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Research, not everything is on google, though if you want better information you should try the academic and book search functions, a look at Gaulish religion and roman deities, or failing that I suggest going to the source material and reading it for yourself, (ee gads I can't believe I'm going to suggest it but-) go to wikipedia, click on references and start reading. Reading books and original material is far better than internet summaries filtered through others perceptions. Failing that go back to basics, talk to your goddess and listen to what they have to say.
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I'm not the best member here to answer this one but why should that stop me š I sometimes read in this and other places that it isn't the deist/polytheist that chooses their gods but the other way round. While I may question this in regard to myself I wouldn't argue its rightness for others. The fact that you have come across a god that I have never heard of may mean that it is surfacing. Terry Pratchet suggested that unpopular or forgotten gods were trying to come to the attention of mortals because attention strengthened their archetype. I can actually see one mechanism by which that could work! Whenever a member here asks about being visited or approached by deity it is suggested that they talk to whatever it is and ask what it wants. NB: You do not have to agree!!!!!!!! You could do both of the above. I'm not sure how many of us here pray to our deities in the formal sense. Debate, discuss with, trade with or have stand up argument with - sure. Try opening a discussion; but look after both your mind and your interests.
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Hi I was wondering if anyone could help me. Recently I was reading about various beer gods (i'm a keen homebrewer) when I read about Habonde. According to the article in question she is the goddess of abundance, also known as Abundantia. What started as a passing interest has moved on and now I regularly pray to her. What is frustrating me is that I can find next to no information regarding Habonde. The same basic information is given, different names, the goddess of abundance. There is some reference to a feast of Habonde, which only seems to exist on a couple of websites with no references, There's reference to her in french folklore according to The Romance of the Rose. But anything more than the most basic unsubstantiated summary I'm unable to find. I did try Theoi. Although it didn't have any listings, it did amuse me that an advert claimed that I could find the Goddess of Abundance on eBay. Apologies if I'm making any silly, ridiculous, inappropriate or just plain annoying requests or assumptions. If you could point me in the direction of anything it would be appreciated. Many thanks
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[Llewellyn] Using the Tarot to Understand Your Self and Your Divinity
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
Arthur E. Waite, as it turns out, was using the tarot as a mapping tool to express the nature of divinity when he created his famous deck. Here, Llewellyn's Complete Book of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot author Sasha Graham describes why these twoandmdash;tarot and divinityandmdash;make the perfect pair. View the full article -
[Witches' Voice] Intro: Pagans, Heathens and Recons [Wren]
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
A Brief Introduction:The following introduction is offered here to help to dispel many of the myths surrounding Neo-paganism, Witchcraft and the Heathen and Reconstructionist religions. The ways of many Neo-Pagan traditions, religions and groups, as well as some of the Heathen and Reconstructionist religions, are described in even more detail on various other pages on this Web site and elsewhere on the net.This 'overview' is a very generalized rendit View the full article -
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[The Bardic Blog] The Soundtrack of my Life ā The Early Years (but a bit laterā¦)
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
This is the second part of a short series of articles, the first can be found here. There comes a point when, although the music loved by our parents still influences us, we begin to notice our own tastes. This happened to me when I first began to watch the TV show Top of the Pops. Itās probably almost unbelievable to some people reading this that at one point the only time you could see music being performed (well, mimed toā¦) on television was a 40 minute show once a week on a Thursday evening. That was pretty much it. I watched it every week up until the late 70s, maybe until 1980, just hoping there would be one rock band on the show. I was usually disappointed, but what if I missed it?? We didnāt have iPlayer, not even a video tape recorder at the time. Miss the show and that was it, tough luck buster. So I watched it when I was very young, and below are a couple of the classic performances that were real groundbreakers for me. It started to be obvious that my tastes were towards music that was a little harder, as will become apparent. Roll over Beethoven ā I think if Iām really honest this was the moment I woke up to my own musical tastes. I heard the opening guitar, and the 12 bar that Iād loved so much with Elvis and rock n roll, but there was the added oomph of a distorted 4 x 12 Marshall stack. I didnāt know it was a cover of Chuck Berry at that point. At that time Chuck Berry was the bloke on the TV singing My Dingaling, not a rocker or amazing guitar player. My love of Chuck came along a bit later. Blockbuster ā When I was very young The Sweet were my favourite band. This was the first song of theirs I heard and I loved them all the way from that moment to Love is like Oxygen. Letās be honest here. I wanted to be their lead singer Brian Connolly. He was my hero. I had posters of him, the band, and other glam rockers plastered all over my bedroom wall. Along with Sweet, T Rex and Slade were next in line. I never really got Gary Glitter or Roxy Music, but Sweet, Slade and T Rex. Awesome. Killer Queen ā This was the first Queen song I ever heard and it was another āmomentā. We were on a family holiday on a boat on the fens when it was in the charts and it was literally played everywhere. I loved Queenās early music. To me they lost it a little during the more poppy phase, but then they seemed to remember their roots once more. Freddie. You were amazing. Paper Plane ā Status Quo were the first band I fell in love with when I could actually ask my parents to buy me an album and I became a consumer of music. This was the first song I heard of theirs, and you can definitely see a theme over these early years of a deep love of 12 bar rock and roll. The Quo were a proper blues band and if you listen to Ma Kellyās Greasy Spoon youāll hear just how good they were. Once again I lost interest when they seemed to lose their edge and direction, but the early years of the Quo, man, they were so good. Rosalie ā Thin Lizzy took over from the Quo as my favourite band and it was their music that opened me up to proper song-led heavy rock. Another trend Iāve noticed is how many of the bands and singers Iāve loved growing up are no longer with us. I was at a rock club when I learned about Phil Lynottās death. To me that was the moment when British rock music seemed to move over and make way for the American rock that would follow. Up to that point American rock was REO Speedwagon, Styx, Toto. Big stadium AOR. But then came the hair-metal explosion, followed by Grunge, and then the likes of Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth. After the New Wave of British Heavy Metal of the late 70s/early 80s, Iām not sure British rock music has ever caught up, and I noticed that change begin just after Phil passed away. So what next? Oh thereās more to come! View the full article -
[Llewellyn] Carl Llewellyn Weschcke: The Magickal Life of the Man Behind Llewellyn Publications
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
Books provide us with fresh thoughts, fresh inspiration, and fresh experiencesandmdash;and this is especially true when viewed through the eyes of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, pioneer of book publishing and the New Age. Melanie Marquis, author of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke: Pioneer and Publisher of Body, Mind, and Spirit, explores Carl's zest for life, and his hope that the books he published would help us become more than we currently are. View the full article -
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Indispensible. Though something larger and sharper is even better...
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life is a long never ending lesson, if you don't do it, you aint going to learn. you are told alcohol is bad as a yoof and as a teenager you still go out and drink and do silly things, but, you learn some important lessons, possibly acquiring a traffic cone on the way. you are told all sorts of things, but the only way to find out is to go and find out for yourself. groups have a number of functions besides the dangers of grand high poobahs and such like, they can be meeting places, they can be places where different viewpoints and conflict give rise to thought, they can be somewhere thought occurs, the advice that is best is don't stop thinking, question your thoughts and perceptions and anything anyone tells you, and a hatpin is always usefull. groups also have the function of being somewhere for people to go to socialise, to chat to get out and about, the youth of this decade are different from that of the last and the one before etc, they can also teach old dogs new tricks and show them new perceptions, as well as a number of other things, advice, have a chat with them and see who they are and where you think a good fit would be, there are many groups, just warn em about the culty stuff the grand high poobahs and such, tell em to think for themselves and they will find their own way. personally im a bit on the misanthropic side, but that's just me, exploration is the joy of life, sometimes you discover treasures, sometimes you discover someones cat has done its wotsits in your cornflakes, the only way to discover which is to go out and explore.
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Thank you for your replies, that was all really useful! So far I've been reading a lot, gathering a reading list, and chatting with people. I've let my mind wander around all of the various subjects and I've worked out a few bits that I'd like to try. I've decided to do a few bits of Mabon/the upcoming equinox that appeal to me. Not sure why as yet, but it feels right. I've also found a couple of groups I'll be joining before the end of the month to see what they're up to and have a chat with like minded people. So far I feel quite relaxed, but also really excited and very good! But then, I know that not everyone will do things in the same way...
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[The Bardic Blog] Interview about Y Mabinogi with Wyldwood Radio
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
On Monday night I had the pleasure of chatting with Herne from Wyldwood Radio about my forthcoming album Y Mabinogi ā The Second Branch. At times our conversation veered off beautifully into some very interesting and unexpected places. Iāve known Herne for a very long time and it was lovely to catch up. Wildwood Radio is going through an exciting rebirth right now, so if you like my music, and youād like to hear more from my Pagan music brothers and sisters around the world, do tune in and support this valuable resource for the worldwide Pagan community. You can find Wyldwood Radio here, and if youād like to listen to their stream of the interview on Wyldwood you can find that here. Or you can press the button below right now and listen right here on the blog. Enjoy! View the full article -
When I was younger I was much more concerned about belonging to a group and doing the "right" things and getting my beliefs "right". I went through quite a loremastery stage, by which I mean if it ain't in the Eddas you don't do it, kind of thing. Then I reacted and started challenging anything and everything. Nowadays my beliefs are much more individual and I don't give a tuppenny dam if anyone agrees with me or not. Whether it's right for me is what works.
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[The Bardic Blog] The Soundtrack of my Life ā The Early Yearsā¦
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
I put a post out on my Facebook page and Twitter feed recently asking if there was anything people who read my blog would like me to write about. The response was brilliant and itās given me plenty to think about, so thank you for responding! One of the questions asked was that I publish a āsoundtrack of my lifeā post. The suggestion was 16 songs, which I thought would be too many, but when you really sit down and try to think of those peak moments that are linked to one particular song itās amazing how quickly those 16 places get filled up ā particularly when youāre on the wrong side of 50 years oldā¦ Also 16 in one post felt like it would be too many. So I though I would split this into three posts and see how that works out. So for this one I am going way back in time. I was born in 1965, June 16th into a very loving and happy home. I think it must have become apparent very quickly to my parents that my first love was music. My parents bought me a little mono record player, and I nicked my Dadās records and could probably be heard right down the end of the street, out in our front garden, singing along at the top of my voice, swinging on my rocking horse to the rhythm of the music. I remember very clearly doing exactly that. Those formative years really influenced my musical taste, and I still love some of those early songs. They were from my parentās record collection, but if youāre familiar with my own music, Iām sure youāll hear some of the influences in there still to this day. What is apparent with all of these, and more to come, was my love of the guitar. I was besotted with the instrument, and in truth, I still am. So today we are heading back to the late 60s and very early 70s. Iām using YouTube vids as the examples, and I know that sometimes when you press play they can either refuse to play due to some copyright issue, or youāre taken away from this article to listen on YouTube. Do come back here for the rest if that happens! Enjoy! Blue Suede Shoes ā The first time I heard Elvis something clicked within me. The rhythm of rock n roll, the strength of his voice, and 12 bar time signature and chords. It was so exciting. My parents took me to see a London show called Elvis where people performed some of his greatest hits, and charted his life. One of those performers was a man called Shakin Stevens who later went on to have his own series of hits. Elvis is still the King of Rock n Roll to me. Folsom Prison Blues ā This was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar. Again, 12 bar blues. Iām sure that when we finally create a machine that can hear the rhythm of the Universe, itāll be the sound of a 12 bar boogie shuffle, and itāll be Elvis and Johnny Cash providing the vocals! Rocky Mountain High ā Another singer whose songs and environmental attitude obviously influenced me very early on, and still does to this day. What a voice this man had, and what a loss he was too. Still gives me shivers when I hear him sing. Jumping Jack Flash ā Along with the folk and country music so much loved by my parents I was also introduced to this band of reprobates. They werenāt the band that truly woke me up to my lifelong love of rock music ā thatāll be in tomorrowās post. But the Stones certainly paved the way. Music is magic. I have no doubt in my mind that it can heal, make you feel happy, sad, reflective. We all have songs that make up the soundtracks of our lives. What are the bands and songs that make you think back to your own childhood? View the full article -
[Llewellyn] 20 Questions That Will Help You Discover (or Rediscover) Your Magic
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
We are all magical, but popular perspectives in our culture can cause us to question our magic. So, how can we discover (or rediscover, if we've become disconnected) our personal magic? Tess Whitehurst, author of You Are Magical, provides 20 questions to get us started. View the full article -
Our current political climate has spurred many of us to become magical activists, a spiritually demanding job that can easily take its toll. So how do we ensure that we stay balanced and charged? Michael M. Hughes, author of Magic for the Resistance, provides 8 self-care practices for magical activists. View the full article
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Very much agree. The antidote is to question everything and keep on asking.
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The groups we leave behind are probably the more useful to us. I would be a touch concerned about getting comfortable and institutionalised.
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We have two newcomers to our moot and I am pondering what advice to give. The rest of us are pretty established in our various beliefs; we've joined groups in the past and sometimes still go back and celebrate with them. We have come out the other side of the "belonging" experience. We now get on with the job and leave the theatre behind each in their own way. We are all different. It doesn't help a newcomer. but We have DONE the group thing. I'm not in the business of telling anyone what they should do or who they should join but I'd be happier if they did join a group that was appropriate for them, something from which they could pick pockets and keep the useful stuff before graduating to self reliance.
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My 'need to join', combined with my being such an "oddball" and never fitting into any group of any description, had me join the Valley in the first place, and again returning now. š Up until quite recently I was a sucker for wanting to "belong" ... for having a perfect description/label for who I am and what it is that I am doing ... and for being part of a group of people exactly like me/on the same path ... Obviously that's a recipe for failure. It took me a long time to a) find my path, to b) be able to let go of too tight descriptions (moving ever so slowly towards the 'pathless path' - scary as that currently appears to me), and c) to accept that I probably won't encounter a great many people (in bodies) who walk this path too, respectively that it's not very likely that I will have a 'spiritual' community (satsang), and d) realise that all of this is just fine š
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[The Bardic Blog] Have you had any āunexplainableā experiences?
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts yesterday called Mysterious Universe. The guest was a retired CSI who had just finished a book about the supernatural experiences he and those who work in CSI Law Enforcement have had over the years. He recounted tales of spirits following home crime investigators from crime scenes, and Otherworldy visitations linked to the job of the CSI. It was a fascinating interview. As I listened to the interview it got me thinkingā¦ At one point he said he was introduced at a large CSI gathering and they told the delegates about the book. From the stage they asked if any of those present had had any unexplainable experiences on the job. Not one hand went up. But when he started to quietly talk to people, there was someone at every table with a story ā they had just been too embarrassed to stand up and say anything. I wonder, in this world and age of online criticism and Atheistic āprove itā finger pointing, how many Pagans have had incredibly powerful and direct encounters with Spirits, the Faerie and the Gods and simply are too uncomfortable to do the equivalent of standing up to let people know what happened? Iām sure this sharing happens in our Covens and Groves, but arenāt these kinds of experiences exactly what this Path is all about ā direct experience? Yet I rarely see this information shared online, and when it is, there is always someone there ready to drag people down. So something is brewing my friends. It might be a book, a series of interviews on a podcast, or a series of blog posts. It might be nothing at all. But this is something Iām very interested in hearing about and if I am, maybe there are others out there too. So, if you have had a what some may call a āpeak experienceā with a Deity, the Faerie, during ritual, or out walking, it doesnāt matter, drop me a message using the contact page here and let me know. Go into as much detail as you like, if there are moments of synchronicity include as many as you can. But also how did that experience influence the rest of your life? Did it happen again or just once? What about the experience made you think it was more than simply synchronicity or coincidence? If stories come through Iāll be able to see where this idea might go. So over to you! View the full article -
Life lessons sneak up on us, especially, when we are bogged down by life's challenges. A couple of weeks ago, I got a timely reminder. In the midst of getting my older two kids ready for back to school, Aislinn broke her leg. It was an accident, and it threw all of our other plans into disarray. Aislinn, age two and a half, is wearing a bright purple full leg cast. Suddenly, we're back in territory we thought was over: full dependence. At night, I have to wake up and check her position. She has to be carried everywhere, and we can't leave her alone for a second. She's nursing regularly for comfort, and in general, trying to deal with feeling like a baby again. It feels like we've moved backward. Retrograde motion is deceptive. It looks like things are going backward, but it is really an adjustment of our perspective as we are moving relative to each other. Even when we are most aware of the backward feeling, we're still moving, as is everything around us. The boys returned to school this week. They won't be settled in for at least another week, as one just began middle school and the high schooler is waiting for a schedule change. The orthopedist checked the baby's leg, and we have a treatment plan in place for the next few weeks. Apparent motion is forward again. When it feels like things are stuck or moving backward, I find it's helpful to measure my movement by looking at what else is going on. Friends can be great for this. They can help you get some perspective and stop fighting the feeling that your movement is futile, backward, or nonexistent. How we feel about our situation in life can drastically impact what we see as our choices. Looking for the tiniest hint that my perspective is flawed is helpful to keep from falling into deeper into depression or making bad choices just to see some movement. View the full article
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[The Bardic Blog] Thinking About ā Consciousness and Panpsychism
Ellinas replied to UK Pagan's topic in Around the Web
I also have certain sympathies in that direction. -
Usually I'm regarded as a bit of a fruit cake.
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[The Bardic Blog] Y Mabinogi ā The Blessing of Two Crows
UK Pagan posted a topic in Around the Web
Almost exactly a year ago I finished recording my last album Y Mabinogi ā The First Branch. If youāve heard it youāll know it was quite a different undertaking from my previous albums, and was both the culmination of one, and the beginning, of what would be four albums telling the entire Four Branches of the Mabinogion. This was something I had dreamed of doing since I wrote Oak Broom and Meadowsweet back in 1995. The day I uploaded the album to my distributors I took Oscar for our daily walk. We do the same walk every day. Down to the banks of the river Adur here in Sussex, and along the same stretch. I love walking that same route every day. During the course of the year you see the seasons change all around, and right now the Bramble is ripe and full, with people there every day with their Tuppaware containers, picking Natureās Bounty for Summer Fruit pies. But I digressā¦ On that day we walked across the field to the bank that leads us up to the river herself. The tide was high and full, the sky blue and clear, the air with just the slightest hint of Autumn. I walked over the bank, and there, right before me were two crows walking along the river bank. They each looked up at me, and took off into the air. They hovered before me. Then as I walked, they followed me along the river bank, sometimes landing just in front of me, sometimes literally making me duck as they flew low. Two crows. I had just finished The First Branch and was thinking about taking a little break before starting The Second Branch. It seemed fair. To let the experience of that album settle just a little before I turned my attention to the tale of Bran and Branwen. But here were two crows, behaving strangely. Not all birds, animals, trees, weather, are signs from the Gods, but when things are strange, when birds and animals are acting in ways that are not usual for them, well, then I take them more seriously. I had walked this same path everyday for about 4 years, and this had never happened before. I had seen crows here, of course, but never this close, never two who seemed to be a pair, never taking quite so much notice of me. If you know the story of Bran and Branwen you may well know the meaning of their names. Bran is Welsh for Corvid. His full name is Bendigeidfran, which means āBlessed Crow/Ravenā. The suffix āwenā in Welsh can signify that the name is of deific origin. It can also mean āwhiteā or āfairā. Thus Branwenās name can also be seen as meaning āBlessed Crow/Ravenā. Two crows. It was like they were there the day after I had finished The First Branch, dancing in the air before me, calling, and saying āCome on! Itās our turn now!!ā I acknowledged them, there and then, and promised not to take that break, but to begin immediately with their tale. Last Friday I finished the audio for The Second Branch and uploaded it to my distributor. Once Cerri has finished the artwork I can press the button and set up a pre-release for the album. Iāll probably do that on Facebook Live again ā that was quite fun last time. 2pm came around, I put on Oscarās harness, and off we went to the river. Not such a nice day as a year before, but still the hedgerows were again dripping with Blackberries, and the air once more held that promise of Autumn. I walked up the bank and the tide was once more in and high. Two crows were there walking up the bank. When we walked over the bank they took off, and just as a year before they followed me along the banks of the river. Occasionally flying in front of me, sometimes so low I had to duck. This hadnāt happened since last year. Sometimes when Iām writing my songs or recording it can feel as if Iām completely alone with the process, but then something like this happens and I know that Iām not alone at all. Never. Ever. I stopped and bowed before these gorgeous birds. āLord Bran, Lady Branwen, I hope you feel I have told your tale well, and shown you honour. Thank you for guiding my hand, and my voice. Blessed be,ā I said. They stayed with me a while longer, and then flew off into the afternoon sky. View the full article -
That may be a current bun but tomorrow, who knows.
