This morning, as I crossed at the lights, a mother held her child back and said, with reference to me, “Wait for the green man!”.
The Green Man is a motif that appears across Europe and the Middle East—particularly in English churches.
In an unusual move, King Charles included a Green Man on his invitation to his coronation:
“Central to the design is the motif of the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign. The shape of the Green Man, crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy, and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.”
The Green Man is synonymous with the Horned God Cernunnos—and is often depicted with two horns.
He is al-Khidr—“the green one” or “the verdant one” in Arabic.
Al-Khidr is an independent mystic said to have taught Moses his wisdom. In Sufism, he represents the divine mystery itself—and he rules over the unseen.
“He is the hidden initiator for Uwaisi Sufis, who enter the mystical path without being initiated by a living master, instead following the guiding light of earlier masters.”
He is like a prophet without being a prophet.
It is said al-Khidr offers: “…the guidance of divine revelation as do other saints, without requiring prophethood. In comparison to other saints, God gave al-Khidr the powers and the knowledge of the highest ranking saint, such as the power of free disposal reaching far beyond the Arsh [throne of God] and having all God-sent scriptures in memory.”
He is the man for all people who have no church or mosque— “the patron saint by necessity of all those who go directly to God without intermediaries, ‘The Way of the Private Face’ [Hooded Man]”.
He is also St. George—the warrior-mystic venerated by the Druze.
Hence the Green Man is a popular motif in English churches.
And appeared on the invitation because he has returned.
And, just like St. George, I work strictly freelance.