Seven Moons Oracle: 6. The Heart

Seven Moons Oracle: 6. The Heart

Seven Moons Oracle Card Number 6. The Heart

Usually “the lovers” the heart speaks to us in three fundamental ways. They are represented here in three different sorts of heart. The heart of a human, is the organ for many that signifies love, lovers, and a irreversible choice in the actions of you as a person. When choosing to love, you are opening yourself, making a commitment, and seeking to be loved yourself. One cannot expect love if you are not willing to do all three at once. The second is the spiritual symbol for the heart (on the moons of Aloom of course). Be it something you believe in or not, love is a spiritual connection to another person. It is something fundamental to you, and will bind you spiritually to another person. This may not be a love that is, in the end, one that included lovers intimacy. It may be the love of your sons, fathers, mothers, partners, daughters, yourself even. The last is the heartwood of the tree of life, the table that is made of it is under this heart and under the spiritual symbol for the heart. Heartwood is about the fundamental, irrevocable, unchangeable nature of a decision to allow yourself to love. This does not make it a bad thing, but it does tell you that once you love a person, love them completely, you will never be able to really forget their impact on you for good or ill. If your relationship does not work, the heartwood will be scared and worn by this, and it will keep this mark forevermore.

The Heart Reversed

When drawn reversed, the heart points to a failure. Be it failure of love or not, it is likely a failure that will effect you down to your soul. Things being contrary to your love and belief and sadness is likely in your current, if not your future. This is a warning, take it to head. Make sure you are making the right decisions, be extra careful in your dealings, seek extra help, talk to those you trust. This decision, whatever it is, is more important than most and it needs to be taken with plenty of support, as it is likely, if things don’t go well, they may well be disastrous to you and your loved ones.

Seven Moons Oracle: 5. Shaman

Often the seen as a counterpart to the “Priestesses” the shaman represents the passing on of spiritual and magical / occult tradition and knowledge. They are the representation of the journey of initiation into the magical arts, be a tradition or solitary practice. The daulity’s of the shaman represents both male and female, life and death, good and evil, solid and liquid, above and below, knowledge and the unknown and so much more. Generally getting this card drawn upright points to trying to focus on tradition, conformity, adherence to the rules as something that might be needed right now. Drawing this card reversed points to the opposite, freedom, personal belief and challenging the status quo. However, in reality a true Shaman will know that duality is a part and parcel of all magical practice as is all aspects of the trinity that The Priestesses point towards.

Seven Moons Oracle: 4. Father

4. Father

The father card is about passing on knowledge, teaching, learning and practice. No one becomes a expert without practice, and no one knows this more than the father. Year after year in the cycle the father is born, grows into a man, and dies. In the meantime he must learn, practice, and the teach. Like all fathers he needs to pass on his knowledge to the next generation before dying so that they can grow up, have children, live as well as they can, and do the same thing. Be his children male, female, or some other gender no matter what, passing on the knowledge is vital to their survival out in the moons of Aloom. Be it teaching how to cook, eat, make things that are useful, make money, sell, or just being their when they are needed.

Father reversed
Tradition is a blessing and a curse. Each tradition has a start, a reason to exist and a death. Much like the father. However some will get stuck in thoughts, feelings, traditions, beliefs, so much that they can stop being truly their for their children. Some mothers do this too. The father reversed is a call to action, a point of telling you that a tradition, belief, thought, feeling should be let go. If you do not, it is likely the card will just keep appearing again and again until the consequences of your lack of action become so vast, you are unable to take heed and repair the damage.

Seven Moons Oracle: 3. Mother

3. Mother

The mother is about fertility. The mother of the moons brings fertile life to her seven kin. She is about abundance and looking after your family as best you can. By keeping your life open to fertility you will always find the mother is one who keeps making sure you are looked after. Her friends are the forest and the trees, and for those who help look after them she brings a bountiful harvest. Be warned though she is kind, loving and fertile, she is also a goddess of death, although you cannot see that here, it is in the background. Life needs death to function, and she is all to happy to kill to make sure life keeps going if need be. Basically, you may think your all that for being her kin, but your not all that if you don’t look after the land, she will come over and say why you not look after this land I give you? You should have. Now you shall see my vengeance is as harsh as my kindness is loving.

Mother reversed
You really need to look at your life. Fertility isn’t coming. The rains are not falling. The smoke won’t clear and you are down to your last meal. The mother is as cruel as she is kind and you need to look after your land as much as you look after yourself. If you are in a bad place, its time to leave. You need to look toward your feminine side and what can be done to help yourself get to more fertile pastures, or just look at how you can better look after the pastures you arealy have.

Seven Moons Oracle: 2. The Priestesses

2. The Priestesses

Often the High Priestess, this card usually is meant to convey stillness and passivity, but that is when the person writing the card believes that to be ultimate ideal woman. In the Seven Moons Oracle, it is not the case.

In the Seven Moons Oracle this card is about letting yourself be, yourself. Reflect yourself inwards as you do outwards. If you want to have a great big rock concert to do it, then that’s what you need to do. Being true to your inner instincts does not mean being silent. This is what this card is trying to convey.

It also reflect that the feminine form need not be one that reflects anyone else’s ideals. If you are female, right now in this moment, then that is what you are. If you are no female, then perhaps it is time to think about your own feminine side and what someone being female means to you. It can be loud, out and proud, or perhaps it is something else, just a spotlight on a stage, or a instrument of love and caring. Amplify this feeling and reflect upon it, let it shout out beyond yourself and sing.

The Priestesses Reversed
In the shadows of a stage their are cables, their are bits that poke out, lights that don’t shine as bright as they should, songs that aren’t as well received as they should be. You are seeking guidelines on what has gone wrong. As much as the priestesses is about being yourself, it is also about being a part of something bigger. How did your plans go awary? Did you make sure that cable was tied? Did you check the amps? Did you sing that last verse right? Did you do all the planning you could?

Things going wrong are often a sign that something in the planning was not quite right. The priestesses reversed often means you need to double, tipple check, or list all the things you did and work out exactly what it was that happened and look towards planning better in future. You fate very well could depend on it.

Seven Moons Oracle: The Mage

The Mage

The mage is the card for transformations. Particularly transformations that require a bit of magic. You will need your talents to help you through your next tasks. Anything you are good at and possibly things you are still learning and need to get better at. The mage points at both the sky and the earth and is the connection between the two. Connecting the heavens and the earth is something that requires magic and talent to get the result you are after. You may need to transform yourself, or help someone else make the transformation they need. Be careful though, to much magic can lead you astray. You will note two animals join the mage, the crab and the swift. Both are animals that live on the boundaries of life. The crab lives in both the sea and the earth and the swift lives in the sky and the sea. Transferring between them easily. The mage has learnt how to transfer between these two boundaries easily as well, and you may need to as well. Exploring the mysteries of the places we can’t easily travel without the help of a guide. The crab and the swift both help the mage explore and you will likely find yourself your own guides to help you on your journey. Perhaps they will be kind and wise, perhaps they may be dangerous and scary. Either way, they will have much to teach you and help you on your jouney.

The Mage: Reversed
You have found yourself stuck in a place you do not like. You are unable to transform. You can’t find or do what you want. You need to find your path again. You may need help. Perhaps in a form you do not like. To start to transform yourself you may have to listen to advice you are not ready to hear. It is time to be gather what energy you have left and listen to the advice you haven’t been willing to listen to. It may not all be 100% true. It may not be what you want or like. But listen you must, and use it in your best way to transform yourself back to who you want to be. You can then finally start on your journey again, and be able to look back on this time as a place you have no need for anymore.

Seven Moons Oracle: The Traveller

The Seven Moons Oracle is an oracle deck for storytelling and helping with writer’s block. It can also be used as a decision helping tool. If you don’t know what choice to take, the deck can help you revel the choice that is right for you. It might be used for prediction, that is true but that is not really my intention for the creation of this deck. The cards are also a part of my world-building for my modern fantasy universe, The Seven Moons of Aloom. Aloom is a gas giant that helpfully sits in the suns golden ratio zone. Its seven populated moons play host to an exceptionally diverse number of intelligent and non-intelligent species. There is also a magical force called Mai. Technology and those not blessed with the gift of being able to wield Mai, however, have been getting more complex.

Note for all the cards you can supplant the word “You” with “your character” or “your story”, etc., You, in this case, is just the easiest noun.

The Traveler

The Traveler is the card of beginnings. Every journey has a beginning. If this a journey you know has been coming, you are prepared, packed, ready to take any companions you need. You have your vehicle and you know which way the wind is taking you. If it is one you haven’t quite got ready for then it is probably time to prepare as you will be leaving soon and the wind favours those who are prepared. You need to make sure you are going the right way, the map is leading you to where you need to go, the hotel is booked, etc. Any time now you could be off on your new journey and you need to make sure you are ready.

Often this card in a lot of Oracle decks is called The Fool or The Beginner. However, you need not be a fool or a beginner to start a new journey. You can be an expert traveller or even just one who has done this before. Going on this journey may not be what you want, or need, but it is going to happen anyway and that doesn’t stop you from getting ready and trying your best to learn from the trip.

This doesn’t have to be an actual journey. Perhaps a new thing is coming into your life, a new friend or challenge, a new job or even a spiritual journey you are about to go on. Your journey can just be a new year or a new day. Every part of life is a journey.

The Traveler Reversed
This is not a journey you are prepared for. You are already on the road and you have forgotten some essentials. You you can see a storm on the horizon and you are scared. You need not be scared though. The traveller teaches us that we can keep on going no matter what happens and if we can find someone to help us, then all the better. Get your friends, family, whoever you can to help you. You will need them. Get your journey to take you to the shops and get some supplies. Anything to keep you going as your journey is not over and you need to find your bearings at keeping ongoing.

Pink Punk and Trans Fighter now on Redbubble [Shop]

For those who follow my comic, I have now made two new bits of art that are fetured in my comic. Pink Punk and Trans Fighter, both of which are featured here. Again 90% of funds raised going to my surgery fund, the other 10% to Greening Australia and A Gender Adgenda. Why these places? Well they both helped me in some pretty dark times in my life and I feel they both need help to keep on doing what they are doings. Of course once my surgery has happened I may up the amount that will go to them from sales.

Anyway here are the links and images of the two new products:

Happy purchasing,
Anne

Comfortable Guinea Pig and Brain-fi now in the Redbubble store!

 

 

Find them here!

 

Animals as Elements: A introduction

The Animals as Elements art series started for me, like some of my art as a reaction to another similar art project another artist was doing. In there case, so they were depicting the elements anthropomorphically as humans or human-like animals or as mythical generally human shaped animals.

I thought, hey what if I drew the elements as if they were animals? And so Animals as Elements was born. In the beginning, they started as A5 cards that I used to depict the element and the animal in an abstract or surreal depiction. I never felt that made it real enough. These elements are as real as the animals I am using to relate to them. I want people who see this art to get that relationship between our real world, our abstraction of the real world and the strange world that exists in-between. Eventually, I was led to me depicting each element as related to an animal.
Elements as Animals wasn’t a great name for the series, so I decided to make the series named Animals as Elements.

Within my art, I try to depict connections, as well as the subject. I also try and bring a certain rawness, an unspoken truth of the reality that is faced.
I hope you enjoy each elemental depiction and my reasoning behind each one. This art series has been a work of love and taken me five years to make and will appear as a zine for purchase in due course.

Yours in art,
Anne

Elves vs Dragons: Aily Morning

When the elves started to explore the further reaches of the Faewild they came across Dragons that had never been encountered before. Ones of course that were easier to get on with than the Dragons in their homelands whom had disappeared many eons ago. The elf empress though still remembered the dark times those dragons had brought upon all the elves tribes. So she tasked four tribal lords to take, breed and make them her a Dragons worthy of a empress.

Aily Morning, leader of the Trickle clan donned their magic amour and practiced spells to shield them from a direct contact with a commen Green Rook (Draco Caerules Petrosus) also know as a Welsh Green dragon. They knew this dragon was as dangerous as the ones in their homeland but they still wished to tame them in the hope of breeding a stronger dragon than the other tribes.

Grit the shimmer

I’ve never been able

The grit and the table

Horse and her stables

Bridge lovers cables

Various embodiments of Hagel

Shimmer ever alongside clouds

Light seems to trip all the mounds

Pending upon fur pound

Very trod vent shaped like hounds

Crime embers bring high fowls

Fights dreamed in cowls

Emery gathered and bound

Cherry pie went, four clouds

Animals as elements: 117-118 Tennessine Tennessee Cave Salamander, Oganesson Cat

Tennessine is a transactinide with a half life of 51 milliseconds. It might have more stable isotopes, however production of Tennessine is very expensive as it requires other rare elements. It’s tied with the Tennessee Cave Salamander, a Salamander native to Tennessee.

Oganesson is the last animal and elements for this series. Named after Yuri Tsolakovich Oganessian it is probably a solid radioactive element that is radioactive. Unlike its Nobel Gas forebears further up the periodic table, Oganesson isn’t likely to be non reactive. Only 4 or so atoms of Oganesson have ever been produced.

Cats are one of the most wonderfully adaptive animals. The Domestic cat is extremely good at hunting, and survival in even fairly extreme condition. It’s very adapt at desert survival and will likely outlast the end of the human they are tied to Oganesson for this reason. This is also why their is a clock in this picture, the clock is near midnight, near the time when climate change and war drives humanity into a spiral of self destruction, leaving cats to take our place.

Animals as elements: 115-116 Moscovium Giant Jerboa, Livermorium Woodpecker

Moscovium is a transactinide that has a half life of 0.8 seconds and thus is very difficult to get a hold of. Despite this it seems a little easier to synthesize than previous transactinides in that about 200 atoms of it have been produced. It’s named after the Moscow oblast.

Great Jerboas are a mouse like mammal that lives in Europe and Russia. One might used to be able to find one in the lands around Moscow however they have become extinct in that region. They are bigger than almost all other Jerboas alive.

Livermorium has a half life of about 60 milliseconds and thus it has had not many chemical experiments taken place on it. It’s tied with Woodpecker as Livermore California after which it the elements is named has woodpeckers.

Animals as elements: 113-114 Nihonium Squirrel Glider, Flerovium Tube Worm

Nihonium gets its name from Japan (Nihon) as the naming rights went to the Riken institute in Wakō. It’s a transactinide that has a very short half life of about 10 seconds. It’s isotopes however are slightly more stable and have contributed to the “Island of stability” theory.

Squirrel gliders are a Australian animal, and as much as I wanted to find a Japanese native animal that was as flighty and unpredictable as a squirrel glider I struggled and eventually ended up tying them to Nihonium.

Flerovium is also a heavy transactinide that sits in the Carbon group of elements. It has had a number of chemical experiments that have shown it behaving somewhat like a liquid or gas, rather than a solid.

Giant Tube Worms are much like other Tube Worms only giant. They are actually fairly small creatures comparatively that live under the ocean near volcanic vents. They build up their Tubes over time and may even pass them onto their offspring. They are tied to Flerovium as they live in heavy liquid.

Animals as elements: 111-112 Roentgenium Drugstores Beetle, Copernicium Deer

Roentgenium is one of the more interesting transactinides in that it has in what little experiments that have been carried out on it behaved like gold. Although this isn’t entirely surprising as it would be expected as gold is directly above it in the periodic table. It’s highly radioactive and has a shortish half life, but might have more stable isotopes.

Drugstore beetles are one of the most expensive beetles known to man, not in their beetle state though. Their larvae can eat through even lead in desperate times. The eggs will spread quickly piggybacking on yeast spores and decimate any stores in a matter of weeks. They particularly like strychnine but also happily eat hair, leather, parchment, leather and books. So they are not good news for a library. They are tied to Roentgenium because of it’s danger and stark beauty.

Copernicium that has been produced has short half life of 25 seconds. Again a transactinide that is predicted to behave like zinc or mercury, if a more stable isotopes can exist. Deer scatter when scared and I felt somehow that this made them a good match.

Animals as elements: 109-110 Meitnerium Chicken, Damstradium Taenia solium

Meitnerium is another highly radioactive element that has a half life in the seconds. It is named for Lise Meitner who was one of the discoverers of process to achieve nuclear fission. She did not receive the Nobel Prize for her work. Some attribute this to endemic sexism. Meitnerium has not had many chemical studies on it as it’s half life is to brief.

Chickens are domesticated bird, however their ability to survive now in general depends on humanity survival. It’s tied to Meitnerium as much like Lisa Meitner chickens do not get nearly the praise for the contribution to humanities continued survival that they should have.

Darmstadtium is element 110 (only 8 left) and again a highly radioactive with a short half life. It’s named after Darmstadt as it was originally discovered by a team of nuclear physics in the town.

Taenia Solium is better known as a tape worm. The human varieties of which have in general come from pork meat that has been poorly cured or cooked. I’m not making any purposeful reference to the town of Darmstadt by tying it to Darmstadtium! The creature is very like any heavy transactinide in it ability to only survive in specific environments and be somewhat deadly when not properly managed. Darmstadtium was the only element in the 110-118s left to fit it as a animal as element, when I was allocating the last few animals to elements.

Animals as elements: 107-108 Bohrium Megascolides australis, Hassium Giant Sloth

Bohrium is a very unstable radioactive transactinide element that can only be produced synthetically like all of the elements above 100. Only limited experiments have been performed on Bohrium as it half-life is barely a minute long.

Megascolides australis is a giant earthworm that makes a thumping noise in response to noise above them. Much like Bohrium, they are rare and secluded.

Hassium is so unstable that only about 100 atoms of it have been created in a lab this far. It’s named after the German state of Hesse.

Giant Sloths used to live throughout most of the American continent. Now, unfortunately, they are extinct but they did eat Avocado and spread their seed, Hass is a common verity of avocado and it rhymed with Hassium so that was why I chose it to represent Hassium.

Animals as elements: 105-106 Dubnium Elephant, Seaborgium Leafy Sea Dragon

Dubnium named after Dubna a town in Russia where it was discovered. It’s a unstable radioactive transition metal, and has a half life in minutes. Much like other elements in the 100s is only used in high level radioactivity experiments.

Elephants never forget or so a certain saying goes. Elephants used to live all over Europe and Asia, including in Russia. Unfortunately human activity and environmental changes have caused it to become extinct in many areas it used to live. I felt elephants being heavy they would tie with a heavier elements, and so I decided to tie them to Dubnium.

Seaborgium is named after Glenn Theodore Seaborg who after his involvement in the Manhattan Project became one of the most strident proponents of nuclear arms control. He also was the co-discoverer of 10 elements and the use of iodine-131 in medicine for thyroid treatments.

Leafy Sea Dragons are a relative of the Seahorse that live on the south coast of Australia. They are very peaceful well camouflaged creatures. As Seaborg was a propensity of peacemaking I felt a peaceful Sea creature was best.

Animals as elements: 103-104: Lawrencium Electric Eel, Rutherfordium Kakapo

Lawrencium is a actinide metal (technically) and it sits on the very edge of the “island of stability” and thus is one of the few elements past 100 that have had chemical experiments performed with it. Though it is still radioactive and these experiments revel more about how the elements behave overall than Lawrencium itself. It’s tied with electric eel as electric eels also tend to like to sit on the edge of islands.

Ruthfordium is a transition metal, though this doesn’t make it stable. It’s also has very long history of naming called the transfermium wars.

The kakapo or night parrot is a strange nocturnal parrot native to New Zealand. Their are not many left and it is critically endangered. It’s tied to Rutherfordium as I felt like it.

Animals as elements: 101-102 Mendelevium Godwit, Nobelium Ermine

Mendelevium could have easily been named Seaborgium due to its discovery. It was fairly difficult to capture and like most elements with numbers beyond 100 is only used in research.

The Godwit is a long-legged, long-beaked migratory bird. They are hard to distinguish between each species and were once considered a delicacy. They are tied to Mendelevium as it required Aqua Regia to prove it wasn’t Fermium and because it was almost called Seaborgium. That’s probably the most stupid chemistry joke I will ever make.

Nobelium is an element with a history almost as grandiose as its name. It had several false discoveries and nine controversies that could make a good TV documentary to fall asleep too. It is close to impossible to produce in large quantities and so most of its properties aren’t fully known.

Ermine (Stoats) are ferret-like creatures that live in most of the northern hemisphere. They were once used for fur and sometimes domesticated by those allergic to both dogs and cats. They were also sometimes considered Nobel and thus their connection to Nobelium.

Animals as elements: 99-100 Einsteinium Human, Fermium Osprey

Einsteinium was discovered in the debris of the first nuclear explosions. It has no long lasting isotopes, and what is present is so radioactive it will glow blueish. It was first discovered after the Ivy Mike nuclear test. However it’s discovery was kept secret until after the end of World War II. Humans have intrinsically linked to Einsteinium discovery as the discovery led Humanity into the Anthropocene (at least in mind). It also is amazed at how easily humans forget they are animals too.

Fermium was also discovered in the debris from Ivy Mike though it was more difficult to find enough of to prove it was indeed a different element. Fermium is named after Enrico Fermi who was a major researcher in nuclear physics .

It’s tied with Osprey as Ospreys are birds that live all over the world and as they still can be found at the Fermi lab in Illinois today.

Animals as Elements: 97-98 Berkelium Coyote, Californium Bear

Berkelium is named after Berkeley California, much like it’s neighbor Californium which is named after the state. Thus both are depicted as animals one might find in California the Coyote and the Brown Bear.

Berkelium is a transuranic metal only used to synthesize heavier elements and can only be produced in nuclear experiments and explosions.

Californium is slightly more useful in being used to produce neutrons to start nuclear reactors and also the heaviest element currently discovered, element 118 oganesson. It’s a silvery transuranic mental that tarnishes in air.

Animals as elements: 95-96 Americium Bald Eagle, Curium Moon Jellyfish

American is an element that sits (in the periodic table) under Europium and thus names after America. I expect element 149 would be named Australiacisium, but that’s just speculation. It’s used in Smoke Detectors and in some nuclear battery applications. It’s tied to Bald Eagle for obvious reasons.

Marie and Pierre Curie were long term researchers of radioactive isotopes and Curium was named in their honor. It’s a hard and dense metal that forms strongly fluorescent bonds with organic compounds. It’s from this ability that some have got the idea of people glowing after exposure to radioactive isotopes. Curium is mostly used to produce other radioactive isotopes.

Crystal Jellyfish are round relatively small Jellyfish that can survive rather depleted oxygen regions. They can be bioluminescent and thus this is why they are tied to Curium.

Animals as elements: 93-94 Neptunium Earwig, Plutonium Dog

Neptunium is a hard radioactive metal that comes just after Uranium. Because of this it was named Neptunium as that’s the planet after Uranium. No prizes for where Plutonium gets it name from. It’s mostly produced as a by product of Nuclear energy production or to make heavier elements.

Earwigs are a rather surprising motherly bug, in that they will look after their young up to their second molt. Their wings resemble ears when unfolded, hence the name. They are tied with Neptunium as I felt how they got their name was similarly odd.

Plutonium is probably the most famous post transuranic metal. Its used nuclear fusion and fission explosions and bombs. It’s also had use a medical indicator but this was never developed beyond lab tests that were nonconsensual. Much like Pluto, Micky’s dog, Plutonium is depicted as a dog. In this case my Dog Willow.

Animals as elements: 91-92 Protactinium Serval, Uranium Panther

Protactinium is a highly toxic relatively stable radioactive element. It only used for scientific research and is usually a by-product of nuclear energy and research. It’s bioactive and reacts readily with organic compounds and oxygen.

Servals are medium-sized carnivorous cats. They will hang using their hearing and can bring down larger prey. They generally avoid other large cats. They are paired with protactinium as servals have been known to be very vicious.

Uranium needs almost no introduction. It’s a mildly to very radioactive element, but very useful element, mostly used in nuclear reactors, scientific research and medical machinery. It can also be used for hardening, plating and in alloys.

Black Panthers (or leopards but not Jaguars) are large cats live in Africa and Asia. They are stealthy jungle hunters, and capable of hunting large prey as a apex predator. They are tied with Uranium as Africa is a major exporter of Uranium and I felt the pather reflected the raw power of Uranium.

Animals as elements: 89-90 Actinium Trypanosoma brucei, Thorium Maned Wolf

Actinium is the first of the Actinides, a series of 15 similar elements that share similarities. Some are only available when man-made, others occur in nature in stable or semi-stable states. Actinium itself is very radioactive and doesn’t really have much use. It’s matched with Trypanosoma brucei which is one of the parasites that plague humans and other creatures from the Tsetse fly.

Thorium is a slightly radioactive rare earth actinide which most common isotope has a half life close to the age of the universe itself (so pretty much stable). It’s named for Thor the Norse God of thunder, and is used in crucibles, arc lamps, catalytic conversation of ammonia.

Manned Wolf is not a fox nor a wolf. It is in fact it’s own special species of candid. They lack the split eyes of foxes and the double coat of a wolf. They live in South American grasslands and jungles and hunt alone. They use scent markings heavily and are sometimes referred to as a Skunk wolf. Like Thorium they are strange and familiar at the same time.

Animals as elements: 87-88 Francium French Hen, Radium Skate

Francium is the second rarest naturally occurring element. It’s an alkali metal and generally degrades by decay into astatine. It shares many properties with Astatine and caesium and can form similar salts to both. Its instability makes it if little practical use. Francium was discovered in France (hence the name) in the Curie Institute. It originally has the name Eka-caesium.

French hens are a domestic food animal that, may or may not have originated in France. The name has stuck, and so it gets tied with Francium.

Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element in alloys of Uranium, and very rarely in Calcites. It’s the most infamous application was in watch and clock diles to make them glow in the dark over long periods. This practice led to the horrendous treatment of the Radium Girls, who were instructed to use their mouths to point the paintbrush. This led to radium ingestion, which acts like calcium in the body and deposited into bones eventually causing cancer. It also helped (along with polonium) to cause madam Curies death.

Skates are Rays that are generally smaller in size, they are slippery and able to fit in small spaces. Thus I tied them to the equally slippery Radium.

Animals as elements: 85-86 Astatine Macrolepiota procera, Radon Wandering Albatross

Astatine is a very rare radioactive element that only exists on earth as a decay product of other elements. It’s only real use is in radioactivity experiments and in the production of heavier elements.

Macrolepiota procera is a common fungus that is famous for forming the fairy ring. It’s upper part (fruit body) is short lived and thus tied to Asatine for this reason. Also no one really seems to know if fungi count as plants or animals. I’m going to count them as animals for the purposes of this art series and because I like fungus.

Radon is a unstable Nobel gas. It really only exists in nature again as a decay product of heavier slightly more stable elements. It’s mostly used as a tracer to determine the age of other things.

The Wandering Albatross is a large sea-bound bird that close to lives entirely in flight, only coming to ground to mate and hunt. It seems a fitting tribute to the Radon.

Animas as elements: 83-84 Bismuth Humpbank Anglerfish, Polonium Stork

Bismuth is a soft post-transition metal that is famous for its hues of Rainbow like crystals. It’s also the first element that isn’t completely stable even in its ground state, though its half-life is so large as to be greater than three times the age of the universe. It’s used in cosmetics, solder, plating and alloys and ammunition. It used to be used like iodine, until it was found to be mildly toxic. It is still sometimes used in disinfectants but at a much-reduced dosage.

The humpback anglerfish is a fish that hints using its natural luminescent light. Like almost all anglerfish it is an ambush carnivore. It’s tied to bismuth as they both use light to distract from their potential dangers.

Polonium is famous for its toxic radioactive states. It has no stable elemental form and has been used as a assassination weapon. It may have also contributed to Marrie Curie’s death. She discovered and named the element after her homeland of Poland, then occupied by the Russians. It was the first (but not the last) time that an element was named as a political statement.

Storks are long-legged wading birds. They share a long mythology that includes birth and death and have been depicted as both bringing of babies and as bringing death (though this much less so). Storks are third to Polonium as there are many Storks that call Poland one of their homes (as they are migratory birds). They were thought to be close to completely monogamous, but this has lately been shown to be untrue, though it’s helped in the rise if their mythology throughout the western world.