Faery Gold
The Tylwyth Teg Files: Example 2
Anna Korn's Essay On the Faery Tradition
Background
The original version of this essay about the basics of the Faery Tradition appeared in the Compost Newsletter in 1988, and was put together by Anna Korn aka Andraste from notes collected during a meeting of Faery elders in California. Anna Korn is a well-known Faery priestess of the Bay Area in California, and the executor of Gwydion Pendderwen's estate. This longer article is now available on the Compost website at http://www.compostcoven.org/compost/andraste.html Anna Korn revised this article for posting on the Covenant of the Goddess website in 1995, where it now resides at http://www.cog.org/wicca/trads/faery.html.
YTT could ONLY have stolen the description of Feri, written by Anna/Andraste, from the COG site because the wording similarities reflect changes she made to the article SPECIFICALLY for the COG site.
In private correspondence with an associate of FG, "Robert Wynne" of YTT [from Rhuddlwm Gawr's email address??] claims that Anna Korn (and Gabriel and NROOGD (!?) plagiarized "his father's" original work, work he claims was produced in 1992. In the example in question here that's four years AFTER Anna's piece first appeared in the Compost Newsletter.
A form of the plagiarized material was at http://www.tylwythteg.com/bos1.html as of 7 Aug 2001. What is below is taken from http://www.tylwythteg.com/tylwyth.html#organized, current also as of 7 Aug 2001.
24 Aug 2001 - Anna Korn has asked that the following correspondence between herself and Lady Cerridwen of YTT be posted to this site. More....
The Comparisons
ANNA:
"Among the distinguishing features of the Faery tradition is the use of a Faery Power which characterizes the lineage. It is an ecstatic, rather than a fertility, tradition. Strong emphasis is placed on sensual experience and awareness, including sexual mysticism, which is not limited to heterosexual expression. In this, as in the general spirit of spiritual exploration, there is more risk-taking encouraged than in other Wiccan traditions which may have specific laws limiting behavior....For many, there is a strong identification with the realms of Faery and with shape-shifting."
YTT:
"Among the many characteristics that distinguish Y Tylwyth Teg from other traditions of Witchcraft are: a strong emphasis on the shamanic trance experience, through drumming, meditation, and sensual awareness; the acknowledgment of an ecstatic journey to Faerieland through the art of Shape-Shifting; a path of sexual mysticism; the use of the Welsh language, bardic poetry and liturgical material in ritual and worship; acknowledgment of Welsh deities and archetypes specific to the Tradition;. a strong identification with the realms of Fairy; the generation of Fairy Power..."Because of an ecstatic Shamanistic emphasis, there is more risk of mental disturbance than in Wiccan traditions, which only work with the fertility aspect."
ANNA:
"We are aware that much of reality is unseen, or at least has uncertain boundaries."YTT:
"There are uncertain boundaries and unseen dangers in this dimension of the spirit which we call Faerieland because the Trance State takes us into a different state of reality."ANNA:
"As in all the Craft, there is a deep respect for the wisdom of Nature, a love of beauty, and an appreciation of bardic and mantic creativity... The Faery Tradition, in common with initiatory lineages of the Craft which practice possession, is a mystery tradition of power, mystery, danger, ecstacy, and direct communication with divinity. This is in contrast to traditions which practice psychodrama or psychotherapy through ritual...."YTT:
"Y Tylwyth Teg , in common with other initiatory traditions of the Craft is a mystery religion of Love, Knowledge and Power, resulting in the mystery of physical, mental and spiritual ecstasy, and a direct communication with the divine...."The Y Tylwyth Teg religious philosophy includes a deep respect for the wisdom of Nature, a love of natural beauty, a manifestation of bardic creativity, and the practice of Celtic Shamanism. This is in contrast to traditions which practice only psychodrama through ritual."
ANNA:
"The Gods are not just constructs or psychological forces from the collective unconscious. The Gods are real, with a system of morality different from our own, and we have a responsibility to them...."YTT:
"Our Gods are not forces from the collective unconscious; they are REAL. Thus, we have the responsibility to respect them and help them just as we do to our human Mother and Father."ANNA:
"The negative side of this style of working is that we have a lot of initiates who did not return unscathed from between the worlds. The tradition is not for everybody, and it is not amenable to mass attendance, like many Pagan paths."YTT:
"Tree Spirits, Gnomes and fairies dwell there, and you must be careful how you deal with them. For this reason, our tradition is not for everybody, and it is not open to mass attendance.ANNA:
"There is a specific corpus of chants and liturgical material, much of it stemming from Victor Anderson and Gwydion Pendderwen, which provides a frame for many Circle-workings, and poetic creativity is highly valued. The magical practices of the Faery (or Feri, as Victor spells it) Tradition are heavily invocatory, to encourage possession, which relies mainly on psychic talent or sensitivity to occur. Rites are stylistically diverse, and may draw from many sources. There is an initiatory lineage, traceable to Victor or Cora Anderson or Gwydion Pendderwen. Victor tells of antecedents of the present tradition in the coven in which he was involved in the l920's and 30's in Oregon."YTT:
"Y Tylwyth Teg uses a specific collection of Welsh chants and ritual tradition, which provide a framework for our Circles. The Magickal events are triggered by the participants entering into a psychic state of sensitivity. Rituals are diverse and passed down from the ancient Welsh tribe of Dynion Mwyn, although we have borrowed from other Celtic sources as well. Y Tylwyth Teg has a initiatory lineage, traceable to Prince Llewellyn of Wales."ANNA:
Hallmarks of the tradition are possession of secret names, energy-working using pentacles and visualization of blue fire, a body of poetic and liturgical material, deities and archetypes specific to the Tradition, the doctrine of the Three Selves, a cingulum of a specific color, a "tribal" or "clan" feel to the coven, the use of the horned (sometimes called "inverted") pentagram, and the honoring of a warrior ethic. For example, we are urged not to coddle weakness, support others in insincerities or self-deceptions, or to submit one's own Life force to anyone or anything, which leads to a fierce openness called the "Black Heart of Innocence. The Faery Tradition is gender-equal, and all sexual orientations seem able to find a niche.YTT:
"...a unique assignment of the elements of air, earth, fire, and water to the four directions; the principle of the Three Selves; a robe and cingulum of specific colors which represents the level or degree of attainment; visualization of a blue flame of protection; a tribal and clan experience in the coven; and veneration of the warrior ethic. Our tradition does not coddle the weak, support those who are insincere, or tolerate dishonor. Y Tylwyth Teg is gender equal."ANNA:
Hallmarks of the tradition are... deities and archetypes specific to the Tradition...YTT:
Elsewhere, they say:"Among the many characteristics that distinguish Y Tylwyth Teg from other traditions of Witchcraft are... acknowledgment of Welsh deities and archetypes specific to the Tradition...."