The Muses and the Sirens: A Lesson in Hubris
Long associated with judgement and truth, the muses are said to have presided over contests and courtrooms in Greek myth. There are even stories of muses entering contests themselves, though...
The Common Cause
Introducing Solid Gold
When I founded CE, I desperately wanted to craft my designs in solid gold, but I couldn’t even afford the raw metals to make samples. Of course, it doesn’t help...
Caught in the Stars: Urania and Astronomy
“For the name of each Mousa (Muse), they say, men have found a reason appropriate to her …Ourania (Urania), because men who have been instructed by her she raises aloft...
Clio’s Echoes of Mnemosyne
During the time before written histories, oral tradition was all that kept history and myth alive. Without Mnemosyne, all the stories of gods and heroes and the lessons to be...
The Divine Muses, Part II
A blank computer screen. An empty canvas. The drumming of idle fingers. Stagnation, frustratingly unavoidable, seems like a monster spat straight from the depths of Tartarus. Creative blocks are as old...
The Divine Muses, Part I
The Nine Muses of Greek myth were goddesses of music and dance, arts and sciences, mental acuity and divine inspiration. Throughout the ages, artists, poets, makers and thinkers would call...
History of Jewelry: Ancient Greece & Mediterranean
Through trade, travel, and conquest, the Greeks of the Bronze Age were highly influenced by the other cultures of the Mediterranean. This was reflected in the Greek alphabet, mythos, knowledge...
Anthesteria: The First of the Vintage
There were a lot of holidays back in the day. To accommodate the entire Greek pantheon of gods who each had their own rites and rituals, about a third of...
Reparations to Helen: On Beauty, War, and Personal Responsibility
The Trojan war was a decade-long siege, in which the Greeks surrounded the walls of Troy, intending to bring the beautiful, rich Mediterranean city to its knees. But the catalyst...
Pretty Boys: Reflections On Gender Norms
It is a strongly held belief of mine that people should be given space to live authentically: that people should take time for introspection and emotional growth in order to...
Aphrodite and the Red Windflower
Aphrodite’s domain reaches past the laws of Zeus and into the very hearts of men. It is a strange and beautiful power that, with only a look and a brush,...
Aphrodite’s Kingdom: Love in the Golden Age
Love is nebulous. Love is so strange and delicate. It can be hot and dizzying, faithful and familiar, sweet and bubbly.
Hecate: The Witch
Hecate is an arcane goddess, a Titan born in the Mediterranean thousands of years ago, honored and respected even by Zeus himself.
History of Jewelry: Impressions from Ancient Egypt
The symbolism of jewelry in ancient Egyptian culture is so saturated with blessings, curses, magic, and meaning, that we still use those same tokens, talismans, and symbols today.
Common Era Gothic: Nine Uncanny Vignettes
You find yourself at a psychic shop on the boardwalk. It’s starting to rain, so you step inside. Upon seeing your face, the woman behind the counter offers you a...
