Dylan Art, a member of my coven, wrote this essay in 1998.
If I was asked if I worshipped alone or with a group, I would say with a group, but I also have my own personal solitary traditions. Our coven trad is a mix of the Cabot, Celtic, and Green Traditions. My own personal tradtions come from the Celtic tradition.
In the Celtic tradition, there are seperate clan traditions which I am just now beginning to learn about. Over the years, much of the Ancient Celtic writings have been lost, including a lot of the writings on these clans.
It seems that the clans that inhabited Northern Ireland, Ulster as it was then called, worshipped Macha as the Queen of the Gods because of her Holy City, Emain Macha, is located in this region. It seems Macha never had a permanant husband, but Nemed was her first husband was her first husband, then she married Nuada. It would seem, since Nuada was the first king of the Tuatha de Dannan, that he was the supreme male power.
The Dagdha and Lugh seem to be more widely utilized supreme male powers. They were spread through Meath, Connaught, Leinster, and Munster in Ireland and some parts of Caledonia Scotland.)
Britain was Brighid's Holy country, so I come to the reasoning that no male power was equal with hers.
In an overview of all Celtic countries, Cernunnos was worshipped as the Great Father of All and Danu as the Red Mother of All. This leads most to believe that They were the supreme major deities.
I personally worship the Dagdha as the King of the Gods, and the Morrigan as His Queen. The shamans of the celtic countries (which outnumbered the Druids and Witches combined,) worshipped Cernunnos only as the supreme deity with no equating female power. This was hypocritical of them, as one of their goals in life was to seek balance above all other things.
The following is a list of Gods and what They rule:
Abarta: mischief
Amaethon: agriculture
Angus Mac Og: youth, love, beauty
Arawn: King of te Underworld, death
Balor: (Evil) God of Death
Belenus (also known simply as Bel): the Sun
Bran the Blessed: prophesy, the arts, leaders, war, the Sun, music, and writing
Cernunnos (Cern, Herne): verility, fertility, animals, sexual activities, nature, woodlands, reincarnation, crossroads, wealth, commerce, warriors
Cuchulainn: warfare, heroes, strength
The Dagdha: protection, warriors, knowledge, magick, fire, prophesy, weather, initiation, patron of priests, the Sun, healing, regeneration, prosperity, music, the harp, patron of musicians, artisans, warriors, and scholars
Diancecht (Dian Cecht): medicine, healing, magick, regeneration, and silver working
Dylan: the Sea
Govannan: smiths
Gwydion: shape-shifter, greates of enchanters (magician-warrior,) illusion, magick, the Sky, healing
Lir (Lyr, Llyr): water
Lugh: for all practical uses, anything and everything.
Manannan Mac Lir: a shape-shifter, chief sea God, navigators, storms, weather at sea, fertility, sailing, weather-forcasting, magick, arts, merchants, commerce, and rebirth
Math: sorcery, magick, enchantment
Merlin: illusion, shape-shifting, herbs, healing, woodlands, nature, protection, counseling, prophesy, divination, psychic abilities, forseeing, crystal reading, Tarot, magick, ritual, spells, incantations, artisans, and smiths
Nuada: healing, water, ocean, fishing, the Sun, sailing, dogs, youth, beauty, spears and slings, smiths, carpenters, harpers, poets, historians, sorcerers, magick, writing, warfare, incantations.
Ogma: eloquence, poets, writers, physical strength, inspiration, language, literature, magick, spells, the arts, music, reincarnation.
Taliesin: writing, poetry, wisdom, wizards, Bards, music, knowledge, magick.
**I'd like to hint a note of satire here: there were a large number of Gods who were said to be Gods of magick among other things, but magick was still considered a feminine practice.**
I was taught that the very nature of magick was not feminine nor masculine, but neutral -- yet whenever the term "Witch" is used, it often takes a feminine presence in the mind. [Cyranna's note: I believe this stereotype comes comes as a result of the Church pronouncing all women evil during Christianity's beginning years. A fear of women developed, and eventually the terms "Witch" and "Woman" were probably linked because of this.]
By solely using the energies of the Goddess, you deprive yourself of balance. Remember, the fourth Goal of the Witch goes along the lines of, "Seek balance in all that you do."
You can contact the author of this essay, Dylan Art, by emailing me and put "Dylan Art" in the subject line.
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