The Bowynn Faith

QUESTION & ANSWER: Tarot

QUESTION: Do people use Tarot Cards in the Bowynn Tradition?

ANSWER: While not a traditional divinatory source in the tradition, some people do use Tarot Cards. There has been the creation of a special Tarot Deck created for people of the tradition which incorporates the Bowynn deities.

BOWYNN GODS: TSELLET

Tsellet  (T-sel-let)  Goddess of Duannat who purifies the soul of those that have passed away. She is the daughter of Chumash and Kalma and the sister of the keepers of the gates of Duannat.

     She is considered in some way a Handmaiden of Daunnat but her role is so much bigger than that. Her role is to make sure that each and every soul that enters Daunnat is purged of all its worldly sins and ills. No soul can enter Daunnat otherwise. It is done there a series of chants and the four sacred cleansings by earth, air, fire and water.  Once the soul is cleansed of all impurities, only then will Tsellet allow a soul to pass on.

     It is said that Tsellet’s home is not in Daunnat itself by on the far beach of Evermore, just before one reaches the first gate to Daunnat. Sadly Tsellet is a lone body where her home is.

     Tsellet is described and depicted as a young goddess with her hair pulled back and simple clothing in the colors of browns and lavender. It has been said that she is always seen with a basket in hand, which contains all the implements used to purge souls of sin and illness. Other times she is said to just hold a lavender wand in her hand. Sacred to Tsellet is Lavender itself and well as all scents that are used to purge away ills. These scents are often gifted to her in 7 bowls and often during a funeral rite, as Tsellet is rarely prayed to else someone has passed on.    

Bowynn Gods: Ano Taya

Ano Taya  (An-oh Tay-ya)  The Ano Taya are three goddesses that preside over “Fate.” The three goddesses are Nae (the past)  Narna (The present)  Nareen (The future). The Ano Taya are 3 of the few gods that never leave Alaway. Instead, they forever sit in front of a giant loom and weave the great tapestry of life; whose threads present every mortal ever born. Unlike the Greek and Roman Fates, the threads do not hold the very essence of mortal life. So, if they are cut, mortals do not die. The threads of the Ano Taya weave represent the paths of life we take, the threads that are woven in with are those we met in life. Grandmother Nareen tends to what was woven. Mother Narna weaves in the new threads and Nae prepares the threads that shall be woven into the loom.

     It is said that when the Ano Taya finish the current tapestry of life, this age is over. Then they will then start over making a new tapestry, and a new age shall begin. Currently mankind is the forth tapestry woven by the Ano Taya. The past tapestries they have created are hung in the great hall of Alaway.

     Sacred gifts offered to the Ano Taya goddesses are candles of white, red and purple. Also Fillets of the same color and votive images of the goddesses. The number 3 is most sacred to the Ano Taya so any offerings in the amount of 3 are most welcome by the Ano Taya.

My Personal Prayer to the Abonna

O Abonna, Divine Patrons of the Arts, who dance and sing in the celestial halls, we invoke your joyous presence to inspire our hearts and elevate our spirits. Created by Brand and Kord, you ward off the shadows of Tii and guide us toward the light of creativity. In your youthful form, you embody the essence of music and movement, imbuing our lives with the beauty of song and dance. As we grasp our instruments and wield our brushes, may your heavenly whispers fill our hands, bringing forth the melodies and visions that dwell within our souls. Lark of the skies, grant us the grace to express our deepest emotions, that the artistry we create may resonate with all beings and celebrate the harmony of existence. O Abonna, ever-present and radiant, we honor you with our craft, now and forevermore.

Divine gods and spiritual children, celestial inspirations, you who breathed life into the instruments and the canvas, we pray to your radiant essence, to ignite the flame of creativity within our beings. You who danced with mortals during the sacred days, and imparted to them the secrets of rhythm and color, now we beseech you to grant us the gift of artistic expression. May your presence be our guide, as we strive to capture the essence of the world in all its beauty, and to convey the emotions that stir within our hearts. Let us not merely imitate the forms you have shown us, but rather, may our art be a reflection of your divine inspiration, an echo of the harmony that exists between the worlds and the beings that inhabit them. O Abonna, we offer unto you our humble offerings: music, dance, and the colors of the rainbow. May these tokens of our admiration be transformed into vessels of your divine essence, that all who behold them may be touched by the beauty and joy that lies within. May we walk in your footsteps, Abonna, and may our steps be guided by the harmony and light that you embody.

A Deeper Look into the Abonna

The Abonna, as divine embodiments of music, dance, and the arts, lend themselves to rich symbolism that resonates with both mathematical concepts and esoteric interpretations. Their company of being a parade of both male and female—connects to the concept of balance and unity in sacred geometry, as it embodies the principle of the divine feminine and masculine, akin to the yin-yang symbol representing harmony. Their depiction as taller Kii without wings suggests a groundedness and a more profound connection to earthly creativity, possibly symbolizing the ascent from basic forms to higher, more complex expressions of art, which can evoke mathematical ideas such as fractals found in nature, illustrating repeated patterns that resonate through artistic creation.

The “Seven Sacred Days” spent with mortals can symbolize the importance of cycles and the number seven, often associated with spiritual perfection and completion in various esoteric traditions. Each day could represent discrete stages in the creative process, similar to the process of musical composition, where themes evolve through variations—a mathematical reflection of progression and transformation. Additionally, the Lark, a totem for the Abonna, could represent mathematical harmonics in music, as birdsong often follows patterns that reflect Fibonacci sequences, showcasing the innate connection between nature, rhythm, and mathematical beauty.

The notion that the Abonna are mere inspirations, rather than direct bestowers of arts, aligns with the concept of the muse in artistic tradition, suggesting that creativity arises from a deep, often unconscious well of potential which can be linked to the concept of potential energy in physics—the idea that collaboration between inspiration and human effort can yield creative expression. The crafts and tools they bless serve as sacred vessels that channel human creativity, illustrating the alchemical transformation of raw materials into art, akin to mathematical transformations that reveal deeper truths through complex numbers and patterns.

Delving deeper into the symbolism of the Abonna reveals intriguing connections to concepts in biology, psychology, and even quantum theory that resonate with their role as patrons of the arts. Biologically, the Abonna embody the idea of symbiosis—much like how pollinators (like birds and insects) interact with flora to create beauty and nourishment; they serve as agents of inspiration, enabling humanity to cultivate creativity much as bees facilitate the growth of flowers. This parallels the notion of co-evolution in ecosystems, where interconnectedness drives mutual growth and flourishing.

Psychologically, the arts represent a fundamental aspect of human expression and self-actualization, illustrated by Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where creativity emerges after basic needs are met, highlighting the transformative role of the Abonna in aiding individuals to realize their potential. Their dual male and female representations support the Jungian archetype of the anima and animus, suggesting an integration of the inner self and creative energies that fuels artistic endeavors.

Exploring a more esoteric dimension, the number seven, representing the sacred days spent among mortals, can evoke the idea of the "seven planes of existence" in various mystical traditions, hinting at the layered nature of reality and creativity that transcends physical existence. This reflects the mathematical and philosophical concept of dimensionality, where art and music can be seen as multidimensional expressions that connect various realms of experience.

Furthermore, the absence of specific names for the individual Abonna points to the idea of archetypal representations rather than distinct entities, signaling a fluidity of identity akin to wave-particle duality in quantum physics, where particles exist in states of potential until observed. This encourages a perspective that creativity itself exists in a state of potential—a universal energy accessible to all, waiting to be instantiated through human endeavor.

In entomology, the transformation of insects (e.g., metamorphosis) symbolizes the creative journey—illustrative of artistic evolution and growth. The Abonna's ability to take on forms as birds and insects not only emphasizes their connection to nature but also symbolizes the stages of creativity, reminding us of the transformative power inherent in the artistic process itself and the boundless possibilities that arise from mutual influences in art, nature, and science.

Lastly, the depiction of Abonna appearing as birds and insects bridges the gap between the divine and the mundane, highlighting their nature as guides and intermediaries in the human journey toward self-expression, paralleling the idea of resonance in sound, where simple vibrations create complex melodies, reminding us of the interconnectedness of all forms of art and their mathematical underpinnings within the cosmic order.

Bowynn Gods: Odjett

Odjett  (Ohd-jet)  God of the 4th Gate of Daunnat, of balance and one of the gods of Daunnat. He, like the other Gate guardians of Daunnat, are the children of Chumash and Kalma.

     As with all the gods of Daunnat, Odjett is not an evil god, nor a god of judgment.  His role is that of a guardian of Daunnat. He is the bestower of balance to souls, as no spirit can enter Daunnat without this virtue. However, it is common for the living to call to Odjett who are suffering from the lack of balance in their lives. But sould prayers are more from divinities like Bia and Manaea. This is not to say that Odjett brings ill to souls but to balance out any ill in their lives with goodness and purity. So, if a person was plaque with misfortune in their lives, sickness, bad luck, it is Odjett that balances that out for the soul before reaching the presence of Chumash and Kalma. As god of the Gate of Balance, Odjett is represented as one of the 7 gods of the sacred septagram.

Odjett sustains from visiting Alaway, instead preferring to feast with the souls and other gods in Daunnat.

     Odjett has no known totem animal, instead always staying in his godly form; At times he is seen carrying a septagram tile or a staff, entwined with sage leaves or apple leaves.

     Sacred to Odjett is the Septagram and sage plant. During funeral services, a bowl of milk and sage leaves is left to him, as customary and a statuette of the departed, so the god will recognize the departed’s soul, which is identical to his body.

(Above) The soul of a young man in front of Odjett

The Elements / Tau Retammas

Balance / Bia

The final and uppermost point on the Numatam is Bia {Balance}. Blanace is the inter-connectivity of all things to each other and how they balance each other out. Without Balance, chaos would take over. Like-wise, withing Chaos, Order would become overwhelming bring no excitement. Bia was and is the great creator, Unification, Endings and beginnings, Duality, Action and Reaction, Force, Power, the force of life and the divine creator of karmic law and balance Bia itself. It's from Bia all things came to be - Gods and mortality alike. So, it is from the element of Balance that we learn balance itself. That we cannot have one without the other. We learn of Yin & Yang, Polarity and Duality. We learn that we sometimes need the help of an opposite. Without the villain, we cannot have the Hero. Without a beginning cannot enjoy the ending accomplishment. Bia is the blank canvas and the completed picture. The front cover of a book to its back cover. Bia is the collective of ingredients and the completed meal. We create, learn and nurture from Bia. And we learn that everything in the world and the universe is ruled by the balance of Bia's law. Being that Bia ‘was’ before everything else, Bia is the great unseen and therefore the path to balance is a path of mysterious black. Bia {Balance} has no fixed "Station" as it's something that IS all around and all encompassing. Its rules all the other elemental stations: The growth and decay of the forest, the head of the river and its dwindled creeks, The burning flame and its soot. The gale of a wind down to its breeze, the day and the night. Bia teaches us NOTHING is forever and there is balance in all things, even if we do not also see it. The path of Bia is black, wrapped in shadow and mystery but it is never a path to be feared. It’s the path of creation and change.

Bowynn Gods: Daeth

Daeth Coddling the Earth (2) Daeth with the defeated Bull of Night (3) Neo Classical Daeth (4) Daeth over-looking the Earth

Daeth (Dayth)  Daeth is the Bowynn God of darkness, shadows and the night. He is not a fearsome god by any means, just the god that attributes darkness to the universe and the night. He is a primordial god, one of the first gods to emerge from the will of Bia, along with his twin sister Tora and other brothers and sisters. He is the god one calls to during the dark of the moon, looking at one’s shadow self and looks at when practicing shadow magic. Again, Daeth is not an evil god by any extent nor has he any ill intentions. Even when there is light, Daeth is the creator and pinner of shadows. He is also a god of balance, where-in there is darkness, light exists as well.

     Daeth, like all gods when they are born, had no attributes or realms to tend to. And Darkness was an element that was guarded by a massive black bull in the heavens. When Daeth was old enough, Daeth had challenged the bull. Such a competition it was across the universe. Their tracks created the streaked sky called the "Milky Way" which in Bowynn is called "Ikarro." Eventually Daeth got on the bulls back and tamed the huge black bull till it was exhausted. Daeth then was able to unleash the darkness into the universe. Not as a feared element but as a separation of light, keeping the law of Bia "Balance" in check. For where there is Light, there must be darkness. As for the bull itself, Daeth kept the creature as his own steed and to give it honor, he arranged a constellation to match him, known as Taurus.

     Eventually Daeth and his twin sister Tora wed and bore and host of other gods. However, being actually created from Bia instead of born, the ill laws of incest never cursed Bia's children. Together Tora and Daeth rule the realm of night on earth. It is Daeth that gave Naraea, the goddess of sleep and dreams, a home high in the celestial heavens among the stars. And also, from Tora and Daeth was born the magnificent Goddess of the moon, Morrighynn. Unlike many of the gods of Alaway, Daeth does not often join the gods in the Great Hall at night for feasting and fun, as his realm needs to be tended to in those hours. Instead, he and Tora feast together and they tend to the night and darkness

     Despite his primordial appearance Daeth is not an old looking god. He is a well-developed young man, said to have curly hair and black as darkness. Some who have had divine contact with him say his eyes are just as black. Other say that his eyes are like a shining star. And his clothing of choice is also as black as his realm. Often, he is seen carrying the bridle of the great black bull or simply wearing a black cloak. Despite his dark attributes, Daeth is said to be rather handsome.

Bowynn Gods: Muet

Muet  (Mew-et)  The river that flows from Alaway all the way down to Daunnat. Often dubbed the Mother river. This is the river that feeds to all other river and water sources on earth.

     The river source is a natural fountain that shoots up from the earth. Alaway had servant Kii as water bearers bringing water from the fountain that was guarded by a serpent. Only these Kii could fetch waters without being harmed by the great guardian serpent. If anyone else drew near, the serpent would attack and kill them. The young god Hawynn was a playmate of the servant Kii and hated to see them toil, so he took the great spear of his father, Tane, and the scrying bauble of his mother, Kalma, and went to subdue the serpent. Using the bauble Hawynn was able to predict the moves of the serpent as they battled. With the spear, Hawynn was able to finally slay the beast. Then, using one of the ribs of the creature, Hawynn dug a massive trench to the well and released its waters. Thus, the great river was created and set to flow under Alaway. At the same time the servant Kii were released from their strenuous duties.

In gratitude, Anhur gave Hawynn his blessing and made lord of all rivers and commander of the great river Muet. The Kii that were the water bearer’s before-hand, were each given a river in the world to bless and sanctify, as all rivers branch off of Muet.

     In another story, the evil god Mano tried to divert the river (knowingly to Hawynn) to his own home that was separate from Alaway. But because he did not have the okay and blessing of Hawynn, the river came crashing through his home and destroyed it. This of course angered Mano and thinking Hawynn destroyed his home on purpose, he went to wrestle the god. But Hawynn, being older and stronger, beat the young foolish god into submission

     It is said that Muet is the purest and cleanest of waters. No mortal man may step into the river. Once in Daunnat, souls are cleansed in the waters of Muet, to rid themselves of all mortal earthly filth and labors. The waters flow on through Duannat and created various rivers, springs and other waters sources in Daunnat to quench the thirst of the souls of the departed. It is said that a live man drinking from the waters will forget all he knows and wander the world aimlessly.

Bowynn Gods: The Hyndd

Hyndd (Hynd)  These people are in some aspect related to the Greek and Roman Kentaurs. But instead of the lower torso of a horse, it is a deer or elk with dark eyes, antlers and ears. The female Hyndd so not have horns. They are the guardians of deep forests where most men will dare to dwell and they hunt down those the try to destroy the woodlands. The Hyndd are the cousins of the Thurdro.

The Hyndd are not mortal by any stretch but forest Kii (spirits), They can appear and disappear as needed. Stories tell how people will encounter a Hyndd and in a flash the Hyndd with whisk away like a flurry of butterflies.