Cernunnos's topics - tribe.net

Blk Muscle for NON, Hairy or Smooth.. Bigger...or Average

Thundercizzle — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:51:22 GMT

Very spiritual and sexual guy here. South FL or outside is fine too. Lookin' for a down to earth guy or couple to get to know.
Opposites Attract! Just like on ChaserZone.com

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

New Tradition!

Allen — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:54:33 GMT

Hello!

I have started a new site centered around my path which I call Cernosia. Its focus is the Celtic God Cernunnos. If anyone would like to take a look, here is the addy:

cernosia.webs.com/

Blessings of the Horned One!
Herne

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

Male Rites and Mysteries

Allen — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:27:31 GMT

I've had the male mysteries and rites on my mind lately, wondering what sort of rites would be uniquely male. I thought of a few, and would like your input on what sort of rites would be involved, how they would differ from women's mysteries and rites and so on.

1) Birth of a boy-child

2) Dedication to the God

3) Manhood rites (probably on 13th birthday? What would it involve? The "birds and the bees" discussion? The boy's first taste of beer/alcohol? The gift of his first knife or gun?)

4) First Kill - A celebration of a boy's first kill, bringing home something that can be eaten, be it squirel, rabbit, turkey, deer, whatever.

5) Strength rite - Eating the raw liver of a freshly killed deer while still in the field, to celebrate the hunt/kill, to honor the deer's life, to recieve the deer's strength (For any who think this might be nasty, raw liver has many health benefits. Look at this site: http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/liver.html)

6) Bachelor Party - ?

7) Blood brother rite - ?

8) Soldier rite - to Celebrate a man's entering the armed services

Can you think of others I have not listed here?

I would love to hear your input on these.

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Is there an SF group worshiping Cernunnos?

wolfhaert — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:24:56 GMT

Wondering if there is a group of men in the SF Bay area worshiping Cernunnos? He's the deity I work with most often and I would like to be able to share my experiences with him, with other men.

posted in Cernunnos - 7 replies

http://oralcockworship.blogspot.com

Oral — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:28:43 GMT

A California Gay Man's Journey to Sexual Bliss!

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Julian Riley and the Homomoot

Allen — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:58:08 GMT

I need to get in contact with Julian Riley of the Homomoot. Does anyone know how I can get in touch with him?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Herne

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Statues of Cernunnos

Dionysus — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:47:29 GMT

Does anyone have a source for a favourite statue of Cernunnos? Oberon Zell-Ravenheart's is nice. Any others?

posted in Cernunnos - 29 replies

Cernunnos Tattoo

Draig — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:33:28 GMT

Hi guys, I am getting a full back tattoo of Cernunnos, starting next week. I have it all designed out but there is just one thing I can't decide on. I designed him with an erection, as I think that that should be a part of his representation as a fertility god, however I also have to be realistic that there are times I might want might shirt off in public, such as going swimming. So, I'm on the fence as to whether to do the cock or to put some other symbol there that would still convey life, rebirth. I thought of perhaps a stylized phoenix from flames in black; or an Ankh; though neither or strictly Celtic. I could just have the snake he holds be so intertwined with him as to hide his crotch. Do you have any ideas? I am not asking to be convinced one way or the other as obviously it has to be my decision, but I'd like to hear any other symbolic alternatives if you can think of some. Right now I am leaning toward having him with the erection and then if I don't want it later getting it covered over with something perhaps.

posted in Cernunnos - 26 replies

Cern'osian Sabbats - I Need Your Input

Allen — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:31:26 GMT

Hello my friends!

As most of you know, I am a henotheist who worships only Cernunnos. I call myself a Cern'osian, a term I invented for my path. While I am not Wiccan, I want to incorporate the 8 Wiccan Sabbats into my path. Since Cernunnos is a stag god, I want to base my celebrations around the life cycle of the deer, while still preserving as much of the meaning and symbolism of the Sabbats as I can. Since I am not Wiccan though, I am not completely familiar with the symbolism of the Sabbats. I would really like your input on this. I am by no means finished with this. I just wanted to share what I have so far, and get your thoughts, input and advice on it. If you can help me in this, I would be eternally grateful.

Much love and blessings everyone,
Herne

Cern'osian Sabbats and Minor Holy Days

Dec. 31/ Jan. 1 New Year's Eve/New Year's Day

People around the world observe New Year's Day as a day of new beginnings, of fresh starts, of ridding oneself of bad habits and starting good ones. Beginning around mid-December and ending somewhere around March, male deer begin shedding their antlers one at a time. This is a day for the Cern'osian to shed unwanted traits and habits. Choose a resolution, something that you want to rid yourself of. Write it on a piece of paper and burn it to symbolize its departure from your life.

Feb. 2 Imbolc

February is a time of expectation for the herd. The bellies of the pregnant does are beginning to swell, and after the long, cold winter, the first green buds of spring are beginning to emerge. As the world prepares itself for the long awaited return of spring, so too should we prepare ourselves by rededicating ourselves to the Horned One. Perform the self-dedication ritual annually, not because the god needs us to do so, but to remind ourselves who we are and why we are here.

Mar. 21 Ostara/Vernal Equinox

Spring is now in full bloom. The long, hard famine of winter has ended. Night and day are equal now with long summer days just ahead. Coats begin to change color in preparation for summer. The god emerges from his long sleep, resplendent in his glory. Plant a garden, or maybe an apple or oak tree, in his honor. Decorate with garlands, wreaths and crowns of spring flowers. Recite Hail to the Horned One.

Hail to the Horned One!
By Herne, 3/15/09

Sound the horns loudly and beat on the drums!
The Stag King is waking! See, yonder He comes!
The birds are all singing a chorus of praise,
Their love overflowing in each chirp and phrase!
The fields are all donning their grandest attire,
The brooks are a' babbling, a wonderful choir!

Shout Hail to the Horned One, our Lord and our King!
Crown Him with flowers, the bringer of spring!
The Wheel is still turning, there's nothing to fear!
Sound the horns loudly, the Horned One is here!

May 1 Beltane

Antlers begin to sprout, the first fawns are born, the yearling bucks and second year does begin to exercise their independence from their mothers. As the stag's antlers begin to grow, so too does the desire and lust of the god. Celebrate the masculine on this day, as the virility of the god begins to flow. Purchase or make a deer mask and dance the hunt around the Beltane fire, mimicking a stag prancing and leaping in the wood. Celebrate with drumming and chanting. Try some body painting too!

June 22 Litha/Summer Solstice

During the long hot days of summer, the young fawns, tempted by the summer greenery all around them, are weaned from their mothers. As the fawn leaves off the teat, so too shall I wean myself from my troubles and woes. Use this day to celebrate life in all its glory and wonder. Take a walk in the woods, noticing the variety of life around you. Focus on the good and positive in your life. Count your blessings.

Aug 1 - Lughnasadh

Young fawns begin to lose their spots and the adults' coats begin to change color in preparation for the coming fall and winter. Adult antlers, now full grown, begin to lose their velvet. As the deer begin to prepare for the rigors of the coming winter, so too do people begin to lay away food. Celebrate with the first fruits of the harvest.

Sept 21 Mabon/Autumnal Equinox

The first buttons of the yearling bucks begin to form in preparation for their first rack which will begin to sprout in the spring, and the earth prepares to enter its slumber. The god lays down his life for the harvest and prepares for his trip to the underworld. Honor his passing with a feast.

Oct. 31 Samhain

All living things must die. Such is the way of life. So, too, does the deer. On this night the god begins his underworld journey. Today is a day to honor those who have passed on.

Nov 14 Deer Hunting Season Begins/Nov 28 Deer Hunting Season Ends/Nov ? Thanksgiving Day

Mating season for deer begins in October and extends until December. As the herd is expanding, so it must be thinned to prevent over-population.

On Nov 14, a ritual shall be performed, asking bounty for the hunter, and mercy for the hunted. May the hunters' bullets fly true, and may death be swift and merciful for the deer with little suffering. Pray for a mission accomplished, that the exact number needed will be taken - no more, no less. Also pray the Horned One's blessings on the hunters that there will be no hunting accidents. Celebrate by going on a hunt yourself, whether real or imaginary.

On Nov 28 another ritual is performed to celebrate the ending of the hunting season. Ask for protection for the herd throughout the long winter. Honor the spirits of the slain deer.

On Thanksgiving Day remember to thank the god for the bounty of the hunt and for preserving life in the midst of death.

Dec 22 Yule/Winter Solstice

It is the shortest day of the year, and winter is now full upon the herd. However, hope is in the air. From here on out, the days will get longer. As the sun is reborn, so the lean days of winter will soon end. Celebrate with fire, with gifts for loved ones. Decorate a Yule tree. Decorate your home with pine, holly and mistletoe. As part of the ritual, purchase a bag of apples and take them somewhere that deer are known to live. Hang them from tree limbs where the deer can reach them that the herd may celebrate the season too. If you live in a city, or in a place where there are no deer, decorate your Yule tree with apples and say a prayer for the survival of the herd.

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Ritual bate in Catskills

monk — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:44:01 GMT

Seeking fellow ritual bators in Catskill region for outdoor, mountaintop experiences.

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Red Ochre

Micheal — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:19:23 GMT

would anyone know of a good on-line source for red ochre? I am looking for a decent supplier for the owner of a pagan bookstore in town. I bought some on-line over a year ago to use at my burial and I cannot remember the name of the company. Thanks for your help, all!

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Angels or Demons? Anything in between?

Azazeal — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:23:16 GMT

Can all spiritual entities be classified as Angels or demons or Good or Evil? I was wondering? Is it that clear cut? Is there anything in between? What do you think?

Azaeal

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

Unique Deity pieces

Taran — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:48:15 GMT

Was wondering if anyone had unique statues, object d'arte, or images they use to represent their deities? I have a dancing woman statue made of wood that I use for a Goddess statue on my shrine. I am in the process of looking for altar pieces, but I don't want representations that are used by everyone. I think I found a unique Aradia, but have not found anything unique to represent Cernunnos/Herne. Would love to hear from everyone.
B*B*
Taran YoungOak

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Concerning Cernunnos

Phoenix Faust — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:57:34 GMT

Cernnunnos (1)

Cernnunos Sleeps (2)

The Old God sleeps
down in the dark, moist,
odorous underfoot,
Waiting for us
To put down our roots.

THE GOD IN THE WILD WOOD

At the Sacred Centre, in the Grove of all Worlds, He sits with legs crossed beneath an ancient Oak. Entranced, connecting the three worlds æ Earth, Sea, and Sky æ and the worlds behind the worlds, the god and the Great Tree are One, His immense limbs widespread, stretching into distant sky and starry space. His massive trunk, spine of the Middleworld, is the heart of the Ancient Forest around which all Life, all worlds turn. His limitless root web growing deep into secret earth and Underworld. Above him the great turning circles of Sun, Moon, and Stars. All around Him subtle movements of the leaves in melodious, singing air. Everywhere the pulsing, gleaming Green awash in drifts of gold and shimmering mist. Beneath Him soft moss creeping over the dark, deep, moist of spawning earth. At His feet the great Cauldron from which the Five Rivers Flow. Through the forest stillness they come, whispering wings and secret glide, rustling leaves, and silent step, the first Ancestors, the Oldest Animals, to gather around Him: Blackbird, Keeper of the Gate; Stag of Seven Tines, Master of Time; Ancient Owl, Crone of the Night; Eagle, Lord of the Air, Eye of the Sun; and Salmon, Oldest of the Old, Wisest of the Wise leaping from the juncture of the Five Springs. He welcomes them and blesses them, and they honor Him, Cernnunos of the nut brown skin and lustrous curling hair. The god whose eyes flash star-fire, whose flesh is a reservoir of ancient waters, His cells alive with Mystery, original primeval essence. Naked, phallus erect, He wears a crown of antlers limned in green fire and twined with ivy. In his right hand the Torq of gold, testament of his nobility and his sacred pledge. In his left hand the horned serpent symbol of his sexual power sacred to the Goddess. Cernnunos in His Ancient Forest, His Sacred Temple, His Holy Grove, Cernnunos and His children dream the Worlds.

THE ORIGINS OF CERNNUNOS

Cernnunos, a nature and fertility god, has appeared in a multitude of forms and made himself known by many names to nearly every culture throughout time. He is perhaps best known to us now in his Celtic aspects of the untamed Horned God of the Animals and the leaf-covered Green Man, Guardian of the Green World, but He is much older. Cernnunos worked his magic when the first humans were becoming. Our prehistoric ancestors knew him as a shape-shifting, shamanic god of the Hunt. He is painted in caves and carved everywhere, on cliffs, stones, even in the Earth Herself. Humans sought to commune with Him and receive his power and that of his animal children by dressing themselves in skins and skulls, adorning themselves with feathers and bones, by dancing His dance. Yet He is older still. In the time of the dinosaurs, the great swamps and subtropical forests of cycads, seed ferns and conifers, and later in the time of the deciduous plants and flowers, when the pollinators came and the first tiny mammals were creeping up from beneath the ground, Cernnunos was the difference and diversity of life, the frenzy and ferment of evolution. But, He is much older still. He is oldest of the Ancient Ones, first born of the Goddess. At the time of First Earth, Cernnunos grew in the womb of the All Mother, Anu, waiting to be born, to come forth to initiate the everlasting, unbroken Circle of Life.

THE MANY FACES & NATURES OF CERNNUNOS

Cernnunos, as The Horned God, Lord of the Animals is portrayed as human or half human with an antler crown. Though he wears a human face his energy and his concerns are non-human. He is protector of animals and it is Cernnunos who is the law-sayer of hunting and harvest. While He is recognized most often through his connection to animals and our own deeply buried, dimly recalled, instinctual animal natures, Cernnunos is also a tree, forest, and vegetation god in his foliate aspect of The Green Man, Guardian of the Green World. His branching antlers symbolize the spreading treetops of the forest as well as his animal nature. As Master of the Sacrificial Hunt, His is the life that is given in service of new life. His wisdom is that the old must pass away to make way for the new. In his Underworld aspect Cernnunos is The Dark Man, the god who dwells in the House Beneath the Hill, the Underworld. He is the one who comforts and sings the souls of the dead to their rest in the Summerlands of the Otherworld. Cernnunos, as Master of the Wild Hunt, who pursues the souls of evil doers, is not associated with a biblical or even modern morality, but with the protection and continuance of the Land and Nature and the spirits that dwell therein. Pan, lusty Satyr god of the Greeks is another aspect of the Horned God. "Pan is a proud celebration of the liberating power of male erotic energy in its purest and most beautiful form." (5) He is portrayed as playful and cunning, but He also has a darker, dangerous nature. The panic or terror often associated with Pan is not related to human violence, but to the Life and Death of the natural world. In this form he is called the "All Devourer." However, Pan, as Protector of the Wilderness and as a god prone to fits of madness and violence, can induce panic or wild fear in those who threaten his domain. Cernnunos appears again in Elizabethan England, and is mentioned by Shakespeare, as Herne the Hunter, the demon and guardian of Windsor Forest, the Royal Wood. In this aspect it is said that he appears as Guardian of the Realm during times of National emergency and crisis. In modern times he is often called the God of the Witches and embodies uncorrupted masculine energy. A masculine energy that is fully-developed and in balance with the natural world

CERNNUNOS & THE SACRED WHEEL OF THE SEASONS

We celebrate and honor Cernnunos as the Green Man in spring and summer, the light half of the year and as the Dark One or the Dark God in autumn and winter, the dark half of the year. He appears in spring as the young Son, child of the Goddess, embodiment of the budding, growing, greening world. In summer He is the Green Man, vibrant, pulsing with life essence, the consort of the Green Lady Goddess. It is in autumn, the dying time, that perhaps we see the Horned God most clearly. He is the sacrificed one, who, wounded unto death begins his journey to the Underworld, returning to the Earth from which he was born and where the seeds of light released from his decaying body will quicken Her womb with a new Sun once again.

THE PATH TO CERNNUNOS

The path to Cernnunos is both through the natural world: seeking out the wild places and a deep understanding of the processes of growth, bounty, decay, rest, and rebirth, and through Otherworld journeys to the Middleworld forest of which he is guardian. One may experience this both actually and symbolically by following the path that disappears over the horizon into the distance and moves away from the "civilized" world and into the heart of the Wild Wood. Often experienced as traveling away from the centre to the perimeter, this is in actuality a return to the Centre. When the seeker reaches the god's forest the track ends, and her/his pathways are found by other means. After entering the Wildwood the seeker cannot be followed, nor can s/he follow another. Whatever pathways are discovered disappear in passing, and the Wood is trackless once again, for each one's way is different. In the Forest of Cernnunos there is a stillness, an otherworldly feeling, as if one has passed out of time. Here the mind is not supreme. It is instinct, the innate wisdom of the body that guides us to Him.

THE WAY OF CERNNUNOS

The way of Cernnunos is the way of the shaman or any person who truly seeks Communion with the Land. Yet, one cannot speak of Cernnunos without speaking of Anu or Don, the All Mother who gave Him birth. The way of Cernnunos is through the One. Like Her, Cernnunos is a Being or Power that existed before time and before the gods, the Shining Ones. Together they are First Mother and First Father, All Mother and All Father who brought the gods into being. Limitless and everlasting His energy permeates Her matter through every aspect of life to the sub-atomic. As Lord of the Dance He is present in the billions and billions of infinitely small movements that make up the seemingly chaotic Dance of Life, the Dance of Making and Unmaking. He is truly the Life that never, never dies, for even as nothingness he is self-originating. He is triple as She is triple. He is Cernnunos: Father, Son, and Wild Spirit

Cernnunos Chant

Cern-nu-noh-oh-oh-oh-os
Stag Horned Hunter, Hunted One
Join Us Now
Cer-nu-noh-oh-oh-oh-os
Greenwood Lord of Life and Death
Join Us Now
Cern-nu-noh-oh-oh-oh-os
Herne and Pan and Every Man

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOURCES

Anderson, William. Green Man: The Archetype of our Oneness with the Earth. London: HarperCollins Publishers Limited, 1990.

Carr-Gomm, Philip & Stephanie. The Druid Animal Oracle: Working with the Sacred Animals of the Druid Tradition. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1994.

Conway, D. J. By Oak, Ash, & Thorn: Modern Celtic Shamanism. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.

Corrigan, Ian. The Portal Book: Teachings and Works of Celtic Witchcraft. Cleveland Heights, OH: Chameleon Press, 1996.

Knight, Sirona. Greenfire: Making Love With the Goddess. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.

Matthews, Caitlín. Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanism In Everyday Living. Shaftesbury, Dorset, United Kingdom: Element Books Limited, 1995.

Matthews, John. The Celtic Shaman: A Handbook. Shaftesbury, Dorest, United Kingdom: Element Books Limited, 1991.

Matthews, Caitlín and John. The Encyclopædia of Celtic Wisdom. Shaftesbury, Dorset: Element Books Limited, 1994.

Stewart, R. J. The Way of Merlin: The Prophet, the Goddess, and the Land Techniques of Transformation from the Merlin Tradition. London: The Aquarian Press, 1991.

Zell, Morning Glory. "Pan." Green Egg: A Journal of Awakening Earth Vol. 27, No. 104, Spring 1994: 12-13, 49.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

(1) Cernnunos is the god's Gaulish name. He is known by and associated with many others.

(2) The poem Cernnunos Sleeps is by C. Hue Bumgarner-Kirby. The poem appears with the author's original painting of the same name in a card presentation from Bridge Building Images. Bridge Building Images offers beautiful Celtic and Native American spiritual images. Their web site is located at: http://www.wowpages.com/bbi

(4 ) No one knows how ancient the god or energy called Cernnunos might be. Based on my studies and experiences, I offer here my own theory of the god's origins.

(5 ) Zell, Morning Glory. "Pan"

(6) Words and music by Ivo Dominguez, Jr. Visit Ivo's web site at http://www.dol.net/~panpipe/panpipe.html and hear his Cernnunos Chant in Real Audio.

posted in Cernunnos - 4 replies

Pagan Men-Only Groups?

MacMorrighan — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:29 GMT

Hey guys, I was wondering if you know of any men-only Pagan groups for worship and bonding (forging a brotherhood) in your local community? And, if not, are any men interested in starting one within said "local community"? Do you believe anyone (of either gender) might be averse to such a group? I distinctly remember hearing of a case where a Men's Mysteries worship had just commensed at a greater Pagan Gathering when, tromping down through the woods was a band of women whom demanded entry! They were a group from the local Women's Mysteries seminary, and thought that they had, due to their gender, the right to partake in Men's Mysteries, 'cause they wanted to know what all these men were upto. Ever the diplomat, the head of the Men's group said this would be fine, as long as they did not demand entry, and also allowed the men to partake in the Women's Mysteries. They refused, declairing that the men would only pervert their Mysteries! Now, as offensive as this is of these women (it would be offensivce if men behave the same way towards them!), it shows that they have absolutely no respect for Men and their holy Mysteries.

Still, I (for one) want to forge a men's-only group for Pagans (regardless of sexual orientation), yet...Pagan men in particular seem sooooo apathetic and indifferent! Why do you think this might be? An interesting analogy may be found in Pagan publications, such as "Sage Woman" and "The Beltane Papers"--these are women-only Pagan magazines that each used to have a sibling publication for men-only. However, each failed drastically! In fact, after "Sage Woman"'s bro. "Green Man" failed, it was made a multi-gender publication as "Pan Gaia", and now it's thriving! Why do men not seem interested in networking with other men only? Heck, I have come across numerous men that feel phenominally uncomfortable ritualizing with Pagans if there are no women present, as if women must be mandatory at every ritual! Why do they seem to think it doesn't "seem right" to get together with a group comprising all Tab "A"s with no Slot "B"s!

Moreover, according to Isaac Bonewitz research (found in his book, "The Pagan Man"), the vast majorirty of respondants for his questionaire declaired men that need to ritualize with other men are either "wimps", or they believe (incorrectly) that such groups are all about making men feel bad about being male due to Pagan beliefs re: feminism! Of course, it doesn't help when many Pagan males in articles that I've read (albeit dated, I suspect) tend to declair the presence of men, and the High Priest as unneccessary; and that he just needs to accept this and deal with it!

Any thoughts about how to get men interested in gathering together in order to fashion a Brotherhood? Just thought I'd start a topic for discussion.

posted in Cernunnos - 5 replies

Boaz and Jakin, the mystical portals unto Karnayna (Cernunnos)

sorchar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:19:21 GMT

Hi folks

Just placed on our HomoMoot website, some infor' in regard to Boaz and Jakin, which you may find of interest.

www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Blessed be as we approach the Great High Sabbat of Samhain

Julian Riley
High Priest of the HomoMoot
Copyright HomoMoot 2007

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

The Goddess Annis, and her 3,500 year old sacred Well, here in Wales

sorchar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:28:05 GMT

Hi folks

Thought you might all find of interest, the pics and info' , I have placed on the HomoMoot website, in regard to our beloved Goddess Annis, here in Wales, and her 3,500 yr old sacred well, famed for healing, just 5mins from the HomoMoot

For further info, go to www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Blessed be

Julian Riley
High Priest of the HomoMoot
Copyright HomoMoot 2007

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Zeus & Male Rites de Passage?

MacMorrighan — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:49:14 GMT

Howdy guys! A while back on The History Channel (though, recently, I sometimes wonder where the actual ancient history has gone on this channel!) I happened to see a program where it was mentioned that ancient Greek adolescent males would collect the trimmings of their FIRST shaving into a bowl, and sacrifice it on the Altar of Zeus as an offering. Sadly, I've not hitherto been able to substantiate this declaration. Soooo...I was wondering if anyone, here, might be aware of any ancient or academic source that I can look to. I'm also interested in any other male Rites of Passage from any other cultures, including (obviously) those from the Med. (which'll probably easier to locate) for a personal research project if anyone can think of any, as well as any associated deities. :o) Aye...it's a shame that we, in the west, have lost our particularly male-centered rites of passage! All we really have is a father teaching his son how to shave--but, not everyone recieves this; I know that I certainly didn't (I was just handed an electric razor and expected to do for myself when I was young, unlike my yunger brother whom my dad taught how to shave).

Take Care,
Wade

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Manifestation Of The Mystical Phoenix Caught On Camera At The HomoMoot Here In Wales

sorchar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:42:15 GMT

Hi folks,

Thought you might like to see, on the HomoMoot website, images that I caught in the grounds of the HomoMoot, last Saturday evening, of the manifestation of the Phoenix-the mystical Bird who has been around for 1000's of years.

www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

It is true to say, Spirit is moving, esp' here at the HomoMoot.

Blessed be as we prepare to celebrate the final Full Moon Esbat before the Great High Sabbat of Samhain, our Celtic Welsh New Year.

Julian Riley
High Priest of the HomoMoot
Copyright: HomoMoot 2007

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

The Mystical Phoenix Bird Caught On Camera At The HomoMoot

sorchar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:33:28 GMT

Hi folks,

Hope you will all find this of interest, as the weekend just gone turned out to be a rather special weekend. I believe for the first time ever, the mystical Phoenix has been caught on camera by myself, here in the gardens of the HomoMoot.

I have placed images of Her on the HomoMoot website. www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Light and blessings as we approach the final Full Moon Esbat before the Great High Sabbat of Samhain.

Julian Riley
High Priest of the HomoMoot
Copyright: HomoMoot 2007

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Is this forum dead

sorchar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:12:08 GMT

This forum needs to liven up, its as dead as a badgers arse.

Come on, wakie wakie

Julian Riley
High Priest of the HomoMoot
www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot
Copyright: HomoMoot 2007

posted in Cernunnos - 5 replies

From Sept 22nd, Exclusive Cernunnos T-Shirts now available from the HomoMoot

sorchar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:11:21 GMT

Hi folks and a very happy Mabon to you all.

To celebrate Mabon, here at the HomoMoot, in the Celtic land of Wales, we have just launched our exclusive (Copyright of the HomoMoot 2008), Cernunnos Logo T-Shirts, so you can now wear with pride your connection with our Celtic God, Karnayna (Cernunnos).

For further details, visit the HomoMoot at www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Blessed be this Mabon.

Julian Riley BA.Th
High Priest of the HomoMoot
Copyright: HomoMoot 2007

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Parchments and Rituals unto Cernunnos/karnayna

sorchar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:52:37 GMT

Hi folks, thought I would put this on here, just in case anyone finds it of interest in their spiritual work with karnayna (Cernunnos), as I make real parchment paper, no, not the parchment papers you find in shops today that easily go through a printer... these, what I make, here in the Celtic land of Wales, are REAL thick parchment papers, roughly A4 size, that would have been common in the Middle Ages, here in England, Wales and Scotland. They make fab' parchment papers to write out all your Cernunnos rituals, and can be all put together, to form a very unique Book of Shadows.

The parchements that I make are all hand made here at the HomoMoot kitchen, by hand, using the traditional Welsh/Celtic dye method. The sheets of Parchment are then baked in a clay oven and air dried. This is followed by the parchment papers being smoked over oak charcoals in the HomoMoot garden and finally, the parchment papers are lightly scorched using flint.

I have placed some pics and more info' on the HomoMoot website, for those who may be interested . www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Blessed be as always.

Julian: High Priest of the HomoMoot
Copyright: HomoMoot 2007

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Self Initiation (by Post/Mail) Into Cernunnos with Julian at the HomoMoot

sorchar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:59:56 GMT

Hi folks,

Well, finally at last, self initiation into the sacred, sexual and masculine energies of our Celtic God, Karnayna (Cernunnos), all composed by myself, as High Priest of the HomoMoot

For further info' , go to the HomoMoot website www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Blessed be as always as we approach the Harvest Full Moon of August.

Julian: High Priest of the HomoMoot
The HomoMoot: Copyright 2008

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Curioser and Curioser

Allen — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:38:35 GMT

I would like your opinions of some things that have happened to me recently...

1. Totem Dream

I am in bed. Having centered and grounded, I am preparing to go to sleep. As I begin to drift off, I find my thoughts turning toward totem animals, a topic I had been reading about earlier. I decide that at some point in the future I want to try to call my totem. I am not sure if I drifted off to sleep and dreamed this or if it was a vision. Whatever it was, that is when it begins.

I am in the heart of a forest. I am sitting, legs crossed, at the base of a huge tree. (I'm not sure what kind of tree it was, but I think it was an oak.) I am preparing to send out a call for my totem animal, to have it reveal itself to me. Before I can speak the words, a HUGE crow swoops in and lands just a few yards away. It stares at me intently from bright amber eyes. Moments later a beautiful gray wolf steps out of the trees and sits beside the crow, looking at me with bright blue eyes. And, with that, I awaken.

As I said before, I am not sure if what I saw was a vision or a dream, and I'm not realy sure that it matters. All I know is that it felt incredibly real, despite the fact that it was completely silent. Neither animal made a sound. I felt no fear in their presence, nor did I feel threatened by them in any way. When I came to myself, I was an awe. I felt like I had been in the presence of the Divine.

2. A Vision (Caution... contains some sexual references... I hope it okay to post this.... If not please delete it....)

It is raining outside. My lover and I are in bed making love. I close my eyes and do a hit of poppers. When I open my eyes, to my utter amazement, my lover has antlers! The rain becomes a thunderstorm. All the while, this vision persists. I cannot take my eyes off his antlers. When he climaxes, I close my eyes. He rests his head on my chest to catch his breath. When I open my eyes again, the antlers are gone.

It was one of the most intense and passionate love-making sessions that I have ever had. I feel no fear throughout, only a sense of awe. It seemed perfectly natural for him to have antlers!

3. A Visitation

I live in a small town in southwestern Virigina. Behind the apartment building is a small copse of trees. There is a house on the other side of it, and I believe the woman who lives there owns it, because I have seen her mowing paths through the undergrowth.

Well, ever since I moved into this apartment, I have felt drawn to that little grove. The other night, at dusk, I convinced my partner to go with me for a short exploratory walk. It felt so good and right to be there. I felt at peace. I placed my hands on several trees and it felt good.

My partner decided to go back to the apartment, but I asked if he would mind if I stayed and meditated for a few minutes. He didn't mind and went back to the apartment. I felt a strong presence in that copse, so I did a short spontaeous ritual. I raised my hands to the sky and said, "In this season between seasons, in this time between times, in this place between places, I call and summon thee, Lord Cernunnos, Herne, Hu Gadarn, Pan, Sylvanus, Pashupati, Green Man, Horned Lord, Great Stag o' the Wood. Reveal your face to me."

I stood silent like that for a moment, and then I heard it. I heard 5 distinct footsteps in the leaves. It did not sound like wind or an animal or anything like that. It sounded like a person walking through the leaves. I looked around but never caught sight of the sounds' source.

4. Omen/Portent?

The other night as I was going to bed - around 2:00 am - I heard a crow cawing outside my bedroom window. My bedroom is on the second floor of my apartment and there is a tree right outside my window. I thought that strange, but ent on to bed. When I woke up the next morning and was making up my bed, I heard it again. I opened up the curtains and found 7 of them in the tree - all looking directly at me!!!!! As I watched (amazed I might add), 3 flew off together and landed in a tree across the road. A few moments later one flew off by itself and landed in road and began eating something there. Finally the other 3 flew off together and landed in another tree.

Well.... your thoughts? Opinions?

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Goddess Bast caught on camera for the 1sr time here in Wales, this Lammas...amazing images!

sorchar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:01:00 GMT

Folks,

Here at the HomoMoot Coven, in the Celtic Land of Wales, we are amazed. Julian, our High Priest caught by sheer chance, on his new digi cam, the image of the Goddess Bast, as Julian offered her, her sacred incense, in his garden, at her sacred altar.

Images can be seen at the HomoMoot website www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Julian: High Priest of the HomoMoot

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Use your bollocks to consecrate your altar and rituals

sorchar — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:06:36 GMT

Elo men, think you will all find the new page on my website of interest to you all, in regard to your bollocks and how you can use them to bless, and empower sacred rituals.

Blessed be as always.

Julian: High Priest of the HomoMoot

www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Invitation to join us at the Solstice Midnight Vigil here in Wales: June 20th 2008

sorchar — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:28:52 GMT

Hi folks, since 1992, we have annually held our Vigil of the Solstice in a stunning setting here in my Celtic homeland of Wales, starting at Midnight with the lighting of the Solstice Vigil bonfire and the solemn Watch through the night. At Sunrise, just before 5am BST, the Sabbat Rites will take place.

Join us as we celebrate the Sabbat of Litha 2008, on June 20th/21st,as we mark the Zenith of the power of Karnayna.

www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Blessed be.
Julian (The HomoMoot. Copyright 2007).

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

Not much happening in here..lets liven it up!

sorchar — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:15:16 GMT

Hi folks, I see not much is going on in the Cernunnos room at the mo so I thought id stick my website address on here, in the hope that it may well lead to some interesing discussions/threads/topics in here, as we approach Litha 2008.

www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Blessed be.
Julian
The HomoMoot (Copyright 2007).

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Cernunnos; The Bread of Life

sorchar — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:18:37 GMT

Hi folks... aint had chance of late to post any new topics on here..however, as we approach Litha , just a few weeks ago, I thought I would put some ideas on here in regard to how to partake in ritual of the bread of life.. this is done through the shaman manifesting Karnayna (Cernunnos) and ritually ejaculating his sacred seed (semen) into an already prepared bread dough upon the altar. It is then baked, and eaten as a shared Litha morning meal..a kind of an Agape meal, whereby Cernunnos is shared ritually and the bread of life, born of the womb of the goddess through the earth, blessed and fertilised by the powers of the God through his sacred Sun truly comes comes to life. It is also a great way of honouring Priapas, the Greek and Roman God... who had the biggest erect cock. Some say he was the son of Zeus, others Pan. I like to think he was the son of Pan. I will be posting some of Litha ideas etc on my website soon, in the meantime, my website for you to all check out is www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Lght & blessings.

Julian ( The HomoMoot. Copyright 2007)

posted in Cernunnos - 4 replies

SunFest 08

WizardsAura — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:30:04 GMT

Through The Ages With The Norse, June 19-22, 2008

Join us for a Norse celebration of Litha.

Ritual will include a Blöt, Sumbel, and potluck feast.

The festival will be held southeast of Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast.

The site feels as though the Mother is holding you in her hands.

There will be drumming, dancing around the huge bonfire, workshops, teens' fire, crafts, meditations, and, of course, merchants of Pagan wares.

Registration Fee's :
Adults $60
13-17 $30
6-12 $20
0-5 $5

Come one, come all and visit www.owow.org for registration.

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

any advice for a first-time priest in a beltane ritual?

Tim J — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:44:52 GMT

i'm invoking cernunnos for my church this weekend, and i'm not really satisfied with the stuff i've found as far as chants and invocations. what are your favorites?

posted in Cernunnos - 7 replies

Happy Beltane folks, new pics of our Rites here in the Celtic land of Wales, from Julian @ the HomoMoot

sorchar — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:04:54 GMT

Hi folks,

Happy Beltane. Thought we would share with you all, some pics taken last night, April 30th 08 (May Eve) of our rites, here in the Celtic land of wales.

Happy Beltane! www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

Julian ( The HomoMoot)

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Death of Bill Harrison: UK Healer by Julian at the HomoMoot

sorchar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:14:21 GMT

Hi folks, it is with great sadness that I have to convey this sad message, that on April 21st, 2008, sadly Bill Harrison passed away. The finest trance medium Angie Kruger, who's web site I run and manage , has now set up a Memorial webpage and a book of Condolence if you wish to sign it at www.angandrich.co.uk Bills own website is www.billharrison.co.uk

Love and light at this sad time

Julian ( www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot)

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Cernunnos.... so..he shows up in the middle of sex...

Phoendish — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:53:24 GMT

Yeah... thats right.

I've always had his name floating around in my subconcious i think, but he chose to manifest during sex.

Which was interesting.... luckily my girlfriend is a pagan and quite aware of these things so i was in a safe environment.

I'm new to all of this so does anyone have any general pointers to give (am over bugging g/f over everything... ;)......)?

i'm looking for celtic paganism info.... etc

posted in Cernunnos - 5 replies

Orgy to Honour Cernunnos at His Altar: Re-dedication and Re-consecration of Cernunnos

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:25:04 GMT

Hi folks.. if anyone is in Wales (Uk) or near, my Coven is holding a re-dedication Rite and re-consecration of Cernunnos on Beltane Eve that will end in an orgy of male sex to honour him. For more information, go to my website www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot

posted in Cernunnos - 7 replies

Greetings

Taran — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 13:18:48 GMT

Merry meet. I am a 36 year old Witch that lives with his partner in wonderful western Washington. We own a couple of acres we named Herne's Acres. I am looking forward to connecting with others out there in the world. :-)
B*B
Taran YoungOak

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Dream Interpretation

Doug — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:30:58 GMT

Hey. I'm new to the tribe and still trying to learn about the ins and outs AS WELL AS learning more about Cernunnos. I was going to "lurk" for a while but have need of some input from some experts.

I had a dream last night and have yet been able to full interpret it. I am certain it was not my subconscious trying to help me work out some problem. It was much more.

I would love to hear some thoughts about what you might think the dream was/meant.

Many thanks!

The dream went like this:

I enter the dream in the midst of a lush, vibrant green forest and in the forest there are ruins of some kind.

I am not alone. I have human companions though I cannot clearly see faces.

We are not alone. I feel the presence of many living things. I believe that all living things were represented in the forest. I specifically saw elephants, leopards, porcupines, rhinos, and fish. Keep in mind that while these I saw, I felt the presence of so many other living things.

We are all traveling through the forest toward something. We come out of the forest into a clearing that is a huge, perfectly formed circle. Inside the circle toward the center are different levels or terraces, leading to one smaller taller terrace (again perfectly formed circle).

We progress slowly and reverently up each terrace. As we near the inner most terrace, a male being appears. I saw no legs, no lower torso. I saw the muscular upper torso, muscular arms and a beautiful, smooth face with long, reddish brown hair and antlers.

No word is ever spoken, but each of us present are given something. Not something physical, rather we are each touched by His hand and something is given to us. Upon receiving His gift, I awoke.

posted in Cernunnos - 4 replies

An Inconvenient Truth Presentation

WizardsAura — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:58:39 GMT

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This is a fund raiser for Pagan Land
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posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

green man

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:55:13 GMT

i had a dream of the green man the other night... its a classic image the green man being driven out of a village out of fear of his wildness by the people... it was a sad scene...
it makes me wonder about deforestation, habitat loss, the destroying of large areas of land to create housing developments.
people do not build or create their communities with nature or with any mindfulness to the wild... natural communities, wild communities of other-than-human-persons are destroyed to make room for homo-domesticus. the green man is most definitely driven out of these areas.
i was also thinking of a faun that comes and enters into my body from time to time... it often feels that cernunnos, the green man and the faun share a common etheral body manifesting as either or depending on what is needed of them... the faun was of a large wild wooded area near my home i had given offerings to him and asked for him to share space with me so i could learn from him... and he did... it was an amazing process... at any rate his level of mischeviousness was intense... bordering on a sick sense of humor, and a wrathful sense of justice... what made this faun sick? the forest was nothing compared to the size it used to be that he was one with... the level of respect payed there was higher then most however trash was to be found all over. the forest itself was chopped up into islands with pavement roads and developments tearing it apart...
the other night my grrrrl friend pointed out how dangerous and mischievous forest spirits can be, i know to well how much this is so... and she pointed out how much more mischievous and dangerous they are when threatened.... and we discussed how important it is to make them our allies if possible, to be wild and a part of the forest again in our communities and ways of life.
i look at the forests destroyed by housing developments and i see that none of it is nessecary at all! that its all poor planning and life style decisions as well as ecological and social apathy brought about and perpetuated by those first colonized European christains driving the green man from the village...

how can we invite the green man back into our communities again? what offering and ritual action is needed to invoke him into our communities? what will bring the faun back to health to make him seem less of a demon to those who see him as such out of ignorence? how can we honor the horned god where we live?

We can start by looking at how we consume the bounty of nature, how we live our lives daily, where we get our food... we can invite the green man back into our village by including the wild into the village again... creating bioswales instead of draining street water into the sewar system, creating green roofs on our houses, building with natural materials like cob, straw bale, and renewable resources, getting rid of pavment and the need for mass transit by re-designing our communities around COMMUNITY, so we can walk to all the places we need to go. Or we can create our own villages as a permacultured part of the wild forest... human beings have the ability to actually aid ecosystems with their presence as well as bio-remediate the areas that have been damaged. what would the psyche of a people be like if they lived not in civilization but in and with the wild again, not beside it but a part of it?
the joy of the green man and the growth and balance of his dancing feet would be in our hearts, the masculine stereotypes and gender roles would change and no longer would men be seen as symbols of oppresion... art and beauty would be just another natural expression like a birds song, simple and humble and to be found in the artifacts we create for daily living.
to invoke these beings of nature, these spirits and powers the ritual is a change in the way we live our lives... the new magical training is skill building in eco-design, whole systems design, permaculture, renewable resources, sustainability, and alternative energy. the circle that is cast is the recognition of our interdependence, and the chants are the affirmations and oaths that we will change the way we live and no longer participate in this driving of the green man from our village, we invite him back and give offerings to him, by create the pace for him to exist in our village and in our actions...

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Cernunnos Rites/ Sex Magic : Workshops in Celitc Wales

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:23:38 GMT

Hi folks,

Fab' forum you got going here. I run a Coven in Wales, in UK that is devoted to Cernunnos, and esp' rites that involve him. He is very sacred in our Celtic lands-and rightly so!

I hope you all may take time out to take a look at my website. The Eight Sabbat Rites for Cernunnos, are available also to purchase from me.

Anyway, keep the forum going as he is a Mighty Lord.. and at last people are re-consecrating him/ reclaiming him. You, know, the Church made him out to be an evil God that the Celtic people's were devoted too before the Christian Faith came to the Celtic Lands. The Devil mentioned in the Bible does not have horns but was a serpent. When the Church saw the people in my land worshipping this man with antlers, the Church said it was evil and renamed him the Devil. Hence why now, sadly, the devil ( a christian invention and myth) portrays the devil with horns. Sadly, the sacred image and name of Cernunnos was ripped apart. Today, men are re-claiming him as sacred and worthy to be praised, in ritual and sex.

Julian ( www.sorchartarot.com/homomoot)

posted in Cernunnos - 7 replies

Music for Meditation

Allen — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 06:07:48 GMT

I would like to find some masculine music for my meditation sessions. For some reason, when I think of masculine music, I think drums, so I would like to find some cds featuring just drums.... no flute, no chanting, just drums. Does anyone know where I could find cds like this? Also, does anyone have any other suggestions for masculine music which would not be distracting?

thanks for any help you can offer....

posted in Cernunnos - 4 replies

Holly King and Oak King

frak23 — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:55:17 GMT

Can any one point me to a good Schollarly source for info on Yule Solstice rites or invocations relating to the Horned One.
Beyond Fraiser and Campbel. I am interested in Doing some personal work relating to the God with his Horns of Light.....
Thanks in advance.

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

Yo and Namaste!

Valerhon — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:57:57 GMT

Newbie on Tribe, browsing groovy tribes and joined this one! Hi all! Check out my page and enjoy my art. Ran

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Newbie

Allen — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:41:57 GMT

Hello everyone.

I'm new, not just to the group, but also to paganism in general. I've been searching for a path to follow for the past year, and have been unable to find anything that seems to fit. Wicca just isn't for me. I am gay and am very interested in Celtic paths, particularly in Cernunnos. What paths do you guys follow? I am interested in finding information on Cernunnos worship, rituals, prayers etc. Anyone have any info to share with me?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Allen

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

Request for Assistance with Men's Folklore Project

Maglaurus — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:24:19 GMT

Let me start this request by saying that I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University, Newfoundland. As part of a central assignment for a class on Folklore Genres, I am studying the subject of beliefs, taboos, and warnings related to male masturbation and auto-genital-touching behaviors. Since the study of folklore relies on the oral transmission of knowledge from one individual to others, I am reaching out to the men I know in an effort to discuss this subject with them. Anything you can tell me regarding your experiences with the subject-matter would be greatly beneficial to my project. The contents of your replies will be treated as anonymous for the purpose of writing the paper, unless you specifically say otherwise—so your privacy is assured.

My central question for the men reading this message is: What beliefs, taboos, or warnings regarding male masturbation and/or auto-genital-touching (vernacular: “playing with yourself”) have you heard, and at what point in your life did these ideas become familiar to you?

Just to give you some examples, I’ve paraphrased some answers I’ve received here:
--When I was very young, perhaps 4 or 5, I heard that if a boy pulled on his penis too much, it would break off his body.
--When I was in junior high school I heard that frequent masturbation could lead to hairy palms and blindness, but this warning wasn’t treated as serious by the people who told it too me. These people, boys I knew in school, said it like was something people in the “old days” used to take seriously.
--When I was in high school I heard the rumor that if a man masturbated too many times in a row, the internal workings of his testicles might be damaged. The rumor also said that the evidence of the damage would be having an orgasm but not ejaculating and/or having an orgasm, but blood would come out of the penis instead of semen.
--Around the same time, in high school, I started to hear rumors that frequent masturbation could lead to perversion and insanity.

Cheers,

Stephen

p.s. Even if your answers are identical to the examples, I still want to hear your take on these experiences because, in the study of folklore, it is a very meaningful when people tell the same stories in different ways.

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

What does Cernunnos

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 07:58:45 GMT

Ie. Odin, the All Father, Herne, ever ... has had anything culturally, historically or religiously to do with homosexual issues?

Not meaning that as a trite question, just ...

Just curious ... ironically.

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

[Adult!} Crystals for the Horned God?

MacMorrighan — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:55:41 GMT

[I gave this a rather "adult" warning because some facets of ritual will be discussed that many men might find unconfortable, to be polite about it-- although the sheer number of Pagan prudes deeply disturbs me! It seems ironic to be that heterosexual male Pagans would find Paganism so sexually liberating, yet they would be offended, or deeply disturbed, by the mere notion of homosexuality. Sadly, I lost what could have been a great Pagan male friend because of this-- he apparently didn't want to even get to know me because my being Gay made him so phenominally uncomfortable!]:

Hey guys, I'm asking for some advise at the moment. I am researching crystals that are particularly sacred to the Horned One (gemology is *NOT* my strong point, whereas herb-lore *is*!)), as well as various Horned Gods. However, I can only think of three, readily; though, the first two are *somewhat* stretching the boundaries, a bit, so to speak (I'm looking for something uber-specific to a Deity, if at all possible, in my overly pedantic mood):

* Clear Quartz Crystal: According to Scott Cunningham, at regular in tervals, shamans would sprinkle this crystal with deer's blood.
* Amethyst: After the nymph of the same name was mauled by Dionysos' tiger, and subsequenbtly died, she was tansmuted into a cluster of crystals. The lammenting God saught her apology giving her a libation of wine as a token for His sorrow-- it is said to ave absorbed the liquer and turned a deep purple hue as a sign that she forgave Him. This stone contains the essence of wine wgicg was beliueved to be the personification of Dionysos. Hence, when one drunk wine, they were imbibing the God Himself! Reminds one of transubstantiation, don't it? ;o)
* Carnelian: Sacred to the Meditteranian Ram-God, Carneius. He was the son of both Zeus and Europa, as well as one of Apollon's many male lovers. Furthermore, He was conflated with His brilliant par-amour as Apollo-Carneius, or "the Horned Apollo"-- this is thought to have symbolized Their union. While at the island of Thera Carneius was honourd with homoerotic rites.

Anyway, I was planning on getting together with one of a few artisans on-line and commission them to forge a glass dildo for me that I can consecrate to the Horned One.

So, I'm hoping that anyone here might be able to list some crystals that are sacred to Him in many of His guises, as well as why-- and, if you can cite some sources for me, all the better (this is an aspect of my personal education that I would like to further persue).

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan
Wade@MacMorrighan.Net
http://MySpace.Com/MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Demon of Gay Lust?

PlayaDragonfly — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:57:03 GMT

My Brothers, I'm trying to find information on any Demons associated with gay sex and/or lust. So far my research has come up with nothing. The only Demon close is Asmodeus, who by some accounts is a Demon of Lust. However, his lust is only heterosexual. Any help is greatly appreciated! HAIL!

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Reverence for the Phallus...

MacMorrighan — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 21:27:45 GMT

Hey guys, riddle me this: Why do I see so little reverence for the phallus in our culture? It's as thought it's a part of the male body that is sociologically neutered from our psyche. Though, more to the point, why is the phallus concieved of as being so offensive by women (culturally-speaking), as well as heterosexual men? Hell, have you heard how many women speak about this part of the male anatomy? They speak of it as "icky," "dirty," "gross," etc. Someone even told me that women call Him "turkey neck"! How offensive and disrespectful! And, don't even get them started on forskin-- I've seen some women actualy gag at the thoughts, while some wom,en have already determined that they are going to circumcise their sons before they hgave any because hey are phenominally uncomfortable with the thought of cleaning their penis when he's an infant! And, if you question circumcision to her in any way, she becomes deeply offended!

Even in drunken orgies (not that I have a problem with orgies, mind you) one sees an applicable double-standard in place, such as at Mardi Gras: if a man whips it out even *once*, he gets hauled off to jail, but if a women shows her breasts, she gets a warning, first, and if she does it again, THEN she gets hauled off to jail. Now, if they had limited their law to the showing of one's outward secondary sexual characteristics (ie, breasts for women, and penis for men, and a single offense for each), I wouldn't be harping. But, c'mon!

Why must it be, I wonder, that women's bodies are viewed by Western society as beautiful and sexy (even thier secondary sexual characteristics) but men's parts (even if it's a buldge in his tighty-whities, are viewed as a step away from pornography? Yet, when women are concerned we look the other way... How have we come to this point? How has our culture allowed it?

A friend of mine was telling me, recently, that a woman wrote a letter to the Ed. of The Advocate (a GLBT magazine) because she was offended that there was a buldge in the shorts of the cover model for one month's issue (he happened to be a professional athlete)! My buddy was even telling me that female sports anchores are harping about how "unprofessional" it is that they were changinf in front of her as she was interviewing other players whilst *in* the Locker Room! What the...???

I was just recently (not by choice) reading AOL's headlines the other day when I was confronted with a close-up image of a woman's crotch wearing panties. Now, I know full well that we would NEVER see such exposure of a man! WTF!

Rather, it's as though the aniconic images of the blade and the gun or riffle have come to replace it as a symbol of respect. I mean, I feel as though men have transferred their psycho-sexual (and spiritual) images endemic with respect onto these extended images of violence as a result. They've basically flipped the switch, if you will.

I wonder, if they didn't view their own bodies as gross, or unsexualized they might be able to get back on track. What do you think about the issue?

Take Care,
Wade

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

The Horned God in My Own Image!

MacMorrighan — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 16:10:39 GMT

Well, here's how-- generally-- I envision my Horned Lord. How doi you guys see Him, physically? Now, I know that the Gardnerian Horned God is the Stag-God, but...I wonder how they strictly envision Him (pressuming they do). And, Asterion (who's likeness adorns much Minoian currency; whom Rhea loved so much she forbid Him the love of any woman, whereby Poseidon-- the Earth-Shaker-- is said to have succumned to His lusts...this may mirror the role between the Minos [the Minoan H.P.] and his "Server" [the working partner and fellow H.P. of the Minos]) of the Minoan Brotherhood too, for example. Anyhoo...here's how I "see" Him:

* He'd be ripped, and buff! Hey, I'm Gay, and have certain proclivities regarding the male form, akin to that of Classical Greece. Take a look at str8 adult porn stud Colt Steel for more detail concerning the God from the neck down, generally-speaking. I also see Him with the sexiest back-side imaginable! I knew a guy back in college [a baseball Jock that rode his bike EVERYWHERE] with rump like that, which actually took my breath away!!!
* There should also be something-- to be determined later, when the sacred inspiration [or imbis forosnai] comes upon me-- relating Him, also, as the Dread Lord of Death, as appears to be the origional concept in Traditional Wica [note the singular "C"].
* He'd have a set of Stag antlers, each of seven tines [or points] to represent the King Stag.
* I envision Him with a goatee, rather than the "traditional beard". First, because they're quite fetching on most men. And, secondly, it is commonly believed that earlier cultures could not have had groomed facial hair! However, this has proven to be a false assumption. The Celts, for instance, were a deeply festidious band of tribes! The archaeological record attests to the fact that they took great pride in their appearance, having had combes and mirrors, and other such personal grooming devices. This, more than likely, extended to men's facial hair, as well, rather than the "wild," tattered, massive beards we so often envision due to popular culture [and indeed, this idea is far too often promulgated amongst modern Paganism]. Hey, the beard may have been rebeliously "stylish" back during the 60s, but no longer... Ditto with with the long ex-hippie hair-do!
* He'd proudly display various personally designed tribal tattoos across His torso, and body; perhaps spirals of rebirth [i.e., His dying/rising Aspect]. Perhaps gleaned via meditation and skrying... And, maybe, wreathed around each bicep could be witnessed-- such as the tribal/barbed wire motif so popular today-- a tattoo of intertwining holly and oak.
* Some very "shamanic" accoutrements would adorn His Holy visage, such as a necklace, ear rings [nipple rings? Prince Albert piercing? ], an anklet, perhaps a torque, or other jewelry, as well as a staff or stang, etc.
* No "goatfoot" God for me, thank you! Cloven hooves would recall Pan, rather than the Horned God of the Celtic-type, I believe.
* I am certainly no prude, nor are any of the Traditional Witches from Gardner's renaisance. However, modern Pagans seem very close minded, sexually, and where the human body is concerned. My image of the Horned God would definately, like most Horned Gods, be ithyphallic [even Patricia Crowther, Gardnerian HPs, called Him such in one of Her chants, when she sang, "Ithym phallus Thou do bear!"], and proportionately-so. But, an uncircumcised phallus, at that! Now, I cannot speak for all modern Pagans, but I should think that they should be opposed to this so-called "common" proceedure [i.e., circumsision]. Also, It will have to be a LARGE and erect phallis, but nothing cartoonishly-huge!
* I should rather He at least be cast in the "Bone finish" as my beloved Morrighan statue, for no other reason than to asthetically compliment Her upon Their Holy altar.

Hmmm...can anyone else think of any other ideas worth "adding" to Him? I was also considering rummaging for some photos of men to get His physical form "just right". You know, take these pics. to Artisan X and say, "Now, I want Him to have his arms, oh, and this guy's rump, and this blokes jaw and cheek bones, oh, and his pecs!", etc. Heh heh heh...

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 17 replies

New Member: Intro 2U: C my page/Send Add?

Merton — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 17:21:18 GMT

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posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

what did you think of "Pan's Labyrinth"?

jenlee — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 13:13:18 GMT

Bought the movie last night and watched it with hubby. He wasn't very impressed but I really liked it. I wonder if it had to do with the fact that the main hero was in fact female? What are your thoughts?

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

lions foot

sukunet — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:16:02 GMT

hey guys i had a curious question..has anyone grown leonotis (lions foot) ive been really interested in this plant for some time and searched all over this state for one...i know i have seen one here in new mexico a long while back but the owner of this plant i had lost contact with..anywho i figure i will have to buy seeds or a live plant online in order to have this awesome plant online...JUST wondering if any of u growers...if any have had success with this plant...or have any idea how it will manage in a semi-arid state....too anyone have any ideas to help my lobelia pop back over the past week its gotten really depressed and sad looking (dry and shriveled) anyone have advice on how to make girl pop back to life and bloom again? anyone with any adviced would be awesomely appreciated

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

In the beginning . . . cernunnos in the closet?

tabar — Wed, 30 May 2007 04:30:55 GMT

Dear and Blessed One who reads on, have a care. Be blessed as you would with the Horned One's wéh, may these words of mine bring light and protection as is my wéh, and thanks and forgiveness for my errant past. May I bow now and offer my most sacred self, for I have presumed to know in your place what to say. For I am in reaction, and think I know best, and this isn't true: I recount my most recent walk in the hopes of saving my fellow brothers and sisters from making the same errors I have made. It is a gesture of peace, and healing and love I wish to offer to each and every, that this place of meeting should be a place of respect and sharing. Thank you for your patience, and the visions. Now hear these words for I am troubled.

I have recently begun a series of visits or sleep walks, and this mornings is of interest. I go to sleep listening to whale song which my guides tell me is reality attunement for those training to reality shift. What is reality shifting? Well you have to have had the experience of turning the corner and eliminating the earth element. Well that's another story. This morning I was lead to central US where I was in a room with a man and a woman who looked like chickens with no skin whose flesh melted, and then the soul that was there died and it was brought to my godhead to reveal its life. The body turned to dust, and the souls sin so to speak came to me, and as I turned to the left, the dying soul's request which was very subliminal, impulsed to me to have lust sex whatever with this bull personage who was all hairy and in a red light. Well I did make advances etc but I felt that there wasn't enough of a connection so I stopped. My question is was this a minion of Cernunos, a minoan, a walker of the catacombs who knows, but it was definately in the closet. When the soul died it actually returned to earth absolved of restrictions. SO the other experience I had was with the Horned one, again in a trist of sexual liason, and I had to accept that he was evil incarnate into me. That night I was literally lifted in my dream from my body, and a red sorcerer came into me who I had to battle. So in all of this battling and imagery, the essence of the magic has not been clear other than a manifestation, some out of body fears being overcome, and as well staying on the ''right side of things''. When I read Martin's comments about godhead and what the divine is, I would just like to share from personal experience that assuming animal or plant attributes for a time is OK, but in general extended exposure leads to an occlusion of one's reason. ( Tried that, not a good thing to do.) And on top of which given today's dark times most people do not know how to get out of the dark if they are in a jam, thus they themselves become doorways for other more dominant dark entities. As well, when in animal mode, most of us have not taken the time to study and truly know the environment, the connectedness and the sacredness of the animal who accompanyies us for a time as we walk and merge together as one. So, if an experience brings you down, you generally don't have a good relationship with mother earth, spirit, and you probably have a fair number of entities in you, not to mention the ''personal demons'' which you are intended to resolve before you are given any power. You see a good friend of mine - Road to Ixtlan, said to me learn to be a hunter of power, then become a warrior and make death your friend. So as I walked my own shamanic awakening, and my soul screamed in silence as my emptybody walked the ages of burdens which were my past that i was to shed, the animal I had unconsciously consumed, and its spirit that had made my current body overcame the need to die, the need to eat, the need to be clean, the need to be orderly, the need for human social patterns etc, but I still hadn't contacted my own inner arrogance which separated me from my own wound, that of birth and being severed from mother. So you see after years of personal investment in psychosocial refinement, anger suppression, and several bouts of life refusal, personal identity crises, and self searching, the core issues remained buried, so strong was my mental capacity to refrain from violence. I personally believe that the animal in us is in the closet. Though this is a projection of my own experience, those times of being so afraid and sensitive that I could tell what my whole neighborhood was doing. Being able to sense a heartbeat, and getting into synch with it - I realized that I was surrounded by stupid beasts and predators who were still functioning as per the strongest of the jungle. Oh yeah and by the way, we all have tails which are etheric. During these shenanigans, I actually felt my tail vanish, it went poof. So this spiritual nonsense of getting into a God who is of the animal should be done with ALOT of care. I would suggest a visit to the animal kingdom first, and developing dream walk capability so that a common guidance, and understanding of its natural environement ie trees plants, the elements be done first. It would be nice to invite said god into a garden where the meeting is of common interest. Go face it, if all we do is eat cow and beef, we don't thank or bless anything for years, and all of a sudden we want to be all bad and nasty when we do the nasty well its just neanderthal omnivor crap!!! If I were to refer myself to the bison or other antlered herds, I would think that the animal way is more civilized. And yet this year I have misgivings because as Taurus came and went, it was a time of preparation for survival, and war, and these days I have encountered many warriors who wish to teach about healing. Perhaps then it would be moot to suggest an offering of healing to those herds and lords who govern the dwindling herds on this planet after all what is wild in us is rather tame compared to what can happen : in the jungle. As a death eather/sineater/realityshifter/healerin training, and wiccan priest in my own right, the consequences and pacts that have protected us so far are off: this means , and this is a bonified warning to you newbies out there be careful cause the war is on, and if you study any, those of christic cloth are not necessarily going to pray for you, so you do need to know deep within you what is sacred, and high within you. Also for every high there is a deeper low waiting after the wave. i.e. your impulses, intentions, actions are all being tallied up. So by all divinity and all oneness may the light love and life bless you and keep you in all your thought meanderings, utterances, and leavings, Bless the Lord in his garden and may we meet when heavens and earths are favourable for us all. Bless these meeting places with healing and wisdom great grandfather and grandmother that all our ancient Ones and paths shall be a place of dance and merriment, after which we can talk and shape the morrow's day, as our heart, Dear gaya your lover desires. Blessed be.

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Curiousity Question

C. J. — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 00:03:22 GMT

Greetings! I am currently in the process of learning about Wicca, and learning about all the different deities. Although I have chosen which Pantheon I'm doing, I am still interested in learning about the other ones.

My question to this group is this: In the Pantheon I'm following, the main God is Pan. Does anyone know of any resources I can find that may give an answer as to how Cernunnos and Pan differ or how similar they might be?

Thanks greatly in advance!

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

Hi All Willing to Moderate if needed

Hjeron — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 03:22:47 GMT

Hi everyone it looks as there needs to be a new moderator. I would be willing to be that if needed.

you can find out more about me at
www.mythmaker.ca

thanks
Hjeron

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posted in Cernunnos - 8 replies

Circle, Spring 2007: "The Sacred West & North"

MacMorrighan — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:16:41 GMT

Hey, guess what? Circle will be publishing an article that I co-authored with a friend, Anna Franklin (a MS. entry, actually) in the latest issue of their magazine: http://www.circlesanctuary.org/circle/ So, when you see a copy of this issue, pick it up, would you! The only change since submission (depending upon how they may have "Edited" it) is the introductory sentence in an effort to read MUCH more professionally and smoothly. I initially submitted it for their "Pantheon" section, but they wonderfully published it under their "Nature Religions Around the World"! I should be recieving my complimentary two copies of this issue within a fortnight-- just in time for my birthday: 14, March. Hmmm...I wonder when our local Borders will carry it? But, if you can't find it there, order it directly from Ciurcle Sanctuary, or search about until you *do* find a copy! *G* Let me know what you think of it when you read it, please! Personally, I'm particularly excited to read Emma Wilby's contribution, "Shamanistic Visionary Traditions In Early Modern British Witchcraft"; in fact, I can't wait to read her academic book on the same topic (along the lines of Profs. Eva Pocs, Carlo Ginzburg, and Claude Lecauteux, etc.). Apparently, European scholars have reached this consensus to the consternation of their British peers that reject it as rubbish, and usually invent vapid "reasons" for doing so, too (for example, by claiming that one cannot use any term with the root-word "shaman" in it, such as "shamanistic" as an "understood", unless they are *specifically* applying it to the tribal peoples of Siberia and the Arctic north). Apparently, Emma Wilby (an Independant Scholar that was published by Sutton, an academic publisher) has been explaining how untennible the British position is. Be hat as it may, some luminaries, such as Ronald Hutton, vehemently rejects it, and to modern Pagans, "if Hutton says it, it's so (end of story)!" So much for free-thinking Pagans, eh? Hell, just to get his scholastic-way, Hutton has actually, and blatantly, mischaractreized the writings of Prof. Carlo Ginzburg, to make them sound as though they really cannot be brought up as evidence for pagan survivalism or shamanic antecedants in witchcraft belief, as though Carlo's books say something contrary to what they actually do! I'd like to know how he can get away with this, and not be pounced on by his academic peers! Poor Carlo was also similarly mischaracterized, as he informs us, by two other British scholars, namely Norman Cohn (who lied about Margaret Murray and got away with it) and JB Russell.

Take Care,
Wade@MacMorrighan.Net
http://MySpace.Com/MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Horned One, COME!!!

MacMorrighan — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:52:41 GMT

Hey guys, guess what? I was flipping through the latest AzureGreen catalogue (I rarely buy from them anymore unless I see something entirely unique), and I've found something that would make a breathless addition to any Altar devoted to the Horned One!!! It's an "Athame" (though, due to its lack of a black handle, I'd simply term it a "ritual blade") with a cloven-hooved handle!!! In fact, it reminds me of the one Doreen Valiente used to own, if I am not mistaken (hmmm...maybe it was the Farrars?)! Gods, I wish I had more money, so I could buy it! :o) Being jaded, it takes quite a bit to impress me anymore, but this sure as Avalon did the trick! Here's the link: http://www.azuregreen.com/index.html?stocknumber=RA413D So, if you have a love for Old Horny like me, perhaps you might like to purchase such a ritual blade-- it even has a Stag-Motif!

Now, if only their supplier of new Greco-Roman idolotry would carry an image of Pan! According to the owner of a local occult shop, who deals directly with the manufacturer of these same idols, they don't offer a Pan statue. But, she's written them a letter and proposed that they should! I should have asked her for the name of the company, so I could do the same thing! (Anyone, by chance, know the supplier? They look almost like marble, or perhaps even porcelain or alabaster.) Apparently, these images (and the Gods are posatively hunky, though, they cover up all the good bits with fig-leaves!) are inspired from Renaissance paintings of the Gods in question. Heck, were I a servent of Ares, I would have sooooo totally bought His idol! *drool* Heh heh heh... Though, I don't see that AzureGreen offers Him, there's a pretty arrousing image of Dionysos (incidentally, Priests dressed as Satyrs apparently had an endemic ritual role in both He and Pan's respective cults! Fascinating, no?). I've simply never seen a Pan statue that I like, but...if He looks as hunky as the idols I saw at Ancient Ways, I'd buy Him in a HEART-BEAT!!! He'd HAVE to be phallic, however-- anything else would simply be insulting!

Later,
Wade

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Ronald Hutton's been served!

MacMorrighan — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 18:04:12 GMT

LOL... With all due respect to prof. Hutton I've always wanted to be able to say that to someone, regardless of whom. ;o)

Anyway, Hutton apparently wrote an article by the name of: What Did Happen To Lindow Man? Why Britain's best known bog burial can no longer be used as evidence for human sacrifice on Friday, January 30, 2004 [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/news/articles/TLS_LindowMan.pdf ]. However, in a responce [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/news/articles/Lindowresponse.pdf ] to this article (on 7 February of the same year; I found these articles purely by accident, btw), one Dr. JD Hill, the curator for the British Museum's British and European Iron Age dept. responded in kind, stating that Hutton made a number of factual errors in his polemic, and was clearly 20 years behind the times and the latest research and evidence!

Hmmm...I wonder what latest research is being advanced (and by what scholars) concerning the theory that the bog bodies are likely evidence for Iron Age Sovereignty Rites?

Personally, I found Hill's responce very refreshing, and would like to thank him some how! After all, it still worries me that no professional scholars of whom I am aware have censured Hutton in any way for his methodological short-comings (that's being polite), or for his sentance structure that implies that he (Hutton) has an omniscient or exhaustive knowledge on a given subject, when, in fact he's simply wrong; or how he refuses to balance the equasion, if you will, by dismising without thought scholars that disagree with the British academic school of thought or institution [eg. Eva Pocs, among many others]; factual errors; how he is allowed to blatantly mischaracterize an author's thesis [eg, Prof. Carlo Ginzburg] as though what evidence Carlo presents isn't really what it means (in other words, he's misinterpreting Ginzburg); as well as refusing to ask some very impoirtant inquestions that should have been evident to him from the very beginning! Of course, I could go on, and on, but I wouldn't wanna' bore anyone; time is also short, tonight. :o)

These are very important concerns of mine, and I believe that scholars should strive to acknowledge them, because left unchallenged they give a highly misleading impression.

Moreover, I must admit, I find it delightfully ironic that an Archaeologist is repremanding a Historian! After all, it was Hutton in his Stations of the Sun who made the pompous claim that (paraphrasing) Historians simply know more than Archaeologists, because the latter are not Historians!

Of course, I have many, many, reasons for not being able to wholey trust Prof. Hutton-- he was the primary promt that disillusioned me so deeply against Professional Historians (some of these are outlined below):

What bothers me so deeply is how if one dares to question Hutton (regardlessly of how small) they are thoughtlessly dismissed. Sometimes I am called a "History Revisionist" (a term I find particularly offensive), or have been told I'm simply biased, or don't know what I'm talking about, or even, that I'm just pissed because Hutton didn't tell me what I wanted to hear, and so I'm just pitching a fit and looking for any petty excuse to decry him, etc. *sigh* Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that Professional scholars can simply look the other way, and turn a blind eye, to the problems deeply engrained within his texts!

I must admit that the more I learn, the less seriously I am able to take British academia! Yet, British scholars severely come across as though they look down on other geographical branches of academia save theor own-- as though it's seriously them against he world! And, yes, I know that sounds extreme, but I tend to see such an attitude far too often to believe much ese.

Someone asked me, recently (as if it's some sort of sin), why I qualified my endorsement of Ronald Hutton so severely. I should have been more specific than what I was. So, I would like to devote this thread to that. What follows is merely the examples that I could think of, and tack down in his books, within the past few days. Also, I would like to refer the reader to these reviews by Max Dashu and Asphodel P. Long of his The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles; apparently, after Long's review was published, Ronald wrote the journal a letter informing them (according to the Ed., with whom I spoke) that he didn't know enough about the topic before writing about it: http://www.suppressedhistories.net/articles/hutton_review.html (though Hutton stated that Max Dashu "isn't a scholar of any sort!" in a private e-mail that was posted on one Pagan site; the author of said "site" refused to acknowledge Dashu's fair criticism of Hutton, dismissing her thoughtlessly as incorrect purely due to political motives) and http://www.asphodel-long.com/html/pagan_religions.html

Unfortunately, one problem right off the bat is how Hutton is often thoughtlessly dismissive of other scholars that have an opposing view point, as though they're entirely inconsequential. As a result, Hutton's work is sorely in need of an objective stance; he needs to "balance the equasion", if you will... Indeed, he's far too keen on ONLY recommended and advancing those scholars which AGREE with him. It's a shame, however, that many rather gullible Pagans simply wave this through, under the banner of so-called "academic rigour"!!! (Honestly, I'm just a li'l offended by that!) Furthermore, it has come to my attention that Hutton really isn't in the habit of writing a histiography-- other-wise they'd surely be FAR more balanced and objective!-- but works of polemic (there's a major difference)! Here is a list, for ease-of-reference, of many quite egregious problems I have found with his writings:

1.) Ronald Hutton (The Stations of the Sun), in his minimalist zeal, claims that any such notion positing divination within the realms of Samhain were based upon "the flimsy nature" of the evidence gathered by two outstanding British scholars (John Rhys and Keating); evidence which is now believed to be inconsequential in Hutton's *opinion*. Rather, Hutton merely *thinks* that these two academics were in error when gathering the local folk-traditions throughout the British Aisles (an accusation he believes should have been apparent to them from the beginning) because the existence of purification rituals and divination "could be explained either by a connection to the most eerie of Christian feasts (All Saints) or by the fact that they ushered in the most dreaded of all the seasons." Unfortunately, he offers no documented evidence to support his thesis—- just an opinion portrayed as though it were empirical fact. (Where's the evidence, Ron!?!?!) For example, nowhere in this tome does he expressly find any documentation that the Christian feast of All Saints was in any way perceived of as "eerie"—- all we have is his lauded opinion. Nor does Prof. Hutton supply any documentation that portrays the genesis of British divination as one that results from this most "dreaded of all seasons" [Hutton 1996: 363]! Had he bothered to do so, I would have found that to be a far more convincing argument. Hutton's "opinion", here, is clearly unsubstantiated! Why he's putting it forth as fact is anyone guess. Actually, in retrospect, it looks like he's simply selling out, making a name for himself, by brown-nosing the skeptical rationalists! ("Skeptical rationalists" can be defined as those that believe if a thesis can be questioned—- regardless of how feeble their line of questioning or reasoning—- that their thesis is, by default, the correct thesis!) Be that as it may, Hutton apparently believes, privately, that a lack of evidence does not necessarily equate to evidence of non-existance. Gee, you wouldn't know it from his texts! But, I digress... What Hutton also failed to take into account is the endemic folkloric evidence of divination throughout the aisles. Often times divination involves the use of hazelnuts, and often for the purpose of love, rather than survival enquiries, despite how Hutton might paint it. Hazelnuts were sacred to the paleo-pagan Celts and are numerously found in medieval Irish mythological tracts. Furthermore, he seems to have an open disdane for other theories of any kind, yet...he's more than happy (and ready) to supplant his own! Hypocritic, n'est pas?

2.) What bothers me is how Hutton has, rather, engendered a sort of overt form of blind skepticism in modern Pagans where no proof is proof enough to them (perhaps cynicisim might be more apt a denotation)! Now, skepticism is a good thing! However, I don't believe that one should be blindly skeptical. Hutton exemplifies this beautifully when discussing Margaret Murray. As I understand it he basis the demollishion of her as a respectible authority on two primary scholars, Norman Cohn and Kieth Thomas. Well, Cohn is the most problematic of the bunch! Cohn often uses one's age as ammunition to dismiss and critique an author or idea-- and he does likewise to Murray, when he writes, "by the time she turned her attention to these matters she was nearly sixty.[!]" This is discriminatory, and Hutton should have seen this going on in Cohn's book Europe's Inner Deamons—- there's really no excuse in that he ignored it! (Hutton should be ashamed of indirectly endorsing this! In fact, if I recall, back in 1999 in a review of "A Coven Of Scholars" that he wrtote, he actually seems to endorse it when applied towards an unpopular scholar) Then Cohn grossly misrepresents Murray and hence asssassinates her character for generations to come! Cohn accused her of ommitting from the testimony of alledged "witches" anything that would have discredited her-- this is a mendacious lie on Cohn's part! Cohn also accuses her of failing to discuss the problematic nature of certain evidence, which is apparently not the case, for Murray *does* discuss the problematic nature of this "evidence"! Furthermore, if one goes back to compare and contrast what Cohn was saying of Murray with what Murray actually wrote, you would be stupified. In fact, she had apparently not ommitted these passages (as Cohn alleges), but considered them in detail! Indeed, if this is so, it would be practically scandelous that Hutton would be entirely unaware of this, or havng never checked, and just rather blindly relyed upon the "say-so" of another author. (Heck, it's academic suicide, IMO!!!) Now, this is not to say that Murray does not need extensive up-dating; she wrote in the 1930s, after all! But, the scholars that have alledgedly discredited her need to seriously rethink their position. Moreover, during the last week of October I decided to read a little more of my copy of Ginzburg's The Night Battles and read something equally astonishing: According to Prof. Ginzburg, the (now) late Prof. Cohn pretty much pulled the same stunt with Ginzburg's own work! Ginzburg says, "Equally unjustified on the other hand, in my opinion, is the assurance with which [Norman] Cohn, in a polemic with [J.B.] Russell (and also because of a misrepresentation of my book) concluded that, 'the experiences of the benandanti...were all trance experiences.'" [pp. xiv]. However, the late Prof. Cohn would have dismissed this all as illusory and, hence, inconsequential without a second thought! (Hutton himself similarly mischaracterizes Ginzburg's book, albeit more egregiously, as though if he repeats something often enough it'll become fact!) I must admit that I find this pattern deeply disturbing. After all, Hutton's certainly dismissed scholars with whom he fundamentally disagreed for pulling the same crap as Normal Cohn did (even for pulling much less than Cohn and others!). I also find it hard to believe that Hutton could have, in good consciousness, been ignorant of these scholastic failings... That is an unfortunate mistake... Hutton seriously needs to rescind, or at the VERY least, qualify his endorsement of Norman Cohn as a scholar! However, he blatantly refused to do this, even as early as a 2003 issue of [The Cauldron (a British Pagan Journal), despite this evidence. It simply makes Hutton look biased, I'm afraid, and a rather poor scholar, to boot. Honestly, as will be seen again, and again, I have noticed a marked sanctamonious attitude in Hutton's writings—- the rules he applies to others, he does not often apply to himself. A friend of mine that's getting his PhD quipped it to me this way, "Hutton plays fast and loose with the rules."

Heck, Coh lists some very hard to believe reasons for dismissing some entirely uncoerced witchcraft trials! One man was cassually questioned by the authorities, for being what was known as a "Free Spirit", because they were known to practice both male and female homosexuality as they saw the refusal of such desires to be the only "sin". Well, along comes Norman Cohn that completely, without thought, dismissed this account, because the individual was apparently, to him (bearing in mind the man's been dead for centuries, and Cohn has no degree in Psychology!), a "paranoid megalomaniac", "schizophrenic", or "nihilistic"!

No scholars seemed to question Cohn's thinking in *any* way! These seem awefully far-fetched "excuses" for dismissing evidence, to me. I mean c'mon, who's he trying to bull shit!!! In fact, another historian simply dismisses this Medieval individual as "psychopathic"! I, for one, have never seen such abhorrant methodology in all my life, especially when advanced as so-called "academia"!

Refuting other textual documentation that would have refuted Cohn's main thesis (that there were no witches, nor any sense of paleo-pagan "survival") Cohn accuses a few women that freely admitted to attending a sabbat and of night travel of being sinile, when he says of them that this is "something that has hitherto happened in the minds of silly old women." This is not only ageist (his distinctive trade mark), but sexist!

Sadly, Cohn's lies are still repeated by Hutton and other British scholars as though they are empirical facts!

3.) The Stations of the Sun: In a footnote for Chapter 40, Hutton claims empirically of Celticist Dr. John Carey, that he has been yielding astonishing results about paleo-pagan Samhain beliefs and practices from a paper he delivered at The Institute of Historical Research, as well as in an issue of the academic Journal Eriu, which he was not able to acquire. Despite Hutton's claim, according to the above-mentioned friend of mine which has as his academic advisor, Prof. Carey—- not only did the article at hand not deal with Samhain in any significant way, but Carey has never set foot onto "that learned Institution" [ie, The Institute of Historical Research]! (Carey's still curious about why Hutton made this claim.)

4.) In Pagan Religions, Ronald says, "...Odin sacrifices himself to himself, and so gains arcane wisdon. It is one of the most haunting passages in Norse literature, in which readers can at least feel close at least to the inner world of norther European paganism. Or can they? Can it be that the entire episode is the Crucifixion translated into Scandinavian myth? Christ and Odin are both hanged upon a tree (the latter being the common medieval term for a scaffold, applied very often to the cross). Both are pierced by spears, thirst, cry out and are resurrected with infinately greater glory (Odin after nine days, Christ after three). All this is surely too much to be coincidental, and although present-day scholars are divided over whether it is a Chrstian poem or not, it seems beyond question that its form was heavily influenced by Christianity. So, after all, it seems to tell us little about the nature of the older religions of Scandinavia" [pp. 296-7; 1991]. However, rather hypocritically, if you ask me, Hutton bases his conclusions only on the similarities, rather than acknowledging their fundamental differences-- an offense he levied upon such "poor" scholars as Frazer, for example! After all, had any other researcher claimed that the similarities between Osiris, Adonis, Dummuzi, etc. were the most likely authentic anecedants to the Christ myth (because they were obviously "too much to be coincidental") you can be sure that he would have stomped them into the ground with scorn! Indeed, Hutton almost seems too eager to casually default to a Christian explaination—- and it does often appear that Hutton has shifted the burdon of proof (see what I wrote of "skeptic rationalists, above). It is also interesting to note that the Catholic Church has, astonishingly, made many Encyclopedia publishers alter texts that do not portray them in anything but a positive light! But, I digress... Of course, at first glance, it sounds amazingly convincing, for those that don't know much about shamanism (or any topic with which Hutton concerns himself—- he appears to may an iron-clad concincing case to those that don't know any betetr), or even Indo-European studies (something Hutton never brings into play throughout this specific text), etc.! However, I have to wonder if, at this point, Hutton was familiar the works of Mircea Eliade (particularly his master-work, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy—- a book he later treats as flawed and inconsequential in future writings)? So many contemporary-early, as well as modern (recent) scholars seem to go on about Heathenism being drenched in a various form of shamanism—- yet, this is all but denied in Hutton's book dealing with the subject. One wonders why this corpus of academia is being ignored? To briefly excerpt Davidson Gods & Myths of the Viking Age: "It was thought at one time that this image of the suffering god hanging from the tree must have been derived from the Christian Crucifixion. But, despite certain resemblences, it would seem that here we have something whose roots go deep into heathen thought, and which is no late copy, conscious or unconscious, of the central mystery of the Christian faith. By hanging on a tree, Odin is not sharing in the suffering of the world or saving men from death, but he is there to win the secrets of the runes..." [pp. 144; 1964]. She also goes on to relate that a variety of shamans are "made" by climbing the World Tree (or axis muni), which is a strong "northern" motif. While, other shamanic parallels are also noted: Like the shamans of the Mongols, both they and Odin tethered their respective horses to their percieved "World Trees". This scene is also clearly one in which Odinn is being "sacrificed" in the manner pre-dating the Viking age. For example—- this pre-viking practice entailed that prisoners/sacrifices be hung onto trees which was continued clear up until the 10th. century at Uppsala. I also believe that there may be an echo between Frejya teaching Odinn Her especial Magick, and the Yakut "Bird Mother of Prey" who carries off the prospective shaman to learn his abilities to "shamanize". Indeed, if we accept that this is actually an axis mundi (as Hutton seems hesitant to do, well...actually refusing to acknowledge), than we can clearly see the death and rebirth theme embodied in the psychological transformation of "Authentic"/"Spontanious Initiation"! Davidson also states that Odinn is depicted hanging from a tree in an early Swedish rock art—- though, of what date, I have no idea. Would it be fascinating to find this out? Abso-freakin'-lutely! This is one fascinating claim that I would, personally, love to research! But, unfortunately, in this particular text, Davidson did not relate any information about this stone with which one may use to find further information concerning it. Too bad... But, to back-track slightly, because Odinn is undergoing this horrific experience, I would definately be willing to assert that it is an Initiation experience, due to the fact that He is acquiring a special form of knowledge embodied in a very masculine form of old Norse Magick, known as galdr, which is respectively idetified with the casting of runes. The shamanistic extent by which Odinn is certainly identified is noted in a great many prose tales in which the God appears. Another VERY important question that Hutton should address—- otherwise, I think he's making some rather grand methodological leaps!—- is if this medieval term for a cross/scaffold is found in Germany/Scandinavia; or if it's only found in English/British areas (of which he is, generally, a scholar)? Ater all, if it doesn't appear in Germany or Scandinavia, than Hutton's reductionist theory—- a school of thought that is now rather untenible—- would be impossible to accept! Something else leaps to mind that Hutton also seems to have glossed over: the Christ was NOT "hanged" on a tree; he was nailed to a cross and crucified! Now, Odinn, however—- he WAS literalled "hanged" from a tree. They apparently, so far as I will advance, two completely differenbt modes of dying/death! And, still, I remain skeptical of Hutton's beliefs concerning the World Tree upon which Odinn is hung as being code-word for the cross, unless he could demonstrate that it was similarly known by such language in Germany/Scandinavia when, and especially WHERE, this particular poem was WRITTEN. Now, to my knowledge, he didn't do this—- we're merely supposed to accept him at his word. My own opinions to the side, according to a friend of mine with Asatruar connections, Hutton is apparently 150 years behind the times. "The idea that the Norse myths were substantially affected by either Christianity or Classical Learning was argued by Sophius Bugge. In a series of famous debates with Viktor Rydberg, Bugge's position was defeated, and Rydberg was considered to have fairly won the debates. Rydberg was able to demonstrate the strong Indo-European base to the Germanic myths" [pers. comm.]

5.) Hutton says, again, in Pagan Religions: "None of these images ['Green Man' carvings] could have been a beloved pagan deity, placed in churches by popular demand. The context of this idea was destroyed with the collapse of the Murray thesis, but like that thesis it could hardly have been argued at all by anybody with a real knowledge of the Middle Ages. No churchmen across the entire span of the period described them as such. St. Bernard, in a passage most accessibly printed by Sheridan and Ross, did inveigh against the burgeoning fashion for Romanesque at the beginning of the twelfth century; but his invective does not in fact prove the point suggested by these authors, for he condemned the images as grotesque, silly and expensive, not as pagan. There is abundant evidence, mostly from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, for the sort of people who paid the masons and comissioned the carvings. Occassionally the whole parish did so, but much more often those responsible were churchmen (above all bishops and abbots), landowners and wealthy merchants. The central point in The Witch Cult in Western Europe was that ordinary people remained adherants to the 'Old Religion' while the ruling class was Christian. And it was that class that determined how churches were decorated. The Wild Man, Sheela-na-Gig and Green Man were all products of that tremendous upswelling of of medieval culture which has been called the Twelfth-Century Renaissance. And like the more famous later Renaissance it ws a Christian movement, even though it drew upon ancient ideas and images" [pp. 316]. However, Medievalist Samantha Riches, in her monograph St. George [Sutton, 2000] argues the following point: "The haunting image of the 'Green Man'-- the foliate face, redolent of the natural world, which sits so uneasily in Christian churches-- has been identified as a pre-Christian form of St. George. It acts as a reminder of his role as an icon of natural fertility; in fact, 'Green George' is a name sometimes given to this image, which may act as a symbol of the return of spring after the temporary triumph of winter. An interesting echo of this aspect of St, George is found in an Islamic analogue known as 'Al khidr', 'Al Khadir', 'El Khudr', 'Khizr' or 'Jiryis Baqiya'. This figure is particularly associated with the area around Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. He is also recognized by Jews under the name 'Eliyahu ha Navi', who is considered to be a special guardian of Israel, and by local Christians as 'Mar Jiryis'; much of the rebuilt church over the shrine at Lydda was converted to a mosque, and it seems that the tomb was positioned squarely between the two sections of the building, and was thus available to both Christian and Moslem devotees. The various names applied to this holy character equate to terms such as 'Living One', 'the Green One' and 'the Ever Green One'; he is thought to derives from the Greek sea god Glaucos, whose name means 'the Blue One' or 'the Green One', a fisherman who achieved immortality, and hence the status of a god, after eating a seashore herb that he had noticed restored his fish to life. Utnapishtim, a charachter in the Gilgimesh epic, attained immortality in a remarkibly similar way, and this parallel may indicate another influence.

"Al Khidr (and his alternative appelations) is reputed to have found the Fountain of Youth, or the Well of Life, which is said to be located near the confluence of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Drinking from the fountain confers immortality, and it is claimed that Al Khidr has been repeatedly killed and resurrected; one story involves the martyrdom at the behest of a pagan king. Some traditions state that Al Khidr bathed three times in the Well of Life: in consequence, his skin and all his apparel turned entirely green, and he leaves green foot prints wherever he goes. [...]" [pp. 33] Not only would it appear that we have an image of a paleo-pagan Deity from Indo-European consequence, but...Hutton appears to be angaging in intimidation tactics. According to another friend of mine, scholars all over the place—- though, seemingly more so in the US and UK—- practice intimidating other academics from voicing a difference in scholastic opinion (usually that of the minority). Stating that "no one with a real knowledge of the Medieval period" would say such-and-such is clearly intimidating! Indeed, this is often why scholars cannot follow protocol and admit that there are reputible views that differ from their own, because there is a large tactic of suppression taking place.

6.) In Triumph of the Moon I found this interesting tidbit, that never seemed to add-up. Basically, Hutton seems to be claiming that there's no evidence for the iconography of The Devil having stemmed from paleo-pagan images from other Deities: "The half-animal nature of the horned god, after all, gave him a much more obvious parallel in Christian mythology than the figure of Jesus, and one absolutely opposed. There is here, indeed, a fascinating possibility which must be left open, because at present we appear to lack a propper study of images of the Devil in modern culture, to complement a large amount of first-rate scholarship upon those in ancient and medieval times. Between 1100 and 1700, both artistic representations and confessions extracted from alleged witches certainly portray Satan at times as half-goat, and often with horns. More often, however, the horns are those of a bull, and his most common characteristics are clawed feet, long ears, and wings (or a bat or a dragon). He is also featured combined with a wide range of other animals, dogs and snakes being the most common, or a a black, or black-clothed, man. It does seem as if the standard modern conception of the Devil as a being with cloven hooves, goat's horns and pointed beard is a ninteenth-century creation, representing a growing Christian reaction towards the importance of Pan as an alternative focus for the literary imagination." [pp. 46]. Yet, in J.B. Russell's 1977 monograph, The Devil (a scholar with whom Hutton is certainly familiar), we find the following statement in numerous transmutations: "The goat form of the Devil derives primarily from the image of Pan. From such theriomorphic ancestors the Devil inherited his claws, cloven hooves, hairiness, huge phallus, wings, horns, and tail" [pp. 254]. Hence, it seems to me that Huttons is severely down-playing this "transferrence", if you will.

7.) Hutton, unfortunatelty, is rather thoughtlessly dismissive of Hungarian Prof., Eva Pocs. In her lit.—- as well as the majority view amongst European scholars—- (from reading Hutton, however, it almost seems like it's the British scholars against the world!), she has found a distinct shamanistic antacedent in Medieval witchcraft belief. She investigated over 2000 records and documents, trials and testimonies from the time (the largest in recent history) to come to this conclusion! In fact, the vast majority of these documents would not be available to the Enghlish-speaker were it not for Prof. Pocs. In a PROPER historiography, Hutton should have at LEAST made mention that most scholars in Europe believe she does, and naming those scholars that are spear-heading this popular European thesis. Yet, such a converse thesis is "conveniently" ignored in Hutton's lit., as though such a disagreeing thesis from any scholar did not exist! However, (finally) in responce to it, Hutton only engages in pure *pedantry* in that 2003 ed. of The Cauldron. In fact, it takes him so long to respond to the mention of Pocs that one wonder's if he'd even read her lit. or merely taken the say-so of another collegue. Rather, Hutton entirely dismisses Pocs. as inconsequential because, "like most British scholars" he *believes* she uses the word "shamanistic" incorrectly—- he believes it can *only* be applied to the tribal spiritual practices of the Arctic north, such as Siberia, never mind that her use of the term is only a freaking similie rather than a blatant metaphore of any sort! Am I the only one that finds this shocking and ill-educated on Hutton's part? Hutton seems, at least to me, to be scraping for any reason to reject a scholar or thesis! I, personally, find that *highly* insulting to my intelligence! Though, most of Hutton's dismissals I find highly insulting to my intelligence, for that matter.

8.) And, finally, a couple other points that really seemed to come to the surface this week, because they bothered me so desperately (I happened to by a new book last weekend by Peter Beresford Ellis that supplied a lot of tested-and-true evidence to the contrary; it's what brought this particular facet to mind, I believe): "...it may be seen already that there is a strong possibility that the whole concept of the Tuatha de Danaan was invented by storytellers, perhaps working in the early Christian era and influenced by the Graeco-Roman myths.... Goddesses rarely feature in the Irish literature as maternal or nurturing, being more often aggressive and vorascious in their sexuality and bloodlust. Whether they represented role models for self-assertive Celtic women, or the fantasies of pagan Celtic male warriors, or the nightmares of the Christian monks who wrote the stories, is an open questiion" [pp.152]. While on page 296 pf The Pagan Religions Hutton further claims, "It is very likely that when writing of the Tuatha de Danaan, the Irish were not recording something in which their ancestors believed but fitting old deities into a structure inspired by the Greek pantheon." He even makes the following claim back on page 152, "...there is no trace in the Irish or Welsh literature of any deity associated with the sun (or moon)." Well, what pf Graine(sp?), whose name means "Sun"? Etymologically, The Daghdha even seems certainly associated with the Sun, when many of his epithets are taken into account, as well, according to Dr. Daithi O hOgain. So, I must wonder what he is denoting as "evidence", and what has so convinced him? Hutton certainly doesn't say, and I believe he *should* have... I certainly would be fascinated in the reasons! But, I digress... Early Hutton seems to be claiming, in essence, is that what insular narrative literature we have on record [eg, The Tain] is purely a case of the mediaval Irish monks re-telling Greek myths! Whereas, Ellis states that several scholars are firm in their acknowledgement that insular narrative literature contains certain direct parallels to Indic/Hindu religion, culture and mythology...not just through linguistics. Now, Ellis has said something similar to this before, such as in his book The Druids, but it was confined seemingly to Celtic culture and linguistics. Here, he is far more forceful and applies it, also, to mythology, etc.! According to Ellis' The World of the Ancient Celts, Celticist Myles Dillon made this statement around 1977; there are scholars that have found similar seemingly-direct parallels through inscriptions, that only seem to reflect Hindu mythological themes, etc. Also, concerning the sexuality of the Celtic Goddesses, he doesn't seem very well versed in the Celtic Goddess as Sovereign-Goddess and Land-Goddess, which can explain such occurances, rather than male warrior fantasies, or Christian nightmares! In fact, amongs Celticists, this theory is as old as about the middle of the 20th century. *sigh* Looks like you're way behind the times, Ron!

Also of interest, an Alexandiran from New Zealand I've located has been tracking down and reading all of Hutton's sources in his Triumph Of The Moon, and found gross mischaracterization, as he relates two examples:

"1.) Hutton paints Leland as a crank and a forger, claiming that Aradia (Herodias) is clearly a figure from Christian not pagan theology and that no other Italian folklorist has found evidence for the Vangel. At this critical point in assassinating Leland's character, he neglects to mention that the eminent Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg famously identified the Benandanti, a cult with more than passing resemblance to the beliefs Leland recorded. Ginzburg also clearly demonstrated the non-Christian origin of the name Herodias ("Hera-Diana", which was normalised by the Church to "Herodias"). Despite Hutton purporting to critique Ginzburg's work elsewhere in TotM, he is either unaware of the main contents of Ginzburg's work, or he purposely ignores it. Other, more detailed scholarly analyses of Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches since have arrived at much more balanced conclusions (see the article). (Note that I'm not claiming there is a link between the Benandanti and Leland's strega, just that Hutton has misrepresented the facts.)

"2.) One of Hutton's most pivotal claims in TotM is that modern pagan witchcraft cannot be historically-based, because there was no witchcraft, or even any form of pagan religion on which witchcraft could be based, still existing by the early modern era. Apparently not a single person persecuted was a practitioner of a pagan religion. His main support of this is simply citing seven of his creme-de-la-creme of modern scholars, with very little supporting discussion. Some of these are in foreign language, but of those in English, at least two directly contradict Hutton, freely talking about the influences of old pagan religious practices. A particularly juicy chapter is in the cited book by Monter (I think it was Monter, not Midelfort, I don't have any of this in front of me), about white witchcraft, which evaluates the beliefs of witches in France and England, and describes how the "green devils" in the woods were probably old pagan gods and the saints' shrines to which ill people were sent were probably actually dedicated to old pagan gods with a Christian veneer. Of the other books he cites (that are in a language I can read) none make the claim that Hutton does. They demonstrate that most accused "witches" were normal Christians, but they certainly don't go as far as saying "not a single person accused...". A moderate familiarity with the current academic work on the witch-trial period actually reveals Hutton's position as extreme and atypical. (Note that this is not support for a widespread organised witch-cult in Europe, such as Margaret Murray proposed, just another instance of extreme oversimplification and misrepresentation of other authors.)

"These are two examples of extreme over-generalisation and oversimplification, a lack of balance, a bias or a POV if you will. I can't comment on Hutton's motives, but I've found similar fallacies and misrepresentations scattered through his work. Dashu, despite being labelled as a "feminist", has so far seemed remarkably balanced, and is, as far as I have been able to ascertain, solidly grounded in fact."

But, what I would REALLY like to know is why scholars have failed to censure Hutton, as though they're afraid of doing so, for fear of tarnishing their "reputations"! Where is the "check-and-balance" system? Of course, I could surely find further errors, if I went back to re-read every page he's ever written cover-to-cover! There are likely even those that I have forgotten over the eyars, such as this gem that comes to mind:

According to Hutton, in The Pagan Religions, the Gardnerian/Alexandrian (of course, he's citing Janet & Stewart Farrar) cocept of the Goddess cannot be attributated to paleo-paganism in any way—- but it stems soley from Zoroastrian, and by extension to Christianity. This is simply incorrect information and proves that he knows nothing about Zoroastrianism! Rather, Zoroastrianism deals with a seperate and distinct God of Light pitted against a seperate and distinct God of Evil! This is simply not found within the Thealogy of modern Pagan Witchcraft! Hence, Hutton is attempting to complicate Neo-Pagan religious thought more than it is; he is seperating a single Goddess into two, in essence. This simply shows his lack of understanding—- strange, however, given that he was a Gardnerian when writign this text! He even dedicated it to the Clan of the Oak—- albeit he qualified it with a blatant lie. Hutton wrote in the preface that he was accepted into this Clan, and many opther Groups, because he was a professional Historian! However, according t these groups that have since spoken out about the claim, Hutton was allowed into their practices because he was a vouched-for Gardnerian Witch! This is, yet, another example of his mendacity, I fear.

Okay, rant mode off... ;o)

Happy Holidays,
Wade
myspace.com/MacMorrighan
MacMorrigaine@AIM.Com

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

An Intro.

MacMorrighan — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 01:19:38 GMT

I'm a Witch, yes, a Witch-- just don't tell that to my folks that, or they'll accuse you of not being able to spell! LOL... Okay, that's my bad attempt at a joke that I ripped off-- err, ugh...I mean was "inspired by"-- Bell, Book, and Candle. *G*

I have been studying/practicing Witchcraft [not "Wicca," per se] for nearly a decade. However, my journey to this religion was quite an interesting one, to say the least. At first they seemed like random coincidence, however, when you have more than one coincidence right after the other, you have what is known as "synchonicity", which basically means that it was meant to happen. Even Carl Jung, who was a student of Freud, believed in synchonicity! He defines it as, "The coincidence in time of two or more causally unrelated events which have the same meaning."

It began with a life long interest in The Occult; a life-long "calling" if you will. I was never reared into many of the Christian trappings of guilt, even though my parents went to church on the extremely odd occasion (like, once every 10 years, or so)-- and for that I consider myself greatful. And, so, my jorney began... (Yeah, I can be heavy on metaphores!)

While I attended Junior High School I became quite environmentally aware (I was always a hippy at heart); and, also, quite interested in Native American religion, including my own Irish-Celtic heritage; much like many Witches that I know, I also absorbed all of the mythology that I could get my hands ahold of throughout Jr. High, etc. Two of my favourite books-- at that early time-- were the clasics: Bulfinch's Mythology and Brian Froud's Fairies. Though, these were really all I could really find in my very limited school district!

These formative years were quite literally years of progression: Because I was always pretty "psychic", from a very early age, I saught to explain these abilities-- I should also mention that I'm a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic at heart! So, I hit the books, trying to quench my desire for knowledge, which wasn't easy in the small town that I grew-up in, as the libraries were equally as small and sorely under stocked. I wanted to know how to explain them-- their physiological basis.

It seemed shortly after my initiation into the realms of parapsychology that my family & myself began to study the Mormon faith. And, it was also during this treatise, that my whole spiritual perception was forever changed: I, being the cheaky 12 year old I happened to be, took it upon myself to seriously question what I was told and asking some very advanced questions-- for any age, really! One such life-altering example occured one evening when the missionaries stopped by for their weekly "lesson". And, so, because we had been taught from the beginning that we are Jesus's brothers and sisters, and that we are God's children (literally), and having a basic working knowledge of genetics & family structure, I asked, 'Well, if we are God's children, and Jesus is our brother... Does God have a wife?', using the words and knowledge available to me at the time, for I had never really given time to thinking of (nor been exposed to) the feminine pronoun of "God" as "Goddess" per se, as a practical aspect of religion-- this was before my later interest in ancient religions. So, I simply used the word "wife". Their answer? "We believe He does, but...He loves Her so much that He does not reveal Her name to us!" Strange seeing as how they taught us that His actual Name was "Jehova"-- an ancient Pagan Name of the God from the Middle East who probably had a bull-cult! But, they admonished me with the following, "But, we don't pray to Her!" What the...?!?! Why in the world not?!?! "Nuts to that," I thought! And, it was from that moment that I began to pray to the Goddess.

But, my formal introduction into the religion of Witchcraft would wait until my first year of college. It was through a friend, naturally enough. She was performing some research on it, herself, and when I saw the word "Wicca" (having never been exposed to that term before) I simply asked her what it was. And, so began my journey into The Craft. Because, it pulled together everything I had experienced & believed & researched so much earlier in my life... It was truly a Home Coming!

I do consider myself lucky, however, because I knew that Witchcraft was nothing "evil" or in any way associated with any "devil" or other such nonsense. (It is interesting to note that the word demon was origionally Greek and, rather than referring to something "evil" originally denoted a genus, or spirit, with implications of "divine wisdom"; while in Latin, when rendered as daemon, it means "divinity" or "spirit"; and the word devil, actually means "little god".) Thanks, in no small part, to Leonard Nimoy's old 70s series 'In Search Of...' (I love that show; I still gladly make time to watch it whenever I catch it airing on Sci Fi). On one episode it did, in fact, detail a coven of American Witches and interviewed them so that we may walk away with a wonderful understanding of another religion, quite different from those that most knew. Incidentally, [perhaps this is synchronicity at work, again, as we will see?] the Coven of Witches was those presided over by Laurie Cabot!

But, I digress... My friend had only a passing interest in it, and soon dropped it altogether, which leads me to believe that I may have, perhaps, been lead down this Path from the very beginning-- because I firmly believe that many things happen for a reason-- call it "synchronicity"! Even physicists believe in synchronicity!-- Dr. F. David Peat defines it as: "coincidences that are so unusual and so psychologically meaningful they don't seem to be the result of chance alone." Thus, it is through synchronicity that we may be able to glimpse a deeper order to reality!

I found it utterly fascinating, and felt the calling of the Goddess, and that of my ancient Celtic heritage, once again, since all those long years ago. So, I began to further research it (as best I could, anyway). And, eventually found it frustrating, because I wasn't finding the answers to many of the questions I was asking-- questions which many books, at the time, seemed to avoid, with such dodgy answers as "You have to believe in spells for them to work!" without giving any rational, logical, or left-brained reason "to believe".

And so, in the time that I began to doubt my "faith" (relatively-speaking), I raised my voice in a silent petition to the Gods asking for Their guidance in answering the questions that I saught! (You have to realize that I come from a world in which "spells" are given over to the world of dreams and "fairy tales", with no factual basis in reality.) And, They did! A book found its way to me, as an answer to that humble prayer. It described, using Quantum Mechanics, a world and Universe that makes sense to the Witch! Having, since then, read a number of books on physics, I came up with the following analogy: The more I read about it, the more the Universe seems like the film The Matrix, if you've seen it (I happened to be reading a book on physics [The Holographic Universe], one evening, while The Matrix was airing on HBO, I believe, when this conclusion occured). But, I digress... The book-- which still holds a highly place on my book shelf and those that I can in good consciousness recommend-- was Laurie Cabot's The Power of the Witch: A Witch's Guide to Her Craft. (The two chapters, "Alpha" and "The Science of Witchcraft" are worth the cost of the book alone!)

Soon after, however, my Matron-Goddess, The Morrighan ["Great Queen"] came to me upon one Lughnasadh Eve. It's quite a lovely story, and I hope you enjoy it [it's actually one of my favorite stories to tell!]:

"Generally-speaking, if you ask most ol'-time Witches, they'll tell you that the Gods choose us, rather than the other way around. I live in a small town (a farming community) surrounded on all sides (for miles) by farms, fields & farmers! And, in the field in front of me, off in the distance (on the Eve prior to Lughnasadh) I was treated to a spectacular fireworks display! I have often wondered if the farmers new that this was the Eve of a Sabbat, or that it was at least a Harvest Feastival!?!?!? So, soon after the last whisp of light faded into the warm embrace of the night, I went back inside, and retired to bed. That night, one of The Morrighan's triplicities (whom is also frequently honoured on Lughnasadh) came to me in a dream; She came to me in the guise of the Macha ['Plain' or 'Field']! And, because I'm sure The Goddess knows how stubborned and left-brained I can sometimes be, She came to me on the Eve after Lughnasadh; this time as The Morrighan, dressed in Her dark robes & vestments. That was enough for me to take the hint! I have worshipped Her ever since! And, since, I have heard music in the call of the crow...felt Her black wings of protection & love! After all, we worship the Old Gods because we love Them." Also, contrary to what modern Pagans like to believe, She was not (and is not) a War-Goddess, but an Earth-Goddess-- at least according to to modern academia, as I have reseaarched Her.

Furthermore, my "Pagan name", if you will, came via similar means, as well. Albeit, a very few years there after. It is merely a spiritually adopted surname: Wade MacMorrighan [Ir., "Wade Son of The Morrighan"*]. It came to me, one quiet night, during a light state of trance. And, being as stubborn, as I often am, I could not accept it at face value. So, I had to validate it, rather than seem somewhat foolish in adopting a senseless spiritual name. And, it so happens that it was correct! As with all things, I neither chose this name, nor the Goddess whom I serve!

* Similar to other such Irish-Gaelic names, although this patronymic happens also to be Scottish-Gaelic, as Manannan mac Lir [Ir., Manannan "Son of the Sea"], Aengus Mac Og [Aengus the "Son of Youth"] or Mac Grinene [Ir., "The Son of the Sun"], etc.

Oh, and, incidentally, because of my belief in synchronicity, I am in the process of writing a few books, too (more than a few, actually)! For about 3 months straight, I'd talk to several fellow pagans, or dear friends of mine (this was about 3 years ago), and talk about this-or-that, and each one would say to me, "You should write a book!" So, I am! I'm actually co-authoring two with a well known British Pagan author-friend of mine, and have permission to use the local history museum, and the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, England, to perform some further research! I can't wait!

Other than that, the only other bit of information I have to add is this: I'm a Consecrated Priest of the Irish Earth-Goddess, The Morrighan (don't take my word for it, look it up if you don't believe me-- please; often people don't, despite the current thinking that's so often dismissed as "inconsequential"!). And, unlike some other posers that are skulking about the cyberspace, She chose me to serve Her, rather than so many Buffy Bunnies (and Fluff Bunnies) invoking Her to their pedantic ends, or what they think She is based upon specious, "fixed," late 19th. century pseudo-scholarship.

But, I really am a nice guy, honest! I just tend to get upset by all of the posers that plague modern Pagan Witchcraft these days. Especially the anti-Fluffy Fundamentalists (despite the fact that I'm as anti-Fluffy as all get-out, but not to such an extreme!) which are just as bad as the Fluffy Bunnies in many respects (they like to tell everyone how wrong they are, or claim one's research is crap, despite the shifting winds of academia or methodology), or enact out-and-out character assassination for no other reeason than their own selfish Egos. Another personal quibble I only very generally admit to having is that such individuals refuse to, for example, question what they are "taught," taking it for granted as some "holy writ"! "Initiation" is a prime example of this: Far too many so-called "Pagans" (and un-Initiated, too boot!) are under the impression that it denotes a membership into a secret club, to learn said "secrets". In other words, this is the ONLY acceptible definition of "Initiation". Well, this is only an erroniously simplistic definition as far as I'm concerned. And, for this reason, I have differentiated what I term "Ritual Initiation" from "Authentic Initiation"-- an "Authentic Initiation" (which may include "Spontanious Initiation") being that which cannot be bestowed upon by anyone else, but can only, ultimately, come from within; The Charge of the Goddess even speaks of this! In fact, the author of The Charge Of The Goddess, Doreen Valiente, also questioned the Initiatory-mandate that "only a Witch can make a Witch"!-- she's my hero (another hero of mine is UCLA Archaeologist, Marija Gimbutas, because she dared to interprate)! I also recommend Mircea Eliade's Shamanism: Archaic Techniques In Ecstacy for an examination of a shamanistic-Initiation cycle.

I really have to grind my teeth when the "Occult Police" take to throwing their weight around! So, enough of my ranting...I'm sure you're sick of it by now!

Albeit I do not consider myself "Wiccan"-- despite the fact that this was the method through which I came to The Craft-- structurally-speaking (it even applies to the 8 Sabbats that I personally celebrate-- hey, I'd be mad to turn down a chance to party! LOL) I follow "Wiccan" proceedures to an extent, while following at the heart of my practice what may best be described as Gaelic Traditionalism (i.e., Reconstructionism). So, I guess one could define me as a cross between a Witch-Priest and a Gaelic Traditionalist/Reconstructionist!

Thanks for letting me ramble, a bit!

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Phallic Worship & Dildo Rituals...

MacMorrighan — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 07:46:13 GMT

Hiya' guys. Sorry for such a blatantly blunt subject header, but... I was wondering if, in your years of study, if you've come across some truly excellent books (that are still academically sound today) re: the ubiquetous theme of phallic worship with bazillions of examples! *G* This (as well as the next query) is a personal research project of mine.

Also, I'm looking for some GREAT research material that I may turn to concerning the ritual and religious use of dildos! According to the History Channel, on the isle of Lesbos, Sappho and her followers used dildos in religious or for ritual purposes. I wonder if dildos were religious or ritually used in the cult of Dionysos because he was known to have penetrated Himself with such a device carved from fig wood, I believe. Moreover, it'd be interesting to locate similar ritual or religious dildo-centred practices within Phallic-God cults, such as Priapus, for example!

Ya' know, this reminds me of a discussion me and a bunch of folks were having in High School, during art class: Someone mentioned that the candles made by the nuns were used as dildos! This may be, but I've not read anything to verify it, yet.

BTW, something fascinating just came to mind: I don't believe I've ever read anything regarding the Tradition of the traditional Gardnerian phallic tipped wand. Where did it come from? How did it get into Gardnerianism via Gerald. And, what evidence might answering these questions prove when applied to the grand scheme of modern Pagan witchcraft's [Wicca's] history? That is, could it be evidence for something older than what scholars are willing to allow for?

Basically, I'd love top learn more about these topic in a historiographic setting.

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

ISO A "Chalice"... ;o)

MacMorrighan — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 06:48:07 GMT

Okay, now this may sound like a somewhat vague, and way-too-open-ended question, but... I am-- as time and funds allow-- searching for a very specific chalice! Now, granted, I already own one (you may view it on my Blog or Profile at: http://MySpace.Com/MacMorrighan ), but...I merely settled for "less than best" in this situation. Heck, I just don't have it within me to appreciate most of the chalices that I see for sale in Pagan stores in the US. *shrugs* Although, to your credit, I must admit that I do see an aweful lot of superior and beautiful ritual Regalia throughout the UK! But, I digress...

If someone here could turn to their copy of Janet and Stewart Farrar's brilliant The Witches' Goddess, and find photographic plate #18, that reads: "Arianrhod Ritual: The Dark Goddess and (on the right) the Bright Goddess." This same chalice also makes frequent appearances in their Witches Bible compilation. This is, asthetically-speaking, what I have been looking for in a "Chalice", but simply haven't seen one around.

And, so, I wrote a polite e-mail to them (that is to say I wrote Janet and Gavin) enquiring about their lovely chalice! Unfortunately, I seem to have lost that-- I saved it, but cannot seem to locate it anywhere... Anyway, they told me that in England they are popular wedding gifts (or, perhaps, they were at least when they wrote these books). So, they said I should check some stores about a certain posh-sounding area of London...but, of course, I'd lost that e-mail, and cannot recall the area or stores they recommended any clearer.

So...I was wondering if anyone here might recognize this sort of chalice (preferribly if it's real silver!) in any shops or even on-line (heck, preferribly if said "shop" has a web-site!). In fact, I thought to ask because I know so few Pagans from the UK, or many with such connections. Hey, it can't hurt, after all.

Okay, enough from me this evening...

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Cakes & Cookies for the Horned One...

MacMorrighan — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 05:13:00 GMT

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone here has ever thought of baking Sabbat Cakes and Cookies of any kind for the Horned One that are, in any way, phallic in shape? (Ah...Yule always puts me in the mood for sacred baking!) ;o) You better believe that I've long thought of doing such! *EG* Maybe perhaps some yummy phallic gingerbread cookies iced in an appropriate manner (endemic of semen, and all). Heck, this Beltane I was thinking of making a Honey Cake batter including some pure rose extract, candied rose and violet petals, with a bit of cinnamon, and baked in phallic cupcake tins that are not only appropriately iced, but cream-filled!

Ah...what can I say, I have a passionate obsesion for the Horned One!!!

Hey, here's a curious question for ya'. Do you think heterosexual Pagans might be offended by being offered or served phallic cakes and cookies for the Sabbat? Would one openly refuse such? And, why?

Gods, I can't believe I'm thinking of Beltane already! Heh heh heh... Hey, I've found a great cookie cutter (if one Google's "Devil's Head" + "Cookie Cutter") that would be GREAT for Horned God cookies!

Geeze, there ought to be more of a variety of cake tins, cookie cutters, presses and molds of a Pagan nature, IMHO.

And, while I'm thinking about it, if anyone has any recipes developed for the Sabbats, or the Horned One, please share 'em! ;o)

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan
http://MySpace.Com/MacMorrighan

P.S.--I thought I'd share this fabulous web-comic that a non-Pagan friend of mine found, and lovingly sent my way: http://e-sheep.com/Saturnalia/ I *love* it!!! Hey, where can *I* get a root-top ornament like them; and, there's more than ONE reason why I'm a l'il jealous of Mr. Thompson! LOL...

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

IndoPagan Resources!

Devi — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 16:40:27 GMT

Namaste-

This may seem like a strange place for this, but anyone who has seen the ancient form of Lord Shiva, Pashupati - Lord of the Animals, knows that it bears an uncanny resemblance to Cernunnos. Also, due to the Indo-European connection to Vedic India, this parallel is probably much more meaningful. I also noticed some posts regarding lingams. SO:

For those who may be following a blended path of Hinduism and NeoPaganism, there are several new resources that are available for you.

I have created a yahoogroup for the discussion of IndoPagan topics, which has nearly 100 members and is quite active! You may access more informaion &/or subscribe at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShaktiWicca

There are also 2 new sites where you can find IndoPagan ritual resources, readings, links, and more:

http://indopaganproject.tripod.com - The IndoPagan Project

http://shaktiwicca.tripod.com - The Shakti Wicca Tradition

I hope to see some of you there! There are many devotees of Lord Shiva in the group!

Blessings,
~Devi~

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

Noone of Solstice

FyreChyld — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 14:25:24 GMT

I thought you all would like this.

http://www.pac-magic.org/Damh%20the%20Bard%20MP3s/Noon%20of%20Solstice.mp3

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

forming a YahooGroup for discussion of the Horned Lord from various cultures

Devi — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:36:44 GMT

If anyone is interested in joining a yahoogroup related to the discussion of the worship of Horned Lords from many cultures, surf over to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cernunnos/

Blessings,
~Devi~

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Cernunnos rituals/chants

Devi — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 15:56:16 GMT

Namaste-

This may seem like a very "newbie" question, and I suppose in this context I am very much the newbie. The bulk of my 10-year practice has revolved around the Hindu deities, as They are the Ones that adopted me. In recent researches into the Proto-Indo-European theories, I was brought into slightly more intimate contact with Celtic materials - which I had never really personally/spiritually explored before (except over the period of a year in University when I took several classes in Celtic folklore & music out of interest, and because as a Wiccan - albeit NOT a Celtic one - I should know a little something about the Celts).

As a devotee of Shiva, I began to be drawn to his Pashupati aspect, and then -predictably - to Cernunnos.

Now, in Hinduism, I have an advantage in that there is a huge body of mantras that are readily available to allow me to easily and ACCURATELY attune to a particular deity (or aspect of that deity), and learn the energies, make contact, etc.

I feel slightly stranded in this new context with no real "HERE IS HOW YOU CONTACT THE ENERGIES OF X". I have considered doing some journeywork on the matter, but I feel rather presumptuous entereing the Otherworlds and searching for a deity that I have never had any previous connection with.

Any advice? Are there "popular" chants, or the like that you have found useful in contacting Cernunnos and His energies?

Blessings,
~Devi~

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

Help Save Tara!

FyreChyld — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 22:48:23 GMT

Please help save Tara (Irelands most sacred place) by signing the worldwide petition at the link below and stop them from building the Motorway through Tara. All info is in the petition. Be sure to cut & paste this petition on all your Pagan groups & Forums. get your Covens & Groves to sign it. This is very important! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS SIGN! Thank You!

http://www.petitiononline.com/hilltara/petition.html

go na Tiarna agus Bantiarn coill glas beannacht glas tu!
(Irish Gaelic for)
May the Lord and Lady of the Green Wood Bless you!

/|\ Gypsy /|\

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

(songspell)

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 19:46:14 GMT

Cerridwen's Kiss

I was a purple flash of lightening.
I was a indigo raindrop on a flower petal.
I was a blue note within a Bard's song.
I was a green blade of grass on a sacred hilltop.
I was a yellow salamander in the mire.
I was an orange cat hunting prey.
I was a red-clothed woman heavy with child.
One day I will reach godhood.
And when my deity passes,
As I fade through the veils of Summerland,
I will be an Oak again...

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

HornedOnes Rumpus

Otter — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 08:19:54 GMT

Hail all!

For those of you planning on attending FaerieWorlds '06, there are plans for a parade of all of the HornedOnes (antlers, goat, ram, or whatever) on Satyrday. Depending on when the Spiral Dance and Ritual are held, we will gather and hour or so before the
Rumpus, focus our energy, then whoop, holler, drum, pipe, and howl through the entire event.

What I would like to do here in this thread is brainstorm some ideas of things we could do to focus all of the amazing energy that we will be raising. So, if you are a HornedOne planning on Rumpusing with us, please let us know what you think.

Peace,
Otter

posted in Cernunnos - 5 replies

Pagan USA!!!

Otter — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 18:01:58 GMT

Help create a living map of our national community
www.frappr.com/paganusa
Peace,
Otter

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

An Earth-Shattering Book!

MacMorrighan — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 05:24:04 GMT

Hey, I just got three ***FASCINATING*** books yesterday!!! One is about Neolithic North America, though it deals more with material cultural remains rather than religion of rites and gods/goddesses, etc. It's called, "Ancient North America: The Archaeology of a Continent" Fourth Edition. By, Brian Fagan. The other far more interesting tomes are:

Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History -- Alistair Moffat Deals with pre-historic Scotland and the CFelts in general; though focussing on Scotland, primarily. Yet, religion takes a back-seat, again.

This is the book which is truly (I do NOT say this lightly!) earth-shattering to the academic community!!! Inside the Neolithic Mind -- David Lewis-Williams and David Pearce. The sequal to The Mind in the Cave-- I haven't read this prior text, yet; it will have to wait until I get some money! Anyway, according to the authors, we are able to, with relative certainty, interprate the meanings for many of the carvings in Neolithic caves and upon burial mounds, etc. They seem to be pictographs based upon what one would have experienced in a hallucinogenic trance/state; these seem to be common with all people on earth, much like an "archetype" if you will. Earlier academics, unfortunately, much like Hutton [Ronald] and his ilk (and probably still do) would claim firmly--stating there are no answers possible to their accusations-- that this is either "pseudo-science" (a term of insult used even by modern Pagans to write off research they happen not to agree with), and that any conclusions about what the Neolithic people meant when they carved these symbols, for example, eludes us-- that it MUST elude us permanently, until we have the impossible ability to contact the creators directly and ask them! They seem to scorn at those whom interprate any evidence-- however, ironically, they seem to do a lot of interprating themselves (particularly Hutton)! Basically, they say, "We can't know with ANY degre of certainty, so why bother!" In other words, we should leave it a mystery becase we "cannot know" and, thus, should not adance any theories or hypotheses, which would be a severe lapse in a sort of meathodology, it would seem. Indeed, it seemed to-- for a very long time-- be a a field of study that is no loger (and is not) respectible. And, for these reasons I call this book EARTH-SHATTERING!!!

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

Lingam Suppliers?

MacMorrighan — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 04:04:17 GMT

Hey guys, I was wondering if any Hindu-interested folk on this Group might be aware of any suppliers and stores (with catalogues!) that stick Traditional Shiva lingams (7-inches tall/high from the base to the lingam's tip X 8-inches long for the "yonic" lingam support X 5.5-inches wide for the diameter of the "yoni" would be pretty much a perfect size!). Some white stone would be ideal for my Worship needs. There are many, many, statuary/idol supply stores out there, though I've not seen any that sell lingams are other aniconic idolitrous imagery...

Anyone got any help out there? I'd like to construct an Altar to the Masculine Principle of the Horned One, whom is "Ithyphallic". I saw a beautiful one at E-Bay, but...not only would the shipping fee kill me, it was way too expensive; especially for a piece of marble! After all, if I can buy a large marble morter and pestle for about $30 at any local store, here, why should a lingam of about the same size-- the same amount of marble; give or take-- be astronomically more expensive?!?!?!

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Celtic Ritual Human "Sacrifice"?

MacMorrighan — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 16:08:50 GMT

Wow! I was watching a fabulous U.S. programme last night-- not sure if you chaps from the UK get it or not-- called "Nova" [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bog/]! It was about bog bodies, and the question of "Why?" Well, the most convincing reason put forth by the programme had to do with Sacral Kingship, where the Chieftain was "married" to the feminized land-- the Goddess of his Tribe (or Nation, as the Native peoples of the U.S. would rather be called today). The reason being was that the land probably did not prosper, or some such, during his "reign". But, of course we have a great deal of evidence fo Sacral Kingship-- this programme was fascinating!

However, so often I notice people screaming "HUMAN RITUAL SACRIFICE" [i.e., a strict offering to the Gods, as if it were a regular, and expected, part of their religious observences] when bog bodies are discussed. Or, they alternatively bring up the bog bodies to prove their personal belief that the Celts engaged in ritual human sacrifice to the Gods, despite how little supportive evidence there actually is for such a thesis. Even Peter Berresford Ellis delivers a severely crippling blow to this all too matter-of-fact belief in his recent book "The Druids". Indeed, I think he makes a fairly convincing case! Most people (researchers included) generally seem to take this for granted, that it's a fact that the Celts performed ritual human "sacrifice".

Although, I will be, eventually, investigating every case for a bog mummy throughout insular and continental Europe.

Incidentally, the way in which we generally use the term "Sacrifice," is, in fact, a misuse-- etymologically-speaking-- being that it means "to make holy" in the origional Latin!

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

Commercial Organic Sloe Gin Suppliers...

MacMorrighan — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 09:35:06 GMT

Hey Guys, here's a really interesting question for y'all. Being that the holy Blackthorne [Prunus spinosa] is not native to the US (indeed, there are restrictions against propogating it, I understand), I have been looking for some commercial U.S. suppliers of Sloe Gin which is organic (i.e., the use actual Sloe Berries in the distillation/steeping process). The only Sloe Gin I am familiar with is Arrow brand, and i suspect it, as well as most American Sloe Gins are made using artificial flavours and colourings. So...being unable to make my own (because of no access to fresh Sloe Berries) I am trying to find a commercial supplier of organic Sloe Gin that, at least, does business with some business or Co. in the US, so that I could more easily purchase the stuff.

Anyone know of any?

Oh, and...ditto with Mead, by the way! ;o)

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

Speaking of Chalices...

MacMorrighan — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 16:48:22 GMT

...Does anyone have a copy of Janet & Stewart's "Eight Sabbats foir Witches"? Well, grab your copy, please, and flip through the Plates within it. Now, do you notice that lovely chalice that's in several photos, including Plate 1 of their Altar? Good. Keep that in mind.

I E-Mailed Janet and Gavin about where they obtained that lovely chalice (as its more of a "Chalice" than what I see sold in the U.S. for Pagans, by that same epithet!); and this is what they told me: "The silver chalices you've seen are the same sort used for wedding gifts in the UK. You might be able to find them in a high street jewellers."

Does anyone know what they mean, or is anyonbe familiar wioth these sorts of chalices from any retail store, perhaps (even if it *is* in the UK (so that I know they exist somewhere!)?

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

The Horned-One & Homosexuals?

MacMorrighan — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 07:12:15 GMT

Just thought I'd start a thread re: the relationship of Gay men with the Horned-God.

Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan

posted in Cernunnos - 5 replies

Tribe for Freyr

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 02:10:07 GMT

Hello Everyone,

I hope you don't mind me posting this about the new tribe I created for Freyr. Could you please let other people know about this on other Norse, Heathen, or Pagan related tribes you belong to? I'd appreciate it! I created this tribe since there wasn't already one specifically for Freyr and the Vanir! Thanks!

Badger

http://tribes.tribe.net/Freyr

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Happy Winter Solstice Everyone!

FyreChyld — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:41:04 GMT

Hope the Gods grant you all your wishes this Holiday Season.

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

Hello!

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:24:39 GMT

Seeker in Va, looking to make contacts

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Konichiwa, Namaste, Merry Meet, Hello,

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 20:42:54 GMT

Konichiwa, Namaste, Merry Meet, Hello,
I"m a recent member. just wanted to say hi there.
I am dedicated to Cerridwen and Cernunnous for many years now, who are my patron/matron deities, however I also embrace other deities from various cultures and leave myself open to the divine, gods, goddesses, nature spirits and elementals as you never know who will come into your circle.

I found tribe.net a couple of weeks ago and joined many tribes.
I also decided to create two of my own tribes. below is the info in case anyone is interested in them.

you can read about me at my profile if you like so I won't post an intro.
hope to find some things to discuss on the boards, meet other fellow tribe members and feel free to connect me to your network. :-)
)O( )O( )O(
arigatou, bb*peace
Willow Ravencraft

My Groups: at tribe.net
NYC Pagans and beyond - webweave, network, chat, events
tribes.tribe.net/nyc_pagans

Witchcrafting - recipes, incense and oils, kitchen magick, crafting etc.
tribes.tribe.net/witchycrafting

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Looking to Learn

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 21:26:55 GMT

Greetings, I'm looking to learn about the Horned God. I've had the honor of meeting him a couple of times, and I've recently felt a pull to draw closer to him, but I'm concerned about finding good information on him. I'm cautious about getting the right information, so I thought I'd ask here to see if anyone can suggest any places where I can find good information on Him?

For now I have to just stick with my meditations on him... I'd like to learn more.

Namaste,

Jharma

posted in Cernunnos - 5 replies

waves hi....

dark_frostus — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 05:09:51 GMT

hi from baltimore..... ^_^ dark

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Sharing gifts

Raina — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 06:43:55 GMT

I have posted a recent painting I did of The Horned One in the photo album. It's a little watercolor that poured out quickly. There have been many beautiful post of poetry here. I just wanted to share my expression of connection to Herne.

Horny Blessings,
Raina

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

horned greetings!

thecook — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 11:54:02 GMT

hiya folx...was thinking of setting up tribe like this one so happy to find its already here... some interesting information from some of the postings.

one thing im interested in is peoples personal relationsip to cernunnos. not that im asking for intimate facts... i undrestand how many would wish to keep them personal. what im interested in is how perhaps you encountered cernunnos or one of his many forms.

i know he has always been around with me and through stag and indeed other horned beasts i have animal connections to him. i journey to meet him and he is amazing if sometimes fucking frightening!

i wonder who creates some of these stories and myths about him as they are so different from my own.

i also meet the honed beast in other forms such as the moon, sometimes as female, sometimes as faery or daemon. do ppl experience something which is about the potancy of horn in other ways?

its funny because as a "queer pagan" i spent years denying he was male, this i see differently esp as ive noted how he works with and through other forms.

just interesting for me at the moment because again he is at the forfront of my life. im very curious how he impacts on other peoples lives. its like he wells up inside me all the time. ive experienced him in trance dance and it led to massive repercussions... up till then i was safe with stag:)

anyway love n antlers...

posted in Cernunnos - 4 replies

Pagan music/poetry tribe

Mon, 21 Feb 2005 01:55:55 GMT

Check it out if you're interested:
pagansongs.tribe.net

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Horned-god tour site?

greg-mooney — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 05:27:31 GMT

Hey Earth family!...Just wanted to follow a query as a few years ago I had a boss(from Isreal) who said there was a tourist site out side of Jeruselem with art(a modern concept,as it was more like visual prayer,eh?)of the Horned God,...well is anyone hip to it that can share more light on it(or a photo)?........pS-pour on more of poetry Y'all...Greg

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

My closes friends new CD

FyreChyld — Sat, 22 Jan 2005 08:33:25 GMT

Matt, Kina & Hunter are 3 of my closes friends. Their band is called Folkrum. They just put out their 1st CD album. I highly recommend you all give this band a listen.
You can listen to and buy their CD at http://cdbaby.com/cd/folkrum

My personal favorite is their song "Misinformation Highway" it can be downloaded at http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/folkrum-11.m3u

Really listen to the words of this song.
Its the Voice of the Pagan Heart

If you like them you can join their tribe at http://folkrum.tribe.net

Siochain
~Gypsy

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

Personal Cernunnos invocation

Shaman — Sat, 18 Dec 2004 09:58:25 GMT

I climbed a mighty mountain to see what I could see.
I climbed a mighty mountain to see what I could be.
I climbed that mighty mountain and something changed inside of me.
Cernunnos was in that mighty mountain and he set my spirit free.

CERNUNNOS!!!! BECOME A PART OF ME!!!!!

SO MOTE IT BE!!!!!

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Cernunnos's winter forest

Shaman — Sat, 18 Dec 2004 10:19:47 GMT

White drifts hush every sound in Cernunnos's forest. The wolf fights increasing snows, bitter winds, cold starry nights as he surveys the herds of deer and elk for weakness. Stag has lost his horns for they are a burden in winter. Cold darkness wraps the deadly still forest in a chilly blanket of silence. At this time of year the weak begin to surrender silently to the cold darkness of Cernunnos's winter forest. Those who align themselves with him conserve their strength, dig shelters in the snow against the wind, travel like shadows so they may pass unseen among the drifts. As followers of Cernunnos where is your heart on this cold winter night? Are you prepared for winter's cold dark times? Have you prepared your bodies for winter's harshness? The strong are blessed by Cernunnos for they defend wild freedom with their lives. Is your powder dry?

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

A new Tribe

FyreChyld — Sun, 16 Jan 2005 09:55:09 GMT

Damh the Bard is a Druid whose spirituality is expressed through his music, storytelling and poetry. Drawing on the Bardic traditions his performances are both entertaining and educational, weaving a tapestry of myth, peace, and Pagan anthems that speak directly to the heart, but never without a good splash of humour. Leaving academia to those better qualified, Damh works within that world of myth that cannot be proved; where the Faerie really do dance on Midsummer's Eve, where the trees talk, and the Hollow Hills take you into the realms of Annwn. Where the Goddess rides her horse, guiding you to magic, and the Horned God of old calls us from the shadows of the Greenwood. So relax, and let the music and words take you there.

Come check out the mp3's, if you like join the Tribe.

http://damhthebard.tribe.net/

posted in Cernunnos - 0 replies

New Seattle pagan tribe

Otter — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 03:25:16 GMT

Come join your Seattle pagan neighbors at:
www.seattleareapagans.tribe.net
Thanks for your time.

Peace,
Otter.

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies

Cernunnos Description

Sat, 08 Jan 2005 05:10:27 GMT

The following was taken from: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cernunnos.html

Cernunnos
by Dr Anthony E. Smith

"The Horned One" is a Celtic god of fertility, life, animals, wealth, and the underworld. He was worshipped all over Gaul, and his cult spread into Britain as well. Cernunnos is depicted with the antlers of a stag, sometimes carries a purse filled with coin. The Horned God is born at the winter solstice, marries the goddess at Beltane, and dies at the summer solstice. He alternates with the goddess of the moon in ruling over life and death, continuing the cycle of death, rebirth and reincarnation.

Paleolithic cave paintings found in France that depict a stag standing upright or a man dressed in stag costume seem to indicate that Cernunnos' origins date to those times. Romans sometimes portrayed him with three cranes flying above his head. Known to the Druids as Hu Gadarn. God of the underworld and astral planes. The consort of the great goddess. He was often depicted holding a bag of money, or accompanied by a ram-headed serpent and a stag. Most notably is the famous Gundestrup cauldron discovered in Denmark.

posted in Cernunnos - 1 reply

Herne the Hunter

Candace_the_Bibliophile — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 18:22:02 GMT

Thought I'd post this as Herne and Cernunnos have been linked. I wrote this a couple years ago...

The Wild Hunt
Accompanied by the wild calls of hunting horns, the Wild Hunt and its leader haunted the skies throughout northern Europe with a pack of coal-black hounds. Also known as the Wild huntsman, the god Odin was imagined to pass through the sky with his group of hunters and hounds. His ride was considered a forecast of misfortune, pestilence, or war, and he was seen most often in autumn and winter, especially between Christmas and the Twelfth night. It was once customary to leave the last sheaf of grain out in the fields to feed his horses.

Odin's band of hunters were called many things. Some of the most popular names were the Wild Hunt, Woden's Hunt, Asgardreia, and Joen's (Odin's) hunt or Jolereinn. Other names include the Raging Host, Gandried, Cain's Hunt, or Gangford. It was also known as the Furious Horde, the Devil's Hunt, Watischend Heer, Chasse Artu, Wilde Jagd, the days of Jupiter, and the Mesnie Sauvage. The Wild Hunt of Germanic folklore was known by many names, Wutan's or Wuet's Army in the southern parts of Germany. It was the Oskorei in Norway and Odensjakt in Denmark and Sweden. The oskorei was also called julereien or juleskreien for the season of Yule, and the Norwegian oskorei was said to stop either at places where someone has been or shall be murdered.

In northern England, the Hunt was known as the Gabriel Hounds, in Devon the Yeth (Heath) or Wisht Hounds, in Wales the Cwm Annwn, the Hounds of the underworld. In Cornwall, Dando and his Dogs or the Devil's Dandy Dogs haunted the skies.

According to legend, Dando was a corrupt priest near the village of St. Germans. He cared for nothing but sensual pleasures and hunting. Dando would hunt on any day including Sunday. One Sunday, after a particularly prosperous hunt with many kills, Dando and his entourage paused on their horses.

Finding that no wine was left in the flasks of any of his attendants, he declared in a rage, 'If none can be found on Earth, go to Hell for it!' A stranger who had joined the hunt unnoticed, offered him a drink from his wine flask, announcing it was the select brew of the place he had just mentioned. Drinking eagerly, and emptying the entire flask, Dando swore, 'If they have drink like this in Hell, I will willingly spend Eternity there.' The stranger, while Dando had been marveling over the drink, had quietly collected all the game. When Dando demanded it back again with furious curses, the stranger said, 'What I have, I hold.' Leaping from his horse, Dando rushed the stranger who casually lifted him by the scruff of the neck. Dando cried out, 'I'll follow you to Hell for it!' to which the stranger replied, 'You shall go with me.' With that, he spurred his horse with a great leap into the middle of the stream, and a burst of flame came up from the water. The stranger, the horse, and Dando disappeared, but not forever. Since that day, Dando and his hounds have returned from time to time to chase over the countryside.

The name Gabriel Hounds or Gabble Ratchets (dogs) had nothing to do with the Angel Gabriel. It was a reference to an old word for 'corpse'. Sometimes they were described as great black hounds with fiery eyes as big as saucers. The 'Gabriel Hounds' in Lancashire were described as monstrous dogs with human heads who traveled high up in the air, sometimes hovering over a house to foretell death or misfortune to the inhabitants. Generally, they were only heard passing overhead on cloudy or stormy nights. In this form they were quite similar to the mysterious Seven Whistlers. Only six of the seven whistlers was ever heard at a time, and the old country folk said that should all seven ever whistle together the world would be at an end."

Sometimes it was the Devil who led the hunt, pursuing lost souls. While in Devon, the hounds were themselves thought to be the souls of unbaptized children. In the area of Leeds, the Gabble Ratchets were also thought to be the souls of infants who had died before baptism, doomed forever to flit round their parents' homes. In Germany too, the souls of unbaptized babies in the train of 'Frau Bertha' sometimes accompanied the Wild Huntsman.

Also known as The Host and the Unseelie Court in Scotland, the Sluagh were the Host of the Unforgiven Dead and the most formidable and unforgiving of the Highland faerie people. They traveled over inhabited places around midnight. In other accounts, the Sluagh were fallen angels rather than the dead. They could be heard and seen on crisp, clear nights, fighting each other. After a battle, the 'fuil nan slugagh,' the blood of the hosts, might be seen staining rocks and stones. They were also known to slaughter cats, dogs, sheep, and cattle with their poisoned darts.

As the old name was corrupted and its meaning lost, leadership of the Hunt fell to real or imaginary leaders of the past. In the Franche Comte, the Hunt was called Herod's Hunt; its leader, King Herod, pursuing the Holy Innocents. Other famous leaders of the Hunt include Charlemagne, Frederick the Great, The Devil, Sir Francis Drake, and Father Christmas. King Arthur was another leader of the Hunt as was Arawn the Welsh god of the dead and Gwyn ap Nudd, the lord of Annwfn and Glastonbury Tor who hunted with white, red-eared hounds.

The mythical King Herla was depicted as one leader of the Hunt. It was called the Herlathing or Herla's Rade for him. The Hunt in the early 1900s was described as a silent troop of the dead, endlessly wandering and seemingly alive though its members, when seen, were often known to be dead.

The creation of this King Herla may have been the result of a misunderstanding. The name 'Herle' can be traced back to Herian, a name of Woden/Odin as lord of the honored warriors of Valhalla (Old Norse herjar). This is one of several similar names for the leader of the Hunt. Later in some parts of France, it was called la Mesnie Herlequin eventually giving birth to the Harlequin clown. A similar name, Mesnee Hellequin, was attributed to Hel, the Norse goddess of death.

Gervase of Tilbury, writing in the early thirteenth century, called the Hunt 'familia Arturi', the household of Arthur. In France, it was later known as 'la Chasse Artus' or 'Arthur's hunt. In Denmark, its leader was purported to be King Waldemar, hero of many tales, or else King Christian II. In 19th century England, the Huntsman could have been any one of a number of local heroes or villains, usually of the landowning class.

In Clun Forest, seeing Edric the Wild and the Hunt was a precursor to war. Edric the Wild was said to appear only when England was threatened with invasion, leading the Hunt towards England's foes. Everywhere the hounds were considered portents of death and disaster. A late traveler, hearing them, would fling himself face downward on the ground to avoid seeing them. This was also a precaution taken with Will-o-the-Wisp.

Various deities and entities contended for leadership of The Hunt : Abonde, Gulfor, Harlequin, Herne the Hunter, Odin, Satan, Woden. Cernunnos, the horned Lord of Animals, lives on in place names beginning with Cerne such as Cerne Abbas in Dorset (the home of the Chalk Giant). He is also still celebrated in the Abbotts Bromley Horn Dance. His name may have become Herne, one of the Huntsmen for whom the Hunt is named in southeastern of Europe.

Variant forms of the legend gave the Hunt a female leader, Perchte, Holda, or Holle in Germany and Frien, Freki, Frik, or Freya in Sweden and Northern Germany. On the Elbe, Fru Wode or Fru Gode, or in Mecklenburg, a Frau Gauden led the Hunt. Lilith, Diana and Fraw Selga were some other female hunters. Like many masculine figures, Perchte or Holda supervised a train of souls. Unlike male leaders, her followers were sometimes young children (Orla-gau). She was also accused of stealing children and acted as an enforcer of female social norms, punishing women who had not finished their spinning by the appointed night or who spun on the wrong day. She often gave presents to children, as her masculine counterparts for the most part did not.

The Perchtenlauf was once a masked procession. The masked ones were called Perchten, divided into beautiful and ugly. The beautiful Perchten would distribute gifts. Sometimes the "wild Perchte" would mix in with the procession, making it more dangerous. The Perchten would rage wildly, springing all about. Then the Perchten would scatter in fear, trying to reach the nearest house. As they were under a roof, the Wild One could not reach them. Anyone she could not possess, she would tear apart.

The name of Herne dates to the reign of King Richard II (1377-1399). The story is given that on the King's estate of Windsor Forest, a skilled young keeper by the name of Herne was employed. The other keepers resented him for his ability until one day he saved the King, nearly losing his own life in the process.

King Richard was thrown from his horse. About to be gored by a stag, Herne stepped in and stabbed the creature in the throat. Unfortunately he was fatally wounded himself by the stag's horns. A mysterious stranger arrived calling himself Philip Urswick and offered to cure him. The king agreed, but Philip had also secretly arranged with Herne's peers that their rival would lose all of his skill if the king did so. Cutting the antlers from the stag's skull, he tied them to the dying man's head, dictating plenty of rest. The king rewarded him with silver and gold before the mysterious Philip returned home to Bagshot Heath.

Herne did indeed recover his health, though the antlers became permanently affixed to his head, but as the stranger and the other keepers had arranged, he also lost all of his marvelous skill. Typical of royalty, the king gave him the boot. Demented, Herne rode off into Home park. Last to see him was a peddler who came upon his body later that same day, hanging from an oak tree. By the time he returned with the other keepers however, the body had vanished. That night Herne's Oak was struck by lightning.

A curse fell upon the other keepers, causing them to become even more incompetent than before. Consulting with Urswick, they were instructed to go to Herne's Oak at midnight. There, Herne's antlered ghost appeared to them, ordering them to return the next night with horses and hounds ready for the hunt. Returning as ordered, Herne reappeared only to ride off through the forest, forcing the keepers to follow in pursuit. After a wild ride, Urswick was suddenly before them, and they owed him a favor. He commanded the keepers to ride with Herne forever, creating the Wild Hunt.

Every night at Herne's Oak they would meet before riding forth to kill deer, vandalize the park benches, and generally cause trouble. Finally the king confronted Herne's shade to put an end to their mischief. When challenged Herne claimed to ride for vengeance and promised to haunt no more during the king's reign on condition that the treacherous keepers be hanged from the very oak where he had died. This was done the following day.

After the King's abdication in 1399 however, Herne and his Wild Hunt rode forth once again, collecting the souls of the dead. Though Herne's Oak was chopped down due to an administrative error in 1796, Herne continued to haunt the park. Sometimes on a dark and stormy night, the ghost of the tree itself could be seen.

Considered second only to Odin, Uller, another leader of the hunt, was said to take possession of Midgard (Earth) and Asgard (Aesir home) for the nine winter months of the extreme north, but not being particularly charitable, everyone would always welcome Odin back in the spring. Uller or Oller, son of Sif and stepson of Thor, was possibly the son of a frost giant.

Uller himself was said to love the cold and enjoy swiftly traveling over the countryside in broad bone snowshoes or ice skates as well as hunting in his thick furs. God of winter, hunting, and archery, he was represented with a quiver full of arrows and a huge yew bow. Yews were his favored trees, and he was said to live in Ydalir, the vale of yews which was always damp. Because snowshoes were shaped like shields, he was called the shield-god and invoked by those in battle. He was also considered a god of death and a special friend to Balder, the dead god of light, who was sometimes thought to ride with the Wild Hunt, sometimes leading it.

As with every other country of the world, the people of Scandinavia were no strangers to demons. Hunger demons could sometimes be coerced into devouring a neighbor's livestock, and Hiisi, a wind demon, was a creature of disease and death. Like Odin and Uller, he might ride his horse through the sky with his cats, dogs, and monsters following closely.

An exceedingly consistent image exists of the Wild Huntsman no matter the name of the entity. Announced by the baying of his hounds and the blast of a hunting horn above the cacophony of a gale, a wild rider on a black, white, or gray horse would storm through the air with his hounds, followed by a host of strange spirits. Sometimes the rider was headless. In Upper Germany, it was common for the spirits to show signs of battle. Sparks flew from the hooves and eyes of the beasts in the procession. The horses and hounds sometimes had only two or three legs. The newly dead were often recognized in the train.

Sometimes the Hunt was thought to stalk a boar; at other times, a wild horse, and every seven years they would hunt diminutive wood nymphs called Moss Maidens who symbolized the autumn leaves torn from the trees and blown away by the storm. A variant of the Wild Hunt in which the hunter chased after a supernatural female was known from Sweden to the Tyrolean Alps. She was variously identified as a wood-wife (Germany or Switzerland), a mermaid (western Jutland), one of the "hulder-folk" (Sweden), or an elf (Denmark). They would also appear at the site of a murder to take away the dead and occasionally the murderer as well.

Anyone with the audacity to mock the hunt with a wild shout might immediately be snatched away. A miller's boy who cried out to the Hunt as it past, "Take me with!" was gifted with a human leg as the Hunt returned. The leader cried "If you wanted to hunt, you can also eat." Though the boy attempted to get rid of the leg in every possible way, nothing worked.

Shouting in reverence, might win a horse's haunch. Carefully kept until the following day, it would turn into a lump of gold. Anyone seeing the Wild Hunt could request a sprig of parsley from its leader which would protect them from the insanity or death caused by meeting the Hunt in the first place.

Those who helped the Hunter or members of his train might be rewarded with gifts. In the Strassburger, those who were asked to hold the hounds of the Danish Wolmar were given presents which, though they seemed worthless, would later turn into gold. In north German stories, foam wiped from the Hunter's horse turned into gold pieces, and a man of Boeck who fixed Frau Gauden's carriage wheels was given the dung of her hounds which later became gold.

Sometimes a small black dog was left behind in the storm. It was warily cared for during the following year unless it could be frightened away or exorcized. To get rid of it (or any type of changeling), it was suggested that one brew beer in eggshells. This was such an unusual occurrence, it would frighten the little dog into running away with its tail between its legs, declaring it had never seen such a sight.

Appearing at different times of the year, frequently in spring and fall, the most common and consistent period for the Hunt's arrival was the Yule season. This fit in neatly with the Germanic tradition as a whole. Yule, ruled by Uller Norse god of death who loaned his name to the season, was the time during which hauntings and supernatural visitation of all sort were common. Scandinavian trolls and elves also made themselves known most at Yule, especially in Iceland.

There is no doubt that with the coming of Christianity, much information was lost or corrupted. Though the legend of the Hunt dates from approximately the time during which Christianity was making its biggest impact on pagan Europe, its pagan elements are clear. While the Hunt has acquired a Christian flavor over the centuries as its leadership has been taken up by various Christian heroes or villains, its original master, Odin, is still evident in the legends. Whether the Hunt was begun by the Christians to vilify the Gods or by the pagans to terrify the Christians is irrelevant. It has taken on a life of its own.

posted in Cernunnos - 4 replies

Welcome

Sat, 11 Dec 2004 22:14:23 GMT

Welcome all. I thought the Horned One should have his own tribe.

posted in Cernunnos - 3 replies

connection to Rudra-Shiva

lennyshirose — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 04:10:19 GMT

So am I the only one who sees a connection between Cernunnos and the proto-Shiva on the Harrappan seal?

like this:
"The most striking deity of the Harappa culture is the horned god of the seals He is depicted on three specimens [four, at least], [23] in two seated on a stool or small dais, and in the third on the ground; in all three his posture is one well known to later Indian holy men, with the legs drawn up close to the body and the two heels touching, a position quite impossible to the average European without much practice. The god's body is nude, except for many bangles and what appear to be necklaces, and he wears a peculiar head-dress, consisting of a pair of horns, which may have been thought of as growing from his head, with a plant-like object between them. On the largest of the seals he is surrounded by four wild animals, an elephant, a tiger, a rhinoceros and a buffalo, and beneath his stool are two deer, as in the representations of the Buddha preaching his first sermon in the Deer-park at Banaras. The animals, the plant-like growth from the head, and the fact that he is ithyphallic, indicate that he is a fertility god. His face has a fierce tigerish aspect, and one authority has suggested that it is not meant to be human; to the right and left of the head are small protuberances which were believed by Sir John Marshall to represent a second and third face on either side. Marshall boldly called this god Proto-Shiva, and the name has been generally accepted; certainly the horned god has much in common with the Shiva of later Hinduism, who is, in his most important aspect, a fertility deity, is known as Pashupati, the Lord of Beasts, and is sometimes depicted with three faces."
from http://www.adolphus.nl/xcrpts/xcbasham.html

The possible implications being
1) the Harappan proto-Shiva predates the arrival of Indo-European culture--could Cernunnos also represent a cult that predates the arrival of Indo-European culture?
2) we have nothing much in the way of myths to tell us what the Horned-god was like--can we look at existing myths of Rudra (Shiva's early form) for ideas about his nature?

posted in Cernunnos - 2 replies