The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

I'm new to this and not sure where to start.

Welcome to TC, Vixen!  The folks on this forum can be a great resource for these kinds of questions.  If you haven't checked them out, the Pagan Primer and Teens and Paganism FAQs (not just for teens!) go over a lot of basic information. Jennett's seeking site is an amazing resource for beginners as well.

From what I've researched so far I have a pretty clear idea who is calling me.
I can mainly feel who I think is Cernunnos; a powerful masculine presence, patient but firm and almost fatherlike if not for the very strong sexual undertone. He has been very forthcoming and ever present and always connected to nature. He speaks through the woods and the animals.
The second is a bit more illusive. I think she is (the?) Morrigan; a female presence with an airy feel. Intelligent and flighty almost haughty. She was very present when all this started rolling, but has subsided somewhat of late. She is still there, but it almost seems like Cernunnos has taken her roll in guiding me.

 
I work with both Cernunnos and the Morrígan fairly regularly. For lack of a more finessed description (it's early, I'm only on my first cup of coffee), both have a strong visceral, blood, sex, and guts feeling about them.

If you'd care to share, I'm curious about the description of ""airy" and "flighty" and in what way you find her so.  I ask because these aren't terms I associate with the Morrígan (tM).  I find tM to be very much the opposite - more along the lines of a strongly grounded and focused taskmistress with a "roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty NOW" mentality.

I wish to connect with them. To honour them and to ask for their guidance and protection. But how do I go about doing that? I have never done anything like magick or rituals. I'm afraid I'll do something stupid and offend them if I just start doing random stuff. I've looked into some rituals but they all seem so over the top and 'out there'. I'm not comfortable speaking my prayers to all four corners and what not. I am looking for more simple everyday things like leaving bread out for the wildlife with a muttered thanks to Him. Or sticking the feather I talked about earlier up in a fencepost where it is visible to the world to see.

Where does one start?

 
You have already started - with the acknowledgement of their presence. Working with deity needn't be something formalized and elaborate, although that is always an option.  How folks handle this will vary widely depending on their experience, if they follow a specific tradition, who the deity in question is, by their comfort levels, etc.

My approach, as a solitary eclectic witch (read: non-wiccan, no oath-bound tradition, and working across a spectrum of pantheons and influences), is to let the nature of the relationship and the deity guide what I do.  If I want to honor a deity that I feel is present but with who I'm not actively working in a significant way, I will simply acknowledge their presence with a thank you and perhaps a small offering if appropriate.  In these cases, the only formality that I observe is to be very mindful and present in the moment, so that it doesn't become an "okaythanksbye" kind of thing. If I am doing more formal work with a deity, I'll do a more elaborate ritual that takes into account the type of work being done and the deity's nature.

Your idea of leaving food and uttering thanks would be right in line with what I do for simple rituals of honoring.  I subscribe to the idea of "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" (a decidedly non-magical quote from Teddy Roosevelt). Deity is actually surprisingly hard to offend if you approach them with respect and a little tiny bit of humility and thought. More likely, they will simply ignore you if you make an honest misstep. Unless you are the sort, to borrow a quote from Terry Prachett, "to stand on a hilltop in a thunderstorm wearing wet copper armor and shouting 'All Gods are bastards", I wouldn't sweat too much about causing offense. Most deities will give you a nudge in the right direction if it's needed.

I'm new to this and not sure where to start. Where I'm from there are not many pagans, or most probably I just haven't found them yet.

I have heard 'the call' all my life. Little things, like feathers falling down in front of my feet when pondering a decision. I have always ignored them, convincing myself that paganism was just a flight of fancy, something fun to play with together with my fantasy books and games.
Recent events have led me to the point where I cant ignore them anymore. Not in the least because the call is getting so loud its not funny anymore. Again, its the little things, but they add up. The crows surrounding my house. The eyes I can feel coming from the trees as I take my dogs out for their last walk at night. The unforecasted thunderstorm the night my husband left me. Branches of trees that just reach out and stroke my hair as if to comfort me.  
I can sometimes feel the gods so close it makes the hairs on my arm stand out.

From what I've researched so far I have a pretty clear idea who is calling me.
I can mainly feel who I think is Cernunnos; a powerful masculine presence, patient but firm and almost fatherlike if not for the very strong sexual undertone. He has been very forthcoming and ever present and always connected to nature. He speaks through the woods and the animals.
The second is a bit more illusive. I think she is (the?) Morrigan; a female presence with an airy feel. Intelligent and flighty almost haughty. She was very present when all this started rolling, but has subsided somewhat of late. She is still there, but it almost seems like Cernunnos has taken her roll in guiding me.

I wish to connect with them. To honour them and to ask for their guidance and protection. But how do I go about doing that? I have never done anything like magick or rituals. I'm afraid I'll do something stupid and offend them if I just start doing random stuff. I've looked into some rituals but they all seem so over the top and 'out there'. I'm not comfortable speaking my prayers to all four corners and what not. I am looking for more simple everyday things like leaving bread out for the wildlife with a muttered thanks to Him. Or sticking the feather I talked about earlier up in a fencepost where it is visible to the world to see.

Where does one start?

 
I think the most important thing to do is just start. (And I say this as someone who recently took that "JUST DO IT" plunge after a decade and a half of dithering.) The gods/goddesses/powers that be are, at least in my experience, tolerant and even fond of our early floundering efforts. Sometimes I get the distinct feeling that the two goddesses I work with are watching me with the same bemused affection that I have bestowed upon a newly acquired, very young kitten - one who is trying, so, so hard to be a Real Kitty but is tripping all over itself, getting stuck in/on the rug, and running into walls during the process. But the intent is there and that, I think, is the most important part.

It doesn't have to be anything dramatic or profound. It doesn't even have to be out loud. For me it was simply sitting down, taking a deep breath, lighting a candle, and saying "Here I am."

I cant offer any specific advice concerning the Morrigan or Cernunnos as I don't work with or worship them but both are fairly popular (for lack of better term) deities and there is a lot of info out there. The search function here at TC has been a great resource for me: I tend to keep it broad and type in the name of the deity (or whatever else I'm looking into) and then take a number of days to sift through the results and see what resonates with me or makes that divine presence in my life go "Yes!".

The gods/goddesses/powers that be are, at least in my experience, tolerant and even fond of our early floundering efforts.

It's funny you mention this, cause I have been getting that vibe as of late.
I found my old tarot set when unpacking some boxes and started getting reacquainted with it. This morning I wanted to draw a card for the day and asked Cernunnos to guide my hand. I got silence, shuffled the cards and waited for that urge to draw. At one point I snorted to myself thinking He was right not answering me as divination seems more the expertise of the Morrigan. I swear I could hear Him chuckle and at that moment I got the urge to draw the card. I drew Judgement upside down.
It was funny, and warm and gentle and almost paternal. It felt right.

Ah, I was thinking 'flighty' more in terms of being fickle and capricious, rather than of being elusive or aloof.  Have you tried talking to her, asking if it is tM?  Sometimes the straightforward approach works wonders.

I haven't. Maybe I should.
Communicating with tM seems strained and awekward. Talking to Cernunnos comes so naturally, I automatically revert to Him. Maybe I should ask His guidance in this.


I have been wanting a shrine or an altar of some kind for a while. Never really knew how or what. I have read about people using a forked branch to represent Cernunnos and I have been keeping my eyes open for such a branch. I'd seen a few but felt bad about having to chop down a part of the tree for my own selfish needs.
Till yesterday I found a dead branch of exactly the right proportions laying by the side of the road. Old, worn, slightly decaying but still solid and strong. My dog picked it up and took it home, and that was it.
I looked for a place to put it, and for ways to keep it upright. I found the best way of keeping it up was to prop it up between two stone Buddha's that have been given to me by a friend. Buddhism isn't my cup of tea, and I thought it would be really awkward to have a representation of a Celtic deity in combination with Buddhist statues. But for some weird reason this setup really worked.

As I write this I am reaching out to an OBOD grove in my area looking for guidance. The last few days have been crazy and I feel overwhelmed and a bit scared.