E is for Ehwaz (PBP 2014)

Happiest of Fridays to all you fine folks! It is bitterly cold here and unfortunately we're expecting another storm front over the weekend (hoping the weather people are wrong about that). Seems like winter will not go away quietly. My poor husband came down with a nasty cold yesterday, so when I got home from work I was focused on caring for him, and last night when I laid down for bed (after watching the premiere of Vikings Season Two on the History Channel, of course!), I started sniffling myself. I've already fought off one cold this winter without going to the doctor so hopefully I can do it again!

I may end up doing an extra entry for 'E' because I want to do a post about Eir, but there are two 'E' runes. But I digress...this week's blog is about Ehwaz, the third rune of Tyr's Aett.

Ehwaz (pronounced "ay-was") literally means, "horse." This rune is thought to represent transportation, movement, and change. Ehwaz can also mean teamwork, trust, harmony, and loyalty, as in an ideal marriage or partnership, as well as the horse/rider relationship. Rune Secrets notes that Ehwaz governs establishing trust and bonds with animals.

D is for Doom of the Gods-Ragnarok (PBP 2014)

I have enjoyed reading all the articles that have been popping up on my news feed this week on Facebook about Ragnarok.

According to Facebook, Ragnarok is trending. I find that extraordinarily amusing. Anyhow, here's some of the articles for your perusing pleasure:

Are you ready for the Viking Apocalypse? Norse myth predicts world will end this Saturday

This weekend is Ragnarok. But it isn't the end of the world.

Ragnarok: will the world end in Viking apocalypse tomorrow?

Want to meet the end smelling fabulous? Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, my favorite scent wizards, have developed an entire line of limited edition oil blends in honor of the impending doom. It was difficult to choose, but I finally decided on the Waters of the Well of Mimir:

Ragnarok Archives

How am I spending the Doom of the Gods? With an early morning marathon of Game of Thrones!

All joking aside, I personally don't believe that Ragnarok is the end of our linear timeline; rather, I see it as symbolic of the immanent cycle of life, death, and rebirth that all things, even the Gods themselves, are subject to.

Feel free to share your own thoughts below!

D is for Dagaz (PBP 2014)

We're back to the runes this week! D is for Dagaz, the 23rd rune of the Elder Futhark and 7th rune of Tyr's Aett. Dagaz (from Runes, Alphabet of Mystery: pronounced "thaw-gauze"; voiced th as in "the"; never unvoiced th as in "thick" or d as in "dog") represents new beginnings, daylight, the coming of the dawn, awakening, awareness, receiving the gift of inspiration (the gift of Odin), breakthrough, clarity, transformation, hope/happiness, and the power of growth and change. Pulling Dagaz can indicate that it is a good time to start planning or beginning a new project.

Rune Secrets says this about Dagaz: "Dagaz is the counterpart to the rune Jera. Both refer to time, Jera on an annual cycle and Dagaz on a daily cycle. Both are runes of change – Jera is a rune of gentle change, Dagaz is a rune of bold change, for example, the burst of light at the moment of illumination...Much has been written on the psychology and metaphysics of uniting left and right brain functions. Dagaz holds dominion over this union and is a tool that gives you great potency for present awareness and future growth. It is reminiscent of the lemniscate, the symbol of infinity, and the moebius strip, timelessness and illimitable potential, as well as an overturned hourglass."

C is for Cakes and Ale (PBP 2014)

I'm not afraid to admit that cakes and ale is my favorite part of ritual. For me, my spirituality is a very personal path, and it has been that way for as long as I can remember. I intentionally choose to be a part of a group not because they all believe or practice the same way that I do (they certainly don't)--it is because of the community it provides, and I see cakes and ale as a major part of fostering that community.

It is very important to me that I bring something to contribute for cakes and ale, because it means that I am helping to nourish and sustain the community. Last week for Imbolc, I brought a bottle of home-brewed mead (the Rocky Mountain Red, for those of you who are longer-time readers of this blog), and a bowl of fruit salad. As we were honoring several triads of goddesses, including the Norns, I chose 3 different types of berries-strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, sprinkled a little raw sugar over them and let them mascerate. By the end of ritual the entire bowl was demolished, and most of the mead was gone! I enjoy being mindful of what I choose to contribute and connecting it to the ritual or the season we are celebrating somehow. For Yule I brought my crockpot and served heated spiced cider (wassail!) and citrus solstice cookies stamped with my sun cookie stamp (those were a huge hit with my friends' son who kept grabbing them off the plate and running from his father!). I also made a deep, dark gingerbread Yule Log topped with 'snow' (powdered sugar) in my mother's bouche de Noel pan. For a food-based ritual last summer I made fiery red curried lentils. For our annual Beltane picnic I usually make what I refer to as 'Freya's Salad' with baby spinach, strawberries, candied walnuts, goat cheese, and home-made fig balsamic vinaigrette. For Ostara, I usually make something with eggs (sorry vegans!). You get the idea.

For me, cakes and ale is a time to ground, get to know the other folks in my group, as well as allow them to get to know me. I think that's a part of the work we do, too. It's not always easy for folks to be themselves, their true selves, to open up, communicate without fear, and trust others. Food has an amazing way of comforting and relaxing people, and it provides a vehicle for this.

Another part of cakes and ale that I really enjoy is libation; taking a portion of our food and drink and offering it to the Gods with thanks. It reminds me of the Asatru ritual of blot. I think this simple action can be very powerful.

For Tuesday

Sometimes you need to play Lily Allen at the end of the day.

For the Nornir at Imbolc 2014

Honoring the Nornir
by Ravensong

Dearest Norns, Sisters, Weavers of Wyrd,
We honor You
Urd, Which Once Was,
Who shows us that wisdom is gleaned from the past.
Vendandi, That Which Is Coming Into Being,
Who teaches us to be present here and now.
Skuld, What Shall Be,
Who fills our hearts with the possibilities of the future.
We are grateful for your blessings
And offer You this gift.


Invocation To The Fates
from the Pagan Book of Hours

Spin truth into words,
Spin words into doom,
Spin doom into fortune,
Spin fortune into life,
Spin my life fine and strong,
O Lady with the spindle
Whose thread is my beginning.

Weave truth into vision,
Weave vision into mind,
Weave mind into spirit,
Weave spirit into life,
Weave my life with depth and color,
O Lady with the shuttle
Whose tapestry is my existence.

Cut truth away from falsehood,
Cut falsehood away from illusion,
Cut illusion away from matter,
Cut matter away from body,
Cut my body away from my life
When the time comes,
O Lady with the shears
Whose knowing hand is my doom
And also my truth.

C is for Crafting (PBP 2014)

We are now on week 5 of the Pagan Blog Project and have reached the letter C. (And I'm still managing to keep up! Praise the gods!) This week I'm going to talk about an important part of my personal practice, the magic of crafting; of using my hands, energy, and focus to create things. I think this topic is especially appropriate given that it is Imbolc, and Brigid, who is one of the deities honored at this time of the year, is the goddess of inspiration, creativity, and smiths!

I have many friends who are amazing artists. I don't know that I would ever describe myself as one (although at one time in my life I had quite a talent for music which unfortunately was put to the side when I went to college and focused my studies on psychology). I would use the word artisan to describe myself, rather than artist. I see the things I create as being very practical.

What do I craft? Whatever I can. I see myself as a Jack-of-all-trades-variety crafter--expert at none, but I have picked up many things along my journey. I craft mead to honor my Gods, I craft jewelry, I craft clothing items to adorn myself and my beloved ones, I craft tools to aid my various workings, I craft teas, potpourris, balms, lotions, vinegars, and tinctures using herbs for healing. I particularly love crafting delicious meals, especially using items I have grown myself in my garden, to feed and nourish myself and my beloved ones. Some of the activities I have learned and engage in on a regular basis include:

Crochet
Knitting
Wortcunning (herb craft/knowledge)
Chainmaille/Wireworking
Kumihimo (I wove my and my husband's handfasting cord, which I still have in a special box upstairs in our bedroom)
Runecrafting
Brewing (mead--haven't tried my hand at beer yet but it's coming)
Gardening
Cooking and baking

I also love learning new crafts. This morning, when I was waiting for my phone/internet/cable provider to come to restore my service, I pulled out my lucet, which is a very old tool used for cord making that dates back to the time of the Vikings. While I waited, I used some stash yarn from a recent project to weave a cord, which I will be taking to a ritual tomorrow to give as an offering to the Norns.

One craft I have been desperately wanting to learn is spinning. I took a one time class, but there were a lot of students and the teacher seemed to have very little patience for those of us who were struggling with it. Fortunately, in the past few years, I've made the acquaintance of someone who is an amazing spinner, and she has offered to help me learn, which I am excited about.

When I craft, I am focusing my will and intent and putting my energy into the action of creation. When I share my craftwork with my family and friends, I am sharing my energy and intention with them. I see this as the very essence of magic. It is the deepest gift that I can offer them, a piece of my own Self. Because of this I think that these activities can be as sacred and as magical as a ritual. For me, there is no separation.

In closing, I would like to give a shout out to the lovely ladies of Demeter's Garden: Tulip, Magnolia, and Beiv (the aforementioned spinner). I raise my horn to you three: Thank you for making time and space for crafting in our area via 'Crafting the Craft'!