My Encounter with a new Deity

Ok, the other night I was under a lot of stress, due to things going on in my personal life. To try to calm down, I took a nice warm bath, complete with sea salt & oils. After the bath I went into my room, lit some Patchouli incense (my fav) and a single white candle. I got into my usual meditation pose and proceeded to ground myself.

As I was asking for the Goddess' guidance, I had a song pop into my head. Normally I don't use music as I meditate and I was focused on my task. The song, Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon". I've never had something so strong pop into my head like that before. It was like as if the radio was on full blast on my nightstand. I haven't heard that song in a while, so I was a bit floored, to say the least.

Through my 3rd eye I had a vision of a woman in rich cloaks standing at the end of my bed, smiling at me. She had long, flowing, strawberry blonde hair. Then I heard her voice in my head, speaking to me that things will be alright. That I shouldn't worry about my son and what he's going through at school. She also reassured me about my journey & that They are all looking out for me. I felt so at peace listening to her words of encouragement. She also gave me some advice about being so rigid during my solo rituals...lighten up. I laughed, she did too. She also said that within the next few days, a gift will come to me from her. I don't know what this can be. I'm not one for surprises, being a Capricorn & all, I have to know everything. She knows that Lady Freyja is my Patron Goddess, but she is also one of mine as well, that I can call on her, too, if needed.

Ok, after my meditation ended, I felt a lot calmer & more focused. Since I don't know too much of Rhiannon, I Googled her & her myths. I also asked my friend, Suzanne about her. She's going to tell me about her next time we talk.

So, that was my encounter with a new Deity. I thought it was cool.

)O( Blessed Be,
Rowan

The Triple Goddess

The Horned God Chant

Invocation to Freyja

Freyja,
Golden one,
Exquisite, beautiful, and charming,
You open me
And set me free.

Fruitful and sexy,
You give of yourself
Without hesitation,
Without bounds,
Knowing the love of all.

Mail-clad and strong,
You gather the warriors
Of your choice,
Honoring their sacrifice
In your hall of hosts.

Secretive and sly,
You divine the future,
Bending will,
Bending fate,
Bending wyrd.

O Golden Lady,
Lady most blessed,
Teach me your skills.
Honor me with your gifts.
Allow me to become one with you.

So I may fly.

Prayer to Freyja

Great Goddess, Mistress of cats,
Lady of love, beautiful Vana-Goddess,
Fulfill my greatest needs, O glorious one.

Teach me the magic I need.
Give me a glimpse of your deep wisdom.

Teach me in dreams. Enrich my life.

O Lady, you are Golden-Tears of Asgard
Lady of love, beautiful Vana-Goddess,
You are the Shape-shifter, the Sayer,
The Independent One.

Give me the strength and the magic I need.

Prayer to Cernunnos

God of the green,
Lord of the forest,
I offer you my sacrifice.
I ask you for your blessing.

You are the man in the trees,
the green man of the woods,
who brings life to the dawning spring.
You are the deer in rut,
mighty Horned One,
who roams the autumn woods,
the hunter circling round the oak,
the antlers of the wild stag,
and the lifeblood that spills upon
the ground each season.

God of the green,
Lord of the forest,
I offer you my sacrifice.
I ask you for your blessing.

My Patron God - Cernunnos

Cernunnos is a horned god found in Celtic mythology. He is connected with male animals, particularly the stag in rut, and this has led him to be associated with fertility and produce. Depictions of Cernunnos are found in many parts of the British Isles and western Europe. He is often portrayed with a beard and wild, shaggy hair -- he is, after all, the lord of the forest.

With his mighty antlers, Cernunnos is a protector of the forest and master of the hunt. He is a god of vegetation and trees in his aspect as the Green Man, and a god of lust and fertility when connected with Pan, the Greek satyr. In some traditions, he is seen as a god of death and dying, and takes time to comfort the dead by singing to them on their way to the spirit world.

In Margaret Murray's 1931 book, God of the Witches, she posits that Herne the Hunter is a manifestation of Cernunnos. Because he is found only in Berkshire, and not in the rest of the Windsor Forest area, Herne is considered a "localized" god -- and could indeed be the Berkshire interpretation of Cernunnos. During the Elizabethan age, Cernunnos appears as Herne in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. He also embodies fealty to the realm, and guardianship of royalty.

In some traditions of Wicca, the cycle of seasons follows the relationship between the Horned God -- Cernunnos -- and the Goddess. During the fall, the Horned God dies, as the vegetation and land goes dormant, and in the spring, at Imbolc, he is resurrected to impregnate the fertile goddess of the land. However, this relationship is a relatively new Neopagan concept, and there is no scholarly evidence to indicate that ancient peoples might have celebrated this "marriage" of the Horned God and a mother goddess.

Because of his horns (and the occasional depiction of a large, erect phallus) Cernunnos has often been misinterpreted by fundamentalists as a symbol of Satan. Certainly, at times, the Christian church has pointed to the Pagan following of Cernunnos as "devil worship." This is in part due to nineteenth century paintings of Satan which included large, ram-like horns much like those of Cernunnos.

Today, many Pagan and Wiccan traditions honor Cernunnos as an aspect of the God, the embodiment of masculine energy and fertility and power.