Jay Jasper's Blog, page 63

Wedded Blas(phemy)

This One Time, At Bane Camp

Hephaestus, blacksmith of the Olympian gods (and he honoured by the Hephaestus Forge raku vase), discovered his wife, Aphrodite, goddess of love, having an affair with Ares, the god of war. He became enraged and vowed to avenge himself for Aphrodite’s infidelity by cursing any lineage of children resulting from the affair. Aphrodite bore a daughter, Harmonia, from Ares’ seed. Harmonia grew up and was later betrothed to Cadmus of Thebes. Upon hearing of the royal engagement, Hephaestus presented Harmonia with an exquisite necklace and robe as a wedding gift.

In some versions of the myth, only the necklace is given. In either case, the necklace was wrought by Hephaestus‘ own hand and was cursed to bring disaster to any who wore it.

The Necklace of Harmonia may have cursed it’s wearer, but thankfully I did not make that.

But I did make this, and I hope you might like it.

Parenthood Pendant – $28
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made with love (not curses) by us here at The Alchemist’s Studio, THe Parenthood Pendant celebrates those parents who love their progeny while also remembering to not put never-ending naughty no-nos on them.

(Sorry for the language, Hephaestus) More Jewelry including a Copper-coloured Parenthood Pendant can be seen here.

Read the full story of this vase
$94
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You can help me reach one of my goals for this year and win some great pottery in the process! I’d like to increase my subscriber base for my newsletter. All those who subscribe, will be eligible to win a ‘Great Pottery Gift Basket‘ I am putting together. The more people who subscribe, the more items I will add to the basket.

You can subscribe to my newsletter here, and see what is already included in the gift basket here! And don’t worry, I only I send a newsletter out once every few months, so you’re inbox won’t be filled with spam!

These 4 Things Want To Be In Your Home

It’s midweek and you’ve made it this far so why not treat yourself to some
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Sometimes When Depression Visits, The Only Way Out Is Through

Greetings to you all! Happy almost Fall.

Those of you who are regular readers will know that I am a potter, but what you may not know is that I have recently moved through a period of depression, courtesy of my PTSD.

You often hear about people ‘battling’ depression, and I have often used that phrase in the past.

However, this time I have
experienced it differently.

This time, I have allowed myself to experience it and not try to hide it or cover it up. And there were some good lessons in that for me!

What did sitting with my depression and allowing myself to experience it without judgment look like? And more importantly, what did it feel like?

When I would ‘battle’ my depression, I had a never ending and ever growing to-do list, only I would cross less things off. Then I would feel like I somehow failed, because I was falling behind, which of course would make me feel worse, broken, inadequate and ashamed. It’s a pattern I’ve been aware of, and have known is not healthy.

Even in the incoming fog of this depression, which was building up towards our last lockdown in late Spring, I knew I had to try something different.

This time I allowed myself to feel the depression.

I did not try to hide it with an endless flurry of activity.

I did not try to brush it under the carpet. I allowed myself to feel it, without attachment or judgement. I tried to not allow it to be a weapon I turned against myself. If you’ve got a stomachache, you don’t punch yourself in the gut, and mental health is no different.

I was able to do this by communicating with my family and friends openly. By not hiding what I was experiencing. By speaking my truth. Being able to do that, letting go had two big effects.

The first was to help me realize how incredibly lucky I was to have the support and love of people around me. Thank you wonderful people in my life, and pets!

The second impact was being able to let go of shame, and the feeling I was broken. The acceptance that the depression was a part of me, just one part of many, allowed me to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Overall, choosing to sit with my depression and allowing myself to experience whatever came up was positive. However my pottery did suffer without my usual focus and drive, and so did the quality of this blog, so my apologies and thanks for hanging in there.

I’ve had to revise some of my goals for the year

But you can help me reach one of them and win some great pottery in the process. I’d like to increase my subscriber base for my newsletter. All those who subscribe, will be eligible to win a ‘Great Pottery Gift Basket‘ I am putting together. The more people who subscribe, the more items I will add to the basket.

You can subscribe to my newsletter here, and see what is already included in the gift basket here! And don’t worry, I only I send a newsletter out once every few months, so you’re inbox won’t be filled with spam!

Please always remember, that if your depression is severe and you have thoughts of self harm, always seek professional help.

This is just my experience of what worked for me this time. I make no claims that it will work for anyone else, but maybe putting my experience out there may help someone else in some small way.

She Saw The Beginning, She Saw The End, But She Didn’t See This

Völuspá‘ and tells the tale from the dawn of creation to the end of the world, of an oracle known as a volva, who saw it all, and her audience with Odin, the god of wisdom, poetry, death, magic and divination.

$148
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If you are a god of poetry, magic and divination

And a volva/seeress tempts you with ancient and future knowledge, you’d be sure to grant her an audience and see her. That’s just what Odin did.

How could he resist after the seeress flaunted that she was raised by giants.

It certainly seemed like she was a big deal.

The seeress related the creation myth of the Earth, and the appearance of Ymir, a primeval being, whom the gods, including Odin would make the Earth from. His body would become the Earth itself, his blood the oceans, and his brains the clouds. It seems that our friend Ymir that we are walking all over was a bit of an airhead.

And for that we should all be grateful- since essentially we live on them. Close-up of Völuspá. She sure looks primordial soupy!We humans often think we are a big deal

But just as a reminder of how small we really are in the grand scheme of things, we came after the gods, the giants, various other mythical beasts and the dwarves.

Seers for Tears

The seeress then went on to tell the tale of the Yggdrasil, which some of our readers who’ve been with us for awhile, or anyone who has purchased our book, cough cough, may remember this piece.

You can see more photos of this delicate piece that defied the odds and survived a raku firing and read the story of this mythical tree here.

YggdrasilThe seeress then goes on

To speak of Ragnarok – the end of the world – where all the gods meet their end. Including Odin.

That’s what you get Odin for your giant sized curiosity and being charmed by a volva!

But fear not!

After Ragnarok, a new world is born, more abundant then ever.

Thus the cycle continues. $148
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What did you think of the seeress’ prophecy, and Odin discovering that he too was mortal? And how did you like our this raku pottery vase? Let us know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading and
have a wonderful week!

This Week At The Studio In Photos

Elderberry, Black Currant, and Rhubarb wine all made from the fruits of the Alchemist’s Studio garden. Great in a wine tumbler! It’s always a party when hanging out with some fungi It’s harvest time! Plums, celery and raspberries all ready at once! By Jove, we could see Jupiter! There are over 300 varieties of wild apples in the area which means in the fall the forest floor is covered in apples of all kinds!That’s been the week here.

How’s your week been?

Her Mother In Law Is Pregnant Again, And She’s Tired Of The Pressure To Keep Up!

‘Nereus & Doris‘ focuses on the virtuous power couple of the sea, known for their fertility and general good nature. If you know anything about Greek mythology, which is a lot like reality television, this could only mean one thing. They would be replaced.

Nereus & Doris – $150
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Nereus, son of Gaia, was an honest man, known for never lying. But there was something fishy about him, and I don’t just mean his scales and tail. Maybe it was his shapeshifting ways, or his prophetic visions.

Doris was the daughter of Oceanus, and was known for the fertility of the oceans and her womb, for it is not every goddess who has the strength and tenacity to birth more than 50 children. There is even a cove named after her in Antarctica. Unfortunately her mother in law Gaia was always at her to have more children.

Nereus – $38
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Doris – $ 124
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While it’s true that this couple had over 50 children together

It was never enough for Nereus, who was a bit of a momma’s boy. Add to that his ability to never lie, and we have a real problem.

Outwardly, no one even realized to ask if there was anything wrong with this watery super couple, which is a good thing, or Nereus would have to tell the truth. But behind the scenes, the tell tale signs of problems were almost there from the start.

Doris was pretty happy to end up with Nereus. She wasn’t wet behind the ears when it came to god like status, and she seized the chance to marry up-and-comer Nereus, who would eventually replace her own father as god of the sea.

She hadn’t anticipated the impact of her new mother in law who also happened to be her grandmother. In almost an instant her grandma Gaia had gone from a largely absentee grandma how sent the occasional birthday card to a mother in law who only cared about one thing: Doris making more babies.

At first Doris took this in stride, and maintained her composure

But eventually after birthing 50 children she had enough. She decided to talk to her honest husband, who could not lie.

Nereus, who took after his mother, wanted more children. As the god of the sea he felt the need to constantly have more children, and poor Doris was left to care for all her children.

Doris knew that in order for their love to continue and for her to have a break from labour pains that something needed to change. She not only resisted the pressure of mother-in-law Gaia to have more children, but she prepared her daughter Amphitrite to take over for her.

Doris then set her up with another up-and-comer in the ocean, Poseidon, who would eventually become the new god and king of the sea, thereby freeing herself from the chains of constant labour.

But unlike other dethroned old gods, Nereus was able to fade into obscurity with Doris, where they lie deep below the murky depths.

This was finally Doris’ Day. Doris – $ 124
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This Milk Is Sour!

Our Prologue

‘Argus‘ tells a story that could have been a script for the Real Housewives of Olympus! It tells the tale of betrayal, a jealous goddess, a many eyed monster, a beautiful reward and livestock. Okay, maybe livestock is not be a common feature on the ‘real’ housewives … YET!

Argus
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A Humble Priestess

When your father is a cult leader and you’re a woman in the ancient world, your career paths are very limited. It seemed almost natural that Io would end up as a priestess in her father’s cult in Argos dedicated to Hera. She may have thought she was in the land of milk and honey, but all that would change when she was the one producing the milk.

A lustful God

When you’re an ancient god there’s so much to keep you busy. Watching down on everyone, maybe paying a little extra attention to the younger and prettier women, can sure get the hormones flowing. And Zeus wasn’t just any god. He was THE god. And when he saw young priestess named Io in a temple dedicated to his wife he knew he must have her.

You Know Your wife is My Boss, right?

We often think of workplace harassment as a fairly modern development, but Io would have valid reason to disagree. Io worked as a devoted priestess at Hera’s temple. Zeus was Hera’s husband. Do you see where this is going?

It must have been no easy task to say no to the head honcho god, but Io did. She refused him over and over again. Of course Zeus grew tired of this, so he convinced her father to throw her out through his Oracles.

Meanwhile, Back at Olympus

No one knows exactly how Hera found out that her husband was once again lusting and chasing after someone else. A mortal no less! I’d imagine she was sitting around with some of the other goddesses and one of them ‘let it slip’ that her husband was up to his old tricks.

Whichever goddess let the news slip, must have known that Hera could become viciously jealous. Hashtag #frenemies.

This ain’t the county fair!

Right then and there Hera would have summoned Zeus immediately. And knowing Zeus, he would take his time getting there, he must have had some idea what was in store. You know the other goddesses would wait, glued to their seats for the impending events about to unfold.

Straight away, Hera wasted no time once Zeus arrived. She demanded Io be brought before them. And once she was? Hera immediately turned her into a cow. Talk about Hera ‘milking’ the situation.

Rightfully concerned that her husband would not let this end here, she had her loyal servant Argus keep an eye or a hundred on the now bovine Io. Argus was literally a monster with 100 eyes, and the namesake of our vase.

If goddesses wore hair extensions, this is when Hera would flip her hair satisfyingly.

A womanizer gets a case of conscience

Hera was not wrong about Zeus not letting go of the mortal of his desire. Perhaps his role in the transformation of poor Io into a cow impacted his conscience. Or maybe it was he still hadn’t gotten the girl after all this trouble?

Zeus decided to send messenger god Hermes to kill Argus, which he did by enchanting him into a deep sleep by playing his flute and then smiting him.

But Hera knew! And prior to the smiting she had all of Argus’ eyes transferred to the tail of a peacock. She told all her friends it was to honour his loyalty and thank her friend.

Did I mention she had a chariot pulled by peacocks?

Get Dizzy Easily? Don’t look at this

Or maybe you can?

I wanted to take this opportunity to share this short video of throwing one of my vases. This was the first thowing video I ever uploaded to our youtube channel!  You can connect with us there if you like, and you will see many more videos of my work on the wheel and even some of our sourpuss studio mascat Chairman Meow

Have you ever thrown anything on a pottery wheel? If so, what did you make? If not, what would you make? What did you think of the video?

On The Wheel Wednesday

Centering clay centres my soul. I open myself to flow toward that place where there is neither push nor pull and only the soft touch of all things in a perfectlyeffortless balanceWhat do you like to do to get in the flow/Get into balance?

Win your own raku vase (and more!)

– click here to find out how –

God Is Ugly & Crafty

‘Hephaestus’ Forge‘ tells the tale of a master craftsgod, known for his skill and cunning, a most ‘ungodly’ appearance, a war thwarted by an arranged marriage, an unfaithful wife, and an inspired girdle!

Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire, craftsman, forges, artisans and a number of hot crafty related things.

So put down that glue gun
and read his tale. Raku Pottery Vase – Hephaestus’ Forge. You can see more vases and read their stories here.Hephaestus had powerful parents!

Zeus, his father had a problem on his hands. Many of the male deities wanted to marry the beautiful Aphrodite. Their fighting grew more and more problematic for Olympus. To finally put an end to the quarrels for her hand, Zeus arranged a marriage for her with Hephaestus.

It was his ugly appearance that inspired Zeus to choose him, so that the match would not inspire jealousy among other male deities. It was also his ugly appearance and a lack of love in the match that caused Aphrodite to have many affairs with both gods and men. The Dom Deluise type with a club foot was not for her.

See more pictures of ‘Hephaestus’ Forge’ here.Tired of the humiliation

One day Hephaestus created a magic net, which he would use to catch Athena and the war god Ares in bed together. He would bring them together before the gods and thoroughly humiliate them among their peers. Poseidon felt so sorry for them he convinced Hephaestus to release them and paid their fine for the indiscretion.

Maybe Hephaestus should have ‘borrowed’ Aphrodite’s credit card and visited my website!

In his forge on Olympus, Hephaestus would go on to produce many of the gadgets and equipment of the gods, like Hermes winged helmet. He had also made Aphrodite’s girdle which inspired love and passion, which perhaps worked a little too well.

Move over Victoria’s Secret. They don’t make girdles like they used to.

What did you think of our rake pottery vase ‘Hephaestus’ Forge’ and our story today? If you enjoy our stories and pottery, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter here to keep up with what is happening in the studio.

You can also take our ‘Which raku pottery vase are you quiz’ here, and see what vase and story you get!