By Fire Well and Tree

Well, not that  new. More like a new emphasis. The strength of polytheism, or one of the strengths, is that as one's focus changes, one can adapt one's practices.  We learn, we grow, we change, we revisit...it's not so much a path like a free way, but a rambly walk through the woods.  I am reminded of this.... Not enough doubling back, though. Anyway, recently I've become kind of intrigued by a couple of things. First, I've become more enamored of making the path of the Sun a focal point of my liturgical cycle. The Equinox and Solstice multi-day devotionals are the most obvious example of those, but I also have downloaded an app to the phone that tells me when sunrise and sunset are. I've gotten pretty good at predicting sunrise time, but a little less so of sunset.  Still, it's interesting to go "Isn't it about sunrise?" only to hear the alarm sound a few moments later. More on that later.... What I've been more  interested in,...

It has been a while.  We had a death in the family.  And I could not regain my equilibrium to be able to do my spiritual work.  That is, of course, the time one most needs it...however that is also easy to say and believe when you are not living it. So this evening, after the grove rite, after my spouse had gone to bed, I decided to do some work.  I actually decided after the latest death of a family member of a friend.  This year, 2015, has been particularly hard in this realm.  People I know have lost loved ones.  WE lost a loved one.  I had decided I was quite done with all this loss and was going to give the Lord of the Dead a piece of my mind. I drummed myself to the Underworld, this time trying to be purposeful and methodical as I went through the steps.  (I tend to jump from place to place, or "bamph" as one friend called it.  I always feel I should slow down though.)  I got to the bridge, crossed, found the gate open as ...

Wounded I hung on a wind-swept gallows For nine long nights, Pierced by a spear, pledged to Odin, Offered, myself to myself I scarcely believed the words left my lips.  I was meditating.  I was at a coven gathering, where we were experimenting with different kinds of recorded music and meditation or trance.  At the time, I wasn't very good at that, but through this exercise I discovered that simple music (a single Asian flute) works best, and I found myself on Yggdrasil.  I decided, in my meditative mind, to head towards Alfheim, having been told in a seidhr that I should sit with Freyr for a while.  On my way, there was a man hanging, upside down.  As I approached, he begged me for some water.  There was a bucket with a silver ladle nearby, and I reached down to get some water, I stopped. Me:  You aren't supposed to have this. Himself:  Please.... It was then that I quoted the above back to him and then continued. ...