The Original
Tradition
To Restore the Wholeness of Life
Proof of Green Man as Near East Vegetation God (besides Celtic sources)
Green Man from Hatra, Iraq
(300 BCE)
Green Man from Syria
(500 CE)
Green Man of Thuret (France)
(around 1250 CE)
Reborn Green Man
(2008 CE)
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CHURCH OF THE MOTHER
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The Roots of the Green Man
from the beginning until modern times
Our True Identity
"In the beginning" was the Great Mother. Actually, She is the Cosmic Womb, Who is there from eternity. The Cosmic Womb is empty, an absolute Vacuum. In Her Bottomlessness everything - including the Divine - is being born, while continuously returning. In ancient times people understood this as the Law of the Universe, the dynamic balance between birth, the web of life and death. Spiritual life is to comply with this law: dying to the old, being reborn as a New Self, while fitting in in Her web of life - Heaven, earth and the (new) community - once again.
The Universal Source
The Original Great Mother
Few people realize, that the primordial Mother was (is) black. There is a similarity between the spiritual Truth - Darkness giving birth to the Light - and the origins in human history. Hasn't mankind emerged in Africa, after all? Hence, it is safe to assume, that our common female Divine Mother was black. Which means, that during many tens of thousands of years people worshipped the Black Mother*. Of these times no archeology is left, apart from the very archaic rock paintings a.o. in South Africa and the Sahara (at that time consisting of green land). Although hunters, gatherers and animals mostly are most prominent, the Mother is always at the background. The first wave of Mother-worshipping people coincides with the migration to (Old)Europe and Siberia (40.000-20.000 BCE). Think of e.g. the "Venus of Willendorf". It lasted until the beginnings of the Nubian/Egyptian civilization (5000 BCE) before we have seen Her re-emerging in Africa itself. Nut, the all-embracing "Sky" Mother represents the original Great Mother there. She gave birth to four children, the most famous among them being her daughter Isis. Through Isis first Canaan was "fertilized", while in later centuries She found Her Way to Greece and Rome, while through the latter spreading into Europe. It is without doubt, that She has been the role-model for the Black Madonna's. Hence, Christianity's uneasiness with them. In Africa itself the Great Mother of the Yoruba (Nigeria) is still very much present. She found Her way - through slavery - to the Western hemisphere (Brazil, Cuba, Haiti). Another memory of the Mother are the many historic African Queen Mothers, like the Queen Mother of the Akan (the Ashanti of Ghana). Both Christianity and Islam have tried to subsequently eradicate the Mother. Not quite successful though. In areas where the Traditional African Religion prevails, She, often as Goddesses, has managed to survive**.
* Because the Ultimate Truth and the African Black Mother are two sides of the same coin, we - whites and coloured people of the world - are invited to pay hommage to this unique fact. Going back - not only to the spiritual Origin, but also to our roots in Africa. She is the Mother of the whole of mankind, after all. I personally feel urged to contribute to the rehabilitation/revival of the African Mother as the Universal Great Mother of the world!
** See also: Ivan van Sertima "Black Women of Antiquity", 2002
Transaction Publishers and Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum "Dark Mother", African
Origins and Godmothers, 2001, Authors Choice Press.
Originally, everything belonged to the Realm of the Mother. The problem with these
archaic times is, that there weren't written records yet. Take Sumeria as our second
example. At the time written records appeared, the Mother already had "given birth to
Heaven and earth". So Samuel Kramer writes*: "Fourth among the creating deties
was the Mother-Goddess, Ninhursag, also known as Ninmah, "the exalted lady". In
an earlier day this Goddess was probably of even higher rank (compared to Her male
colleagues HMS), and Her name often preceded that of Enki (one of the Sumerian Gods HMS)
when the four Gods were listed together for one reason or another. Her name may originally
have been Ki, (Mother Earth) and She was probably taken to be the consort of An,
"Heaven" - An and Ki thus may have been concieved as the parents of all the
Gods. She was also known as Nintu, "the Lady Who gave birth". The early Sumerian
rulers liked to describe themselves as "constantly nourished by Ninhursag with
milk" (....)**. She was regarded as the Mother of all living things, the
Mother-Goddess pre-eminent. In one of Her myths, She plays an important role in the
creation of man, and in another She starts a chain of divine births in Dilmun, the
paradise of the Gods".
* S.Kramer "The Sumerians", 1971 The University of Chicago Press ** The astonishing thing is, that this idea has survived until recent times. It went from Sumer to Canaan (Mother Goddess Asherah/Astarte) and from Canaan to Cyprus, where She was transformed into Aphrodite (and Adonis). First of all, there is the church of Panagia Aphroditissa, meaning the church of Mary Aphrodite. There is also the "Panagia Chrysorrogiatissa" church, dedicated to the "Our Lady of the Golden Pomgranate", symbolizing the nurtering breast of the Virgin Mary", while until recently women of the Kouklia village (near Paphos) lit candles in honour of the Panagia Galaktariotissa, the "Virgin who gives milk". Apart from Cyprus, the image of the Sumerian breast-nurturing Mother-Goddess has been found at several other places, as well, f.i. Sardinia.
Adam as the prototype of The Green Man
While God was condemning Eve in the Garden of Eden, Adam shouted in protest "She is the Mother of all living". It proves that not only women resisted early patriarchy, but men did so, as well. Adam resisted God and emphasized his deepest insight, namely, that the Great Mother and not God is the Primordial Origin of existence. It also means, that Adam himself didn't believe the fairy tale about "Eve taken from Adam's rib". On the contrary, he fully acknowledged Her as his Birthgiver. It makes Adam the ultimate hero of all men.
Enki
S. Kramer once again: "Dilmun is a land that is "pure",
"clean", and "bright", a "land of the living" which knows
neither sickness nor death. What is lacking, however, is the fresh water so essential to
animal and plant life. The great Sumerian Water-God, Enki, therefore orders Utu, the
Sun-God, to fill it with fresh water brought up from the earth. Dilmun is thus turned into
a divine garden, green with fruit-laden fields and meadows. Furthermore Enki is known as
the God of Wisdom, the "resourceful, skillful, handy and wise". He is the first
God who is creating a World Order, a civilization, something that later on is copied by
Osiris and Dionysos.* His being the precursor of a dying and resurrected Vegetation God is
furthermore illustrated by the tale, in which Enki eats "forbidden fruits from
Ninhursags garden" (....)**, whereupon the angered Ninhursag pronounces the curse of
death upon him. She subsequently disappears. Immediately after, Enki's health begins to
fail, eight of his organs become sick. A fox manages to bring the Mother-Goddess back, the
latter healing dying Enki. She seats him by Her vulva, and after inquiring which organs
ache, She brings into existence eight corresponding healing deities, and Enki is brought
back to life and health.
* See under.
** Compare with the biblical Garden of Eden story. Here you can see how the process of patriachalization worked: things were simply put upside down.
Divine couples
Inanna/Dumuzi (Tammuz)
Later the (Mother) Goddesses systematically "delegated" aspects of their
Being to men. Hence, men becoming "Vegetation Gods". Their role was to protect
the seasonal cycle, while safeguarding the harvest. They did this by dying in autumn,
while being resurrected in spring. The land was considered the realm of the Mother. That's
why in this era the men acted as servants of the latter. The first man in written history
to do so was the shepherd Dumuzi. He was the lover of Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth
(of Sumeria), also called The Green One. It was She who first descended into the
Underworld to die in order to be resurrected. After Her return She needed a substitute in
order to guarantee the continuation. She chose Dumuzi. He is the second-important
precursor of The Green Man. His influence can be traced toward the West, contributing to
the myth of Baal* and to the East, where he possibly played a role in the early Harappa
culture of the Indus delta.
* See under.
Isis/Osiris
Influenced by Mesopotamia, the myth of Osiris originated in Egypt. Here again men
sacrificed themselves in relation to the Feminine Principle: Isis. She still had many
qualities of the Original Great Mother, e.g. like Inanna She was called Mother of all,
Queen of Heaven and Earth and The Green Goddess. Her Lover-God was Osiris. While Isis
symbolized the land (Nile), Osiris was the God of the floods, fertilizing the plains of
Egypt. He was therefore called "The Green Thing". Moreover, he was the initiator
and benefitter of civilization, very much envied by his brother Seth. This symbolizes the
struggle between fecundity and aridity. Seth kills Osiris, putting him in a chest and
having him floated down the Nile. Isis - in great grief - started to search him, finding
him in Byblos, Canaan. Seth - also being after him - found the body, cut it into fourteen
pieces and scattered it in all directions. Again Isis found all pieces, reconstituting
them together. After his resurrection Osiris took care of pro-creation (Horus), while
subsequently becoming the Lord of the Underworld. Isis/Osiris were very popular in the
Roman Empire, including Western Europe. They even managed to exist together with
Christianity. Their temple in Soissons (north of Paris) was closed in 550 CE!
Anat/Baal
Excavations, starting in the thirties of last century in Ugarit, Canaan, revealed a
great deal about the Vegetation God Baal and his Sister/Lover, the Goddess Anat. Anne
Baring says the following about him: "The Canaanite Baal, son of "the bull
El" (in turn son of the Original Mother HMS), father of the Gods, was the slayer of
the serpent, but he was also a fertility God, who brought rain from heaven. Like Marduk
(Babylonian God HMS), the lightning bolt was his weapon, and the bull was the animal that
embodied his creative power on earth. Drought was the great natural enemy of the
Canaanites, as flood was of the Sumerians. Baal's descent into the Underworld caused the
death of the crops, and his rescue by Anat, his sister and consort, regenerated him. Like
Tammuz (Dumuzi, see above), who also goes to the Underworld, Baal continued to be the
dying and resurrected Son/Lover of the Goddess, Anat, his sister-wife, Goddess of the dew,
who went in search of him, defeating the God Mot, symbol of drought. Baal returns to life
"as the sprouting corn". Later, as part of their overall extermination program
of the Canaanite Mother religion, the Hebrews, through Elijah and ordered by Yahweh,
murdered 450 priests of Baal. The priestesses of Anat (Astarte) however, were still too
powerful and they had to let them go. In fact, the Goddesses of Canaan were so
influential, that they still occupied a central space in the great Temple of Jerusalem,
until this was terminated by Joshua (517 BCE).
Cerridwin/Bran
In Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Brittany (France) Celtic culture is still very much
present, experiencing a revival in modern times. However, the myths of the dying and
resurrected Vegetation God came originally from the Bronze Age, preceding the invasion of
the Celts. The big surprise is, that at that time Canaanites (later bearing their Greek
name of "Phoenicians") visited the British Isles by boat, as part of their trade
efforts, eventually settling down there as well. It was them who took their tales about
Baal and Anat (Astarte/Asherah) with them to Western Europe. After their invasion the
Celts refrained from destroying the old culture*. On the contrary, they integrated major
parts in their own mythology and customs. Their Mother Goddess was Cerridwin, also
symbolized by the "Cauldron of Abundance". Cerridwin's priest were the Druids,
like the priests of Baal venerating the Tree of Life (another title of Astarte). Actually,
the Cauldron reminds of the earliest times of the Great Mother, in which She still
possessed all qualities of existence. Hence, the Cauldron being the Primordial Vessel,
through which Celtic warriors experienced death and resurrection. King Bran of Britain is
their archetype. His head is cut off (death of vegetation) and subsequently preserved on a
secret island**. There he lives on, symbolizing the ever-vital power of nature. Later King
Arthur - see under - as the last matriarchal King will be completing the story.
* Also, because the Celts originally came from the Near East (Galatia, Turkey)! They had thus similar Eastern concepts of their own. A fact that tend to be forgotten e.g. assuming the "Celtic roots"exclusively in Central Europe or even in Ireland, only.
** This theme is repeated in the myth of the Shiite Redeemer El Mahdi and that of the Priest-King Prester John. See under.
Some additional remarks. First of all, we are very grateful for having found the original Great Mother story in (pre)Celtic culture. Especially in Ireland the origins (Tuatha Dé Danaan)* can be traced back. For instance, the Great Mother ("Sheela-na-gig") can still be found in churches, monasteries and castles. Celtic Christianity integrated old "pagan" elements, rather than destroying it. It means, that the Irish - despite their tremendous suffering in later centuries - still have the Original Archetype in their collective unconscious. This precious gem - once revived - could become a major role model e.g. taking the lead in greening the world. The same is true for the Green Man in Britain. It is amazing how he became a major part of the culture. However, we strongly feel, that the Green Man is universal. Actually, the British Green Man is a later development of the archaic Vegetation God, having originated in the Middle East (Bronze Age). Just like the Irish Mother, the Green Man (Her original Son/Lover) could become a poweful tool in efforts to greening the planet. Secondly, rather than being limited to folklore only (as is usually the case), we see it as our aim to emphasize the original meaning of the Green Man by going back to the Source. From there, we are renewing the tradition, as you may see here on this page. Thirdly, unlike the practices of Pagan and Wicca groups, we go beyond images, rituals and magic. To us, the Green Man represents a deep(er) spiritual Truth. He is not only intimately related to the Great Mother, but also the archetype that could possibly "save the world". He confronts everyone of us with the necessity of "dying to the old", being reborn as a New Self, while becoming part of the Whole - Heaven, earth and the (new) community - once again.
* Meaning "The people of Dana", the latter being the primordial Mother of pre-Celtic Irish and he Mother of Daghda, the FatherGod of Ireland. Dana is related to Anat, the MotherGoddess of Canaan and/or Ana-tolia ("land of the Mother). The Irish are possibly linked to both. The first may have come to Ireland through the Phoenicians (the Greek name for Canaanites), while the latter could have been transmitted through a Celtic tribe in Galatia (now Turkey).
Cybele/Attis
Cybele is the "Mother of Gods" from Pessinus, Turkey. She is e.g.
symbolized by a black meteorite (Coming from the Dark Night of the Mother), the same
symbol later used for the Ka'aba, Jesus (Ruusbroec's "Shining Stone") and the
Stone of Alchemy. Her festivals were wild, ecstatic and - to outsiders - shocking. Her
priests often castrated themselves, as a sign of total surrender. In later times She was
adopted first by the Greeks, while later becoming the Magna Mater of the Roman Empire.
Both the May Pole festivals of Europe as well as Carnival are said to be the modern
successors of Her worship. Her Son-Lover was called Attis. There are many different
legends about his origins. Crucial is: "Whenever their origin, the relationship
between Cybele and Attis confirms once again the image of the sacred marriage between the
Goddess and the God or King who once personified the year God and was sacrificed and
dismembered in person or in mime at the spring fertility ritual. Whether the Son-Lover is
Attis, Dionysos or Zagreus, the imagery of dismemberment and death followed by
resurrection is the same" (Anne Baring). It confirms my thesis, that sacrificing
oneself to the benefit of the Whole is deeply engrained in the masculine genes. To take up
his original role is the challenge of modern times. The renewal of the culture will only
take place, if the process of emanicipation, initiated by women, will be subsequently
taken over by men.
Mary/Jesus
That the Mary Magdalene/Jesus story, in fact, was a continuation of the line of all
above mentioned predessessors, was the greatest horror to patriarchs like Peter, Paul and
all the others, something that had to be suppressed at all costs. It explains the
Churches' panic with the publication of the Da Vinci Code. However, the latter is
harmless, compared to the REAL secret beyond. First of all, Mary was an independent,
wealthy woman, who - before she met Jesus - had free love with several men. This is not
corresponding with the "lifestyle" of Hebrew women. Actually, this would have
been unthinkable. What they do tell us, is that Mary was a Canaanite. Secondly, we know
that among the Canaanites the Goddess religion went underground, but was still alive.
Especially well educated people (women) practised the rituals. Considering her position
and way of life Mary Magdalene may well have been a priestess of the Old Religion.
Priestesses were very keen on finding men, who met the old ideal of Vegetation God. She
found it in Jesus. So what had Jesus done during the time he had disappeared? Why he had
to keep secret about his whereabouts? No other religion was so much hated like the
Canaaite religion. The explanation could be, that he had his learning process with Mary
and other women. After passing his examination he subsequently was anointed by the
priestess, Mary.
The Green Man
Tree of Life/Foliage
After the early Church fathers had thoroughly stamped out the Old Mother Religion, the
memory went on in disguise, e.g. "neutral symbols" were used to hide the
underlying reality. One of the most popular was the "Tree of Life". It is
probably as old as mankind, used by both the Sumerian Goddess Inanna as well as the
Canaanite Asherah/Astarte. Hence, trees e.g. leaves became hidden references to the
Goddess. Since the relationship between the Goddess and Her Son-Lover had become a great
taboo, the Vegetation God had to continue without his Divine Partner. So, he became
"independent".(Mostly, but not entirely, as we will see). Originally, any
resemblance with Christ - the latter being the only resurrected One - had to be avoided.
Christ had redeemed mankind, hence The Green Man identified himself with the other realm
of existence, nature (which had been his "focus of interest" throughout the
centuries, anyway). Taking into account, that "nature" was the anti-Christ
perse, indeed equal to the Devil, it proves that the Church wasn't able to totally
eradicate the old Vegetation God. Rural people continued to practice their
"pagan" rituals until very recently. So, The Green Man, together with the
typical foliage in and around him, was tolerated as artistic ornament in churches all over
Europe, especially in England, France and Germany.
Hinduism
Study of Hinduism still reveals the underlying Truth of the Great Mother. It is unique in
this regard. Central in its philosophy stands the "Law of the Universe", the
dynamic equilibrium between creation, preservation and destruction. Most people think,
that these three functions are represented by the three main Gods: Brahman, Visnu and
Shiva. Few know, that these aspects originally belonged to the Indian Great Mother:
MahaDevi (or MahanMatri)*. She is the Cosmic Womb, the Great Void (nirguna), from Which
the Law of the Universe originates. Hence, in ancient times these aspects were all part of
the Mother. Several myths (Devi-bhagavata- Purana) make clear, that the Gods act on behalf
of the Mother, only. Obviously, the Mother has both beneficial as well as terrifying
appearences. In later times, these aspects were manifested in separate Goddesses, of which
Kali is the most famous one. What is of interest here is, that in Hinduism the entire
"primordial order" of The Eternal Feminine, together with Her "Sons"
is still intact. The difference, though, is, that while in Mesopotamia (and later in the
West) the emphasis lies on the Mother and one Son, the latter unifying both death and
rebirth, in India these functions were given to three separate Gods**. Hence, it is
difficult to describe one of them as "Green Man". Actually, the original
archetype is represented by all three together.
* Before MahaDevi, the Original Mother was known as Aditi or "Mother of the Gods". She possibly is the link between the Middle-Eastern Mother, the Indus or Harappa culture and Hinduism.
** Still later - as patriarchy proceeded - everything was turned upside down: the Gods claimed highest authority, while the Goddesses occupying a lower rank, mediating between the former and the world. She degenerated from the Ultimate Void into the "energy-aspect" (sakti) of male supremacy.
Lao Tzu
The culture, originated in Mesopotamia didn't only spread to India, but also to
neighbouring countries. Its successor in China was Taoism. It may thus not come as a
surprise, that early Taoism started in the Western regions. Hence, the main Taoist Mother
Goddess is called Mother Goddess of the Western Kings. Ever since "the West"
(Mesopotamia) is something magic in Chinese myths. It even includes Buddhist writings
about the coming of the future Buddha. It is said, that he will start his teaching in the
"Western forest". No one less than Lao Tzu also speaks of the Original Paradise.
He considers it as his mission to restore the lost Wholeness of those times. Few scholars
acknowledge, that Lao Tzu refers to the times of the Mother. In her outstanding articles
E.Chen* elaborates on a different interpretation of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. In short,
she states that the Tao is really the Original Mother, something we - totally independent
from her - had already proposed some ten years ago**. The Tao is the Valley, the Dark
Abbyss, the Cosmic Womb, giving birth to Heaven and Earth (yang and yin), the latter in
their turn being the origin of the "ten thousand things". Lao Tzu is actually
the Son-Lover of the Great Mother, doing everything that is in his power to restore Her
Orginal Reign. He is The Great Green Man of Chinese culture. Later the situation changed a
little. Rather than accepting "the cycle of birth and death" Taoist sages
started to pursue "immortality" with the help of the Tao.
* E.Chen "Nothingness and the Mother Principle in early Chinese Taoism" and "Tao as the Great Mother and the influence of Motherly Love in the shaping of Chinese Philosophy".
Buddha/Tara/Maitreya
"Sakyamuni attained Full Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree". It is
something that is central to every devout Buddhist. Few ask themselves, why it was exactly
under a Bodhi Tree, that the Buddha got enlightened. Initiates in His Story as presented
here, will quickly guess, that the Bodhi Tree just represents the ancient Tree of Life
e.g. the Original Mother. So, did the Bodhi Tree "help the Buddha" in achieving
his goal? If so, the Buddha himself wasn't that grateful for Her assistence. On the
contrary, he had stressed over and over again, that "attainment" was the fruit
of self-effort only. Something that worked for 2500 years. In our self-centered greedy
culture "self-effort" deteriorated into egoism, though. Hence, the era of
Sakyamuni has come to a close. While the Buddha had declared, that "one must avoid
feminine creatures like the plague", later developments - as happened in other
patriarchal religions as well - couldn't stop the re-entrance of female deties in the
pantheon, especially in Tantric Buddhism. The Green Tara is considered a fully realized
Buddha. A central concept in Buddhism is "Nirvana" or "Emptiness beyond
Emptiness" as being the Ultimate Reality. This idea corresponds fully with the
pre-Buddhist insight of the Cosmic Womb. However, in order to get rid of the memory of the
Mother, the original meaning was eradicated by giving it a neutral, abstract name. This
should not be mixed up with the "Womb of all Buddha's" of the Prajnaparamita
Sutra. Here it means Enlightenment or first grade Emptiness (only). Summarizing: with
regard to The Green Man, Buddhism shows a confusing picture. We have to wait for the
coming of the next Buddha - Maitreya - of whom many say, that he is already among
us.....for getting things straight*.
* See: Great Mother Buddhism
Dionysos
Dionysos is "difficult to approach". The main reason is, that he is a
composed God. He is one of the few Greek God's, who has his roots outside of Greece. In
fact, many of his aspects are borrowed from Osiris. To our His Story he is an important
man, because he includes many archaic elements. First of all, he is called
"dimetor", which means "twice-mothered": born from an earthly mother
Semele and later reborn through the God Zeus*. He is thus half Divine and half human, a
theme we encounter once again in the stories about Jesus. Actually, Christianity copied
various elements from the Dionysos cult. The latter consisting of widespread ecstatic
worship, very similar to that of Cybele. While in Cybele's worship male priests castrated
themselves (later: celibacy...), with Dionysos one sees the opposite: wild women, who in
madness devour animals in order to unite with Dionysos. Two sides of the same coin. It
confirms Dionysos as having (strong) links with the Old Mother Religion. Furthermore, he
was slain by the Titans and resurrected through the support of the Goddess! Athena. As a
typical Vegetation God he took care of agriculture, in particular that of the vineyard.
His focus on wine and drunkenness is (possibly) related to the need to forget the pain of
paradise lost of the Mother. Here again the parallel with Jesus. Both - because of the
link with pre-patriarchal times - were extremely women-friendly. Another aspect is rather
intriguing as well: his ability to easily change identity. People who have attained
Ultimate Reality - and he has been "thrice-born" (trigonos)** - can shift their
manifestation easily. It may have depended on the dangerous situation he was in, as a
supporter of women's interests. Conclusion: Dionysos was certainly one of the most heroic
Green Men in His Story.
* Initiates in The Original Tradition are also "twice-mothered": raised by their biological mother and reborn through the Cosmic Mother.....
** See: Threefold Realization.
Al Khidr/Al Mahdi
A surprise comes from Islam. There they venerate a
saint, called Khidr. "Khidr literally means 'The Green One', representing freshness
of spirit and eternal liveliness, green symbolizing the freshness of knowledge “drawn
out of the living sources of life.” Whatever the source for this green may be, it has
come to symbolize the benign presence of the divine wisdom as imparted by the Divine
Himself to Khidr and to Prophet Muhammad. Qur'ânic commentators say that al-Khidr ('The
Green Man' of pre-Islamic lore) is one of the prophets; others refer to him simply as an
angel who functions as a guide to those who seek God. And there are yet others who argue
for his being a perfect wali meaning the one whom God has taken as a friend. Khidr
is associated with the Water of Life (after having crossed the Land of Darkness HMS).
Since he drank the water of immortality he is described as the one who has found the
source of life, 'the Eternal Youth.' He is the mysterious guide and immortal saint in
popular Islamic lore and the hidden initiator of those who walk the mystical path. In the
Muslim tradition Khidr is alive and well and continues to guide the perplexed and those
who invoke his name". (From www.khidr.org). The
twelfth imam of the Shiites - al Mahdi, the hidden one, who is said to be the next
Redeemer - would also have a connection with the color green.
The Maya Green GodKing (Mexico)
Many links connect the indigenous people's of Mexico
with Asia. For instance, the central Deity is the Cosmic Mother giving birth to the
"First Father". This "First Father" is the prototype of both Gods (of
Corn, the Waters etc.) and GodKings (Pakal). Like in Sumeria these Gods are Vegetation
Gods, which means that they are seasonal. Every year they die in the Mother's Womb in
order to become reborn. The Maya seem to originate in Western China. Memory of Mesopotamia
might have been there. The astonishing similarities between Mayan temples and the Sumerian
Ziggurat is striking. Both cultures developed astronomy/astrology to an incredible hight.
Jade as sacred stone is another link. The tripod vessel (pot), in Chinese called
"Ding", originally a sacred vessel symbolizing the Mother's Womb has its
counterpart with the Maya's. Some are even decorated with "death and rebirth"
scenes on it. A joint memory of the Big Flood can be added to that. While ancient Near
Eastern tradition has been transformed by subsequent European developments - Christianity,
the Dark Ages, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Rationalism, Romanticism and Modernity - sources
from the Origin have survived with Maya culture relatively unspoilt (except the effects of
Spanish conquest). Although I studied the ancients for decades, I have never seen such an
intact ancient World View like that of the Maya's. Its relevance for World Transformation
is unparalleled. I have extensively elaborated on it*.
* See: Maya Calendar End-Date
Green Man in the Dark Ages
Julian "the Apostate" can be mentioned here. As Roman Emperor he denounced
Christianity in favor of the ancient Mother religion. To him Cybele was the Mother of the
Gods.* However, this did not last. After him Christianity step by step got its grip on
society, once again. Crusades against the "pagans" and their "nature
worship" were its utmost priority. This chilling excerpt has been taken from
W.Anderson "Green Man". "A woman is taking an axe to a tree. From the crown
of the tree two heads rise up aghast at what she is doing. They are the spirits of the
sacred tree. A bishop stands to one side blessing her action; there are other people
marvelling as they look on. This scene is shown in a twelfth-century manuscript of the
life of St.Amand who, five centuries earlier, had brought about the destruction of sacred
groves and oaks. According to the story the woman was a pagan and she also was blind; when
St.Amand converted her, he put an axe into her hand and told her to cut down the tree.
When she had done so, her sight was restored to her. The story is a parable of a process
that has been called the greatest psychic revolution in the history of our culture. This
was the victory of Christianity over Paganism, in particular over the cults of the tree
and the sacred spring. The revolution was, I believe, to have a profound effect on the
later development of the Green Man. The woman who has her sight restored by chopping down
the sacred tree is an emblem of humanity beginning to see and interpret Nature in a new
way. If the Green Man signifies the relationship of man to Nature, then the way in which
he is portrayed will change with changes in that relationship. He does indeed change
during the Dark Ages, because it was in this period that he took on fully his new form as
the disgorger and devourer of vegetation".
* Around 200 BCE the Romans introduced the Magna Mater as an attempt to save the old order. The attempt of Julian is a last heroic effort - before Christianity definitively took over - to emphasize the Mother as the Ultimate Reality.
King Arthur
The secret of King Arthur is that he was the
last matriarchal King of Britain. It explains, why he lost his last battle against foreign
(patriarchal) invaders. It marks the end of an era in which the Great Mother still had a
great deal of influence. That's why the legend said, that he started loosing interest in
his wife Guinivere. The latter was subsequently kidnapped by Lancelot, being a
representative of the new individualistic and self-centered culture. It also explains why
Arthur at last became "weak". He simply lost his credit as a Vegetation
God/King. An additional story is that of the Green Knight. Three knights are asked to
behead a gnome. In exchange the gnome (after taking his head back) would invite the
knights to suffer the same treatment. Two knights refuse, but the third one, the Green
Knight, kneeled down while exposing his neck. The gnome hit only with the backside of his
axe, thus saving his life. Contrary to Arthur, the Green Knight knew intuitively about the
resurrection that follows death. Hence, he - as one of the last - symbolizes the Old
Tradition.
Hildegard von Bingen
An excursion is made to Hildegard of Bingen, the visionary abbess from Germany
(11th century). She could have been a man (joke), because she was of a
"difficult" character, while being dictatorial to her disciple-nuns. The other
side of the coin is, that she also was very courageous, coming forward with concepts the
Church wasn't particular happy with. One of her ideas is "viriditas", meaning
that God is "greening" the entire existence with His Presence. Moreover, to her
Jesus was A Green Man.
Green Man in the Romanesque Period
This was a time of hope in which The Green Man returned accordingly. In the beginning he
appeared as Cernunnos, the Celtic Vegetation God (Church of St.Pierre at Moissac).
Sculptors - part of common people still reminding the original Great Mother and her
Son-Lover - became more and more daring, bringing in ancient motives, like the Tree of
Life, all kinds of animals and abundant vegetation. Not surprisingly thus, that they
started carving images of The Green Man as well. The meaning was often double. On the one
hand it symbolized the connection with the natural world, which should not be forgotten,
on the other hand the Church would see them as a warning. Don't become entangled in the
flesh, attachment and pleasure. Both sides accepted a compromise. However, sometimes
images - like that of the Sheela-na-Gig (Kilpeck, England 1130) - really come as a
(big) surprise. The figure is a naked woman, displaying her genitals openly and boldly. It
means that the Church - even at this time - has not been able to fully eradicate the
memory of the Great Mother. Elswhere women (Goddeses) have vegetation coming out of their
vulva. At the same time the images of The Green Man started appearing more and more,
together with the cult of the Black Madonna's. The latter as a "re-incarnation"
of Isis e.g. Cybele, whose worship had been spread over Europe in the period before, after
all. Thus, The Green Man still representing Osiris, Attis and Adonis and
hesitantly.....Christ reborn. The former slowly growing to a new prominence.
Parzival
Only one time in history the original myth
would re-appear. It is an absolute highlight. Many have heard of it, but a few have
grasped the real meaning. The centre of the legend is the search for the Grail. There are
various versions of the tale: early British, the French version of Chretien de Troyes and
the German version of Wolfram von Eschenbach. The core of the story is the restoration of
the Eternal Feminine through the new Vegetation God. In the course of time the God/Kings
had forgotten their relationship with the Great Mother. They increasingly ruled the
country in their own right. It is the reason, that the land had turned into a wasteland.
The old King is called Amfortas, the "Fisher-King". He refuses to die as a true
Son-Lover of the Mother-Goddess - making space for the new King to come - but is at the
same time unable to pro-create himself: "He has a wound in the groin", symbol of
the impotent ego. That's why he can only be redeemed by somebody, who is worthy to succeed
him, e.g. the one who is prepared to take up his role as the original Vegetation God/King.
All signs are auspicious for Parzival to be the next King. First of all, his mother is
Herzeloyde, "clear as the light of the sun". She gives birth to Parzival, while
her husband is absent. It suggests a "parthenogenesis", the original quality of
the primordial Mother, who is giving birth without interference of a masculine principle.
It is a confirmation of the very ancient source of the legend. Furthermore, the name
"Parzival" means "The One who has gone through the Valley". The Valley
stands for Womb or Great Mother. Parzival knows the Original Mother, indeed reconnects to
"the beginning of times". He is also called The Green One*. In the British
versions his mission is to bring the land back under the sovereignty of the Eternal
Feminine. He is doing this by finding the Grail. The Grail stands for the Cosmic Womb or
Original Great Mother, the Vessel of ever-flowing abundance. In Wolfram's version the
emphasis lies on the initiation he went through. He started as an ambitious (ego-centric,
patriarchal) knight, only to be moulded through countless challenges and obstacles into a
worthy Son-Lover of the Mother. And not only that. Only after have grown mature - which is
not contradictory to the previous! - as an integrated personality, who, from his own
(painful) experiences recognizes, that compassion is the supreme and only way "to
meaningfully functioning in this world", he eventually redeems Amfortas, while taking
his place as the next King.
* Green is a dominant color in the Parzival legend. Eight of the women who serve Amfortas "have clothes greener than gras", while having flowers in their hair. The Grail itself is resting on a beautiful oriental! green silk towel. Other sources say, that the Grail itself is made from (green) emerald (just like the scepter of Prester John, see under). Also think of the "Emerald Buddha" of Bangkok, Thailand.
Spiritual Knights
The idea of "sacrificing yourself" for the sake of the Whole found its
follow-up in the ascetic movement of early Christianity. Inspired by the old Vegetation
Gods (and later by Hinduism and Buddhism) hermits retreated into the desert. There they
practised rather austere forms of fasting and praying. Its aim deviated from the old
ideal: it was limited to personal salvation, only. The original impulse revived in the
Middle Ages, though. Knighthood had two branches: worldly and spiritual. In both cases the
ancient connection with the Feminine was restored, a real miracle, considering the
influence of the Church on all areas of life. The former dedicated its life to a living
Lady, while the latter revered a religious symbol. Both vowed a life of service. King
Alfonso X "El Sabio" of Spain has to be mentioned. He dedicated his whole life
(1252-84) to the Virgin, which he celebrated through his famous "Cantiguas de Santa
Maria". The most outspoken figure in this regard was the southern German mystic
Heinrich Seuse (Suso, 1300). He called himself the Servant (of "Eternal Wisdom"
which symbolizes The Eternal Feminine). The Cistercienzers with their founder Bernard of
Clairveaux can be considered as part of the movement as well. It started with the
initiative of William of Thierry, who claimed that women nuns should occupy a dominant
position in religious life. Later, Bernard held its famous "Sermons of the Virgin
Mary", which in fact was a concealed effort to revive the old Mother tradition. The
Teutonic Order has to be mentioned, as well. Although being an instrument in the hands of
the Church, conquering and destroying "pagan" peoples, it dedicated itself to
the Virgin Mary. An example of the fact, that veneration of the Feminine not always leads
to a morally just behaviour. Too little is known about the secret beliefs of the Templars
(who received their monastic rule from Bernard...), the warrior-monks of the 13th/14th
century. However, their relationship with the Holy Grail and a cult object, called
"Baphomet", a face with horns, suggesting links with the original Vegetation
God, might explain why the Templars at last were persecuted (apart from jalousy with their
wealth) by the Church and destroyed.
Prester John
"Prester John" is about the legend of a Priest-King who resided over a Kingdom
in the East. He was a man of great wealth and power, possibly populated with all manner of
mythical beasts. Prester John was also commonly said to have been a descendant of the
Three Wise Men, who popularized gold, frankincense and myrrh by presenting these gifts to
the Baby Jesus. He supposedly carried a scepter carved from pure emerald. In Wolfram's
Parzival, Prester John is mentioned as being the son of a Grail maiden and Feirefiz, the
(oriental) half-brother of Parzival. Through the crusades people very much phantasized
about the exotic East. F.i. it was known, that Apostle Thomas was said to have
founded a Christian community in India, among other places. "From this vague sort of
root, the idea of Prester John grew. It's not clear what actually and truly sparked the
legend, but around the middle of the 12th century, a series of letters from purportedly
found their way to the court ofPope Alexander III". These letters were
allegedly from the Prester himself, describing the paradise Kingdom he had founded
somewhere off in the "East." "Several documents claiming to be versions of
these letters are part of the historical record, but most of them are dated to the late
Middle Ages, a period of notorious historical revisionism and outright fraud. The letters
contain remarkable descriptions of Prester John's kingdom. Prester John's adventures
included warriors riding to battle on elephants; encounters with cannibals , pygmies and
Amazons; and the locations of the Fountain of Youth and the Garden of Eden (....); battles
with horned three-eyed humans; unicorns and phoenixes; and fabulous wealth".(See
also: www.rotten.com). A few things make Prester John
a popular representative of The Green Man. He resembles Osiris and Dionysos, who also
"went to India", like them "building civilization". Furthermore, the
longing for the Original Paradise, ( linked to the times of the Mother), the dominance of
the color Green and the title of Priest-King, which corresponds with those of the
Vegetation Gods.
Robin Hood
In the course of time the reality of the Vegetation God became more and more
diluted. His His Story slowly disappeared out of the minds of the people. Only phantasy
tales (Prester John) remained. Increasingly, his image became popularized. It had to serve
the escape-world of oppressed people. Something that fed their dreams, forgetting the
harsh world they lived in. Not surprisingly thus, that later in the Middle Ages, a hero
emerged, who's aim it was to bring relief among the peasants. Robbering the rich, while
distributing wealth among the poor was his way to balance "death and rebirth".
Because of his hidden life in the forests - his original name was Robin of the Woods - he
is associated with Green and the vegetation (although he wasn't decorated with foliage).
Because of the immense popularity Robin Hood was able to bridge medieval and modern times.
The Essence of the Green Man cannot be explained by his manifestations (carvings, rituals, folklore); rather the manifestations can only be explained by their Essence....
Usually, the artefact - of the foliate head - is taken as the real thing. In that case it is good to realize, that the carvings are only an expression of a Living Reality Beyond. Instead of judging everything according to its superficial appearence - "everything that is not a foliate head is not a Green Man" (that's what they say) - a search for the underlying spiritual Truth seems to be "equally" rewarding. This can only be achieved through spiritual Realization e.g. to find the Green Man in your own innermost core. You then come to the conclusion, that the Green Man is a symbol of Immanent Transcendence, penetrating e.g.embracing the whole of existence. The Green Man is Divine e.g. successor of the ancient Vegetation Gods. His Essence is Formlessness. Formlessness is including all forms, that's why the manifestation of the Green Man changes according to necessity and situation. It is not fixed to one kind of expression only. It is the deeper meaning of the Green Man as a trickster. Take one shape as an absolute criterion (like many authors do) and you miss the point. Do you want to know the Truth yourself? Go within and find the Green Man there!
Green Man in the Gothic Period
The Gothic Period constitutes the highlight of The Green Man. He appears in almost all
famous Gothic Cathedrals, in particular in France (Chartres, St.Denis, Sens, Bourges,
Reims, Dijon, Poitiers), Germany (Freiburg, Trier, Marburg, Bamberg) and England
(Winchester, Southwell, Exeter, Norwich, Lincoln). His head is mostly carved with foliage.
Again W.Anderson: "These three Green Man heads on the South Portal (of the Cathedral
of Chartres) set a pattern, I believe, for the future development in Europe of the image.
Just as the column statues standing behind them marked a further stage onwards from those
of the Royal Portal in conveying a new sense of the individuality of the soul - which was
to be followed by Reims and elswhere. Furthermore, the leaves that issue from them are in
each case recognizable as those of particular species: they are the oak, the acanthus and
the vine. To understand the significance of finding recognizable plant species here, we
have to go back sixty or seventy years to the first appearence of the Gothic style of
St.Denis. There the theme of associating vegetation with sin underwent a transformation as
the sculptors undertook a purer copying of classical models. At Sens, the next great
centre of early Gothic, the capitals are carved with simple and beautiful ideal plant
shapes that suggest a similarity with the art of Ancient Egypt or, as though under the
influence of Neo-Platonic thought, they were meant to signify the eternal ideas of
vegetation. This was to be followed in the later twelfth century by the sculptors of the
nave of Notre-Dame de Paris where - since the first time of Roman imperial art but with a
wholly different purpose - they began to portray definite and recognizable species of
plants carved with delight and enjoyment as signs of the goodness of creation."
(Pre)Modern times
Another major change came with the entry into modern times. This started with the
Reformation. W.Anderson: "While in the previous era The Green Man was a symbol of
harmony between the laws of Nature and the laws of humanity, the stern leaders of the
Reformation disturbed that balance by attempting to crush popular ceremonies such as those
of May Day in which much of the old vegetation rituals survived. Behind the success of
Protestantism in the North lay powerful economic forces which required an even greater
exploitation of natural resources: the extension of mining, the introduction of draining
on a vast scale, the construction of canals, the rise of what was to become the chemical
industry - as well as the part played by Protestant Holland and England in the
exploitation arising from the newly discovered routes to Africa and the Indies. All of
these depended on a necessary divorce between man and Nature in the course of which man
became increasingly the manipulator and violator of Nature. The object of all these
endeavours was increased productivity and fruitfulness which was to pay for the great
houses of the nobility - replacing the castles of the past - and the splendid town houses
of the merchant classes. As The Green Man moved into that secular world he became a
frequently used symbol of that fruitfulness: he is to be seen in chimneypieces, panelling,
furnishing, embroideries and bronzes. Not only does he appear on armour, but he enters the
age of gunpowder by forming part of the decoration of cannon, fowling pieces and the
stocks of pistols".
Renewal
His Story comes to a close. It started with omnipotent Vegetation Gods, while eventually degenerating into an idol of modern society. He would probably have disappeared if in the mean time the natural world wouldn't have been degenerated with him. Obviously, these processes are two sides of the same coin. Let's recapitulate:
The Great Mother
As a Vegetation God The Green Man is the other side of the Great Mother. He is born
out of Her Cosmic Womb, while continuously returning. Spiritually, it corresponds with the
Light (the Divine) born out of Darkness. In the beginning both were inseparable, the
former serving the latter. With the development of the ego-mind, the Original Wholeness
got lost, though. Aspects of the Mother were first projected in the various Goddesses,
while later becoming attributes of (Vegetation) Gods. The sacred marriage had to confirm
the holy bonds between the Goddess and Her Son-Lover. This changed with late Babylon
though. In the Enuma Elish (book from Babylon), the God Marduk eventually destroys the
Goddess Tiamat. This "leitmotiv" was continued in the Old Testament, in which
the Dark Sea (symbol of the Mother) is definitively replaced by "God's Light".
Eve, still called by Adam the original "Mother of all living" became the source
of doom to all mankind. The proces of patriarchalization would continue in Christianity,
in that "apostles, fathers, bishops, priests and others" thoroughly erased all
memory of the Great Mother. While Mary Magdalene as "the One who knew the All"
was crushed, degraded into a prostitute ("Whore of Babylon" was a honorable
title of the Original Mother Goddess) - so the Church knew very well about Mary's
background - her seven sacred initiations condemned as her seven sins etc. etc., was
replaced by the harmless Virgin Mary as the new "Queen of Heaven". Slowly the
Virgin got more attributes of the Original Mother, hence the Catholic Church as one of the
few patriarchal religions, having at least some form of feminine Deity.* However, by
crushing the essential elements of spiritual life by the Church (Inquisition), further
decay was unstoppable. People had no choice, but to fall back on their ego's. Hence, the
Ego-Catastrophe of today.
* Apart from Hinduism, in which Her image was preserved and Kuan Yin in Buddhism, in which a similar process had taken place.
The Green Man
He would recognize our situation of today
immediately: it is the extreme form of the "wasteland". I hesitate to become
personal, but I can testify about the Return of the Great Mother firsthand. In these most
critical of times, at the end of a cycle of gradual degeneration, She has re-appeared as
the Reality beyond Reality. It went like this. Like in the Parzival myth I needed the
first half of my life to exploring the dimensions of the mind. In the second, though, I
was "invited" to accomodate to the demands of the Eternal Feminine. I had to
restructure my within and without in order to be worthy to the mission She had bestowed
upon me. One thing was still missing though: her counterpart The Green Man. In order to
fully restore His Story something still had to happen. It materialized in making the step
to actually fully identifying with the masculine archetype. It coincides with the
(ecological) crisis the world is in. The Original Myth of The Great Mother and The Green
Man thus coming at the right time! Rather than having to fall back on a shallow history of
meaningless figures (kings, generals, popes, politician's, scientists, businessmen etc.),
a vibrant inner His Story of meaning, inspiration and empowerment has become available to
you. It is not enough to stay confortably in your chair, supporting some charities here
and there, while going on with "business as usual". You have to become what you
believe.....Your true identity being serving the Whole. Now is the hour of Truth. What are
you doing, if put with the back against the wall? Hence my mission is to awaken everybody
by giving the example through my own life. What a bliss, when I took my green garment on
for the first time. A stream of empowerment entered my Being as well as my body. I see the
saving of the planet carried out by people - Green Men and Wise Women - who start changing
themselves in a most drastic way*. What is there to be lost? This came to my mind as I
read Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth". What is possibly worthwile to cling to,
if mankind cannot even secure the future generation? Or, in my case, if The Netherlands
would be drowned in 50 years from now?
* In the seventies Charles A. Reich already wrote the book "The Greening of America". Now the greening of the entire planet is at stake.
My two main sources were:
A.Baring & J.Cashford "The Myth of the Goddess", 1991 Viking
W. Anderson "Green Man", 1990 HarperCollins
Both books are strongly recommended!
Become a Green Man, Wise Woman respectively!
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Last revising: 08/09/12