Day 10: What method(s) do you usually use to contact your deity? (Tarot, godphone, etc.) Why do you like using that method?
A solid mix between tarot, journeying and a little bit of clairvoyance. I enjoy tarot for how easy it is and how little prep is involved - I can light incense and gently call to Them and They'll chat with me. Journeying to Annown and flash clairvoyant images are more taxing but offer a more in-depth communication experience :-)
Day 9: Discuss your daily/weekly/monthly/etc. worship “schedule.” What do you do for your deity? What offerings do you give? How often do you pray? And so on. Are you happy with how much/little time you give your deity? If not, what could you do to change that?
At the minute I'm remaking my schedule for worship and devotion, I work best when I have a general idea of what I'm doing in the next week/month. I use notion and a template I found for it, with some editing, and I'm trialling it as a way of organising myself this week :-).
I give offerings on a semi-regular basis, and it's all kinds (cups of coffee/tea, food, trinkets, etc) as well as devotional acts like painting. I'd love to spend more time in a much more dedicated space, but for now I'm working with what I've got :-)
Day 8: Describe what you have placed on your altar for this deity. If you don’t have an altar yet, discuss what you would put on the altar if you had one. Is there anything “missing” on your altar/are there items you wish you could add? What are they, and why do you want to add them?
At the minute I have a very sparse altar for Bucca - I desperately want to set Them up Their own place but there's limited room in my current living situation for that.
They do have a painting I created for them, a selection of candles, two offering bowls (one for food, the other for gifts - the latter currently contains a blue Worm on a Sting & a soy sauce fish), a teacup and a little bronze cup for drinks gifts.
Some things I would like include a goat or ram skull, a little dancing goat figurine I found on etsy and a soft toy version of them. One day I'd love a larger more detailed sculpture piece but it's expensive to have those commissioned and I'm never satisfied with what I find online.
As well as that, I'd love more room to leave flowers and other softer more ephemeral gifts :)
Day 7: Discuss your UPG for your deity. What inspired those UPG? Afterwards, do a little research and try to find other popular UPG. Do you agree or disagree with that UPG, and why?
Where do I start with the UPG. Most things about the Bucca are UPG because of the previously-mentioned force synchronisation by the church.
Rook mentioned food, so food I shall start with (plus it's easy to write about!). Bucca adores fish, any and all fish, fish native to the coast of Cornwall or fish from far off places. Pie, Sushi, Sandwiches, anything. Absolutely anything.
They don't enjoy red meat so much, at least not farmed animal meat. I've offered to obtain venison or wild meat and They've seemed deeply interested in that possibility, so I wonder if it's more tied to their role as a feral deity.
They have a particular fondness for pies as a way of food prep - and of open fire/camp cooking as a devotional activity. I don't really know what the appeal of a pie is aside from a good sensory experience, but They are absolutely in love with it.
Drinks-wise (which I'm counting it along with food), They are absolutely taken by any type of alcohol, they enjoy coffee too and tea is a particular preference. I often make them a cup when I invite them to sit with me at my desk :-)
Day 6: Describe your least favorite story/myth that involves your deity. Why is it your least favorite? (Is it because it shows a different aspect of your deity that you don’t see often?) Try to turn that negative into a positive, and use this as a learning experience.
I am going to use this prompt as a chance to get mad about the attempted mixing of the Bucca and the folk devil - and the fact that all good or positive stories of the Bucca have been swept away and lost over time so there are only folk-devil stories left.
There are so many of the syncronised-Bucca/Folk Devil figure being aggressive, cruel or violent that it's outright frustrating because it's only ever used in a morality play attitude rather than...about the main thing of the Bucca that is aggressive and wild and out of control which is Their aspect as a weather deity.
A positive of the synchronisation is that there is still SOMETHING left of the Bucca rather than being wiped out of existence.
Day 5 - Describe your favorite story/myth that involves your deity. Discuss why this one is your favorite, and if this story/myth somehow influences your practice.
There aren't many surviving stories or myths of the Bucca because of the attempted assimilation of a lot of Cornish folklore and folktales. The only one that could be based on the Bucca is the Tolcarne Troll - a kind faced man in a “tight leather jerkin” that lives in Tolcarne rock. Whenever the troll chose too, they could make themself visible.
Using an incantation pronounced the proper way and holding three dried leaves ( one of the ash, one of the oak, and one of the thorn), one could call up the troll and ask for information on a past life - all they had to do was set an age or period and the troll would tell them everything.
While the Tolcarne troll is called a mix of odin, a hidden guest and a troll, for me it rings true of the Bucca and Their history in the area. I’ve yet to ask Them about it directly though :-)
Day 4: What symbols/animals/plants/etc. are associated with your deity? Start out by listing the ones that you know.
A lot of Bucca's associations are largely UPG. The first symbol that springs to mind is the Rocky Valley Labyrinth, an animal would be a goat and a plant would be gorse!
Some other symbols I would include would be a stang, a ritual knife and the threefold track. Animal-wise I'd also include a ram/ewe, a Cornish adder, a chough and a hare. Maybe a seal too. Something a little unconventional that I've got no real explanation for is a badger! For plants there aren't many things aside from gorse I can immediately associate with them, maybe heather, blackthorn, yew & a sessile oak tree.
Then, do a little research to see if you can find more. In a separate list on the same post, list those ones, too. Make note of which ones you think fit and don’t fit your deity.
In research, all I could find as a fish (no specific one, but I suspect a pilchard), which makes a lot of sense to me - fish are something They quite enjoy (both the actual being and fish-shaped things).
I also found the horse and the toad. Both of these feel much more tenuous to me than a fish - toads have a general connection to Cornish folk witchcraft, which Bucca is part of, but the toad doesn't seem to be a direct link beyond that. Horses are coinnected to Them through Their wild hunt associations - again related but not symbolic. They seem like more of Jinny's/Ankow's deal.
Montol - Penzance, 2021 Photos from Cornwall Live ( source ) Montol is a traditional midwinter festival for the solstice, held annually in...
