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This post is part 7 of my 12 Days of Yule series, inspired by the seasonal framework at Pagan Grimoire . Today turns toward Icelandic folklore, and toward the winter stories that are less polished and more honest. Not every seasonal figure arrives with warmth. Some arrive with weight. Day 7 introduces Grýla and the Yule Lads, figures shaped by scarcity, survival, and the realities of long winters. Francisco Goya, Viejos comiendo sopa (Two Old Men Eating Soup), c. 1819–1823. Grýla as Winter Memory Grýla is often described as frightening, but fear is not her only function. She belongs to a time when winter exposed vulnerability directly. Hunger was visible. Preparation mattered. Community behavior had consequences. Seen this way, Grýla becomes less a monster and more a memory. She represents the edge of survival, the part of winter that could not be softened without losing truth. The Yule Lads and Everyday Friction The Yule Lads arrive one at a time, and stay for over ...

This post is part 6 of my 12 Days of Yule series, inspired by the seasonal framework at Pagan Grimoire . Today we turn toward Odin, the Wild Hunt, and the wisdom found in winter’s deepest stillness. As Yule continues, the season moves inward. Day 6 is traditionally associated with Odin and the Wild Hunt, a mythic procession of spirits said to move through the winter sky. This is a day tied to knowledge, liminality, and the unseen currents that shape our lives. The Wild Hunt The Wild Hunt has been described as a literal hunt, with Odin, or another leader in other cultures, and his team of undead sweeping the countryside like a storm. They hunt and cut down who can't find shelter. His eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, often trampling them underfoot like a hooved Wheel of Fortune. That's not the only version of the story. Odin and the Pursuit of Wisdom In Norse tradition, Odin is a god of seeking. He sacrifices comfort, certainty, and even safety in pursuit of understanding. He i...

This post is part 5 of my 12 Days of Yule series, inspired by the seasonal framework at Pagan Grimoire . Today we focus on Gift-Giving Day, a Yule tradition rooted in generosity, belonging, and community. Historically, this day was about restoring balance and strengthening community ties. During Saturnalia, people exchanged small candles, symbolizing the returning sun, and clay figurines. In Norse tradition, giving reflected the reciprocity of the feast. Gifts were not only objects, they were a promise of connection. Across cultures and centuries, these traditions remind us that giving has always been about belonging. Gifts collected for an Angel Tree, an example of generosity and community giving during Yule. Giving as Community-Building The photo above illustrates what I mean. It is a collection of gifts from an Angel Tree. People choose an anonymous child and purchase gifts for them, then bring the gifts back to an...

This post is part of my 12 Days of Yule series, inspired by the seasonal framework outlined by  Pagan Grimoire . For ancient people, the hearth was the undisputed center of the home. It was where we gathered for warmth, light, and safety. Today, we often gather around the modern version of a stone fireplace—the cooktop and the oven. The hearth at home I don’t have a fireplace in my own home, but I sure wish I did. In my mind, my favorite kind of fireplace often features a Dutch tile surround. I suspect this fascination started with Scrooge; I’ve always loved the description in A Christmas Carol of his hearth: The fireplace was an old one, and paved all round with quaint Dutch tiles, designed to illustrate the Scriptures. There were Angelic messengers descending through the air on clouds like feather-beds, Apostles putting off to sea in butter-boats, hundreds of figures to attract his thoughts. I found a beautiful example of Dutch tiles at a restaurant in ...

This post is part of my 12 Days of Yule series, inspired by the seasonal framework outlined by  Pagan Grimoire . Day of Ancestors expands family gatherings beyond those who are with us in the here and now, to include those who came before. Today, we take time to recognize those who came before us. I’m sharing the oldest photo I have of a known ancestor. This is Marsha, photographed around 1860. Marsha is just one link in a chain of men and women whose lives intersected to create my family tree. And mine is as twisted and full of nuts as anybody’s. When I look at Marsha—her direct stare down the lens—I feel both connected by history and disconnected by time. She’s my ancestor, yet a stranger to me. It reminds me of the other ways we name our ancestors. Whatever directions we choose in our careers and interests, we walk paths cleared by those who went before. When we stand tall, it’s on the shoulders of giants. These are our ancestors, too. Who do you include as...

This post is part of my 12 Days of Yule series, inspired by the seasonal framework outlined by Pagan Grimoire. Yule is an ancient fire festival, meant to assure the return of the sun. The Yule Log, in some traditions, was meant to burn all night. The Yule Log broadcast on WPIX-11, bringing the warmth of a fireplace into New York living rooms. Long before TV stations played Home Alone on a 24-hour loop on Christmas, WPIX-11 broadcast The Yule Log . For New Yorkers without a fireplace, it brought Christmas music and a roaring fire to their living room televisions. A nice touch. The Comfort of Fire on the Longest Night Watching a controlled fire, whether it's a campfire, hearthfire or candle, is comforting and nostalgic. People instinctively know that fire means gathering, community, warmth, and reassurance. On the Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year - the fire of the Yule log becomes more than light; it becomes reassurance. It’s mean...

This post is part of my 12 Days of Yule series, inspired by the seasonal framework outlined by  Pagan Grimoire . Mother’s Night traditionally centers on continuity, lineage, and care at the turning of the year.  I used Mother's Night as a prompt phrase, and immediately thought of Maternité (1905) by Pablo Picasso. I first saw this image in a Lamaze class, and was astonished to learn it was by Picasso, whom I'd always associated with cubism (I had so much to learn!). Rather than flat and angular, this was graceful, warm, intimate. To me it exemplified – and romanticized – new motherhood. The expression on Mother's face as she feeds her baby, the anonymous but chubby curve of Baby's cheek and hand, the use of pink in her shawl and the flower in her hair... she is a frame and a shield for Baby. Maternité (1905), painted during Picasso’s Rose Period, opened up the world of art for me, and let me look at non-representational art with new eyes. ...

In the 1880s, Vermont farmer Wilson Bentley captured some of the first known microphotographs of a snowflake. It was a moment of wonder suspended on glass, showing nature’s ephemeral geometry frozen in time. In 1903, Bentley gave the images to the Smithsonian for safekeeping. Now in the public domain and widely available, anyone can enjoythose first amazing images of real snowflakes' detail. One of those images has become my starting point creating a series of  snowflake designs in a variety of styles.  The process began with restoration. I digitally cleaned and brightened my chosent original photograph, removing the traces of time while preserving Bentley’s meticulous capture of symmetry. Once isolated, the six-pointed structure became a blank canvas, and I altered the colors to blue and white, and added a snowflake icon while maintining the visual integrity of the original crystal. I followed Bentley's concept of making the tiny visible, and enlarged the image enough to fit ...

  A 12-day Yule series: daily reflections, art touchstones, and creative prompts for the season of return. This hub collects every post in the series in order. Read from Day 1 through Day 9, or drop into the day that fits where you are. Series note:  This 12-day structure is inspired by the seasonal framework outlined by  Pagan Grimoire . 12 Days of Yule Index 12/20 : Day 1 - Mother’s Night Day 1 - Mother’s Night: Picasso’s  Maternité 12/21: Day 2 - Winter Solstice Day 2 - Winter Solstice 12/22: Day 3 - Day of Ancestors Day 3 - Day of Ancestors 12/ 23: Day 4 - The Hearth and the Home Day 4 - The Hearth and the Home 12/24: Day 5 - Gift Giving Day Day 5 - Gift-Giving Day - Generosity, Reciprocity & Community 12/25: Day 6 - Odin's Day and the Wild Hunt Day 6 - Odin's Day and the Wild Hunt 12/26: Day 7 - Grýla and the Yule Lads Day 7 - Grýla and the Yule Lads 12/27: Day 8 - Day of Service (published 1/6) Day 8 - Day of Service 12/28: Day 9 - The Deer Mother (pub...

Welcome to endomentalArtistry, a small corner of the internet devoted to what happens inside the mind and how it finds its way outward into art, aesthetics, writing, and the occasional touch of magic. This space is for people who enjoy looking closely at images, ideas, and moods. Sometimes that means a mosaic pattern, a dreamy seascape, or an abstract composition that quietly hints at something unseen. Sometimes it means exploring those same themes through writing or story. However they appear, the work comes from the same hand and the same shifting landscape of curiosity, imagination, and reflection. What You’ll Find Here Some posts focus on the art itself: the ideas behind particular pieces, experiments with color and photomanipulation, and glimpses of works as they evolve. Others follow the threads that shape the work more broadly: symbolism, folklore, seasonal traditions, intuition, and the archetype of the witch. These themes appear in both visual art and writing, sometimes inters...