Cernunnos as Yoga Master: The Celtic Shiva

Cernunnos as Yoga Master: The Celtic Shiva

In 1891, a great silver bowl or cauldron, elaborately crafted during the Iron Age, was found at Gundestrup in Denmark. The Gundestrup Cauldron contains a wealth of ancient spiritual motifs, a few of which will be briefly discussed in this article. 

The exterior of the cauldron depicts the busts of seven different deities, male and female, as well as symbols associated with them. In Hinduism as well as various syncretic mystical paths, the number seven is also associated with the 7 major chakras or energy vortices of the human body, each with their own symbolism and deity (or facet of the One God). 

The interior of the Gundestrup Cauldron features five scenes of religious or spiritual significance. One of these scenes depicts a horned god sitting in a typical yogic posture. Often identified as Cernunnos (the "Horned One"), he wears on his head a splendid crown of seven-tined stag antlers. One is reminded that in the shamanic Song of Amergin, an ancient Celtic poem, the bard sings: "I am a stag of seven tines."

The Master Yogi-Shaman or Horned God sits with a stag and bull at his right hand, and a horned serpent and hunting dog on his left. This image is similar to that of the Vedic god of animals, Pashupati (Lord of Beasts), who was also an early form of Lord Shiva. (The Pashupati seal, or Mahayogi seal, was found at the site of Mohenjo-daro in modern Pakistan).  Cernunnos, Pashupati, and Lord Shiva are all depicted in a similar yogic pose or asana while surrounded by animals. 

In the right corner of the horned god scene is a man riding on the back of a dolphin to meet the divine bull or Bull of Heaven. Lions appear to be guarding the waters or the path toward the bull; perhaps the scene is a reference to crossing the "ocean of Samsara" to reach spiritual liberation, or Moksha, the end of earthly reincarnation. 

The scene is further enhanced with decorative leaves from a sacred plant or tree, such as ivy, mistletoe, or oak. In ancient Greek religion, ivy was associated with Dionysus, a similar God of Ecstasy, as well as wine and vegetation. Mistletoe and oak were often associated with the heavenly Storm God in various Indo-European cultures. The Storm God was usually placed at the head of the pantheon, like Zeus at the head of the Olympians. Rudra, another early form of Shiva, was also conceptualized as a storm god. The thunderbolt itself may be understood as the ecstatic "lightning flash" of Kundalini and its inherent spiritual enlightenment and revelation.

At the bottom of the bowl the divine bull is seen again, this time hunted down by three dogs and a warrior with a sword in his hand. The cauldron has been damaged, but in its original state the bowl would have rested on the curved horns of the bull projecting outwards to form a crescent shape, like an image of the crescent Moon. 

On the bull's forehead rests a twisted rosette with an ancient Indo-European swastika in the center, symbolizing the solar Life Force, as well as universal diversity united into One at the mystical center or Axis Mundi; hence, unity in diversity, and diversity in Unity; God as One and All simultaneously. Looking more closely at the bull's head, one can see that this symbol is part of a larger decorative motif; the rosette is fastened to the top of a column, with it base situated upon a crescent moon. The column once again represents Axis Mundi or the World Tree, the mystical center of the universe. In this particular depiction, the column spans and unites the energetic poles of solar and lunar, one pole at each end - symbolism also relevant to Tantric Yoga and Inner Alchemy, where the internal Axis Mundi or World Tree is also the spinal column or its inner energetic channel, the Sushumna, through which the Kundalini ascends.

The Gundestrup Cauldron therefore becomes, in a symbolic context, the sacred cup of the moon or the chalice of alchemy, a pagan Holy Grail containing the mystical drink of immortality made from the Life-fluid or blood of the divine bull, resulting in ecstasy and psychic vision. It is the mystical cup of Ambrosia, Soma, or the Wine of the Gods; the sacred Blood of Christ slain and risen.

The hunter of the bull appears androgynous; he wears the spurs of a man on his boots and has the breasts of a woman. Perhaps he has completed the inner alchemical operation of uniting masculine and feminine, of solar and lunar, of ida and pingala. With his weapon drawn and arm raised, he is depicted in a posture of jumping or floating through the air, with his hunting dog running or leaping beside him.

Like Shiva, Cernunnos is the God of Ecstasy. In his left hand, he holds a snake adorned with the spiraling horns of a ram. This horned serpent is Kundalini ascending - the serpent of Light and bliss which rises through the sushumna or spinal channel. This serpent of ecstasy is also a representation of Devi Shakti, the Divine Feminine, Life Energy, or Holy Spirit. Starting from the base of the spine - the internal Axis Mundi or sacred column - it rises up through the seven chakras and emerges through the top of the head at the Sahasrara or Crown Chakra, resulting in Unity with the Divine Oneness, as well as mystical perception of Divine Light and the Face or Presence of God.

The stag, the ram, and the bull are all common symbols of God Most High in ancient cultures. Thus, when Kundalini ascends to its highest position, the serpent receives the horns of God - horns of divine power. 

When St. Hubertus the hunter encountered the stag with the Crucifix of Christ between its antlers, he received a vision of the ultimate Reality. It was a vision also of God Most High as the suffering god of vegetation and sacrifice, the slain and rising God. This vision was given to St. Hubertus on Good Friday - the day of Jesus Christ's Crucifixion. The sacred hunt thus becomes a religious symbol for the holy spiritual quest - for the seeking of ultimate Reality and ecstasy. 

Originally posted on our Random Religion and Spirituality blog at:

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Welsh Fairy Folklore of Swansea and Carmarthenshire: Golden Treasure, Faery Passwords, Changelings, and the Mermaid (Lady of the Lake)

Welsh Fairy Folklore of Swansea and Carmarthenshire: Golden Treasure, Faery Passwords, Changelings, and the Mermaid (Lady of the Lake)

The following interesting story is from the book Celtic Folklore: Welsh and Manx by John Rhys (1901):

"Mr. Richard L. Davies, teacher of the Board School at Ystalyfera, in the Tawe Valley [or Swansea Valley], has been kind enough to write out for me a budget of ideas about the Cwm Tawe Fairies, as retailed to him by a native who took great delight in the traditions of his neighbourhood - John Davies (Shon o'r Bont), who was a storekeeper at Ystalyfera. He died an old man about three years ago. I give his stories as transmitted to me by Mr. Davies, but the reader will find them a little hazy now and then, as when the fairies are made into ordinary conjurer's devils:

"That is a wonderful thing, that old castle there, he would say, pointing to the Ynys Geinon Rock [near Craig Y Nos Castle, now in the Brecon Beacons National Park near Glyntawe, in Powys, Wales]. I remember a time when people would be terrified to go near it, especially at night. There was considerable danger that one might be taken to Bendith y Mamau [or Tylwyth Teg, the fairy folk]. It is said that there are a great many of them there, though I know not where they abide. The old folks used to say that there was a pit somewhere about the middle of the Castle, about a yard wide and some five or six yards deep, with a stone about three tons in weight over the mouth of it, and that they had a passage underground from that pit all the way to the cave of Tan yr Ogof near the top of the Cwm [or valley], that is, near Adelina Patti's residence at Craig y Nos Castle: 

"There [in the cave], it was said, they spent their time during the day, while they came down here to play their tricks at night. They have, they say, a gold ladder of one or two and twenty rungs, and it is along that they pass up and down. They have a little word ; and it suffices if the foremost on the ladder merely utters that word, for the stone to rise of itself; while there is another word, which it suffices the hindmost in going down to utter so that the stone shuts behind him. 

"It is said that a servant from one of the neighbouring farms, when looking for rabbits in the rock, happened to say the word as he stood near the stone, that it opened for him, and that he went down the ladder; but that because he was ignorant of the word to make it shut behind him, the fairies discovered by the draught putting out their candles that there was something wrong. So they found him out and took him with them. He remained living with them for seven years, but at the end of the seven years he escaped with his hat full of guineas [gold coins]. He had by this time learnt the two words, and got to know a good deal about the hiding places of their treasures. He told everything to a farmer in the neighbourhood, so the latter likewise went down, and some used to say that he brought thence thrice the fill of a salt-chest of guineas, half guineas, and seven-and-sixpenny pieces in one day. But he got too greedy, and like many a greedy one before him his crime proved his death; for he went down the fourth time in the dusk of the evening, when the fairies came upon him, and he was never seen any more. It is said that his four quarters [as in "drawn and quartered"] hang in a room under the Castle but who has been there to see them I know not. It is true enough that the above-mentioned farmer got lost, and that nothing was heard respecting him; and it is equally true that his family became very well to do almost at once at that time. 

"You know as well as I do that they say, that the fairies have underground passages to the caves of Ystradfellte, near Penderyn. There is the Garn Goch [Y Garn Goch Iron Age Fort, with a history of settlement dating back to the Neolithic] also on the Drum (now called the village of Onllwyn); they say there are hundreds of tons of gold accumulated by them there, and you have heard the story about one of the Gethings going thither to dig in the Garn, and how he [sic] was transformed by the fairies into a wheel of fire, and that he could get no quiet from them until he sent them to manufacture a rope of sand!"

— A more intelligible version of this story has been given at pp. 19-20 above. "There was formerly an old woman living in a small house near Ynys Geinon; and she had the power of bewitching, people used to say: there was a rumour that she spent seven days, seven hours, and seven minutes with the fairies every year in the cave at the Castle. It was a pretty general belief that she got such and such a quantity of gold for every child she could steal for them, and that she put one of those old urchins of theirs in its place: the latter never grew at all. The way she used to do it was to enter people's houses with the excuse of asking for alms, having a large dark-grey old cloak on her back, and the cloak concealed one of the children of Bendith y Mamau. Whenever she found the little child of the good woman of the house in its cradle, she would take upon herself to rock the cradle, so that if the mother only turned her back for a minute or two, she would throw the sham child into the cradle and hurry away as fast as she could with the baby. 

"A man in the neighbourhood had a child lingering for years without growing at all, and it was the opinion of all that it had been changed by the old woman. The father at length threatened to call in the aid of "the wise man," when the old woman came there for seven days, pretending that it was in order to bathe the little boy in cold water; and on the seventh day she got permission to take him, before it was light, under a certain spout of water: so she said, but the neighbours said it was to change him. However that was, the boy from that time forth got on as fast as a gosling. But the mother had all but to take an oath to the old woman, that she would duck him in cold water every morning for three months, and by the end of that time there was no finer infant in the Cwm."

Mr. Davies has given me some account also of the annual pilgrimage to the Fan mountains [Carmarthen Fans] to see the Lake Lady: these are his words on the subject — they recall pp. 15-16 above:

— "It has been the yearly custom (for generations, as far as I can find) for young as well as many people further advanced in years to make a general excursion in carts, gambos, and all kinds of vehicles, to ILyn y Fan [Llyn y Fan Fach], in order to see the water nymph (who appeared on one day only, viz. the first Sunday in August). This nymph was said to have the lower part of her body resembling that of a dolphin, while the upper part was that of a beautiful lady: this anomalous form appeared on the first Sunday in August (if the lake should be without a ripple) and combed her tresses on the reflecting surface of the lake. The yearly peregrination to the abode of the Fan deity is still kept up in this valley — Cwmtawe; but not to the extent that it used to formerly."

Originally posted on our Random Religion and Spirituality blog at:

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A Simple Yet Effective Grounding Meditation Exercise

A Simple Yet Effective Grounding Meditation Exercise

1. Sit or stand in a comfortable position, with your back straight but not rigid.

2. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. When you are ready, breathe out through your nose, and relax.

3. Proceed to let your breath flow slowly and naturally without pause - in and out. Breathe calmly and without restriction.

4. Gently focus your attention on your root chakra at the base of your spine.

5. Imagine a connection opening up between your root chakra and the Earth. This connection can take many forms and can be different each time you practice. Some like to visualize it as a tree trunk or roots, a hollow bamboo stalk, a silver tube, a beam of light, a flow of menstrual blood, and so on.

6. Visualize this energetic connection extending from your root chakra down into Mother Earth, passing through the crust and bedrock, deep into the planet's molten mantle or metallic core.

7. Once you have formed this connection, allow any overwhelming emotional sensations or negative energies - such as fear, anger, lethargy, panic, hyperactivity, grief, shame, guilt, or anxiety - to flow through your connection down into the center of Mother Earth. 

8. There, in a fiery blast, see the energy purified and returned back to you as a safe, loving, peaceful, accepting, and comforting Life Force.

9. Take your time to maintain this flowing connection - overwhelming energy down, soothing energy back up.

10. Practice your grounding meditation regularly. As you move through your day, consciously remind yourself to ground, and then perform this meditation again. Notice the difference that it makes in your mood, stability, and calmness. Whenever you feel off-balance or fearful, continue to perform this meditation and you will see positive results.

Originally posted on our Random Religion and Spirituality blog at:

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Answering Questions with the Pendulum - A Method of Divination

Answering Questions with the Pendulum - A Method of Divination

Get a blank page of copy paper and draw a line down the middle or diagonally across. Ask your pendulum to show you which side means "Yes"; and after that, ask your pendulum to show you which side means "No." Write these words on their proper sides of the page, in accordance with the pendulum's movements. 

For the next few days, periodically ask the pendulum to show you Yes and No on this piece of paper. Once you are feeling comfortable with this procedure, think of a question you want to ask and go to sleep. Sleep until you feel refreshed - do not attempt this exercise while you are tired, otherwise your results may be inaccurate. 

Upon waking up, as soon as you can, sit down with your piece of paper and pendulum. Say, "Universal Mind, whenever I ask a question and the answer is Yes, you will cause this pendulum to move in the direction of Yes." Then command it to move in the required direction. Then command your pendulum to stop moving. 

Wait until it has stopped moving and then say, "Universal Mind, whenever I ask a question and the answer is No, you will cause this pendulum to move in the direction of No." Then command it once again to move in the required direction, and then to stop moving when you are ready.

Then proceed to ask whatever question you'd like to have answered, and the pendulum will respond accordingly. 

Originally posted on our Random Religion and Spirituality blog at:

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Magickal Correspondences for Beltane (Wiccan Sabbat Holiday on May 1)

Magickal Correspondences for Beltane (Wiccan Sabbat Holiday on May 1)

Incense and Oils: Passion flower, frankincense, tuberose, vanilla, lilac, rose

Colors: Red and white (symbolizing God and Goddess), dark green, dark yellow, rainbow, blue, pastels

Animals: White cow or bull, goat, rabbit, hare, honeybees, horse, cat, snake, swan, crane, deer and stag

Mythical Creatures: Faeries, satyrs, giants, Pegasus

Gemstones and Crystals: Emerald, orange carnelian, sapphire, rose quartz, lapis lazuli, sapphire, yellow agate, bloodstone

Herbs: Almond, angelica, damiana, hawthorn, hibiscus, saffron, ash tree, bluebells, cinquefoil, daisy, frankincense, hawthorn, ivy, lilac, marsh marigold, meadowsweet, primrose, roses, woodruff, yellow cowslip, yarrow

Element: Air

Gods: May King, Jack in the Green, Horned God, Herne, Cernunnos, Green Man (European), Bel (Celtic), Baal (Phoenician and Canaanite), Cupid, Bacchus (Greek), Dionysus (Roman), Gods of the Hunt

Goddesses: May Queen, Flora, Maia, Flower Goddesses, Lady of the Greenwood, Aphrodite (Greek), Venus (Roman), Artemis (Greek), Diana (Roman), Blodeuwedd (Welsh), Lady Erzulie (Voudun), Baubo (Greek), Rhea (Greek and Cretan), Prithvi (Hindu), Divine Couples, Goddesses of the Hunt

Foods: Dairy, honey, oats, red or pink fruits, herbal salads, red or pink wine punch, round oatmeal or barley cakes or cookies, sweets

Symbols and Decorations: Maypole and ribbons, flower crowns, fires, bowers, fields, May baskets, white flowers and ribbons, daisy chains, flower chaplet, white wine in clear crystal glass, chalice, butter churn, blackthorn and hawthorn branches, seasonal fruit

Essential Ideas: Fertility, romance, sensuality, prosperity, compassion, youthful play, exuberance, pleasure, positive action, spring growth, new beginnings

Celebratory Meaning: Sacred Marriage of the Lord and Lady, arrival of the Tuatha de Danaan in Ireland

Magick and Ritual: The Great Rite, love, romance and fertility magick, elf and faery power, offerings to elementals, crop blessings, lighting sacred fires, divination, building shrines, altar set-up, fire-calling, honoring house guardians, snake dancing, bathing faces in the May morning dew to retain youthful beauty

Customs: Raising the Maypole, dancing around the Maypole, bonfires, jumping fire, mating, picking flowers, making flower baskets, frolicking through the countryside, archery tournaments, sword dances, feasting, drinking and music, moving the herds to high pasture

Time: Dawn

Originally posted on our Random Religion and Spirituality blog at:

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