Retro Floral Baphomet Stuff
What I love is taking old and familiar patterns that I grew up with, and giving them a darker or more esoteric spin.
There is no good reason why we can't mix a beautiful floral tapestry with esoteric motifs.
What is most common when looking at anything esoteric, is that it falls into the stereotypical. Dark colors, mostly black - with either silver, red or white generally flood the scene in regard to anything esoterically created.
Of course, that does come with the territory in regard to the occult, after all, occult by definition does mean "dark, unseen, shadowed or hidden".
But nowadays, a lot of esoteric knowledge is talked about. It's taught and it's understood by those who choose to embark on a path of choice and by those who understand the deeply symbolic metaphor that others have chosen as a way to explain it.
I prefer the word "esoteric" over occult. Esoteric has similarity in definition, as it does mean "arcane" or "obscure", however I feel it is more flexible and realistic in regard to my own personal practices. Where occult means hidden, esoteric is more cryptic. It's symbolic and enigmatic and brings the seeker into their own personal mysteries, to be explained by many and various schools of esoteric thought, but in no means definitive.
It is secret only in the regard that what is connective, magical and obscure is within the deepest parts of the individual experiences and psyche of an individual. The secret societies have their own way of practices, belief and organization, many of which follow their own tried and true, comfortable, hereditary or synonymous systems of understanding.
There are no rules on how those symbols and metaphors should be presented, and I would think that the "old black" be more of an enticement for those who wish to express themselves more as "edgy", than of being pervasively on a path of personal alchemy or enlightenment.
Of course, it too, is art; and everyone has their own personal points of view via personal experiences and references. I'm no different there. I love black, dark and earthy colors and thick and heavy textiles and fabrics. It gives me a comfort and does embody the sense of adventure, mystery and things that are beautifully arcane.
Darker colors and heavy fabrics remind me of all of the things that are "dark academia", and I find it beautifully and hauntingly seductive.
But, there is the other side of me that sits in the forest, surrounded by fairytales and flowing natural patterns such as ivy and vines, big leafy vegetation and the very pi and phi, from which all occult and/or esoteric thought finds itself.
Spring in the forest winds it's way through these flowing patterns. Roots run through the underground unseen, pushing their way through the soft and damp soil and then run amuck - over ground, up tree and through holler. It isn't as colorful as the humanly guided landscapes, with it's carefully chosen foliage, blooms and pruned shrubs. It is wildly guided, to water, space and light. That which grows well in shadows prevails, and what doesn't, seeks a way to reach the heights or space into which it can move more freely and thrive.
This is the vibe of the "Retro Floral Baphomet" pattern that I decided to stick all over various phone cases and bags. It is naturally flowing, beautifully colorful in the tones of a Spring forest, with the retro feels of muted and earthly tones. The colors hint more of morning than of midnight. Sun more than moon, however Baphomet is there in the middle, reminding us that all is in balance, all is allowed and all is personal mystery.
It is modern history, mixed with the arcane, and to me, a bit of staring back at ourselves through time.
Also, it's damn pretty and a hostile takeover of patterns that have been largely occupied by those of mundane points of view. It laughs at those who see it as a discomfort to the norm and dances unapologetically in it's perceived aberration.
"Oh! What a pretty....wtf?!" is the reaction I assume will be prevalent. Again, the secret is in the personal knowing, that carrying such a piece is as foresty wild as your own personal will and spirit, and as suggestively esoteric and magically enhanced as per the beliefs and metaphor given it historically and personally.
Why not have a backpack for school donning patterns that are quite literally about education and self-study?
Why not have a phone case that invites communication when it is in and of itself a conversation piece?
The pattern is alive with mystery and nostalgia. It's a love song to the past, while keeping it's feet firmly grounded in the here and now. It is deeply fairytale, while at the same time clearly inviting the metaphors of lore into introspection by showing them as growing, active and tangible forces within our own natural world.
I know, kind of a lot to take in on a blog about bags and phone cases...but what else would you expect from a witch? ;)
After all, you didn't come here for the "usual", didja?