TWO SELKIES/ Mermaid cyberstamps from the Jessamine Isle/ Cinderella stamps by Eric Whollem/ VIRTUAL STAMPS/ Faux postage cyberstamps

Two Selkies

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

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Stamps From the Jessamine Isle

by Eric Whollem

2010

Two Selkies

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Two Selkies

Cinderella Stamps by Eric Whollem

Two Selkies

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Two Selkies

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Selkies

According to Celtic Mythology, a Selkie is a mermaid.

They are considered to be shape shifters. The term

'Selkie,' in fact means 'shifter.'

A Selkie can manifest as a deer, a rock, a tree, a wave,

or any natural object.

Shape shifting for a being such as a mermaid represents

her empowerment as a spirit being to manifest in a form

appropriate for her purposes. Mermaids are considered

to be angels in many cultures. Hungarian churches, for

example are filled with images of mermaids.

Mermaids, as the Fays of France, are protectors of the

wells and fields.

In India, many of the Gods and Goddesses are aquatic

beings. Matsya, the Merman, was the first incarnation

of Vishnu. He also manifested as a Turtle and a Lion

in other incarnations. These are examples of the shape

shifting characteristics of the mermaid or merman.

Each culture gives us a little different picture.

RABBIT MAN OF THE SEA

See my posts on Celtic Mythology for more stories about

the Selkies. I especially recommend my very first post for

Art Blog/Eric Whollem, entitled 'Rabbit Man of the Sea'

for an interesting account of my meeting up with a

spiritually realized Irishman who referred to himself as a

selkie. He related many points of great interest that are

not of common knowledge concerning the mysteries of

the mermaids.

Not only may selkies manifest as seals, but as hares

or other animals, according to traditional Irish lore.

The story of Liban from Ireland tells us of a salmon

mermaid who was a protector of wells.

The Irishman I talked to said that the hare manifests as a

protector of the people.

________________

See more of my stamps from the JESSAMINE ISLE on this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com

A VIDEO ABOUT

STAMPS FROM THE

JESSAMINE ISLE

MAKARI AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE MERMAIDS    

My post entitled RABBIT MAN OF THE SEA is on this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/2009/12/rabbit-man-of-sea.html

My posts about SELKIES can be found here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/selkies

Those interested in MERMAID ART should view:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/mermaids

Mermaid stamps from Merreminde.           

My posts on the subject of CELTIC MYTHOLOGY can be accessed here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/celtic%20mythology

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ARTIST STAMPS

Artistamps, cinderella stamps, cyberstamps,

fantasy stamps, faux postage,

mail art, micronation stamps,

virtual stamps; digital art.

*

URANIA/ Faux Postage Stamps From the Jessamine Isle/ THE MYTHOLOGY OF APHRODITE'S BIRTH/ 'The Triple Goddess'/ Mythopoetic stamps featuring Aphrodite Urania/ VIRTUAL STAMPS/ CYBERSTAMPS FROM A MERMAID MICRONATION/ Cinderella stamp editions by Eric Whollem

Urania

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Aphrodite Urania: the Crone Aspect of the Triple Goddess

Urania is the name given to the third aspect of Aphrodite,

the Crone. Aphrodite Urania was anciently concieved as a

Goddess of universal love and beneficence. As the Crone she

exemplified wisdom. The bird of the Crone is the swan.

The three aspects of Aphrodite were the Virgin, the Matron,

and the Crone. Pandemos was the virgin; Marina the Matron;

and Urania the Crone. The three aspects of Aphrodite represent

the Triple Goddess concept. The three colors of the Triple Goddess

are white, red, and black.

The bird of Pandemos was the dove. The bird of Marina was the

swallow.

URANIA AND URANOS

Ura was an ancient name for Urania. The Greeks designated the

primordial male God as Uranos. Uranos represented the Ether,

or cosmic space; basically he was the sky God. His mate was Gaia,

the Earth Goddess.

Ura is said by some commentators to have been the original name

of the Sphinx, which as an androgynous being, was male/female.

Much of the Greek mysteries came out of Egypt as well as Sumeria.

In one account of the birth of Aphrodite, she is said to have been

born of the mutilated form of Uranos, who manifested as the sea

foam. Another mythic account of the birth of Aphrodite sees her

born of a sea shell. A third account, from the Neareast, has her

born of duck's eggs on the rivers of Mesopotamia. And she is

said also to have been born of Zeus and Dione in yet another

classical account from Greek mythology.

THE HORAE AND THE MORAE

As the three Horae, Aphrodite was known as Tyche, Dike, and

Nemesis. As the Morae (or three Fates) she was designated as

Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos.

Urania

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Faux Postage Stamps From the Jessamine Isle

by Eric Whollem

2010

Urania

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

This stamp shows Aphrodite in her Crone aspect; as Aphrodite

Urania, the Goddess was anciently worshipped as a Goddess

of Universal Love.

Urania

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

This stamps shows Aphrodite as Pandemos, the Virgin.

As the Virgin she was conceived of as the White Goddess.

______________

Readers interested in viewing more stamps from THE JESSAMINE ISLE should see this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/jessamine%20isle

A JESSAMINE ISLE

STAMP VIDEO

MAKARI AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE MERMAIDS    

My posts on the topic of the GODDESS can be accessed here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/goddess

This link will take you to my general posts of FAUX POSTAGE STAMPS:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/artist%20stamps

See the article on APHRODITE in Wikipedia for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite

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ARTIST STAMPS

Artistamps, cinderella stamps, cyberstamps,

fantasy stamps, faux postage,

mail art, micronation stamps,

virtual stamps; digital art.

MYTHOLOGY

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CONCOW MAIDU LEGENDS/ 'Mask of Woctolly' / FIGURATIVE CERAMIC SCULPTURE/ Clay Art by Eric Whollem/ The story of the salmon merman shaman of the Middle Fork of the Feather River/ OXIDES ON WHITE EARTHENWARE CLAY

Mask of Woctolly

2004

by Eric Whollem

oxides on white earthenware clay

with ceramic beads

and flax cord

Collection of the artist

PHOTO COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

Woctolly the Salmon Merman of the Feather River

Previously on this blog I posted a ceramic sculpture which

depicted the Mother of Woctolly. A link to this post can be

found below, which may be of interest to many because it

contains information about salmons as they are featured in

shamanic traditions from a number of world cultures. Woctolly

was a salmon shaman.

The story of Woctolly is well known among the Concow Maidu

Indians of Butte County, California. Various spellings can be

found of Woctolly's name. Sometimes one sees 'Waktali.'

The Nisenan Maidu who live further south also have versions of

his story. And I met a shaman of the Cato Indians of the Coast

Range  (across the Sacramento Valley) who told me that Woctolly

is known among his people as well. The Cato have a  painting of

Woctolly on the walls of their sweat lodge.

THE LEGEND OF WOCTOLLY

It is said in Butte County that Woctolly was found one day caught

in the salmon nets of people fishing on the Middle Fork of the

Feather River. He was a man who was half salmon and half human.

The fishermen took him into camp, where he proceeded to cause

much mischief. He was a trickster. Among his abilities was the

power of flight. It is said by some that Woctolly was a shaman,

or 'doctor' as is said among the Concow Maidu.

MAGICAL DREAM FLIGHT

I have talked to a Maidu shaman who told me that magical flight

in dreams was of major importance for a doctor, as knowledge of

dangers to the people are often best discovered through dream

knowledge. The head shaman~or 'yeponi'~is the doctor who has the

most power in his dreams.

_______________

Readers interested in more of my posts about the CONCOW MAIDU might want to check out:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/maidu%20indians

THE SCULPTURE BELOW

REPRESENTS THE

MOTHER OF WOCTOLLY

SALMON MOTHER

My post on THE MOTHER OF WOCTOLLY and SALMON MAGIC can be found here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/2010/02/mother-of-nereids-figurative-ceramic.html

A video dealing with the Concow Maidu.                     

Another Maidu video.                                

My posts on SHAMANISM discuss practices found in various cultures:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/shamanism

More of my CERAMIC SCULPTURES can be found on these posts:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/ceramic%20sculpture

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MYTHOGRAPHIC ART

Mythology

Dreaming

Shamanism

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MAKARA AND MAKARI: Notes on Esoteric Lore From Hindu and Buddhist Mythology/ MYTHIC LORE OF THE DOLPHIN/ Faux Postage Stamps From the Jessamine Isle/ Mermaid Goddess Artist Stamps by Eric Whollem/ CYBERSTAMP EDITION 2010/ Cinderella stamps from a mermaid micronation

Makari

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

The Queen of the Starfish

The stamps on this blog post are from the fantasy realm of the

Jessamine Isle.

Makari is the Queen of the Jessamine Isle~known as the Queen of the

Starfish. Her name is based on lore from various cultures. In Polynesia

Makarii is the name of the constellation of the Pleaides.

The mythographic lore that follows gives a more in depth account of

how the Makarii got their name. Most of the data evaluated here is

adopted from my book, 'The Mystery of the Mermaids: Goddesses and

Gods of the Sea.'

The name 'Makari' is a fictional designation~used here for my own

artistic purposes; but she is rooted in my studies of the lore of the

mystic East.

 MAKARI and the Mysteries of the Mermaids

by Eric Whollem

Makari, the Consort of the Sea God

Makari is hypothetically the female aspect of Makara, the God

of the Sea in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Makara is usually

described in terms of the Svadisthana Chakra, or second chakra,

which rules creativity and vital impulses. Makari, as I describe her,

might well be correlated to Mahakali, who is a Goddess of passions.

Makari is my own neoteric designation of an important aspect of the Sea

Goddess. Her male aspect, Makara, however, is well established in

mythological and ethnographic texts.

MAKARA

Makara is sometimes depicted as a chimaerical animal which

blends various creatures into one. In this Makara typifies

Imagination. Sometimes this chimaera is identified with the

dolphin. The dolphin is 'delphys' in Greek and refers to the womb.

The chimaera has often been interpreted as a mythic representation

of phylogenesis. Seemingly the embryo goes through  recapitulations

of evolutionary stages in it's development in the womb.

There are river dolphins in India. Makara is sometimes identified

with the Gangetic Dolphin, though some read the iconography of'

the elephant and the crocodile into it's image. The crocodile is an

old Hindu metaphor for the sensual impulse. One can find a variety

of images of Makara on Wikipedia~on the link provided in this post.

In ancient Egypt Horus, the hawk, was said to reside in the buttocks,

yet rise to the eye of Ra, the third eye. He was called the fish of Kamui,

who was conceived of as part crocodile. Sebek is the sacred crocodile

of the Nile. (In the section below, entitled 'The Mythic Lore of the Dolphin,

I show how Kamui may be related to the Kaiaimunu of New Guinea.)

Many observers of archaic Egyptian lore have noted that Egypt was

the original home of concepts that lead to what appeared much later

in India as Kundalini Yoga. The buttocks mentioned above correlate

to the Muladhara Chakra, and the eye of Ra to the Ajna Chakra, which

will be familiar to students of yoga.

THE PLEIADES

In Polynesia the Pleiades are called the Makarii. They were

conceived of as seven sisters.

In India the Pleiades were varyingly called the Karttikeyani or

the Kaumari. Kauri is a pre-Vedic word for the cowrie. The

cowrie is regarded in many cultures of the world as a symbol

of the yoni. The Kaumaris were passional divinities. The male

aspect of the Kaumaris were the Kumaras.

One might speculate as to whether the Goddess Kali's name

is derived from 'Kaurie.'  The widely diffused respect given to

the cowrie as a symbol of the Divine Feminine is well known.

Many elements from Hinduism can be discerned in the Kaula

shamanistic system of the Polynesians. This is not totally far

afield as many ethnologists speculate that the Polynesian

migrations may have arisen from Southeast Asia where

Hinduism was widespread. For example, Mano, the shark, who

guided the canoe of the Hawaiians, correlates to Manu, who

lead the boat of the Hindu Noah.

In my book, 'The Mystery of the Mermaids,' I go into depth

showing the links between the Kaulas of India and the Kaulas

of Hawaii.

Helene Blavatsky once noted that Makara as found in Kundalini

Yoga can be interpreted as a shark.

MYTHIC LORE OF THE DOLPHIN

Interestingly enough, in New Guinea, there is an intiatory wicker

construction called the Kaiaimunu, which appears to have a long

toothy snout similar to old renditions of Makara in India. But the

long beak is also very dophin-like. The rites of Delphi in Greece

are named for the dolphins that swim the river near Mt. Olympus.

The Eleusinian Mysteries, centered in Delphi, were an important

initiatory system, well known today.

The Kaiaimunu gives us a strange ethnographic correlation to the

Greek and Hindu lore outlined above. Kundalini Yoga is decidedly

a yogic system where initiation is paramount, as the practices are

involved and require expert guidance. It is not impossible that

initiatory rites from India diffused along the sea lanes to New Guinea,

as Indonesia nearby had a long history of Hinduism, which only

remains today on the lone isle of Bali where it is praticed today.

In the Neareast the ancient Phoenicians were worshippers of Dagon;

this merman god had an initiatory system that involved the initiate

being encloistered in the belly of a huge statue of Dagon. This

cell was called 'The Belly of the Whale.' After three days of visions

in the darkness, the initiate was said to have reached enlightenment.

In New Guinea the intiates were similarly placed in the belly of the wicker

Kaiaimunu.

The wife of Dagon was Atargatis, whose name means Starwhale. She
corresponds to the mother of Ea, Derceto, the Whale Mother from
Mesopotamian mythology. Ea was anciently depicted as a goat with
a fish's tail and was the sign of Capricorn in astrology. In Chinese
astrology Capricorn is the dolphin.

In Kundalini Yoga, Makara rises ultimately to the third eye, where

as Bindu it resonates with the sound of AUM, the primordial cosmic

vibration. Read Arthur Avalon's book,  'The Serpent Fire' for a more

comprehensive overview of these particulars.

MAKARA IN BUDDHISM

In Buddhism Makara is the Sea King. In the Lankavatara Sutra Buddha

is said to have preached to Makara in his abode under the sea for a

period of seven days, wherein he left the Prajnaparamita teachings with

the denizens of the subaquatic domain. Tara rose from the waters

hundreds of years later to profer these Goddess Teachings to the sage

Nagarjuna. These teachings are the basis of Mahayana Buddhism.

The great Tibetan sage Padmakara, whose name means five-fold lotus,

had as his consort Vast Ocean, or Jnanasagara. His name also could be

read as 'foot of the Sea King.' The Vajrayana view is that the King of the

Nagas (or sea serpents) is the sprout from which the heavenly oceanic

illumination arises.

The Nagas are the merpeople respected in Hindu mythology as the

aquatic demigods. Usually they are shown with serpent tails rather

than fish fins like the mermaids of many cultures. The Gopis that

swam the river with Krishna were such Naginis, or female Nagas.

OTHER HINDU SEA GODDESSES

Makara also appears in the Hindu Puranas where he is said to have

held the Earth Goddess Bhu captive under the sea.

There are many sea Goddesses in Hinduism: Varuni, Sri, Sagara, etc.

Mahakali (or my designation, Makari) as the counterpart of Makara 

could perhaps be construed as the correlation of the Greek Amphitrite,

the dolphin bride of Poseidon. She could also be compared to Atargatis,

the dolphin mermaid Goddess of  the Neareast. The closest divinity to Makari ,

aside from Mahakali, that is named in Hindu lore is Marishi, the water Rishi,

who is featured in the Puranas.

Sisumara, the constellation of the north in Hinduism, is a sacred porpoise.

The north star is important in Hinduism as the source of the Race of Dhruva,

who now populate the earth as humanity.

Sri is famous as the primordial Goddess who arose from the Milk Ocean

at the beginning of Creation. She is often described as the consort of

Brahma, the Creator God.

In the Rig Veda, Varuna, is one of the ancient Sea Gods of India. His

eye is said to be the Sun. Varuni is his bride; she is said to be a Goddess

of wine.  In this perhaps the Hindus and the Greeks poetically agree on the

the metaphor of wine for the sea.

See this link for a bit more information on Makara:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makara_(Hindu_mythology)

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini_yoga

Read more about ATARGATIS on my post:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/2010/02/atargatis-starwhale-goddess-of-dolphins.html

Makari

Stamps from the Jessamine Isle

Makari

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Faux Postage Stamps

Eric Whollem

2010

Makari

THE JESSAMINE ISLE

2010

by Eric Whollem

COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Makari the Queen of Starfish

ON THE CINDERELLA STAMPS OF THE JESSAMINE ISLE

In the faux postage stamps shown above from my fantasy

mermaid micronation of the Jessamine Isle, Makari is posited

as the Queen of Starfish.

In the symbolism outlined above an astute observer might note

that she might well be construed as a Pleaidian Goddess, related to

the Makarii of the Polynesians.

Makara means 'fifth finger' in Sanskrit, and relates to the thumb.

But estoterically Makara in rising to the third eye in the arousal

of the Kundalini engergy becomes a star at the Bindu point between

the brows.

Thus Makari could be symbolized as the starfish, a five-pointed

starry being. In the mythology of the Jessamine Isle this is indeed the

case, as Makari is the ruler and Goddess of the Starfishes. In ancient

esoteric lore of initiation Five is an all-important number. It is a chief

symbol of initiation. And in alchemy the search for the Quintessence,

or Fifth Element, was a major aspect of the Magnum Opus, or Great

Work.

Thus the mermaids of the Jessamine Isle are well read in alchemical

texts, and revere the Starfish as a divinity of high estate. . . a noble

symbol of the Quintessence.

             Video by Eric Whollem, 2011

                MORE MERMAID ART

________________

See more of my stamps from THE JESSAMINE ISLE on this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/jessamine%20isle

My posts on the topic of the GODDESS may be found here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/goddess

Readers interested in my posts on MYTHOLOGY might want to see:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/mythology

Those with an interest MERMAIDS should view:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/

Posts on ALCHEMY can be accessed on this link:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/alchemy

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Artist Stamps

Artistamps, cinderella stamps, cyberstamps,

fantasy stamps, faux postage,

mail art, micronation stamps,

virtual stamps; digital art.

*