Monday, June 14, 2010

Celtic Neopaganism

Celtic Neopaganism Image
AUTHORS: KATHRYN PRICE NICDH'aNA, ERYNN ROWAN LAURIE, C.LEE VERMEERS, KYM LAMBERT N'i DHOIREANN AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CR COMMUNITY

ISBN13: 9780615158006

PUBLISHER: RIVER HOUSE PUBLISHING

PUBLISHED: AUGUST 22, 2007

PAGES: 204

SYNOPSIS: "The CR FAQ - An Introduction to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism" is a landmark in the field of Celtic religion and spirituality. The first book completely devoted to the spiritual path of Celtic Reconstructionism (CR), it is the work of a diverse group of CR elders - including some of the founders of the tradition - making it a foundation document for this growing religious and cultural community.

Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism (CR) is a movement that seeks to rebuild and revitalize an authentic, pre-Christian, polytheistic spiritual practice - one that is true to the ancient sources and the ways of the ancestors, yet also contains deep relevance to our lives in the modern world. Celtic Reconstructionists place a strong emphasis on the preservation of Celtic languages and cultures, and on respecting the definitions found in the living Celtic cultures rather than redefining them.

Patricia Kennealy Morrison, Celtic priestess and author of "The Keltiad", says: "There has been a need for this book for decades. Finally it's here. Comprehensive, common-sensical, reverent, witty, all-encompassing: it deals with Celtic modes in a way both down-to-earth and tran-scend-ent, honoring the past, sacring the present, hallowing the future. Anyone who feels the pull of the Celtic way of spirit, regardless of ethnic heritage, and who would like to embody it in their lives, needs to read this extraordinary work."

With a welcome glossary and pronunciation guide, "The CR FAQ" also provides a much-needed and helpful introduction to the Celtic languages. Additionally, suggestions for personal practice, along with a resources section, furnish the reader with an entrypoint to the community as well as the tradition.

"The CR FAQ" is the only book on the topic that speaks for more than one group's or individual's vision: As a collaborative work, the core group of authors reached a group consensus before finalizing and approving the text. Input from the wider, international community of Celtic Reconstructionists was also solicited, and their feedback incorporated. Focused yet accessible, serious though humorous, it provides a thorough introduction to its subject and a great resource for the seeker on the Celtic path.

All proceeds are being donated to Gaelic language and cultural preservation charities in the Celtic Nations and worldwide.

REVIEW: I bought this book for myself even though all of it is already on the internet for two reasons, the first is that I like the feel of a book in my hands and enjoy it more than having to read it via the internet, and secondly because I wanted to reacquaint myself with the information presented in it. Lately, a lot of the people I spoke to about CR seem to misunderstand what it is.

The book is pretty short (from my point of view lol) 155 pages of questions and answers and the rest is a pronunciation guide with a glossary, which aren't online. Both are a great addition to the FAQ. It is very well organized just like the website and the writing is very clear and precise. The information within is very simple yet extremely informative and for a beginner on the path invaluable. The reading list provided might need to be updated with the latest books on the subject of the Celts but the books on the list are still a must read for anyone thinking of walking this path.

If you don't want to buy the book I highly recommend reading it online here [http://www.paganachd.com/faq/index.html]



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The Great Gods Thor And Odin

The Great Gods Thor And Odin Cover In common with the other Aryan races, the ancient Scandinavians recognised, as the basis of their religion, certain supernatural, usually unseen, powers ruling the world and exercising an influence on the affairs of mankind. In the ideas which prevailed as to the nature of these powers certain Correspondences can be clearly traced in the various Aryan religions, in spite of the fact that our knowledge of them dates from widely different periods of history. Even the Romans, when they came into contact with the Germanic races, noticed some of the similarities, and applied the names of several of their own deities to the corresponding figures among the barbarian gods. When closer intercourse between Roman and German had established itself, the result of these equations was made prominent in the names adopted by the latter for the days of the week, several of which, in most of the Germanic tongues, still bear witness to the old religion of the race. Thus the counterpart of the Roman Mars was found in the god Tiw, and consequently dies Martis was rendered by forms now represented in English by Tuesday. In the same way the Roman Mercurius, Jupiter, and Venus were identified with the Germanic gods called by the English Woden, Thunor, and Frig, whence the names of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. In making these equations, of course, neither German nor Roman did more than consider the most obvious points of resemblance between the deities; how close the Correspondence actually was in each case it is impossible to say, as we know so little of the precise form which the native religion had among the southern Germans. It is only to a certain extent that the details suggested by these Translations of the Roman names are supported by the evidence from the Scandinavian side, but it is extremely probable that some of the more striking discrepancies are due to difference in time as well as in place and people.


The three gods and the goddess whose names are thus commemorated in the days of the week hold also a prominent place among the Scandinavian deities, where they appear under the names of Ty (Tyr), Odin (Odinn), Thor (?orr), and Frigg. But while Odin and Thor actually hold the place which they might be expected to occupy as objects of worship, the warlike deity Ty has apparently become of secondary importance. This is indicated not only by the native Scandinavian evidence, but also by what can be gleaned from external sources. In an Old English sermon (1) by the Abbot AElfric, about the year 1000, the mention of some of the Roman deities leads the preacher to introduce the corresponding Danish names. Jove or Jupiter, he says 'was called Thor among some peoples, and him the Danes love most of all.' Mercury, too, 'was honoured among all the heathens, and he is otherwise called Othon in Danish.' Of Ty there is no mention, although Mars is one of the Roman deities specified by name. In another homily by AElfric there is the same identification of Thor and Odin, along with 'the foul goddess Venus, whom men call Frigg,' but here also Ty is ignored.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Miac - Asatru And Odinism
Medieval Grimoires - The Grimoire Of Honorius
William Butler Yeats - The Secret Rose And Rosa Alchemica
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Cave Of The Ancients
Michael Sharp - The Great Awakening

Saturday, June 12, 2010

The Worship Of Njord In Sweden And Norway

The Worship Of Njord In Sweden And Norway Cover The worship of Njord in Sweden and Norway is implied in the fact that places named after him are found in certain parts of these countries. When he is mentioned in the Icelandic writings, it is usually in conjunction with Frey. The practice of drinking the second toast to Njord and Frey 'for peace and plenty' has been already mentioned. In the old heathen form of oath, taken by suitors and others at the legal assemblies, the deities invoked were 'Frey and Njord and the Almighty God' (probably Thor). The two names are also combined by Egil in a verse (of 934) in which he prays that Frey and Njord may be angry with King Eirik, while in one of his poems (about 962) he refers to them as the givers of wealth. With this may be compared the proverbial expression 'as rich as Njord,' which occurs in old Icelandic. In one of Hallfred's verses (of 996) Frey and Njord, Odin, Thor, and Freyja, are all mentioned together in contrast with God and Christ: in another (of the same time) the poet says, 'I am forced away from Njord's offspring and made to pray to Christ.' These passages are sufficient to show that the cult of Njord was closely connected with that of Frey, and make it probable that he was a deity of some importance even in the popular religion, but at best he remains a somewhat vague figure among the Scandinavian gods.

Of the remaining gods known to us from the mythology there are only the faintest traces in the historical sources. Even the original war-god Ty was so completely supplanted by Odin, that no distinct evidence is to be found for his worship in any part of Scandinavia, although Snorri describes him as 'the bravest and stoutest-hearted of the gods,' who had a great share in deciding the victory in battle; 'on him it is good for men of valour to call.' His name was, however, retained in poetic appellations of men (sometimes even of Odin), and was used in the epithets ty-hraustr for a very brave man, and ty-spakr for a clever one.

Recommended reading (pdf e-books):

Aleister Crowley - Liber 888 The Gospel According To St Bernard Shaw
Aldous Huxley - The Doors Of Perception And Heaven And Hell

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Eddic Mythology

Eddic Mythology Cover

Book: Eddic Mythology by John Arnott Macculloch

When this Series was first projected, Professor Axel Olrik, Ph.D., of the University of Copenhagen, was asked to write the volume on Eddic Mythology, and no one more competent than he could have been chosen. He agreed to undertake the work, but his lamented death occurred before he had done more than sketch a plan and write a small part of it.Ultimately it was decided that I should write the volume, and the result is now before the reader.

Throughout the book, the names of gods, heroes, and places are generally given without accents, which are meaningless to most readers, and the spelling of such names is mainly that which accords most nearly with the Old Norse pronunciation. “Odin,” however, is preferred to the less usual “Othin,” and so with a few other familiar names, the spelling of which is now stereotyped in English. Several of the illustrations are from material which had been collected by Professor Olrik, with which the publisher supplied me. The coloured illustrations and those in pen and ink drawing are by my daughter. I have to thank the authorities of the British Museum for permission to use their photographs of the Franks’ Casket and of Anglo-Saxon draughtsmen; the Director of the Universitetets Oldsaksamling, Oslo, for photographs of the Oseberg Ship; Mr. W. G. Collingwood, F.S.A., for permission to reproduce his sketches of Borg and Helga-fell; and Professor G. Baldwin Brown, L.L.D., of the Chair of Fine Art, University of Edinburgh, for photographs of the Dearham, Bewcastle, and
Ruthwell Crosses. - J. A. MACCULLOCH

Download John Arnott Macculloch's eBook: Eddic Mythology

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Donald Mackenzie - Egyptian Myth And Legend
Kathleen Daly - Norse Mythology A To Z
Christopher Siren - Sumerian Mythology Faq
John Arnott Macculloch - Eddic Mythology

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Paganism Mysterious Beauty And Symbology Of The Sun

Paganism Mysterious Beauty And Symbology Of The Sun Image
This stunning image shows remarkable and mysterious details near the dark central region of a planet-sized sunspot in one of the sharpest views ever of the surface of the Sun. Just released, the picture was made using the Swedish Solar Telescope now in its first year of operation on the Canary Island of La Palma. Along with features described as hairs and canals are dark cores visible within the bright filaments that extend into the sunspot, representing previously unknown and unexplored solar phenomena. The filaments' newly revealed dark cores are seen to be thousands of kilometers long but only about 100 kilometers wide.

THE SYMBOL OF THE SUN : The sun has always been symbolized as something special to spiritual quest. As Sufi Inayat Khan says, "The sun is the centralizing of the all-pervading radiance. In other words the all-pervading radiance has gathered itself together in order to centralize in one spot, and this has become the source of the creation, the whole physical manifestation. So the omniscient Spirit by centralizing in one spot has become the source of the whole seen and unseen manifestation. It is therefore that in all ages the wise have worshipped the sun as the symbol of God, although the sun is only the outward symbol of God.

Light has the greatest attraction for the human soul. Man loves it in the fire and in things that are bright and shining, and that is why he considers gold and jewels as precious. The cosmos has a greater attraction for him than the earth, because of its light. As man evolves he naturally ceases to look down on the earth, but looks up to the heavens. The most attractive object that he sees is the sun in the heavens, the sun which is without any support and is more luminous than anything else surrenders himself to beauty, he bowed to the sun, as being the greatest beauty in heaven, and man took the sun as nature's symbol of God.

This symbol he pictured in different forms. In Persia, China, Japan, India, Egypt, whenever God was pictured it was in the form of the sun. In all ages man has pictured his Prophet, Master, Savior, with a sun around his head. In ancient Persia there used to be a gold disc behind the head of the king, picturing him as the sun, and they used to call this Zardash. The name Zarathushtra has the same origin; the word simply meant the gold disc. In Hindu temples and Buddhist temples around the image of different Avatars there is this sign of the sun, and this symbol was used both in the East and in the West in turbans and hats.

A deeper study of the sun suggests the four directions of lines that are formed round the sun. It is this sign that is the origin of the symbol of the cross. The ancient traditions prove that the idea of the cross existed in the East long before the coming of Christ, especially among the Brahmins. It is from this sign that the two sacred arms were made, Chakra and Trishul. Islam, the religion which allows no symbolism, has in the building of the mosques the same symbolism of the sun. Whether the name of the sun be written in Persian or in Arabic, it makes the form of the mosque.

Man, as is his nature, has blamed the sun worshippers and mocked at them, but he has never been able to uproot the charm, the attraction for human souls held by the sun."

Image Credit: Astronomy Picture of the Day. // Ref: www.wahiduddin.net, http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XIII/XIII 7.htmTag: Sun, Spirituality, God, Sufi.[+] Please visit MysticSaint.Info For full multimedia experience and enjoy special music.

Blessings,
Sadiq


Friday, June 4, 2010

Rune Name

Rune Name Image
There's no hiding from the magickal associations of this name.

Rune (pronounced "ROON" or sometimes "ROO-neh") is an Old Norse name derived from "run", meaning "secret" or "whisper." Runes are a popular method of divination today. If you're Neo-Pagan, you're going to hear about runes at some point.

Runes started out as a alphabet used by the Ancient Germanic peoples. The origins of this alphabet are uncertain, although the oldest known runic inscriptions date around AD 150. There are many different types of runic alphabets as the language evolved over time. But this was no ordinary alphabet. These letters would be used specifically for magickal charms and curses. There is no evidence that suggests that they were used for divination at this time. Due to the word's meaning, it's logical to assume that runes were a secret language only used by a certain class of people. Each rune can be an interesting inspiration for names, but I'll come back to that some other time.

During the Viking Revival of the 18th century, people became increasingly interested in runes, and the fascination hasn't faded. An Austrian mystic named Guido von List published Das Geheimnis der Runen ("The Secret of the Runes") in 1902, and the runes in this book would later capture the interest of the Nazis. J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling were also inspired by runes, as they are mentioned or used in both of their books.

Runes are particularly important to Germanic Neo-Pagans. They are usually used for divination. Each rune is carved on a stone and they're laid out like tarot cards. Some groups also practice runic gymnastics in which they must mimic the shape of a particular rune with their bodies.

It's not clear when Rune became a given name, unless someone out there knows something that I don't. Rune is a popular name where Norse names are popular. It's rated #38 in Belgium and #374 in Norway. But in the United States, it's rare. I suppose that it could be used as a girls name, but I've never seen it suggested for girls.

Rune is one of my favorite boys names. It suggests someone who's pensive and strong. It seems like a name that would be popular with Neo-Pagans, but in practice I've been seeing a lot more Rowans, and really no Runes. I would love to see it used more in the namescape.

Sources:


http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Rune
http://www.babynamewizard.com/namipedia/boy/rune
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic alphabet

Image Credit: http://weheartit.com/



Labels: celtic gods and goddess  temple of thor  ture religion  roman mythology gods and goddesses  all the greek gods and goddesses names  all greek gods and goddesses  magic spells and witchcraft  white magic and spells  voodoo spells love  white magic love spell  

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Sowilo Rune

Sowilo Rune Cover Sowilo is the symbol of the Sun as the giver of life, a heavenly body revered in all cultures and civilizations. Julius Caesar noticed that Germanic tribes gave great significance to the heavenly torches, i.e. the Sun and the Moon. As a symbol of Sun and light, Sowilo is Connected to Baldur, the God of divine and eminent purity, beauty and light in general. This Rune is also considered to be the primordial fire that Together With the cosmic ice caused the creation of the Universe. The strong energetic charge of the Rune enables using Sowilo as an amplifier of our energetic potential, which is especially useful when we're lacking in energy. The Sun is the dynamic, life principle that moves and directs us to great deeds. Like Wunjo, Sowilo represents the positive ending of a spiritual journey that can bring with it success and glory. The Sun is also the symbol of light, so Sowilo can also mean knowing oneself.

Divination:

Positive meaning: success, victory, rise of energetic potential, activity, health.

Negative meaning: fake goals, fake successes, blind activity.

This is the end of the second aett. The third and last group belongs to Tyr, the Germanic God of war.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Marion Crawford - The Witch Of Prague
Stephen Flowers - Black Runa
Marian Green - A Witch Alone
Samael Aun Weor - Magic Runes

Taking The Asatru Gods Seriously

Taking The Asatru Gods Seriously Cover Fundamental to the faith of Asatru is the idea that we are kin and friends to the Holy Powers. We are kin because Heimdal planted the divine seed in the wombs of our foremothers; friends, because we exchange gifts when Gods and humans come together in sacred space at our most fundamental religious rite, that of the blot or blessing.

This attitude contrasts sharply with the Relationship found in most other religions, where humans are slaves to God, fit only to obey and to serve their divine master.

Unfortunately, we often assume from this difference that it is okay to be extremely casual during ritual, treating the Holy Powers much like we would treat our buddies down at the local bar. Back in the early 1980's, one manifestation of this attitude was a version of the song "Give Me That Old Time Religion" featuring irreverent verses about an endless series of pagan deities, including Odin, Thor, and Freya, among others. We thought it was really funny, especially after we had had a few beers or passed a few horns of mead around the campfire - but by then, almost anything was funny.

In retrospect, this attitude was shameful, wrong, and immature. I am happy to say that in the Asatru Folk Assembly we have grown beyond this behavior, but as a movement we wasted precious years in such childishness.

I contrast this puerile prankishness with the seriousness with which our ancestors approached the Divine, and I am appalled. The old tribes built a protective network of ritual and custom around interaction with the Holy that encouraged deliberation and an awareness of the sacred.

Yes, we do share the same ultimate nature with the Gods and goddesses. Odin, Vili, and Ve (or Odin, Hoenir, and Lodur, depending on the version of the lore you choose) gave us this gift by shaping the components of our souls to resemble their own, and thus to share the potential of Godhood. But while we are alike in essence we are overwhelmingly different in magnitude. Our souls are like the ephemeral sparks struck by flint and steel, while the Gods are roaring blast furnaces. Our task is to grow to more resemble our Holy Kin, but we have…well, a long way to go. It does not behoove us to be casual or overly familiar; such behavior can only mislead us into thinking "we are as good as they are" - egalitarianism at its most foolish.

Often I wonder if many of those who pepper their blots with casual reference to their Godly buddies really believe in the Gods at all. To treat Odin with anything other than the deepest awe is to ignore the terrible mystery that cloaks him, but even Thor, friend of man, is not your "bud" like the guy down at the club who buys you a drink. The Goddesses, too, received their somber sacrifices in olden times.

I am not saying we should tremble before the Holy Powers, but even the most approachable of them surpasses us in evolution to a degree we cannot really comprehend. It is wrong to trivialize them or to trifle with them, and we should go before them only with a profound reverence. Those who object that "the Gods want to hear us laugh" need to wake up and realize that there is a time for laughter, joking, and prankishness - but that time is not when one is standing before the Gods and Goddesses of our Folk. Save your laughter for the hearth, and if you would laugh with our Elder Kin let it be at the convivial feast where the Holy Powers sit unseen among us.

No one will take Asatru seriously until we start taking our Gods and Goddesses, our faith, and ourselves seriously. When our lives are imbued with reverence and sincerity toward the powerful, awe-inspiring, transformative beings of Asgard and Vanaheim, then the world will stand up and take notice!

Books in PDF format to read:

Aleister Crowley - Absinthe The Green Goddess
Anthony Arndt - Blotar A Brief Guide To Asatru Ritual
Rabbi Michael Laitman - Attaining The Worlds Beyond