Merlin’s Custom St. Christopher Amulet

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 21, 2015
Posted in: Amulets, Celtic Jewelry, Celtic Lore, Christian Jewelry, Custom Jewelry, Jewelry design. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

A young man wrote to me asking if I could make a special amulet for him: a St. Christopher Amulet of a kind I had never hear of before. He wrote:

“As you may or may not be aware, ancient Christian tradition regarded St. Christopher as a dog (or as a member of a race of dog-faced humanoids). I have speculated, as a result of having done research on this subject (one of my advanced degrees in theology), that St. Christopher was a dog who saved a child from water and, in a manner similar to St. Gwinifort, was venerated by a group of local Christians (in antiquity, the acknowledgment of a person’s (or dog’s) sanctity was made from the bottom up rather than from the top down as is the case today).”

St. Christopher Amulet

He then sent me an image of his beloved friend who had passed and wished for me to give the amulet his likeness.

I was honored and set to work on the project and created a St. Christopher Amulet in sterling silver, framed as the ones in the Olde Days: the central figure of Saint Christopher offering a benediction of peace, holding a cross with the countenance of his blessed canine. If you would like a special amulet made for you please visit my How to order custom page.

Merlin and Z Collaborate on Skull Ring Designs!

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 20, 2015
Posted in: Custom Jewelry, Rings, Skull Jewelry. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Z Rings

Some time ago M’Lady received (as a gift) a special Leather Jacket designed by Soeren Joensson or “Z” as his friend call him. The design was unlike anything I had ever seen. Instead of the typical cuts which make a jacket, the materials were cobbled together into a very unique pattern. It had loops all over it. Years after she received it, I made for her a series of clasps made of dragons: interlocking, solid rings of scales and teeth, wings which hooked into each other and the leather loops in which they were intertwined.

Upon several occasions, M’Lady was complemented, stalked and even assaulted to get the jacket and it’s hardware. Finely, at a Drum Circle the jacket was stolen off the chair where she was sitting: we found it weeks later: stripped of it’s sterling and left in a heap. Again I looked at the jacket and considered: what an honor it would be to be able to collaborate with Z.

A few years ago I was introduced to him through a good friend: Luna Shimada. Z is a force unto himself: For over 20 years he has produced leather and jewelry for bikers and rock musicians such as Ozzy Osborne and the Foo fighters. Other clients include J Leno, Cher and Dirk Losander. Z’s line of “Illegal Luxury Leather” is beautiful: skirts, jackets, vests corsets and more. Be sure to check out his website! It includes everything from T shirts to intense coats.

Over the past several years Z and I worked on several designs: pendants, rings, buttons and other ideas. Recently we settled on releasing our first piece: the Z-Skull Ring. The Skull Ring seems to change it’s mass: when you hold it in your hand the Ring feels very heavy, when you wear it the ring feels light. Deep set eyes in a very realistic skull which includes the famous “Z” logo in the temples and inside the ring itself (accompanying the “Merlin” logo!). The new Skull Rings now available in Copper, Bronze, Sterling silver. Each ring is hand made (my hands!), not mass produced: rare and carefully crafted especially for Z.

Now available only in a select store in Las Vegas and through the Friends of the Desert Pyrate!

One of Merlin’s Custom Amber and Gold Rings

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 19, 2015
Posted in: Custom Jewelry, Rings. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I got a request for a ring of gold with an amber cabochon stone. The concept was very simple, she wanted to be able to see a pentacle under the amber. Finding the stone was difficult, the size of this kind had to be specially ordered and cut.

Custom ring - side view

After a lot of searching, I found a source for amber: rough cut at the right size, however I found no pre-cut stones that would fit it properly. With a bit of research, phone calls and reading I began my first attempt to cut amber.

Amber is a soft material: petrified tree sap to be precise, however I was not prepared for how it “changed” my work shop. The smell of amber dust permeated the place providing a sense of calm to my efforts. After cutting and sanding the stone, I used rough and then smooth materials to develop a mirrored surface for the stone: all done by hand. I tested the stone in the ring’s wax model, (the state the ring is in before casting) the stone felt good to the touch, and actually felt like it was emitting a “tone” that was inaudible, yet still reverberating in my workshop.

When I finished the casting and polish to set the stone, the two seemed to be happy to be put together, yes they were made for each other, they seemed to “want” to go together.

The star I carved in the ring’s bed was only partially reviled at a time: the center of the star was quite visible but the amber acted like a lens: magnifying the star so only a part could be seen at a time. However the star had full contact with the finger when worn.

This was a custom, one of a kind ring made specially for the person who requested it, she sent me sketches of the piece and described the materials involved. The Lady who ordered the ring was pleased and continues to enjoy her ring to this day. More about custom jewelry may be found on my How to order custom page.

Merlin’s Dolphin and Manta Ray Amulet

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 18, 2015
Posted in: Amulets, nature Jewelry. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

An amulet of two of the most favored of sea creatures, the Dolphin and Manta Ray. While they are not commonly seen together in the wild, the two graceful creatures seem to glide through the water as if dancing.

Dolphin and Manta Ray Amulet

Dolphins are extremely intelligent sea faring mammals: able to communicate with whistles and clicks.  They also have a culture: something long believed to be unique to humans. In May 2005, a discovery in Australia found Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins teaching their young to use tools. They cover their snouts with sponges to protect them while foraging. This knowledge is mostly transferred by mothers where knowledge is generally passed on to both sexes. Using sponges as mouth protection is a learned behavior.

The graceful Manta Ray is a filter feeder (plankton, fish larvae) with no stinger (like the Sting Ray) and has at times been refereed to as a “devil fish”, however they are considered gentle and often seen in captivity at water parks such as Sea World.

Combining these two sea faring creatures, the Dolphin arched behind the Manta as if cresting for air; the Manta swims below in a graceful arc. For those who love the sea and wish an amulet to combine the gentle social creatures, this on is for you!

Epilogue ~ Merlin’s Tarot Resonance

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 17, 2015
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This is the Eighth of a series, an introduction is found in First Resonance.

The Grand Spread

The Grand Spread
When viewed together
they teach us valuable lessons about how to live
the Foundation of Ethics

The cycle of the seven Resonances

the First Group:

The Magician The Ability to Focus on the Now
The High Priestess The Depth of Memory;
The Empress Visualize the Future
The Emperor Logic and Perception, Activation
The Heirophant: Intuition, the Inner Authority
The Lovers: The Dynamic Balance between the Aspects of Being
Chariot: The Containment of all of these things; the Sacred Circle

These “tones” of the Major Arcana are augmented with the Second Group:

Strength the tools of Consciousness
The Hermit The Action of Consciousness
The Wheel of Fortune The Patterns of Existence
Justice Karma
The Hanged Man The Suspension of Consciousness
Death the Evolution of Consciousness
Temperance The Art of Being

The Third Group of seven are:

The Devil Inversion, Humor and Stagnation
The Tower Realization and it’s Consequences
The Star Meditation as a way of perception
The Moon One’s Life Path
The Sun Stretching beyond One’s Limitation
Judgment Amalgamation of the Self
The Universe All things perceivable and Beyond

Each of the Major Arcana is complex
simple definitions alludes to a shallow view of them.
In truth, each card represents concepts best described in stories.
For example,
the Lovers Card
is often illustrated by the story of Perseus and Andromeda
(the more recent movie “Clash of the Titans”
actually changes the ancient story with a very different outcome).
Each step of the story is a description of the alchemical formula
to Unite the Self: the Sacred Marriage of One’s Being.
Knowing that One could argue each card is a mix of various “tones”,
each describing an aspect of the self in detail.
However, to describe the Resonances,
let us consider each of the Major Arcana as a Unique Tone unto itself.

In the Second Resonance,
the three tones are The High Priestess, The Hermit and The Tower.
These three tones form a Resonance or chord of concepts.
When played together,
they describe a mode of being.
In this case the High Priestess
helps us recall our personal experience as well as the lore
(history)
of both people and our planet.
This Knowledge base is harnessed by The Hermit
(Consciousness set into Action: the Hand of God).
Note: The Hermit acts independently from the crowd, influence from movements,
culture and other Human perspectives do not recruit him;
thus the Hermit is “independent” in his actions.
Finally: the third tone is The Tower.
Action inspires re-action and brings Realization:
consequences.
This pulls together everything before it and provides
a better perspective of the world One lives in.
It implies such lessons like “don’t build huge structures on sand”
which applies to metaphorical scenarios
and physical situations.
It also demonstrates what happens when you build a structure on a bedrock of lies;
hence the card’s relation to Peh
(the Hebrew letter related to “the mouth”).

When viewed together,
this and the other Resonances or Chords
teach us valuable lessons about how to live,
it weeds out unnecessary, unwanted and self destructive patterns.
When viewed this way it is the Foundation of Ethics:
How One Lives.
In the Second Resonance,
we learn the importance of making Truth a way of life,
how telling and living lies will undermine everything you do,
turn others against you and pull the material world over your head.
Resonance offers a solution to the problem and provides a Way of Being
which will avoid such problems,
offering growth and development.
Knowing the History and Lore (the High Priestess)
gives you a guideline of what others have done and the consequences which follow.
Walking the Path of these lessons places you on a narrow,
yet extremity long and full-fulling journey of life.
Nothing is without it’s pitfalls,
thus The Tower continually reminds One of short sightedness
and destroys preconceptions that are erroneous,
providing us with a new start to re-build a stronger perspective,
closer to the Truth.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.

When studying the series,
it is best to take them in sequence: One’s Self being the Fool in this journey of life,
taking them one at a time we master lessons and benefit from them.
Once One understands the concepts and set them into motion in life,
we discover they are being presented all at once or in clusters
and to Come Correct is as natural step forward.

I encourage you to set the cards in the Grand Spread
and review each of the Seven Resonances
see how each of these Card Combinations revel The Truth.

As many of you know,
I make these as Amulets
worn singularly or in combinations.
The entire set may be used for readings,

for more please visit my Tarot Casters Page

Merlin’s Tarot ~ Seventh Resonance

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 15, 2015
Posted in: Amulets, Tarot. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This is the Seventh of a series of articles examining the Major Arcana
using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves,
our talent, intelligence, experience and gifts.

The Grand Spread

The Grand Spread
When viewed together
they teach us valuable lessons about how to live
the Foundation of Ethics

An introduction is found in First Resonance.

The Chariot

The Chariot
Cancer

Next to the Lovers in the First Group is the Seventh card:

The Chariot
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory);
to The Empress
(visualize the future)
to The Emperor
(logic and perception, activation)
to The Heirophant:
(Intuition, the Inner Authority)
to The Lovers:
The Dynamic Balance between the Aspects of Being
manifests The Chariot:
the containment of all of these things;
the Sacred Circle that is everywhere at once.
This defines what Is so one may harness it,
grow with it.
This represents the Discipline needed to undertake anything of value.

Temperance

Temperance
Sagittarius

In the Second Group underneath The Lovers we find

Temperance
This is the Art of Life itself.
Here we combine portions of Being into something new:
aspects that appear opposite to each other combining into objects,
music, thoughts and feelings the very way we live our lives.

The Universe

The Universe
Saturn

In the Third Group under Temperance is

The Universe
All at once both the finite and infinite:
the limits of what we know and then some.
It is the Great Dance of All Things of which we are all a part.
This is the sum total of all the cards brought to realization so that which we “know”
is always expanding.

The first level reveals the position (The Chariot)
for the personal,
the second position (Temperance)
reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position (the Universe)
demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.

The Fourth Resonance of the Fool’s Journey is:

Tarot ~ Seventh Resonance

Seventh Resonance

The Chariot, Temperance, The Universe

It is in this Final Resonance.
In The Chariot we define our purpose,
in Temperance we Manifest the Vision,
in the Universe we Connect with All Things.
The Three Keys together create the Great Work of our lives.
Once going through a deep understanding of each of the Resonances,
the Seventh becomes a natural step on one’s life.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket or wear the combination as amulets.

For more information see Merlin’s Tarot Casters Page

 

Merlin’s Tarot ~ Sixth Resonance

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 14, 2015
Posted in: Amulets, Tarot. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This is the Sixth of a series of articles examining the Major Arcana
using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves,
our talent, intelligence, experience and gifts.

The Grand Spread

The Grand Spread
When viewed together
they teach us valuable lessons about how to live
the Foundation of Ethics

An introduction is found in First Resonance.

Next to the Heirophant in the First Group is the Sixth card:

The Lovers

The Lovers
Gemini

The Lovers
From the single point of consciousness of
The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory);
to the Empress
(visualize the future)
to the Emperor
(logic and perception, activation)
to the Heirophant:
(Intuition, the Inner Authority)
manifests the Lovers:
The Dynamic Balance between the conscious, sub-conscious and super-conscious.
The active point of focus relying on the sub- to act as both a conduit for the super-;
and as a medium to explore possibilities, equipped with the imagination.

In the Second Group underneath the Lovers we find

Death

Death
Scorpio

Death.
This is the point of transition.
Death brings a finality to things and provides the beginning of something else.
Death implies re-birth,
but it also brings an end to unnecessary or unwanted patterns.
Death is both grievous and transcendent,
inspiring new ways of perception and activity.

In the Third Group under Death is

Judgement

Judgement
~Baptismal Fire~

Judgment
Baptismal Fire.
This card is the Philosophers Stone:
transforming Lead (as we Are) into Gold (what we Will Be).
Heating the facets of our being:
physical, emotional, mental and spiritual,
pushing the envelope with effort and stress,
building endurance.
Then combining into One Being.

The first level reveals the position (The Lovers) for the personal,
the second position (Death) reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position (Judgment)
demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.

The Sixth Resonance of the Fool’s Journey is:

Sixth Resonance

Sixth Resonance

The Lovers, Death, Judgment

Knowing what One is,
the possibilities of what May One Become is Revealed
requiring the rooting out and discarding of unwanted habits,
environment, relation ships (etc.)
become apparent and the uncomfortable but necessary process
of cleaning and disposing of these unhealthy influences and activities commences.
Then the Burning away the final unwanted wood
provides an amalgamation of the Self into a New Being.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations, place them in your pocket or wear the combination as amulets.

For more information see Merlin’s Tarot Casters Page

Merlin’s Tarot ~ Fifth Resonance

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 13, 2015
Posted in: Amulets, Tarot. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This is the Fifth of a series of articles examining the Major Arcana
using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves, our talent, intelligence,
experience and gifts.

The Grand Spread

The Grand Spread
When viewed together
they teach us valuable lessons about how to live
the Foundation of Ethics

An introduction is found in First Resonance.

The Heirophant

The Heirophant
Taurus

Next to the Emperor in the First Group is the Fifth card:

The Heirophant
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory: personal and ancestral);
to the Empress
(visualize the future)
to the Emperor
(logic and reason, knowing how things are; sets things in motion)
manifests the Heirophant:
Intuition: the Inner Authority, the connection between one Self and the Greater Unconsciousness.

The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man
Baptismal Water

In the Second Group underneath the Heirophant we find

The Hanged Man.
The suspension of consciousness
amid the Akashic waters of the Great Unconsciousness:
the sum total of all things living.
Like floating in the ocean,
One has a very thin membrane between the inner “waters”
of our flesh and blood and the outer Sea.
It is easy to become lost in this vast expanse of consciousness,
but only Here may one truly know the Totality of Being.

The Sun

The Sun

In the Third Group under the Hanged Man is

The Sun
The Face of God
With perception limited to physical brains and the language
we use to describe something so vast,
we can only grasp what is familiar to us.
As the sun is too bright to look at directly,
and we describe it as a “face”,
so too the attempt to understand the thoughts of the Almighty
may only be described with words we already know.
Comprehending our limitation
opens the possibility of understanding
more than we are capable of describing.

The first level reveals the position
(the Heirophant) for the personal,
the second position
(The Hanged Man)
reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position
(The Sun)
demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.

The Fourth Resonance of the Fool’s Journey is:

Fifth Resonance

The Heirophant, The Hanged Man, The Sun

Knowing who and what One is,
all of the facts available,
the ability to understand possibilities
and implement a logical response,
One’s Intuition makes all the connections
based on what is Real
and produces perception normally unassailable.
Suspending disbelief,
examining possibilities,
discarding erroneous supposition
we observe the Unknown
and see it without preconceptions,
allowing the Truth to become evident.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together
and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket
or wear the combination as amulets.

For more information see Merlin’s Tarot Casters Page

Merlin’s Tarot ~ Fourth Resonance

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 8, 2015
Posted in: Amulets, Tarot. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The Fourth in a series of articles
examining the Major Arcana using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves,
our talent, intelligence, experience and gifts.
An introduction is found in First Resonance.

The Grand Spread

The Grand Spread
When viewed together
they teach us valuable lessons about how to live
the Foundation of Ethics

Next to the Empress in the First Group is the Fourth card:

The Emperor

The Emperor
Aries

The Emperor
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory: personal and ancestral);
to the Empress
(the ability to visualize the future)
manifests the Emperor:
comprehension of process provides the power of logic and reason
(the ability to see from past to future)
knowing how things are and how they work he then sets things in motion.

In the Second Group underneath the Emperor we find

Justice

Justice
Libra

Justice:
the Law
as it applies to the individual and to all of creation.
This is not Human Justice,
rather the interaction we have with the laws of physics: Karma.
In it’s literal sense Karma means doing:
the result of a basic physical reaction to one’s actions;
Karma is the result of what one does.
“Good” Karma (in the classical sense)
is when one learns from one’s mistakes:
one recognizes how the situation manifests
and understand the process of cause and effect on one’s life.

In the Third Group under Justice is the

The Moon

The Moon
Pisces

Moon:

One’s Life Path.

It is source from where we climb out of the primordial soup,
evolve beyond the most basic drives of sex and dominance,
territory and narcissism, to a better understanding of one’s self and the world.
We learn how at times the path is clear and we rejoice;
other times the path is obscured and we must rely on our understanding
of what Is and keep our faith in the path we walk.

The first level reveals (the Emperor) for the personal,
the second (Justice) reveals the environment in which we work
and the third (the Moon) demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.

Unlike the previous Resonance,

The Fool

The Fool
Baptismal Air

this one includes the Fool.

Aligned with the Emperor,
Justice and the Moon,
the Fool is placed directly above.
This is no accident.
It infers the necessary open mind this column requires.
The Emperor need to see “truly” in order for him to function at his optimum.
Justice must not lean too heavily on unrelated concepts to offer a balanced result.
The path offered by the Moon requires a clear head
and no misconceptions or prejudice
in order to move forward in one’s life.

The Fourth Resonance of the Fool’s Journey is:

Fourth Resonance

Tarot Casters
Fourth Resonance

Fool, The Emperor, Justice, The Moon

Now that we know the process of cause and effect,
understand the parameters of how to manifest the future,
we activate our Will to make it so.
Tending and carefully monitoring our progress
we develop fail-safes to keep things in motion
and avoid the mistakes of short-sightedness.
Each action and response creates another step on our path of life.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket
or wear the combination as amulets.

For more information see Merlin’s Tarot Casters Page

For the Love of Music

Posted by Amulets by Merlin on March 6, 2015
Posted in: Amulets, music amulet, Music Jewelry, music notation jewelry, music notation pendant, music pendant. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

One of my first memories was when I was in the back seat of a car at a drive in theater, I saw “Fantasia” – a Disney movie where were of the “first music” films of it’s kind. To this day I cannot help by see images of the flying horses and dancing centaurs when the notes of Beethoven’s Sixth symphony play on the radio. Music as been a part of who I am and I constantly refer to musical ideas when thinking about most anything. I have the great honor of being able to teach piano to both young and old and each Christmas I tend to make small charms of musical notation as their Christmas gifts, then in turn spread them amongst my family both near and far.

http://www.amuletsbymerlin.com/Musical-Love-Amulet-p/mj-09.htm

Over the winter this year, I was very late, the cold has set me back, but still I continue to image musical possibilities in making the amulets and charms for those I care about.

In mid February I imagined a combination of musical notation to express my love for music and came up with a combination of the Treble Clef and Bass Clef in a (somewhat squiggling) heart shape.

Now, I am presenting (in time for spring and perhaps some rather late gifts) the Musical Love Amulet. I am making these in both silver and bronze and for those more adventurous types, I am including moon stones to feature the Bass Clef.

Blessings to all lovers of Music!