Der von Osten
meinem Garten anvertraut,
Gibt geheimen Sinn zu kosten,
Wie’s den Wissenden erbaut.
Ist es ein lebendig Wesen,
Das sich in sich selbst getrennt?
Sind es zwei die sich erlesen,
Daß man sie als eines kennt?
Solche Frage zu erwidern,
Fand ich wohl den rechten Sinn;
Fühlst du nicht an meinen Liedern,
Daß ich eins und doppelt bin?
J. W. Goethe
“Der Heilige Geist und die Natur sind eins: Täglich ist die Natur ein Licht aus dem Heiligen Geist und lernt von ihm, also kommt es im Menschen während der Tiefe der Nacht. Das Wissen der kalten Vernunft hat verblendet das Licht der Weisheit und das Licht der Natur; so herrscht eine fremde Doktrin und hat beider Erkenntnis zwischen Stühle und Bänke gesetzt. Die dieser fremden Doktrin anhängen, versuchen die Wahrheit beider Lichter zu verdunkeln und wollen sogar das Licht des Ewigen und der Natur auslöschen.
Nun merkt, dass Christus und die Seinen dem Licht der Natur nichts genommen haben, aber die Scholare mit ihrem pharisäischen Sauerteig wollen der Natur ihre Macht brechen und nehmen, und zwar weil sie selbst weder Christus nachfolgen noch dem natürlichen Licht. Sie sind die Toten, die die Toten begraben. Kein Leben ist in ihrem Tun, denn sie lernen weder etwas vom Licht der Ewigkeit noch vom Licht der Natur und wollen’s doch beide sein.
In der Natur ist ein Licht, das heller scheint als das Licht der Sonne; in diesem Licht werden die unsichtbaren Dinge sichtbar”
PARACELSUS “Vom Licht der Natur und des Geistes”
November impressions – macro and close-up, rain drops, long exposure, motion blur and bokeh effect
November is named so because it used to be the ninth month in the Roman calendar. It is also known as Windmond, Wintermonat and Nebelung. It is the darkest month, hostile and chaotic. It brings storms, disorder and weird dreams. The November full moon is also known as freezing moon or frost moon and beaver moon.
It is raining and snowing and the earth is being saturated with water. The cold grayness is lit up by bright saffron blossoms, colorful tree branches and berries. Wild cherry trees color their crowns red; what looks like a fiery shield or warning sign is actually an invisibility shield against herbivores. By dropping their leaves the trees now ultimately strike their solar sails. Simultaneously the fallen leaves re-assemble to form a protective and nurturing blanket on the ground, for myriads of organisms to spend the winter underneath. Here the magic happens that alchemists seek to master. All of nature’s actions are inherently logical and perfectly adjusted.
November’s weird dreams are messages of wyrd – the weaveress, who spins, weaves and cuts the thread that forms the fabric of a person’s fate or destiny. Noteworthy, is wyrd not only the base word for modern English weird. Today the word weird denounces something supernatural, uncanny or unexpected. But wyrd is also connected to the German werden = to become, Wort = word as well as Wurz = a herb. Originally these terms, to become and to grow (as a plant) and the concept of wyrd (fate) may have been closely linked. Indeed, the wort cunner uses herbs to change a person’s destiny. The shaman or healer uses herbs to drive out sickness and avert death, which increase in the absence of day light.
The weaveress is present in many different pantheons. Sometimes she is part of a triad of goddesses of fate such as the Norse Norns, the Greek Morai and Roman Parcea. Other times she is an ancient mother goddess presiding over the souls of the unborn and the work of women, especially spinning and weaving. Germanic tribes knew her as Holle/Holda, today also identified with Perchta. Slavic peoples knew her as Mokosh or Zorya.
Frau Holle is envisioned to guard a deep well or pool from which she releases the souls of children to be born and into which she receives again the souls of the stillborn. She guards the cycle of life and death, birth and rebirth. Likewise she judges the work of man, blesses those, who finish their tasks in time and punishes those who are late or lazy. In the short month of November we are reminded that the year is in its final quarter and that we too must come to a close with our projects and rituals, but also, that we must take care of ourselves.
Since the birth of our son I did not have time to post anything new. But back in March, I did take a few photos of the blooming cherry tree and doves in our yard.
Ein bisschen Mondfinsternis, von heute Abend. Das erste Bild ist vom Mond, der den Kernschatten der Erde tangiert, aufgenommen um 20.13 Uhr. Die übrigen Bilder zeigen den Mond im Halbschatten mit rötlichem Hof, aufgenommen kurz nach 19.00 Uhr.
A bit of lunar eclipse, from this evening. First photo shows the moon touching upon the earth’s umbra, at 20.13. The other photos show the full moon in the earth’s penumbra with a red halo, at around 7 pm.
Years ago I began creating abstract line drawings, or ‘sigils’, inspired by nature. In these works I summarize nature science, folklore and personal experiences connected to the plants and animals that surround me. Some of these works are already 10 years old. The best known is perhaps the official Teufelskunst logo, which is inspired by the wormwood herb. Another is my sigil for the ‘black mandrake’ and the metamorphous art titled “Regina Amandrakina”, which were both published in “Pillars Periodical, The Ebon Kteis” (Anathema Publishing, Canada, 2014).
A first print edition of these works was introduced at the London “magical Art/E” event, which took place in 2014 at the old Hackney tower. Later (still self-produced) print editions sold out quickly. In follow, I created smaller ink drawings and miniature editions with these sigils. An important aspect of these drawings is the treatment of the paper, which is infused with tinctures and corresponding extracts of natural materials. In November 2017, these ink drawings premiered as part of the “Bad Intentions” group exhibition at Gallery CIRCLE1, Berlin.
This is my second work in this line representing an ‘animal’ spirit. It combines mythology and spiritual lore connected to the Corvidae family.
Ravens and crows both feature extensively in the mythology and folklore of basically all continents and nations. I cannot remember when exactly my own journey with these animals started. But they continue to present me with the most auspicious magic and moments, whenever I open up and notice their ever-presence. Hence, when a friend inquired for a crow skull tattoo, I already felt a deep connection to the animal’s collective spirit. But then began a reading and study journey, for which I received some wonderful recommendations. The sigil art presented here is the quintessence of my autumnal journey with the crows, ravens, magpies, jackdaws and grosbeaks around me and their universal lore.
In November 2019 I created the first ink drawings on infused paper. The sigils are signed and numbered on the back. They come in a black cardboard box, which is also signed and numbered. Along with the artwork you also receive a 30 ml bag of evocation incense, created specifically for the King of all Corvid Folk, as well as one piece of cherry resin and one auspiciously branched “Pin of Slumber” from the blackthorn.
Artwork size: ca. 12,5 x 12,5 cm
Edition specifics: limited to 2 x 7
I am not only celebrating an anniversary with Teufelskunst, but also have accumulated dozens of “Flower Devils” and other photographs related to my occult work. Looking for a medium to suitably transport these photos and fitting them into the Teufelskunst shop, I figured big formats are nice but expensive. So what would be a more humble yet authentic way to deliver my “Flower Devils” to the world? A book? Yes, earlier this year I made a first attempt at that and figured it’s still too big for me (both editing- and budget-wise). Then I discovered the printing company in Dresden, which I have been working with for years and who print my band photography as well other works, also offer postcards!
I love cards. I love writing personal messages by hand. I love postcards! And what could be more suitable than to have my little “Flower Devils” carry personal written messages all around the globe?
You can now order all postcards from the Teufelskunst web shop at reduced prizes!
You have probably had enough eclipse photos thrown at you by now. Alas, I at least wanted to add an own photo to my “Sun, Moon and Stars” collection. So here are is a sequence of the partially eclipsed moon, 1 per second… and a simple one of the eclipse, 2 minutes before midnight. That was the best I could do with a tripod and Sigma lens. At least one can see the Tycho and Grimaldi Crater, as well as the Mare Nubium and Humorum.
Another exploration of Düsseldorf’s Nordfriedhof, in the twilight of the evening hour and short before rain set in.
The graveyard is the closest nearby place, where I can enjoy a bit of calm and solitude. There are wild parts, reminiscent of English landscape gardens, which occur quite magical to the senses. On the other hand, the majority of graves is fostered with an accuracy resembling that of miniature baroque gardens. The ballast bed trend is also taking over people’s last place of rest. There are exceptions, with lush planting gone wild, such as the grave covered in columbine, which is pictured above.
The caretakers seem to employ ecological concepts and care for biodiversity. E.g. I found an abandoned sandy part, previously covered in black nightshade, and now filled with fragrant phacelia, which is a soil conditioner and attracts a multitude of pollinating insects, not only honey bees. There are bee hives being implemented on this graveyard. There is a small pond visited by various water fowl as well grey herons and I spotted at least one large bird of prey, a common buzzard. The entrance on one side smells heavily like fox. There is a huge population of rabbits digging burrows all across the graveyard, which is probably not to the liking of all bereaved, but partly amusing to observe.
There is an abundance of large and impressive family grave sites as well as memorials for the victims of WWI and WWII. The annexed stonemason does an admirable job with the restoration of the historical grave sites.
It is easy to become enticed by the romanticism conveyed through the abundance and sheer beauty of the place and its funerary art.
As much as I am occupied with the topic of death and the dead, I am part of a generation that will likely not enjoy the luxury of such post-mortem vanity. In truth, it has always been only a small part of humanity to take part in such luxury. Further, the fate of today’s youth is likely, to dissolve into spirit and not leaving much traces of physical existence behind. The larger mankind grows, the less space it will have for its exponentially growing amount of bodies. Neither are the monuments built over decades to last forever. However, they help to implement and strengthen the status of a few over a certain period.
2 centuries of opulent European grave culture, between the modern world and the past, between ego obsessions and spiritual ideals, between emotions and the need for detachment. A boundary between, and – perhaps most importantly – a place for old trees and a green lung for an ever expanding urban space.
Wiebke Rost 