Janus and the Ritual of the New Year
A Roman god with no Greek counterpart, Janus was deeply entrenched in the psyche of Rome, born long before the Greek pantheon was adopted by the Romans. Strange and ancient,...
The Common Cause
Merry Christmas, and Thank You
I find that when I pen these pieces I ruminate on my divergent experiences between my Australian homeland and my adopted home of New York. I suppose that this is...
Circe’s Apothecary: Kitchen Witchery
If you’ve been following for a bit, my love for food, foraging, and the holidays should be quite clear. Hence, my love for seasonal flavors! Winter herbs and vegetables! Versatile...
Pandemic Holiday Special
Holidays are about making memories that will last a lifetime. It would be a shame to let this yearly celebration slip by because we won’t be at the family home...
The 2020 Gift Guide: Jolabokaflod Edition
Here at Common Era, we are enthralled by, enamored with, and inspired by history and literature. We believe that the human condition can be uncovered, turned over and examined, celebrated...
History of Jewelry: Early Civilization
Siberia, 35,000 years ago: a mammoth tusk curved to fit around a wrist. Kenya, 40,000 years ago: ostrich shells with holes, as if they were once strung together on a...
Soul Foraging for the Cluttered Mind
If you are like me, this week you tried to battle the anxiety by indulging in vice, and it didn’t work because you kept googling “election results” and keeping half...
Thesmophoria and the Goddesses of the Harvest
Thesmophoria was celebrated in late autumn to honor Persephone and Demeter, that they might bless the fertility of the land and ensure the bounty of the yearly harvest. Unlike most...
Circe's Apothecary: Dark Arts
This time of year, while the veil is thin, it is a suitable occasion to dabble in witchery—particularly in that which is dark, dangerous, or extraordinarily strong. People in power...
Precious Gemstone Lore
For much of history, gemstones have been assigned mystical, metaphysical powers, due to their rarity and otherworldly beauty. Gemstone magic changes depending on the era and the people who wore...
Direct Democracy, Then and Now
We at Common Era would like to remind our community that election day is rapidly approaching! Voting is an integral part of our democracy, and many of us did not...
Attracting Good Fortune with the Eternal Secret Talisman
The Romans believed the goddess of luck, Fortuna (called Tyche by the Greeks) was tied to virtus, or virtue, and that virtuous people attracted good luck. Good things don’t always happen to...
Circe’s Apothecary: Floral Garden
We have dated the existence of apothecaries back to 4500 BCE, at least. This is consistent with human condition: we have always needed healthcare, and the best of us have...
Mystery of the Magic SATOR Square
There is something so profoundly satisfying about the SATOR square. It makes sense on almost every level. It’s a palindrome backwards, forwards, up and down; it’s made of words, which...
Persephone and the Eleusinian Mysteries
It is said that after the abduction of Persephone, Demeter searched high and low for her daughter, stopping to rest only in the city Eleusis, west of Athens. Disguised as...
