Latest Posts by thebowynntradition - Page 3

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Due to a very negative incident that happen this past night, I will not be engaging in any information today. Instead I shall leave you with just images. I still wish you all a very blessed and fun-filled holiday. All good. no bad.

Aelles Ky'Kora

Due to a very negative incident that happen this past night, I will not be engaging in any information today. Instead I shall leave you with just images. I still wish you all a very blessed and fun-filled holiday. All good. no bad.

Blessed Samhain one and all

Due to a very negative incident that happen this past night, I will not be engaging in any information today. Instead I shall leave you with just images. I still wish you all a very blessed and fun-filled holiday. All good. no bad.

Aelles Ky'Kora!

Blessings to all on this first of Ky'Kora. Blessings to all. May the abundance, joy and frivolity of this holiday find you and fill you all with happiness and may you find the child within.

Indeed, today is the first day of the Bowynn holiday of Ky'Kora. That is to say Mid-Autumn. So, legends and holy Books say: Hern, our great god journeyed to the great western mountains and spoke to Bia, the great creator, after seeing mankind's neglect of harvesting the gifts the gods gave them. Saddened, Hern realized what he had to do to help man survive. On the eve of Kykora (Samhain), Hern proclaimed one finally great hunt to the mortal hunters. During the hunt, Hern turned himself into a mighty stag and gave himself to humanity so they may survive. This is why we celebrate. We celebrate also this time of year as the second to last harvest; By now 90% of what was planted in spring and late February is gathered.

The first day of Ky'Kora (October 30) is used to clean and cleanse the house, temple, altar, and oneself. It is a mellow day. Soft harvest music is played, soft sad hymns are sung, for we are mourning the loss of Hern. Little food is eaten, in respect for our ancestors, and what is ate this day is bland, abstaining from herbs, spice, salts, sugars and sweets. And no meat is eaten at all this day, not even fish nor poultry. Usually, unsalted soups and slices of bread are the meal of the day.

Homes are purged of all ills and negativity: a procession of candlelight, incense, holy water and sound (drink or chime) is marched along inside the house, room to room banishing all of the ill's that may linger. Then decorations for the holiday are hung and displayed: Garlands, Wreathes, Carved gourds, Draperies of the harvest seasonal colors. On home alters and shrines, an icon of Hern or a deer is placed, in memory of Hern's blessed gift to us.

Some of use will use the day for long walks and self-review as to what we are grateful for, taking in the beauty of what nature looks like right now all around us. absorbing the beauty and color of the day and autumn. And in this time, we also give thanks to the goddess Kora, the goddess of the season and who's name the holiday it is named after, and to her beautiful consort Ryan, the god of the West Wind, who fans the colors of change into the leaves and cools down the earth.

At late night we come together as a family and friends and hold ceremony and private vigils at temple and home altars, often led with an icon of Hern beings carried to the altar. Candles in gourds are lit and the spirits we call Jakk's are invoked to spend the night at home, keeping the home in its family safe. Hymns are hummed and sung to Hern and his beloved Morrighynn this night. For we remember that the goddess of the moon has lost he beautiful and divine husband.

So, as you see, while there may be a few scatterings of similarity to the Wiccan/Keltic Samhain, there is little connection otherwise. It is not a time of honoring our own dead, (we do that another time of the year) it is about the death and the giving of our lord Hern so that humanity survives.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Rites of Passage

QUESTION: What rites of Passage do Bowynn celebrate and ceremonialize? Can you share them with us?

ANSWER: Bowynn tradition has several rites of Passage:

Newborn Blessing

RIte of Childhood

Rite of Adulthood

Rite of Marriage

RIte of Eldering

Rite of Death

Rite of 7 Nights

There are also other rituals that deal with being indoctrinated into a clan/circle. While I cannot go into details to these rites for the reason of cultural preservation, I will start posting the general to each in a few days after Ky'Kora is over.

QUESTION & ANSWER: SAMHAIN

QUESTION: Can you explain more about the Samhain Ceremonies Bowynn celebrate?

ANSWER: Again, we do not celebrate Samhain. Samhain is an Irish Keltic and Wiccan holiday. We celebrated the 3 day holiday of Ky'Kora. And "Yes," I will be describing in parts the celebration of the holiday in a few days. Though there are parts I need to leave out for the purpose of preserving Bowynn traditions and culture

Can you make a spell for "become tour desired magical girl" or place a wish of "I want to become a toyko mew mew " on ur altar? Thanks!

I am oblivious as to what a "..tour desired magical girl" If you are asking about becoming a witch, no spell can do that. Like many things in real life, to be a witch takes years of study, work, physical and mental training and focus.

As to the Mew Mew, I am sorry real magic does not work that way. What you are asking for only exists in the realms of cartoons, movies and roleplaying games.

I am sorry I cannot help you. I am sorry.

Bowynn Gods: Naea

Naea  (Nay-ah)  Naea is the Bowynn goddess of springs, wells, lakes, rivers, streams and other small fresh bodies of water. She is the daughter of Tane and Kauldra and is one of the very few multi arm gods. As such she is a spider goddess. Her multi limbs represent the many rivers of the world.      Naea is a free spirited goddess, spending much of her time wandering the sides of wells and ponds and weaving away in her godly or animal form on the side of streams and rivers. Her prime domain is to make sure such bodies of water are protected from pollutants and destruction as much as possible. As such, Naea is one of the very few gods of the Bowynn pantheon to seek revenge on mortals that destroy her realm. One sacred story speaks of the fisherman that was so filled with joy when he caught a fish as soon as his hook hit the water. He became so happy that he kept fishing till the lake was depleted of fish. Naea found out about this and that night as he and his family gorged out on the fish the man caught, there was a knock on the door of a beggar woman. She asked for a fish to get her by. The man and woman gave her the smallest fish in the batch, so small it would not fill a cat. The old woman ended up being Naea and for the couple's lack of moderation and charity, Naea made all the other food in the house disappear till all that was left saw the fish. The couple quickly became sick of eating fish all the time and thus learned their lesson. There are many legends of mortals abusing wells and springs then suffering Naea’s wrath but never death.      Despite this and other such sacred tales Naea is not a vicious goddess. Infact she is a most gentle goddess. She only seeks out those that have done wrong with her gifts. So she should not be feared. Other times she is most giving, as the sacred stories of her creating a well for a family that had nothing to drink for days. Because of her watery realm, Naea's temples are often nothing more than a well surrounded by a gazebo.      Naea is depicted in her godly immortal form as a delightful young woman with short hair and 4 - 6 arms. Her garments are of blues, purples and greens and silver or glass baubles as jewelry. Sometimes she is seen with a pitcher of fresh water and other times with a loom. In her totem form Naea is seen as an elegant spider. Sacred gifts to Naea come in the form of glass pieces, fresh water, river and lake plants and flowers, spoons of white and blue yarn and votive images of a spider.

Q&A FAQs

Please keep your questions and your tongue civil. I will not answer any questions about the Bowynn tradition and faith that are malicious or in ill content.

Do not ask political questions.

I do not do "distant divination" for people, as I do not believe in it.

Please do not ask me for spells for fanciful means (Make me a cat, change my eye color, make me a mermaid.) Such fictional ideas only meant for roleplaying games TV, Movies, and bogus websites like Spellsofmagic.

I will cast spells or give spells to you if I feel your purpose is genuine.

I will light a candle and place a Wish Card on my altar for you if you are in NEED. Just ask and let me know what the wish and wish card is for. (Health, wealth, safety, protection, abundance, housing, pets,

QUESTION & ANSWER: Samhain/Halloween

QUESTION: Do Bowynn Celebrate Halloween and Samhain?

ANSWER: No, we do not celebrate the Keltic/Wiccan Samhain. We do celebrate Ky'Kora, which is a rather loose equivalent to Samahain. A three-day holiday from October 30 to November 1st. But that is about all Ky'Kora has in common with Samhain.

We do celebrate Halloween as a total separate holiday. But we celebrate it on November 1st, as the 31st is a most divine and holy day, set aside for spiritual worship.

QUESTION & ANSWER: 3 Fold Law

QUESTION: Do people of your tradition believe in the 3-fold law?

ANSWER: The short answer is "No."

We do however believe that evil and malicious things you do will come back to you. Like a rubber-band. Action - Reaction. And that applies to all things you do in life. We do not believe that what you do will come back to you in the fashion. It may come back to you in other ways like ill-luck, sickness, loss of a friend, loss of cash, something breaks or anything else negative.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Drugs

QUESTION: How do Bowynn practitioners feel about those that take recreational drugs?

ANSWER: What one does in one's home is not our business. HOWEVER...in general we frown on the use of drugs unless it is something that is prescribed by a doctor. Luckily for us, we are all close friends so we all know that we all abhor the idea of use of drugs, as a means of "escape."

I will say this also applies to the smoking of tobacco products and excessive alcohol drinking. All of these addictive articles are banned from celebratory gatherings, save for wine, which is heavily monitored. We come together is clear and clean body, mind, soul and spirit. We find that we do not need such things in our lives and celebrations. We find there is nothing spiritual nor fun to someone that needs to pollute the air with the smell of narcotics and the abused stench of alcohol.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Money

QUESTION: Is there any sort of fees Bowynn practitioners pay out for services

ANSWER: This is a general question that can cover several practices. I will do the best to cover what I can.

A Bowynn Myst [Witch] ethically and morally should never, ever, ask for any sort of fee for services rendered. We believe that the inherent gifts a Myst has, is a greater gift bestowed by the gods. As such charging a fee is unethical, immoral and sacrilegious.

The same holds true to doing divinatory help for others.

The same holds true for any religious services granted to others; like births, naming, marriage, death, 7th hour and blessings. If one feels obliged, gifts / offerings of a meal or baked goods is best. But a Bowynn priest/ess will never accept money for services rendered. Again, on the grounds of ethics.

When it comes to practitioner's gatherings, money can be offered to help find gatherings (for buying supplies that may be needed, like feast food, chairs, tables, incense and so on) But no should never feel obliged to do so. Gifts of foods, supplies and general help is much better.. In short, no, we do not collect "dues".

Often, I personally have been told that not taking money makes people question your skills and abilities. To this I say the following: Then how much do you pay your God/s when they bestow a gift to you??? What are their hourly rates??? Taking or not taking money does not demean our abilities. We do not condone other people from other faiths if they feel they must pay a tithe, but it's not our way.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Maenna

QUESTION: I saw your Bio on the goddess Maenna. It gave me chills in that she sounds like the Egyptian Goddess and concept of Maat. May there be a connection of the two? I ask because I have become interested in Maenna since I read your article.

ANSWER: Knowing of Maat very well I can say that, yes, there is somewhat of a connection. Maenna is the divine version of Bia. Balance and Order. We pray to Maenna to make sure there is an order when bad, evil and discourse become over inflated. So yes, we as the children of the gods must make sure balance is attained.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Ethic and moral punishments

QUESTION: Do Bowynns believe in Kharma or the 3-fold law?

ANSWER: No. Not in the way these are commonly believed. Kharma and the 3-fold law come from other cultures and practices. These idealisms and beliefs are not part of our faith. We adhere to the belief of Bia (balance) and that if what you do and say in life is just, true, moral and virtuous, then you are in good standings. If it is not, then the gods and those around you will call you out and tend to you justly. And the more wrong one does, the worse it is going to be. Like a rubberband: the more you pull on it, the worse it is going to hurt when it snaps back. And assuredly, it will snap back.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Prayers

QUESTION: Are there any set prayers to each god in the Bowynn faith that all read and follow

ANSWER: This is tricky to answer. In general, no. We find it best to speak from the heart and at the moment. However, we to have a standard order of how prayers are spoken:

We speak the gods name and attach to it their general attribute. "O' Anhur, King of kings."

We mention the god's parentage. "Son of Brea and Unthar."

We mention many of the god's attributes "Sovreign, Father, Judge and lord of law and order."

Next, we speak out who we are. Sometimes we will add our own parents. "It is I ________, daughter/son of ________, daughter/son of ___________."

Then we go on to thank them or speak on about why we call them.

The last lines pay homage to the god in some way. "For all you have done and do for me and _________, I am forever grateful."

Prayers and rite and sacred lines are always ended with the word "SYEMBER". It is a Bowynn word with no English meaning. It can be VERY LOOSELY associated with "amen" but it is far beyond that. Syember is a word that has many meanings all in one. A word that binds us to the divine. A word that means "It is done." "Hear me." "These are my words." "Immortal." A divine "Thankyou." "Blessings." "We are one." And so much more.

This is the general outline for a prayer in the Bowynn tradition. One can make it as long or short as one wants.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Curses

QUESTION: Do Bowynn witches [Mysts] cast curses, hexes and binding spells?

ANSWER: The short answer to this is "yes!"

Mysts' cast spells in association with the laws of Bia, [Balance]. But it is not done recklessly. We cast curses when someone threatens someone directly or indirectly. When someone dares to take away, harm or hurt someone maliciously. When they cause Balance to be out of order. When evil is afoot and when injustice runs rampant. This is when curses are cast. And even then, we make sure we are performing the curse to restore balance and avenge those affected by others malicious acts. A typical curse always starts off addressing what has been done

"See here what has been done, undone and unbalance. The accused has been found guilty of the crime/s of _______."

QUESTION & ANSWER: LGBT

QUESTION: Is The Bowynn Faith and Tradition all inclusive? I mean would they embrace someone who is Gay?

ANSWER: Yes. We do not judge anyone by their life or love. And the gods we worship are also all embracing. We have conducted same-sex weddings in the past and we have never had any sort of incident or even a whisper of negativity. Who one loves is none of our business. We gather together as friends and family. And in our family all are welcome. So long as their actions and words are positive.

QUESTION & ANSWERS: Goddess Worship

QUESTION: In your Bowynn belief system, is the worship of goddesses more prevalent?

ANSWER: No. All the gods, male and female are worshipped and honored equally. This topic takes us back to the Great Creator, Bia. Who is neither and both male and female. Bia is balance and dictates balance. And we, as Bowynn, are keen on maintaining balance. To honor only the female divinities makes one miss out on so many grand and beautiful attributes that male gods have to offer. And vice versa.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Familiars and Guardians

QUESTION: In your tradition's do your witches use Familiars and Guardians? If so, how are they summoned?

ANSWER: No. Mysts do not have any need nor summon any sort of creatures or spiritual animals. Our belief here is that a true working Myst is on guard and protected at all times. And that there is nothing a mystical creature can provide that we can not handle on our own. We do not believe in the calling of the spirits of the dead. As it is seen as rude, disrespectful and sacrilegious.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Skyclad

QUESTION: Is Nudity practiced in the Bowynn Tradition?

ANSWER: No. At least not among all of us ritually as a group. While we love and respect the human body, it is impractical for us to practice in the nude, as we hold most rituals in woodland. The amount of insects, blackberries, thorns and other haphazards just make it impossible. And honestly, we see no need to hold any gathering in the buff. HOWEVER, what one does in the privacy in their own home is up to them. We have several females that will fulling sun and moon soak and I personally have a love for skinny dipping when I am alone at the shore and lake.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Color Magic

QUESTION: Does color and its powers hold any significance in Bowynn Magic?

ANSWER: Very much so. Though many of the meanings differ, color does play a huge role in magic and daily Bowynn life. However, in Bowynn tradition there is a emphasis on duality. Using two colors as opposed to just one. Add to this that what colors one surrounds themselves with plays a huge role as well. Especially colors that people wear daily. There is also a huge focus on the negativity of too much of one color and which one is more dominate over the other. This study is much alike to the study and practice of Aura Soma.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Clothing/Garb

QUESTION: In the Bowynn tradition, is there any special robes mysts and practitioners wear?

ANSWER: Technically no. That is to say that no one is required to wear any particular clothing. Especially black witch robes. We kind of shun away from wearing the iconically (and non historic) black robes and conical hat. That said. Over the decades of weekly gatherings, we found that we were all gathering in our Fantasy/Ren Faire garb. Which eventually became something of a common occurrence amongst all of us. While no there is no requirement to wear such clothing, it has become what it is. (Side not to this is that; so many times I have remarked "We all look like we stepped away from filming 'Robin of Sherwood'. LOL)

Mysts [witches] in the tradition do not commonly wear black unless its is there desired comfort clothing. I personally like to wear blue jeans and a blue T-shirt. It's up to the person.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Language

QUESTION: I have seen you using various words in your posts that you address as being Bowynn. Is there an actual language?

ANSWER: Yes we have a language we have been using since the formation of the tradition. the Bowynn dictionary is around 25,000 (I stopped counting decades ago) words. It's has come to the point where it is a first language for some of use and a second language for others. Some words in the dictionary have no English counterpart.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Myst's Tools of the Trade

QUESTION: Do Myst's use wands and staves like Witches?

ANSWER: In short the answer is "Yes." However a true Myst learns at the starts of knowing that the roof of all magic is in themselves and that should be enough. In the Bowynn Tradition a Myst may have a wand to amplify their powers. So, a Thavos [wand] Vlest [rod] or a Thald [staff] is commonly used. Usually a Myst will have two: one of projection and one forwarding & drawing out. However, mysts know very well, they have this power in them already. A wand is used in more urgent needs, like healing, injustice, cursing and warding off a malicious person or Tii.