The Green Man and Summer

The Summer Solstice gives thought to the Green Man and the battle of the Holly and Oak King. [see: http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/p/Holly_KIng_Yule.htm  and http://www.throughyourbody.com/winter-solstice-holly-king-oak-king/ ]

Summer also brings us thought on holidays, long and languid summer days.  It brings thoughts of lush growth as depicted by the artist Sara Sliwinska below:
 
https://eacartawards.org.uk/picture-2821greenmaninsummer.aspx


If you are near the mid-Atlantic and near Rehoboth beach, you can quench your thirst and feed your hunger at "The Green Man Juice Bar" in Rehoboth, Delaware,  USA.  Friends and I visited in the last few weeks and had a very enjoyable lunch!  We are looking forward to returning again.

http://www.greenmanjuicebar.com/ordereze/home.aspx

If your summer travels take you to North Carolina, USA,  you can tour the Green Man Brewery in Asheville, North Carolina [see: http://www.greenmanbrewery.com/our-beer/?age-verified=6eec2428f1 ].
Happy Summer!

The Green Man and Spring

April -- Finally, after what has seemed to be an incredibly long, cold winter,  Spring has arrived in the Mid-Atlantic, USA.  Snowdrops and crocus are blossoming. Daffodils will soon burst open in bright, yellow gladness if our warm weather, spring rains and soft air continue this week.

With thoughts on Springtime, I've been surfing the Internet for information on the Green Man and Spring.  Last year's post on "Not just any George" touched briefly on St. George's Day, traditionally celebrated on April 23rd around the world.  I have found two excellent articles on the tradition that link the Green Man to this Spring celebration.  

Gary Varner, author of the excellent book: The Mythic Forest, The Green Man and the Spirit of Nature , discusses St. George as a possible Green Man figure in his article and excerpt from his book: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=1215&id=16882  Varner touches upon many traditions where St. George is linked with birth, death and rebirth. He cites other scholars on the Green Man such as:  Sir James Frazer, Mall Hiiemae, John Mathews and George and Fran Doel. 

An article by Hiiemae can be found at: http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/nr1/georg.htm.  This excellent article on the history of St. George's day, cites the ancient roots behind the holiday celebrating the saint.  He states that the Greek origin of Georgius is "ploughman"  or more simply, a farmer.  St. George's day coincides with many areas and the emergence of plants.  Hiiemae reminds us of grass being 'called forth' in the Alps.  Both he and Varner state the old European tradition that the winter ground is poisonous and especially children, should not sit on the ground, nor walk barefoot. prior to St. George's Day.  I remember my own mother (of German descent), warning me not to sit on the ground until after May because the winter has not left it yet, and you would become sick.  I found myself saying it to my own children, and am now only learning of reason and tradition behind the saying! 

Hiiemae's article gives extensive information on St. George's day.  It is easy to see the linkage between St. George and the Green Man.  As new life and plants burst forth, I will leave you, dear reader, with this quote from Hiiemae's article: "The St. George's Day traditions connected with the awakening of nature and the arrival of spring make one think of the actual emergence of green planta. The idea of a dying and newly rising deity, in association with the autumnal fading and springtime bursting of vegetation, seems to fit ever so logically into the world view of peoples living in a natural state. There are, for example, such Russian proverbs as George will bring spring and There is no spring without George (Dal 1957, 879)." 

To Spring! To George! To St. George! To the Green Man!

The Green Man, St. Patrick's Day and Spring

It's been a long winter, but on this St. Patrick's Day, I heard the Spring Peepers and saw a blue heron fly over the Chesapeake Bay.  Spring is definitely and finally on its way.   (Even though more snow is predicted later this week)

Thoughts of the Green Man and his association with Spring have been haunting me in the last few weeks.  Cursory searches of the internet brought many familiar sites previously highlighted in the blog.  But, through the shifting sands of the internet, a new site appeared that links the Green Man, St. Patrick's and the beginning of Spring. 

http://www.shiftyourlife.com/2011/celebration-of-the-green-man/

The guest blogger on this site, Steve Nelson, relates the Green Man with St. Patrick's Day and the coming of Spring in the information below:

“The Green Man” has been around in metaphysical lore and history for thousands of years. There are some who believe it refers to our early spiritual history from when we were spiritual beings first manifesting in physical matter- with more direct awareness of our connections to earth and nature. According to “Soul Logos”, during our spiritual development as we were first manifesting in matter, we were much more aware of our sensitivity or reaction  to the effects of sunlight and the movement of planetary bodies, including the stages of the moon from our position on earth. That is why the “Green Man” is honored at the time of the Spring Equinox in times of pre-history and we honor it now in modern day with the celebration of  St. Patrick’s Day.
According to our friend and occasional Guest Blogger, Steve Nelson (Mythological Astrologer): ‘St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th – “Wearing of the green” is a tradition of the Green Man who dances in the Spring. People become “crazy as a March hare” as Spring grows near and the sap rises. It’s time to chase out the old Mars (old year energy) and bring in the New. Patrick drove snakes from Ireland with a drum. Drumming breaks psychic congestion (drives out the snakes) and frees our vital energy.’

Thanks to Steve Nelson, guest blogger at: http://www.shiftyourlife.com/2011/celebration-of-the-green-man/, and The Shift Doctors (Tracy Latz, M.D., Mh.D & Marion Ross, Ph.D., Mh.D., creators of this blog, for their interesting information on the Green Man and Spring.

Slainte!



Green People of San Diego

While working on research for "The Blossoming" -- the third book in the Green Man series, I stumbled on a blog that shared this photo from the San Diego, CA botanical gardens:


I have no idea if these Green people are still in the gardens, but I am grateful to: http://www.ronckytonk.com/2011_11_01_archive.html  for sharing their photos on their blog. and

Perhaps a California reader can post if these still exist at the Botanical Gardens as I was not able to locate any information on them during a cursory search of their website: http://www.sdbgarden.org

These green people remind me of the huge, green, outdoor sculptures at Lost Gardens of Heligan: http://heligan.com/

Book Signing and Book update

  The paperback version of The Leafing will be available by May 1st, 2015!

 

Upcoming book signing for The Greening at: 

 

 http://www.cecil-con.com



April 4th from 10-4pm
Cecil College in North East, MD

 Cecil Con, a mini convention hosted by the Geekdom Club at Cecil College in North East, MD. We are a free, family-friendly convention that is open to the public. Please stop by if you have a love of anime, gaming, fantasy, or science fiction.

The Green Man and New Year's

The old year is dying and the new year awaits.  As a naïve American, I am used to large, lighted balls dropping from the sky, noisemakers and revelry on December 31st to January 1st.  The American celebration of things dropping from the sky is tame in comparison to other, more ancient folk festivals that rid ourselves of bad luck, omens and winter to bring on good things and Spring.  (and the tune of "Drive the Cold Winter Away" keeps dancing in my head as I write.  Lyrics here: http://www.allcarols.com/d/drive_the_cold_winter_away.html)

In the wee sma' hour this day, I learned of a Spanish festival on the first weekend of January -- La Vijanera where a man covered in greens is part of the festivities in driving and killing the bear in a festival that represents the triumph of good over evil.  Please follow the link as the photos will not copy or paste into the blog.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/ximenez/11809160806/in/photostream/
These amazing photographs were taken by: Carlos González Ximénez  -- Máscaras de la Vijanera de Silió, Molledo, Cantabria 2014.
Carlos González Ximénez

The Green Men are only a small part of the festival and are called:  Trapajones:

 

Men in costumes made with natural greenery, leaves, bark, corn, beans, etc. are part of the many masked players on this day.

The website for the festival is: http://www.vijanera.com/

Another blog post on this festival: http://blogs.pjstar.com/eye/2013/01/09/spaniards-carry-on-ancient-tradition-of-vijanera-masquerade/   Daniel Ochoa de Olza is the photographer that shares many photographs from the 2013 festival in Silio, Spain.

There are other folk festivals as we work to triumph over the winter worldwide that will be addressed at a later time.  Until then,  Happy New Year to one and all. May your year be full of good and a triumph over evil.

 

The Green Man and Christmas

As December beckons on the morrow, thoughts turn to the upcoming December holidays.  I was thinking about the dwindling of daylight and how the Green Man is connected to the Solstice and the holidays.    In my own book, The Greening, I included a passage where the Green Man  steps into a Solstice fire for his subsequent death and then rebirth in the Spring:

It was a clear, sparkling winter’s night.  A full moon was in the sky, but its light could not shadow the brilliance of the stars that shone brightly in the blue-black sky.  Marian had lit a bonfire in the meadow.  Its flames leapt up trying to touch the sky, higher and higher in a mixture of brilliant white, gold and orange flames.

When the Green Man appeared, several people cheered.  He nodded, king-like, acknowledging his patrons.  Sylvia stared up at him in surprise and pleasure that so many saw and recognized him.  They all waited and watched the flames.

Finally at the right moment, the Green Man said, “Good-bye, Sylvia. Veriditas.”

“What?” Sylvia whispered, dragging her attention back to him.  She had been caught up in the magic of the starlight and the flames.

“I’ll always be nearby if you need me,” the Green Man whispered and kissed her, his oak leaf moustache tickling as he kissed. It was a kiss from a friend, a mentor, but passionate at the same time.  Sylvia caught her breath.   “Keep looking and listening and learning,” he told her.

Sylvia shivered.  The Green Man stepped into the welcoming flames and Sylvia gave a little cry of “No!”  Tears coursed down her face even though the Green Man was smiling as though the flames were like a cozy blanket. People around her were cheering and shouting, “May your days grow longer.”

“Goodbye,” she whispered through her tears.

 

The Green Man -- or the Legend of the Holly King and Oak King has been part of the Wiccan tradition of fighting to rule a portion of the year.  An excellent blog post explaining this can be found at: http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/p/Holly_KIng_Yule.htm

 

Without getting too philosophical, this leans on the thought of Ourosboros and Yin/Yang.  But, I digress...

 

There are connections with the Green Man and Father Christmas.  John Matthews has researched and written about this tradition in his book: The Winter Solstice .  Wonderful reading! 

 

A briefer treatise on the thoughts of the Green Man and Father Christmas can be found at this blog: http://historicaldigression.com/2010/12/21/the-green-man-father-christmas-and-the-winter-solstice/

 

And one last thought, as I researched for this post, I stumbled onto a fabulous website with Green Man miniatures: http://www.finestoneminiatures.com/index.htm  if your gift giving leans to the symbol of the Green Man kind, these stonemasons have created amazing renditions of classic Green Men.

 

 

And in a final note, I leave another passage from The Greening's sequel, The Leafing leaving us with hope that the Green Man will return:

Prologue:

 

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
Robert Frost

            Sylvia stood staring at the dying embers of the bonfire. Her feet were numb with cold and hot tears stung her freezing cold cheeks. Owen stood with her, his arm around her as she stared at the dying fire in disbelief.  The Green Man had stepped into the fire smiling a warm, yet wry smile on his brown face of living wood.  She had watched as his tall body which was covered in rich brocade made of leaves, with a crown of holly bright with scarlet berries on his head disappear into the leaping flames as though they were a cozy blanket.  He was gone in a flash as the tall flames engulfed him with a loud whoosh.  Tears had coursed down her cheeks while others cheered the onset of the solstice and toasted the beginning of longer days. As everyone headed back to Marian’s house for food and drink, Owen supported her as she glanced back,  one last hope that the Green Man would reappear as he had so many times this last year.  It was only when the fire had died down to charred embers that Owen noticed a large chunk of wood left in the ashes.

            “Look, Syl,” he said amazed, “Look at this.”

            Sylvia gasped at what she saw. It was the wooden mask, almost identical to the one she had found last spring, now laying among the embers.  Owen gingerly pushed away smoldering embers with his booted foot to get to the chunk of wood.  Bit by bit he pushed it through the ashes to Sylvia. She reached down to pick it up, not heeding Owen’s warning that it might be hot to touch.  The smooth wood was strangely cool. Yes, this mask was identical to the one she had found, what was it, seven months ago?   It was the day of her grandmother’s funeral when she had stormed out of the house in angry grief and found this mask lying on the ground.  It had sprouted one leaf, then two and finally turned into her beloved, father-like, Green Man. He had guided her these past months as she and Owen discovered a horrible ecological disaster in the making and solved a murder as well.  He had showed her that she had a gift of seeing auras.  He had been her rock in times of need.  Sylvia already missed him. 

            Now Sylvia stood, holding the velvety smooth mask of wood and a silly smile played on her lips.  It was a message to her from the Green Man.  She was sure of it.  She was sure that he would return. 

 

 

Both The Greening  is available in paperback and kindle format from www.amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/Greening-novel-romantic-suspense-touch-ebook/dp/B0084TH53Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417346595&sr=8-1&keywords=the+greening+sharon+brubaker+paperback

and

The Leafing is currently available in kindle format at www.amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Leafing-2nd-book-Green-ebook/dp/B00C8UIXZO/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1C6P7SZXYDBK3WQ9T9JZ and will be available in paperback in early 2015.