The Male

[TheWiseHedgewitch]

By Cariadseren (Cariadseren) on Saturday, March 4, 2006 - 05:57 pm:

Dear All-sorry if this is disjointed I'm very new to both posting on the net and 'coming out' about hedgewitchery, so, anyway here goes......

I've read many of the postings on this, and was thinking about a few things. For a few years I've had dreams about a male hunter-he was always dressed the same and carried a bow. I first met him in a wood, and we walked and talked. The second time i met him we were in a room with all my friends and he appeared again. I wasn't surprised to see him again, a sentiment i had the first time I met him, because I knew him. i was totally calm and at ease with him-he almost felt like he was me (badly expressed but the closest i can get to describing how comfortable i was in his presence). no one else in the room was aware of him. we talked for ages. and though i can't remember exactly what he said, i distinctly remember him saying 'i have come to help you with how to be'. anyway, it wasn't till i started going to stone circles and hanging out with various pagan types that i realised who he was-to me he was the incarnation of male spirituality-Herne, Cernunnus to me, thought not Pan-my male was very much cold, wet-wooded northern European hunter.

Since that realisation, he has appeared to me, sadly, less often-but he still comes (especially if i can achieve trance outdoors at a scared site) and his presence is welcome.

However, I was wondering if anyone could recommend literature on the hunter. Things on the Greenman tend to be about bosses or shelia na gigs etc and more ephemeral things to me than the actual worship of the male spirituality. Work I've found on the male tends very much to be a celebration of male identity and relations to the hunter. (sometimes deliberately excluding women). Also does anyone have any idea why there
seemed to be so little on female relations to the male?-or just have I not got there yet.. ?(I know Christian repression of the female, makes it natural that the Goddess should receive attention-but this seems to be a bit of any easy explanation to me).

the male in the woodland has always been where i felt natural-and initially motivated any ritual i have done (though i didn't realise at first what i was doing were very simple rituals), and i was wondering if there whether other people had felt specifically drawn to the hunter-it surprised me when i realised who the person talking to me in my dreams was. Being a totally independent young woman i would have thought my natural inclinations would be to the Goddess first-is the male neglected?, or as i said above, have i just not got there yet? (this on the back of the
various threads on where people's craft experience comes from etc)

Cheers and sorry for the ramble,
Bright Blessings
Cariad

[TheWiseHedgewitch]

By Bonnie (Bonnie) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 03:36 pm:

Hi Cariad - wonderful experience. As I understand these things, the male energy is very balancing to the female, and vise-versa. Rather than thinking in terms of the neglect of one God-form & favoring of another, think in terms of the qualities of the energy. Male is active, out-ward moving and Female is passive, inward moving. Because you are an independent and self-sufficient female, honoring the "brother within" is especially wholesome and balancing to your nature. Thus you're attracted to the hunter/greenman form. A God-Form is an expression of the energy contained within.

Maybe I can help with some of your other questions. Some of the 1960-1970's writings by Robert Cochran are more oriented to the Greenman worship than the '80s-90's Goddess revolution. There's quite a bit about Cochran on the internet and his group called Tubal Cain after a blacksmith mentioned in the Old Testament who Cochran chose to give his group a historic reference point. Most of his writings were short magazine articles that have since been gathered into booklets. "Roebuck in the Thicket" is one such booklet I can think of at the moment.

From what I can piece together from my various readings over the years, the Mysteries have evolved through countless cultures from Persia, India, Etruscan/Roman, Greek, Egyptian & European. There are women's mysteries oriented to the Moon, and men's mysteries oriented to the Greenman. There were mystery schools that taught the wisdom of the stars and their influence, mysteries that centered upon the powers of the moon and lunar deities, and mysteries of the earth's agricultural cycles & the power lines (leylines). In short the Mysteries were too vast to be all inclusive so various specialties evolved.

The mythology they have in common are various tellings of the Goddess' descent to the underworld & the sacrifice, death, & resurrection of her lover/son/consort. These form the basic female/male interactive themes. Anytime you read of these themes you have to read between the lines & let your inner ear prick up and pay attention to symbolic metaphors. The Mystery will be in the story and not spelled out. It has to be absorbed intuitively to be understood.

Hope that's useful. Ta.

[TheWiseHedgewitch]

By Webwitch (Webwitch) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 07:42 pm:

There are several books that you could read, but you could start with those published by Cappall Bann, namely:

"In search of Herne the Hunter" by Eric Fitch.

Other than that, I have to agree with Bonnie that the Cochrane traditions tend to follow the god more than the goddess, but there are other traditions that have the horned god at the forefront of their workings, too.

Don't forget that Robin Hood is meant to be a part of the hunter/herne/god legend as well.

As one who has had a similar experience - the god making his presence felt first - I know how difficult it is to get information, but please do persist. As and when I remember where I started, I will post some more details.

All the best,
Webwitch J

[TheWiseHedgewitch]

By Bonnie (Bonnie) on Monday, March 6, 2006 - 08:50 pm:

Webwitch, I'm glad you mentioned Cappall Bann publishing. It jogged my memory for another title: "The Horned Piper" (I think it's by Nigel Jackson)

I've also found useful info in web searches I'd done on the rituals that make use of the Stang as the altar. The Stang is a pronged staff of ash or oak, shod in iron.

[TheWiseHedgewitch]

By Cariadseren (Cariadseren) on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 09:04 pm:

Dear Bonnie and Webwitch

thanks for that-very useful, I'll be off to the shop tomorrow then for a little light reading, wish I'd got to this site earlier it would have make things a lot easier, but then again probably best to figure things out for yourself-otherwise be too easy....and it was fun figuring it out for myself

Webwitch, yeah Robin Hood, it makes sense doesn't it?that kind of imagery was very important to me when i was little, my Herne/Greenman etc very much fits into that kind of visualisation of Hunter/Wiseman using his wits but venerating the resources and world around him.....

this is good, very excited-any thing else you could recommend would be fantastic-thanks very much
Cheers
Cariad

[TheWiseHedgewitch]

By Merissa (Merissa) on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 10:46 am:

Merry Meet Cariadseren.

This may not be much help as I've not read it myself yet but I have just ordered "The Grail Castle".

This may help with some of the Celtic masculine deities or at least the stories behind them.

Sorry for not being more help

BB

Merissa

[TheWiseHedgewitch]

By Morgaine (Morgaine) on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 12:25 am:

Hi Cariad,

I know what you mean - I have also felt drawn to the God in the aspect of the hunter for as long as I have been pagan, although I do have an especial fondness for Lugh also. My favourite program when I was a kid was "Robin of Sherwood" - although I had no idea at the time why I liked it so much! - and I have always loved woodland.

I guess I'm quite an independent woman (my ex used to ask me when I was going to burn my bra, but this may just be because he was a git I run my own business and hate to feel "dependent" in any way. Although I love to wander about in the woods behind my house and sense the presences there, I have never had an experience anything like yours, sadly - how wonderful would that be!

I have never quite found the "motherly" side of myself - in spite of motherhood! My closest affinity with the Goddess used to be with the Maiden aspect, and I am now much more drawn towards the underworld and the Faerie Queen.

I worked with a Wiccan group in the past, and I did always find too that the God was a little neglected - understandable after years of Goddess suppression, but I found it a little sad.

Happily, I now have a husband who is very attuned to Middle Earth, and for my birthday a couple of weeks ago he realised a dream I had a long time ago, which I had almost forgotten about, and bought me a longbow

I am off now to look up the Cochran stuff, which sounds fascinating!

Brightest blessings all

Morgaine

[TheWiseHedgewitch]

By Cariadseren (Cariadseren) on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 06:06 pm:

Morgaine
Nice to hear that....yes Robin of Sherwood, sigh,exactly the same reaction....is it good or bad to realise that something you've know for ages was first manifest through a TV program......? he he, i don't know cause i've not really discussed the God with anybody specifically before-hence the post, but is that a terribly common introduction to all things pagan?

all this is very refreshing to me, when I was working with a group of people at a site they seemed to be almost actively against the male, it was worship of the Goddess and very much as an after thought the male, or almost a deliberate exclusion of the male, which always seemed totally wrong to me...maybe I was being too harsh on them, it was the first time I made ritual with a group of people so it was probably all a bit new too
me....well done with the husband, and the bow,,,sounds like you've found a good path for you....

Bright blessings all, and thanks for all the help, this has been much more helpful than you can realise.....off to take a walk and watch the dusk
Cariad