Magick and Symbolism of Cashmere- Nisha Designs

Magick of Cashmere: comfort, warmth, luxury.

Goats were first used as a symbol of fertility, virility, and lust, but then they started to be identified with meanings such as independence, ambition, persistence, and disobedience.


Cashmere or cachemire is a precious textile fiber generated from the hair of Capra hircus, commonly called cashmere goats (Kashmir goats), which are raised in countries such as Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, Turkey and India. However, its name comes from Kashmir, a historical region currently divided between India, Pakistan and China, from where it has been exported to Europe since the beginning of the 19th century. The finest and most valuable cashmere in the world comes from the highlands of Inner Mongolia and is distinguished by the high fineness of the fibers, by the length and uniformity. In outer Mongolia, north of the Gobi desert, there is the production of the “brown” fiber, while in inner Mongolia, in the south, the more precious “white” fiber is produced.

Luxurious fiber par excellence, the hand of cashmere is soft, silky and velvety, it gives a warm and fluffy sensation. The thinnest and finest part is the down of the undercoat and is called duvet, that is the soft and woolly lower layer; the thickest part with stiff and rough hairs comes from the outer coat and is called giarre. To collect it, the coat is manually combed during the moulting season, which takes place in spring. The production averages between 100 and 200 grams of fine hair for each adult animal.

Bruno Torfs’ garden of magickal and mystical beings in Australia’s Yarra Valley- Rosa Medea

Sculptor and Artist Bruno Torfs’ garden, part of the luscious sub-alpine forests of Australia’s Marysville, is home to a wonderful array of magickal and mystical beings that he himself carved from wood and made using earthenware.

Bruno’s Art & Sculpture Garden, located in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley, has long been a haven for those with a connection to nature and its magickal inhabitants. Among the garden’s residents are a bearded wizard, various fae, a lion, Mowgli, native women, a witch, and Sherlock Holmes and Watson characters.

Bruno Torfs incorporates the natural landscape into his art, using tree branches and leaves as a part of his subjects’ hair or body. After carving, they remain unpainted and blend in with their surroundings.

The South American-born artist’s collection of wooden and terracotta life size sculptures were extensive until the Marysville bushfires of 2009, which tore through much of his garden.

Since the bushfires, Bruno Torfs has rebuilt his home and gallery. The garden has blossomed into a new stage of life, most of his terracotta life size sculptures have been restored and visitors can see his surviving paintings as well as new works in the unique new gallery space.

Bruno Torfs

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com