So i think that Cernunnos has been calling to me

[The Bookwyrm]

Nihilistic Seraph

Just another note, but Herne was also portrayed with antlers. He's more British than Celtic, but I just thought I'd mention it just in case.

The funny thing is, Herne is an Irish deity. But Britain was once part of the Celtic world; they're just a bit snooty and don't want to be associated with it any more. blaugh  

[DR490N]

interesting note on journeying there. i tried something similar last night by my own logic, but i imagined it more like moving through a long black tunnel going deep within very quickly, visualizing myself coming out on the other side as my trueform, and found myself in something like a combination of rainforest and pineforest, which was rather odd. i tried calling out to cernunnos there, to see if he would be so obliged to grant me some words and some instruction...i think i got it. a voice told me i couldn't be spoken to here because it was "a place filled with darkness. others will interfere", whihc makes sense when i think of it. i've had some issues with shadowfolk coming in, its on a nightly basis now, and i have to keep beating them off with their own energy. i killed one last night too. didnt know i could do that. i ate it sweatdrop ....didnt know i could do that either. dragonself said it tasted bad, like rotting meat....he also told me that i need to stop thinking of myself as an entity separate from nature, and stop being an elitist. i need to respect more, and hate less. he told me to seek instruction in the 'old ways'. does this sound like something cernunnos would say?  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

Gypsy Blue

Nihilistic Seraph

Just another note, but Herne was also portrayed with antlers. He's more British than Celtic, but I just thought I'd mention it just in case.

The funny thing is, Herne is an Irish deity. But Britain was once part of the Celtic world; they're just a bit snooty and don't want to be associated with it any more. blaugh

Leading to various events and eventually Swift's proposition of eating Irish babies...

I love Swift xd

Hmm, Wiki says that Herne didn't start off as a God.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herne_the_Hunter  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

DR490N

interesting note on journeying there. i tried something similar last night by my own logic, but i imagined it more like moving through a long black tunnel going deep within very quickly, visualizing myself coming out on the other side as my trueform, and found myself in something like a combination of rainforest and pineforest, which was rather odd. i tried calling out to cernunnos there, to see if he would be so obliged to grant me some words and some instruction...i think i got it. a voice told me i couldn't be spoken to here because it was "a place filled with darkness. others will interfere", whihc makes sense when i think of it. i've had some issues with shadowfolk coming in, its on a nightly basis now, and i have to keep beating them off with their own energy. i killed one last night too. didnt know i could do that. i ate it sweatdrop ....didnt know i could do that either. dragonself said it tasted bad, like rotting meat....he also told me that i need to stop thinking of myself as an entity separate from nature, and stop being an elitist. i need to respect more, and hate less. he told me to seek instruction in the 'old ways'. does this sound like something cernunnos would say?

I can't give my opinin on the words of Cernunnos, as I've never worked with Him, but I can on the experience in all.

The tube visualization was fine. The stair thing I posted is just the one I use, and is fairly standard, but if you have another one that works better, by all means, use it.

It is entirely likely that parts of your psyche would not be the best part to speak with a deity. That's why you'd have to find your "safe house" so to speak. My only advice is to ask for the guidance of the Gods in finding it, and use your intuition. In your own mind more than anything else, trust your instincts.

A little perk of being attacked in your mind, is that it's essentially home turf, and with enough concentration, you can pretty much do anything.

I'd advise against eating nasties. You don't want their essence mixing in with yours. While I may not agree with the otherkin state, that side of you gives good advice at least. Going with what Cernnunos said, I'd advise respecting them, and dealing with them straightforwards. Maybe set up a ward with a "this is a warning barrier. Come in if you mean me no harm, but if you mean me harm I will be forced to fight back."

Am I making any sense?  

[DR490N]

the problem isnt so much that they come into me, but they invade my room, my space. this is my place to be free of all things, to meditate, and to be safe. as of late it has been much less safe, and in fact could be dangerous. they seem to surround me. i do know, however, that i frighten them, and that it's due ot my draconity. as for eating them, it wasnt so much eating in the sense that they become a part of me as it is that their energies are torn apart and utilized for my own purposes if that makes any sense.

now back to the topic at hand, i have just recieved an interesting visit. nothing visual, but a strong, strong presence, that identified itself in my mind as cernon(the name of his that resonates with me). very powerful presence. never experienced anything like it. wonderful peaceful feeling, and my third eye opened up. i asked him to prove it was him and within a few minutes i gelt two points of weight on the top of my head, as if i had antlers. weird...really really weird...but i knew he was standing beside and then directly behind me. i thought that was pretty cool. i've never felt something so strongly without a physical presence there. nonetheless, he guided me along on some basic research as to some of his funtions and symbolisms in his imagery, such as the depiction of beign crosslegged havign a resonance with hunters. he tellsme i'm supposed to hunt something, which seems really weird to me, seeing as i've never hunted a day in my life, coming from the suburbs and having little to no connection with my celtic roots.  

[iolitefire]

DR490N

the problem isnt so much that they come into me, but they invade my room, my space. this is my place to be free of all things, to meditate, and to be safe. as of late it has been much less safe, and in fact could be dangerous. they seem to surround me. i do know, however, that i frighten them, and that it's due ot my draconity. as for eating them, it wasnt so much eating in the sense that they become a part of me as it is that their energies are torn apart and utilized for my own purposes if that makes any sense.

now back to the topic at hand, i have just recieved an interesting visit. nothing visual, but a strong, strong presence, that identified itself in my mind as cernon(the name of his that resonates with me). very powerful presence. never experienced anything like it. wonderful peaceful feeling, and my third eye opened up. i asked him to prove it was him and within a few minutes i gelt two points of weight on the top of my head, as if i had antlers. weird...really really weird...but i knew he was standing beside and then directly behind me. i thought that was pretty cool. i've never felt something so strongly without a physical presence there. nonetheless, he guided me along on some basic research as to some of his funtions and symbolisms in his imagery, such as the depiction of beign crosslegged havign a resonance with hunters. he tellsme i'm supposed to hunt something, which seems really weird to me, seeing as i've never hunted a day in my life, coming from the suburbs and having little to no connection with my celtic roots.

Getting visited by powerful entities (who don't mean you harm) is always a nice treat. I do have a few questions though, are you sure that without a doubt the entity is Cernon? The reason I ask is not because I think you're oblivious, its that high powered spirits and even gods sometimes like playing games with people and parading as somone they're not. This can be very easy for them, especially for a trickster type of god.

As for your room getting invaded, I suggest using a little of your energy to make a nice wall. It requires a bit of visualization for me but if you can visualize a wall being built around your sacred area you may find that you have more protection.
I'm going to agree with Nihilistic Serapth that eating them may not be for the best. Regardless of your abilities, some things are not the most edible. In fact they could be down right poisonous or harmful in other ways. Even dragons are vulnerable to such things in the end.  

[The Bookwyrm]

DR490N

interesting note on journeying there. i tried something similar last night by my own logic, but i imagined it more like moving through a long black tunnel going deep within very quickly, visualizing myself coming out on the other side as my trueform, and found myself in something like a combination of rainforest and pineforest, which was rather odd. i tried calling out to cernunnos there, to see if he would be so obliged to grant me some words and some instruction...i think i got it. a voice told me i couldn't be spoken to here because it was "a place filled with darkness. others will interfere", whihc makes sense when i think of it. i've had some issues with shadowfolk coming in, its on a nightly basis now, and i have to keep beating them off with their own energy. i killed one last night too. didnt know i could do that. i ate it sweatdrop ....didnt know i could do that either. dragonself said it tasted bad, like rotting meat....he also told me that i need to stop thinking of myself as an entity separate from nature, and stop being an elitist. i need to respect more, and hate less. he told me to seek instruction in the 'old ways'. does this sound like something cernunnos would say?

Warning against the place of darkness definately sounds like him; he's a solar deity, so he's definately going to prefer the light; he may also be speaking in methaphor, especially since he told you that you need to hate less. You're a very angry person, hun, and it doesn't take much to come across, and anger is often represented by darkness. By asking you to come out of that, to stop being hateful and elitist, you're being invited to join the light and to find happiness. When I've worked with him, Cernunnous was always a very happy, carefree entity and I doubt he'll put up with anything dreary, hateful, or otherwise unpleasant for long. However, he is patient, and he'll teach you well. wink

Ask him about what he means with the hunt, because again he could be speaking in metaphore; there are lots of things you can hunt, from animals to knowledge, to a state of being. It calls for the learning of new skills and the use of them, being able to precieve and interpret signs. He'll teach you all of that.

Wow, all of this reminds me how long it's been since I've worked with him. It's been ages! I saw him last summer while getting my tattoo, but it was a while before that since I've worked with him at all. I should probably touch base, especially with Samhain around the corner and the antler on my altar at present.  

[The Bookwyrm]

Nihilistic Seraph

Leading to various events and eventually Swift's proposition of eating Irish babies...

I love Swift xd

Hmm, Wiki says that Herne didn't start off as a God.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herne_the_Hunter

Neither did Cu Chullain, Fionn Mac Cumhail, Blodeuwedd, Rhiannon, Pwyll, or Bran the Blessed to name a few. wink  

[DR490N]

Cu Chulain started off as a simple warrior really...a damn good one too. me beign a warrior myself in all past lives as a human, i have great respect for that.

now back to the topic of Cernon, i'm fairly sure it was him. i felt very very calm and happy in his presence for one thing, and even the way he presented himself for some reason made me belieive beyond a doubt that it was him. i also got the oddest urge to get something with a combination of staghorn and metal, which i ind interesting because theres a staghorn handled dirk i've had my eye on for some time and am trying to convince my mother to let me buy. she's very much against having weapons of any kind in the house, as if she thinks i'm going to go out and kill someone or something. rolleyes . now as for hate, it isnt so much that i'm hateful as much as cynical. i try not to be, but i really do look at the negative alot more than the positive, and i'm feeling very much anachronistic in today's society, which im sure doesnt help matters much.  

[Lila Malvae]

DR490N

The problem is that i'm very new to paganism and find myself unable to figure out if it really is him, or if it's my imagination. now heres the thing.

i keep getting odd images in my head. a man with stag's antlers(consistent with the images of cernunnos that are recorded), typically offering a golden torc to me(the torc's body made of twisted bar, and with celtic dragon heads on the ends) and holding a vine wrapped around his foream with hte end clutched in his hand. he looks like he's in pretty good shape, and has very strange, intense eyes, no color, but its as if they're something primal and superbly intelligent. another image that keeps coming into my head is simply every image of cernunnos i've seen, all of which seem to be drawing me in. the third one is the image of an oak tree, very large, very old, with a low hanging branch suspending a torc, still solid gold, and still the same design.

anyone care to help me? how might i contact him and communicate with him? how will i know if i'm really talking to cernunnos?

You don't find the Hunter, the Hunter finds you...
Something you need to know-- Curnunnos demands the surrender of your fear. He will lead you on a wild goose chase through a rough-and-tumble path to strip away the things about yourself that you think you need, but in fact are slowing you down on your path to real wisdom. He demands a lot... and he is very temperamental.
He is also a god of death, as he fills the role of a psychopomp in certain cases. His wisdom comes in cycles. But he will only throw something at you that he thinks you are ready for.  

[DR490N]

could explain why he told me to be patient. he seems really relaxed though, which is nice. good guy. i rather like him.  

[Caerwiden]

Cernunnos, or Caerwiden as I refer to him (you can see I nicked his name for my username) was one of the first gods I contacted. You may find a greater connection to him in a natural environment such as a forest. I felt greatly connected when I was all alone on this untouched beach in Gower in Wales (where I also recieved a cool vision), which I haven't quite felt in manmade environments like my house.

Celtic gods are often tied to locations so you may find certain places are strongly connected to particular gods (for example the area around Bath is strongly connected to the goddess Sulis, who is an awesome goddess btw). I'm not saying you should make a trans-atlantic voyage to come and find a sacred grove here in Britain, but Cernunnos is very strongly linked to the natural world (although in North America I would assume that many areas are more strongly linked to Native American gods, but Cernunnos should still be able to contact you)  

[The Bookwyrm]

Caerwiden

(although in North America I would assume that many areas are more strongly linked to Native American gods, but Cernunnos should still be able to contact you)

Ah, but some places in North America have held on strongly to their Celtic roots. I'm from a town that is literally the birthplace of "New Scotland", and I attend university in a community that not only have bilinguals signs in English and Gaelic, but is also home to the longest running North American Highland Games and is heralded as the "Highland Heart of Nova Scotia". It's true, it would be easier to connect with these gods and goddesses in their homes, and I would like nothing better than to go to Ireland and Wales some day, but community can have a strong impact. My Celtic roots are strong, both in my family and my communities, and I think that's one of the reasons all three of my patrons are Celtic.  

[Caerwiden]

The Bookwyrm

Caerwiden

(although in North America I would assume that many areas are more strongly linked to Native American gods, but Cernunnos should still be able to contact you)

Ah, but some places in North America have held on strongly to their Celtic roots. I'm from a town that is literally the birthplace of "New Scotland", and I attend university in a community that not only have bilinguals signs in English and Gaelic, but is also home to the longest running North American Highland Games and is heralded as the "Highland Heart of Nova Scotia". It's true, it would be easier to connect with these gods and goddesses in their homes, and I would like nothing better than to go to Ireland and Wales some day, but community can have a strong impact. My Celtic roots are strong, both in my family and my communities, and I think that's one of the reasons all three of my patrons are Celtic.

That's pretty cool that Celtic culture has spread to the New World. I've even heard that there is an area of Argentina where everyone speaks Welsh because it was a Welsh colony during the Age of Imperialism. That's kinda cool to think that Dagda may have strong links to Nova Scotia and Sulis may have strong links to Argentina.  

[The Bookwyrm]

Caerwiden

That's pretty cool that Celtic culture has spread to the New World. I've even heard that there is an area of Argentina where everyone speaks Welsh because it was a Welsh colony during the Age of Imperialism. That's kinda cool to think that Dagda may have strong links to Nova Scotia and Sulis may have strong links to Argentina.

Celtic culture is very big in parts of the new world; I have a room mate who is bordering fluent in Irish, I have others who speak Gaelic, play the Celtic harp, my family even has a little bit of Gaelic we speak. The actual meaning is long gone, be we know within a context what the words mean, but we have them. The music, especially on the East Coast, is huge.

The Dagda likely has more of a connection to Newfoundland, since they were settled by the Irish, and we were settled by the Scots, but I'll let you know when I get over there next year for grad school. My family's Irish descent (and Scottish and a good many other things), so I tend to find Celtic deities in a big way. blaugh