Realm of the Mystic Griffin

Though I do consider myself to be a mystic of sorts, I am not the mystic griffin of the site. It's not a name of any person associated with the site. The griffin is a symbol.

The use of "griffin" is in reference to the mythical creature. I chose to use the griffin as a symbol for my personal website for several reasons, among them the strong character the griffin is known to portray.

Myself and my husband James, (who also contributes to the site), do see the griffin as a spirit guide or totem animal for ourselves, but the connection goes a little deeper for myself. The noble griffin stands as a most prominent symbol on the family crest of my maiden name. In addition, I've always held an affection for the griffin as some children do horses or dragons. Indeed the griffin is very like a dragon in that it tends to hoard treasure. The main differences between dragons and griffins can be seen from a spiritual or metaphysical perspective, and not in the body form, really.

Readers can learn more about the griffin as a symbol and spirit guide at my Squidoo lens on the subject, About the Griffin. Also learn why the griffin and the dragon are alike and how they are different spiritually. This is yet another on going project so check back with it for new info & updates!

  As an artist, as well as a highly spiritual person, I think I most enjoy hand crafting items such as those you see below because the tasks call upon such a wide variety of skills. Drawing, carving, burning, painting, and indeed a good dose of chemistry and sociology, are often required to make ritual tools and especially Native American style gifts.

  I only create these items in a positive frame of mind and in the proper phase of the moon. This allows the item to be imbued with good vibes, you might say. The items don't come magickally charged with energy -- that's up to the new owner to add -- and are often spiritually cleansed by salt, earth, or moon before being shipped. Whenever you purchase a magickal item it's a good idea to cleanse it when it enters your home. You'll not only remove any negative vibes it may have picked up on the way, but the act of cleansing itself can act as a sort of welcome home for your new item, thus helping your energies get to know each other.

See some examples of my works below.

  Rustic wands with crystals, magick woods, fur, leather and/or antler.
         

         
  Spiritkeepers Pentacle Stone and Celtic Ogam plaque.

         
 Pentacles with pyrography.

            
  Totem animal pyrography plaque and Shaman staff with a four point antler half rack.

You're also invited to visit the Spiritkeepers Blog at http://paintedstones.blogspot.com where you can also see works in progress.

Mystic Griffin's Spiritkeepers space - at http://www.mysticgriffin.com/spiritkeepers.htm

* NEW ITEMS - several new Spiritkeepers stones available including wolf, raccoon, dolphin, polar bear, otter, bison, and several inspired by Native American stories like Kokopelli. Another new feature is an increase in sizes; Some of the new Spiritkeepers will be much too big for a pocket or medicine bag but they'll be right at home on display. Coming soon is the smallest Spiritkeepers ever; a baby Emperor Penguin that is a member of a family set of tiny detailed pebbles!

A feature spot for a treasure from The Griffin Nest that will change from time to time so stop by again.

~ ABOUT THE USE OF ANIMAL PARTS ~

When we wear or make items of the parts of animals who have died, we honor their energy by putting it to good use & acknowledging the sacrifice made. A small amount of energy remains always within hide, bone, antler & such, just as energy resides in a rock or stone. It's not a personal energy, per say, rather an archetypal force. You wouldn't have a claw from "George the specific wolf", but would have an item that holds the energy pattern of the attributes of all wolves in general. So that is why such items are sometimes added to our crafted magickal tools. It's a lovingly added resource, not just decoration. We utilize the re-claimed parts of animals with honor, love & respect.

Animal based products are obtained, mainly by myself, from a variety of methods. Many of our resources come from re-claimed vintage clothing. Some animals may have passed from natural causes, such as age or predation, allowing us to collect & prepare the remains for use. We also order some items from government sanctioned programs where State Park animals are collected after passing away. As much as possible is put to use, benefiting overall wildlife health & food-bank resources in the area. We do not harm animals in order to create any object we offer for sale, nor advocate any one else doing so.

Some animal products may not be legal to own in your state, though we try to use those that are legal in most. There's a story from several years back of a kind-hearted craftswoman who made a dreamcatcher for the First Lady of the United States. She'd mailed her creation, a conglomerate of found objects from her back yard, to the White House only to be confronted later by authorities. The feathers on the dreamcatcher, it seems, were naturally shed from a songbird; it is a big no-no to make stuff with songbird feathers or any parts because of the early ladies hat fads that devastated wild bird populations for the most part. International restrictions certainly may also apply. The point is to use the resources Nature offers, but if in doubt check it out in your local area first.

I didn't know much about Judaism at all, let alone that Paganism had a home in some Jewish hearts. Though the Net isn't raging with Jewish Pagans, there are several sites to guide the curious seeker.

* UNDER CONSTRUCTION; Soon this space will feature educational links and reviews on Jewish Paganism. Please return soon.