Unique Serving Platter

As a descendant of Irish immigrants, I have a soft spot for the cultures of our westerly neighbors. I am particularly attracted to their art and the naturalist elements that are apparent in many designs of the region. I love Celtic jewelry and wear several silver pieces every day. Celtic designs are centered around mostly natural elements, a quality that I love about the designs.

Many Celtic designs are complex and beautiful representations of the world around us. You will often see images of plants and trees in Celtic designs. You can find an endless amount of images of Celtic artistry on the internet. I used the internet to find such images when I was drafting my first tattoo.

I have a tattoo on my back that is a tri-skellion, the Celtic version of the trinity. The Celtic version of the trinity does not relate to the catholic trinity. Celtic designs incorporate the power of three to mirror the natural balance of threes as seen in the life cycles of birth, life, and death. The past, present, and future represent another triplet that is a natural harmony honored in Celtic designs. My tattoo has many elements in it and all of them are aspects drawn from nature. There are a lot of leaves and vines in these designs and I chose the Celtic tree of life to be a part of my tattoo.

Another important characteristic of Celtic designs are spirals. This element is present in almost all Celtic designs and an important part of the art and spirituality of Celts. If you have ever seen the movie Pi, then you are already aware of the implied significance of the spiral. If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it as an interesting look at math, mysticism, and the human mind. Check it out. I think I have watched it about a dozen times. I think that I may even own it.

Back to the ranch. If you are a nature lover you will probably enjoy Celtic art and jewelry. If you know a nature lover, Celtic jewelry or art would make a good gift idea. Poesies are short poems that can be found on a lot of Celtic and Irish jewelry and add a special touch to a great gift. Poesy gifts are unique and speak to an innocent romance that I miss in today’s culture. Like the claddagh ring that has been popular in America for decades, poesy jewelry is destined to be a perennial favorite.

The book of the dead is actually a term that refers to two books. One of them is a Tibetan Book of the Dead, the other is an Egyptian one. Of the two, for some reason, the Egyptian one is far more popular among fans of world religions. I think it probably have to do that the Tibetan religion is still around, while the Egyptian religion has not been practiced for centuries. This makes it ancient and mysterious, and indeed there are many mysteries about the ancient Egyptians. There are things that we still do not know about the construction of their pyramids, or the way that they embalmed their dead. We do not know what lies beneath the earth under the Sphinx, as Egypt will not let scientists go under there no matter how many times that they ask. Given all of this mystery, it is no wonder that the Egyptian Book of the Dead is an object of so much fascination.

There actually is a lot that is known about the Egyptian Book of the Dead, in spite of all of the mysteries about ancient Nile delta civilization. The fact is that historians basically know what it is about, and anyone with an internet connection can easily get a copy any time that they want to. It is basically a record of what happens after the body dies, and a collection of prayers for the recently deceased. It is believed that the Book of the Dead would be chanted over the body of anyone who had enough money to hire the requisite priests for several days to help the deceased to reach a good afterlife. It must have been impressive to hear that chanting, for days on end, in a room filled with flickering candles and a pickled corpse. It is a rather unappetizing, yet oddly captivating image.

It is images like the chanting of the Book of the Dead that help to explain why it is that ancient Egyptian civilization is so popular. Really, you can see it almost everywhere. People will get tattoos of ancient Egyptian gods, shirts with pictures of the masks of pharaohs, and all other types of Egyptian paraphernalia. I am sure there are many people who own copies of the Book of the Dead just to make their coffee tables look cool. But if you are a mythology buff, the Book of the Dead has more to offer than just ambiance.