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Symandinome's Faery Book of Shadows and Light

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:05 am
by Symandinome
Dear Reader,

I have decided to place here some information in regards to my path. In my path, we generally, do not use a Books of Shadows but at an attempt to further educate people of my ways I will break this tradition and place things here that I am not oath bound to keep silent.

My particular path is a branch of Irish Faery Faith and more specifically comes from The Western Region of Ireland in Connaught. Even today, Connaught is the least inhabited province of Ireland. It is home to some of the most beautiful and unspoiled landscapes in all of Ireland. My paths exact origins are unknown and is more than likely the remnants of what would today be called a family tradition. I am not a direct descendant of this line but was a welcomed outsider. This means I do not come from this family by blood.

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Much of the information contained herein could potentially differ from what you know to be true or from what others would normally accept as the truth. Oftentimes within a single culture there will be multiple deviations to stories and myths. It is logical to think that the ones that are more commonly known and accepted are because the group that believed them in that manner was larger. This does not discount the beliefs of the few or validate those of the many. I ask you to keep an open mind to the views and practices of my people. I have not fully decided as to what information in regards to magick will be addressed within this writting. I can tell you that I will thoughtfully address as much information as it pertains to our standard set of beliefs and practices.

I respectfully ask that you do not post within this thread as I am putting this here as a means of education. If you have any questions or concerns I ask that you send them directly to me in a private message. This will be a slow process of adding information so please be patient. I will be adding the information in a certain order so things can be more easily understood.

Here are a few pictures of Connaught I thought you might enjoy.

Below is a picture of Mannin Bay, Connemara, County Galway, Connaught Ireland
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Below is a picture of Dunguaire Castle in Kinvarra Bay, Connaught Ireland
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Below is a picture of Keem Strand, Achill Island, County Mayo, Connaught Ireland
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Below is a picture of Kylemore Lake Shoreline, County Mayo, Connaught Ireland
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Below is a picture of Glencar Waterfall, County Leitrim, Connaught Ireland
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Siochan,

Symandinome

Re: Symandinome's Faery Book of Shadows and Light

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:57 pm
by Symandinome
The Creation of the World and All Within It.
This is the story of the history of man and the formation of the Gods. This story will take you from the beginning up until the time the "veil" between the worlds came into existance.

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In the beginning there were two spirits; The Great Mother and The Great Father. They were in love and joined in union. From their union sprang forth the elements in their purest form. To each of these was a spirit that was of the Great Mother and Great Father. Somewhere in time these spirits became known to us as Ghob, Paralda, Djinn, and Nixsa.

These elemental spirits adored their mother and in an act of adoration created the planet Earth for her to call home. The Great Father, who became known as Father Sky, had the cosmos and all within them that shined brightly for him but The Earth was just for the Great Mother.

The Great Mother seen what her children had done and was pleased. The spirit of the Great Mother went down to the Earth and allowed her spirit to reside there. The Earth at this time did not look the way we know it today. When The Great Mother came unto the earth she transformed herself into a Great Oak Tree which in turn solidified the planet into existence and gave it life. This was the introduction of the 5th Element; Spirit.

The 4 Elemental Spirits rejoiced in their mother and celebrated her blessing their creation. The Great Mother became known as The Earth Mother. This Great Oak Tree, that is the Earth Mother, has been known to many people in many lands by many names such as Yggdrasil, The World Tree, or The Goddess Tree. To us, she is Danu. Danu is the Mother of ALL.

The elemental spirits, with the blessing of Danu, created nature to the glory of the Great Mother Danu. In this creation new spirits were formed and these are the spirits of The Shining Ones (Faeries). The Shining ones were brought forth to tend to nature and to glorify and adore Danu. Danu gave the 4 elemental spirits dominion over the earth and the Shinning Ones and they became The Four Elemental Kings that we know today.

Of the element of Earth and all its properties was King Ghob, of Air was King Paralda, of Fire; King Djinn, and of Water; King Nixsa who is sometimes refered to as Nixsu/Niksa/Niksu. They are benevolent rulers whose sole purpose is to guard and guide the mysteries of Earth and all its bounty all to the glory of Danu.

The Spirits of Nature, who today are known as faeries, each had a certain element they were associated with because of the nature of their spirit and the duties they performed. This began the first division of the Shining Ones. The nature spirits of the Air became known as Sylphs and were ruled over by King Paralda. The nature spirits of Fire became known as Salamanders and were ruled over by King Djinn. The nature spirits of Water became known as Undines and were ruled over by King Nixsa. The nature spirits of Earth became known as Gnomes and were ruled over by King Ghob. Be mindful in remembering that what some call a gnome are not the only gnomes in existence. All spirits of earth are in the classification of Gnomes, such as elves, trolls, and others.

The Shinning Ones, whom get their name from the light they emit, were as unique and individual as we all are. They do and did as we all do; fall in love, get married, have children, and even die. Each one was unique and had abilities that sometimes transcended the boundaries of one elements power. They all resided within nature and were governed by their respective King. Some of the Shining Ones, however, chose to living within a city that was created by each of the ruling Kings. King Ghob establishes his Kingdom in the Sacred City of Falias in the North, King Paralda in Gorias in the East, King Djinn in Finias in the South, and King Nixsa in Murias in the West.

All of the Shinning Ones and The Elemental Kings would sing, dance, and make music for Danu all to her glory especially on Beltane; the day all life began. It was one such Beltane that Danu decided that she wanted to have more children that would not only honor her but also enjoy the beauty of creation. From her branches, bark, and leaves came forth the first women and men. The Shining Ones and the Kings rejoiced at this the newest of Danu's creation and welcomed them warmly. It was at this time that Danu sanctioned that for each human spirit to come into creation, so shall there be a shining one to be their guardian as the humans are part of nature.

The Shining Ones and the humans lived harmoniously with each other. They took care of the world around them and joined together at Beltane to honor Danu, The Mother of ALL. It wasn't long before Shinning Ones and humans feel in love with one another and created children with one another. It was these children that became great heroes and champions of the people.

A time came when Danu saw fit for the humans to have a stronger guiding force amongst them. Once again from her bark, limbs, and leaves she created yet another race of being; a being with the powers of Gods. Each of them as unique as everything else in creation. Some were good, some were bad, and yet some didn't seem of either. The ones that were bad despised humans and sought out to enslave us and keep us oppressed and away from Danu.

Danu was in a deep sadness at the thought that some of her children could behave such ways, and this time created another race of beings that were all good and only interested in upholding what is right and good in the eyes of Danu. They were to be a race of champions skilled in all arts. This was the birth of the Tuatha De Danann which quite litterally means the children or tribe of danu.

It was a dark time for the human children of Danu as they were scattered throughout the lands and oppressed by many a dark people. This time of darkness and despair would only have to last a little while longer. The Tuatha went to the Sacred Cities of Falias, Gorias, Finias, and Murias and learned all acts of war, art, and magick. The time had come for the Children of Danu to be avenged.

They arrived on the western shores of Eire at Beltane; cloaked in a black smoke. They brought with them four sacred treasures of the sacred cities. From the North the brought the Great Fal which is the Stone of Destiny, from the East they brought the Sword of Nuada, from the South they brought the Spear of Lugh, and from the West they brought the Cauldron of Dagda. They were led by Lord Nuada and ferociously and fearlessly battled and conquered the Fir Bolgs; an oppressing force in Eire at the time. Many people were freed of oppression but the battle was far from over. This was the First Battle of Moytura.

Lord Nuada lost his arm in this battle and this prevented him from becoming the rightful King. This is because it was custom at this time for a King to be unblemished. Dian Cecht, of the Tuatha was a skilled healer and fashioned a working hand out of silver for Nuada so that he may take the throne. Bres, the son of the Fomorian King, Balor of the Evil Eye was outraged and the Fomorians waged war upon the Tuatha. This led to the Second Battle of Moytura. The Fomorians were slain but Nuada lost his life in this battle and Lugh took his place as High King.

At last the people of Eire were free. The people rejoiced and honored the Mighty Children of Danu for saving them. The land was once again in peace and plenty. After Lugh had ruled Dagda came to the thrown and brought with him his cauldron from Murias. It was through this cauldron that our people had no want or desire of anything. It is through the Cauldron of Dagda, The Cauldron of Plenty, that our people were prosperous in all things.

Shinning Ones, humans, and the Tuatha lived harmoniously for a long time. It is during this time that we were taught the mysteries of the world and learned the secrets of magick. This was so that we would always be capable to provide for ourselves.

The time of peace did not last forever though. A new threat was arising far to the East of Eire. The Milesians were readying themselves to declare war up the Tuatha and the people of Eire. They came from the Iberian Peninsula, what is today Northern Portugal. The Kings of the Tuatha De Danann at that time, asked for a truce of three days, during which the Milesians would lie at anchor nine waves' distance from the shore. The Milesians agreed, but the Tuatha De Danann created a magickal storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet, Amergin; calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed and defeated the Tuatha De Danann at Tailtiu. When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha Dé Danann and his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians and the portion underground to the Tuatha De Danann. The Tuatha De Danann and the Shinning Ones were led underground by Dagda.

The Tuatha had been bested by the Milesians because they let their own egos take over. Because it was their nature to do what was right and fair in the eyes of Danu, the Tuaha had no choice but to submit to the direction of the Milesians. It was this time that the "veil" between the worlds came into being. The Tuatha and the Shinning Ones had to go underground into Tir na nOg; The Land of Eternal Youth and Beatuty. It is Tir na nOg, that lies at the roots of the Great Oak Tree and is where all things go when they die. Though it is a place for the dead to go to, it is still very much a place of life.

The Shinning Ones could no longer live in the physical world along side humans but instead were only allowed to return to the physical to tend to nature. It is rumored that there are still places in this world where we can walk into the "Realm of Faery" just as easy as we walk down the street; but their locations have been lost to time.

We honor Danu; The Mother of ALL through her children, our champions, The Tuatha De Danann. It was through them and the Shinning Ones that we learned her mysteries and the ways of magick. It is through them; at the changing of the seasons, do we exalt the spirit of The Great Mother. They are ever watching, guarding, guiding, and teaching us from a far in Tir na nOg. Their lessons are echoed through out all of nature; in the babbling brook, the crackling fire, the lush green land, and the sweet breeze. We need only take the time to listen and remember.

Re: Symandinome's Faery Book of Shadows and Light

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:17 pm
by Symandinome
About Who And What We Are

I like to refer to myself as a witch.
The word calls to my mind the words power, hidden knowledge, magick, mystery, and communication with other realms. All these things suit me just fine because it represents me personally and the way I view things. I could just as easily call myself a "pookalahkaliki" if I wanted to, it doesn't change who and what I am. Many people of my path refer to themselves by other names like shaman, healer, and others. They are all equally vaild. We assume these titles as a means to best identify ourselves to others. At the end of the day though, we are only who we are and that is just a child and servant of the Great Mother, nothing more nothing less.

I am not a Wiccan.
I do not follow the Wiccan rules, beliefs, or practices. I do not discount them or argue their purpose though. I think their rede and belief structure is beautiful and try to always live to a standard of harm none regardless; because it is a part of my personal morals. Much of my religious practices are quite similar to those of Wicca but the Wiccan Rede is not a part of my faith. Instead, we acknowlede the dark side of nature in addition to the light. We believe that we must know of both sides equally so that we may Recognize, Defend, and Repair. This belief is echoed in a saying from my faith and that is:

"We must first know how to kill in order to be able to truely heal."


The above really isn't as ominous as the words may have you believe. What the saying really breaks down to is this:

We must know of "dark" things so that we may RECOGNIZE them when they come. There are always forces at work around us that are both benevolent and malevolent.

In being able to recognize these threats; we can take measures to guard and to DEFEND ourselves from them.

With the knowing of how to recognize threats, we can REPAIR, fix, or heal the problem.


In no way shape or form is this saying suggesting that we kill someone so we can try to figure out how to undue it. That would be assanine. It is speaking about situations such as the following:

Let's say there is magick afoot that is malevolent and is seeking to do you harm. We, in our training, learn how to recognize the type of threat, the manner in which it is worked, and the best way to stop, reverse, or banish it. It is because of our understanding of the dark side of nature that we are able to do this.

Another example would be in the case of someone needing healing:

Quite simply, we need to know what herbs or combination of herbs would be harmful to a person and what would be beneficial.

We do come from a standing of Light conquers Darkness but we also know that the Dark can be a strong and relentless opponent.


Many people of my faith walk a solitary path, and these are usually the ones who refer to themselves as Faery Shamans. Others however prefer the fellowship and closeness of working in a group but we do not call them covens. We call our groups RINGS and is out of respect and honor of the Faery Rings that the Shinning Ones gather and honor The Great Mother. One thing amongst us always remains the same and that is our desire to always learn, listen, aid, and guide those who seek our help. For many, this is a vow we take.

Traditionally we do not have a structured degree system as in many traditions of Wicca. A degree system, however, was adopted into practice as a means to recognize, chart, and acknowledge ones level of achievment and understanding within our fatih when working within a RING. The people who walk a solitary path do not have these degrees but this does not make them any less or any more than the ones that do. They are simply words that represent how far a person has come on their path. These titles should not impress you at all. It doesn't make them any better than any one of you. I am a 3rd degree Elder of my faith but all that really means is that I have come to a point within my learning that I am equipped and capable to uphold the practices of my faith and have the ability to teach them to others.

We do have oaths and vows that are taken. At one time, these were simply personal promises that we swore before the Gods. Nowadays they have become part of the initiations. At one time my faith was pracitced by the few and often times they were just close family. All of the hulabulu and formalities weren't necessary. At some point in the history of my tradition it became open to others and that is when the formalities came into play. It is because of that reason that I may only share select information with you.

I cannot tell you with any degree of certainty the age or duration of my tradition. In all honesty in the form it is in now it has probably only been around 50 or so years. My tradition was based on the whispers and notions that have been passed down over time and were compiled into what my tradition has become today. It is more than likely not some 500 year old practice as much as I wish it were ;) It is a tradition that is based off of history, myth, and folk customs.

The information that I will provide to all of you here is information that you are welcome to take and adapt to suit your needs or to embelish and create your own form of faery faith that is unique and personal to you. My way is not the only way!


We as a people, strive for excellence in all that we do. We seek to help those in need, listen to those who want to be heard, teach those want to be taught and learn from those willing to teach us. We seek to be in harmony with the world around us seen and unseen. We commune with the spirits of nature so that we may learn its mysteries and be in harmony with it. We seek to uphold what is right and to honor the world and each other all to the glory of Danu.

Re: Symandinome's Faery Book of Shadows and Light

Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 4:32 am
by Symandinome
GENERAL BELIEFS

1. We believe in the duality of nature; that all things are made up of the "postive" and "negative" and are equally important to nature and life. It is through the way we conduct ourselves and the results of our actions that people or things are deemed "good" or "bad".

2. We believe in the sayings: "What goes around, comes around." and "You reap what you sew." We don't believe that "karma is delivered upon humanity in any degree of severity" but moreso that our actions create reactions of the same likeness.

3. We believe that magick should only be used once mundane resolutions have been exhausted and not for petty wants or superficial desires.

4. We believe that in order to truely understand ourselves and the world around us we must listen to nature and all it has to say.

5. We believe in a race of Gods called the Tuatha De Danann; whom come from The Great Mother of All Living; Danu. It is through communion with these gods and the lessons they teach that we better understand the earth and the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.

6.
We believe in the existence of other deities of both a more postive and negative nature throughout the world as it is our belief all Gods come from Danu. Other Celtic deities, though not a part of the Tuatha, can and have been a part of relgious ritual such as "The Horned God".

7. We believe in life after death. It is our standing that when a spirit passes from the world of the living that we enter Tir na nOg, The Land of Eternal Youth and Beauty for a period of rest wherein we can return back to the world of the living and continue on with our learning.

8. We believe that all living things are sacred and because of this we make no sacrifice or offerings of animals.

9. We believe in spirits of nature whom we call The Shining Ones and the many call Faeries. We believe that they are a race of being closest to the Great Earth Mother. They have been our guides and friends since the dawn of our existence and it is through communion with them that much is learned and experienced.

10.
We believe that we should live harmoniously with nature in THOUGHT and in DEED and seek to do this daily and not just go through the motions as is so often seen with many dogmatic approaches which leave people unfulfilled, wanting, and not understanding the purpose or reason.

11. We believe in honoring the changing of the seasons and the moon; as its cycle is close to that of our own and in turn helps us to attain closeness to the Great Mother.

12.
We believe in a fourth aspect of deity aside for the common maiden, mother, crone. This aspect is the Warrior aspect. This aspect is found in all other aspects as it is a part of who we are as a people. We are a people who strive to be the best and conquer any obstacle.

13. We believe that self reflection is the best teacher of all and that we should always take time to think, question, and determine what is our problem, our objective, our resolutuion or truth.