Patreon Song/Poem/Prayer 18 -For Narfi

If you want to submit a request for a prayer, poem, or song to be written to you privately or to be posted on this blog or my Patreon for a God, Ancestor, or spirit, sign up for the Ansuz and above level here on my Patreon. This prayer was requested from Streaking Fate for Narfi.

Too many know Your doom

Wrought by Aesir wrath

Few know You as You are and were

Gentle, strong hands

Beloved of Your Parents

Admired for Your boundless zeal

Your unfettered curiosity

Your joy in Life Itself

So I praise You, gentle Lord

I praise Your soft hands

I praise Your warm heart

I praise Your love for all You laid eyes on

I praise Your tenderness and trust

I praise Your sweet embraces

I praise Your soft kisses

I praise You for the joy of Your family

I praise You, O gentle God

May You ever be hailed!

Patreon Topic 11: Venerating Linked Gods

If you want to submit a topic you would like me to write on for this blog or my Patreon, sign up for the Uruz or Thurisaz level or above here on my Patreon.

From my 3rd Raiðo patron comes this topic idea:

“Perhaps you could talk about venerating Deities Who are closely linked jointly, and how that can be different from worshiping a single Deity. I am a Freysman, but increasingly called by Nerthus, and I am starting to feel pulled towards venerating them jointly as Mother and Son–and how that feels like a Mystery unto itself, quite different from the Mysteries proper to a single Deity.”

In my experience and talking with other polytheists this seems to be a feature of Heathenry and sometimes Kemeticism. Generally speaking when you start worship one God They might introduce you to Their Family, and how we come to know our Gods can be keys to a Mystery or group of Mysteries as surely as beginning to know Them.

My relationships with all the Heathen Gods have filtered through Óðinn, and much of the worship and Work I have done is filtered through my relationship with Him in some way. I have seen other Heathens who came to Norse Heathenry and the Heathen Gods through Loki and it is a whole different experience than my own. It also depends on which particular heiti a God, Goddess, or other Being approaches us through. My experience of Óðinn as Rúnatýr is very different from Óðinn as Óðinn.

Worship of Óðinn alone was very focused when I first began as a Heathen. I would make offerings about once every other or every third day, and would do about 5-20 minutes of meditation on Him a day, or, if I was particularly busy, would carve out time on the offering days and dedicate more time to Him in addition to my usual prayers and offerings. I was also intensely studying the Runes, so all told I would spend upwards of an hour to two hours in prayer, offering, contemplation, meditation, and spiritual work.

When He began having me reach out to His Family, first to Loki and Frigg, then to Thor and other Aesir, it took some time to get the placement of Who to pray to first right. There were definitely Gods that bristled at the notion of being ‘next to’ each other in prayer, and others that did not particularly care. Loki eventually brought me to His Family, and incorporating Them in prayers also had to be done. I found as more Gods came into my worship and that I did Work with and for, the less time I had for the kind of intense focus as often as I did for Óðinn alone. This was not necessarily a bad thing, though. I actually needed the breathing room and was pretty bad at holding those boundaries with Him initially, something He was teaching and working on with me through this.

A Mystery that Óðinn brought me into quite early was understanding His relationship with Loki as Blood Brother. From then on I knew that not only was making offerings to Óðinn and not Loki wrong, it was something I could not do. Now, this is not to say that each and every offering I give to Óðinn is Loki’s as well, or vice versa. Each have Their own preferences of offerings as I and others have come to understand, eg Óðinn prefers whiskey whereas Loki like Fireball or ‘spicy’ drinks, and both enjoy mead and other wines. However, when it is more general offerings and prayers, such as night prayers at our Gods’ vé, They are both worshiped, prayed to, and water is offered to both of Them.

Exploring the Mystery of Their connection has deepened my relationship with both Gods, and I find that connection a beautiful and multifaceted one. Consider, too, that since we are looking at the Gods through the lens of mythic time that each event has, will, is going to, and is happening. Loki and Óðinn are slaying Ymir as recounted in the Vóluspá, and sitting across from one another in Ægir’s hall as recounted in the Lokasenna. Just thinking on and exploring Their Blood Brother connection through this understanding is powerful alone.

The Mysteries Óðinn brought me into that are His alone, such as bringing me into working with the Runevaettir, are not better or worse, just different from those of other Gods. The relationships that I have with other Gods unfolded differently when They passed through His hands vs another. This interrelationship also adds to the relationship as I experience it with Him, eg understanding Óðinn through His relationship with Frigg and vice versa.

My relationship with Frigg developed out of my relationship with Óðinn. I had a mix of formal and informal relationship starting with Óðinn, but with Her much of my relationship has been quite formal, especially when I worship Them together as the Chieftains of Asgarð. My address to Them is quite similar, usually something to the effect of “Hail, Chieftains of Asgarð, I make this offering of mead to You!” and many of the offerings are the same, eg water, mead, beer, wine, and the like. Worshiping Them together is different from worshiping Them apart. I tend to use more personal appelations and heiti with Óðinn, while I tend towards more formal address even in personal worship with Frigg. Maybe that will change over time, and maybe not.

Developing a relationship with a given God or Goddess depends on what avenues we come to Them through, how we engage in relationship with Them, and how we are introduced to any other Gods that They associate with or are associated with can differ person to person. This also comes into play in how we develop relationships with Gods linked to one another, whether by familial or other ties. When we relate to our Gods through another, as in the case here with my Patreon patron’s relationship with Mother/Son regarding Nerthus and Frey, it can be an invitation to a Mystery because of how the relationships with these Gods is being framed, or in this case, possibly reframed. That does not necessarily mean the old relationship and ways of relating with Frey are gone. It may be, or it may be affected in powerful ways as this new way of relating to Him through His Mother and vice versa comes forward. It is difficult to say anything for certain when we are talking about individual or even communal avenues of relationships of worshiping and relating to our Gods. Time and experience will tell. I am deeply curious to see how it goes for you!

 

Patreon Poem/Prayer/Song 8 -For An Morrígan

If you want to submit a request for a prayer, poem, or song to be written to you privately or to be posted on this blog or my Patreon for a God, Ancestor, or spirit, sign up for the Ansuz and above level here on my Patreon. This prayer was requested from my first Ansuz patron for An Morrígan.

 

Your croaking voice fills the expanse

Echoing across field and in the forest

The waters that wend speak of You

The ground and grave bow below You

 

The poet’s tongue is loosened in Your sight

The warrior’s sword slides from its sheath

The seer’s senses are true

Following the flight of the Phantom Queen

 

The home and the hearth know You

Protector and Purpose-bringer

Ember-eyed and Byre-blesser

Babe-Guardian and Foe-Bane

 

Raven-haired river-maker

Glorious Goddess of gun and grave

Whose hands help Her people

Standing strong in strife and sorrow

 

May our gifts be gladly made

Our offerings given in good worth

In turn may we receive well

Bond unbroken, beautiful and blessed

 

Wind and flame warn of war’s path

Sharpen wit, weapon, and work

Prepare and gather in power and perseverance

So the Sovereign speaks in crows’ song

Patreon Poem/Prayer/Song 7 -For Sleipnir

If you want to submit a request for a prayer, poem, or song to be written to you privately or to be posted on this blog or my Patreon for a God, Ancestor, or spirit, sign up for the Ansuz and above level here on my Patreon. This prayer was requested from my fourth Raiðo patron for Sleipnir.

Over skies and oceans you have crossed

Over land and the Helvegen itself

Eight legs across Nine Worlds

Glorious-Maned, Peerless Stallion, Best of Horses!

Spear-Hooved, Iron-Flanked, Windswept Galloper!

Sleipnir Lokison!

O Holy One, Son of a God and His Bloodbrother’s Bearer

You bring Your burdens unbowed

Through danger and Death to home and hearth

Praise to You O Peerless Journeyer

Sire of Blessed Steeds

Grey-coated Wanderer of Worlds!

Twice-Born

The God caught Himself in the mirror and stood in awe

Absorbed, never thinking

That behind Him stalked His killers

 

Torn limb from limb

Body boiled, limbs roasted

 

The wine stained eyes fell from His mirror

Rolled up to His Father, whose wrath blazed

The furious bolt crashed

 

Dead fell the feasters

Dead fell the God-hungry

Living fell the beating heart of Lenaeus

 

Taken up by Athena it was blessed with knowing

Taken up by Demeter it was blessed with vitality

Taken up by Rhea it was blessed with purification

Taken up by Zeus it was blessed with power

Devoured by Semele, Dimetor came forth

 

The ivy-haired God shone forth

Twice-born of Semele learned again

To crawl, to step, to walk, to dance, to sing, to rave, to fight

 

He took up His gifts and power in glory

His sword felled every foe before Him

His thyrsus struck frenzy into His followers

His grapes crossed the world and brought wine to all peoples

His wine poured and dythrambic verse fell in power from His mouth

His ivy marked His paths and ways for worshipers and pilgrims

To follow Him where He would lead

 

O Zagreus Dimetor, O Reborn One! You show us the Ways!

O Isodaetes, You give free that we may give!

O Mighty Dragon, Your jaws have torn the foe!

Io Dionysos!

Night Prayers

I place my hands on the glass table

I cleanse with breath, deep in and out

I am ready

We call to the Gods of our home

We call to the Ancestors of our home

We call to the vaettir of our home

Linked together, landvaettir chaining together road and wire

Linked together, landvaettir chaining together soil and root

Linked together through vaettir of arcing power, signal, and voice

We stand together though separate

In praise of our Holy Powers

Praise to the Blood-Moon Mani Mundilfari!

You see us in our suffering, our joy, and our grief

In the quiet times, the loud times

The midst of Nött’s dance

You see us in our raging, our fury, our love

In the boisterous times, the soothing times

The steps we dance behind Her

You come o’er our heads tonight

Tinged with blood and Full

Your Charge glides graceful, dancing with Darkness

We mark Your dance, Your passage

Pour out offerings, words and drink

For You, Bright, Bloody, Glorious Mani!

Tonight, as You look upon us, millions look back to You

Some with tears, others wonder

Silence and prayer alike are spoken to Your Presence

Thank You for Your toil, O Bright One

For Your tireless Charge, the Tide and Turning,

Hail the Bright Moon, the Bloody Moon, O Mani Mundilfari!

Calling to Our Ancestors

Calling to Our Ancestors SplashCalling to Our Ancestors is finally in print and ebook forms, and here in Kindle form. Finally, after four long years.  Hail to the Ancestors, it is finished!

This devotional is dedicated to giving a voice to those roads that honor the Ancestors, and to those who seek the Ancestors. I want to give deep thanks to all of the contributors. You made this possible.

“The Ancestors can be found by many roads: by blood, adoption, the Gods we worship, and the Elements that sustain us. They can be found in the newly or ancient Dead, in the old forests or the candle flame. The devotional is dedicated to giving a voice to those roads, and to those who seek the Ancestors.”

UPDATE: The contributors to this volume are, with links to their blogs and projects:

Ceilidh Chaos

Kenn Day

Bona Dea Lyonesse

Patrick Dunn

Geordie Ingerson

Raven Kaldera

Shauna Aura Knight

Galina Krasskova

Michaela Macha

Robert David Michael

Sarenth Odinsson

Lillith Threefeathers

Joy Wedmedyk

Grandfathers! Grandmothers!

Once we planted trees

To mark your passing

Hoping you would return

 

We called to you,

Grandfathers!

Grandmothers!

Asking you to come home

 

Once we raised mounds

Laid you deep inside

And visited bringing gifts

 

We called to you,

Grandfathers!

Grandmothers!

Asking you to hear our praise and songs

 

It has been so long

Since a tree was planted

Or a name was given

A mound was raised

Or a gift laid down

 

Again, we prepare the ground for trees

Again, we give the names

Again, we prepare the Earth for mounds

Again, we lay down the gifts

 

We seek you once again

We call to you, we sing to you, we praise you

Grandfathers!

Grandmothers!

Asking you to come home

Asking you to show us the way before

Asking you to walk with us once more

Now Available -Consuming Flame: A Devotional Anthology for Loki and His Family

Galina Krasskova has released her newest Devotional Anthology for Loki and His Family through Sanngetall Press.  I am proud to be part of this book.

Follow this link to purchase a copy of Consuming Flame: A Devotional Anthology for Loki and His Family.

Update: This is the Amazon.com link for the book.