The Crystal Circle il Circolo di Cristallo

 

This is the document that inspired some of the stories I've written. I preferred to share it before completing my latest story, "Haddonfield 1962" which will be published soon. This document, restored and in digital form, is an original copy of the 1954 document. I was asked to share it; as you can see, it's not complete because the original was destroyed, and there is obviously a copy they didn't want to share with me, so you, like me, are entitled to be skeptical.

Below I attach the full text from 1954:

We are the Crystal Circle, old chap, and our merry band stands for the Queen of the Fairies, the King of the Fairies, Lugus and Cernunnos to boot—the heroes of the old myths? Why, they're naught but their earthly guises, dashed clever ones at that. The Queen, bless her, is the very soil of the folk; without her, there's neither land nor realm to speak of. Sans a King, there's no blooming fertility or bounty from the earth—no green shoots, no harvest cheer. If the King's a stout fellow, the land's hale and hearty; if he's a bit of a wet blanket, the whole blooming place goes all limp and lacklustre. No King without his Queen, no Queen sans her King, no King without his domain, no domain without its sovereign. The King's and Queen's loyal subjects? The Fairies themselves, don't you know. In the Age of Men, the Fairies keep mum and out of sight, holing up in the Sidhe or those jolly Isles of the Blessed. But come the Age of Heroes and Myth, out they tumble, bold as brass, conquering fresh territories or worlds, or reclaiming the ones they'd nabbed before. Mind you, there's not a ha'porth of difference 'twixt Fairies and us mortals: humans are just the Fairies' own kin who've lost their spark, inheriting the realm when the magic and spells pack up and scarper, and the Mythic Age draws to a close like a weary old curtain. When the Fairies sally forth from the Sidhe or the Isles of the Blessed to bag a new world or snatch back one they'd lost, the magic and enchantments flood in like a proper deluge, kicking off the Age of Myth. The chap who leads that merry dance? He's Lugus, the very Summer of the World, full of vim and vigour. But when the magic and spells toddle off again, the Fairies turn invisible as you please, slipping back to the Sidhe or the Isles— that's the Winter of the World, a bit of a chill affair, and the fellow at the helm is Cernunnos, steady as old boots. There's a dashed sight more we could spin yarns about, the sort that Taliesin, Myrddin, and Lailoken knew inside out: no two races or realms in the grand scheme, just souls with varying tricks up their sleeves. Round and round it goes—the line decays in cycles, some lose their gifts and stand apart from those still holding the fort, so humans? They're Fallen Fairies, plain and simple. All this guff we're dishing out isn't cribbed from the Celts alone, mind—the Fairies pop up in yarns the world over, from here to kingdom come. The Crystal Circle's got its eye on flinging open those portals betwixt Fairies and men, refounding the Age of Myth where Fairies and humans are one blooming kindred, thick as thieves. We'll do whatever it dashed well takes to swing those doors wide for the Mythic Age. From this very day, up springs the new College of Druids, and we'll dub it the Crystal Circle! Our forebears haggled with the Fairies for bumper crops, flocks of lambs a-plenty, and triumphs on the battlefield—we fancy a chinwag with 'em to get back to our primeval roots, don't you see? We're Fallen Fairies, every last one, and we'll reclaim our mojo! This rotten old world's clocked its last tick!

This is the 1975 version, perhaps more understandable but no less crazy:

We are the Crystal Circle, our circle represents the Queen of the Fairies, the King of the Fairies, Lugos and Cernunnos, the heroes of myth are merely their avatars. The Queen is the land of the people, without the Queen there is neither land nor kingdom, without a King there is no fertility and abundance of the land, if the King is strong the land is strong, if the King is weak the land is weak. There is no King without a Queen, no Queen without a King, no King without a kingdom, no kingdom without a King. The people of the King and Queen are the Fairies, when there is the age of men the Fairies live hidden and the kingdom is the Sidhe or the Isles of the Blessed, when there is the age of heroes and myth the Fairies live in the open, conquering new lands or worlds and reconquering lost ones. There is no difference between Fairies and humans: humans are the descendants of Fairies who remain powerless and inherit the kingdom when magic and spells retreat from the world and the Age of Myth ends. When the Fairies leave the Sidhe or the Isles of the Blessed to conquer a new world or reconquer one they had already conquered, magic and spells invade and the Age of Myth begins, the one who leads this phase is called Lugos and it is the Summer of the World. When magic and spells retreat from the world, the Fairies are invisible and hidden and return to the Sidhe or the Isles of the Blessed. This phase is called the Winter of the World and the one who leads this phase is called Cernunnos. There are many things we could say, things that Taliesin, Myrrdin, and Lailoken knew: there are not two races or two worlds, but beings with different abilities. Cyclically, the race declines, and some lose their powers, distinguishing themselves from those who still retain them. Humans are therefore fallen Fairies. All the things we tell you are not Celtic; Fairies exist in legends throughout the world. The Crystal Circle aims to reopen the doors that connect Fairies and humans and reestablish the Age of Myth, where Fairies and humans are one race. We will do everything necessary to reopen the doors of the Age of Myth. From today, the new college of Druids arises, and its name will be the Crystal Circle! Our ancestors negotiated with the Fairies for excellent harvests, abundant lambs, and victory in battle. We want to connect with them to return to our primordial origins! We are fallen Fairies, and we will reclaim our powers! This corrupted world has come to an end!

Why all this? 

After years of research, mostly theoretical, I wanted to move on to something more practical and lived more intensely. I searched almost every neopagan group, explored many forums, and even Discord servers, all of which disappointed me. Three months ago, I received this message on my Discord account:

"Greetings! We've noticed your restlessness and arguments with some members on other servers! We are a closed group, we are The Crystal Circle, and we have our own selection methods. Our first level is that of a simple propagandist bard. What do you have to do? You must spread our ideas through social media by telling stories and using our program, which we will send you as a template for writing them. We don't care if you get big numbers, we just want to see if you've captured the spirit of our group! In 1954, we had a nasty argument with our brothers of The Druid Order, founded by George Watson MacGregor Reid in 1909. We thought they were too extreme in their way of innovating on ancient beliefs, and the ideas of Ross Nichols, founder of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD) in 1964, seemed even more extreme. We are Druids and we believe in Fairies, a race older than humans, but not in the sense of a historical, flesh-and-blood race like the Neanderthals; we're talking about another dimension. Historical peoples worshipped Fairies, calling them deities; all peoples did, not just the Celts, so nationalist and reconstructionist movements don't interest us. The Fairies simply need you to write stories about them to keep their memory alive; they don't need scented candles, incense, or prayers. If you do your job well, we'll contact you and you'll move on to the next phase! We wish you success!"

Do you think I made this all up or am I telling the truth? I'll never tell you!

🇮🇹

Questo è il documento a cui mi sono ispirato per creare alcune storie ho scritto. Ho preferito divulgarlo prima di completare la mia ultima storia" "Haddonfield 1962" che uscirà a breve. Questo documento, restaurato e in forma digitale, è una copia originale del documento del 1954. Mi hanno chiesto di divulgarlo, come potete notare non è intero perché l'originale è andato distrutto ed esiste ovviamente una copia che non mi hanno voluto trasmettere, quindi siete autorizzati come me ad essere scettici.

In basso vi allego il testo integrale del 1954 :

We are the Crystal Circle, old chap, and our merry band stands for the Queen of the Fairies, the King of the Fairies, Lugus and Cernunnos to boot—the heroes of the old myths? Why, they're naught but their earthly guises, dashed clever ones at that. The Queen, bless her, is the very soil of the folk; without her, there's neither land nor realm to speak of. Sans a King, there's no blooming fertility or bounty from the earth—no green shoots, no harvest cheer. If the King's a stout fellow, the land's hale and hearty; if he's a bit of a wet blanket, the whole blooming place goes all limp and lacklustre. No King without his Queen, no Queen sans her King, no King without his domain, no domain without its sovereign. The King's and Queen's loyal subjects? The Fairies themselves, don't you know. In the Age of Men, the Fairies keep mum and out of sight, holing up in the Sidhe or those jolly Isles of the Blessed. But come the Age of Heroes and Myth, out they tumble, bold as brass, conquering fresh territories or worlds, or reclaiming the ones they'd nabbed before. Mind you, there's not a ha'porth of difference 'twixt Fairies and us mortals: humans are just the Fairies' own kin who've lost their spark, inheriting the realm when the magic and spells pack up and scarper, and the Mythic Age draws to a close like a weary old curtain. When the Fairies sally forth from the Sidhe or the Isles of the Blessed to bag a new world or snatch back one they'd lost, the magic and enchantments flood in like a proper deluge, kicking off the Age of Myth. The chap who leads that merry dance? He's Lugus, the very Summer of the World, full of vim and vigour. But when the magic and spells toddle off again, the Fairies turn invisible as you please, slipping back to the Sidhe or the Isles— that's the Winter of the World, a bit of a chill affair, and the fellow at the helm is Cernunnos, steady as old boots. There's a dashed sight more we could spin yarns about, the sort that Taliesin, Myrddin, and Lailoken knew inside out: no two races or realms in the grand scheme, just souls with varying tricks up their sleeves. Round and round it goes—the line decays in cycles, some lose their gifts and stand apart from those still holding the fort, so humans? They're Fallen Fairies, plain and simple. All this guff we're dishing out isn't cribbed from the Celts alone, mind—the Fairies pop up in yarns the world over, from here to kingdom come. The Crystal Circle's got its eye on flinging open those portals betwixt Fairies and men, refounding the Age of Myth where Fairies and humans are one blooming kindred, thick as thieves. We'll do whatever it dashed well takes to swing those doors wide for the Mythic Age. From this very day, up springs the new College of Druids, and we'll dub it the Crystal Circle! Our forebears haggled with the Fairies for bumper crops, flocks of lambs a-plenty, and triumphs on the battlefield—we fancy a chinwag with 'em to get back to our primeval roots, don't you see? We're Fallen Fairies, every last one, and we'll reclaim our mojo! This rotten old world's clocked its last tick!

Questa è la versione del 1975, più comprensibile ma non meno folle :

Noi siamo il Circolo di Cristallo, il nostro circolo rappresenta la Regina delle Fate, il Re delle Fate, Lugos e Cernunnos, gli eroi del Mito sono solo i loro Avatar. La Regina è la terra del popolo, senza la Regina non c’è né terra né regno, senza un Re non c’è la fertilità e abbondanza della terra, se il Re è forte la terra è forte, se il Re è debole la terra è debole. Non c’è Re senza Regina, non c’è Regina senza Re, non c’è Re senza regno, non c’è regno senza Re. Il popolo del Re e della Regina sono le Fate, quando c’è l’età degli uomini le Fate vivono nascoste e il regno è il Sidhe o le Isole dei Beati, quando c’è l’età degli eroi e del mito le Fate vivono allo scoperto conquistando nuove terre o mondi e riconquistando quelle perdute. Non c’è alcuna differenza tra Fate ed esseri umani : gli umani sono i discendenti delle Fate che rimangono senza poteri ed ereditano il regno quando la magia e gli incantesimi si ritirano dal mondo e finisce l’Età del Mito. Quando le Fate escono dal Sidhe o dalle Isole dei Beati per conquistare un nuovo mondo o riconquistare uno che avevano già preso la magia e gli incantesimi lo invadono e si apre l’Età del Mito, colui che guida questa fase si chiama Lugos ed è l’Estate del Mondo. Quando la magia e gli incantesimi si ritirano dal mondo, le Fate sono invisibili e nascoste e tornano al Sidhe o alle Isole dei Beati, questa fase si chiama Inverno del Mondo e colui che guida questa fase si chiama Cernunnos. Ci sono tante cose che potremmo dire, e che Taliesin, Myrrdin e Lailoken sapevano :non esistono due razze o due mondi ma esseri con capacità diverse, ciclicamente la razza decade e alcuni perdono i poteri distinguendosi da coloro che ancora li mantengono, gli umani sono quindi Fate decadute. Tutte le cose che vi diciamo non sono celtiche, le Fate esistono nelle leggende di tutto il mondo. Il Circolo di Cristallo ha l’obiettivo di riaprire le porte che mettono in comunicazione Fate e uomini e rifondare l’Età del Mito in cui Fate ed esseri umani sono una sola razza. Faremo tutto quello che è necessario per riaprire le porte dell'Età del Mito. Da oggi sorge il nuovo collegio dei Druidi e il suo nome sarà Circolo di Cristallo! I nostri antenati negoziavano con le Fate per avere ottimi raccolti, abbondanza di agnelli e vittoria in battaglia, noi vogliamo entrare in contatto con loro per tornare alle nostre origini primordiali! Siamo Fate cadute e ci riprenderemo i nostri poteri! Questo mondo corrotto è giunto alla fine!

Perché tutto questo? 

Dopo anni di ricerche, fondamentalmente teoriche, volevo passare a qualcosa di più pratico e vissuto in maniera più intensa. Ho cercato quasi tutti i gruppi neopagani, ho esplorato tanti forum e addirittura server discord mi deludevano tutti. Tre mesi fa sul mio account Discord mi arriva questo messaggio :

"Salute! Abbiamo notato la tua inquietudine e i tuoi litigi con alcuni membri di altri server! Noi siamo un gruppo chiuso, siamo The Crystal Circle, abbiamo metodi di selezione tutti nostri. Il nostro primo livello è quello di bardo semplice propagandista. Cosa devi fare? Devi divulgare le nostre idee tramite i social raccontando delle storie e usando il nostro programma che ti invieremo come un template per scriverle, non ci interessa che tu faccia grandi numeri, vogliamo solo vedere se hai colto lo spirito del nostro gruppo! Nel 1954 abbiamo avuto una brutta discussione coi nostri confratelli del The Druid Order fondato da George Watson MacGregor Reid nel 1909. Ci sembravano troppo eccessivi nel modo di innovare le antiche credenze e le idee di Ross Nichols., fondatore dell'Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) nel 1964 ci sembrava anche più eccessivo. Noi siamo dei Druidi e crediamo nelle Fate, una razza più antica degli uomini, ma non nel senso di una razza storica in carne ed ossa come i Neanderthal, stiamo parlando di un'altra dimensione. I popoli storici veneravano le Fate chiamandole divinità, tutti i popoli lo hanno fatto, non solo i Celti, per cui movimenti nazionalisti e ricostruzionisti non ci interessano. Alle Fate basta anche che tu scriva storie su di loro per tenere viva la loro memoria, non hanno bisogno di candeline profumate, incensi e preghierine. Se farai bene il tuo lavoro ti contatteremo e passerai alla fase successiva! Ti auguriamo buon lavoro!"

Sto dicendo la verità o mi sono inventato tutto? Non lo saprai mai!