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...
The Common Cause
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,...
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...
