By Fire Well and Tree

I know...I know... Pagans are not about austerities or otherwise about giving things up to honor a particular deity or things like that. But...hear me out. In Irish mythology, we have the concept of geas  which is often a taboo or other personal "rule" (for want of a better word) that a person cannot break without suffering dire spiritual or even physical consequences.  For example, Cuchulain cannot eat dog meat due to his association with dog as what we could argue is his totem animal.  His geas  is forever, though.  "Lenten austerities" only last for 40 days (although it's really more like 46. The Sundays somehow don't count, if I remember correctly). The other thing is that even among Christians the idea of Lent is misunderstood.  Lent is not supposed to be a time of giving up something as a display of one's awesome willpower.  One should give up something meaningful, but for the purpose of improving oneself and one's relationship with God...

As usual, I pulled a rune for each of the Twelve Nights of Yule that we just finished (or 12 Days of Litha, if you prefer).  Each rune was pulled after the spirit of that day was honored, except for days 10 and 11, because I had a really hectic time with family those days.  Those got pulled before the sumble, and the Twelfth Night rune was pulled after we did the three rounds. I did NOT pull a rune for the year all together (a keynote or significator). Everyone has their own path, and hopefully by now you know what yours is for the year. (If not...contact me!) So, without further ado... January -- Algiz Interestingly enough the beginning of the year brings the rune of protection, and given the way the year has started, with the drums of war beating, it makes more sense to me than it did on the first night of Yule.   The protection here is divine; Algiz is associated with swan maidens and valkyries, so look to your spirits for insight on how to best protect you...

Good Day! And Welcome to Day 12!   Twelfth night!   New Year’s Eve!  Traditional parties work well here, but a more spiritual aspect can be observed either quickly at home or as part  of the party!   Activities include divination (so placement of runes  or other divination tools  on the altar).  There’s also a suggestion I quite like  from the Matthews’ book  to gather  juniper  (if it wasn’t gathered on Day 9)  and letting it dry by the fire (or wherever that is in a modern home) for use to bless the home tomorrow.  In addition,  we burn the yule log, wreath, or whatever, at midnight as  we ring in the new year (weather permitting).   While it is New Year’s in the South, also, one could celebrate Twelfth Day, with a picnic or other similar activities.   The next day, January 1.  T ake down all the  stuff and  cleanse the residence by aspersing with the gree...

 Good Day! And Welcome to Day 11!   We are almost there!   A s we prepare to return,  we give  one last nod to the spirits of the other world. We honored the Winter Wanderer and the Green Man at the beginning, so today we will honor those other-worldly “nature” spirits, who can move be tween the  world s , and who watch over us as we depart sacred time.   The late Alexei   Kondratiev , in his book  “The Apple Branch , ” has a wh ole  ritual cycle  about the Cosmic Boar  Hunt that sends the Boar into the land/underworld in the dark half of the year, and out of it at  Beltainne ,  where he is replaced by the  Stag.  The role of the boar in Christmas and winter activities can be seen in “The Boar’s Head Carol,” and the importance of the boar’s head to St. Stephen’s Day festivities, is believed to be an echo of an earlier offering to Ing ( Freyr ).   So  this night in the no...

Good Day! And Welcome to Day 10!   We are almost at the end, and as such, we need to  make preparations  to return to the more mundane world.  In the Matthews’ book, they talk about St. Distaff’s day, which is the first day after the Twelve Days of Christmas (usually the day after Epiphany) when women were permitted to return to their spinning.  As we prepare to return, we can place a symbol of our work on the altar, and honor those deities or spirits associated with that.   I tend to put my drop spindle on the altar, since not only will we be returning to work, we will be returning the house to its more mundane rhythms as well.    

Good Day! And Welcome to Day 9!   On Day 9, we celebrate the green growing things of the season. For the north, we honor the evergreen, that stays green even as the rest of the world appears to die.  We can honor and meditate ( or even journ ey ) on the world tree, placing a sprig  of real evergreen on the altar, preferably juniper as that was used like sage for cleansing in northern Europe.   In the south, we can honor the deciduous trees that will lose their leaves and go dormant six months from now. We can also honor the herbs and flowers that are at their peak, and place sprigs of herbs or flowers on the altar.  

Good Day! And Welcome to Day 8!   On Day 8 we cel ebrate the all- important precipitation on which we all depend.  In the North, honoring winter and snow, and deities associated with that.  I have a snowflake ornament I place  on the altar, and if I’m lucky, I can get a bowl of snow!  In a pinch, ice cubes could work, too.   In the south, we can celebrate rain and storms, and any deities associated with them.  One could plac e an umbrella next to the altar, and again, maybe a bowl of  rain water  (or just from the tap)!