𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕱𝖔𝖑𝖐 𝖂𝖆𝖞 :ᚠᛟᛚᚴ•ᚹᚨᛄ:

A reminder that the next fullmoon marks Midsummer. One of its traditional names is the "mead moon," and looking around locally, it is quite fitting as the most obvious coloring is very meadlike from the weeds that have all turned golden in color.

Here is a verse of Hávamál translated into traditional verse matching the Old Norse ljóðaháttr ('leedform'). "Ár skal rísa, sá er annars vill fé eða fjör hafa; sjaldan liggjandi ulfr lær of getr né sofandi maðr sigr." "Early should rise the one that another's…

Here is a verse of Hávamál translated into traditional verse matching the Old Norse ljóðaháttr ('leedform'). "Ár skal rísa, sá er annars vill fé eða fjör hafa; sjaldan liggjandi ulfr lær of getr né sofandi maðr sigr." "Early should rise the one that another's living or life would take; seldom the loafing wolf his lunch does get, nor the sleeping man sige." ¹ - Hávamál 58 ¹ sige = "victory"

"𝕸𝖊𝖓 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖔𝖌𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖘 𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙; '𝖙𝖎𝖘 𝖆𝖑𝖜𝖆𝖞𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖓 𝖋𝖆𝖎𝖙𝖍𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊; 𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖆 𝖙𝖗𝖚𝖊 𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖞." - 𝕳𝖆𝖛𝖆𝖒𝖆𝖑 ᚠᚢᚨ

“Eall here byþ hwæt þonne se lǣtēow byþ hwæt.” “The whole army is brave when the leader is brave.” ~The Durham Proverbs  Painting by Pat Nicolle. 𐘾 ᛖᚪᛚᛚ ᚻᛖᚱᛖ ᛒᛁᚦ ᚻᚹᛇᛏ ᚦᚩᚾᚾᛖ ᛋᛖ ᛚᚪᛏᛖᚩᚹ ᛒᛁᚦ ᚻᚹᛇᛏ

"Time erases false beliefs, but confirms the judgements of nature." - On the Nature of the Gods

I was watching a documentary about Confucius. During his time he spent some time pondering why China was in such a decayed state seemingly filled with nothing but chaos in comparison to an earlier stage (the "Zhou Era") which was an almost golden age in some sense. After careful consideration he determined that the main reason was the essential lack of what he called "li" (Han 禮). "Li" has multiple meanings: "ritual/ceremony, rules of etiquette/propriety, courtesy/manners, to treat one with respect and courtesy" and in his understanding it encompasses all of these things. What this means is that he viewed the China of his time as lacking in the area of a true system which involved rules of ritual practice (both in a religious sense and a social sense) that brought the people as a whole into a harmonious balance with one another and the world itself. His solution was to travel to the old capital of the Zhou era and learn all that he could about the old customs/rituals/practices that he believed were lacking and strive to reinstate them as applicable for the wellbeing of all the various states of China and hopefully lead them back towards that golden age of the past. Hearing all of this made me ponder our situation today. I first considered what brought me to religious consideration in the first place. I wanted to understand what the draw was to religion (having been raised irreligious) for people in general, because I felt that my life was lacking while some claimed to be more fulfilled with religion in their lives. When I found our folkway I was left with the realization that what religion gave me was a more true sense of myself and where I come from. When I read about it, I found it described the best aspects of myself (the aspects that were highly moral and valuable, and which always led to the expression of my better self) and this gave me a clear focus for my worldview. These positive aspects were not confused ignorance without a place in this world since others were rarely as good in their actions, but were actually who I am and should always strive to be and further, were tied into the folk's past as general aspects admired and embraced by our folk. Further than all of this, I came to better understand why people sought religion. It tends to be that people wish to find an established worldview and way of being that helps them understand how to navigate the world. All of this ties directly into Confucius' consideration of "Li" and its lacking at his time which saw China filled with much chaos and total war back and forth among the various states vying for power. What this means, I realized, is that just as in his case we too suffer from a "lack of 'li'." What we seek from the folkway is that establishment of a worldview which ties into our past (our sort of 'golden age' if you will) as well as an explanation on how to engage in the world including religious ritual, but also daily rituals and social actions. We desire a return to our better past which was filled with a social cohesion now almost entirely lacking by comparison. Today is a degenerate free-for-all, while the past had certain understandings of social order both in the sense of man to man as well as man to nature (and really to everything in general). Today, those of us here on this path seek to rebalance our lives with religious ritual, daily ritual, and understanding of the world. We have come back into the habit of regular religious ritual (involving blotes at particular times and other such rituals), but we also need to keep seeking to balance our lives with wisdom concerning the actual worldview (ready to always learn more and relearn as needed) and also establish "new" social orders and rituals that can aid us in this life and bring greater cohesion and frith to our folk. If we can balance these three things: religious ritual - social ritual - worldview, then there is no reason why our folk could not only come out of this time of chaos, but learn to thrive and blossom again.

Here is a fun stave I wrote in the traditional verse known as leedform (ON. ljóðaháttr), but with an added endrhyme on every third line. "The ravens ride the roaring wind, where weapons gleam in gore. Shields are splintered, and spears are thrown, in battle's din the berserks roar." The verseform follows a simple format: Lines 1, 2, 4, and 5 consist of 4 steps ("the - rav - ens - ride") and staverhyme (alliterate) with each other ("ravens - ride - roaring"). Lines 3 and 6 consist of 6-8 steps each ("where - wea - pons - gleam - in - gore") and staverhyme with themselves ("gleam - gore")

I wish you and yours a wonderful Easterblote. May the ambereyed Dís of the dawn bless you with a fruitful season, may She shower you with the heavenly flowers of potent creativity and abundance, and may She fill your days with joy like the warming rays of the sun after a storm. The hearts of the Earth and its children jump forth with newfound vigor, ready to embrace the blessings of the Ese and Wanes, and so too should we be. Yet also aware of our power, given us by the Ruling Powers, and serve our folk and home as best we can with love and troth in word and deed.

Here’s poem I made about a slain hero being sent back to Miðgarð from Valhall to restore cosmic order. Valhall’s winds wind from the High-One’s mouth to Its heroes. Herjan’s men are made merry with the holy mead of Heiðrun. And fed well by Sæhrimnir’s meat. A far-famed warrior was I, and fell by Jólnir’s flame. Gleefully I sit upon the golden seats of Gautr. Miðgarðr mourns the loss of Her glory, The folk have forsaken the grace of the Good Gods. A call is heard, the dead hark the will of the High Host. He calls for war, and balance to be made. “Make evil quake and spears shake. Their time is nigh. Thou must go. Evil men must die!” On to Earth I am sent, to sow order and uphold Orlög. Allfather’s will I uphold until I am no more.

"Wisest Woden, Won'drous Father, free me from these fetters. Let me now look Thy Light upon free from fear and folly." * Written in 'leedform' (Old Norse ljóðaháttr)

A man shall not boast of his keenness of mind - but keep it close in his breast. To the silent and wise does ill come seldom - when he goes as guest to a house. Havamal (stanza 6)

While many can point to their religious system of belief, not so many can speak to it on a deeper level. While we all can speak to general morals, Gods and Their aspects, holy tides, etc, our "religion" is to be better understood as a "Weltanschauung" or "Overarching Worldview" which gives us an understanding of the world at large, the Ruling Powers, ourselves, and the part of all the components within it explaining to our Folk HOW to function in the world and this key component is often missing in discussion. Sure, everyone is keen to post pictures of their blotes held at the holy tides, but what about the day to day? Does our tradition start and stop at the holy tides? The holy tides are to be seen as important markers for numerous reasons, but one aspect of them is that it was traditionally understood that attending/hosting these blotes was a bear minimum requirement for religious practice (even having limits to how many times in a row someone in the community could skip attendance, such as in cases of severe sickness, before being penalized). We should maintain deep reverence and respect for the holy tides and hold the proper rites, but we should ensure that we are not simply the "Sunday Christians" of our Folkway. Our Tradition teaches us how to function from the time we get up to the time we go to sleep; how to manage ourselves, how to deal with others in various situations, how to interact with the rest of the natural world, etc. It is just as important, if not more so, to consider your spiritual activity as it translates to your physical and mental actions on a daily basis. Do you hold to good morals? Do you consider the Gods, Goddesses, Elves, Wanes, and Landwights regularly and strive to interact and please them with good work? Do you consider your actions and their potential repercussions for yourself, your family, your community, and the world at large? .... The list goes on and on, but it really boils down to do you strive to be a good person in word and deed all day every day? This doesn't mean you must be perfect, but that you must accept imperfection while striving for perfection just the same. Only in this way do we truly excel and expand in our being to greater heights and ennoble ourselves and those around us.

"Þat kann ek it sétta: ef mik særir þegn á vrótum hrás viðar, ok þann hal er mik heifta kveðr, þann eta mein heldr en mik." "A sixth I know: if someone wounds me on the raw roots of a tree. The man the wounds and wishes me ill eats that ill, not me." Havamal 151 This verse speaks of magic where one uproots a tree and leaves it raw rather than processes it as would be usual. This tree with the roots on (or a stump with roots attached) can be carved upon leaving runes for wounding/cursing. A case of this is found in Grettis Saga I mentioned in the past. It's interesting that the roots being attached is important and draws the mind to the Great Ash and Wyrd. That which circulates from roots to top and back again. This would mean that the magic is woven into wyrd via the roots of this tree connecting to the roots of the Great Ash. However, this verse tells us how the magic can be sent back to the sender instead, altering the ripple in the web of wyrd to affect the sender who instigated the wounding magic.

A reminder that this year Easterblote/Sigrblót falls about April 30th, coinciding with "Walpurgisnacht" and "May Day," which makes a great deal of sense in deeper meaning. The later dating of the blote this year comes with the time correction of last year where Threelithi occurred.

Picture that you are driving a chariot drawn by horses. You drive over the landscape and all is well, for a moment. You begin to hit potholes, you see wolves running after you, you witness problems in the road ahead, and you shut down. You drop the reins, you hunker down in the chariot, and you cover your eyes and ears, OR you simply see everything around you that is scary and are afraid to take control of the situation. What is to say you aren't living like this right now? When we are born, we are charioteers, and knowingly so; this is the childlike recognition of infinite potential, boundless energy, and eager curiosity. All of this gets widdled down by traumas we experience over time and through being talked down by others who have already given up their position as charioteers because of their own traumas telling kids no constantly and feeding them various tranquilizers drugs and withholding genuine love from them. When you simply let the world and all your experiences control your life, you are the coward shirking responsibility in the face of fearful possibilities, but when you take control, you are the charioteer. You accept the potential dangers, but know that you can overcome all if you would just try. What does taking control look like here in Midgard? It means ceasing your petty reactionary being. Nothing controls your actions, but you. Your car breaks down without warning, do you need to cause a scene and shut down about it? No. Your work piles on the workload, do you have to shutdown and drink or take drugs to cope? No. Taking control means accepting the will power innate to your being as part or your ond (soul), listening to the signs given by the Gods, and using your power to bring about the good for yourself and all things within your power. You have the potential for true control over yourself and the Gods want you to steer the chariot, but only you can choose to do so. When you do, the Gods guide you through danger and help you on the way to choose right actions and life is simply a great experience - one that most people can't fathom because of their cowardly nihilism. You are truly ond and ond truly possesses 3 expressions: will/energy/life, wisdom, and love. Embrace these qualities, embrace your actual being as ond and use the tools given you such as your body, emotions, thoughts, etc to do the work needed.

Here is another leed in foreoldlay I wrote in honor of the Vanadis of the red dawn. It includes some playing around with innerhyme as well wherein there are rhyming sounds within words as opposed to staverhyme which rhymes on the first sound of words or endrhyme that rhymes on the ending of words. Ocean's Radiance, Giver of Love, Lady of the Chosen Slain! Please accept this leed as blote for all You give and have given and take my love and troth with it as long as I may be. “Freyja had found Her fiercest love Óð the eager off on the road. The Maid Her Man had meant to keep, but He did set His sights abroad. Woefully wept The wond’rous Maid in sorrow sunk Her seabright gaze. Thus redgold ran ‘cross roving waves and met with man and much was praised. Her goldbright gaze then glimpsed the way She found her feet faring from home. Wan’dring widely She wished to find Her loving lord and lead Him home. She crossed all lands yet could not find Her missing Man ‘mongst any kind. Though Lord is lost and Lady cries Her shimm’ring form ‘mongst many shines.”

Went out on a hike today with the kids. It was exhausting with the newly come heat, but still great. There were some good winds and I had a powerful experience. The terrain was very rocky and semi desert. I climbed onto this massive boulder and called out to the land wights with a sort of kulning which i firmly believe is tied into the Old Norse varðlokkur. I bloted to the Ese, Esenne, Wanes, and land wights upon the boulder and had massive winds come up to carry my voice further out. After the blote I hailed the Holy Host and my voice carried far through the valley on the wind and in that direction I saw down towards the bottom of the valley a completely unique meadowland unlike any of the surrounding land. The kids and I traveled down and under one of three massive pine trees I galed the Óðins Nǫfn thula and as I did the winds shifted regularly to the same rhythm as I sang. Woden was with us, and this special place has found a place in my heart for future practice. This place, which I now name Wodensley, is not only unique to the surrounding landscape, but within it holds special symbolism in the very plantlife, trees, and creek. I'm very thankful to have had it shown to me and my children. Although they did not understand entirely, they also shared in the experience and will continue on the folkway when I am gone. I've much to be thankful for and am every day. Hail the high, holy Host!

Notes on verse 1: First, in the verseform foreoldlay each verse consists of 8 "halflines" (equal to 1 full line of poetry in the modern sense) that are paired together by staverhyme ("alliteration" and in this verse the staverhyme falls on the "h") and each halfline is broken up with a pause like so "hearing I ask [pause] all holy kin..." --- The verse itself is quite clear in meaning, but the name Walfather deserves a brief explanation. The name truly denotes "He that is the leader (like a father of a household) to the Chosen Slain [of Walhall]." The name in an Anglish translation might be more "truly" done as Walfath, although the ending -fath would not be clear to readers today (it does however coincide with the original Old Norse ending -fǫðr).