THE GODDESS AND MAGICK
GREEN MAN - CERNUNNOS
The Green Man is the ever returning energy of vegetation and wild Nature. His
magic is celebrated throughout the world, but he is most often associated with
northern Europe and Celtic cultures.
The great cathedrals of Europe are adorned with thousands of GreenMan gargoyles
and carvings. The Dark Ages, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance saw European
indigenous religions and Nature under constant attack by the Christian church.
During the church's most virulent wars on the people's belief in the sanctity of
Nature, stone masons carved images of the GreenMan and SheelaNaGig into
Christian cathedrals as part of the ornamentation. The presence of the GreenMan
and the SheelaNaGig remained strong and constant source of strength to the
people. The GreenMan's image silently echoed the spirit of the Sacred Cycles of
Nature.
Today the GreenMan is reemerging into our consciousness, along with the
Goddess. His presence brings balance and energy to the reclaiming of our ancient
heritage. Throughout the ages the Goddess has often appeared with a male aspect
in the form of Horus, Tammuz, the Horned God, GreenMan and many others.
It is through the GreenMan that many men come to understand Nature's mysteries
and connect with the Goddess.
The return of the GreenMan brings new hope and understanding of the true
strengths of balanced masculine energy. For too long, men have been isolated
from that part of themselves that honors the Sacred Mother, the divine in
Nature, and the true divinity in themselves.
Drumming, piping and chanting draws the GreenMan close. The slow, steady healing
rhythm of drumming opens the psyche and expanded awareness, attracting the
playful and powerful aspects of the GreenMan.
Cernunnos
He dances the Moon with power and grace
Amidst the hills and trees, in His sacred space
A dancer moving swiftly between the realms
There in the leaves . . . . what do you see?
If you honor the Old Ways ~ it may be He
Stonehenge is accepted as an Ancient Druid Stone Circle. It is the best known of
the many ancient ritual sites in the British Isles. The Druid Priests and
Priestesses were the most learned and respected visionaries, seers, healers and
astronomers of their time.
The Druids presided over the spiritual well being of the community and at Tara,
even the High Kings spoke only after the Chief Druid had spoken. High Queens
also played an important role at Tara. The High Kings were granted their
authority to rule only by the presence of their High Queen. She was the living
embodiment of the Goddess and represented the will of the people to be governed.
Without her blessing, a King could not govern or become a High King of Ireland.
The mysteries of Nature are waiting to reveal themselves to you, just outside
the realm of the mundane. . . . . If you follow the path of the dancing
Cernunnos, you may find that the world is a much more magical place than you
ever imagined. . . . . Embrace a tree, relax in a garden, or sit in a wooded
glen, to find the GreenMan. Focus on the mystery of a single clump of grass or a
leaf. . . . . . If you are patient and engrossed in your appreciation of simple
nature, the GreenMan will come to you!