "Holy Bead"? Well, beads are sacred; the art of making and using beads is a sacred act. Beads also have holes; that's what makes them beads. And finally, my name is Holly. I have been called "Holy" my whole life. People will look at my name and call me Holy, instead of Holly because my last name is Cross. So to me, it's a triple word play.
I plan to use this blog to discuss trends in prayer, beading, discuss types of prayer beads, conduct promotions for the shop (so follow if you want to get the big discounts and do fun contests!) and explore the things that make all humans *similiar*.
Our next post will be my artist statement and shortly thereafter, we'll get one out of Phoenix too!
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