Mama Yaga

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Cerber
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Mama Yaga

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As part of certain little ritual (details of which not important), I need to tell a short story to someone, but since I have no one to tell it to, it shall be for Ellis then.

She's better known as "Baba" Yaga. But "baba" is not very polite slavic word to refer to elderly lady, so I never use it nor I'd ever recommend anyone to address Her in such manner. I'm my home it's either "Mama Yaga" or "Babushka" (which means something like "grandma", "granny"). Some people may not be as fussy, but I personally believe the words we choose to use can make big difference.

Once quite a long time ago, I had certain issues and bothers, and some close friend recommended to seek for advice or assistance from certain deity, from long time ago. I was reluctant at first and kept procrastinating. Because I didn't know Them, name was not familiar to me (I was given name of some Celtic deity), and I didn't feel like I had any connection to Celts etc etc. But that friend kept insisting and eventually I said OK fine, I'll try. I had no expectations, and thought I'll try only so I could tell them the next day I tried.
In the evening I did the invocation ritual, and after it, not really feeling anything I went to sleep. Middle of the night I wake up, badly craving for a smoke, so I got my jacket and shoes on, and went outside downstairs. I lived in second floor apartment back then. Smoking in the house was not allowed, so I had take the stairs every time I need my fix, down to car park. My spot was under some drive-through arch, leading to semi-enclosed car park. Exact same spot I went to that night. I lit up my cig, and suddenly a gust of freezing cold air hit me. It was very unusual, in the middle of the summer, but I could feel it on my skin, the temperature was bellow freezing, even my breath got all steamy.
And then I heard a voice behind me: "Hey, do you know who is dropping cigarette butts all around the place?" I turned around and see this lady, seemingly in her late 20's or early 30s, dressed like from 80s or 70s. Very neat and tidy looking all around. "I keep finding rubbish everywhere, but I can never catch the person who does it.." She continued.
"No, I don't who does that. I always clean after my self" I replied, knowing that might not be entirely truth, yet I like to avoid trouble if I can. But I do clean up my spot, every now and then at least..
Then she start to laugh "Yes, I know you're a good boy. Not very tidy, but you're OK."
Then we start walking around the car park, and talking about all kinds of things, about my life, and her life, but as we were walking, she seem to relax more and more, and the more she would relax the more her appearance would change. Slowly changing from young lady to some elderly lady, but at the same time she felt warmer and warmer, and by the end it all felt almost like I'm being visited by my grandma. And only then it hit me - it's mama Yaga in front me, and that deity from very long ago, and her - are one and the same person...
And then I woke up, for real this time.
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Re: Mama Yaga

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The legend of Baba Yaga - as I recall - involves a 5-sided house on chicken legs that turned around so that the spiritual seeker could not enter until "he said the words that his mother taught him"

I was once involved in building a large 5-sided hall in a spiritual community. It later turned out that the hall was on the site of chicken run - a 5-sided building on chicken legs.

The 5 sides indicate a pentagram and the seeker enters the pentagram that conceals a spread female.

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Re: Mama Yaga

Post by Cerber »

Amor wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 3:56 am The legend of Baba Yaga - as I recall - involves a 5-sided house on chicken legs that turned around so that the spiritual seeker could not enter until "he said the words that his mother taught him"

I was once involved in building a large 5-sided hall in a spiritual community. It later turned out that the hall was on the site of chicken run - a 5-sided building on chicken legs.

The 5 sides indicate a pentagram and the seeker enters the pentagram that conceals a spread female.
5-sided house? I never knew that. In all the stories, old Slavic fairy tales and old cartoons, it's always has been just an old 4-sided house with chicken legs, or just one leg. At least as far as I can recall. Do you have any pointers where it was referenced as 5-sided house?
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Re: Mama Yaga

Post by Amor »

"Baba Yaga, the mysterious crone who lives deep in the forest in a five-sided house on chicken legs "
https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/baba ... ower-22608

We were taught the story by a German professor of folk dance: Bernard Wosien
https://sites.google.com/site/circledan ... ard-wosien

The five-sided house is a place of initiation.

We thought our hall was five-sided because of the shape of the land available but later we discovered that the building fitted into a much older landscape geometry including five ley lines that moved to meet in the middle of the hall as soon as the roof beams were laid. Energy follows lines of least resistance.

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Re: Mama Yaga

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Amor wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 8:30 pm "Baba Yaga, the mysterious crone who lives deep in the forest in a five-sided house on chicken legs "
https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/baba ... ower-22608

We were taught the story by a German professor of folk dance: Bernard Wosien
https://sites.google.com/site/circledan ... ard-wosien

The five-sided house is a place of initiation.

We thought our hall was five-sided because of the shape of the land available but later we discovered that the building fitted into a much older landscape geometry including five ley lines that moved to meet in the middle of the hall as soon as the roof beams were laid. Energy follows lines of least resistance.
Interesting, perhaps it's some recent change of Her mythos, or a variation of it. In Slavic, or at least Russian, folklore Her house is four-sided, and it is thought to be linked with ancient burial traditions, many centuries ago they used to leave their dead in small huts on the poles, erected by the forests, or so I heard. Not 100% sure, have not studied it all in depth. Especially since Mama in that form and by that name arrived only for the very first meeting, and ever since then she would drop by "wearing" whatever she feels like, but since I can recognize them, usually, whatever the appearance, it's not really an issue.
Not sure about pentagram, she never said anything about it, we do use it sometimes in our work, but mostly only as a "container", but the work dictates appropriate "container", depending how many "elements" we need to weave in to something "new". Sometimes we may need more than 5, other times less than 5, but 5 is a fine number for most of our needs, going for more it gets overly complex, can get unstable and tedious, done 6 or 7 only handful times and only because I felt I had to, and it was pain. Five is fine for me :)
The only thing she did mention after a while, is that she prefers to work in "in between" spaces and places, since that's where she "rules", that's where she's strongest. So when possible we try to take that in to account. But apart from that, and my lack of cleanliness, I don't recall Her mentioning any other preferences.
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