It’s been a heckuva week, and it’s only Thursday. So have a cute Minoan pig rhyton (ritual libation pitcher) for your amusement, because I don’t have the intended book review finished yet. I do actually read books all the way through before reviewing them - I don’t just skim - and this week has prioritized other things.
Like two of our three cars dying, one irretrievably, in one week (there are three drivers in our house, all of whom need transportation). So it’s been a juggle and a struggle, because the part of the US I live in is definitely not big on public transportation.
Thankfully <crossing my fingers> nothing else major has broken, though the past several days have been full of dozens of minor issues and inconveniences, prompting me to recall phrases like “death by a thousand paper cuts” and “pecked to death by sparrows.”
Honestly, life is actually pretty good right now, which is I suppose how I can (mostly) just laugh as this kind of monkey wrench jams up the works of my daily life. It’s also a fun opportunity to refresh my memory regarding swear words in foreign languages!
So, by way of apology, I do actually have something that I’ve written to share with you today, and it has to do with the pig up top.
There’s a symbol that shows up in Minoan art, called the Snake-Frame or Snake-Horns, and people have been arguing for years about what it represents and what it means in iconographic terms.
I think I’ve figured it out.
A few weeks ago, at Mystic South Conference, I presented the paper I wrote about the Snake-Horns, explaining where the symbol comes from, what it stands for, and how it can perhaps be incorporated into modern Minoan spiritual practice. You can find the paper online, free to download, here. If the full-blown, footnote-heavy paper is a bit much for you, just read the Conclusion on page 11 and look at the pictures that follow.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go put out a few more metaphorical fires…
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About Laura Perry
I'm an author, artist, and creator who works magic with words, paint, ink, music, textiles, and herbs. I'm the founder and Temple Mom of Ariadne's Tribe, a worldwide inclusive Minoan spiritual tradition. My spiritual practice also includes spirit work and herbalism through the lens of lifelong animism. I write Pagan / polytheist non-fiction and fiction across several different subjects and genres. I'm currently working on an illustrated book of modern Minoan myths and a Minoan entry in the Moon Books Pantheons series. I’m also an avid gardener and living history demonstrator.