I have been silent but not lazy, as I am heading into the last weeks of pregnancy and continue being creative, while embracing the transforming effects of this wondrous process.
I continue working with the birch’s wood, which will likely be my last artworks before giving birth. Here is my second “Berkano” disc:
Pyrographed during the lunar eclipse, that occurred earlier in January 2020
I have also began work on the third and fourth birch wood disc, which will focus on the birch’s roll in the Ogham and other animistic attributions connected to the birch, featuring the heron as one of my favorite spirit animals.
There have been a lot of requests for new seed boxes – expect an update on these next week!
Bloody halo and partial lunar eclipse, photographed January 10th 2020
In December I finished fresh batches of “Rauhnächte” and “Winter Solstice” incense and started a new round of working with the birch’s arboreal spirit…
Incense ‘master’ Caroline Maxelon of Bussardflug and me began plotting a future collaboration. Along with a lot of powerful shamanic items for my ritual work, she also send me her new book “Räucherstoffe aus aller Welt” (published by Nymphenburger). I was thrilled to read about so many new incense ingredients, that are not part of standard encyclopedias and was especially thrilled to find incense materials described for the first time in it, which I had been discovering intuitively by myself over the past years. It feels, like my own weird and wild incense formulas are now receiving confirmation through Caroline. I thus highly recommend this book – both for its content as well as its photography.
Special edition of “Secret Ambrosian Fire” by MOSAIC/Eisenton Records
Yesterday I received yet another surprise in my mail – the special edition of “Secret Ambrosian Fire” by German black metal originators MOSAIC (Eisenton Records). Some time ago I was asked to compose an alchemical inspired plant sigil for this record. This sigil now adorns the cover of the digi-pack edition. I begin to grasp the broad idea behind this opus magnum and it is deeply satisfying to witness the fruits of our mutual efforts!
Everything points in to a new direction in my life, but it is also getting more complex, along with all these new impulses. Today I went to different trees, burnt some of the winter incense and blessed the new birch wood pentacle among a circle of young birch trees and at the roots of two older birch trees, which are frequently visited by crows. For me, the circle of the old year is now closed and I head into another phase of creative work after the holidays.
Culmination: blessing the new “Berkano” birchwood pentacle in the smoke of my “Winter Solstice incense” and at the base of different trees
This is my second work representing an ‘animal’ spirit. In this sigil I combine 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 I was lacking actually knowledge and education. So began my reading and study journey, for which I received wonderful help and recommendations. The sigil art presented here is now the quintessence of this autumnal journey with the crows, ravens, magpies, jackdaws and grosbeaks around me and their universal lore.
In November 2019 I created the first 7 of altogether 14 miniature drawings. The sigils are drawn with ink on imbued paper, which has been infused with coffee and a tincture created from the accompanying incense blend. Each sigil is signed and numbered on the back. The sigils come in a black cardboard box + 30 ml bag of “Raven King” incense.
Incense contains: birch, blackthorn, black alder, black copal, black myrrh, black sacra frankincense, cypress, elder, human bone, juniper, oak, rowan, tobacco, walnut, white sage, yew
Artwork size: ca. 12,5 x 12,5 cm, box size: ca. 13 x 13 cm
I am running low stock on most incense blends and will not be able to restock all until October. Please remember also, that I will be offline from the 1st – 15th of September! I will still handle and ship orders placed until Friday noon CET.
Recent Incense Order: “Qliphotic Incense of Lilith and Naamah”, “Dia de Muertos Incense”“Qliphotic Incense of Lilith”. Unfortunately, due to PayPal idiocy censorship I can no longer sell it under that holy name. Since it is in essence a qliphotic working tool, I am hence going with the name of Her qlipha and offer it now as “Gamaliel Incense”. The ingredients remain the same though. The second of three female incense blends, the blend for the qliphotic goddess “Naamah”, who is sometimes also referred to as the ‘younger Lilith’. The third of three female incense blends, the sweet and mysterious, necrosophic blend for “Lady Qalmana”.
Since early childhood, I am torn between drawing and photographing. Both are my passion and both influence another. My favorite subject has always been nature, particularly plants. And even more interesting for me are the relations between plants and animals. A few years ago I began a series, fancily titled “Flower Devils”, sparked by my very first success at growing a witching herb, namely henbane, which was visited by a large earth bumblebee. That was the moment, I began researching the folklore of bumblebees, and then bees and other insects…
Meanwhile, the interest in society for the importance of honey bees and wild pollinators grew alike. And I kept photographing them, in my own garden and in nature.
About 10 years later, 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 a book 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? So, it is my hope that with time, these postcards become an institution, for both sharing my work as well as forwarding personal messages to loved ones.
You can now order all postcards from me at reduced prizes! This offer will last until the 30th of July, 2019!
The past months were spent crafting and filling another row of Teufelskunst seed boxes. This year’s regular series included again a variety of new and old witch herb classics, while the recent “Black Flowers” edition, which was finalized this week, holds again a little treasury of extravagant, black or near black flowering plants as well as some vegetables with black fruits. Below are a few impressions of the final boxes. All remaining black flowers boxes will be shipped on the 15th of July. Please watch your email inboxes (and spam folders) for shipping notifications.
Black Flowers Seed Boxes, edition of 11, July 2019
Black Flowers Seed Boxes, edition of 11, July 2019
It has been a cold, mostly rainy and busy start into 2019, but suddenly spring is here! And what I had started a year ago with the – somewhat random – introduction of the “Blessing Seal of Spring”, has now evolved, and sees a new manifestation with the completion of my “Spring Blessing” incense!
As temperatures rose to 17 °C today and the sun warmed up the city unhindered, I could feel the excitement and eagerness in the air and with the birds around our place. So I am happy to present you this new incense blend!
This brand-new Teufelskunst creation is dedicated all to the rituals of spring, including the celebration of the Vernal Equinox, Easter, the Roman Veneralia and leading up to Beltane. It smells pleasantly sweet and spicy, thanks to fragrant and traditionally spring related ingredients, such as clary sage, dammar, lemon grass, myrtle, violets and sweetgrass. In addition, yellow flowering primrose and amber resin evoke the sun and fire. The return of the vegetation, and pollinators along with it, is honored with precious bee propolis, which adds a warm and earthy aroma. For fertility spells and referencing the very essence of Venus, the blend contains further aromatic apple peels from our own apple tree. Water mint and willow both connect this blend to the element water, evoking Batrachian and ophidian currents.
The old Irish Beltaine is derived from common Celtic *belo-te(p)niâ, meaning “bright fire”. Fire is often part of spring and May Day celebrations, e.g. for cleansing (burning) the old and making way for the new or as a primitive reference to the return of the sun.
Uses: love & fertility spells, blessing rituals, luck, prosperity, dream, veneration of beloved spirits
