Sibelian's Animal Totems

10:47 / 10.05.07

I have loads of these and it was suggested that I put them in a new thread.

Here is Spider...

... who isn't, actually, all that totem-y. So I may change her a little and do another version, as this one looks a little more like a stylised picture of a spider than a representation of the "spirit" of spider, if you see what I mean.

12:41 / 10.05.07

I for one am very excited by this topic!

12:53 / 10.05.07

who isn't, actually, all that totem-y. So I may change her a little and do another version, as this one looks a little more like a stylised picture of a spider than a representation of the "spirit" of spider, if you see what I mean.

I don't know about that, she captures the poised waiting movement that I always thought they have.

JOY NO WRY

13:10 / 10.05.07

Has something of the style of a Voudou veve to it. Very cool

14:21 / 10.05.07

Thank you, folks!

Breeches (prev XK) - Many tas! you mentioned on the original Creation thread that there was a thread in the Temple looking for black and white illustrations? I'd love to contribute but can't find it. Can you link to it?

Abyss - I bow gracefully and blush. Actually I usually start off with them being a bit curvy and then straighten them out to simplify them but Spider looked so nice without the straightening that I left her as she was...

JOY (prev ._ _ _ etc) - What's a veve ?

14:24 / 10.05.07

It's the Temple Journal thread in this forum.
Send any b&w image you'd like to submit to:

barbelith.cag@gmail.com

The TBTJ people will privately vote on all art submitted.

16:15 / 10.05.07

Why not write a brief article to go with it about your totem practice, or what you use the images for or summink? That would be groovy.

16:18 / 10.05.07

In Vodoun (Voodoo) practice, Veves are intricate symbols of the Loas (gods), and are used in rituals. Each Loa has his or her own complex veve, which is traced on the ground with powdered eggshell or a similar substance prior to a ritual.

Here's one for Madame Brigitte for example-

17:06 / 11.05.07

Why not write a brief article to go with it about your totem practice, or what you use the images for or summink? That would be groovy.

Um, it's a bit idiosyncratic. Basically I focus on one part of the image (you will notice that there is a symbol underneath most of them with a convenient focus point, particularly with spider) until the rest of the image starts to disappear. I keep going as long as I feel comfortable and then sort of wander around assuming that the spirit has been PM'd and may or may not intervene in whatever thing I would like them to take interest in.

They're not like demons. It's entirely up to them whether or not they show up and help. But they are quite effective...IME.

Spider's good for being at work. I have her hanging above my monitor.

Should this not go in t'Temple, though?

17:36 / 11.05.07

I ought to add, perrrroperly speaking, that a totem is something that watches over a clan not an individual, so it's kinda cheating (except in the case of Badger, who may be seen elsewhere on the 'lith and who watches over me and my drumming pals). But none of them seem to mind.

(Except Dog and Wolf. Dog's angry with me and Wolf won't speak to me at all.

/...magikkkan speak context, usual disclaimers apply).

18:01 / 11.05.07

Um, it's a bit idiosyncratic

Compared to what? Some people perform magic by watching Pokemon a lot, some people drink reindeer urine, you sound positively mainstream by comparison. If you write a bit of explanation then it makes the images more meaningful and thus (even) more beautiful to the reader IMHO. Also, I want sexy illustrations in the book and prefer them to relate to an article rather than stand alone as simply pretty, so my motive is a selfish one. It wouldn't have to be a dissertation, simply expanding on that post with a bit more detail would suffice, we welcome personal experience and descriptions of practice especially, it would fit right in. G'waaaan...

18:22 / 11.05.07

I see CAG is throwing its weight around...good...good.

SUBMIT!!!! Your awesomeness to the TBTJ!

19:11 / 11.05.07

OK OK OK!!!

I shall. But I must do a little work first...

21:26 / 11.05.07

YAAAAAAAAAY!

00:56 / 13.05.07

Here is Heron

... a bit like an old flintlock pistol or a pair of scissors...

Shrug

21:03 / 13.05.07

I love these illustrations, Sibyline, thanks (the spider very much so).
It reminds me of Jenni Nimmo's "The Snow Spider" .

It's also peaked my interest in totems, something I had only a vague conception of previously. Also just to provide a Totem Wiki link for those similarly intrigued by the subject.

13:53 / 20.05.07

Stag...

This guy was really shy and took weeks.

This Sunday

14:15 / 20.05.07

I'm reading so much christiany-kabala-ness into that stag, I know I'm probably just making up wholesale. But, y'know, the ten tines and stars, that little branched cross on the brow, the ten horizontal markings below the eyes.

The deer visitation in Huneven's Jamesland is still fresh in my mind, too, though, which is given over to an ongoing rumination/conversation on its religious or spiritual significance, with some biblical ties.

15:02 / 20.05.07

Cheers, dude. Yeah, he's really Narnia, eh? And wintry.

I've been chewing over him for ages and ages pushing a line here and a line there and he suddenly leapt into view today.

Folk probably won't have noticed but two things all of these have in common is a focussing diagram at the bottom and the spirit's "name" if you like, worked into the design somewhere on their face. So that cross is Stag's "name". I made it up. I've resolved never to consciously put on them some symbole whose meaning I already know.

I've been going and looking up the closest variants of these symbols and what they actually mean on www.symbols.com with surprising results, a lot of my "names" look a lot like gypsy/hobo symbols. And many of them are surprisingly apt.

11:02 / 22.05.07

I don't suppose you have done any cat ones? Feral cats or wilder ones?

11:53 / 22.05.07

I could do...

I've sort of taken a min-vow not to do totems of animals that aren't from Britain because... um... it's rude. So if I did cat, if would very much be generic Cat, the international one, like Spider is generic Spider, not Anansi.

I have been looking at cats on the interwub with just this idea in mind. So I shall treat your post as a request and I shall do Cat next, just for you

12:35 / 22.05.07

Kellas cat

ABC's

There be cats in Britain.

12:47 / 22.05.07

I've sort of taken a min-vow not to do totems of animals that aren't from Britain because... um... it's rude. So if I did cat, if would very much be generic Cat, the international one, like Spider is generic Spider, not Anansi.

I have been looking at cats on the interwub with just this idea in mind. So I shall treat your post as a request and I shall do Cat next, just for you

That's brilliant, as I was thinking British cat but I did't want to be pushy as it's your work not mine.

20:53 / 26.05.07

Is Cat.

Closed for Business Time

00:09 / 27.05.07

Is Ace.

05:58 / 27.05.07

Is Cat.

Ahem....... WOW!

That is brilliantly perfect Sibelian. It has all the aspects for cat, I am really quite jealous of your skill here.

the Fool

06:54 / 27.05.07

I so so love these.

If its not a reference already I'd recommend checking out the pattern work of Frank Lloyd Wright. It would appear to be right up your alley.

12:00 / 27.05.07

Nolte - Many tas!

Archabyss -

(bows gracefully)

Thank you so much! Cat was delighted to be asked to "sit and pose". You will see if you look at the big version (on flickr, but also just visible here) that he has nine little diamonds and nine square diamonds for his nine lives.

Fool - I blush.

Cat's kind of Art Deco and Lloyd-Wrightish, as you say, but this wasn't intentional at all. It does seem appropriate for Cat, all the 20s and 30s elegance, I think...

I went to look at some Lloyd Wright, about whom I know noooothing - many thanks!

Haloquin

13:22 / 28.05.07

Cat makes me want to lick the screen. I like Cat. I love the curves of Spider, and the cool shyness of Stag and the lines and contrast and all the patterns... but Cat makes my my little monkey brain go all gooey and happy. I may have to go practice my kitten drawing.

15:53 / 28.05.07

Then you shall have *another*. Here he is in his winter coat, sans summer grass...

22:49 / 29.05.07

MOUSE!

Click on him to go to a bigger version on my flickr account and directly above THAT version is a button saying "original" which leads to another version which is huge. Mouse is quite intricate.

13:27 / 30.05.07

This is too weird.

Mouse has just manifested himself in the form of one my cat Hamish's toys. He has lots of manifestations brought in by Hamish but this one ran towards ME for protection.

I picked him up and he sat and cleaned his whiskers quite patiently in the palm of my hand as I rescued him from Cat, (who appears to have forgiven me already). I took him outside and deposited him by the river, under the watchful eye of Heron, who was standing in the middle of it.

13:31 / 30.05.07

Well Cat and Mouse probably know each other quite well, no wonder you were forgiven as you did these totems one after the other. I could be wrong there, but it looks like that from the order they are posted.

Must have been a wonderful thing to see.

13:37 / 30.05.07

I bet there was a stag watching you you couldn't see.