Good morning all, hope you have a blessed weekend! I have spent the last couple of lunches working in the back garden at my partners and have done a bit more this morning. Been digging out all of the soil, which the whole thing was full, plus removing the weeds and trying to find the roots of a tree or bush that has been destrying the wall. Glad I did this today before the sun came out.

I'm not sure how many here have seen the movie "The Ring of the Nibelungs" (2004), which is based on the Norse Völsunga Saga and the Germanic epic poem Nibelungenlied (The Song of the Nibelungs). It's probably my favorite "Viking" movie, ("Viking" because of the story, the story was based in modern-day Germany and Iceland). On this image: Siegfried/Sigurd, the dragon Fafnir, the Ring, Andvaranaut (see it?), the treasure, the Helm of Terror, and the falling Linden leaves.... It could be said that the curse creeps in from all around the image. Small spoilers ahead: When Siegfried/Sigurd killed the dragon Fafnir, he was warned not to take the ring and the treasure it governed, he was told that it was cursed, and it would be his doom. He didn't listen, but what I love is that.. there was no magic involved, none, the curse was on the minds of people, only human greed was indeed what brought death and heartbreak to almost everyone around him, himself included.

I have been working on this painting for a few months, it almost done, just some polish and touchup in areas. It encompasses some of the themes I return to, the threat of global climate change. I think of this one as a metaphor for the tumultuous past 3 months which seem like an eternity to me. I often combine imagery that works to heighten the mood of the painting, in this case the girl and the storm seem to be one and the same. I will let the viewers garner their own feelings though. Oil on cradled Panel. #darkfantasy #magicrealism #fantasticrealism #horror #horrorpaintings.

Crawfish boil for dinner with a group of my friends

Wanna make a post to start more conversation this one is on what seems to be the plentiful amount and no shortage of negative masculinity even weaponized masculinity writhing heathenry and this isn’t because of the religon or its teachings rather because of mis informed base level knowlage as they are know in a more modern sense brosatru that think to be heathen one has to not cry and go to the gym and be emotionally cold and have no respect for women and wear a hammer and yell skal or “bowl” at any given opportunity and also to misunderstand or twist the myths to fit their worldview what they don’t understand is heathenry / asatru is a world view in and of itself and this world view when boiled down to its base chemicals has a positive or constructive masculinity teaching we see this specifically Thor and the telling of his deeds and his interactions with other deities women and humans alike the sagas show us this as well this also tells us quite a bit about the people who were telling and recording these stories that they were more progressive than they would like to believe these brosatru are substantiating a practice and world view off of a false narrative witch sounds more like a Andrew Tate rambling sesh than anything coming out of a pre Christian Scandinavian worldview or a heathen world view this seems to be a problem even among seasoned practitioners who have a control issue within large groups like kindreds where women are at the bottom of the totem pole and taking oaths that are inherently entrapment for the individual joining are common place and so is annoying rants about what being a man is when that is a subjective standard defined by the individual male based on life experience cultural background religon and upbringing these Individuals take advantage of emotionally unstable and often mentally ill young men and women to form a community where they are the metaphorical king now all kindreds are not like this taking inherently entrapment are the first red flag 🚩

#oil #cigars #offshore #energy

https://youtu.be/MsezEUdgRgE?si=hYahcMLOOilPlc4p

If anyone is interested: 1 pint quick sriracha(no fermentation) 1lb red jalapeños 6 tablespoons brown sugar 2tsp salt 8 cloves garlic 1 1/3C water One cup white vinegar 1Tbsp Fish sauce Cut off tops of pepper put in blender with vinegar,fish sauce and garlic Dissolve salt and brown sugar in a pot on the stove, once dissolved add to blender blend Blend and strain through fine mesh strainer pushing all the juices out of the remaining pulp and seeds(I Strainded it into a bowl then strained a second time into a pot.) Reduce till preferred consistency or if your impatient you can also whisk in a TBSP at a time of corn startch while reducing it to a boil to thicken and repeat until consistency you like if you do this method make sure you strain again to catch any corn starch that doesn't dissolve. This is pretty similar to the old sriracha store bought before the recipe change and really spicy like it used to be as well.

Day 1 on the ground yesterday: First walk around the Village, have lunch at the Barentz Gastro Pub, the world’s most Northern pub Lol. Followed by a foray out of the village into the Adventdalen stretch in a snow cat to find Northern Lights.. Spoiler- way too cloudy for auroras, but it was an awesome time with a very cool group of folks from all over the world. Not too worried though, with 24hr darkness, the odds are good we will see them before we leave! Included was being shown the wreckage of a WW2 plane and hanging out with the Guide, whom told us some good timbits of local information.. Great time! PS- the night time filters on these iPhones really are bloody impressive, it was factually deep dark out there.. Big day planned for today!

SHAMAN (Label Artwork) 🔥SCENT🔥 Spicy blend of Clove, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Citrus Notes 💡INSPIRATION💡 Shaman draws from the ancient wisdom of Norse völvas and healers, those who harnessed the power of earth’s rarest herbs and spices to protect and empower. This blend of Clove, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Citrus evokes the rituals of seers who invoked the elements to shield their kin from misfortune. The dark, spicy aroma recalls a time when nature’s gifts were sacred, each scent carrying the essence of resilience, healing, and the strength of those who walked between worlds. Shaman is an homage to the herbal guardianship of old, a scent steeped in the potency and mystery of Norse lore. 🎨BEHIND THE SCENES🎨 ▪️One of the valhalla ladders used in this design is actually mine I got hanging next to my monitors in the studio. :) It consists of driftwood that floated along the shore during a storm while I was on mushrooms. 🍄 ▪️This is the third scent I had ever created for Valkyrie. It was heavily inspired by the iconic thieves blend oil that was rumored to be a concoction used back in the medieval ages to ward away the plague. ▪️The icon for shaman took me the longest to figure out what exactly I wanted to use. I finally settled on something resembling a potion but also bones and fire involved in its design. The Bindrune consists of four elder futhark runes: ᚨ (Ansuz): The divine communication rune, symbolizing the whispers from the gods and the shaman’s role as a conduit for their messages. ᛏ (Tiwaz): The rune of sacrifice, representing the trials and personal cost endured by the shaman to gain wisdom and power. ᚲ (Kaunaz): The flame of insight, representing the shaman's inner fire that burns with hidden knowledge and reveals truths from the unknown. ᛉ (Algiz) (inverted): A symbol of vulnerability and submission to chaotic forces, reflecting the shaman’s willingness to risk danger in pursuit of truth and connection with the divine. This bindrune captures the mystical power, sacrifice, and dark insight of a shaman diving into the unknown. Perfectly balanced between mystery and danger. www.valkyriebeardcare.com