Tubelo's Green Fire

Tubelo's Green Fire
Shani Oates, Mandrake of Oxford
2010


Prepare to dive into the depths of Hekate's cauldron and come out transformed. In fact that ie this is what the Traditional craft is all about self transformation, gnosis and wisdom. Everyrthing else is secondary. The book is divided up into four parts Mythos of Tubal Caine,female mysteries, male mysteries, priestly mysteries and ethos. Shani Oates is a member of the Clan of Tubal Caine a branch of British Witchcraft strongly influenced by Middle Eastern Mysticism. Having read several other books about this subject I can well attest that not only has Shani Oates gone beyond the others and delved deeper into the origins but at times she can go over the readers head.

Mythos talks about the origins of man kind and the descent of Lucifer. Lucifer is not a bad guy and neither are his cohorts, in fact they are good guys. The Supreme God did not create the universe but rather his first born son, Lucifer or light bringer. Lucifer should not be confused with Satan. His job and that of the other Gods or angels was to instruct mankind. To illustratrate this Shani Oates refers to Sumerian mytholgy. Enki is the avatar for Lucifer and Caine was his son. Caine taught smithcraft to the world. The shining ones as they were called were represented in reptilian form and were supposedly descended from a meteorite. Remember that snakes were often a sign for wisdom. Thanks to the shining one mankind was able to evolve in leaps and bounds.

The Clan of Tubal Caine are often refered to as people of the Goda. The origins of the term Goda are analysed in depth. The final meaning is derived from Anglo Saxon Terminology. THe Goda were priest kings. THe Priest Kings set out from the Trasylvanian mountains in all direction. They went to Sumer and to Ireland to become the Tuatha de Dannan. Interesting to note that the word for snake in Celtic Language is Sumair.

Bear in mind that Tubal Caine is a clan based craft that has a relations ship with an egregore tht is an avatar of the horned one or the male stag king. In the case of this clan it is Tubal Caine. Robert Cochrane the clan's founder believed in learning by poetic inspiration and he also studied lots of folk lore.

Hekate is the female Goddess for them as it is for most witches. She has the triune form and stirs a cauldron. Dogs and pigs are sacred to her. She is a goddess of transformation. She is also a goddess of dakness and her torch illuminates th night time sky for the seeker. The origins of Hekate are somewhat clouded. The Goddess of the crossroads, origninally started out as a Thracian Goddess who then evolved into a Greek Goddess. In Greek mythology she was a Titan who sided with the Gods against the other Titans. Hence she earned herself a place on Mopunt Olympus. From Greece she spread through the Roman world all the way to Britain. Artemis and Diana may be derivative or forms of the Goddess Hekate.
Another theory posits that she was originally the Goddess of Egypt called Hekt. Not unlikely since Hekt was a Goddess of Death and rebirth. Hekt 's sacred animal was the frog. These same fats hold true for Hekate.

The femine divine may have been submerged during the age of patriarchy but it was not completely snuffed out. Sofia was the wisdom Goddess. To approach wisdom one did not pray to the divine feminine as that was heresy. Rather man reached his highest state infalling in love with a woman and being romantic with her. This was a way of reaching enlightenment through Romantic love. The Dance of the seven veils which Salome did for Herod upon the execution of John the Baptist was a left over from Inanna's descent into the under world. At each of the seven gates she had to remove a article of clothing. Then completely naked and dead was she able to learn the secrets from Eshrikigal of death and darkness. Dance was also used to attain gnosis and enlightenment. The Hand of Fatima with an eye in the cneter was used to ward off the evil eye. Fatima a daughter of the prophet Muhammad may have been a personification of the feminine divine in Arabia. Allah had three daughters who were highly revered.
Shil Na Gigh was a crude statue in Europe of a dwarfen mis shapen crone exposing her genitals. This was sen as guarding of against evil.

The male mysteries revolved aroud the great horned king. A dance in Straffodshire England has a troup of twelve men dancing in a circuit acompanied by a hobby horse. The dark horns clash with the lighter shade horns. Symblc of the holly king and the oak king. Both in charge at various times of the year. From Samhain to Spring solstic is the time of the Holly King and from Spring until Samhain is the oak king. THe origins of the dance hail from Anglo Saxon invader from Northern Europe. The sacred antler of the stag are actually reindeer antlers. The horse and reindeer are connected to Odin who went on the wild hunbt collecting the souls of the dead. Finally the myth o the Gren knight is examined in dehe objet of the myth is gnosis and knowledge.

The priestly mysteries examine the myth of the Fissher King and the importance of connecting to the land. Yet even this goes back to ancient Mesopotamia. The Grail is reminescent of ofering bowls. Priest back in those days were represented by Fish. Enki the sea god was in charge of the Garden or the tree of knowledge. Celtic mythology has the same parrallels. The purpose of the Grail was not fertility but rather a quest for knowledge and wisdom. An enlightenment that came only from descending into the abys. What fruit was on the tree of knowledge and /tree of life. Assuredly it was not apples as you thought. But rather it was some sort of mushroom that enable one to experience the divine. The white stork was a protective symbol that fought evil by draining away it's life force.

Lastly the ethos of Tubal Caine were discussed. This section discusses some points of philsophy and mechanical working of rituals. The meaning behind inititiation is discussed and the transference of power. Shani Oates discusses some differences and similiarites between her crat and neo-pagan Wicca.
This is one power house of a book.