#brythpol

Available via Search Engine

Polytheist Community Boards- Brythonic Polytheism (link) https://polytheistcommunity.boards.net/board/24/brythonic-polytheism. This is a forum that has discussions on Brythonic god/esses, daily life as a Brython, and a handy list of god/esses that one can do more research on.

Dun Brython- a website created for the Brythonic community, with the same name on Wordpress. Easily found via a search engine of your choice with keywords ‘Dun Brython’. Dunbrython.org (link: http://www.dunbrython.org/ ) is very useful, and has a calendar, essays on the gods, and other aspects of the faith, such as giants, faerie, and ancestor veneration.

Caer Feddwyd- also easily found via search engine. Dun Brython was planned and submissions were called for on this forum. Also has many conversations still accessible regarding Brythonic polytheism, which encapsulates... a lot. Would spend another week scrolling through here.

Books (Primarily Celtic- Recon, not specificallly Brython-centric)

The Religion of the Ancient Celts, by J.A. MacCulloch- I have the first rate publishers version. Honestly, I need glasses to get through it due to the small font size but it’s indispensable. Chapter titles are fairly accurate to what is covered in that chapter, but pages aren’t numbered.

Pagan Britain (2013), by Ronald Hutton- it’s similar to a textbook, which is good. It’s purely listed for its research value. Fairly advanced writing, the ‘notes’ section alone is 59 pages. I advise reading with either google, a dictionary, or both easily available. I wish I was joking. His Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain (2009) might be a bit more pagan-centric, but I’ve never read that, so I can’t very well advise others to. Note: Ronald Hutton is Big in research on paganism, both ancient and modern-day.

The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W.Y. Evens-Wentz. I like this mainly due to its ‘The Taking of Evidence’ section, which is a section of collected accounts of the Gentry, among other subjects. Ch. 10 is ‘The Testimony of Christianity’, which seems mainly to be a section devoted entirely to connecting polytheist beliefs to Purgatory. It’s from 1911, with a new foreword from 2004, so I mainly ignore ch. 10.

Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, by Miranda J. Green. Useful for quick reference, although organization might be a bit odd. (Such as searching for Camulus under ‘Mars Camulus’).

Books: Honorable Mentions

I haven’t read, nor do I own either of these, so I can’t really recommend them.

Blood and Mistletoe: The History of Druids in Britain, by Ronald Hutton. This sounds like it might be a bit more pagan-specific, but I’m not sure. However, I would read almost anything by him.

Pagan Celtic Britain, by Anne Ross. A bit outdated, but it seems to be favoured by other Recons, so?? It is said to be very dry, as well.

Honorable Mention: Search Engine

I’m devoting the year to an exploration of paganism and related paths, and this blog is part of that that journey. I’m hoping to use it as a place to ask questions and collect resources, among other things.

My main focus for the time being is Celtic paganism, due both to my heritage and my existing interest in the culture and folklore of the Celtic nations, although I’m also interested in broader-scope topics that relate to the pagan community as a whole as well.

Been feeling the need to get back into this blog and really get back into a steady devotional practice again lately. Struggling AS ALWAYS with reading and researching too much and hyperfocusing and comparing my UPG/theories to other well-learned polytheists' and feeling inadequate because I don't have the executive function to write properly-cited essays and stuff :/ Maybe recon polytheism isn't for me lol. I get so bogged down in the academic side (which I do love and I am good at, mind you) that I get burned out before I can even get to the devotional and ~personal spiritual exploration~ side!

So yeah... I'm being called by the gods to spend some actual time with them with my nose out of a book/blog/journal for a change, and I'm realising that I barely know how to do that, and certainly don't have much confidence in myself and my spiritual agency anymore :(

Kinda feels like I need to go strictly cold turkey on research for a while (I've amassed enough notes the last few years; I should be perfectly happy that what I believe is 99% evidence-based and I'm not just wildly making stuff up), and really go back to polytheist devotion 101 stuff. I haven't made any formal offerings in a really long time and haven't done a recon-style ritual, well, ever.

So uh... What is polytheist devotion 101 stuff? Does anyone have any tips for someone like me who thinks too much and doesn't DO nearly enough? For letting go of polytheist perfectionism? In some ways I feel like a beginner (which, to put a positive spin on things, is a fairly exciting place to be). Does anyone know of any good beginner's exercises/programmes/routines that could be applicable for a Gaulpol/Brythpol lacking in confidence and connection?

It’s Nos Galan Mai and I have Feelings.

Lament

And May Day is coming--I wish I could sing

As I did ere I named Him, my Winter Fae King!

"Your tears are more precious than riches untold

You can sing for Him still as the world turns to gold." 

So play on the organ that plays in my soul

A witch's sad song as the faery bells toll

They're mourning their King as the maypole weaves round