In this episode of Under the Ancient Oaks – The Video Series, I’m joined by Patheos Pagan Channel Managing Editor Jason Mankey for a discussion about our experiences with a deity we’re both devoted to: Cernunnos.

I’m a polytheist who worships many Gods, but first among them is Cernunnos. I first met him deep in the woods, when I was a small child who still thought there was only one God. I didn’t know who he was – I just knew the woods were a magical place. When others told me to keep quiet, he listened. When life got too painful, he kept reminding me that nothing lasts forever and some day I would be free. He kept reminding me there was something more, something magical, just over the next hill, just behind the next tree.

When I got older I stopped seeing him, but I never lost my love of the forest. When I was a young adult he introduced himself again, and this time I knew who he was. Now I wear his medallion and I serve him as priest.

The Future of the Video Series

When I started this video series, I said I was going to do four episodes and then decide whether to keep making them or not. Four turned into five when I realized I needed to shoot two videos at the Beyond the Gates retreat, not just one. Then even before I posted the fourth one I started shooting a sixth.

It’s clear that Under the Ancient Oaks – The Video Series has taken on a life of its own. I’m enjoying making them and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

So the video series is now a regular monthly thing. I may play with the format a bit – I’m still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t, and perhaps most importantly, what is best communicated with video and what’s better suited for the written word.

Next month’s video will be a devotional work… and not to Anyone you’d likely expect. I’ve already shot two segments – I’ll shoot the rest in the next couple of weeks and it will be out in mid-November.

If there’s something you’d like to see on the video series, leave a comment or send me a Facebook message. Good ideas come from all kinds of sources.

The Path of Paganism

Thanks to everyone who’s supported The Path of Paganism: those who bought it, reviewed it, and talked about it on your blogs and podcasts. This is an introduction to Paganism as I understand it and practice it, with an emphasis on experience. It includes a solitary riutal to Cernunnos, as well as a full chapter on the Gods and how we can relate to Them.

If you like the book, do me a favor and tell people you like it. Leave a review on Amazon or on one of the book review sites, or just mention it on Facebook.