THE HAPPY ENTRY OF GREEN MAN IN EUROPE
Archetype of Western Culture

Rediscovery of His Reality

Lady Raglan in 1938 in England discovered a strange man's head on the outside of a church. The remarkable thing was that the head was all wrapped in leaves. The latter came out of his mouth, as well. She described the expression on his face as pretty sad

She wondered where this head came from. The first thing she could think of was that it probably had something to do with the English traditions around the Maypole. To these days there are various festivals in England that have been preserved from the deep past. They all have to do with fertility

So Lady Raglan christened him "Green Man" as a symbol of vegetation, which is renewed annually. After her publication it turned out that there are hundreds of such heads in England. In the mean time it has "grown" to many thousands. The remarkable thing is, that they - although clearly "Pagan marked" - are mainly found in and on churches. This began around 1200

Meanwhile, several authors tried to bring more clarity in the matter. In summary, there are Green Man everywhere in Europe, in particular in England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Benelux, Sweden and Germany. It turns out now, that they have a very long tradition. In fact, they embody the old prehistoric Vegetation Gods*, something that not only was common in the Middle East (Sumeria, Egypt, Çatal Hüyük, Canaan, Greece, Rome), but also among the Celts

* Like the shamans of the "Hohle Fels" near Schelklingen, Swabia, where recently the oldest MotherGoddess in the world (40.000 years old) was found!

From the beginning, people thought of the Mother as the center of creation. From Her all originated. That was a secret, for the relationship between menstruation, pregnancy and birth on the one hand and fertilization on the other was unknown. Moreover the same phenomena were observed in nature. The Night was Mother, the Moon was Mother and the Earth was Mother. All She gives birth will also return to Her. It is the mystery of life itself*

* Meanwhile, serious publications on the Cosmic Mother as Ultimate Reality are taking on in Germany as well. After Eranos Yearbook 1938 of the CG Jung Institute "Talks about Gestalt and Cult of the Great Mother" this was followed by the standard work of E.Neumann "The Great Mother" in 1974. The book by F. Baumann "The Cult of the Great Mother" was broadcasted by the Bayerischer Rundfunk, followed by a radio program on the same topic. From H.Boettcher is "The Great Mother", 1968 Econ Verlag, while H.Uhlig wrote "In the Beginning was the Goddess" (1992 Bastei-Lubbe) 

This is called "Law of the Universe". In short, it is defined that the whole life is governed by "Death, Rebirth and Life".* Originally, this was related to the Cosmic Womb. In Her Emptiness everything dies, while being reborn, thus renewing constatly, as part of the Network of Life. In mythology, it was She (Inanna) who descended into the Underworld in order to be reborn. Later, this function was transferred to men

  * Like this is still reality in current Hinduism. Even the Cosmic Mother is still there, however, three Gods - Shiva, Vishnu and Brahman - embody the Cosmic Law

This is how the Vegetation Gods emerged. It marked the beginning of a long tradition of "dying and resurrecting" Gods. It includes Osiris, Tammuz, Baal, Attis, Adonis, Dionysos and also.....Christ. They didn't do that on their own, but always "on behalf" of the Cosmic Mother, Who "had sent them". It means, that each year they were born from the Dark Womb (spring) while returning to It (fall)

This Wisdom corresponds with the deepest spiritual insight possible. Very few mystics have experienced it. It is the realization, that the Divine Light emerges from Darkness e.g. is born out of It (Her). It can be found in Neo-Platonism (Dionysos the Areopagite), Meister Eckhart and John of the Cross ("Darkness gives me all the Light I need"). "Darkness precedes the Light" (Inscription on the altar of Salerno Cathedral). It is the Core of Buddhism, where BuddhaNature is born out of Emptiness (beyond Emptiness).....

The fact that Christ was allegedly part of this tradition was (and is) always vehemently denied by he Church. Her main concern was to present Christ as a new beginning that puts the past into the shade. That's why she has done everything to have all the traces that could lead to the ancient (Mother) Religion wiped out. That wasn't entirely succesful. Although women and femininity were thoroughly denounced, the Church was forced by the people to recognize Mary as the "Mother of God". The first step: the restoration of the Original Mother was a success (although only partially). Then, people started yearning for the rehabilitation of Her Sons.....(and Daughters).....

The Church did every effort to destroy "Pagan" ideas and customs, or - if nothing else can  - integrated them into "a Christian form". She knew about the popularity of the Vegetation Gods. How could it be that the latter were allowed to be part of her churches? Wasn't that a straight suicide? On the contrary, it was sheer calculation! By making this concession to the people, the Church hoped that the former would accept Christ as the superior successor to the ancient Gods. In this sense, for example, should the words of Hildegard of Bingen - Jesus as Green Man - be understood. She wasn't right in this regard!*

   * The Green Men are not part of Christianity, though. On the contrary, Christ is part of the Old Tradition. It is the beginning of reconciliation of Christianity with its predecessors. See also: T.Harpur "The Pagan Christ" and T.Freke & P.Gandy "The Jesus Mysteries"

That they could appear in churches was part of this "re-education" campaign. The positive attitude of the carvers toward the Green Men was take into the bargain. One shouldn't unnecessarily hurt the feelings of the people.....It was all about gaining their sympathy, after all. That's how it can be that they are in churches everywhere, moreover, that the carvings belong to the finest expressions of medieval art. It varies from incredible subtlety and beauty to rude hopelessness and rage. Is that part of their attraction? By the way, aren't we today - in the middle of the global crisis - not in a comparable situation?

Let's take the Regensburg Cathedral as an example. On the portalside (west), there are a few Green Men exuding tremendous power and beauty. They are surrounded by lush vegetation. The creators have not hesitated to uncompromisingly portray their models. At the same time, the Green Men are often placed in subordinate positions. A favorite one is under the feet of the powerful, who seem to feel great joy in it. In Nuremberg there is a Green Man just below the statue of Christ, the latter allegedly triumphing because of his victory. But the opposite can also be found anywhere. In the Munster of Freiburg many golden! Green Men are mourning Christ's death, as if the latter is their "brother in faith" and not vice versa 

It will be clear: with the Green Men an unknown treasure has been "excavated". They emerge at a time when we desperately need their symbolism. As a representative of "death and rebirth," they put a mirror in front of us. In contrast to the teachings of the Church, today it is no longer sufficient that a "Representative" died for us. Where we have all blown up our ego's, its our own turn now. We all must "die" (Ego) to become reborn as a New Self). Only then accumulation will be reduced on different levels of existence e.g. will the much desired balance inside and outside be established. This as a condition to saving the earth. In this the Green Men are our great example

Here, the elders here have a unique opportunity to "redress". Aren't they the oones who uncritically devoted themselves to material addiction? Although they knew - through publications in the last 20 years - that accumulation of money and possessions doesn't make us happier. The adults of today know it also. Only they are often still fully in the "rat-race". They fool themselves with the idea that "they have no other choice" than ...... ultimately to perish! Because that is what awaits them. Seek therefore the example of the Green Man. Make pilgrimages to the various sites where he can be found. Accumulate courage, wisdom and strength and drop out. Last but not least the young people have discovered already for a long time in which kind of times they live. They are exposed to decay the most. That is why they have to live out their fear and rage in video games full of violence. My advice: become a Green Man or a Wise Woman* and transform your anger into positive action for the benefit of the whole. Be fruitful!

* That here the Green Man comes first, has to do with the fact that these days it is the men who are suffering from (dangerous) loss of identity. The women are of course equally appreciated by me e.g. their problems recognized. See "Wise Women"

In summary, the Green Man, first of all is the symbol of ecological change. As the "God with the leaves", that is, as Being of Light, he embodies hamony of Spirit and Nature. He expresses the need for connectedness with the Whole. As such, he invites all to engage for a sustainable future. He is not doing this all by himself. His partner is the Wise Woman. He appreciates her sensitivity while she admires his courage. He lays the emphasis on "death and rebirth", where she embodies the web e.g. the substance of life. Together, they continually go back to the Origin - to the Cosmic Mother - in order to be renewed. This covenant between the Origin and each other will forge you into a mutually indestructible unity. Therefore, Green Men and Wise Women are also called "Originals".

For Germany this means a great chance to discover, develop, practise and celebrate a new spiritual, psychological, cultural and ecological pattern or archetype. In contrast to England and France, our knowledge is new. It is an advantage for us that everything is still fresh*. We can first go out to discover the many treasures. Spontaneous pilgrimages to numerous known and unknown locations now may have their momentum. From Magdeburg to Feiburg iB, from Cologne to Bamberg, from Marburg to Markgröningen, from Schweinfurt to Brandenburg ad Havel! Together with the other countries, we can bring a new drive - with global implications - to the world. A new opportunity for Europe, of which Benedict XVI has said that it "dead" .... We will show that this is not the case. On the contrary, the Green Man and the Wise Women are a new beginning at all levels of society.

* The bombing in the Second World War have destroyed a lot of Green Men. Restored churches were very often "simplified". In reality, there have been in Germany many more than is the case now. Let us now endeavor to preserve all the Green Men in Germany!