Visions of Baphomet Cernunos

In the midst of our otherwise more light-hearted shoot, KaCee was willing to take a moment to pose for a set of devotional images depicting the god Baphomet.

Images like these were always part of my plan for this shoot, but I had originally intended a different set of horns. Unfortunately, the enormous curling papier-mache ram’s horns that I had brought out of storage had suffered a bit of damage that I didn’t notice until I was on site, and we weren’t able to use them at all. But, in a way, the antler crown was super appropriate.

My relationship with Baphomet began with the Mass of Chaos B from Peter Carroll’s Liber Null & Psychonaut, which I used to consecrate myself and a mask. The ritual conflates Baphomet with the Horned God of “the Second Age”, an ideosyncratic conflation of Crowley’s ages and Wiccan pseudohistory), an aspect which is not central to my experience of the god, but which I honor in these images, and by making sacrifice to him when my Horned God devotional images sell at the Sorcerer’s Workbench.

I still have a whole Baphomet-themed shoot that I want to do with Kraken, specifically, but we just haven’t managed to make that happen, yet, and in the interim I am very, very happy with these.

Armed Venus

Armed Venus

“Armed Aphrodite”

A young woman stands bare chested, a cloth draped around her waist, a golden-colored apple in her left hand and a sword in her right.  From a Classically themed photoshoot with a friend from college, this image was inspired by a combination of art and myth.  The apple identifies the figure as Aphrodite; the sword is inspired by a spear-bearing statue of Aphrodite that I saw at the temple of Asclepious in Greece.

From a photo shoot about this time last year, this post somehow got lost in my drafts folder.  To see the rest of the series, or order prints, please check out my portfolio.

Elemental Masks Project: Feral as Keeper of Water

Continuing my explorations of elemental power through the masks I made for last year’s Heartland Pagan Festival, behold the Keeper of Water, portrayed by Feral.

In the long term, these images may find themselves in an oracle deck and/or a photo book.

Individual prints, and a look at the entire project to date, can be found at my portfolio.  For the Feral as the four Keepers, click here.  For the project in toto, click here.  If you appreciate my work, either my art or my witchcraft, please consider purchasing prints.

Elemental Masks Project: Feral as the Keeper of Earth

 

Continuing my experiment of using photography to explore the personalities of my four elemental masks, we have Feral, again, this time as the Keeper of Earth.

Prints, and the entire project to date, can be found at my portfolio.  For the Feral as the four Keepers, click here.  For the project in toto, click here.  If you appreciate my work, either my art or my witchcraft, please consider purchasing prints.  Times are tough.

Elemental Masks Project: Feral as the Keeper of Fire

From my latest photo shoot exploring the personalities of my elemental masks, Chicago native Feral in the role of Keeper of Fire.

Although not, herself, a practitioner of occult arts — an unexpected and unaccountable bit of good luck with two of my previous models, first Felicity embodying Baphomet and the Sun God/dess, and then Kajira for the Conjuring and the first round of Keepers — she was very professional and a delight to work with, taking to the role with surprising ease.

Prints and the rest of the series are available at my portfolio.  For the rest of Feral, click here.  For the Elemental Masks series in toto, click here.  If you like my work — either or both my art or my witchcraft — please consider buying a print or two.  Times are a little tough right now.

Keeper of Earth

_DSC0864_earth card

The Keeper of Earth

A priest/ess and oracle, the title Keeper of Earth originates in the idealized coven structure that I developed for a series of experimental rituals (as yet never performed), and have used in both my (as yet unpublished) novels and the public rituals I have written in my capacity as a member and now chair of the HSA Sacred Experience Committee.

This image represents my first attempt at using Photoshop more vigorously than simple photo development, combining two images from very different times and places.  The top image, the Keeper of Earth, herself, comes from my most recent photo shoot, at the beginning of the month, with the delightful Kajira Bound.  The background image comes from Olympia, taken during my study abroad in Greece.  Together they form the prototype for a maybe-someday-maybe-not oracle deck that I occasionally hypothesize.

If you would like to see more of my work, please check out my portfolio.