Pagan In Me Lookbook

tHE pAGan IN mE

Philomela’s “The Great Mother” sheeting; “The Most Beautiful” wallpaper of the Skylarks pattern by Birger Kaipiainen; silkscreens by Nathalie Lété; Vintage Indian and Peruvian blankets. Photo by Diana Koenigsberg. tHE pAGan IN mE

a T THIS MOMENT in world history, an alternate Regrettably, natural activity such as volcanoes, way of life rooted in a sustainable value system tidal waves and wildfires coupled with human holds particular appeal. One need to look no further invasion and intervention destroyed the Early for a template than the early European civilizations, European cultures. In Greece, the original goddesses circa 7,000 to 3,000 BC. Organized around matri- morphed into the classical deities—Artemis, Hera, lineal, nature-based temple/goddesses cultures, Athena, and Demeter, with redefined roles as brides, these civilizations were integrated within craft and wives and daughters. Patriarchy, class hierarchies artful living in an all-inclusive synthesis that allowed and war became the new normal. Fortunately, for birth, life, death, and regeneration. Without the despite centuries of paternal rule, the beliefs and contemporary need to bifurcate into good and bad, imagery of these early maternal cultures remain multiplicity in all its complexity was celebrated available and still powerful touchstones in an with religious and domestic practices grounded in ever-changing world. If ever there was a time when the cycles of nature, nurturing the less capable in a our country and world called out for a change in spirit of egalitarianism and community. paths … this is it!!!! We are so thrilled to be walking This season, our new collection “The Pagan In it … Philomela style. Me” celebrates the great goddess in her multiple manifestations. Iconography expressed through the dynamism of nature, the collection is imbued with images of snakes, deer, bears, owls, rivers, moons, spirals and labyrinths. A rich color palette echoes the warmth of the life-giving womb.

THE COLLECTION Sublime and simple—with night-sky tones and earthly hues, we celebrate the tension of complexity with our version of these popular patterns. The Great Mother Serpentine Mesopotamia

Temple Template Labyrinth Naid Check

THE GREAT MOTHER The birth-giving goddess often appears with bears, owls, and snakes. In our version of the kitchen sink we’ve thrown in favorite Aztec linoleum cut patches and the Greek God Dionysis (a personal favorite) for all the hedonists among us.

“ For me the Goddess is the female of God, she is powerful if different.” — Tina Turner “ The simplest and most basic meaning of the symbol of the Goddess is the acknowledgment of the legitimacy of female power as a beneficent and independent power.” — Carol P. Christ



THE MESOPOTAMIAN STRIPE Rivers with both their gentle undulations and torrential energies provide the vertical and horizontal grid.

SERPENTINE Coiled to symbolize wholeness, or in the process of shedding its skin and becoming something new, snakes abound in this iconography.

The snake symbolizes instinctive movement. “ And so it is, that both the devil A messenger from the unconscious it is both and the angelic spirits present us fascinating and terrifying as it speaks of a with objects of desire to awaken world of great depth and both hidden risk and our power of choice.” treasure. As snakes shed their skin through sloughing, they are symbols of rebirth, trans- — Rumi formation, immortality, and healing and the symbolism is found throughout comparative mythology. Animal skins as patterned textile date back to the Napoleonic era, when real skins and hides triggered replicative patterning on rugs. By the twentieth century animal skin patterns became popular as well in clothing designs. Exotic and primitive this is a call to evoke your wild side. For all of you animal lovers we offer our tradi- tional cotton, linen and velvet fabrics, new high durability indoor/outdoor blends, wallpaper and plenty of decorative accessories in these new skins. Bring out your inner savage while keeping these scaled friends in tact.

“Over and over, in spite of our awfulness and having squandered our funds, the ticket-taker at the venue waves us through. Forgiven and included, when we experience this, that we are in this with one another, flailing and starting over in the awful beauty of being humans together, we are saved.” — Anne Lamott



TEMPLE TEMPLATE An original print of collaged linoleum cuts mixes temple structures, animal guides, and Aztec patchery. Layer a wall with limited edition prints, or throw the pattern on bedding. We are here to co-create with you and can customize your project using any pattern in a myriad of ways.

NAID CHECK A recombining of the squares from an original “Temple Template” lino cut offers a primitive twist to an iconic check.

THE LABYRINTH Metaphor for the inner pilgrimage, the center of the labyrinth is symbolic of the spiritual journey to one’s best self.

The labyrinth is a metaphor for individuation “ Traveler, there is no path. and symbolizes a journey to wholeness. There Paths are made by walking” is only one path, and despite the twists and turns one only needs to put one foot in front of — Antonio Machado the other to find one’s way. Mythology tells us one must follow a thread, or have a guide to make it through. So, what or who is guiding you? This is not a linear path; steps taken can lead us further from the center of things, and it may feel even more circular to try, after finding center to find one’s way back into the world. There are no wrong turns. One simply needs to keep walking and pay attention to the experi- ence along the way.

“ When the path reveals Follow the thread with itself, follow it.” embroidered touches added by hand or machine. — Cheryl Strayed “ There is no linear evolution; there is only a circumambulation of the self.” — C.G. Jung



MIXING IT UP with favorites from our Philomela pattern library Seed Shivering Cobra Stripes Bead The Great Mother Serpentine Mesopotamia

Cabana Stripes Normal Flow Polka Thistle and Thorn Temple Template Labyrinth Naid Check

PHILOMELA is a California Beauty and utility are mutually generative. The applications of Philomela are limited only based design studio specializing in original, by the imagination. We enjoy collaborating hand-drawn, painted and printed, expertly with architects, as well as, interior, furniture, formatted textiles and wallpaper for interiors. clothing and product designers on everything Led by artist and psychoanalyst Bonnie Saland, from on-site to event-specific projects. her bold, intricate patterns balance delicacy with daring and bring a sense of celebration into Visit our website to see our catalog every space. of unique patterns. The collection mixes antagonistic styles and PhilomelasWeb.com conventions: baroque + modern, word + image, highbrow + downtown, hand constructed + To schedule a zoom consultation, reach us at digitally manipulated in a libertine mix of west [email protected] coast hedonism. 626.657.0332 @philomelatextiles