Stang

[Brijrian]

I can celebrate a little here, because last week my patrons made
their names known to me, and yesturday my stang found me! I have no idea what to do with it, and wasn't looking for it--but I have it!

My Patrons are Cernunnos and Hecate--as I understand it, one was pan-Celtic the other pre-Greek, and both are God/dess of the
crossroads. So I think that finding my Stang might have something
to do with that...

I was walking on the nature path behind my neighborhhod, and my
hubby kept poking into the off-trail wooded areas, so I followed
him. He (the wonderful monkey that he is) decided to climb a tree,
and I followed. Just before I started climbing, I looked around and
saw a branch in front of me. The word "Stang" reverbrated through my brain, and I looked down at my feet--and there it was! My Stang!

So after we were done climbing the tree, I took my stang and washed the mud from it in the river, and then smudged it when I got home. It's now quite happily leaning against the wall by my altar.

From what I can gather, the Stang can be used as a walking staff
(not mine!It's only 3 feet tall!), decorated for seasonal rituals,
or stuck in the ground to be used as an altar in an outdoor ritual.

As you may guess, since I've never had a stang before, I have lots
of questions!! My "20" questions to all of you are:

Do you have a Stang?
How did you find it?
How do you use it?
What significance does it have for your path?
Do you associate it with a particular element or direction or diety?



*Brij

[Anonymous]

Do you have a Stang?
Several, actually.    I have stangs from ash, cedar, and willow trees.  They each have different "personalities" and uses.  I also have a very large elm stang (about 10 feet tall) planted in the ground permanently at one of my favorite ritual spots.  

How did you find it?
I found my first stang about 30 seconds after asking the gods for guidance.  I was giving up on Wicca (for a number of reasons) and I just felt so lost.  I found the stang propped up against an embankment, as if someone had put it there.  I picked it up and instantly felt a connection, so I took it home and started researching the symbolism and uses.  That eventually led me to the more traditional paths, which is where I am today.  

How do you use it?
I generally use the stang as a staff in ritual, a walking stick, and as a weapon to defend myself against wild animals should the need ever arise.  It makes me a little braver about walking through the wilderness at night.

What significance does it have for your path?
The stang is very rich in symbolism, as I'm sure you already know.  It can symbolize the horned god, the God and Goddess, or the connection between the Gods and the earth.  For me, personally, it has come to symbolize the path of the Wanderer, the seeker of Truth.  I'm very much a wanderer at heart.  I like to go walking with only my stang in hand, and learn from Nature herself.  For most rituals, the stang is my only tool.  I like its simplicity, its symbolism, and it suits me very well.  For sabbats, I like to decorate it with garlands of flowers, as you mentioned.  

Do you associate it with a particular element or direction or diety?  No, not particularly.

I hope you enjoy your stang!  

[NachtSorcier]

Do you have a Stang?
No, not yet.

How did you find it?
n/a

How do you use it?
n/a, but if I did have one, I'd probably use it as a walking stick and as a decoration at the Sabbats.

What significance does it have for your path?
My patron god is Cernunnos as well.

Do you associate it with a particular element or direction or diety?
Not in any firm manner, but I'd say it might be associated with any one of the horned gods or gods or goddesses of the wild or hunting, and possibly with either the element of Fire (because of the prongs), or Air (because they're made of branches, which once swayed in the wind).

I have not yet been called to use a stang, so I haven't looked or asked for one, but perhaps someday.

One thing I'm curious about: How does one use a stang as an altar?

[Anonymous]

Do you have a Stang?
Sort of...I never really thought about it as a Stang, but, now that I do, it is my Stang.

How did you find it?
I went up north to stay at my grandparents cottage/cabin for a few days. One afternoon, I went out for a hike through the woods, planning on finding a little grove somewhere to meditate in. (we own a lot of property up there, so the woods open for my hiking is pretty extensive   ) Well, on the hike, I followed a little atv trail created by the nieghbors who get to ride on our property in exchange for caring for our fields when we're not there (most of the time). 90% of the trees are maple and pine and so forth, darker trees at any rate. Well, while I was walking I got to see several deer, including a buck at fairly close range. Deer are one of my totem animals, and I could kind of sense that energy in the air that you sense when something big is coming. Well, I heard what I thought was another deer, so I turned around to look, and found instead three large birches a ways from the trail. I hiked over to them, and found that they made a triangle. Standing in the triangle, I felt as though I stood in the center of a Circle--it was amazing. I meditated for a few minutes...and when I got up to leave, the sun caught my eye from behind a loose branch. It pulled me, really, and when I touched it, it almost sang to me (you know what I mean)...so, that's how I found it!

How do you use it?
Haven't yet. I want to sand it and treat it, annoint and so forth before I use it.

What significance does it have for your path?
It'll have more significance once I get it ready for use, but a fairly large chunk. My path includes druid and pic/faery, so it's use will be tailored to incorperate more of those paths into my path.

Do you associate it with a particular element or direction or diety?
Not really... I'll let it shape itself when I'm "spiffing" it up, so, it might change. However, I do mentally associate it with the Norse Goddess Freya, Earth elemental, and North.

edited: I ert dum n camt typ ot spwl!  

[Anonymous]

What's a stang?

[Brijrian]

What's a stang?

Generally, it's a forked branch. Straight like a staff at the bottom, and then it forks into 2 branches at the top.

Ah--here's something that might make more sense: Think of it as a branch that looks like a big 'Y'!

What significance does it have for your path?
My patron god is Cernunnos as well.

Very cool that we have the same patron

One thing I'm curious about: How does one use a stang as an altar?

This is how I understand it:

You can use a taller stang as an altar in outdoor rites. What you do is either bury or otherwise push the bottom of the stang into the ground, so it stays upright. You can then decorate it with garlands/other things related to your rite, hang your tools on it, etc. It becomes the altar/center where you hang everything, instead of having a flat surface to set them on.

[NachtSorcier]

You can use a taller stang as an altar in outdoor rites. What you do is either bury or otherwise push the bottom of the stang into the ground, so it stays upright. You can then decorate it with garlands/other things related to your rite, hang your tools on it, etc. It becomes the altar/center where you hang everything, instead of having a flat surface to set them on.

That's what I figured.  Thanks for the info.

[Anonymous]

What's a stang?

Generally, it's a forked branch. Straight like a staff at the bottom, and then it forks into 2 branches at the top.

Ah--here's something that might make more sense: Think of it as a branch that looks like a big 'Y'!

Okay. Sorry, I've never heard of a stang before. What do you use it for?

[NachtSorcier]

Okay. Sorry, I've never heard of a stang before. What do you use it for?

It can be used in the same was as a staff, to represent the Horned God, as decoration during rituals (by putting flowers and other decorations on it), or as a substitute for the altar (ditto).

[Brijrian]

Thank you for your responses! I have enjoyed reading what you shared!