After the stress of my husband and I getting our taxes done today (I can’t believe we put it off for so long), I decided to relax by making no less than 5 hand-beaded devotional necklaces and 1 set of prayer beads and uploading them for sale onto my Etsy site, JackalMoonDesigns. (You know you’re a Virgo when your idea of relaxing entails…working!) My energies were divided between fervent devotions to the ancient Goddesses of the Emerald Isle and the Gods and Goddesses of Kemet.
First I beaded a happy necklace in honor of the primal Mother Goddess, Sheela-Na-Gig. Her adorable grin and her fantastic labial stretch seem to say, “I love you thiiiiiiis much!” The pendant is cold-cast bronze and the chief gemstone used is peridot, though I’ve got purple iolite, aquamarine, amber, and quartz crystal for good measure. This necklace measures 25 inches long.
I then turned my thoughts to the great Brigid, the “Fiery Arrow” of both the Continental and the British Celts. The pewter pendant design is gorgeously detailed and two-sided (it measures 1.5 inches in diameter); both it and the alternating 16 mm rose quartz and 12 mm garnet beads are wonderfully hefty. The necklace measures 26 inches long. The stones were chosen to impart the Fire in the Head that Brigid inspires in us.
Then I turned my attention to the Hosts of Egypt, and the Djed Pillar of Osiris came first; the 21-inch-long necklace pairs acacia wood (a nod to my Freemasonry) with lapis lazuli, malachite, and red seed beads. The faience pendant is Egyptian made:
I then thought of Thoth or Djehuti, Divine Scribe. He often appears in baboon form. This 21.5-inch-long necklace features a faience pendant and olive wood, lapis lazuli, malachite, and moonstone and bone beads.
The Daughters of Ra rounded out my spate of creativity for the day, with a fiery 23-inch-long carnelian necklace (featuring a magnetic clasp) in honor of Sekhmet and an 11-inch-long set of prayer beads for Bast with alternating carnelian and olive wood beads. Dua, Sekhmet! Dua, Bast! Preserve and protect us against all evil!
I dangled the set of prayer beads before gentle Grendel the Cat (no, he’s not for sale!). The piece got his meow of approval!
Thanks for having a look! As always, if there’s a Deity or Pagan/Polytheistic religious symbol that you’d like to have me make as a custom devotional piece for you, email me at jackalmoondesigns@gmail.com. Let’s co-create some magic!
Blessings bright!
Lovely. I particularly like the Celtic knotwork patterns around Brigid.
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Thank you, Lorna! I hope the piece goes to a devotee of Brigid’s. 🙂
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