Great Pan is Dead, Long Live Pan!
Posted by maebius on 07 Jun 2010 at 09:34 pm | Tagged as: Dreams, Druidic, Esoteric, Faerie, Moon Muse, Outdoors
This phrase has been stuck in my head for a few days now, starting while I was inspired to make my “Wild Place” in the yard, and then reading a mere day later in a Percy Jackson novel that the Pan of that story dies. “Grover finds Pan and learns the truth about his disappearance and that he, the God of Wild Things, must fade away and leave the job of making the earth green again to Grover, Annabeth, Percy, Tyson and everyone else on the planet. ”
This resonated with me all week, in light of our barn collapsing, which makes the property look decidedly less ‘Green-natural’ and more ‘trash-heap’ until it gets cleared up. In true microcosm/macrocosm fashion, this just keeps reminding me what a mess we’ve made of things, and how nice it used to, and will look again.
I helped create the BP oil spill after all, by continued use of petro-commercialism, as Anne said recently. I also helped set aside a patch of yard to be tended respectfully and minimally, and am looking into composting toilets and rainwater collection barrels. Each of us has potential for Change, both good and bad.
So, it seems this moon cycle is one where I find myself musing upon Pan more often than not. Pan in his many facets of untouched wilderness, his voice of Panic, and his [pro]creative drive.
Strangely, I have never been one to ascribe to any particular Pagan-themed diety in this manner. After a solid Lutheran upbringing, with appropriate Christians-tinted faiths, my own Pagan path has tended more towards generic elementalism, pantheism, and non-specified Druidic leanings. (Plenty of explanation of my spirituality on this blog’s archives.)
I had a brief stint of Faerie-slant which still sticks with me a bit. But the Gentle Folk are no gods. Otherwise, I’ve generally paid mere lip-service to other cultures’ Deities in acknowledging their existence on some level, but never joining their ranks. I liken this to knowing the Governor of Minnesota exists, but living in New York, if that makes sense. Yet everywhere I’m looking lately, I see horns. My own facebook page photo, for example, then wearing those self-same horns for fun while working outside last week “to be silly”. Looking back, are those silly head-decorations becoming something totemic? I don’t think so, but still, I’ve had them for years and never worn them much before now.
I even found my penny-whistle while cleaning up our closet on Thursday, and enjoyed waking some sleepy half-memories in my muscles by trilling a few songs out off my fingers. It’s no pan-pipe obviously, but the symbolism is surprisingly apparent when seen in retrospect, as they weren’t done with Pan in mind at the time. It’s interesting.
Did any of you readers with a more personalized relation with a particular Higher Power approach things in a similar manner, or were you off searching for a name specifically? Or, I suppose in other words, did you find your connections, or did They find you?
I also wonder if I’m just reaching for synchronisms that aren’t there. A bit of spiritual Apophinia, perhaps?
I also wonder if the webmistress of “The Gods are Bored”, or a Druid’s Apprentice, could get me a proper interview with Pan? *chuckle*
So, while I’m musing on all things goat-boyish, here’s two songs to entertain you. I just re-listened to them at work, which brought me merrily through that afternoon doldrum that hits around 1:30.
Enjoy. (and thanks to Nettle for sharing the songs initially with me recently!)
http://www.youtube.com/v/uxCPkg_Ee3Q
you ask: “Did any of you readers with a more personalized relation with a particular Higher Power approach things in a similar manner, or were you off searching for a name specifically? Or, I suppose in other words, did you find your connections, or did They find you?”
I have done both – I went looking for Hekate, and found Her. I made a conscious decision to establish that connection, and then did the work to make it happen. It was work, though, and it took a whole lot of love and commitment – I wanted to be Hers, but it was like I had to talk her into it. I had to prove that I was Hers before she’d have me.
The Horned One came and found me. I don’t even really have a name for him – I call him things when I need to talk about him, things like Herne or Cernunnos or Gwyn, because people seem to know what I’m talking about when I use those names. He has never given me a name, though, and has never asked him to call him anything in particular. I don’t associate a particular name with him. When I have to address him directly, I mostly just call him Sir. I didn’t have to prove anything to him; I didn’t ask to be His or work at it. He just kind of showed up and took ownership.
With Hekate it was like pursuing a new friendship or maybe applying for a job and hoping to be accepted; with Mr. Horny it was more like being seduced. I have had other deities show up for limited periods of time in order to get something specific done with me; for instance Lugh was huge for me for a little while and after doing one last really important task for me, he was just gone. These days it’s all about Hekate and Herne.
I think of Pan is trying to get your attention (and you want to develop that relationship) then pay attention to Pan right back. If he asks you to do something, do it (within reason of course) and see where that takes you.
I happen to have a Pan statue that we picked up at last year’s Ren Fest. He’s about 20 inches tall and made of concrete. If I lived nearer I’d donate him to your wild place in exchange for occasional “reverence rights” (though hubby would kill me since he was the one that hauled the rather hefty god through no less than a mile and a half of winding pathways and patrons to our Jeep after I just had to have this lovely little guy – no easy feat!).
Thanks Nettle, for your thoughts.
And Pom, I definitely will keep my eye out for a Pan statue now. Would suit the place perfectly, and can be so nestled as to remain mysteriously hidden unless you look for it. Thanks!!
Two parts to my answer too. I didn’t choose to worship Vulture. I just found, in my wide Appalachian world, that the most compelling element was Vulture. I was about 16 when I began my reverence for Vulture.
More recently I built a shrine in my backyard, and like Nettle, I found that the Horned One accepted it as His. I also call Him “Sir!” My dad most definitely went off to Pan in 2005. I’ve never invited Pan for an interview because He’s like a neighbor. I guess I should think about it.