the backstory
sea goats are traditionally depicted in mythology as an animal with the head of a goat and the tail of a fish. their duality - being of both land and sea - make them able to navigate both the solid, stable earth and the ever-changing ocean. found in Babylonian astrology & Jewish mythology, and later added to the Greek pantheon, the sea goat is the astrological symbol for capricorn.
katy (she/her) - the capricorn sun behind the sea goat - is a maker of things, folk herbalism enthusiast, lover of myths and folktales, and amateur astrologist. she was raised by the mountains and forests of unceded Abenaki land (colonially known as New Hampshire), but traces her lineage back to the west coast of Ireland and southern Italy & the broader Mediterranean region.
the sea goat began as an idea during katy’s first saturn return, as a way to find some meaning and purpose in the midst of a long period of illness. for her, beauty is part of what makes for a meaningful existence. it can come in many small and wonderful ways - the quiet in the first snowfall, the indigo of the sky just before sunset, the flame of a candle keeping the darkness at bay.
as a disabled/chronically ill and poor person, katy knows how beauty is often weaponized against poor people, as a way to keep us out of spaces or as something that we are not deserving of experiencing. a core principle of hers is that everyone, regardless of income or background, deserves to have and experience beautiful things. at the sea goat, we work to make everything as financially accessible as possible through sliding scale pricing and a barter & trade program. she hopes that the things she makes can add beauty, comfort, and a little magic to your everyday.
resources & inspiration
at the sea goat, we believe in the importance of naming the lineage of ideas and inspiration. this practice is antithetical to the stealing of land, labor, and traditions so essential to capitalist and colonial systems. the works of these authors, herbalists, astrologers, witches, artists, radicals, and creators have been particularly influential, and we encourage you to check them out and support their work directly.
-
Post-Colonial Astrology by Alice Sparkly Kat
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Health Communism by Beatrice Adler-Bolton and Artie Vierkant
Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
-
-
The People’s Medicine School at Rootwork Herbals
The Auspices at Weaving Earth
Recalling our Ancestors - a collaborative initiative hosted by Youth Passageways
-
-
Dirt Gems Plant Oracle Deck by Anne Louise Burdett & Chelsea Granger
olivia ephraim pepper (lunaria mysticism)