Neo-Celtic Witch?

[StormVixen]

i might be one it seems an appropreate name for what i am but does it exist or is it a new thing i made up?

[KEishin]

Can you clarify your path further - i.e. basic beliefs, philosophies, etc.

[StormVixen]

its difficult because i know what i think but i cant get what i think into words that mean what i think!!!

i am totally working with the celtic panthion, but all gods are one and all goddesses are one (including ones from different cultures)... amd the god and goddess are a whole... basically.

i am interested in the history of the celts especially england and wales...

i dont do magic alot but i meditate... and stuff...

um... my brains not working well... if you asked specific questions i might be able to answer mor clearly!

cheers!

[Morgandria]

Which Celtic pantheon are you referring to? There are a few pan-Celtic deities, but it's not all one big conglomerate of gods - each nation had their own pantheon.

I don't think you really need a title for what you do. If you're comfortable with your practice, that's all that matterns. It's hard to make up a new thing when all you're doing is mixing old things together.

[Phi]

its difficult because i know what i think but i cant get what i think into words that mean what i think!!!

i am totally working with the celtic panthion, but all gods are one and all goddesses are one (including ones from different cultures)... amd the god and goddess are a whole... basically.

i am interested in the history of the celts especially england and wales...

i dont do magic alot but i meditate... and stuff...

um... my brains not working well... if you asked specific questions i might be able to answer mor clearly!

cheers!My favorite books regarding Celtic history are those written by Peter Beresford Ellis, in fact, I just went to the bookstore today to get a new one. They didn't have many though, so I am thinking of ordering online.

Ellis does serious research, and gives the facts without mixing in too much speculation, but it's not too dry and boring like some researcher's books tend to be. I like that because I want to know the history and the mythology without having someone to tell me what the current modern take on it is...until I have a chance to form my own take on it.
His books are in the History section of larger bookstores, not in the "Spiritual/alternative/occult" sections, if that gives you a clue... :)

BTW, I get what you mean regarding your beliefs, you're coming in loud and clear to me.

[StormVixen]

Which Celtic pantheon are you referring to? There are a few pan-Celtic deities, but it's not all one big conglomerate of gods - each nation had their own pantheon.

I don't think you really need a title for what you do. If you're comfortable with your practice, that's all that matterns. It's hard to make up a new thing when all you're doing is mixing old things together.

i work with the welsh pantheon and local deities to me... the south west of england... and of corse cernunnos... i avoid irish and continental dieties because they dont click...

i know i dont NEED a title, i WANT a title! also im not mixing things im reconstructing old things from my perspective, thats why im not CR... im trying to be as historically correct as possable but with a new perspective thats why i think the term "Neo-Celt" works for me... the main thing i was wondering was; is there already a group of opeople called Neo-Celts?

[StormVixen]

My favorite books regarding Celtic history are those written by Peter Beresford Ellis, in fact, I just went to the bookstore today to get a new one. They didn't have many though, so I am thinking of ordering online.

Ellis does serious research, and gives the facts without mixing in too much speculation, but it's not too dry and boring like some researcher's books tend to be. I like that because I want to know the history and the mythology without having someone to tell me what the current modern take on it is...until I have a chance to form my own take on it.
His books are in the History section of larger bookstores, not in the "Spiritual/alternative/occult" sections, if that gives you a clue... :)

BTW, I get what you mean regarding your beliefs, you're coming in loud and clear to me.

cheers im gonna check out the author on amazon!

[Morgandria]

Call yourself a neo-Celt if you like, then. It's as accurate as anything else. :)

From my perspective, however, you are practicing a soft form of reconstructionism, and you could also call yourself a reconstructionist.

[StormVixen]

ive looked at recon sites and stuff but it aint me... cheers tho!

[StormVixen]

i found this when i searched google

http://www.omnia-neocelt.com/

[Morgandria]

Dutch band that makes great music! I like their stuff a lot - makes my blood sing.

Don't get hung up on what you see other recons saying/doing - they come in all flavours, and I assure you what you're doing IS recon, if you're drawing off the practices of yesteryear, and applying them to today's world. However, if you don't like the term, and don't think it suits you, don't use it.

[StormVixen]

hmmm ok... i dunno

[Seren_]

Don't get hung up on what you see other recons saying/doing - they come in all flavours, and I assure you what you're doing IS recon, if you're drawing off the practices of yesteryear, and applying them to today's world. However, if you don't like the term, and don't think it suits you, don't use it.

I agree. For what it's worth :tongueout

[ap Dafydd]

I just call myself "Celtic tradition" if I need a label.

Don't think it needs a "neo-" because the Celts have never ceased to exist.

If you enjoy PBE (who is one of the grand old men of Celtic history writing) you might also enjoy Jean Markale. Not all of his stuff has been translated into English but I've enjoyed everything I've found so far.

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[StormVixen]

I just call myself "Celtic tradition" if I need a label.

Don't think it needs a "neo-" because the Celts have never ceased to exist.

If you enjoy PBE (who is one of the grand old men of Celtic history writing) you might also enjoy Jean Markale. Not all of his stuff has been translated into English but I've enjoyed everything I've found so far.

gwyn eich byd

Ffred


hmmm... thanx... i think neoceltic suits me... but celtic trad. seems good to...

[mothwench]

i work with the welsh pantheon and local deities to me... the south west of england... and of corse cernunnos... i avoid irish and continental dieties because they dont click...
cernunnos is continental. ;)
i know i dont NEED a title, i WANT a title!
i can understand that, just for finding others like you it's quite useful knowing what you are. :)
also im not mixing things im reconstructing old things from my perspective, thats why im not CR...
from your perspective? i'm not sure what you mean. i try to practice a kind of reconstruction of the beliefs of the cultures i'm made up of, which are two on the germanic side, and two on the celtic side, now that's hard. :lol: i realise it can't be a reconstruction of a religion that once existed, cause cultures were not that mixed up back then, but i still call myself a reconstructionist, and certainly not neo.
is that what you mean by perspective? where you live and who your ancestors are?
im trying to be as historically correct as possable but with a new perspective thats why i think the term "Neo-Celt" works for me... the main thing i was wondering was; is there already a group of opeople called Neo-Celts?
yeah, i daresay i think i've seen something like that on the net before...
hmmm. well, you got me thinking. maybe i should reconsider the meaning of the term neo. it's just... it has connotations with stuff like the celtic tree zodiac and somesuch nonsense. it rings of atrocities such as "celtic runes". i dunno. maybe i'm just weird and should get over it. :hehehehe:

[StormVixen]

cernunnos is continental.

i thought cernunnos meant the horned one, so any horned got could be called cernunnos, tecnically... maybe. im just calling him cernunnos till i find out his actual name really... do you know the name of a horned god that used to "Live" near me? :hmmmmm: :sunny:

i dont really know what i mean by my perspective... i guess i just do what feels right!

i dont mind the term "neo" obviously... also i try not to use stuff that has been made up by people and labled celtic... (the sort of stuff i call "crappy celtic")...

yay for mothwench!!! you asked me questions and helped me find out a little bit more about myself!!! _twohorns_

[Seren_]

i thought cernunnos meant the horned one, so any horned got could be called cernunnos, tecnically... maybe. im just calling him cernunnos till i find out his actual name really... do you know the name of a horned god that used to "Live" near me? :hmmmmm: :sunny:

The name itself is Gaulish, and so in that sense refers to a continental deity. However, the type of image the name is associated with has been found further afield, and is used (wrongly, if you're going to get technical) to apply to all of them, regardless of origin. There's some uncertainty as to a) how widespread Cernunnos was actually worshipped even on the continent itself, and b) whether all such images of similar type were necessarily called Cernunnos (there's no real evidence to support or refute this). So really, Cernunnos as any kind of "British" deity is based on modern supposition, and/or is likely to have been a continental import.

Although if you're going to get even more technical, he's antlered, not horned - the difference being antlers fall off seasonally, and horns don't (and some Gaulish statues actually reflect this - if you look up some threads that Nantonos has posted about it, you'll find lots of good info). So some people question the translation of the name too...

[StormVixen]

The name itself is Gaulish, and so in that sense refers to a continental deity. However, the type of image the name is associated with has been found further afield, and is used (wrongly, if you're going to get technical) to apply to all of them, regardless of origin. There's some uncertainty as to a) how widespread Cernunnos was actually worshipped even on the continent itself, and b) whether all such images of similar type were necessarily called Cernunnos (there's no real evidence to support or refute this). So really, Cernunnos as any kind of "British" deity is based on modern supposition, and/or is likely to have been a continental import.

Although if you're going to get even more technical, he's antlered, not horned - the difference being antlers fall off seasonally, and horns don't (and some Gaulish statues actually reflect this - if you look up some threads that Nantonos has posted about it, you'll find lots of good info). So some people question the translation of the name too...

thanks for the info... i guess my antlered god will let me know his hame sometime... i know cernunnos is antlered i just sometimes accidently wright horned insted because of books ive read!

[mothwench]

well, there's herne, who i don't know much about, but recently i read he's of anglo-saxon origin. so that would be english, just not celtic.
but don't take my word for it, look for some better info about herne, cause as i said, i hardly know anything about him and could be wrong.

[ap Dafydd]

thanks for the info... i guess my antlered god will let me know his hame sometime... i know cernunnos is antlered i just sometimes accidently wright horned insted because of books ive read!

Just to confuse things even more, there are some dedications in Gaul to a horned goddess.

Remember two things.

The first is that one strand of Celtic religion was intensely local, based on the local deities associated with the local holy places.

The other is that today's cultural boundaries are not the same as yesterday's. In Celtic times, the cultural seperation between Britain and Gaul was far smaller than the present one between England and France. Some deities are known over a wide area.

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[mucgwyrt]

Perhaps it would be better to try and tune in with some local spirits, rather than concentrating on some vague continental dieties? :)

[mothwench]

Just to confuse things even more, there are some dedications in Gaul to a horned goddess.

got any specific info on that? i'm curious about that now. :smile:

[StormVixen]

Perhaps it would be better to try and tune in with some local spirits, rather than concentrating on some vague continental dieties? :)

now youve got me thinking...

ive only had contact from "cernunnos" in my local area... and ive travelled alot and never "seen" him in other places... maybe its just me... or maybe there is a forgotten local antlered god... maybe ill just call him "my cernunnos" or something untill he reveals his identity to me!

maybe im just being stupid tho... i might care too much where gods are from, rather than careing about who they are... and how they interact with my life and stuff...

oh yeah does anyone know where the other images of "cernunnos" were found in england im interested to know and stuff

[mucgwyrt]

now youve got me thinking...

ive only had contact from "cernunnos" in my local area... and ive travelled alot and never "seen" him in other places... maybe its just me... or maybe there is a forgotten local antlered god... maybe ill just call him "my cernunnos" or something untill he reveals his identity to me!

maybe im just being stupid tho... i might care too much where gods are from, rather than careing about who they are... and how they interact with my life and stuff...

oh yeah does anyone know where the other images of "cernunnos" were found in england im interested to know and stuff
I know that there are a few antlered 'beings' in the area I live in, too; most, although they seem incredibley god-like, are simply nature spirits :) Try meditating on it :smile:

[mothwench]

muggy's right, i looked up herne, who i was talking about earlier, and it turns out he's not a god at all...
http://www.englishheathenism.homestead.com/folklore.html
scroll down until you see the bit about herne. :smile:

[StormVixen]

cool thanx... ill continue on my quest

[ap Dafydd]

got any specific info on that? i'm curious about that now. :smile:

Haven't got the reference with me, I'm in work at the moment.

From memory, I picked it up from Miranda Green's work, I'll look it up again later

gwyn eich byd

Ffred