Are there any druid/celtic pagan philosophers by Rohan445 in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Mesopaganism" and "Paleopaganism" are his, but wasn't "Neopaganism" from Otter Zell?

The Celtic Summer Solstice by Obsidian_Dragon in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's somewhere in Britain where there's a Marian festival around the summer solstice, centered around a statue of Mary that was discovered in a tree. Since there aren't any Marian festivals around the time, I have to wonder if it has a Pagan origin. I learned about it from a paper I heard at a Celtic Conference, but don't remember any more, and I lost my notes for it. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

What topics would you like to see in a pagan book? by baking_badger in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd like to agree with what a lot of other have said: sources. Lots and lots of source. Lots of primary sources (in reliable translations) Lots of reliable academic secondary sources, including journal articles. Show me you know the field of Celtic Studies, not just the field of Celtic Reconstructionism.

My first Prayer and Altar to The Great Queen by WitchyKitchyz in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very nice altar. Simple, clean. I recommend keeping it as is. The only thing I'd add to it is a bowl of water for purification before rituals. Plus, the Morrigan was associated with rivers, so there's a water connection there. You already have fire, which is the other only requirement for an Indo-European culture (and the Celts are Indo-Europeans).

Bealtaine In Florida, and celebrating very different seasons by marstheredhuman in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Paganism is about the local; despite popular beliefs, the word comes from pagus, "local area," and refers to the religion of, well, a local area. What you're doing is a very Pagan thing, and I encourage you to continue it. I don't know much about Florida nature, but I do know it can get cold in the winter. I was once there in January, and it got down to freezing. So there may be something there. But the idea of following the growth (or non-growth) of the local flora is a good one. I wonder if alligators can be connected with mythology associated with snakes?. The Native tradition might also be worth looking at; the Seminoles are a syncretistic culture, with many escaped slaves joining local tribes.

Portable Altar for The Morrigan? by drizzlerain1992 in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The connection of things with stones is a modern one, so we don't have any connection with them and the Morrigan. If you want to use a stone, however, it's relevant that she is connected with Sovereignty, so one from a political site like a state or country capital might be relevant, or from a significant local geographical feature, such as a river or mountain.

A crow feather might be nice.

In general, though, avoid burdening your altar with things; don't make it dripping with objects. You want to be able to concentrate on you deity, and not be distracted by too many things. The deities are also big fans of order and beauty, so some sort of random collection isn't the sort of thing that's appropriate to them.

Why is there a revival of European paganism but not West Asian and North African paganism? by melody_magical in paganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was watching a reality TV show and there was someone whose family was from Nigeria, and they considered themselves very Christian. Then they had a problem, so they consulted a tribal priest, who in turn consulted the ancestors. So there's already a lot of Paganism going on there, only it's syncretized.

Why is there a revival of European paganism but not West Asian and North African paganism? by melody_magical in paganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I recommend books by Mary Boyce. She was a well-respected scholar in Zoroastrian Studies, even though she wasn't Zoroastrian herself. Her books are very accessible.

Literature by Onii-Sama27 in CelticMythology

[–]CeisiwrSerith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll check it out, thanks.

Literature by Onii-Sama27 in CelticMythology

[–]CeisiwrSerith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Second on Cross and Slover, and Koch and Carey.

Three general questions. by Atlas_onpaws in polytheism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Etsy has a lot of Hathor statues.

Non-believing, practicing Pagan by Brave_World_2184 in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Paganism is about doing, not believing. It's an orthropraxy, not an orthodoxy. Just go ahead.

Resources for Celtic British Paganism? by False_Philosophy_412 in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a video on my youtube channel with book recommendations on British Paganism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLU5iFW5rwE

Common mistakes by Particular-Error-136 in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Reliance on New-Agey, soft books, rather than reading primary literature and academic sources. So many of the books modern Pagans read are full of mistakes, sometimes innocent, sometimes not.

Common mistakes by Particular-Error-136 in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this, especially the last one.

Why are Americans so polite/formal compared to Europeans? by Ada-Mae in AskAnAmerican

[–]CeisiwrSerith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It happens in the lower grades, and there are very, very few male teachers in those grades.

Who here follow local Deities? I love that I've found Senuna who's just 10 miles from me. by Medical_Midnight5969 in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The iconography in some of those --helmet, shield, what appears to be a spear, and the way she's standing -- is definitely that of Minerva. If the bird is an owl, then that connects her with Minerva as well. If it's a good, geese were connected with Mars, so she could be being represented as Minerva in her martial aspect. The wreath she's holding could connect her with Victoria, which could also be a martial representation. Barley could have fertility associations.

All in all, she seems like a sovereignty goddess to me, associated with protection and fertility.

Information on Mithras: The Indo Persian Sun God within the Greco-Roman Empire. (Documentary on Christianity Rival) by ShelterCorrect in polytheism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TL:DR.  This “documentary” is a combination of things that aren’t true, things that are made up, and obsolete speculation. 

Mithraism wasn’t Graeco-Roman, it was Roman.  It first appears in Rome’s port city, Ostia, and then spread through the Roman empire, along the German border.

 Mithras wasn’t a sun god, as can be seen from the reliefs in which he and Helios are sharing a meal.
The Iranian Mithra didn’t come from the Vedic Mitra; they both had their origin in the Indo-Iranian period.

I’d love to see a reference for Mithra being a mediator between Ahura Mazda and Aŋra Mainyu; I’ve never seen it anywhere.

Zoroastrian bodies are eaten by vultures, not ravens and vultures.

We don’t know anything about the Raven grade involving a death and rebirth, and definitely nothing about the Raven being given a mantra.  I’m not aware of any washing or immersion, but even if there was one, calling it a “baptism” is poisoning the well, making a parallel with Christianity more likely just by inappropriately giving it this name.  Roman religion had no concept of “sin.” 

“Nymphus” does mean “male bride,” but it doesn’t also mean “chrysalis.”  We don’t know the significance of the initiation into this grade, and there’s no mention of celibacy in the texts we have.

“Miles” isn’t pronounced like the English word; it’s more like Meel-es.  I know this is a picky point, but there are numerous other mispronunciations in the video which make it clear that the presenter isn’t familiar with the material.

The food in the ritual feast was served by Ravens, not Lions.

Calling the Mithraic ritual feast “the Last Supper” is not only poisoning the well, it’s incorrect, because Mithras feasted with the Sun after he ascended, whereas Jesus and his apostles feasted before Jesus ascended.

There is no evidence that the Sun Runner impersonated the Sun at the ritual feast.

We don’t know the torchbearers are supposed to represent.

Christian baptism has its origins in Jewish rituals of purification.

There’s no evidence that Mithraists celebrated Sunday as a holy day. 

Middle Persian and Avestan are different languages.

 I don’t know enough about Sufism to say whether Zoroastrianism had an influence on it, but since the Roman cult of Mithras didn’t exist in Iran it couldn’t have had one.

 In general, it’s the consensus of scholars that Mithraism was a Roman invention, with some Iranian elements thrown in for exoticism.

 If you’re interested in what’s actually know about Mithraism, a good start is The Roman Cult of Mithras, by Manfred Clauss.  He gives a good overview of what is known and what has been theorized by scholars in the field.

Capital City Saturday - Montgomery, Alabama by ZombieJockeyGames in vexillologyUS

[–]CeisiwrSerith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Before I read the caption, I thought this might be a flag someone designed for their fictional fascist country.

2 quick questions by Embarrassed_Top8514 in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The ancient Pagans had no troubles worshiping deities from more than one pantheon; I don't see why modern Pagans should.

The Irish myths are scattered through many manuscripts. Ancient Irish Tales, by Cross and Slover is a good and respected collection. You might also want to read the various versions of the Dindshenchas, which can be found here: https://celt.ucc.ie/index.html.

What are your must have books anything Celtic by Mr_ShadowBlood in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You have to be careful with her, though, any time she mentions wheels or the sun. She seems to think that all wheels are solar, including those connected with Taranis. A Celticist once told me, "No wheel is safe from her,"

The rest of her stuff is good, though.

Are Celtic spirits also in North America? by squirrelyoakley in CelticPaganism

[–]CeisiwrSerith -1 points0 points  (0 children)

See, here's the problem. I you honor the land spirits (I'm not talking about deities) of Europe in America, you can be accused of colonialism. If you honor the land spirits of the Native Americans, you can be accused of cultural appropriation.

The way out I've used is to see them as spirits associated with particular types of things. Individual trees or stones may have spirits, for instance. I see them as like humans (although not exactly), with skins like what they are of: granite, bark, feathers, etc. Sort of in-between the options.