Tag: Midgard

Calendar of the Sun for Wednesday, February 5th

Calendar of the Sun

5 Solmonath

Day of the Serpent

Colors: Malachite green, sea-blue, and silver
Element: Water
Altar: Set a cloth of sea-blue embroidered with a great serpent in malachite green and silver, and on it place a figure of the Midgard Serpent with its tail in its mouth. Around the room strew colored ribbons in a great circle. The ritual takes place within the circle.
Offerings: Cords or ribbons knotted into a circle.
Daily Meal: Eel. Fish and seafood. Seaweed. Salad. Cooked greens. Eggs.

Invocation to the Midgard Serpent

Hail Iormundgand
Child of the Trickster
And the Hag of the Iron Wood,
Brother and sister of Death,
Neither male nor female
But complete within yourself,
Neither forward nor backward
But eternally circling,
Neither of the earth
Nor apart from it
But forever surrounding us
In our Middle Land.
Teach us, O Serpent,
Of what it is to see the end
And the beginning as one,
To see all things
In their place on the wheel,
To live with the turning
And not mistake it for a straight line
Even when the horizon
Is too far away
For our weak eyes to find.

Chant: Ior Ior Iormundgand

(All join hands and do a circle dance around the outside of the room, just inside the serpent boundary.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

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Celebrating Spirituality 365 Days A Week – July 26 – Festival of Sleipnir

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July 26th

Festival of Sleipnir

For members of Norse traditions, July 26 honors Sleipnir, the mythical horse of Odin that represents time and permits him to ride between the worlds. In Asatru, the eight-legged steed take Odin between the three worlds: from the upper one of the Gods (Asgard), through our own middle kingdom of Midgard, down into the underworld of shades (Utgard). As the Norse God of War and Poetry and Conductor of the Dead, Odin’s ability to transcent the planes of consciousness is what allows him the ability to oversee the fate of humans and Sleipnir serves as his magickal transportation.

Calendar of the Sun for Wednesday, April 25

Calendar of the Sun
25 Eostremonath

Walpurgisnacht Day III

Color: Grey
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a grey cloth set three candles, a bowl of dust, the runes Thorn and Haegl, and a battered knapsack.
Offerings: Help those who are homeless.
Daily Meal: Fasting today, from the night before until today’s Hesperis.

Walpurgisnacht Invocation III

Odhinn the wanderer, once Lord of Asgard,
Once Keeper of Valhalla, once All-Father of gods,
Traveled the dusty roads of Midgard,
Dust for his meals and dust in his eyes,
And the folk of Midgard looked upon him
And saw only an old beggar,
And when he asked them for a meal,
Many threw stones, many threw curses,
And a few threw a crust of bread,
And counted themselves generous.
When he asked them for a drink,
Many threw stones, many threw curses,
And a few gave him a dipperful from a horse-trough,
And counted themselves generous.
When he asked them for a place to sleep,
Many threw stones, many threw curses,
And a few showed him to a pile of moldy hay,
And counted themselves generous.
When he asked them for work,
Many threw stones, many threw curses,
And a few set him to cleaning pigsties,
And counted themselves generous.
So was the Lord of Asgard served
By the folk of Midgard who saw him,
Not knowing that it was the Lord of the Aesir
At whom their stones were aimed.
And so Odhinn suffered, and made the first sacrifice:
Understanding what it is to have no home,
And count Midgard’s folk against you.

(Today, those who have no home should be invited in for a meal while the House fasts, or else the meal should be taken to another place for them to eat. Silence for the day while alone.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

The Wicca Book of Days for Feb. 20th – The World Tree

The Wicca Book of Days for February 20th

The World Tree

According to Norse cosmic myth, the universe was sheltered and sustained by the world tree. Yggdrasil, an Ash. Yggdrasil both absorbed and gave out the power of life by tapping into and drawing from the Spring called Urd. Another of its tap-roots extended into the frosty Niflheim, and a third, into the land of the giants. Nine realms in all were supported by Yggdrasil, including Asgard, the home of the Gods; Midgard, the world of human beings; and the province of Hel, where the dead lived. An eagle inhabited the upper branches of the tree, while a dragon lived at the bottom, as did four stags, each of which embodied a cardinal direction.

 

“Get a Handle”

If your besom breaks and it is necessary to replace it, make sure that you either buy or whittle a handle that is made of Ash. For not only does today fall during the Celtic tree month of the Ash, but the Ash tree’s wood both symbolizes Yggdrasil and is exceptionally durable.

Calendar of the Sun for February 5th

Calendar of the Sun
5 Solmonath

Day of the Serpent

Colors: Malachite green, sea-blue, and silver
Element: Water
Altar: Set a cloth of sea-blue embroidered with a great serpent in malachite green and silver, and on it place a figure of the Midgard Serpent with its tail in its mouth. Around the room strew colored ribbons in a great circle. The ritual takes place within the circle.
Offerings: Cords or ribbons knotted into a circle.
Daily Meal: Eel. Fish and seafood. Seaweed. Salad. Cooked greens. Eggs.

Invocation to the Midgard Serpent

Hail Iormundgand
Child of the Trickster
And the Hag of the Iron Wood,
Brother and sister of Death,
Neither male nor female
But complete within yourself,
Neither forward nor backward
But eternally circling,
Neither of the earth
Nor apart from it
But forever surrounding us
In our Middle Land.
Teach us, O Serpent,
Of what it is to see the end
And the beginning as one,
To see all things
In their place on the wheel,
To live with the turning
And not mistake it for a straight line
Even when the horizon
Is too far away
For our weak eyes to find.

Chant: Ior Ior Iormundgand

(All join hands and do a circle dance around the outside of the room, just inside the serpent boundary.)

Earth Witch Lore – Bridges

Earth Witch Lore – Bridges

 

Rivers belong to the Water witch, but bridges, and the superstitions that surround them, belong to the Earth Witch. As one who finds solutions and builds foundations, who else could conceive of a way to cross running water while remaining earthbound?

 

There are a few mythical bridges that relate to other elements, such as Bifrost (the rainbow bridge leading from Midgard, the realm of the mortals, to Asgard, the realm of the gods, in Norse mythology), but more often bridges belong to the realm of earth.

 

A bridge is a gateway, because it rests between two bodies of land mass. While crossing it, you are neither in one space nor the other. The bridge transcends the two objects it connects in this manner; hence, it is a very magical and powerful place. It has been said that time does not work the same way on bridges as it does elsewhere. Some say that time moves more slowly when on a bridge, while others say that time ceases to exist all together and does not begin again until one has crossed completely over. Because of the time factor, a bridge has the ability to bring one back to a childlike state.

 

In many myths, a bridge is the path one must take after death to reach the other side. Some of the mythical bridges were treacherous, in order to keep out the living. Native American lore speaks of a shaking bridge one must cross to reach the other side. Often these mythical bridges are said to not tolerate the weight of a sinner and will cast the sinner off the bridge into the water below.

 

There is a tale in modern folklore that relates that you will hear a heartbeat if you stand quietly on a bridge. I have heard about a million variations of this urban legend with one common theme: that of the heartbeat belonging to a deceased person. While it is possible to hear a heart beat-type noise on certain bridges through out the United States, this is normally due to a nearby gas pipes or some other human invention. Yet the tale lives on because of the spooky reputation of bridges.

Because of the association with death, bridges are often said to be haunted. Celtic tradition warns that you should hold your tongue while crossing or passing beneath a bridge. The Isle of Man is home to the famed Fairy Bridge. Local legend says that if you cross the bridge without wishing the little people that live there a good day, you will not have a safe or happy visit. There is also a universal belief that two people who part on a bridge will never meet again.

 

Earth Witches know the lore to be true to this point–there is magic aplenty contained in the bridge. Spell work performed on a bridge tends to take effect immediately. Any type of magic that involves time manipulation will gain a boost by being performed on a bridge.

Trees and Creation

In the Norse Tradition, Yggdrassil, the world tree supported the nine realms of existence. At the top was Asgard, the home of the Aesir, the principle deities, led by Odin and his consort Frigg. This level also contained Vanaheim, the kingdom of the wind, fertility and sea gods, with whom the Aesir fashioned an uneasy peace, and Alfheim, home of the light elves. On the middle level was Midgard, the land of the humans. They shared this level with Jotunheim, the land of the frost giants and Nidavellir, the realm of the dwarves, who guarded their treasures and made artifacts for the deities. The lowest realm was divided between Niflheim and Hel, realms of the dead and Svartalafheim, home of the dark elves.

In Eastern Europe as well as in Asia the mythological world tree was considered the axis of the world with the pole star at the top. Shamans, the magickal priests or healers of indigenous peoples worldwide, climb this tree in a trance to reach other realms. Look up through the branches of a very tall tree on a starry night and you will see how this belief came into being.

The tree appears in numerous creation myths. In one Maori legend, the tree was the first thing to appear at creation and on it grew countless buds that contained all created life. A number of Native North American creation myths tell how the first humans climbed pine or fir trees from the underworld and broke through on to the Earth. In Viking myth the first man was fashioned by Odin and his brothers from an Ash (Aesc) and the first woman from an Elm tree (Embla). The gods found the trees while walking on the seashore.

Trees and Creation

In the Norse Tradition, Yggdrassil, the world tree, supported the nine realms of existence. At the top was Asgard, the home of the Aesir, the principle deities, led by Odin and his consort Frigg. This level also contained Vanaheim, the kingdom of the wind, fertility and sea gods, with whom the Aesir fashioned an uneasy peace, and Alfheim, home of the light elves. On the middle level was Midgard, the land of the humans. They shared this level with Jotunheim, the land of the Frost Giants and Nidavellir, the realm of the dwarves, who guarded their treasure and made artifacts for the deities. The lowest realm was divided between Niflheim and Hel, realms of the dead and Svartalafheim, home of the Dark Elves.

In Eastern Europe as well as in Asia the mythological world tree was considered the axis of the world with the pole star at the top. Shamans, the magickal Priests or Healers of indigenous people worldwide, climb this tree in a trance to reach other realms. Look up through the branches of a very tall tree on a starry night and you will see how this belief came into being.

The tree appears in numerous creation myths. In one Maori legend, the tree was the first thing to appear at creation and on it grew countless buds that contained all created life. A number of Nature North American creation myths tell how the first humans climbed pine or fir trees from the underworld and broke through on to the Earth. In Viking myth the first man was fashioned by Odin and his brothers from an Ash (Aesc)and the first woman from an Elma tree (Embla). The Gods found the trees while walking on the seashore.