t's common among inner mystery traditions to possess a set of myths and legends. The tales are, of course, fictional in the larger sense while at the same time reflecting two themes. The first is designed to convey the views, beliefs, and spiritual elements of the system. In doing so, they are often about the deeds of heroes, entities, deities, and spirits. They work together to preserve the lore and the heart or soul of the system using them. In this light, the stories incorporate the tenets of the system into various events and themes.
The second purpose of a mythos is to try to bring an understanding to complex concepts, most of which fall into the category of the mystical or occult. In this sense, the interactions of characters in a story are actually a depiction of how energies interplay, conflict, resolve, and so on. This facet of a mythos is its inner meanings—the Mystery Teachings.
On the surface, a mythos contains known elements of the system in which it appears. Even though a mythos has a setting, characters, and events, none of them are meant to indicate a historical account, even when they may present themselves as such. Therefore, it's important to understand that there's a mythical history within a Mystery Tradition system. Often this includes the mythical history of the system as well as its mythical founders. A side benefit of a mythos is that it supports a personal sense of self-identity for the tradition and its members and initiates.
The members of a tradition share not only a bond through knowing the inner tales, but they also together partake of the power that flows from the source of the stories in a mythos. The myths touch upon the deepest roots of the esoteric knowledge that have been cultivated and nurtured over countless centuries. These are the things that withstood the test of time; they are the time-honored and time-proven ways passed to us in a spiritual lineage of Witchcraft.
With this entire perspective kept in mind, let us now enter into the Mythos of the Old World Witchcraft.
In the beginning there was only Night, the endless blackness. Within her formlessness was nestled all that can ever be but isn't yet. Being alone, Night dreamt of companions, and upon awakening she birthed the stars, sun, and moon. From the shimmering light, she formed all the gods but kept to herself secret worlds that were later to be revealed. Because the gods were sad, having no world of their own, Night formed the earth for them. Upon the foundation of the earth, the gods built their towering cities above it.
There was, hidden in secret behind the moon, a black python that entered Night as she slept, and from this union was born three daughters. When the moon shows no light, the Three Daughters of Night walk together upon the earth. There, beneath the moonless sky, appears the ancient one known as the Washer in the Night. For all who come to her, she rinses their minds, soaks them in ancestral blood, and scrubs their bones clean so that honor is restored to their lineage.
There was, in the vast black time of the Beginning, the starry serpent known as Pythos. Not desiring to share the starry sky, he gathered the fallen stars together into one place. Pythos coiled around them and formed them into one company. Then he burrowed deep into the earth, being seen no more.
In the time of People, Pythos spoke to them through vaporous crevices and caverns in the earth. Through his mystical, vaporous breath, he enchanted them, and he granted them visions of the future through his star-eyes. Feeling alone inside the earth, Pythos blew his star-breath outward and filled the blackness with bits of starlight that reminded him of his faraway home in the night sky. This was the creation of all the jewels within the earth that came to be treasured by people.
When the humans began to dig into the earth and take away these jewels, Pythos called out to the Great Night Sky, seeking aid to recover his star-shining jewels of the deep earthly realm. From this call came forth the creation of dragons, winged serpents that could fly from the deep caverns to the places of humankind in the world above. The dragons retrieved the jewels and returned them to the realm of Pythos, hiding and protecting them in great caverns from all who yearn for the sparkling gems.
Kaelifera, she who is the great star-being, once observed humankind from her celestial abode. From above, she beheld the plight of humans struggling to survive, being less equipped than the other animals on the earth that were naturally better suited to endure the environment. This stirred her compassion and moved her to take action. From her place in the starry night, Kaelifera wished to bring enlightenment to the people below. She wished to brighten their minds and ease their burdens.
At this time, the star-beings were constrained by a barrier separating the celestial from the terrestrial, but Kaelifera struggled to free herself from the bonds that held the stars fast. In a sudden burst of intense power, she broke free, but the momentum was so great that it caused her to race uncontrollably toward the earth. The star hit the earth with such impact that she penetrated down into its very center. Smoke and dust filled the crevice and remained for nine nights.
As Kaelifera slept in the deepest slumber, Pythos the Great Serpent came to her and impregnated her. (Impregnation by a serpent during sleep is a very old theme. Sleep is the time of dreams, and dreams belong to the Other Realm. The inclusion of serpent impregnation within a story is always a supernatural event. It's not a rape, but is meant to indicate a passive receptive state, as in a mystical trance.) Three days later, Kaelifera awoke and gave birth to a red dragon, which she named Vepres (pronounced veh-press). In this way, star and earth, celestial nature and terrestrial nature, joined as one.
After nine nights, the light of day made the opening to the surface of the land (left behind by the star's impact) visible. When night came, Kaelifera made her way back out, resting along the way on seven ledges that jetted out in the cavern tunnel left by the fallen star. After leaving the seventh ledge, Kaelifera was free and stood beneath an open sky.
Kaelifera returned to the night sky, but because of her love for her dragon child, she could not remain forever in the heavens. So she continues to descend to be with Vepres beneath the earth in the dragon's lair and then rises again to the sky as she wills. She can be seen as the morning and evening stars.
The ancient dragon known as Vepres was born in the depths of the earth. Its mother was Kaelifera, the star that entered into the earth. Its father was Pythos, the Great Serpent.
When Kaelifera descended from the starry realm, her passage into the earth split in half a great ancient tree that stood at the spot.
Vepres grew for three nights in the womb of Kaelifera and then was born within a cavern deep in the earth. This cavern was the most ancient of all places, and it bore the memories of all that lived and died in the world above. A fire burned in the cavern and gave a soft light that dimly cast its glow. Within the cavern, an opening formed into an inner realm, becoming a gateway, a sacred grotto. A deep pool of water formed in front of the grotto and can be reached only through the Well of the Moon.
In the cavern's light, Kaelifera looked upon the red body of the dragon. Along the dragon's spine showed a row of spikes in the fashion of rose thorns. The head of the dragon sported two large thorny horns, its teeth shaped like rose thorns, and red scales covered its body in the manner of armored rose petals. The wings of the dragon resembled shingled layers of rose leaves.
When the time came, Vepres rose upward from the passage that burrowed into the center of the earth. The dragon soon emerged from the tunnel into the world of light. It came to rest for a moment at the base of the ancient tree that was split by the descending star. There, Vepres breathed star-fire upon the rift in the tree and joined it back together. But the star-fire transformed the tree, turning it white, after which it shimmered with mystical light. Once transformed in this way, the white tree became a mystical gateway between the world of mortal-kind and the Otherworld of spirit-kind.
With the appearance of Vepres in the mortal world, a guardianship was established through which all entrances and exits between the worlds became protected.
The most ancient of all trees stood on the center of the earth, and it watched the Ages pass. Old legends told that the race of people was born from this tree. One eventful night, a great star raced down from the sky and split the tree in half as it passed into the earth below.
The tree groaned over its wound for seven nights and may have perished, had not something quite magical taken place. A red dragon emerged from the crevice left by the star and took notice of the tree in its cleft state. Understanding that this was the great Mother Tree of all, the dragon breathed a breath of star-fire onto it, which closed the rift and healed the tree. Such was the power of the star-fire that the tree glowed white from that day forward.
Like the stars themselves, the White Tree could now only be seen at night. Its starlight branches reached upward to the moon, for it was now of earth and sky. As the branches and roots of the tree grew and spread, its light shone into the Otherworld—the place of Faery. Soon the White Tree joined the worlds of mortal-kind and spirit-kind together. But its shimmer did not miss the attention of those in the Hidden Places.
From the sacred woods of the moon, the Seven Sisters descended to bless the White Tree so as to honor She of the White Round. The Faeries of the Lantra, who are bearers of the Star Lantern, passed virtue into the White Tree, which extended the Realm of the Faery to border in the center of the tree. In this way, the White Tree overlapped the mortal realm and the Faery Realm, and the Fey called it the White Tree of Faewyn. The Seven Sisters passed virtue into the tree as well and called it the White Tree of LuNeya—the realm of the moon.
The White Tree of Faewyn allowed for a passageway between the worlds, and the Faery used it to cross freely into the world of humankind. It shimmered in their realm to indicate the magical portal, and from that day forward, meetings between people and Faery took place. To guard against discovery of this direct passage, the Faery created hollow mounds in the world of humankind, and these mounds existed at the tips of the roots of the White Tree. Inside the mounds, isolated areas of the Faery Realm were extended, and when mortals were allowed entry (as some were on occasion) the places looked like great dining halls. These rooms did not allow penetration by mortals into the Great Faery Realm itself, unless accompanied by a Faery traveler.
The White Tree was joined not only with the Realm of the Faery, for the Seven Sisters wielded the shimmer as well as did the Fey. In this way, others claimed it as the White Tree of LuNeya. The starlight branches that touched the moon became bridges for the souls of the dead to journey to LuNeya (in which they took rest and prepared for rebirth). For the moon is the abode of the dead, and She of the White Round receives their light until she's full; then she rebirths these souls into the mortal realm. When all are reborn, the moon becomes dark and unseen, for the light of souls has passed once again from the heavens.
In the Sacred Grove of LuNeya, there once lived a band of maidens who attended their Queen. This was long before the time when beings of light would come to dwell within bodies of clay. No one remembered birth, and no one knew of death. There was only LuNeya and its meadows, forest, and the sacred mountain.
When Night birthed the Clay-Born, death came into existence. Taking pity upon the spirits of the dead who wandered the earth, the Queen of LuNeya took them into her care. The Seven Sisters gathered them up at each crossroads, and brought them to LuNeya. Here their light was added to the realm, which shone brightly in the great blackness of Night Sky.
One evening when the Sisters journeyed to the earth, they encountered a large White Tree. Thinking it was a curious thing, they examined the tree by touching it with their hands. As they stood with the White Tree, its branches extended up into the sky until they embraced LuNeya. As the White Tree shimmered in the night, its light drew the spirits of the dead to where it stood. The Seven Sisters saw that they could easily escort the dead along the branches of the White Tree into the realm of LuNeya.
It was not long after finding the White Tree that the Seven Sisters beheld a far-off glow deep in the Great Forest. Wondering if this was another White Tree, the Sisters went to the place of light. Here they came upon a wondrous thing, for before them was a dazzling column of brilliant multicolored light. It separated all things, and it swirled in the center, guarding against one thing, touching another. Realizing that this could only come from divinity, the Seven Sisters called it the Hallow. In the Hallow, all things lose identity, and there's no conflict, disharmony, or order to things. There's only the way into all things.
When the Seven Sisters became the escorts of the dead, people spoke of them as the White Fey Women. The Queen of LuNeya, impressed at seeing that the Seven Sisters took up greater tasks, transformed them into stars to honor them. They left the forest of LuNeya and guarded the Hallow on earth against discovery, and they opened the Gates of Life and Death in the heavens. These gates appear on the Eve of May and the Eve of November.
There came a time when the barrier between the worlds of Faery and mortals opened in a mysterious way. At the unseen place between these worlds, a White Tree appeared not long after a great shining star rushed down upon the earth. The tree grew on the spot where the star disappeared deep into the earth; but this was no average tree.
The tree between the realms shimmered with starlight and was not solid in nature. The Faery Race learned that it could be penetrated and that it opened into another realm of existence. From that time forward, Faeries entered the mortal realm and had experiences with humankind. These encounters resulted in the tales told by people about the Faeries, but these experiences were always interpreted by humans through their limited awareness and understanding.
One group of Faeries came to be called the Lantra, the Keepers of the Star Lantern. This lantern contained a light that could not be extinguished, for it came from a star, and it illuminated even the darkest of places. This is called the Light-Bringing Star of the Nocturnal Mysteries, and it was given by Kaelifera, the Star Queen from the Great Night Sky. The Lantra were sworn to keep the Star Lantern safe and to bear it against all who wished to block out light and leave only darkness.
In the Thorn Path of Witchcraft, Faeries are known as the People of the Blue Flame. The lore behind this tells that a rapid fanning or flickering blue fire showed from behind the Faeries when they appeared in the mortal realm. People mistook this phenomenon for wings, and so in legend, Faeries are often depicted as winged. Faeries require the blue flame in order to travel from their realm and back again.
Beyond the realm of the mortal world, past the gates of the rising and setting sun and moon, lies the land of Faery. It's called Faewyn, the White Realm of the Faery. Here, there's no natural death, and nothing is still or idle. The land of the Faeries, and all within it, gently flows from one point to another. A mortal in Faewyn cannot see this motion and believes that things appear and disappear in this realm. The eyes of mortals move too slowly and fix upon moments of time instead of what becomes of time. Mortals see where things were, not where they are, and in doing so they become subject to barriers that form as a result. These barriers are known by the terms past, present, and future.
Faewyn is a realm that resembles the lands and bodies of water known in the mortal world. It has day and night and seasons. The sun, moon, and stars are seen overhead, but they are reflections from the mortal realm. Light in the Faery World comes from the land within the realm itself, an energy that emanates from all things.
The proud cities of Finias, Falias, Gorias, and Murias were the glory of Faewyn until the ethereal armies of a jealous god drove the Faeries from them. The Faeries found refuge in the world of mortal-kind, where they awaited the time when they could retake their lost places. When the One God came into the world of humankind to displace the Many Gods, his armies left the land of Faewyn and took up battle with the Old Ones of the earth. It was then that the Faeries began to withdraw from the mortal realm, returning to their home in the shimmering realm of light.
In the endless black sea was an island city of the dead, which was known as Morphos. The city sat on the shore, where it was seen by all who approached it from the sea. Morphos was surrounded by woods and meadows in which grew poppies and mandrakes. In the center of the island stood a mountain with a cave in it, near its top. The cave opened into the Cavern of She of the Crossroads.
On the earth, at the sacred crossroads, stood the Great White Birch. For such did it appear to be in the mortal world. From the Hidden Realm, it was the White Tree that shimmered to call the dead. So it came to be called the White Tree of LuNeya, and around its branches the seven stars of the Seven Sisters (who escort the dead) glowed.
The souls of the dead travel in the branches of the White Tree, which are bridges crossing the endless black sea. When souls arrive, they are given rest and are prepared for another lifetime in the mortal world. They are purified in the Cavern of She of the Crossroads, and they drink from the springs of memory and forgetfulness.
When the time for rebirth arrives, souls travel back to the mortal world on the branches of the White Tree. In the land of the living, they descend from the Gate of Life and, guided by the Seven Sisters, the souls await the womb in which a new body will be fashioned.
When Night brought forth the creation of the earth, the realms of the manifest and the non-manifest could not touch. For if they did, both would disappear into each other and be gone for all time. To prevent this from happening, the Source of All Things placed an agreement between them, and this came to be known as the Hallow. It's neither a form or formless; it's what exists in-between them.
The Hallow stands in the center of the Great Forest of the Ancestors, the primordial world that's hidden by time to all who believe in time. The voices, thoughts, and prayers of humans and Faeries pass into the Hallow but are not heard or answered by it. They move through it and into other realms, for the Hallow is the corridor with endless portals to all worlds. Answers come from the Hallow but are not of the Hallow.
It's said that when the Hallow shines, something passes from one world into the next. The Seer perceives light in the center of the Great Forest, and for one brief shining moment, the secret place of the Hallow is known.
To draw the attention of the Hallow is to enter into the center of the light of one's own soul. In doing so, there's no self to be found; there's only the in-between space where the soul and that which created it look upon each other. It's a hallowed place.