Des
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Post by Des on Feb 25, 2015 21:16:00 GMT -6
So, I took a little leap and made an offering to Manannan Mac Lir, and I was curious about what you all had to say about him. What's he like? Any bit of info is appreciated. I found a link to an online temple for him, but I'm not all together sure how much of it is accurate. manannan.net/whois/index.html Is this a good source of information? Thanks!
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aondeug
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Post by aondeug on Feb 25, 2015 21:29:16 GMT -6
He has a delightful sense of humor. It is dramatic and like a crashing wave. In fact it may literally be a wave crashing down on you. I was at the ocean for the first time in years. I've often felt weird around the ocean and felt something was there. Even since I was a child. So I've kind of wondered if he might have been part of that weirdness. First I just kind of charged into the ocean and was greeted with a wave that knocked me on my ass. That was fun.
Then I decided to ask if he was there. After that I saw a wave. It was the most beautiful wave I had ever seen. Just this lovely shade of green, prettier than any grass. The wave was literally awe inspiring and I could but stare at it. It ate me and tossed me about roughly. I got water up my nose that had to be snorted out painfully. This was something I laughed at once I got up and back to swimming.
From what I've read his sense of humor seems to be a running theme? Tales of him walking about the land joking and playing tricks. Much like the ocean is. It's very apparent how playful the ocean is in California.
The ocean gets angry as fuck and stormy at times too though.
From what I've read and from what I've heard from others and from what I've experienced I can say that the best way I can think of describing him is that he is the ocean. That is what he is like.
Story wise he is attested in...Tochmarc Étaíne (The Wooing of Étain), Serglige Con Culainn (The Wasting Sickness of Cúchulainn), Tochmarc Luaine, Immram Brain maic Febail (The Voyage of Bran son of Febal), Echtra Cormaic maic Airt (The Adventure of Cormac mac Airt), Compert Mongáin (The Birth of Mongán), the first recension of Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions), and Altram Tige Dá Medar (The Nourishment of the Houses of Two Milk-Vessels).
I sadly can't say anything regarding Manx stories and the like though.
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Post by Allec on Feb 25, 2015 23:17:30 GMT -6
My main issue with the site you linked, Raine, is that it kinda wants to push aside legends for UPG. I think it's valuable to know how Manánnan was looked at to be informed on how he is today. But the information, to my knowledge, isn't wrong. I just think it's important to read the myths that Aondeug mentions. In my limited experience, Manánnan has been a gentle influence in my life. I have a space for him on my shrine...but I don't really do anything much in the way of honoring him, unfortunately. I took him off my shrine for a while, but then he kinda...beckoned to be back on. So I think he wants my attention haha but not in any major way (like Lugh does.) But Manánnan, as a god who has a lot of presence of the sea, means a lot to me as someone who is interested in sea magic and sea conservation. (Spoiler: I love sharks, as you may not be able to tell.) I sense him as very calm energy, which might be because I'm so inland that I don't get to feel the wrath the ocean has on the coast lines at all. I would imagine that if I got to a coast, my impressions of him would change drastically.
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Des
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Post by Des on Feb 26, 2015 9:29:56 GMT -6
From what I've read and from what I've heard from others and from what I've experienced I can say that the best way I can think of describing him is that he is the ocean. That is what he is like. Story wise he is attested in...Tochmarc Étaíne (The Wooing of Étain), Serglige Con Culainn (The Wasting Sickness of Cúchulainn), Tochmarc Luaine, Immram Brain maic Febail (The Voyage of Bran son of Febal), Echtra Cormaic maic Airt (The Adventure of Cormac mac Airt), Compert Mongáin (The Birth of Mongán), the first recension of Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions), and Altram Tige Dá Medar (The Nourishment of the Houses of Two Milk-Vessels). I sadly can't say anything regarding Manx stories and the like though. Now that's pretty cool, you're personal experience. I've never had an experience with a god in a fashion like that, not even Djehuty. Thanks for sharing all these stories with me though! I'm going to go ahead and start trying to read through some of them, once I have a better handle on what I'm actually doing. >.> Lol.
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Des
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Post by Des on Feb 26, 2015 9:33:36 GMT -6
My main issue with the site you linked, Raine, is that it kinda wants to push aside legends for UPG. I think it's valuable to know how Manánnan was looked at to be informed on how he is today. But the information, to my knowledge, isn't wrong. I just think it's important to read the myths that Aondeug mentions. In my limited experience, Manánnan has been a gentle influence in my life. I have a space for him on my shrine...but I don't really do anything much in the way of honoring him, unfortunately. I took him off my shrine for a while, but then he kinda...beckoned to be back on. So I think he wants my attention haha but not in any major way (like Lugh does.) But Manánnan, as a god who has a lot of presence of the sea, means a lot to me as someone who is interested in sea magic and sea conservation. (Spoiler: I love sharks, as you may not be able to tell.) I sense him as very calm energy, which might be because I'm so inland that I don't get to feel the wrath the ocean has on the coast lines at all. I would imagine that if I got to a coast, my impressions of him would change drastically. Ahhhh, I see. Then I'll keep that in mind. So far, my experience of Manannan from my one offering matches up with what you've both said, except the energy was calmer. Probably because I'm not even near the ocean. (Btw, I hope it was okay to double post responses to each of you? If not, then I apologize.)
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Post by Allec on Feb 26, 2015 18:19:50 GMT -6
(totally fine to double post Makes things a bit clearer I know!) Yeah...I also wonder if Manánnan doesn't get angry unless there's reasons. I have limited experience, so I don't know. But he feels just so much older than the other Gaelic gods and therefore...wiser?
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wickedlittlecritta
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Post by wickedlittlecritta on Feb 26, 2015 18:42:36 GMT -6
Yeah...I also wonder if Manánnan doesn't get angry unless there's reasons. I have limited experience, so I don't know. But he feels just so much older than the other Gaelic gods and therefore...wiser? That's kind of the vibe I get too--long fuse, but attached to a bigass bomb. (You wouldn't like him when he's angry?) I mean, I have all the intuitivity of a sack of bricks, but I'm only an hour or two from the sea and I still get an impression of colossal chillness from him. But then, the ocean's always been a happy place for me, so that may be something to do with it. But then again, just because the sea looks calm doesn't mean it can't kill you just as dead.
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Des
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Post by Des on Feb 26, 2015 19:21:22 GMT -6
(totally fine to double post Makes things a bit clearer I know!) Yeah...I also wonder if Manánnan doesn't get angry unless there's reasons. I have limited experience, so I don't know. But he feels just so much older than the other Gaelic gods and therefore...wiser? That's the vibe I keep getting when I give him offerings. (really, I've only given him two offerings, haha. I just have a really good *feels* intuition sometimes, despite my perpetual confusion about the deity I've been working with for months.)
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aondeug
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Post by aondeug on Feb 26, 2015 19:42:11 GMT -6
Oh yes you raise a very good point there, critta. Even if the ocean looks happy and is joyful it can and will kill you. Or something living in it will. It's part of why I am so fond of it. Which I guess is kind of morbid, but something just grabs me about "Yes I am a happy ocean but today you're going to die lady" being a possible thing. To the point where, even though I fear death a lot, I would like to die in the ocean. Morbidity!
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Post by brimstonne on Feb 27, 2015 20:17:02 GMT -6
(totally fine to double post Makes things a bit clearer I know!) Yeah...I also wonder if Manánnan doesn't get angry unless there's reasons. I have limited experience, so I don't know. But he feels just so much older than the other Gaelic gods and therefore...wiser? I get that vibe too. I tend to think of the Gods in almost a familial sense, Morrigan is the grandmother who will either bake you cookies or put you through hell to teach you a lesson, Lugh is the perfect cousin you cant help but to love, and Manannan, hes the uncle. Hes the one who will help you play pranks on the others to make you laugh, but who will give that piece of advice that sticks with you your whole life. Hes the one who has all the interesting stories and has been around the world doing everything imaginable. Hes the one who will get thunderingly defensive when theres a bully at school, but still hold you under the water when you swim. He may be wiser, or older, but hes also got one hell of a sense of humor. (I hope this makes sense to you guys?) (Also me and one of my friends were laughing over starting a comic about teenaged Manannan. Because who doesn't love thinking of the gods in their awkward teenaged phase trying to show off for the sirens >.< )
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Des
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Post by Des on Mar 1, 2015 20:43:49 GMT -6
I've been making regular offerings to Manannan, and so far it's going really really well. He is pushing me to make offerings to him, and I am really enjoying it!
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Windy
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Post by Windy on Jun 17, 2015 14:05:59 GMT -6
Does anyone have any advice on how best to contact him? I'm not near a lake or ocean, though I do have a river nearby.
Also, I did a three card draw from my tarot for help. I got the two of cups, the knight of cups, and the nine of cups. All water things, no surprise there. In my deck, though, all of these cards have a very romantic feel. Any advice would be appreciated, because I'm not sure what these cards are telling me to do.
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calluna
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Post by calluna on Jun 17, 2015 14:38:28 GMT -6
Manánnan, to me at least, is generally pretty chill about how you get his attention. He's not someone who requires things a certain way. If I need to speak to him and am landlocked, like usual, I gather yellow flowers and go down to a local creek and offer them to him, or I leave out offerings of kippers or whisky. All three have worked. One time when I was really desperate (read: in a crap ton of pain) I made some saltwater and prayed into it. Mileage may vary on how well that worked, depending on how cynical I feel on the day.
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Searlait
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Post by Searlait on Jun 17, 2015 20:16:27 GMT -6
I don't actually know Manannan mac Lir all that well, despite honoring him. He's just the one I call on for protection when I don't feel necessarily safe while in transit. I should probably explore that more. calluna I really like that saltwater idea. My Manannan shrine is in my car, I might have to make up a vial and see how he likes it from me.
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calluna
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Post by calluna on Jun 17, 2015 20:37:40 GMT -6
I don't actually know Manannan mac Lir all that well, despite honoring him. He's just the one I call on for protection when I don't feel necessarily safe while in transit. I should probably explore that more. calluna I really like that saltwater idea. My Manannan shrine is in my car, I might have to make up a vial and see how he likes it from me. It worked pretty well for me that time, but then, I was kind of in a CRAP-OW-MUSCLE-SPASM-HOME-ALONE-CAN'T-REACH-PILLS-NEED-HELP. ...The pills then fell on my head after I finished praying and pouring the saltwater out the window. Because of course they did, and Manánnan was probably laughing when he did it.
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