Walking the Path

Thoughts about the things happening in my life, often with some relation to the Kindreds and how my relationship with them is deepening.

November Prayers: Day 7

When the black dog has her claws hooked in you,
threatening to never let go,
trying to pull you under, into the darkness…
When the world is too loud, and too bright,
overwhelming all your senses,
pushing you to escape into the void…
When the night seems to go on forever,
dragging into the black,
until it seems even the stars have lost their light…
Then is when the sky will lighten,
Then is when the cloud-cover will dissipate,
Then is when the Dawn will come.
So, after the storm has raged,
go to where the Waters flow more freely now,
won and blessed for you,
and find your peace in nature.

November Prayers: Day 5

A Meal Blessing of Thanks:
We thank the Earth Mother, first and foremost,
for the bounty she has shared.
We also thank:
The Ancestors, for teaching us their ways,
The Nature Spirits, for sharing of themselves,
And The Shining Ones, for walking with us.
To all those spirits we love,
Come, join us at our feast,
and be welcomed by our hospitality.

November Prayers: Day 4

Darkness is spread like a blanket across the sky
as I call out to Hypnos to let me sip from his horn.
Come to me, Mist Cloaked one,
and work your magic on me.
Bring your brothers and your sons,
The Oneiroi, Morpheus first among them,
to share their magic of sweet dreams.
A deep and peaceful sleep I desire:
Come to me, Hypnos, Come!

November Prayers: Day 3

When a tempest rages around my being,
When a maelstrom spins beyond control,
I stand centered, firm and grounded, at my core.
Rational thought continues to guide me,
my emotions acknowledged, but not my yoke.
For the God of the Deep, Lord of the Raging Sea,
I thank you as I continue my work as your devotee:
You’ve taught me perseverance in the face of turbulence;
You’ve taught me to when and where to unleash my temper;
You’ve taught me that all things ebb and flow,
and that in that cycle, balance can  be found.
Poseidon, Earth Shaker, Wave Bringer,
To you I give my deep praise and heartfelt thanks.

November Prayers: Day 2

My Day 2 #prayeraday for #nanowrimo is to one of my spirit allies I’ve met in my clergy and initiate trance work.  As much as we’ve worked closely together for somewhere around two and half years now, I’ve never felt the need to get formal with names.  In writing this, I’m feeling like I may need to ask what he’d prefer to be called, because it sounds silly and irreverent when I don’t really mean it to be.  Then again, maybe that’s okay too.  He is a bit impish in his wisdom and demeanor.
Pinpricks of light spark in the night sky.
I see you, many dancing spirits.
Falling to the earth, in brilliant streams of silver.
I see you, in your solitary glory, racing for the earth.
Alighting upon the land to dance atop the stones,
to dance atop the Mound.
In a burst of flame, dancing and flowing,
I see you, your impact spreading like wildfire across the land.
Strange and alien, fiery streak,
with your watery blue flesh belying the heat of your skin,
trailing a flickering path of crimson and gold
smoothing your way across the bosom of the mother.
Your tentacles make eye contact with me as you flow in my direction.
Slug of Fire, I welcome your presence in my life,
Just as I welcome your wisdom in my Work.
Be with me as I continue my journey.
#adfdruidry

November Prayers: Day 1

I think my contribution to #nanowrimo is going to be a variation.  I’ve not been writing as much in general, and want something to kind of kick start my devotional practice again, since there’s been a lot of changes in my life the past few months.  So, I’m going to write a prayer a day.  Since I decided this around 8 or 9 pm last night, I’ll try to manage two today 😃
Day 1:
A new step on this journey,
a new breath of life in this practice…
I call out to the Powers of Inspiration:
Be with me in my work this month.
Sing through my heart and soul
and drip your sweet honey from my lips and pen onto these pages.
Breathe life into my thoughts, and hopes, and dreams.
Invigorate my practice and my work.
Help me to notice the meaning in each moment,
be present with it, and let it inspire my voice.
Inspiration, I write this first prayer to you,
who will walk with me this month,
allowing my vision and words to flow with ease.
Powers of Inspiration, be with me!

The Lay of Thrym

Alright, while I am typically known for my work in Hellenic polytheism, when a group under the pagan umbrella spews hate based on race and gender identity, speaking out against that is imperative.  I say not here.  Not in my house.

The Asatru Folk Assembly posted earlier this week:

“Today we are bombarded with confusion and messages contrary to the values of our ancestors and our folk. The AFA would like to make it clear that we believe gender is not a social construct, it is a beautiful gift from the holy powers and from our ancestors. The AFA celebrates our feminine ladies, our masculine gentlemen and, above all, our beautiful white children. The children of the folk are our shining future and the legacy of all those men and women of our people back to the beginning.”

Again, not in my house.  If we don’t stand against this type of of hate and vitriol, then our silence makes us complicit.  A line is drawn in the sand, and if we won’t condemn this, take a stand, and clearly state that this is not who we are, any of us under this pagan umbrella, any of us under this human umbrella, then we are complicit.  If we don’t pick which side we stand on in these cases, our side will be chosen for us by what we don’t say.

I believe in a “come as you are” religion.  My fire is big enough, and bright enough, for all who wish to worship the gods.  I will openly denounce those who spread hate, who seek to impinge on the human rights of others, and I will stand beside those who are victims of hate and help to make space for them.

Mythology is ripe with examples of gods and heroes who were themselves, through and through, and didn’t let who they are, or the way they presented, effect their actions or their acceptance of their worshippers.  Zeus, Hermes, Herakles, Athena all come to mind.

The AFA is a Norse group (I state that affiliation loosely, so as not to offend any of my Heathen compatriots), and so the myth that I find particularly pertinent is The Lay of Thrym.  Thor loses Mjölnir to the giant Thrym, who demands to marry Freyja in order for it to be given back.  Freya says “Fuck that! Thor, you messed it up, so you go fix it!” Thor and Loki end up dressing as Freyja and her handmaiden to go marry Thrym.  How’s that half-giant/half-Aesir cross dressing Thunderer for a”masculine gentleman”?

When Thor was getting Mjölnir back, was he a "masculine gentleman"?

If you are a Norse pagan, looking for an inclusive home, I’d encourage you to check out The Troth as a Heathen group, and ADF as an Indo-European group.  Both have explicit statements of inclusivity as part of their governing documents.