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  • #16
    Originally posted by Rae'ya View Post

    I don't do a lot with greenwights, aside from the few in my little garden (the roses, mainly). But I have had some amazing experiences with things like the huge Tingle trees in the Valley of the Giants in WA. And I always try to acknowledge the greewights when we go bushwalking, and we visit Botanical gardens when we travel to pay homage to them also.

    It is harder in Aus, because there's just no one out there talking about our native plants when they write books about herbs and/or greenwights. But then I look at greenwights the same as I do animal guides... rather than just reading someone else's experiences, go out there and form your own. Research the plant itself from a botanical point of view, then sit with it and connect. Start with the plants in your actual garden... connect with the individual spirits of the plant first, then with the overarching grandparent spirit.

    Greenwights are a bit like animal guides. Everyone seems to talk about the big ones like Oak and Elder and whatever. Think of those as the equivalent of Wolf and Eagle. Then think of our little Banskia or Bottlebrush as the equivalent to some of the less 'impressive' animal guides. Just because they aren't big and flashy doesn't mean that they can't be profound guides. Sometimes it helps to find the plants the would fill the same niche or have the same significance as some of the obvious European species. SA Blue Gum, for example. Many of the greenwights are intimately linked with the landwights, especially the big trees.

    Also keep in mind that we DO have a lot of the mentioned plants here, we just call them different things. Soursobs, for example, are actually a type of Wood Sorrel. And Wood Sorrel tends to be in a lot of the European and US centric herbals.
    I think mostly this comes down to my complete lack of actual research. I know I need to go out and do this myself, but it's also a long way off. I've fallen completely out of whatever practise I was doing, and am no where near the levels of dedication etc described in the book. It's just me expressing frustration at my lack of progress, dedication or knowledge atm I guess. Ah well. I'm sure I'll get there, someday. Lol
    ThorSon's milkshake brings all the PF girls to the yard - Volcaniclastic

    RIP

    I have never been across the way
    Seen the desert and the birds
    You cut your hair short
    Like a shush to an insult
    The world had been yelling
    Since the day you were born
    Revolting with anger
    While it smiled like it was cute
    That everything was shit.

    - J. Wylder

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Neolithic Shamanism

      I'll throw my hat into the ring too, for anyone who's interested... Sacred Shadows, Ice Age Spirituality, which is available as a very cheap Kindle download. (It's also available as a paperback from the Wolfenhowle Press Website - but outside the UK the postage costs tend to make Kindle a better option.) You can look inside the book too for an idea what is there.

      No exercises in this book - just a lot of information about spiritual aspects of the very ancient past. All properly referenced, too! The idea was to try and reach out to the ancient past we each carry within us... because I believe that the past never really goes away, we have it with us all the time. It does briefly refer to shamanism, within the context of characters such as the Bison Men or the 'sorcerer' at Les Trois Freres.

      Ooh, and one other thing... the Iron Age, Bronze Age etc., reached the far north MUCH later than it did the areas around the Mediterranean. These thawed out first after the Iron Age and then, while some tribes stayed put, others followed their herds northwards.

      My own favourite part of Sacred Shadows was discovering the engravings of La Marche - sheer magic!
      www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


      Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Neolithic Shamanism

        All the neolithic Paganism I ever needed I got from the Clan of the Cave Bear books :P

        Originally posted by Tylluan Penry View Post
        My own favourite part of Sacred Shadows was discovering the engravings of La Marche - sheer magic!
        OMGs, yes! The people! (I love Chauvet, too )
        The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Neolithic Shamanism

          Originally posted by perzephone View Post
          All the neolithic Paganism I ever needed I got from the Clan of the Cave Bear books :P



          OMGs, yes! The people! (I love Chauvet, too )
          The Clan of the Cave Bear books are really incredibly well researched. I find it sad though when people lump together things like the Venus of Willdendorf and say, the Sorcerer at Les Trois Freres cave and just think of them as 'ancient.' The sorcerer figure is c. 13,000 years old, and the Venus is 13,000 years older than that again. Really, really mind boggling!
          www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


          Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Neolithic Shamanism

            Originally posted by Tylluan Penry View Post
            The Clan of the Cave Bear books are really incredibly well researched. I find it sad though when people lump together things like the Venus of Willdendorf and say, the Sorcerer at Les Trois Freres cave and just think of them as 'ancient.' The sorcerer figure is c. 13,000 years old, and the Venus is 13,000 years older than that again. Really, really mind boggling!
            Well, there's 'ancient' and then there's 'really ancient', lol. I'm currently trying to carve a wax Venus and it's so frustrating. I'm like, if it's so easy a cave person could do it, why can't I???
            The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Neolithic Shamanism

              Originally posted by perzephone View Post
              I'm currently trying to carve a wax Venus and it's so frustrating. I'm like, if it's so easy a cave person could do it, why can't I???
              They didn't have a lot of distractions in their spare time... Aside from saber tooth tigers, and big bad bears...

              Try warming your knife up a bit with a lighter every now and then. It'll go through the wax like a hot knife through wax.

              (Captain Obvious steps in to assist - I look great in the uniform)
              Last edited by B. de Corbin; 05 Jul 2014, 16:53.
              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Neolithic Shamanism

                Originally posted by Tylluan Penry View Post
                I'll throw my hat into the ring too, for anyone who's interested... Sacred Shadows, Ice Age Spirituality, which is available as a very cheap Kindle download. (It's also available as a paperback from the Wolfenhowle Press Website - but outside the UK the postage costs tend to make Kindle a better option.) You can look inside the book too for an idea what is there.

                No exercises in this book - just a lot of information about spiritual aspects of the very ancient past. All properly referenced, too! The idea was to try and reach out to the ancient past we each carry within us... because I believe that the past never really goes away, we have it with us all the time. It does briefly refer to shamanism, within the context of characters such as the Bison Men or the 'sorcerer' at Les Trois Freres.

                Ooh, and one other thing... the Iron Age, Bronze Age etc., reached the far north MUCH later than it did the areas around the Mediterranean. These thawed out first after the Iron Age and then, while some tribes stayed put, others followed their herds northwards.

                My own favourite part of Sacred Shadows was discovering the engravings of La Marche - sheer magic!
                Hah you've just reminded me that this book of yours is on my to-buy list!

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Neolithic Shamanism

                  Originally posted by Rae'ya View Post
                  Hah you've just reminded me that this book of yours is on my to-buy list!
                  Thanks - if you're in australia then definitely cheapest to get it on Kindle. And an Australian buyer did review it too!

                  - - - Updated - - -

                  Originally posted by perzephone View Post
                  Well, there's 'ancient' and then there's 'really ancient', lol. I'm currently trying to carve a wax Venus and it's so frustrating. I'm like, if it's so easy a cave person could do it, why can't I???
                  I think the thing to remember is that they were considerably more convinced than we give them credit for. They used crayons (yes, honestly, this isn't a von Daniken flight of fancy) they did embroidery (which is why I love the La Marche engravings.) I've attached one to this post... I think the figure is just gorgeous, and nigh on about 14,000 years old! The detailed headdress isn't like we'd expect and yet these engravings are hard to find out about... I had to go through about ten journals (all in French) and translate them. Really, really hard work. For a long time they were thought to be forgeries but in 2002 it was agreed they were genuine. (Much the same happened at Lascaux, believe it or not!)
                  Attached Files
                  www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


                  Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by perzephone View Post
                    All the neolithic Paganism I ever needed I got from the Clan of the Cave Bear books :P
                    Lol yes! I have one goddess figure I call a 'doni' and I'd love to be a zelandonii haha. I really want to do the thing where you get up every sunrise/set to mark where the sun come up etc and see the solstices and equinoxes.

                    Its a shame you can't join the zelandonii as a legitimate career path like you could then hahs
                    ThorSon's milkshake brings all the PF girls to the yard - Volcaniclastic

                    RIP

                    I have never been across the way
                    Seen the desert and the birds
                    You cut your hair short
                    Like a shush to an insult
                    The world had been yelling
                    Since the day you were born
                    Revolting with anger
                    While it smiled like it was cute
                    That everything was shit.

                    - J. Wylder

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Neolithic Shamanism

                      Originally posted by Tylluan Penry View Post
                      I think the thing to remember is that they were considerably more convinced than we give them credit for. They used crayons (yes, honestly, this isn't a von Daniken flight of fancy) they did embroidery (which is why I love the La Marche engravings.) I've attached one to this post... I think the figure is just gorgeous, and nigh on about 14,000 years old! The detailed headdress isn't like we'd expect and yet these engravings are hard to find out about... I had to go through about ten journals (all in French) and translate them. Really, really hard work. For a long time they were thought to be forgeries but in 2002 it was agreed they were genuine. (Much the same happened at Lascaux, believe it or not!)
                      This is part of what I find so frustrating about people who like to give credit to aliens for ancient art and architecture. Humans have been pretty damned clever for a looooong time, and our ancient ancestors were no slouches.
                      The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        I finished the book.

                        I loved it.

                        I admire it immensely.

                        Now I need to go back and do the exercises.

                        There is my problem.
                        ThorSon's milkshake brings all the PF girls to the yard - Volcaniclastic

                        RIP

                        I have never been across the way
                        Seen the desert and the birds
                        You cut your hair short
                        Like a shush to an insult
                        The world had been yelling
                        Since the day you were born
                        Revolting with anger
                        While it smiled like it was cute
                        That everything was shit.

                        - J. Wylder

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Neolithic Shamanism

                          I'm currently reading the Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner by Galina Krasskova and Raven Kaldera. So far it's a very affirmative exploration of devotional practices that should not be overlooked by anyone of our faith, regardless of what end of the spectrum we end up on. Odinists and Asatruar alike can gain something from this particular book if approached with an open mind. I think there's far too much divide within our community as a whole and we get so hung up on being right that we forget about what brought us to this path in the first place: hearing the calling of the Gods in one form or another. "Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner" does a good job of recalibrating our focus on our personal connection with the Gods, which in turn can only strengthen our community.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Reopened by request

                            Sent from my mobile device using Forum Runner
                            “Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”
                            ― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
                            Sneak Attack
                            Avatar picture by the wonderful and talented TJSGrimm.

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                            • #29
                              Re: Neolithic Shamanism

                              Originally posted by Juniper View Post
                              Reopened by request

                              Sent from my mobile device using Forum Runner
                              Thank you!

                              Well, I've read a little way through the book now and I'm so pleased I ordered it. I'm also glad that I had read this thread, because having little previous knowledge of the true history, I could have easily been taken in by their version of it. Of course, I wasn't interested in that side of it anyway, so I'm not too put off by their lack of historical accuracy.

                              As a workbook, it suits me wonderfully so far. I almost cried when I read the first chapter (not including the intro), and they started talking about the spirits that occupy the home. I've mentioned here and there on the forum that I 'talk to my flat and it answers'. I also have a dialogue with the spirit of the house I work in. My family and some of my colleagues know about this side of me, but I've always kind of played it down on PF out of fear of ridicule. Like 'oh dear, look at Jembru with her little imaginary friends', despite actually having much I'd love to ask and discuss about these spirits. Somehow, reading that there are other people with similar little imaginary friends validated my experience. In fact, I rushed over and topped up my offering bowl, (which I had instinctively placed in the kitchen anyway, which is exactly where the book suggests it should go; although I maybe read or was told this somewhere before and I've just forgotten), as it had been a shamefully long time since I last left anything out. On that subject though, I was slightly taken aback by their comment about 'wiccan types' not leaving offerings after rituals. I don't know if it's just that the word 'wicca' is used much more loosely by certain groups in the states, but I don't know any wiccan who wouldn't show due respect and leave an offering after a ritual. If I were still wiccan, I'd have taken offence to the suggestion that wicca is less spiritually connected than their Northern Tradition shamanism. It reminded me of the Christian bashing you used to see in earlier wiccan/pagan publications. But of course, perhaps it was a genuine observation, in which case.. shame on those people.

                              I love the idea of the 9 worlds, although due to my previous experience of a similar system I''m not comfortable with them not including the Earth in their 9 worlds. I don't think they explained it (unless I missed it). I would argue that it is as much a 'world' as any of the other categories they suggest. Maybe 10 worlds just didn't sound mystical enough.

                              While the book frequently talks about things that are already part of my practices (or at least were previously when I was more filly engaged in my spiritual life), it has also introduced me to some useful concepts. Most notably, is the part where they said that the physical body is actually part of the soul. As someone who's quality of life has been battered by BDD (both in the traditional sense of obsessing over my unfortunate facial features, as well as hating my general body shape), this is a concept that could potentially be extremely healing for me. It's a great place to start in making peace with my body.

                              There's a long road ahead of me, but I feel that things have finally started to fit into place in my spiritual life. This book has helped me to see much more clearly that I already have a good workable system already outlined in my BoS. I've been doubting myself for too long I think. I'm feeling really positive that over the coming months, I'll find myself on much steadier ground! Oh and of course, I can be in very little doubt now that I am definitely a shamanist!
                              夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Neolithic Shamanism

                                Originally posted by Jembru View Post
                                I love the idea of the 9 worlds, although due to my previous experience of a similar system I''m not comfortable with them not including the Earth in their 9 worlds. I don't think they explained it (unless I missed it). I would argue that it is as much a 'world' as any of the other categories they suggest. Maybe 10 worlds just didn't sound mystical enough.
                                The book in question explicitly treats Earth and Midgard as separate? Some think Earth = Midgard, some think Midgard is separate but sort of like Earth. I haven't read the book so I don't know which way they go on the issue.
                                "It is not simply enough to know the light…a Jedi must feel the tension between the two sides of the Force…in himself and in the universe."
                                ―Thon

                                "When to the Force you truly give yourself, all you do expresses the truth of who you are,"

                                Yoda

                                Yoda told stories, and ate, and cried, and laughed: and the Padawans saw that life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

                                Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

                                "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

                                John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

                                "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

                                Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


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