Little Moon

More pics of the Spirit of Wilderness/Cernunnos altar. I have a setup I’m pretty satisfied with for now. In the future I’d like to get some silk holly branches for this half of the year! 🌳🦌❤️

Edit: For those who are curious, I am a witch, but I am not Wiccan, and neither am I a “formal” pagan. What that means for me is that I don’t work with Cernunnos as a specific god or persona, rather as more of a nebulous, faceless “life” energy that is part of a much greater ultimate creative force. Because of this, I feel more easily connected to that energy when it’s left open-feeling, so I use a more generic deer/elk as a representation of it, instead of the man. It symbolizes the energy of vitality, fertility, enthusiasm, health and the sun.

I’ve always felt drawn to the grace and strength of horned creatures, and I do like to honor the traditional idea of Cernunnos/Pan/Herne/Green Man somewhat, but I also don’t like to box myself in too much when it comes to esoteric things.

🙏 - Which pantheon(s) do you actively worship?

🌞 - Which deity(ies) are you closest to/do you worship the most often?

✨ - Do you believe in patron deities? If so, do you have any that you know of?

🌍 - Which pantheons do you believe exist?

📜 - Have you ever made an oath, vow, or contract with a deity? If yes, how did it go (you don't have to share)?

📿 - What are three things you're grateful to your deity(ies) for?

🖋️ - If you could say anything to your deity(ies) right now, what would you most want to say?

💌 - What is your favorite form of deity communication?

🎭 - What is an emotionally impactful or a silly worship-related experience you've had?

❤️ - What's one memory of your practice that you reflect the most fondly on?

🥂 - What is your favorite devotional act or offering to give?

🎉 - Do you celebrate any festivals? If so, which ones?

🫂 - Do you syncretize any pantheons with one another? If so, which ones?

🔮 - Do you delve into topics like the occult or the mysteries? Do you do anything esoteric?

⭐ - What is something you wish people outside your practice knew more about?

📖 - Do you like the way your pantheon is most often portrayed in media? Why or why not?

🏛️ - Do you have a favorite statue or temple to your deity(ies)? If yes, what is it?

🔥 - Do you have a favorite myth or tale from your pantheon or others?

🧭 - What led you to your practice?

🧿 - Did you have any other spiritual beliefs before discovering your current practice?

🪽 - Do you believe in angels and/or demons? If yes, do you worship or work with any?

🪄 - Do you practice witchcraft? If yes, do you keep it separate from your deity worship?

🪦 - Do ancestors or human spirits play a big role in your practice?

🐾 - Do animal spirits play a big role in your practice?

🌱 - Does nature - plants, nature spirits, etc. - play a big role in your practice?

💀 - Do you believe in ghosts? If yes, have you ever had an experience with one?

Various copies of one the antiquity's most popular statues - The Crouching Venus, portraying the goddess startled while taking a bath.

Farnese Venus, now in the National Archeological Museum of Naples.

Lely Venus, now in the British museum.

An example now exhibited at Palazzo Altemps, Rome.

A statue from Uffizi, Florence, was part of the Medici collection.

A statue discovered at Hadrian's villa in Tivoli, now in Palazzo Massimo, Rome.

• Claiming St. Peter's cross is Satanic, or that Ankh is Christian

• Thelema, Aleister Crowley, or Magic with a K

• "Qabala" rather than actual Kabbalah

• Talking about Atlantis as if it's real

• Saying "real Satanists" don't believe in Satan or refusing to acknowledge the difference between theist and non-theist Satanists

• Claiming a crystal, incense, oil, herb or whatever else can be used in place of medicine

• The use of lightning bolt symbols, the Black Sun, etc

• Saying aliens built the Egyptian pyramids or that humans bred with aliens

• Saying the Illuminati controls everything or talks of a "New World Order"

• Weird fear-mongering or out-there conspiracies about Freemasonry

• Vaguely alluding to an all-powerful group that's only ever referred to as "the elites" or "they"

• Doing closed practices they aren't apart of

• Refusing to cite sources, or if they do cite sources, it's a TikTok or something

• Referring to ANYTHING the Nazis did

• Tribal tattoos from a tribe one isn't apart of

• Claiming they'll provide you forbidden knowledge or that if you follow their way of life you'll reach God or whatever

• Any mention of Aryans or some superior race in a non-critical/historical explanatory context

• Joy of Satan or The Order of Nine Angles

• Claiming "you were meant to see this video!" when it's a video that is showed to hundreds (or thousands) of people based on an algorithm

• Gatekeeping practices, worship, tools, etc, from a sex/gender. IE, "only females/women can do this spell!"

• Recommending any work from scammers (ex: Joe Dispenza)

• Discouraging learning the history of a practice

• Claiming deities from different pantheons are the exact same. (Ex: Aphrodite and Venus)

• Using AI in place of real art, imagery, people, etc. (Seriously, I've seen shops on Etsy try to sell me tarot readings with a photo of an AI generated old lady claiming to do the readings, marketing it as if it's a real person.)

• Talks about Hollow Earth, reptile people, weird UFO stuff

• Weirdo shit conspiracies about 9/11 or other national and/or global tragedies

If you have ANYTHING else to add, please feel free to do so.

Starseeds/Indigo children

"Male/female energy"

Theosophy/Helena Blavatsky

Hebrew/gematria when you're not Jewish

Anything Kabbalah when you're not Jewish

"Repressed/recovered memories" (it doesn't work like that)

Claims to be a shaman/practice shamanism when you're not from a culture that does it

Porneia is the gnostic goddess/aeon/light-being of Fornication, mother of harlots (porne) and male prostitutes (pornos). Her male aspect was Porneuo. She was a vulgar, "fallen," or polluted form of Aphrodite (whose epithet was Porne). Among Porneia's other Gnostic names was Prouniekos, whore aspect of Barbelo, and the Fallen Sophia.

In the Nag Hammadi gnostic text "Apocryphon of John" Porneia was the mother of Wickedness, Empty Pride, and other dark angels. She corrupted even the Earthmother Ge [Rv 19:2], and, having maenadic wine-cult qualities, Porneia and her brother-consort were associated with drunken violence.

"All the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of Porneia, and the kings of the Earth have become Porneuo with her" [18:3]; or, "The Great Whore sat upon many waters. With her the kings of the Earth (Ge) became Porneuo, and the inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with the wine of Porneia" [7:2].

In the "Testament of Judah," two wicked spirits, Envy and Fornication, arrayed themselves against Judah after he criticized Reuben for desiring Bilhah; and to punish him for the pride of thinking himself superior to Reuben, the two spirits induced Judah to desire Bathshua the Canaanitess, as well as his daughter-in-law Tamar bat-Elam of Mesopotamia [Test: Judah 13:3-4].

Though Porneia wanted control of bodies, human flesh was not intended for her [1 Cor 6:13,18]. She moved among all people [5:1], and led wives astray [Mt 5:32; 19:9; Rm 1:29]. She is named among other demonic forces, both male and female [Mt 15:19; Col 3:5; Rv 9:21], which come from within to befoul humanity [Mk 7:21-23], and who are the works of flesh made manifest [Gal 5:19-20].

Her companion was the female aeon of impurity, Akatharsia [Eph 5:3], or the female aeon of lasciviousness, Alesegeia [2 Cor 12:21]. Porneia was adverse to marriage, so that marriage was proof against her [1 Cor 7:2]. Much of the negativity toward Porneia is really a rejection of Mother Goddess worship and Her temple priestesses or prostitutes.

But Gnostics sought her purification, to restore the essence of all living to the original creatrix, the Divine Sophia. This could be helped along by refraining from reproductive sex (homosexuality was fine) so that no more of the spirit of Sophia would be trapped in the materiality; and by our own good behavior which purifies the Fallen Sophia.

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Sabaoth is kind of a unique figure to my practice. He’s not a ‘god’ as such, in the same way Sophia IS God, but not quite the same as an angel either. He’s kind of an interceding spirit for me, much in the same way the Virgin Mary is an interceder between humans and Christ for Catholics. 

His name comes from the Hebrew word for God meaning ‘Lord of Host’ and refers to being the Host of Heaven and a title for God in his role as protecting the armies of Israel. 

In Gnostic texts; Sabaoth begins as one of the Archons, a son of the Demiurge. He represents the powers of war and violence that he fuels among mankind. He’s represented as having the head of a dragon and usually being the ‘darkest’ of the Archons. Important to note that the Archons are not considered ‘demons’ in Gnosticism, though demons and truly malevolent spirits do exist. While violence can be used in defence and war sometimes is a necessity as the last resort, neither are ever benevolent forces. 

But Sabaoth is unique among the Archons in that he is the only one amongst his siblings to recognise Sophia as the true Mother of the universe which causes him to repent and swear loyalty to Her. It’s for this that Sabaoth becomes the host of heaven (namely the seventh heaven) and a protector of humanity rather than a warmonger. 

For his treason, of course, the Demiurge paints Saboath as a ‘fallen angel’ and curses that he shall be hated and feared by all under the control of the Archons. He becomes the image of Satan, the adversary, and father of lies. But in truth he is Lucifer, the Light Bringer. He works on Sophia’s behalf to help guide people towards Gnosis. He bears the torch that would become Christ incarnate; as Yeshua, Magdalene, Buddha and others. For me, Sabaoth represents how fear feeds on ignorance. He is represents every scientist who posed a theory to bring truth to the world and was met with derision, persecution and attack. Every healer or wise person who was burned as a witch. Every person with a new interpretation of scripture that was called a heretic. Every little child who is bullied for not ‘fitting in’. Sabaoth is the friend and guardian of them all. 

In Pistis Sophia, Mother Mary tells a story about when Yeshua was little and helping his father in the vineyard, a spirit came into the house and spoke to Mary, asking to see Yeshua who he calls ‘his brother’. Mary is so startled that she binds the spirit that she mistakes for a phantom to the bedpost and goes to tell her husband and son what just happened. Little Yeshua reacts with joy and rushes to go meet with the spirit while his parents are baffled. Then this happens.

“And he who was bound to the bed was unloosed; he took you in his arms and kissed you, and you kissed him. You became one.”

Mary goes on to describe this as a meeting of Grace and Truth. Even though it’s not directly stated, Sabaoth is mentioned as helping Christ descend into the world through Yeshua, and referred to as ‘Sabaoth, the Good’. And he mentions that ‘Truth is the power of Sabaoth’ and was bound into the spirit of Christ. Now any story that involves bitty Yeshua is adorable. But I especially love the Yin/Yang of this image. Sabaoth, an angel often mistaken for the devil, meeting and embracing the Messiah. It’s very similar to the identities of Eve and Lilith merging in the spirit of the Holy Daughter; in Mary Magdalene. Darkness and Light working together for good and to bring the radiance of Sophia into the world. 

Filianism still plays a key influence in my path and this is me explaining how my Lady Magdalene's attributes connect to each of the Janyati.

(Side note, in my personal practice I use the Greek names and refer to them as the Seven Kyríes, but I'm using their Filianic names for this post).

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Sai Raya - One of the most often overlooked aspects of Magdalene was that she was a wealthy and independent woman, one of the financial supporters of Yeshua and the disciples. As no husband or father of hers is even mentioned, it can be assumed this was a wealth she achieved from her own success. Thus she can be called upon for financial aid, prosperity and abundance, both in terms of material wealth but also spiritual. She is also hope and inspiration in times of darkness, a candle forever burning as one such famous painting of her shows.

Sai Candre - Magdalene is seen as a Priestess figure to many. Not just for those Esoterics who believe she was a priestess of Isis or Asherah, but in the Gnostic gospels she is the heir to Yeshua's ministry and the first to step forward to lead the disciples. Even some mainstream Christian churches are calling on her to be seen as the "Mother" or "First Preacher" of Christianity as she was the first to speak of Yeshua's resurrection. She can be seen as an inspiration for all priestesses and preachers. For myself, I am content to be a mystic but I don't seek to follow any living priests or priestesses (especially not the ones charging as much as my mortgage lol). The Magdalene is my High Priestess.

Sai Vikhe - Red is the most common color associated with the Magdalene. While she might not be seen holding any weapons, the red cloak symbolises her immense passion and courage. One of her most famous legends is confronting the authorities in Rome and turning an egg red as a miracle to prove the truth of her preaching. Also, again, being a single woman of her own business would have been very dangerous in her time, yet she lived as she did without no husband or father to protect her. If she was plagued by demons then to overcome that, with or without Yeshua's assistance, is proof of her strength. While I often call upon my Lord Cernunnos for protection, I also say a chant for the Magdalene to summon the flame of her courage within me; "I walk with the Magdalene and the Magdalene walks with me".

Sai Mati - In the Gospel of Philip, Magdalene is linked to Sophia, to divine Wisdom. In my personal path, I see her as an avatar of Zoe Sophia (Living Wisdom). Yeshua praises her insight that surpasses all other disciples in various Gnostic texts. In her partnership with Yeshua, she is both teacher and student, as he is with her. Sometimes she is merged with Mary of Bethany, who is also praised for choosing to listen to wisdom over conforming to a traditional "woman's role" at the time like her sister Martha who was discouraged from learning as the male disciples did.

Sai Thame - Probably the aspect I struggle most to link to the Magdalene. While there isn't much to link her with justice, there is with balance and spiritual harmony, as many Gnostic texts deal with the mysteries of the "Bridal Chamber". I am also as much inspired by the injustice done to her by the mainstream church as well as many other great women.

Sai Sushuri - The most popular aspect of Magdalene, no doubt, due to a combination of the Catholic church unwittingly making her something of a sex symbol, and then Dan Brown pushing her into the zeitgeist with the idea of her being Yeshua's wife. While the former has been admitted to be a mistake to call her a prostitute, the latter I feel has done her just as dirty in a whole new way by taking this clearly independent woman and having the focus on her be if she was Jesus' wife. The idea of her and Yeshua being married is not a bad one by any means, and the two were DEFINITELY intimate with each other, I just feel it's overshadowed all these other important elements of her character. However there is still much to be said about Magdalene as an image of divine love. Her devotion to Yeshua, whether that was platonic or romantic or something on a whole other level, is a beautiful thing, as clearly was his to her. There are also different legends that speak of her love towards other disciples, both male and female, as well as her possible children. Any who find an uplifting image in the idea of her and Yeshua having a healthy sexual union that represents the mystery of the Bridal Chamber should not be discouraged from that.

Before any visible beings came into existence, there were only invisible beings. Then God decided to create a visible creation. So God said, “Let one of the invisible things descend and become visible.” And Adoil, one of the invisible things, descended. He was extremely large, and in his belly he had a great light. God said to Adoil, “Disintegrate yourself, Adoil, and let what is born from you become visible.” And Adoil disintegrated himself, and out came a very great light. And God was in the midst of the light, and a light came forth out of that light and revealed all the creation that God had thought to create. And God saw that it was good. And God placed a throne for himself, and sat down on it. And then God spoke to the light and said, “You rise up and become the foundation for the highest things. For there is nothing higher than light, except for nothingness itself.”

And God summoned the very lowest beings for a second time, and said, “Let one of the invisible beings descend and become visible.” And Arkhas came out, solid and heavy and very red. And God said to Arkhas, open yourself up, Arkhas, and let what is born from you become visible.” And Arkhas disintegrated himself, and a great darkness emerged from him, very large, bearing the creation of all lower things. And God saw how good it was. And God said to the darkness, “Descend and become the foundation of all lower things. For there is nothing lower than the darkness, except nothing itself.”

Then God took some light and some darkness and mixed them together, and com-manded them to thicken, and when they did, He wrapped them with light, and spread it out, and it became water. And God spread it out above the darkness and below the light, dividing the world above from the world below. And God made a foundation of light around the waters, with seven circles inside it, with the appearance of crystal. And he pointed out the route of each one of the seven stars to its own heaven. And God made a division between the light and the darkness, and said to the light that it should be day, and to darkness that it should be night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day (Gen. 1:5).

This astonishing creation myth from 2 Enoch dates from around the second century BCE to the first century CE. It portrays a version of the creation of light and darkness that is radically different from that found in Genesis. Here the earliest manifestation of existence occurs when God commands two invisible beings, Adoil and Arkhas, to give birth to light and darkness, which come to serve as the upper and lower founda-tions of the world. Adoil and Arkhas are primordial beings—not angels or gods, but invisible forces entirely under God’s command. And it is God who commands that they descend and become visible. Of particular interest is God’s command to Adoil and Arkhas that they disintegrate themselves, suggesting that their disintegration makes possible the subsequent births that take place. When they do, a great light comes forth from Adoil, while Arkhas gives birth to darkness. This myth is an interesting parallel to that of the Ari about the Shattering of the Vessels. In both cases a kind of breaking apart is required before anything can be created. See “The Shattering of the Vessels and the Gathering of the Sparks,” p. 122.

This myth about Adoil and Arkhas also has distinctly Gnostic overtones, for it suggests that God did not create light and darkness by Himself. Instead, God commanded that certain invisible beings give birth to these forces, and that is what took place. There is no explanation given for the existence of the invisible beings, no statement that God created them. Further, it is stated that God coexisted with them and moved around with them. But God’s command over them is demonstrated when He orders them to manifest themselves and then to disintegrate themselves, so that light and darkness can be created. Thus this myth suggests that, for God, the primary work of Creation was in making the invisible visible.

The very strangeness of this myth seems to hint at an even more ancient Jewish mythology where elemental forces were personified as primitive beings rather than as spiritual beings such as angels. Or it might be that this myth was influenced by Egyptian and Iranian mythologies.

The end of this myth dovetails into Genesis 1:5: And there was evening and there was morning, a first day. Thus this myth explicitly offers itself as an alternative to the creation myth found in Genesis 1:1-4, where light is created and darkness already seems to exist. It is a much more complex—and mythical—kind of creation than God simply saying “Let there be light,” and there was light (Gen. 1:3).

I've had a few people ask me, when worshipping Sophia as a Pagan or Witch, what kind of offerings they could give to Her.

Just wanna preface this by saying this is totally based on my own personal experience as a Sophian devotee for the last twenty years, someone else might have a totally different relationship with Her. Because Sophia is known throughout so many different cultures as Divine Wisdom, I do believe that everyone's own UPG of Her is valid for them. But I just wanted to share my own workings with Her.

When I first got asked this question, my initial answer was that Sophia is not the kind of goddess who demands offerings. She always gives Her gifts freely as any loving mother does without expecting anything in return. This was how I tended to think other deities and spirits worked outside of the Jewish and Christian "pantheon" as it were. But delving back into my Pagan practices has given me a new perspective on why we give offerings to deities and it's not because the gods are necessarily self-serving or demanding etc.

Offerings to Sophia are not obligatory. But, She is Our Mother. And it's nice to do things for Her the same way it's nice to give our earthly mothers Mother's Day gifts or just treats and favours to show our appreciation.

I feel the exact same way with my patron god Cernonnus. I don't think he's there tapping his hooves waiting for me to give something back to him in return for his help, but he is my father/brother/friend and so I like to give him something as thanks. However because Cernonnus is so heavily connected to the earth and to agriculture etc, my offerings to him tend to be things like burnt herbs, seeds, grain, twigs and other things I've picked up usually when I'm out on walks. They're usually things that I give to him because they reminded me of him and they were little signs of him being near me or just something I thought stood out and looked cool and I wanted to share with him.

Now Sophia is quite different. Sophia for me is much more to do with the spirit, the mind, with the metaphysical and mystery of the Universe rather than the physical. So my offerings to Her tend not to be objects but rather that which stirs the divine spark inside of me.

These can be:

- Praying. Very simple. Whether it's a short prayer or a rosary. I use a slightly tweaked version of the Filianic Rosary but there is also the Gnostic rosary or those who have tweaks of the Catholic Marian rosary for Sophia. What's important with using these as offerings however is truly meditate while reciting, don't just go through the motions. Truly connect to the Daughter, Zoe Sophia, within and let your soul rise with Her.

- Singing. Doesn't matter how tonedeaf you are, if singing is something you enjoy and helps you release a lot of energy than Sophia loves to listen. Doesn't have to be a religious or devotional song, it can be Taylor Swift or whoever, so long as it makes that spark inside burn bright.

- Dancing. Same as singing, when I dance I find my ability to visualise is so strong and imagination is something Sophia adores because it's us opening our eyes to more than just the material world and to the potential of more, of everything that is contained in the Pleroma.

- Read aloud page or passage. Again, doesn't have to be any type of scripture, doesn't have to be fiction or non-fiction, just share with Her something that has hit deep inside you. Doesn't have to be anything smart, remember that Wisdom =/= Knowledge, it can just be something that gave you a new perspective or just hit you in the feels as it were.

- Meditation. If you don't feel like speaking or dancing, the most simple of offerings can also be the most meaningful. Sit quietly, put on some soft music or light candles if it helps, and just close your eyes. Meditating to connect with Sophia is as meaningful as picking up the phone to have a chat with Mum. Feel her both within and outside yourself, connect to both the Mother and Daughter. Sophia loves most just for Her children to want to be close to Her and come to Her.

Now this isn't to say don't offer physical objects to Sophia, you absolutely still can and I often do. The Daughter Zoe is Life, She exists within everything The Mother lovingly created. Look at the correspondents of crystals and herbs and whatever you feel connects you to Sophia you can always place on an altar for Her - on a little statue I have representing Her I've placed little lapis lazuli shards. I also found an owl feather in my flat the other day from where I'd left the window open - owls are connected to Athena, who I see as an aspect of Sophia, so I placed that close to Her statue too.

I should also mention that one Christo-Pagan friend I once had used to bake little honey cakes as offerings for Sophia, who she believed was also Asherah and obviously this is a reference to the forbidden worship of Her in the Bible: