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Exploring the Green Man: Folklore, Rituals, and the Spirit of Nature
610 Plays1 month ago
In this Solitarily Witch episode 55 of The Bell Witch Podcast, host Swailes explores the folklore and mythology of the Green Man and all that he has inspired. The episode delves into the Green Man's historical and cultural significance, his connections to nature and growth, and his appearances in various mythological figures like Shakespeare’s Puck and Robin Hood. Swailes also discusses modern practices for incorporating the Green Man into personal magic and spirituality, including creating altars and using specific herbs and crystals. The episode emphasizes the Green Man's role in environmentalism and the cyclical nature of life.
"I think many people will see the Green Man as a reminder that we are connected to nature, and we have a responsibility to care for the planet now more than ever because there's a lot of trouble brewing."
Green man research
https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20190104-the-surprising-roots-of-the-mysterious-green-man
Wigington, Patti. "The Green Man, Spirit of the Forest." Learn Religions, Sep. 10, 2021, learnreligions.com/the-green-man-spirit-of-the-forest-2561659.
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Transcript
Introduction to Mountain Murders Podcast
00:00:15
Speaker
Hi, I'm Heather. And I'm Dylan. We are Mountain Murders, an Appalachian true crime podcast dropping weekly episodes every Sunday. Our show offers well-researched cases with unique storytelling and Southern flavor.
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If stories so good, you'll want to sop them up
Exploring Appalachian True Crime
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with a biscuit. Ooh, I pull back the curtain on lesser known and often obscure regional cases from Georgia to Maine, exploring the darkness that lurks deep in the heart of Appalachia.
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And I react with profound statements. You you mean profoundly stupid statements. Something like that. We're not your stereotypical hillbillies. But we do like moonshine. It'll tickle your inwards.
Spotlight on the Dark Cast Network
00:00:54
Speaker
Join us every Wednesday for Mountain Murders Offbeat. Dark Cast Network, bringing our indie podcasts out of the shadows.
Introducing the Bell Witch Podcast
00:01:03
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00:01:53
Speaker
Now then, witches and beautiful souls, welcome to the Bell Witch Podcast with me, Swales, a friend of Green Witch, witching in the 21st century.
00:02:05
Speaker
My goddess, this is episode 55. Wow. And this is a delightful solitary witch episode all about the beautiful folklore and mythology of the Green Man.
00:02:20
Speaker
Fantastic timing Beltane is swiftly on its way. I take a look at the history and crossovers with folklore stories.
Folklore in Personal Witchcraft
00:02:30
Speaker
And then as always we finish with the practical elements of actually applying what we've talked about to your personal magic and witchcraft.
00:02:40
Speaker
Because for me, that is the best bit and it's what all this is about. This podcast is about getting that magic easily into your magical living. Funny how I decided to cover this topic.
00:02:54
Speaker
may have come as no surprise that I absolutely adore green. The colour green, I'm absolutely obsessed and it's getting a lot more intense with age.
00:03:06
Speaker
I'm wearing it right now. I'm in a room that's green. My coat is green. My altar is very green. there's plants all over. Over half of my wardrobe is foresty green. I always have green nails from my witchy friend Annabelle. I just, I'm obsessed with it because to me it represents abundance, luck, growth and nature.
00:03:28
Speaker
And then when I look around, I realise how much imagery there is of the green man. And so I thought to myself, Oh, yes, that would be a very good episode.
Insights on the Green Man
00:03:38
Speaker
Shout out to Karen Carter, who wrote this fantastic little book called a Little Celebration of the Green Man. And this is where I've got a lot of information, as well as the internet, Google searches and the like. I will credit all my sources in the show notes, but I must mention this fantastic little book, A Little Celebration of the Green Man, has been...
00:04:01
Speaker
Fantastic. Really helpful to get all the positivities of the green man in here.
Community Engagement and Support
00:04:07
Speaker
Just going to shout out the new Patreon members in no particular order.
00:04:13
Speaker
Thank you to Susan Merch, VW Girl, Wanda, Megan Oz Rich, I think it is, Helen Barge Gapper and Natasha Gill. I might have said Natasha Gill last time.
00:04:29
Speaker
It's hard because on the app, it kind of generalises lot. So it says two new members plus this person. And I can't figure out how to look at all of the names, which is really, really annoying. The money that I get from Patreon goes straight into the hosting website, which is the place that I record and also the place that I distribute. So you're helping me being found. So lovely to have a little community. And of course, I've got the Discord up and running. in There's two really, really active members plus myself and a few others kind of like lurking in the background, which is fine.
00:05:06
Speaker
But if you are on the Patreon and you do join the Discord and then you stop your Patreon subscription, I won't throw you out of the Discord. I'd rather have the community. So do, if you are wanting to join, please join.
00:05:18
Speaker
It'll be great. We'll have loads of fun. And if you want to show this podcast a bit of love, a bit of magic, please leave ratings and reviews if you can, wherever you're listening to the podcast right now, because these stars really do help the podcast to shine.
00:05:36
Speaker
And then people are drawn to the shininess and they and and they listen. And then before you know it, I've got some new followers. Woohoo!
00:05:47
Speaker
All right, calm down, Swales. Anyway, that's it from me now babbling in the intro, as I always do. I'll press play on this solitary witch episode and I hope you enjoy it.
Challenges and Visualizing the Green Man
00:05:58
Speaker
Disclaimer, I ain't a an historian. I'm really, really dyslexic. Some stuff I just can't understand. Some stuff I just can't say, but I do my best for you. And I love the process of researching and recording and editing.
00:06:13
Speaker
So do enjoy this little gallivant across the land of the green man and I sincerely hope that I inspire you.
00:06:26
Speaker
The Green Man, keeper of plant life, protector of the woods, god of vegetation. I invite you now to close your eyes and visualise the green man, the legend, the deity, the art, the sculpture.
00:06:46
Speaker
What comes to mind? What do you see? A face nestled between leaves of evergreen, Ivy leaves, spiky holly, beautiful ripe red berries nestled between the gaps of the leaves.
00:07:02
Speaker
And then two piercing eyes watching you from beneath the greens. He could look ominous or he could look jolly. Adorning the colour green, heavily associated throughout folklore history with growth and nature, good luck and fortune.
00:07:21
Speaker
When I think of the green man, I see a fun, frolicking man. Reminds me of Morris dancers dancing with bells on their knees, playing a flute, talking to the animals.
Unpacking Green Man's History
00:07:35
Speaker
ah protector of the woods, fairiesque in nature, a protector of the natural world. a nice guy, friendly guy, but if you push him too far, he absolutely will stick up for what he believes in.
00:07:50
Speaker
The Green Man has a history that is rather ambiguous to say the least. He is often a character that adorns British pubs, signs, pagan t-shirts.
00:08:01
Speaker
He's seen in pop culture, in literature, in poems. Even Shakespeare took a shine to him when he developed the character Puck in the classic Midsummer's Night's Dream.
00:08:16
Speaker
about troublesome fairies and strange creatures that came out at night. But before all that, he was carved into many, many holy buildings across Britain and Europe and even as far out as Iraq.
00:08:35
Speaker
It was thought that he wasn't known as the Green Man until the nineteen thirty s when Lady Raglin coined the term the Green Man as she found these amazing carved faces throughout her local church and other churches truly fascinating.
00:08:55
Speaker
And she wondered, what's all that about then? What's the story here with these dudes in the corner of the church in foliage? And wrote a fascinating paper on her own interpretations and possible folklore of the Green Man, which was published in the Folklore Journal of 1939.
00:09:16
Speaker
And the article was called The Green Man in Church Architecture. And Lady Regan associated the Green Man with the upcoming celebrations of Beltane the waking up nature and the earth from its winter snoozel.
00:09:36
Speaker
She was basically just speculating and making connections with what she felt made sense at the time. And there sprang a whole interesting concept of the Green Man.
00:09:47
Speaker
and this began a kind of acknowledgement of the Green Man. It really did capture people's imagination as to who he actually was and what he was doing there. Because nobody had really given it much attention until then, I don't think.
Hunting Green Man Carvings
00:10:03
Speaker
It became a thing where people would do a kind of green man treasure hunt. Visiting churches oh up and down the country to try and spot all these foliage faces within their churches and cathedrals.
00:10:19
Speaker
Kind of like a Pokemon hunt before that was a thing. The Green Man geocaching, anyone? With the rise of the occult scene in the early 19th and 20th centuries, people started to connect the dots and give the Green Man a rather wonderful, luscious folklore history.
00:10:40
Speaker
Which seemed really easy to do because they were just so similar to other deity and folklore gods and beings. There was a lot of similar mythology kind of floating around in the ethos and in people's minds as they discovered all this fantastic spiritualism and underground, unknown, supernatural magic and witchcraft.
00:11:05
Speaker
And then it seems a kind of merging went on where the Green Man became kind of like a standing for other the more established legends. but was also developing as a standalone spirit, God, energy at the same time, which I just find really fascinating, actually.
00:11:26
Speaker
It is believed that the Green Man has been around since the early 12th century. He got a bit lost in the Middle Ages, apparently, but then came back into fashion relatively recently.
00:11:40
Speaker
But to us 21st century folks,
Debating Green Man's Origins
00:11:43
Speaker
the combination of pre-Christian pagan mythology in a traditional holy setting seems quite baffling.
00:11:51
Speaker
And I have read many, many pages and websites about why this might have been a thing or not, as the case may be. as there is very little evidence that supports the idea that the green man is indeed pagan in origin, and there is a good chance that he began life in organised religion, and paganism has probably adopted him along the way in the folklore family.
00:12:21
Speaker
How mad is that? was just amazed. It amazed me it did. so I wonder why he were there and what were he doing? A massive number, mind-blowing really, of churches and cathedrals have this style of stone carving of vases and foliage.
00:12:40
Speaker
But because of the nature of the stone carving and it's just so nature-y, it just seems so pagan-y. Could it be that stonemasons were just taught the tradition of carving faces within then churches and also traditional foliage as well, you know, like the flowers and the leaves and the two merged over time because it was such a common and traditional technique?
00:13:11
Speaker
that stonemasons were taught in apprenticeships. It has been noted that there's no freestanding green men within the churches and it is just faces and foliage in corners and top of pillars.
00:13:27
Speaker
One has to wonder why there's not freestanding green men in churches. It's always just their faces. I read somewhere that there's a theory that the stonemasons of the early centuries could have been the last of the pagans before mainstream organised religion took over.
00:13:49
Speaker
And paganism started getting pushed out of how people lived in Western society and culture. And then capitalism raised its ugly head and people started becoming disconnected from from the natural world and how they they used to live and these stone masons might have like sneakily been adding the odd god here and there to try and keep it underneath the surface keep it in the psyche on sly like on the sly to see if anybody noticed and to keep the energy of the paganism going which I really like the theory of I don't know if it's so realistic but it's quite a romanticized theory was it merely decoration or was it a reminder that you're being watched in church so do be good and say your prayers
00:14:41
Speaker
And at the time, there were also a kind of mistrust of the woods because even though it fed you and that's where you got your food and your clothes from and you're hunted, nature was strong and it could absolutely kill you if you made one wrong move.
00:14:57
Speaker
So perhaps there was a little warning in there to churchgoers about, yeah, nature can be good, can be bad, but you're safe in here because it's such a church.
00:15:09
Speaker
Or perhaps it was just an earthbound gargoyle. Because some of them do look very scary and a little bit foreboding. Were these earthly foliage gargoyles there to scare the negative entities away or the spirits like gargoyles do?
00:15:27
Speaker
Another theory is perhaps it's from the Garden of Eden and these faces are of Adam and Eve peering through the trees, adorned in foliage because that's all they had, reminding churchgoers about the Bible and how it all began the Garden of Eden, how humans and nature grow together and maybe become one.
00:15:52
Speaker
Yeah, probably not. That might be a little bit too pagan slanted for the stance of the church at that time. ah ever the optimist swales.
00:16:03
Speaker
But surely there's a message of humans and nature must coexist to enable to both flourish and succeed for future generations.
00:16:14
Speaker
And it seems from what I read, this is all we have. We can just speculate on why exactly they were put in churches. There doesn't seem to be much written on their job in churches or who they even are.
00:16:28
Speaker
So we're just fishing in the wind. Although if you do know ah you have a theory, do dm me or tag me on Instagram, the Bell Witch Podcast, separate around us cause. And let's have a conversation about it in the Discord and all that jazz because I do really want to know what you think.
Green Man in Mythology
00:16:47
Speaker
according to the ryan stone of ancient origins the green man is believed to have been intended as a symbol of growth and rebirth the eternal seasonal cycle of the coming spring and the life of the man this association stems from the pre-christian notion that man was born from nature as evidenced by the various mythological accounts of the way in which the world began and the idea that man is directly tied to the fate of nature
00:17:23
Speaker
The Green Man, he just lends himself so incredibly well to paganism, deity and gods, and is reminiscent of quite a lot of folklore throughout history, such as Pan, Kronos, Puck, Robin Hood, Keeper of the Woods...
00:17:43
Speaker
Jack of the Green, John Barleycorn, wood spirits, fairies, keepers of the wild. These figures all have their own strong foundations in the history of folklore and the green man can't embody them really because he's just so luscious and just so natural and rebellious and strong but with a playful side as well. Legends connected the archetype of the Green Manor everywhere.
00:18:12
Speaker
The Arthurian legend, the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a prime example. The Green Knight represent the pre-Christian nature religion of the British Isles.
00:18:26
Speaker
Although he originally confronts Garwin as an enemy, the two later are able to work together. Perhaps this is a metaphor for the assimilation of British paganism with the new Christian theology.
00:18:40
Speaker
Many scholars also suggest that the tale of Robin Hood has evolved from actual Green Man mythology. The Green Man has even been said to inspire J.M. Barrie's classic Peter Pan, the eternally youthful boy dressed in greens and living in the forest with the wild animals living his best life.
00:19:04
Speaker
And that's a direct quote taken from learnreligions.com, which is one of my absolute favorite websites to learn all about paganism and Wiccan and spirituality and everything.
00:19:15
Speaker
If you're looking for some good information, I do signpost you to learnreligions.com. And that was written by Patty Wiginton in September 2021. It would seem he got noticed at fantastic timing and perhaps that wasn't a coincidence as
Victorian Era and the Occult
00:19:34
Speaker
a witch.
00:19:34
Speaker
I don't believe in coincidences that much, but he really did get absorbed into the mystical upcoming occulticism and people were inspired to do rituals and ceremonies and honour the earth and create their own magic.
00:19:52
Speaker
There was a growing interest in occultism and a magic from the Victorians. Everything was mystical and magical to them. And so the storm masons of the Victorian era started also recreating the Green Man in the churches they were building.
00:20:09
Speaker
And then shortly after that, there were a lot going on. There was books and pages being written on occultism and journals being published and the spirituality of Wicca being crafted, weaving folklore, natural customs and traditions, creativity and stories together in a rather beautiful mystical tapestry.
00:20:32
Speaker
I wouldn't say it was the perfect storm for the green man's popularity to grow, but perfect weather. Another emerging folklore inspired tradition was that of the delightful Morris dancers.
00:20:49
Speaker
who also took a shine to our man, being heavily influenced by music, storytelling, local customs and dance. They adorned green foliage and acted out folklore mythology, heavily inspired by James Fraser's Golden Brough.
00:21:06
Speaker
Well, I think it's brough. Brough. It's like brough that kids are saying at moment. Sorry, I digress. What was saying? The sayingin theyre Golden Brr of 1890, a paper highly regarded in mythical religion and and the nature of poetic myth-making and ancient worship.
00:21:27
Speaker
The legend of the Oak King and the Holy King tells of two brothers who fight a ritual battle for dominance every winter and summer solstice.
Seasonal Myths and Celebrations
00:21:36
Speaker
At Ewell, the Oak King is triumphant and rules the summer solstice.
00:21:41
Speaker
When the height of his power, he sacrifices himself to allow the Holy King to take his turn. They have a battle, and the Holy King will reign until he too must frequentlish his power at the time of his greatest glory.
00:21:56
Speaker
The year therefore is ruled by each brother at a time when they are most full of life This legend teaches as the Wheel of the Year is held in balance with promise of eternal continuous life force.
00:22:10
Speaker
And when you think of the Holy King and the Oak King, you can see why the Green Man kind of gets mistaken or astounding or resembles these brothers because they are people of nature's spirit, just like our Green Man.
00:22:28
Speaker
as they are all associated with the cycles of the season and the nature of nature. Another strong association is with the deities Coronas and Hearn, the hunter. and These gods are associated with forests and wild beasts, wearing or holding a torch and crowned with antlers.
00:22:53
Speaker
The annual shedding and regrowth of antlers implies a connection with other ancient annual cycles and legends like that of the sacrificial kings selected to rule each part of the year then ritually sacrificed to ensure the continued fertility of the land this is a legend that is recounted in fraser's golden brew and possibly has links to the resurrected sacrifice of the harvest song john barleycorn Could all of these annual growth renewal cycle legends be related to the Green Man's power to revive the fertility of the natural world every spring?
00:23:31
Speaker
The Green Man is associated with Beltane, the Sabbath that's celebrated on 1st of May, which marks the beginning of summer, when the energy is rising and the sun is becoming at its strongest.
00:23:45
Speaker
The God and the Goddess are frolicking in the woods. People getting hand fasted and jumping over brooms and there's a lot of sexy energy. It's all about growth, fertility and abundance.
00:23:59
Speaker
Also the summer solstice. This Sabbath is celebrated on the longest day, which is June 20th to the 23rd, and marks the shortest night of the year.
00:24:10
Speaker
This is the time when the sun has reached his ultimate power and the green man can be evoked as a symbol of vibrant energy of the summer season.
00:24:22
Speaker
It reminds me of one of the camps that I go to, one of my pagan camps, which happens in July. There is a John Barleycorn there actually and a big ritual around that but there's also a young man that gets chosen by the elder who runs the camp and he goes around to all the women in the camp inviting them to paint a small section of his body in a very luscious forest green for a little donation to a pagan related charity. Walking around completely sky clad with a pair of tiny little antlers on with a paintbrush and a pot of green body paint. And you just colour him in somewhere that's not his genitals and give a donation to chosen charity.
00:25:11
Speaker
And I love that ritual. It's just so fun. It's a fantastic nod to the legend, the mythology of the green man. Lucera. This sabbath is celebrated on the 1st of August and marks the beginning of the harvest season when crops start to slow down and give us the gifts of their fruit.
00:25:32
Speaker
It's a time when the energy of the green man begins to wane as the days grow shorter and the energy of the autumn season begins to creep upon us. His foliage can change with the season so in yuletine it can look really Christmassy with red berries in spring. It could have opening blooms of snowdrops around the Imolk time.
00:25:57
Speaker
Quite love the idea that the green man's face can change with the season.
Green Man's Influence on Characters
00:26:01
Speaker
And then as I mentioned before, we've got Puck, Robin Hood and Robin Goodfellow. yet another wild man wandering around the woods dressed in green welding bow and arrows as in robin hood hero of many ballad and more recently the hollywood films it's possible to imagine this recent hero is another descendant from the green man named robin goodfellow also called puck as shakespeare titled him in a midsummer's night's dream it's interesting that he was introduced in the sixteenth century theatre audiences as if he was clearly a familiar character at this time could this character have been common knowledge already
00:26:45
Speaker
jack in the green is accustomed with the first of may being a day which the green man's alter ego jack in the green was awakened at dawn and paraded through the streets english morris dancers research local customs from previous centuries they discovered and reintroduced the character of jack in the green ah man encased within a framework of covered foliage and looks very much like a walking bush That's quite funny.
00:27:16
Speaker
So that could be another reason why the green man is associated with the summer sabbats, belting, midsummer and loosener. And apparently, so I read, this tradition of waking the jack in the green still happens at Bluebell Hill in Rochester since 1998. that's pretty cool, isn't it?
00:27:38
Speaker
think it might happen in Hastings as well. So as you can hear, there's a lot of overlapping, there's a lot of association between historical folklore and mythology with strong foundations.
00:27:50
Speaker
You can see why the merging has happened. He just seems so recognisable and so relatable and so accessible. You can really appreciate why he's such a popular spiritual icon.
00:28:04
Speaker
He's got such a sense of being wild and untamed, but fair and resilient. Aggressive when he needs to be, protective when he needs to be. He's of the element of Earth. He's about growth and abundance and cycles and resilience.
Symbolism of the Green Man Today
00:28:23
Speaker
He is the representation of all the sentient beings across our planet. The spirit of nature. masculine in energy so there's a swiftness to his actions could be linked or represented by the king of pentacles in the tarot deck all these aspects are really good to work with from a witchcraft and wicca point of view And I think in modern times, the green man has become a symbol of environmentalism and it really embodies the need that we all feel to protect the natural world.
00:29:03
Speaker
I think many people will see the green man as a reminder that we're connected to nature and we have a responsibility to care for the planet now more than ever because there's a lot of trouble brewing. So to invoke the energy of the green man...
00:29:17
Speaker
Might be just what we need right now in the climate crisis. He's a fantastic deity to work with if you're doing spells to help Gaia recover or help your garden grow, you know, or recycle or just be environmentally aware of yourself.
00:29:34
Speaker
I think working with the green man could enhance your spiritual practice in that way. Okay, so my favourite part of the podcast is applying what we've learned and using it to enhance our own everyday rituals and magic.
Exploring Haunted Otley Town
00:29:54
Speaker
There's something frightfully chilling going on in Otley Town. Book yourself onto the Otley Ghost Hall and embrace the miserable history of Otley in Leeds.
00:30:07
Speaker
A seemingly quiet, quaint, historic market town settled neath the looming gates of the ancient chevin learn about the small town eccentrics who once upon a time hobbled over the cobbles and find out about the phantom characters who still persist today your ghoulish guides will regale you with tales of bygone days and you will finish the evening with an optional free drink in one of otter's most haunted brew houses
00:30:40
Speaker
Dear listeners, if you fancy yourself a deliciously dark evening in Otley, I'll let you into a little secret. I have formed a deal with the ghost leader, Spindle Shanks McScrew, and you will receive a free gift if you repeat this quote prior to your tour.
00:31:00
Speaker
Ooly booly, let's get ghouly. Have a grisly good time, witches.
Rituals and the Green Man
00:31:11
Speaker
How do we work with the green man? What can we do honour him? What are the correspondents? With the help moonfallmetaphysical.com, it's helped me come up with some handy little tips.
00:31:26
Speaker
There's no set established correspondences. That's universally recognised. But there's some common associations. I mean, goes without saying, green is a really big association.
00:31:38
Speaker
deal to the green man and brown too think of the forest think of the trees and the woodland crystals again anything green emerald moss agate is fantastic to be used because it's also got quite a nature a connection on its own green adventuring i would say jade and malachite and even the humble pebble or stone or rock from the earth For herbs, think about oak and ivy as represented by the holly king and the ivy king, had their associations with the green man.
00:32:16
Speaker
Hawthorn is a good one, which also represents fertility, growth and protection, making it rather fitting. Nettle is a fantastic herb to dedicate to the green man as it's such a fast grower and very versatile and really, really good for you.
00:32:33
Speaker
Elder is associated with protection and healing. and is said to be a sacred tree among Celtic mythology. Elderflowers and berries may be used in green man rituals or offerings to the deity.
00:32:49
Speaker
Rosemary, thyme and my favourite, lavender, because it's all about growth and healing. But being the green man and being all about nature... Really, you could use any plant, indoor plants, tropical plants, tomato plants.
00:33:05
Speaker
I feel like living plants in plant pots would work better for this. You know, rather than doing dried herbs, this would be a fantastic opportunity to use living plants in your spell work, on your altars.
00:33:19
Speaker
ah have a devil's ivy and monstera and aloe vera at the moment on my witchy altar and I just love the look of it and the feel of it and I think I've said it before when I just hate the idea of putting cut flowers on my altar and just watching them die.
00:33:40
Speaker
But again, I hasten to add that is just my take on it. You know, there's no right or wrong way. You do what's accessible to you, what is achievable to you, what feels right for you in your own magic.
00:33:52
Speaker
Rituals to honor and work with the green man in your witchcraft could be making a beautiful green man altar. dedicated to his energy bring evergreen foliage and plants which you've grown from your own garden use natural findings such as feathers acorns conkers petals stones pebbles Create a sigil that represents the green man.
00:34:23
Speaker
Write it in a green or brown or white candle. Put that on your altar amongst all the foliage. You can make offerings of fruit and vegetables, root vegetables direct from the earth.
00:34:37
Speaker
You could plant a seed with the green man in mind, nourish it and watch it grow throughout the summer. I really like that one. That one appeals to me so much. think I'm going to do that one myself.
00:34:49
Speaker
You could make a face or a mask out of natural materials or even cardboard. The picture on this episode is of a green man mask I made quite some time ago now, maybe three or four years ago.
00:35:06
Speaker
And to make it was such a joyous experience. And it took me quite a long time because there's lots of layers in it. And I had a load of leaf stamps that I used to give it depth. And there's green on there and there's gold on there. And sometimes I do wear it, not very often as it's cardboard.
00:35:22
Speaker
But to make that mask was an absolutely beautiful, joyous thing to do. I love doing it. It was really fulfilling and not all rushed. Or maybe you could even just do a temporary mask, like a piece of art in the woods with dried leaves.
00:35:37
Speaker
Like how that amazing artist does it, Andy Goldsworthy. He makes temporary art out of leaves and ice and pebbles on the beach. And they're so beautiful. And he just leaves them there. And love how nature takes them back.
00:35:53
Speaker
You know, you could make temper it out of the green man's face and leave it in the woods beautifully so that nature can take it back when it wishes.
00:36:03
Speaker
That mirrors the spirit of the green man. Take only pictures, leave only footprints. Try and incorporate the green man in your art. Maybe try drawing or sketching I've actually attempted a felted green man as well, which still needs work.
Nature and Non-toxic Masculinity
00:36:26
Speaker
But again, just creating him, it's such a lovely thing to do. i heard a quote recently actually from the Witch Wave. I was listening to... the episode, it was the hundreds episode where they um interviewed Starhawk.
00:36:41
Speaker
It was really good. And at the beginning, the host mentioned the green man briefly. And I thought, oh, that's a sign right there. think it was a question actually from a trans listener that was asking for a deity that they could worship that wasn't, you know, like really, really masculine or really, really feminine was kind of like interchangeable and stuff. And balanced and the host did recommend the green man and they said that the green man embodies untoxic masculinity the green man can be any of the gods like pan and stuff but he represents a male energy that doesn't suffer from toxic masculinity
00:37:25
Speaker
There is a green lady as well, a green woman, which haven't got time to go into today, but I think she is a relatively new creation to mirror the green man.
00:37:36
Speaker
Balance, all about balance and renewal, makes sense. There should be a green woman. Maybe that could be another episode. I don't know. The green man is masculinity that is not toxic.
00:37:49
Speaker
And I just love that take on it. And I think that's a good place to stop. So I hope this episode has encouraged you to invoke the spirit energy of the green man within your magic.
00:38:03
Speaker
I think as an energy, he has a lot to teach us about self-reliance and looking close to home, being resilient. And if you're feeling sad, connect with nature because nature wants to heal you as much as you want to heal nature.
00:38:21
Speaker
go outside and get your feet on the grass do a bit of grounding do a bit of gardening do a bit of weeding have a walk in the woods listen to the birds singing pick up litter on your way put it in the nearest bin try and live your best eco-friendly life that is possible for you all the little changes really do matter and they really do help and they are immensely valuable Don't fall victim to capitalism and compare and despair and all that. Always look to nature. Me personally, tie this to the green man energy.
00:38:56
Speaker
It does feel right to me. And treasure what we've got. If you've got a tree out there, give it a hug. All these little actions will mean a great deal to the earth and nature and the energy and the spirit of the green man.
00:39:19
Speaker
You have been listening to the Bell Witch Podcast. Created with love and magic by me, Swales, the friendly green witch. I love to hear from you and I absolutely love, love, love, love to celebrate you.
00:39:34
Speaker
you have a podcast or a business, a witchy business, a pagan related topic you love to talk about, you can reach me on the bell witch podcast at yahoo.com.
00:39:46
Speaker
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Speaker
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