Welcome to The Brotherhood
We are a UK pagan brotherhood for gay men based in Manchester. We promote a strong sense of value in brotherhood, learning, leadership and love. We worship the masculine in all it’s forms and this is embodied in our patron deity Cernunnos.
Cernunnos has long been worshipped by gay men as a true embodiment of the masculine spirit. Protective, caring, kind and loyal, while at the same time adventurous, courageous and strong – in physique and strength of character.
The worship of the male form takes its shape in not only nurturing the attributes of self and encouraging it in others, but also understanding that the physical male form is an embodiment of those attributes and that too should be nurtured and constantly improved and cared for.
The Brotherhood of Cernunnos is aligned with the masculine aspect of the divine and pagan path. and we teach and guide our members in a path of learning, brotherhood, adventure and love.
You do not have to be an Adonis to apply to join the brotherhood, but you do need to respect the gift of life and body the gods have given you and take care if it.
It is important to note that not all gay pagan men have this viewpoint. A lot of gay pagan men follow the traditional path in every sense, and that’s great. We at the Brotherhood of Cernunnos see things a little differently.
We look at what it truly means to follow a path aligned with the masculine aspect of the Divine.
About Us
The Brotherhood has been an active Coven for almost a decade.
We meet once a month for learning and progression. Plus 8 times a year for celebration on all the festivals of the Turning of the Wheel and for social events.
Visiting Other Groves
All Members of the Brotherhood are welcome to visit other Brotherhood Groves. Speak to the High Priest of your Grove to see how to do this.
Groves
Founder and Grand High Priest of The Brotherhood of Cernunnos
Magus Phoenix
UK Groves
The Argentum Grove
Manchester
High Priest – Lord Avery
The The Argentum Grove in Manchester (UK) is our first and founding Grove and the Core Grove of The Brotherhood of Cernunnos.
Meetings – 1st Monday of every Month.
London Grove
Coming Soon…
US Groves
Coming Soon…
Our Learning Journey
Our Brotherhood has 13 Milestones to celebrate learning and progression.
These milestones are not time specific. Setting a time frame on a milestone does not automatically guarantee you have reached that milestone when the time comes and it is naive to assume everyone is going to learn at the same pace. It’s not a race. it is also not right to hold someone back if they have worked hard and progressed within a time frame.
Neophyte – Introductory Learning
1 – Initiate
2 – Novice
3 – Apprentice
4 – Journeyman
5 – Erudite
6 – Grand Erudite
7 – Adept
8 – Grand Adept
9 – Savant
10 – Grand Savant
11 – Master
12 – Grand Master
13 – Priest
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High Priest
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Grand High Priest
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Magus
Neophyte
Our Neophyte work is the start of your journey in our Brotherhood. In this you will complete a basic level of study and understanding of the craft. This will usually be done in a group workshop or on a 1-2-1 basis with one of our Elders.
When you completed your Neophyte work, you will be invited to attend our sessions, attend celebrations, become an Initiate Member of our Brotherhood and start your 13 milestone journey.
Initiate
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Initiate ‘Pagan Name’.
As an Initiate you will build on your foundational learning of Paganism and with focus on learning the Wheel of the year, Casting the Circle, creating a Sacred Space, designing and hosting a celebration ritual and other aspects of Paganism.
Once completed you will be officially dedicated to the Brotherhood as a full member.
Novice
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Novice ‘Pagan Name’.
As a Novice, you will move your focus onto meditation and sharpening your senses and awareness of the magical world.
Apprentice
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Apprentice ‘Pagan Name’.
As an Apprentice, you will move your focus onto energy work.
Erudite
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Erudite ‘Pagan Name’
As an Erudite, you will now focus on Divination.
Grand Erudite
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Grand Erudite ‘Pagan Name’.
As a Grand Erudite, you will now focus onto Herbology, Crystals and Healing.
Adept
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Adept ‘Pagan Name’.
As an Adept you will move your focus onto all the different types of spell-casting.
Grand Adept
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Grand Adept ‘Pagan Name’.
As a Grand Adept, you will now focus on Battle magic and Protection.
Savant
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Savant ‘Pagan Name’.
As a Savant, you will focus on Entities, Spirits and ‘Demons’.
Grand Savant
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Grand Savant ‘Pagan Name’.
As a Grand Savant you move your focus onto learning all the different Schools of magic to an advanced level.
Master
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Master ‘Pagan Name’.
As a Master, you will move on to a specialisation of your choice, something that excites and resonates with you and the path you have walked, for example, Healing, Divination.
As well as continuing with regular Brotherhood sessions, you will have progressed to truly master your chosen specialisation.
Grand Master
At this milestone you may be addressed with the honorary title of – Grand Master ‘Pagan Name’.
As a Grand Master, take your specialisation and expanded and contributed to the advancement of the field.
Brotherhood Sage
Members of our Brotherhood whom have an active role supporting the running of our Brotherhood. This can be at any stage on the milestone journey.
You are addressed with the honorary title of – Sage XXXX.
Priest
With this milestone you are addressed with the honorary title of – Priest XXXX.
As a Sage you will now move your focus and learning onto spiritual guidance. You will have worked on furthering your own spiritual progression and are now able to guide others on their path.
Once completed you can now work towards being ready to start or lead your own Grove within the Brotherhood of your own separate group if you choose too, or, you can stay within your Grove and an active Priest.
High Priest
A High Priest is a title bestowed on an experienced Witch who guides the a Brotherhood Grove in their learning and spiritual journey.
A High Priest is always addressed with the respect their journey has earned with title of ‘Lord XXXX’
Grand High Priest
A Grand High Priest is always addressed with the respect their journey has earned with title of ‘Lord XXXX’
A Grand High Priest is a title bestowed on an experienced High Priest who has had an established coven that has either sired covens, runs more than one coven or has taught students who have become High Priests.
(A sired coven is when a coven has grown too large and as a result split into two covens)
Magus
A Magus is always addressed with the respect their journey has earned with title of ‘Magus XXXX’
Magus is a title bestowed on an experienced Grand High Priest who guides 3 or more active and established and/or sired covens each with their own High Priest/esses
In some traditions this is also known as A Witch Queen / Witch King (note ‘A’ not ‘The’)
Join Us
If you would like to Join The Brotherhood of Cernunnos please complete the Application Form below.
It’s free to apply to join the Brotherhood of Cernunnos but please ensure you have read the information on this site before applying.
Our Values of the Brotherhood
- To constantly strengthen the connection to the divine masculine spirit
- All members will show to other members, and in everyday life, the values of respect, honour, loyalty and love.
- Members of the Brotherhood may want their membership to be confidential outside The Brotherhood. All members will respect that wish.
- To honour and worship the masculine form in self and others. This includes both the physique and character.
- To promote and embody the values of the masculine including- Learning, Leadership, Love, Loyalty, Honour, Caring, Kindness, Adventurous, Courage and Strength.
Conditions of Joining The Brotherhood of Cernunnos
- You must be a gay pagan male and be willing to travel to monthly meeting at your chosen Grove
- You must be 18 or over.
- You accept and adhere to the principles and values of The Brotherhood of Cernunnos as detailed above
- You are Pagan or are starting to walk your pagan path.
By Applying for membership you agree to all the conditions of membership above.