Traditional Witchcraft Forums

Finding Your Gods or Your Path (version 2)

By: QuercusRobur

November 2007

It is not necessary to have a path, or a God and Goddess that you follow. I have known people who have been Pagans for over twenty years and still do not have a path, or a God and Goddess, but do possess a wealth of knowledge.

I recommend that you go to your local library and read all you can from their mythology section. Unfortunately my local library has twice as many books on Witches or Wiccans than mythology (I think it should be the other way around), but it's a start.

When you have exhausted the mythology section ask at the enquiries desk for more books on pantheons that you either haven't read or more on the pantheons that you like. In Britain there will be other books in other libraries that the librarian will be able to find and order on the library computer. My local library also has an archive room which houses little-read books which I have found useful.

You could also search on Amazon for books on various pantheons. Be careful to read any reviews that Amazon has and then order the book from your local library if you like the sound of it. In Britain, Pagan books start at £10.00 while ordering from my local library costs £1.00 or £2.00 if they have to go outside the county to find the book which is then usually from the British Museum, but sometimes from university libraries. This has saved me a lot of money, as unfortunately the genre of Pagan books as a whole is low on quality and I have read many books I don't want to ever see again and am glad I did not shell out over £10.00. Any books I really like I then buy.

From reading mythology books there will be certain pantheons that you like and some that you dislike, which will narrow down your search for a path. For example, I read about the Norse pantheon as a teenager so when I became Pagan I knew I was not a Norsie as I didn't really like the Norse gods.

It would be best to start with the pantheons you know you have an ancestral connection to. Then if those do not attract you, try some of the others. I knew a Scottish Pagan woman who after a long while ended up following Thor and then found out that she had Swedish ancestors and I have known a few British pagans who followed Roman gods. Quite possibly they had Roman forebears, but that is unable to be proven.

When you find a pantheon that you are interested in there will be several Gods or Goddesses that catch your imagination. The next step is to research them. When researching on the Internet you have to keep in mind that the information you are reading may be a load of rubbish as anyone can write anything about anyone not currently alive on the Internet without getting sued. With the less popular Gods and Goddesses you will have a plethora of entries which read something like, “X - a Goddess of Y or Z” which I found very frustrating as I felt I was not getting anywhere.

Try your local reference library instead. It will have encyclopaedias you can check, plus a mythology reference section. Books take longer than the Internet, but in my experience it is shorter than the Internet to actually get somewhere. If you can find or get your library to order a dictionary or encyclopaedia of X mythology you will find it a wealth of knowledge. The ones published by Oxford University are especially accurate, but tend to only recognise the classical pantheons as gods, whereas the ones written by pagan or folklore authors are good for recognising gods, but less accurate.

Please bear in mind that this way does not guarantee you to find a path or a God and Goddess. I know of one Pagan who found that her Goddess was Nantosuelta and God Succellos after six years of being a Pagan, and since neither are a popular God and Goddess, nor is the Gaulish pantheon written about a lot, it must have taken a lot of reading.

There are people who somehow end up following an Egyptian pantheon, or one who's mortals never invaded the country you are living. My opinion is that if members of this pantheon have tapped you on the shoulder, and you have not chosen them yourself, then they have some reason for doing so. If you want to know the reason, I suggest asking them when meditating.

Keep in mind that you don't choose your God and Goddess, they choose you. You do not "work with" Gods - they work with you or not. They are the powerful ones and it is their choice. You may not like or not have chosen the God and Goddess that you end up with. I would not have chosen mine.

I do believe that everyone has a God and Goddess, but it may take time to find them. I would encourage people to persevere even if they do not find a God and Goddess or path, because other Pagans will respect you for your knowledge about other Gods and mythology. It will also help you spot the Pagan wannabees as they quite often talk a load of rubbish about this or that God or Goddess.

I hope this article has given you a start in finding your God, Goddess, and path. Please remember that these are my words and beliefs and you are free to disagree with them and go off and do something totally different. Good luck in your search.

A Gypsy Tradition

I, the Gypsy!

Gypsy life has a romantic appeal, but life on the road was hard, according to historians and family stories.

Gypsies call themselves Roma or Romany. As a people, they are a nomadic culture that was originated from India during the Middle Ages.

The Gypsies too had their pogroms in India, in the region that is today Punjab and Pakistan.
The Maharaja prosecuted them for their ways with magic and in order to survive they had to roam free away from India.

Gypsies migrated, especially to Europe, and for the most part worked as craftspeople, traveling merchants and traders, farm laborers, metalworkers, scrapdealers, and horsetraders.

Over times, the many clans of Gypsies picked up the customs of the region they settled themselves, even for a short period of time, and hence we came to a point where main groups/clans were formed, mirroing the customs and mixed languages of the various geographical regions.

The Gypsies that settled in Spain, Portugal, are called the Kalo, for the unique dialect mixed with the local languages and Arabic.

I am descendent of these group, on my father side of the family, in the female line.
All females on my father's side look Gypsy and at every generation, a girl is born with the "gifts".

According to the United Nations and the Europen Council, we are called "Roma", even if the person is of descent, not full breed, like myself.

The Roma have a long tradition of magic and shamanism that parallel with those of other traditional pagan cultures around the world.

Spells, incantations, and talismans used within Roma culture, as well as the more practical magic they use in their interaction with the Gorgios, or Gadges (the non-Gypsies) provides the modern-day witch and fortune-teller with some very effective methods of fortune-telling which any witch or prospective psychic would do well to study.

Gypsies, more than any other culture, have spread the the ways of the Old Religion. The old faith that came before all, that existed through and under all other religions, beliefs, and faiths. And this is the faith which forms the basis of, in particular, European gypsy sorcery that still survives in the witchcraft of the Tuscan Romagna. Every gypsy who came to Europe a few centuries ago did his/her sorceries in the same old ways.

Many centuries in the past, Roma were Goddess-worshipers in Europe. Their goddess, Kali, was a trinity. Its symbol was a triangle. The male part was a God with horns. The similarities between the ancient belief of Roma and that of Wicca are obvious, but these beliefs were abandoned a long time by Roma. For centuries the Roma, as they are called today, but gypsies as they were known then traveled the world and carried a rich and unique culture with them. Their influence touched the world in so many ways that one can hardly begin to count the number of traditions that can be directly traced back to their ways.

There is no culture of Roma today. In fact, there is no general agreement on which people should qualify to be called Roma. The groups of Romani around the world hold the traditions, the habits, and the belief, differently. Groups that settle in a place generally absorb part of the local culture of the non-Romas. The majority of Roma convert to the religions of their host countries, typically Christianity—Roman Catholicism, Eastern orthodoxy, Protestantism—and Islam. Today the Roma are known by several names: Gypsies, Rom, Rroma, and Romani. Their formal religious affiliation is often supplemented by the traditional beliefs of Roma:

The existence of God.
The existence of Satan.
The existence of bad luck and spirits.
Power of good charms, amulets, and talismans of chance.
Power of curses.
Power of healing rituals.

No matter their original origins, Gypsies, or Romas, are prized for their remarkable psychic abilities and the gift to attract good fortune or upset a life with a curse. All are born with such gifts, but what makes their powers so innate is their relationship with nature. Their bond with the spirits of the outdoors allow their gifts to evolve naturally.

Gypsies believe that within their own there are certain ones who posses greater power through the ability to perform magic with their special range of knowledge. Such people known in the Gaje, or white man’s world, are usually called witches, warlocks or wizards but within the Roma society they are known as chovihanis, or Sorcerers.

Among the chovihani there are four favorites for fortune telling (or dukkerin`): palm reading, tea leaves, the crystal, and cards. These methods are of a “Practical” nature and do not take anything complex or expensive to utilize.

Surprisingly, the Roma usually do not consult a chovihani or anyone else for past, present or future knowledge. Nor are the chovihanis held in high esteem because of their gifts; rather it is the money brought in by their gifts that gives them a place of honor within the society.

Palm Reading: Uses the lines, mounts, divisions, and types of hand to tell of a persons past, present, and future.

Tea Leaves: The use of Chinese tea or any large-leafed variety with a round cup, white or very pale, with a handle. After the tea is almost entirely drunk, the tea is swirled around three times in the cup with the left hand. The remaining liquid is then poured out and the leaves are read.

The Crystal: Utilizes a crystal ball (or any reflective surface), a black cloth (to put the ball upon) a comfortable chair and a table. The trick here is to "gaze" into the ball and not stare. Symbolic images appear and are interpreted.

The Cards: A deck of tarot cards and/or ordinary playing cards are used to gain insight of a person's actions and how they relate to the present and future circumstances.

SOURCE: Excerpt from: Gypsy Magic for the Prosperity's Soul © 2005 by Allie Theiss. All rights reserved.

(according to my ancestry, I am a Chovihani, a sorcerer (the non-Gypsy call it "witches", but names for us are given according the amount of power and gifts one is born with)... and together with the line of seers from my mother's side of the family, sometimes is overwhelming what I "see" and "know".
My specialty is tarot cards, spells, healing (with words and hands), intuition, and seer.

Observation: Both my parents were born in Portugal, but on my father's side we are descendent of Gypsies on the female line, and Spain on the male line.
My mother's side of the family are descendent of the Jews that escaped the pogroms in Holland in the 17th Century.

At the age of 18 yrs, I got my sorcerer mark, which are 3 colors in my eyes. My pupils have dark brown, around the brown there's a circle of Blue (that can turn to silver or purple), and around the blue circle is a black circle.

Plus the bottom of my feet and the palms of my hands are covered with pentagrams.

As a human being, I identify my nature as Gypsy, Rom, and I think that if I lost my "gifts" I would feel totally lost for I was born with them.

And this is my traditions.

2. Observation: Many parts of my text I pasted from a source named above, for it was easier to go with their clear explanation in English.
English is my second language.

Optcha!

Wolf_Goddess

Horse & Hattock

Horse and hattock! Horse and go!
Horse and Pellatis, Ho Ho!

This may be a familiar chant to many Wiccans and Witches commonly used in ritual, but many of us are clueless as to the meaning behind this chant and where it comes from. This chant is probably most familiar to Gardnerians and those in BTW traditions and it is included in the questionable online Gardnerian Book of Shadows. Where it comes from is easy to answer; the simpler phrase "Horse and Hattock" originates from Scotland as does the first mention of the chant in its entirety. The meaning however gets more complex. The following is not fact; it is simply what I have come across in study.

First let us take a look at folklore. In Scottish folklore, the fairies say the phrase "Horse and Hattock" when they leave a place to go back to their own realm and also when they prepare to go off for their nightly escapades. It is said people have heard the fairies shouting it out and in turn these people shouted "Horse and Hattock!" and thus they were transported away with the fairies. There is also a story of a child that cried "Horse and Hattock with my top! " and had his toy whisked away on the winds (1).

In another piece of folklore, the Laird of Duffus when walking in his fields was said to hear the cry "Horse and Hattock!" When the Laird repeated the cry, he was whisked away with the fairies to cellar of the King of France. He was found by the butler with a fairy cup in hand. When brought before the king to explain his intrusion, the Laird was pardoned thanks to the tale of his adventures and he returned home with the cup (2).

I also found reference to "Horse and Hattock" in a fiction novel, The Black Dwarf, by 18th century Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, as well as in a 19th century Camelot ballad, The Doom-Well of St. Madron by Hawker. Both examples are used in reference to mounting and riding horses:

"Now horse, and hattock, cried the laird, --- Now horse and hattock speedilie; They that winna ride for Telfer's kye, Let them never look in the face o' me.

'Horse! horse! and spear!' exclaimed Hobbie to his kinsmen. Many a ready foot was in the stirrup; and, while Elliot hastily collected arms and accoutrements (no easy matter in such a confusion), the glen resounded with the approbation of his younger friends." (3)
__________________________

"'Now horse and hattock, both but and ben, '
Was the cry at Lauds, with Dundagel men;
And forth they pricked upon Routorr side,
As goodly a raid as a king could ride.

Hare, hare, God send thee care.
I am in a hare's likeness now,
But I shall be in a woman's likeness even now. (4)

Thanks to various 18th-20th century novels and writings, my unscholarly conclusion is that "Horse and Hattock" is Scottish patois for mounting a horse. It came to be so because of its use in folklore relating to the fairies. As before said, any time the fairies were to go anywhere, they would shout the phrase “Horse and Hattock”. 'Hattock' is referred to in the Dictionary of the Scots Language as "the elfin signal for mounting and riding off... Horse and hattock, the well-known cry of the fairies at mounting for a moonlight expedition, came to be familiarly adopted on any occasion of mounting." (5)

In my opinion, “Horse and Hattock” became associated with witches via Isobel Gowdie, a Scottish witch who was on trial for witchcraft in 1662. In her detailed voluntary confessions, she spoke of how she used the phrases "Horse and Hattock in the Devil's Name" and "Horse and Hattock, Horse and go, Horse and Pellatis, Ho Ho!" in order to fly by mounting a broomstick: "Then they would put a strae between their legs, cry — ‘Horse and hattock in the Devil’s name!’ and flee awa owre the muirs and fells." (6) Gowdie is also commonly associated with the shape shifting song:

"I shall go into a hare,
With sorrow and sych and meickle care;
And I shall go in the Devil's name,
Ay while I come home again."

Gowdie can be compared to the modern hedge riders - sending her spirit forth with the cry of the fairies and the shape shifting can easily be compared to the fetch. Perhaps Gowdie learned the chant from her meetings with the fairies or as a less mystical view; she may have created it herself based on fairy folklore. She stands out from other witches on trial because while her confessions of her Craft are consistent with folklore, her accounts are much more detailed and the information she gave (flying, shape-shifting & witches’ meetings) was not typical in other witchcraft confessions of the time. (7) The commission for her trial was told not to use any forms of torture, most likely because she confessed of her own volition. She claims to have been a member of a coven, to have been entertained by the Queen of Elfhame (the underworld), and to have had sex with the Devil himself. There is no record of her being executed for witchcraft. (6) (8)

I looked up "Pellatis" as well, but did not find the word as is. What I found was "Pellax" meaning 'seduction' in Latin. Some Latin words commonly end in 'tis'. So perhaps it is a Scottish corruption of Latin. "Pellatis" might also come from the Scottish word "Pelat" taken from the French "paillet" meaning a bundle of straw - perhaps even referring to a broom or besom. The latter is the most likely definition as in 1538 King James V of Scotland married a French noblewoman and years later their daughter well known as Mary Queen of Scots married the Dauphin of France. (9) During the time of Isobel Gowdie French would have been integrated into the Scottish patois. This would fit in perfectly with "Horse and Hattock" because in Gowdie's chant, you place a broomstick (bundle of straw) between your legs and then shout the chant in order to fly.

Thanks to Isobel Gowdie and Scottish folklore, "Horse and Hattock" will forever be associated with Witchcraft and fairy lore. Even though to most the chant has no meaning, I hope that I have opened a door to understanding. In my eyes, by using this chant in ritual we are opening a door to the spirit world and leaving the material world behind for the duration of the circle or working. Used in Gowdie's terms, it would be a cry to shout when preparing to cross over to the spirit world perhaps with the aid of trance, gnosis or entheogens.

Overall, what first seemed senseless goes very deep indeed.

Footnotes:
Resources:

1. Sir George Douglas. Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales, A. L. Burt Company 1901 (p.126).

2. Briggs, Katherine Mary. British Folk Tales and Legends (1898-1980).

3. Sir Walter Scott. The Black Dwarf, 1816 (Chapter 8).

4. Robert Steven Hawker. The Doom-Well of St. Madron.

5. Dictionary of the Scots Language - "Hattock" <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/>.

6. Margaret Alice Murray. God of the Witches, 1933.

7. Issobel Gowdie Case – Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database <http://webdb.ucs.ed.ac.uk/>.

8.Isobel Gowdie - Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isobel_Gowdie>.

9. “Religion, Marriage and Power in Scotland, 1503-1603” – The National Archives <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk>.