At our Yuletide gathering this year, we were rudely interrupted by an unruly gathering of colourful characters. Namely herself, the Mari Lwyd and her gang of miscreants! And what otherwise should have been a moment of sacred reverence, as we sipped our wassail and sang our songs, was turned into chaos and misrule!

Of course, this was actually completely in the right spirit and a vital element to our festivities that we had been missing for some years. Back in ye olden days, pre–Covid lockdown, we at the Green Man used to celebrate a Saturnalia each year, where we embraced the spirit of Misrule in all ways we could. The Saturnalia was a classic part of the Old Roman seasonal celebration of the Winter Solstice. Our understanding of this Ritual was to observe the necessity of Misrule and Chaos as part of the eternal and inevitable tidal swing from order into chaos and back towards order. As Ced is an Ophidian Draconic Tradition, we well understand the need for this lifeforce nature to be ever in motion between these two states, as part of the requirement for life itself to exist and flourish. The journey from creation to destruction and the rising from the ashes of destruction is all part of evolution. Motion itself is, for us, the very definition of the presence of life! So, for us to fix things that are living is to kill them.

We understand that Order is where we flourish and benefit the most. But for this to continue as a potent, living life force, we also understand that Chaos and Misrule must be embraced. So, to best accommodate this need, we choose to embrace the Chaos and Misrule with full engagement but within the context of the time and place of our choosing. We ritualize the working of Misrule, we engage in festivals where the Chaos becomes our goal, so it is honoured and embraced as a fun aspect of life, instead of waiting for the inevitable hit of Chaos to take us down at what could be the worst of times!

This acceptance of life and its true nature as it really is, has become repugnant to most of modern-day society, who demonise Misrule, Chaos, and all expressions of destruction. Even old age and Death itself have become outcast from society’s eyes. This society that aims to conquer nature either by science or by controlling religious beliefs of being protected children of some all-powerful God. It works as a marketing strategy to sell the illusion of special treatment being awarded to those who accept the required morals, accepted behaviours and of course surrender all autonomy of free will. But as shown over and over again, nature will have its way regardless. So if it was me, I’d be looking to sue those religions for breach of contract!

As a Witch, I have learned to lean into the Misrule, choose it, and therefore have some say in where and when it takes the stage and then just have some bloody fun with it!  The celebration of Misrule invokes and empowers Order to return and take charge! Hence, I believe the name for the most famous of Misrule Chaos celebrations of old pagan times was called the Saturnalia in honour of Saturn!

This need to honour and embrace the tidal Chaos was resident in the old world in all cultures, where we find many of its expressions in mythology and folklore, some of which is still in some way practiced today. For those of us embracing our ties to old Britain, many of what are called the Hooded Animals bring this element of Misrule into play. None more famous than the Mari Lwyd.

As the Spirit of the Nightmare, she is intrinsically tied into the spirit of transitions where the shifting tides moving from one state of order to another different state of being, would need to transition through a momentary state of Chaos, so that the transition is possible.  Everything in life is in motion, so we are talking about motion of order reaching the end of its cycle and the necessity for a motion of Chaos to come into play, so that a new paradigm of order can emerge into a newly birthed cycle. Between all cycles of Order, a transitional movement of Chaos is needed. And for this reason, Mari and such kindred spirits of Misrule would be correctly present at most seasonal points of turning, which we call our Sabbats – Winter Solstice being one of the biggest fulcrum turning points of the year. 

And so the Mari Lwyd and her entourage knock at the door, challenging the Order within. She seeks to enter and stir the tides into a frenzy, and if those within do not embrace her and step up to the celebration, she may devastate the home and lay waste to the coming year! So, knowing that this fulcrum entry point into a new wheel is crucial to step in on the right foot, it is in our best interest to make her happy! What she asks of us is to make merry and sing! Celebrate the turning of the tide, not resist it, a lesson we can never learn enough! 

Her band of miscreants consist of the Man-Woman, Molly, who is the epitome of Misrule in that she defies the dualistic gender roles. This role was the source of the character Judy in the Punch and Judy shows, which depict this same mystery in children’s theatre. There is the figure of Punch, who is a classic Fool, and king of Misrule!  Then there is the Authority figure, often a Master of the Land, Ring Master or Police man in the Punch and Judy Show, who represents the battling yet failing desire of Order to remain in charge! There is the figure of the Horseman, who leads the Mari about and assists in helping her be the chaotic element of the Draconic Tide personified!  Which brings us back to Mari Herself, the very Draconic embodiment of the Tides in Transition. In the Punch and Judy version of this, the Mari would be seen as the Crocodile, who is chasing them all!  And yes, if you are seeing elements of this also reflected in Peter Pan, you would be correct! One could say that the Mari Lwyd is the ever stalking tides of Time, personified by the Death Mask of a Dragon!