Russian Magic, a story of a symbol/logo.

When I first started tossing around the ides of re-doing my web-site and Blog, a good friend pointed out to me that perhaps I needed a logo or symbol to mark my work.

I liked this idea and am familiar with using logo’s for branding a business but I wanted this to feel different and I have noticed that some jewelry artists use a symbol to mark their work which I love and so I set out to see if this might be something that would possibly be a fit over here.

My first thoughts were of moons, as the moon to me is the essence of the divine feminine, but after looking around I came back stumped and feeling like everything was done already. I wanted it to be unique and meaningful and speak to something deeper.

 

Then one evening I picked up a book I have been reading on and off for ages now, called Russian Magic. Living Folk Traditions in an Enchanted Landscape.

I have been reading this book partly because it is  extremely fascinating and partly because my great grandmother and grandfather came from this part of the world, my grampy Cetzhuk immigrated from Romania to Canada in the 1800′s, his parents Wisal and Bella however originally came from the Ukraine which was once a part of Russia.

I have always been drawn in by the dark landscape of Russian art and Folklore such as the story of Baba Yaga, not to mention that the history of the that area of the world is extremely interesting and many peoples have at one time or another moved through it, lived there and then moved on, usually they were called Gypsies.

In fact the Ukraine, Romania and many other countries have at one time or another been a part of the larger country known as Russia as the peoples, politics and times changed and moved.

There are many many books on Russia and the folk magic, lore and stories that surround this dark country, and I was easily able to find many books that have given me a glimpse into the country where my ancestors lived before immigrating to Canada.

So this is where I started when I was looking for a special symbol/logo for Red Moon.

As it turns out I did not need to look any further then my book shelf where one of my favorite books sits on Russian textiles, this where my inspiration was found.

Below is a page from this book and is a symbol for the tree of life that is commonly used in embroidery, painted on Easter eggs and sacred cloths used for alters in homes and other sacred places.

Interestingly enough I learned that the color red is a sacred color in Russian culture and is used and kept in the home to ward off the evil eye, to keep away sickness and worn as talismans on the sleeve or in the home. These symbols were also the same ones used by the shamans on their traditional costumes. If you click on the image below it will take you to a fascinating blog called The Textile Blog on textiles from around the world and a specific article on this subject.

The history and politics in this country are brutal, and so a lot of the traditional folklore went underground and the people used their textiles as a way of holding onto their beliefs in the old religion{sound familiar?} and as a way of passing the sacred and very secret ways of their ancestors.

My ancestry being Irish, Ukrainian, Scottish and Welsh/Celtic Blood I have learned vast amounts of information about those peoples and how much they had to keep secret so that their culture and beliefs could survive. I have learned about the brutal times they lived in and how much they often left behind to immigrate to other places so that their children might have a better life--yes one might say that survival was in their blood, and I often joke that I come from hearty peasant stock!

These peoples/my ancestors and my blood line are often my inspiration, and so this symbol to me represents all of the gifts and creative energy they they offered me just by living and continuing to survive, so that we/I/ this generation of might live one day.

And so I pulled out my pen and sketched a very rough draft of what I had in mind….

Since my inspiration has everything to do with ancestry, the tree of life seemed a fitting place to start….

The moon for the Divine feminine and Russian Red for protection and prosperity.

Once I was done I sent it on to Stacelynn from The Idea Lounge, she worked with it, made it symmetrical and perfect and into the sacred and special design I have today.

And that is the story of my new symbol and logo for Red Moon~