Theism versus Non-theism in Pagandom

I like to read. I read a great deal. Sometimes multiple things at the same time. I read books and blogs and web articles. I am always reading.

And there is this thing that is being discussed all over the place. It is basically asking whether only hardcore polytheists are 'real' pagans.

What's a hard polytheist, you ask?
Well, apparently there are people out there who feel that god/goddess (gods, goddesses) are real personified actual 'living' entities. Ones that you can talk to and will respond to you. That each and every deity in all pantheons exist as independent entities.

This is in opposition to the beliefs of someone like me who sees gods/goddesses as faces we humans give the universal energy around us as a way to make sense of the incomprehensiblness of divinity. Gods are not real persons (for myself, I mean.)



I think that everyone has a right to believe in exactly what they want to believe in and I would never poke fun at their beliefs. It is, however, difficult to discuss this topic without hurting anyone's feelings. So I'll apologize in advance and let you know that I am not telling anyone what to believe or what not to believe. My goal here is to explain my perspective on  this topic.



The truth is that I do not have the capacity to understand polytheism because in my base structure, my core, I cannot prove the existence of deity. I have never been able to do so. I have never talked to any deity and I certainly have never heard any deity speak. And trust me, I have listened and I have searched with an open heart and open mind. I'd love to prove that they exist. But for me, they just don't.

And I think this lack of capacity to understand is the same issue for polytheists, that they perhaps cannot comprehend how non-theists can be spiritual or religious if they don't believe in god/gods/goddess/goddesses that are so apparent to them.

It is a fundamental difference. A big one. It's one where we typically agree to disagree, but secretly feel sorry for the other person who just doesn't understand.

But to say that a non-theist cannot therefore be pagan is ludicrous.

This idea I think stems perhaps from the re-constructionist pagans (those reconstructing the 'old ways' from historical sources) who are under the assumption that our ancestors worshiped real/actual deities in a particular way. That the ancestors believed in deities actually existed upon the earth and that therefore this is the way to worship them currently in the modern world.

I think this is in error for two reasons.

One, we have no way to know or understand how our ancestors believed or what their thoughts were. We may know some of their actions and some of their rituals, but these do not necessarily correlate with their thoughts. For example, I have an altar to the Goddess. If my altar was found 100 years from now by another pagan, they may assume I prayed to a specific goddess and left offerings on this altar for her... as that is what altars are for in their opinion. They would be in error. My altar is to invoke within me the Goddess mindset. I place upon it the things that trigger or remind me what the Goddess represents as an avatar of divinity.

And two, the only constant is change. As we grew into more and more knowledge about our natural world, it became obvious that it was not gods that caused things to happen. For example, lightning is definitely not created by Zeus or Thor. (I have this on good authority.)

And not to mention that in any number of pantheons, deities would become entangled and/or change with the politics of the time. A great example are the Egyptian deities. I just read an article the other day about Set. If you read about Set from the early dynasties, he was a Sun God, a beneficial deity much loved. Then if you read about Set in the later eras, he was the bad guy who slew Osiris to get the throne. This change possibly occurred due to the changing political clime during the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Amun and Ra were also once separate entities, that at some point merged into one.

I think it is safe to say that while these 2 factions will never agree, we cannot and should not tell someone they are not a pagan unless they believe or do xyz... This is as silly an argument as asking which one of these is pagan: the priestess that calls to the watchtowers of the 4 elements or the one that only calls on the  God and Goddess? What if she only calls the Goddess? What about one who does not use an athame? (I have been known as the Twizzler Witch for a reason. Yes, the candy. I was just trying to prove a point thank you very much.)

The fact is, these old religions have been gone for so long that we are all merely re-creating what we perceive to be right. And belief is a widespread and ever changing thing. None of us have the right to tell another human being what to believe and how to worship.

Pagan is an umbrella term for a reason.

We can all fit under it. I promise, she's big enough for us all.

Bad luck comes in threes?

This is one of those old wives tales as they call them. The idea that luck (good or bad) usually comes in bursts of three.

I get hit with  a good dose of bad luck every once in a while. However, I also get a good bit of good luck, usually more than the bad. So all's good.

I was thinking about Trickster again, I mean when am I not? right?

And I thought I would share with the inter-webz how he helps me sometimes.

There are people out there who see tricksters as bad guys. evil. pranksters.
Many of these people blame all the world's misfortunes on Trickster.

But, you see, misfortune in the world just happens. The same way good fortune just happens. This is life. It is the way it is. The only choices we have are how we react to those things that just happen.

To give you an idea of my bad-luck spree.... here is a short list of the big things gone wrong in the last 2 months:


1.
Hubby lost his job. again.

2.
Hubby bought me a pygmy goat. ($12 and box of girl scout cookies... now that's a deal)
A freaking adorable and awesome goat. Stinky. But awesome. I named him Pan. (As befits the naming scheme for my household: Dogs are : Zeus, Thor and Hermes; Cats: Morgana, Merlin, Gwen and Georgie; Chickens are named for the Muses and Graces.)

My youngest child called him Moo.

Then one Friday, a neighbor's Pitbull got loose, pushed open my gate and killed Pan. My dogs attacked the Pit and chased it out of the yard. It went over to the farm across the street, killed 2 chickens, a goat and was in the process of trying to get a horse, when the farmer shot it.

I feel bad all around here. I blame the owners (who claim 'it's not my dog') and not the poor animal. Thankfully, none of my kids were home when this happened.

My 3 dogs formed a wall around the goat until we got home. They actually laid in a circle around the dying goat like some kind of funeral guard.

3.
On the following Tuesday, my house got broken into. Several broken windows, a few things were stolen and everything not stolen was spray painted blue. A big FU on my front door, a b-ch on my bedroom wall. You get the picture.

I am struggling not to burst out laughing here. Obviously someone was trying to get us upset. I'm not. I'm not up for this game. I think it must be time to paint my house. Oh and I needed to replace those bad windows anyway.

Granted, I'm a little annoyed at a few things that were painted that are irreplaceable (Lovely white Hungarian embroidered apron) and my sewing machine and serger are toast having paint in the gears,  but mostly things can be cleaned off. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser by the way... it gets spray paint off anything but wood and wall.

It's obvious that this was the work of some kids. I also know that they will be paying for it in some way. They may not be caught now, but they will one day pay for it. Call it Karma, Rebounding Energies or Trickster paying them a visit, or what have you, one day it'll come back on them.

4. The kidnapping scam. Suffice it to say, I do not want to give out all the details here, but let's just say that there is this scam where a stranger calls one of your family members that there's been an accident and they need to come help. Then you get a call that your family member has been kidnapped and that you need to send $3,000 to get them back.(or that your nephew is in jail and needs bail money wired right away).  You may be smart enough to realize this is a scam and call 911. It still stresses you out and blows your day though, right? Especially if you can't get a hold of the 'kidnapped/jailed' person.

Lots of bad luck as you can see. However I still have a smile on my face. I am laughing and giggling along as I write that list. Because it IS funny! I mean seriously, how many things can go wrong in a span of 2 months? Holy Hel. 

Things turned out fine, by the way. Hubby has a new and much higher paying job. I now have a mommy goat and her 3 babies. (We bought a preggo goat and she had triplets! omg!) Insurance is paying to re-paint my house and replace my kitchen cabinets. I also got to buy a new sewing machine. It has 80 stitches! Much more than the old one.

Things always have a way of working themselves out. And I know that I just have to move through the hard stuff to get to the other side. There is always an other side.

There are always going to be multiple ways of looking at a situation.
Trickster did not cause the bad luck, but he helps me to see the humor in the situation.
I always say, Find the Humor.

Please do not get me wrong here, I am not saying that there aren't serious situations or that there aren't times where you need to be serious. All I am trying to get at is that you get to choose those times. You get to choose how to react. And if you can find the humor, you can get through anything.

Oh and about that bail money? Can you wire that to my Kaman Island account by tomorrow?

Holiday Wrap Up and Looking Ahead

Happy Holidays to everyone.

I have been working on a post about Cultural Appropriation but with the holiday times, I just couldn't finish it yet.

I love holiday time and I hate holiday time.

I live for making my kids happy and we do the traditional things like set up our Yule/Christmas tree, decorate the house with lights. Make cookies and of course pumpkin/gingerbread lattes. yummo.

The down side is too many things and not enough energy to go around. During the year, I occasionally get into short little funks. I get holiday funk too, But when the regular funk meets holiday funk, they make messy little FUNKY babies and make me terribly irritable and I don't feel like doing anything at all. I still DO things because I am reliable and always do what is necessary. But boy am I glad it is all done now.

I don't typically make New Years Resolutions per say. BUT, I do like to make a list of things I want to do or look forward to.  Prioritize if you will.

So, what am doing this year?

Let's see.

For the Moonpath CUUPS
1. I am going to promise to teach another 2 Topics, I have not picked them yet, so if anyone wants to throw one or 2 my way, please do. I am thinking of a crafting day perhaps? a dance around the fire day? Or a story day (everyone brings a 3 minute story?)

2. I will join the inner circle of leadership... hopefully. You guys in charge vote for me so I can do more helpful things. You know you love me. I'm awesome.  :-D

For my Sisterhood
1. I am going to lead a workshop of some sort and I know that the sorting jar will pick me and I'll will facilitate a monthly ritual too.
2. Get the Green Temple out there with a Quarterly Event and Monthly Blog post (Go check us out here)
3. Continue THIS blog as my journal. My next few topics will be Cultural Appropriation, Ogam Sticks and Runes and then about all the various Spring Festivals such as MardiGra,  Busójárás, the Hungarian Easter Watering of the Virgins, Ostara and more.

:insert picture of girl getting watered when Blogger lets me do it:

For My Kids:
1. Girl Scouting events - 1 every other month and 1 meeting biweekly (AM I going to be a troop leader? we shall see.......)
2. Goddess & Me/PeeWee Pagans - 1 meeting every month and Earth Day Clean Up Day
3. CAMPING!!!

For Me
1. Archery - every other week practice, go to 2 SCA events
2. Sew myself a pair of Hun pants and an overcoat
3. Learn Card Weaving
4. Read a book a month

:insert picture of female archer when Blogger quits acting like a baby because I want to upload a picture:

There. That should keep me busy. Busy=Happy.

I swear if anyone knew how much stuff I do a week including working full-time, keeping my kids fed, clean and homeworked-up, you'd wonder if there were 2 of me. There isn't. I SWEAR. You can come out of your Armageddon-Shelter now.

I'm off to study for my Civics Test for Citizenship now. I'm being tested and interviewed tomorrow! Which means I'm going to officially be an American after living here for almost 30 years. Wish me luck.

My Beliefs

I started this blog as a journal... a diary kinda. I'm writing to myself. But I seem to have picked up readers. (hi!)

It's kinda nice and makes me feel great on one hand and then on the other I feel freaked out. There are People reading my words. (Have you ever seen that Bugs Bunny episode where the big orange monster looks out into the 'audience' and freaks out that there are PEOPLE out there and then he runs away?)

I am a bit of a perfectionist and I love to write but I do not always have the time with working full time, taking care of kids and house and animals and my Priestess duties. Having instant access to write here is both good and bad. Good because I do not have to wait all day to write something, bad because I might say something stupid and ridiculous and not realize until I go to edit later.

I hope you will forgive me for that.

I like asking questions. And then looking up interesting topics and asking some more questions.
In some of my previous postings I may not have been clear on what exactly my own beliefs are and only talked about things I find fascinating. I am like my namesake, Crow, spotting some tinsel in the wind. (ooooh shiny...)

So I thought I take a minute (or days, how would you know?) to talk about what I do believe in and what my spirituality is really like.

I have never believed in 'God' in the 'traditional' sense. This is because the traditional definition was wrong for me. God: all powerful, all knowing external male entity that dictated what you can and can't do.

I grew up with an Atheist Dad and a non-traditional Catholic Mom. My parents agreed not to have me baptised so that I could make my own decisions regarding religion. That said, as soon as my parent's left me in the care of my grandmother, she had me baptised Catholic.  She meant well, saving my mortal soul and all.

Once I was old enough to understand religion, sometime in middle school I would assume, I started asking too many questions. It may have started in history class, who knows now? But at that point I knew that I was not a Christian. I managed to get through Genesis in the Bible once. I felt like everything in it was wrong. Being a girl, I was just as good as any boy. Flesh and blood. A Mind. Why would my different parts make me less than a boy? Why won't my dad teach me to fix a car? Why are animals treated as less than man?  Why in the world would we want to rule the natural world instead of protect it?

I didn't know. So I became an atheist. (I figured I had to be either on the Judeo-Christian bandwagon or an Atheist) So while I identified with Atheism, I also kept my mom's words to heart. She always said that one did not have to go inside a church to find God. God was in everything, all around us. 

At this time I had some interesting dreams. I always have interesting dreams. So did mom. We didn't really talk about the meanings of these dreams. It was like an unspoken secret. Mom always just knew things. I didn't think too much about it until much later in life.

I remember one dream though. It (and some subsequent related ones) helped me get through a difficult time in my life. I had no friends in middle school because I was a little different. I was made fun of, threatened with getting beaten up on a daily basis. I had one punk punch me in the face because I glanced at him as I walked down the hall. I had a group of girls pretend to send me notes from a boy who supposedly liked me just to laugh at me.

I felt very alone. Like I was the only one in the world like me. That I was flawed somehow. An outcast. A lot of kids are faced with this and there are really 2 paths to choose from. Path 1: Give in and change oneself to fit in. Path 2: Stay true to who you are. I've never been one to conform. It was just not my way. (I'm a pretty stubborn, tough little cookie who was not afraid to stand up for myself.)

So I decided that I had to embrace being different. Even if that meant being alone.

Thankfully it did not last forever.  I did find friends who didn't quite fit in either.  It also helped enrolling in Martial Arts. I was pretty great at it and the boost to my self-esteem sure didn't hurt.

Anyway, around this time I had a dream one night that was so vivid I wasn't quite sure I was dreaming. Have you ever had one of those? I never remembered the first  time I dreamt of this particular spirit, but I did remember getting up in the middle of the night to go outside to check to make sure there wasn't anyone calling my name from the driveway. I'm sure I laughed at myself for being crazy but I could never shake the feeling that there was really someone there. (This is where my name Shael comes from. It's the name I was called in my dream).

Later on in high school when I learned about the Native American Spirit Crow, I identified my dream spirit as Crow. Why? It felt right. And somehow the archetype of the trickster helped me get my footing in life and define my moral compass. You'll have to go back and read about the Trickster Archetype in my earlier posts.

Typing this out for the world to see is a little daunting. I promise I am quite sane. I have always both believed and disbelieved in spiritual matters. 99.9% of the time I do not believe spirits or gods exist except as parts of our own souls. Archetypes or divinities are ways we bring up specific bits of our souls that we want to focus on.

A simplistic example would be if I want to approach a problem with peace and serenity, I could focus on the Goddess Quan Yin. (Chinese Goddess of peace and kindness and unconditional love).

For me, Crow symbolized a Creator spirit, one who helped me to laugh at myself and all those stupid human things that we do that we put SO much seriousness into when in the grand scheme of things, really aren't that serious. I need this reminder more often than I care to admit.

For those that know me, I think I pretty much always have a smile on my face despite all the CraZy and hectic things going on simultaneously in my life. I do not see the harm in honoring a spirit that helps me cope and keeps me laughing.

Some might wonder why I call myself a pagan since I sound so much like an atheist. Well, that's a good question. I approach things with a scientific mind but understand that our soul/spirit has not (yet) been measured by science. I think I'm what you call a Naturalistic Pagan. I believe in Divinity and therefore am not an atheist. Just because MY gods/goddesses live inside me is no reason to kick me out from the pagan umbrella. (For any Christian readers, don't worry, I found Jesus in here too. He's shaking hands with Osirus and Baldur.)


So this brings us to present day.

I write and assist with rituals for the MoonPath Chapter of CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) and the Sisterhood of the Temple of Ahel Adom. I celebrate the quarters of the year, especially my 2 favorites: Samhain and Beltain. I keep 3 altars: a Goddess Altar (Ishtar and Lillith), a 'working' altar currently dedicated to Hades and Persephone and another one dedicated to a few Viking Gods (Hail Odin)

(I'll do a quicky blog post about my altars later. With pictures. Promise.)

I honor the spirits of my family and ancestors that have gone before me. And most importantly, I help support my community and take care of my family. All my family, literal and spiritual.

I have a wonderful full house I share with my hubby, 2.5 kids, 3 dogs, 4 cats, a gerbil, 6 goats and 26 chickens (not all IN the house I swear!)  I also work full time putting my math skills and people skills into use daily. I also sew things and write stories and did I mention my vegetable garden? lol. yeah. I do keep busy.

In my 'spare' time (haha yeah whatever that is) I also research Hun history and am currently reading the Elder Eddas and the The Looking Glass Wars. Yes. At the same time. Don't ask.

Welp, I think that's it for now. Feel free to comment below. (respectfully)
If there are topics you would like to see me cover, let me know.
Questions are welcome too.

May you have an interesting day.

Ethics - Part 1

Thought I would tackle another big topic this week.
Ethics. Morals. Right Action.

These things are defined differently by each culture you find in the world.

The Golden Rule. (One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself)

The 10 Commandments.

The Nine Noble Virtues.

What Goes Around Comes Around

The Rule of Rebounding Threes (What you put out into the world comes back to you three times in strength)

If You Harm None Do What You Will

The End Justifies the Means

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
People have tried to define into words this concept of Right Action probably since people first began living together in communities. I myself have thought about this topic often and have written down my concept of ethics in the scope of my beliefs.

I recently organized my piles (and piles) of loose research on random topics into a more cohesive reference book. I ran across the paragraph I wrote on my ethics 3 and half years ago when I first joined a religious order and what I wrote this past January when I became a full member and Priestess of that order.

I wouldn't say there was a whole lot of difference between the 2, but I would say that after 3 years, I had honed my definition of morality. The letter from 3 years ago was more generalized and followed a "Harm None" type of ethic. In this perspective, one's definition of HARM is the part that makes this code difficult to define exactly. Your idea of Harm and my idea of Harm may be VASTLY different. A vegetarian may define harm differently than a vegan would, or a hunter would. But we weren't looking for a one size fits all definition, were we? In this case, this particular code of ethics can be adjusted to your beliefs on what constitutes harm.

The down side is of course that you have to decide for yourself what level of harm is or is not acceptable to you. And we may have more unscrupulous people defining harm in as narrow a version as possible (say harm to me only). It also maintains this idea that actions are either good (no harm) or evil (harm) without looking at the intent behind the action.

For me, the Harm None meant basically that I should review the consequences of a potential action, not just from my personal perspective but also from the perspective of anyone that might be affected by that decision. The idea is to balance my wants/needs with the wants/need of others that it might impact negatively. The hard part for me though was how long it would take to review all the possible consequences. It makes making a decision all but impossible and most of the time all the options will cause some form of harm (I eat meat for example).

My 2nd letter felt like a more mature version, an amalgam of the above idea of Harm None and a Warrior's code, whereby some actions might cause harm, but in defence of myself or others only. (I AM a mother after all. I will kick the ever-loving-daylights out of anyone who tries to harm my kids.)

As an aside, I also have a 2nd degree blackbelt in Taekwondo and I was a U.S. Top 10 competitor for Taekwondo at the age of 16. I know how to use a bow and a sword and I am a great paintball sniper. I also own enough weapons (mostly bows and swords) to outfit a small army. Zombie-Apocalypse kiss my tookas.

Back on track, I think it is important to continue to revisit our beliefs in this respect, because it is easy to fall into a rut of doing what is easiest and not realize you are straying from your moral code. This is especially difficult if you are surrounded by people following different moral codes than yourself.

What I had trouble with for a long time was this idea that someone's actions could be separated into only 2 categories: Good and Evil. Black and White. Sins and Virtues. Opposites. Dualities.

An action was only one or the other and that is it. But in the real world, this did not make any sense to me. It was obvious that the INTENT behind an action could completely change whether an action was good or bad.

So it was (and is) my opinion that an action in and of itself cannot be good or evil.

If we are to re-define morality and remove the obstacle of duality the best way to do so is to focus on intent What is your intent behind the action? And no, I do not think the road to Hel is paved with good intentions.
(Fact is that I do not believe in such a place - another topic for another time)

In Part 2 I want to talk about a specific Warrior's Code that I discovered this year, called the Nine Noble Virtues, a way of life derived from the Vikings.

Personal Gnosis

What exactly is Personal Gnosis?
As I typically like to do, I will divide up this word.

What is Gnosis?
This is a Greek word that means knowledge.

So a personal gnosis then, would be your knowledge. It is typically used in reference to spiritual knowledge that has personal meaning.

This topic can blow up exponentially from here, so I am going to keep it to this simple meaning above.

Everyone and anyone can have this kind of personal meaningful spiritual knowledge no matter what religion or spiritual persuasion.

And now I get to mention my new favorite word, or acronym rather.

UPG

Unverified (or Unsubstantiated) Personal Gnosis

I listen to Raven Radio often and right about now I am hearing the "UPG Alert" button being pressed.

UPG refers to a certain kind of spiritual knowledge that is not shared by other people or one that is valid and meaningful to one person but is not able to be generalized to other's experiences.

This is a tough one because technically, ALL spiritual experience can be UPG. But there are some ideas that are accepted by a large group and then are therefore no longer considered 'unsubstantiated'.

The question is twofold:
1. How does a concept move from one to the other?
2. How many people are need to believe in the flying spaghetti monster* :insert misunderstood deity or concept of choice: for it to no longer be UPG?

Before I get into trying to answer these 2 questions, I think it might be helpful to give an example of these concepts.

My ancestors worshiped the god of warriors. I think most people can identify the characteristics of a war god. A ususally male divinity, patron of warriors and strategy.

Now, if I said my ancestors worshiped Tyr, this will give you a different concept than if I said they worshiped Ares or Thor. Each a warrior (war) god, but quite different in function and, dare I say, personality or 'flavor'.

But both of the statements above would be understood by the majority of people.

Now, let's juxtapose that with saying that my war god came down from the heavens and gave my great, great, great, great :insert 5x great: grandfather the Sword of God and granted him the power to rule.

UPG.

Why is this UPG? Because I may be the only person to believe this. It's a great story but how many of you are rolling your eyes? How many times have you heard someone talking big about granny so-and-so? About being a hereditary witch going back 5 generations? A was so-and-so in a past life. The story may be important to you and perhaps your family, but to the greater community it means nothing, at worst, would be considered boasting and telling of tall-tales.

I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing.  It may be quite beneficial to a person to see themselves as a reincarnation of Morgana La Fay. It may give themselves a reservoir of strength to get them through tough decisions or situations. It is when this gets out of control that it can turn into a problem.

Just how does a concept that starts out as a story, progress to a legend or myth to a become part of everyday dialogue?

I am not sure we can really answer this question. It happens in a natural manner. For example, while not *really* my infinite great grandfather, that little story above is talking about Attilla the Hun. A legend passed down.

Make the sign of the cross almost anywhere in the world and it is universally understood.

Say "Blessed Be" at any pagan gathering. Again, understood.

I read an article this week written by the man who named 2 of the pagan holidays of Mabon and Litha. Did you know that these 2 words were created in the 70's by Aidan Kelley? (I spent an hour trying to find the website again. arg. If I find it later, I will post the link here. Curse you internet.)

The next question is of course a trick question. General concepts find it easy to transcend cultural boundaries. These become archetypes. The details may change, but the idea stays the same.

The hero that dies and returns in times of need.
The goddess of love
The virgin mother
The god that dies and is resurrected
Angel/Fairy Godmother

So I wonder in this case if Personal Gnosis would be defined by its generalness (is that a word?) and the Unverified Person Gnosis would be the details. (The devil in the details indeed)

Things I've read this week

(that may or may not have contributed in words, thoughts or mindsets)

Theologies of Immanence: Wicca and Science

Community and the Lack Thereof

Patheos Pagan portal

Things I've learned this week

(A.K.A Notes to self)

1. Learn to save all web addresses to articles I read or I will NEVER find them again. Ever.
2. I need to stop following some things on Facebook. My feed is overwhelmed and I miss things from people I actually care about. arg.
3. Never leave bread out where anything 3 feet or taller standing up can reach it.



* No offense intended to the Flying Spaghetti Monster or his minions.

Hungarian Paganism

Here I go again, getting ready to give a talk, some stories and a ritual in honor to my ancestors and their Gods at MoonPath CUUPS.

I'll add my finalized ritual at the bottom.

I scoured the inter-webz in search of any discussions or articles on Hungarian pagansim, however, my 4th grade Hungarian reading level failed me mightily and there is barely anything in English. :sadface:

There is, however, A LOT on the controversy raging over our history. Specifically centered on our origins, whether the Huns came from Asian (Finno-Urgalic) decent or whether we came from Sumerian origins. I will not try to get into details on this, as other much more focused researchers have done an insanely better job of this than I could right now.  I will say that I am on the Sumerian bandwagon but realize that both theories may be correct.

Here are some links if you are interested: **I'm going to add more shortly. Promise.**

1. Dr. László Marácz, Professor of Linguistics, Amsterdam University - The Untenability of the Finno-Ugric Theory from a Linguistic Point of View.

2. All the Theories in One Place



All I will say is that the 1st hypothesis was introduced by the Communists (WWII?) based solely on some language similarities, while the second one has been around a while longer and is trying to make a comeback. It is also based on language as well as customs, traditions and stories. There is also DNA to consider.

The main problem with figuring out origins is that the Hun (the Seven Tribes of Hun - Hetmagyar) were not quite the barbarians that the Romans made them out to be. (Most of the written accounts about the Hun happen to come from Roman sources). The people they conquered usually became part of the tribes (not slaves) so the tribes have a great many different ethnicities.

Currently, there is a Festival every year called the Kurultaj (Like a Powwow of Hun Tribes). More Pictures. This has been going on since about 2010 when it was discovered that the Turkish tribe of the Madjar (Hungarians are called Magyar by the way) were a sister tribe, DNA similarity was given as proof. Pretty awesome. Article.

I particularly enjoy stories of my ancestors. The White Stag by Kate Seredy is the story of how Atilla's sons founded the Hungarian Nation. It's a children's book.

One story I remember growing up was how Atilla was buried. After he died, the people were worried that enemies would get to his body and desecrate it. So what they did was place him in 3 coffins, a gold one (wealth and glory) inside a silver one (affiliation with the moon), inside an iron one (stength). His soldiers diverted a river (the Tisza), buried him there, reverted the river and killed themselves so that no one would ever find the burial plot. In fact, to this day, his burial plot is a mystery.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_Attila_the_Hun's_grave

Atilla (the Hun) is a hero to many Hungarians. It is through his lineage that all of the true rulers of Hungary decend. In fact, I have heard through my mother who is friends with a Hungarian Shaman (Taltos) that leaders of the Hun had to follow a special ritual/ceremony at particular place in Hungary in order to become Ruler. This ceremony was where the Goddess would bestow blessings and approval for the new Ruler as the Crown was placed upon his head. This is still the current Crown of Hungary. It is said that any ruler who forgoes this ceremony goes mad or dies.

The Tribes were united under the rule of Arpad and then later by Arpad's decendant Attilla. They are also called the Turul Dynasty and the Kindred of the Holy Kings.

(Arpad)

Legend has it that Arpad's father was Almos. Almos (meaning: Dream or Dreamt One) was named so because his mother was the legendary Priestess, Emese. Emese was the first Priestess and she was given this title (and her son) by the Turul. Emese had prayed to god for a son and god answered her by sending her the Tural hawk. In her dream the Turul showed her a great river flowing from her, travelling far and wide, sometimes smaller and sometimes a torrential rush of raging water. The river took her far away and ended at the base of a golden  tree. Her dream showed her that through her blood would be born Kings who would rule a far away land that would be their home. She awoke pregnant with her son and so he is also referred to as the Son of Heaven. It is also interesting to note that Emese is considered a SUMERIAN Priestess. Her husband Ogyek was a Chief of Scythia.

It is interesting to note the similarities between this and certain other religious creation stories... as well as the fact that this story can trace it's beginnings to the wide acceptance of Christianity at this same time period. (roughly 860-870)

This story reaffirms the Hun-Magyar kinship, and the knowledge that the Magyars reconquered Hungary as their rightful inheritance from Atilla's great Hun Empire.
The great mythical Turul bird of prey is one of the most important symbols of the Hungarians. It represents their god's power and will. The Turul was seen as the ancestor of Atilla, and it was also the symbol of the Huns. The Hungarian Turul is often represented carrying the flaming Sword of God.

Which leads me into my next story. Attilla is said to have possession  of the Sword of God; Mars or Aries depending on who tells the story, but it was more than likely Hadur, the Hun War God. I have also read that the War God could have been Tiew/Tyr, son of Woden/Odin. (I need more research on this as you see, but these deities have much in common (Hadur and Tiew).

The people of the plains remained rough and at one with nature. They were the greatest warriors the world had ever known. Bravery was instilled in them from childhood onward; bravery was implanted into the depths of their soul. They lived by the sword and they died by the sword. It is no wonder that to them the sword (saber) was a sacred object, which they revered. They were empowered by it.
The Sword of God had a magic power; it was either inherited or specially made for great rulers such as Attila or Álmos. According to some sources, the Scythians used iron from a meteor to make the Sword of God - most special, indeed. After the blacksmith fashioned the sword, it was placed on the top of a mound - standing it up like a lightning rod, waiting for the lightning to strike it. If this happened, it was believed to be the will of God, and this gave the sword a magical power. This power from the sword was transferred to its owner and was given to him by God -  he ruled by the will of God. (http://www.chicagohungarians.com/radics/Origin2a.htm)

And one more story that cannot be left out. I will summarize the White Stag by Kate Seredy.
But for you online readers, here is a short synopsis.




Ritual to Honor the Mother-Goddess: Inanna, Freyr, Boldogaszony (Great Queen of Heaven) and Hajnal Anyacska (Dawn Mother).

Partially written by me, and partially taken from other sources listed in References below.

Autumn Moon Ritual

Tools:

·         Candles for each of the four quarters

·         A cup of wine or cider

·         Symbols of the harvest to decorate the altar

Assign a member of the group to call each quarter. Each person should stand at their assigned quarter holding their unlit candle (and a lighter or matches), and facing the altar.

HP:

We gather around to honor the changing of the seasons. Summer is coming to a close and autumn fast approaches. Err long it will be the dark of the year. We come together to celebrate the harvest season, the time to give thanks for what we have and look to the future to see what the wheel will bring us next. Gather round and form a circle.

"Oh Goddess, Source of Gods and Mortals,

All-Fertile, All-Destroying Gaia,

Mother of All, Who brings forth the bounteous fruits and flowers,

All variety, Maiden who anchors the eternal world in our own,

Immortal, Blessed, crowned with every grace,

Deep bosomed Earth, sweet plains and fields fragrant grasses in the nurturing rains,

Around you fly the beauteous stars, eternal and divine,

Come, Blessed Goddess, and hear the prayers of Your children,

And make the increase of the fruits and grains your constant care,

With the fertile seasons Your handmaidens,

Draw near, and bless your supplicants."

-Orphic Hymn to Gaia, Translated by Virginia Stewart.

NORTH: Light the candle, hold it to the sky, and say:

We call upon the powers of Earth,
and welcome you to this circle.
May the fertile soil of the land bring us
prosperity, abundance, and the bounty of the land,
in this time of harvest.

Place the candle on the altar.

EAST: Light the candle, hold it to the sky, and say:

We call upon the powers of Air,
and welcome you to this circle.
May the winds of change bring us wisdom and knowledge
in this season of abundance and bounty.

Place the candle on the altar.

SOUTH: Light the candle, hold it to the sky, and say:

We call upon the powers of Fire,
and welcome you to this circle.
May the shining light of this season's moon
illuminate our way through the coming winter.

Place the candle on the altar.

WEST: Light the candle, hold it to the sky, and say:

We call upon the powers of Water,
and welcome you to this circle.
May the cool autumn rains wash away
the last comforts of summer,
and prepare us for the chill that is to come.

Place the candle on the altar.

HP: When everyone has something to drink, we are going to go around the circle, take a sip and share one thing you are looking forward to in the coming month. Do you hope to manifest financial independence? Develop your intuitive powers? Or are you perhaps hoping to grow your relationships? Now is the time to state your intent.

EVERYONE: All say:

We gather tonight by the light of the moon,
to celebrate the season, and rejoice.
May the next turn of the Wheel bring us love
and compassion, abundance and prosperity,
fertility and life.
As the moon above, so the earth below.

WEST: Blow out the candle, and say:

Powers of Water, we thank you for your presence in our circle this night.

Hail and Farewell.

SOUTH: Blow out the candle, and say:

Powers of Fire, we thank you for your presence in our circle this night.

Hail and Farewell.

EAST: Blow out the candle, and say:

Powers of Air, we thank you for your presence in our circle this night.

Hail and Farewell.

NORTH: Blow out the candle, and say:

Powers of Earth, we thank you for your presence in our circle this night.

Hail and Farewell.

HP Thank you Mother for your presence in our circle tonight.

Hail and Farewell.

This ritual has ended. So mote it be. Blessed Be.

References:
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccanandpaganrituals/ht/Autumn_Group.htm
http://www.sibyllineorder.org/sacred_texts/oh_gaia.htm


email: greencloverfairy@gmail.com