Please indicate how you would like to be acknowleged, if at all.
The Only Stupid Question is the One you Do Not Ask.....
~Taranis ap Epona
O'er the night-time winds which howl
O'er the darkened roar
Comes the whisper calling me
Enticing me to more
~Ceridwen.
A lone figure stands, absorbing the expanse of the ebony silence. The stillness is pierced by the sudden blast of a distant hunting horn. Wolf howl echo. Terrified, his heart beats wildly, he is the prey. Hollow, rapid footfalls beat the cold, damp earth. Panic grows as the howls grow closer and louder.
The razor-edged underbrush tears at his flesh. Exhausted and bleeding, the pursuit seems to last an eternity. He glances behind him only to be met by the hot, steaming breath and glowing eyes of the blood-hungry wolves. He catches sight of a giant rack of antlers, rising from behind his snarling pursuers. He falls, bracing himself to be set upon.
Suddenly, the dawning sunlight floods the forest. Opening his eyes, the pack has disappeared. The sounds of the hunt are now mere echoes.
Some refuse to see Cernunnos in this aspect. Yes, it is brutal, savage... even gruesome, but this is nature in it's purest and wildest state. Cernunnos has many aspects, the Horned God, the Lord of the Dance, the Lord of Fertility, the lover and the son of the Mother ( this is only the beginning). He is also the Lord of all wild things (including that over-grown backyard), the Lord of all animals (like your pet iguanas) and the Lord of sacrificed (he is sacrificed every deer season). He is the Collector of souls (similar to the Grim Reaper), the Lord of the Otherworld (like Hades, Hela, Satan, et al.) but most of all, the Master of the Hunt. All animals have to hunt even the herbivores.
In ancient times, some of the Celts believed, when the time of death came, Cernunnos was the one that hunted your soul and then escorted it into the Otherworld. "The Hunt" lasted all night, if necessary. The prey( your soul) was not given time to rest. "The Hunt" was fierce and the end came when the Master "caught" your soul or you out-manoeuvred him until daybreak. If you survived, it was believed, you would live for another year.
Some Celtic beliefs saw "The Hunt" as a punishment in the Afterlife.
The punishment for a wicked life was an eternity as the prey in the Master's Hunt to be forever pursued, taunted and tortured, never resting.
In another aspect, Cernunnos was considered the guardian of the Otherworld and was charged with welcoming souls into "His" realm. Cernunnos has many sides and many aspects, we would all benefit from researching and exploring his many facets. Then we can better understand his majesty.
Silhouetted against the velvet, star scattered sky, he wears a dark mantle of fur and a majestic crown of antlers. The prey for the night has been selected. His beard glistens with dew as he raises the horn to his lips. A bellow breaks the stillness of the night...the hunt has begun. As the hunter nears, remember my words...He is the Master of the Hunt and the Lord of Death...
~ Seamus.
(Inspired by a visit from Cernunnos in a forest in Texas. Seamus has written further about this in "Accord: The Journal of the Council of Magickal Arts" in the 1995 Autumn Equinox issue under the nom de plume "Taliesin Gwydion Mondragonne".)
Hoof & horn, hoof & horn, all that dies shall be reborn.
Corn and grain, corn and grain, that which falls shall rise again.
A chant by Starhawk
from Nikki Scanlon
Erriil of the Tylwyth Rhaidd"
(the Antler People)
It breaks my heart that they've changed Your name from Lord to
Lucifer,
Without even knowing who You were...
And changed Your character from good, protective, provider,
To evil, malicious, liar.
You are the first God this world has ever known; in all Your names
which
are many,
You are the Lord of May-Day, The Lord of the Harvest, The God of
Abundance
and Plenty...
And the magikal moon lit nights You've spent with me,
Expressing Your love so sweetly---
Are forever cherished in my memory...
Tis sad we live in a world so full of sexism, racism, hatred and
paranoia
granted to us by a church that calls itself holy,
A church that exalts one people above all peoples and claims that
"They"
own God soley...
How foolish can one be, to assume "They" know everything their is to
be known about the Creator,
While torturing and tormenting, maiming and killing those who won't
buy into their candy coated hatred.
And then; "They" turn and put the blame upon You---
For all the worlds evil...
You are the Supreme Lord of Nature---And "They" call You The DEVIL!
High Druid Priest, I pray that the hour is coming soon,
When all Your Celtic children will assemble beneath a brilliant full
moon.
In a grove of Oaks so majestic, so tall,
And on Your ancient names they'll call...
HU GADARN---Horned God of the Woods,
Be honored in our presence, show us what is right and good---
But most of all, be understood....
Blessed Be---
Sandy L. Scribner aka
Bernadette Sutherland
ladyotheoaks@yahoo.com
Submitted by Robert De Kyme
Dekyme@aol.com
