tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85218559030571748702024-03-12T18:24:15.416-06:00Across the Abyss"And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
~Friedrich NietzscheMuninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-51434929514555268492022-06-06T07:02:00.000-06:002022-06-06T07:02:20.772-06:00Objects Have Stories<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Objects have stories.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Objects have stories for those willing to listen to what they say, so see what they show. To those who can Hear without ears, See without eyes.</span></p><p>Objects have stories, memories, of time before. Some stories are stories of joy and innocence. Some stories are stories are stories of darkness and fire and the unknown beyond the fire’s light. Some stories are stories of pain and sorrow. But all stories are memories, echoed across time.</p><p>Memory is the bones, blood enlivens the bones. But not all bones are made of calcium and marrow. The objects left behind are part of the bones of a soul. An arrow or spearhead, a set of dice, a pack of cards, an old makeup table, a cherished book, a knife or gun, a birthday card, a coin. Items left behind are as much bone as the bleached or breaking down actual bones, and hold memories, too.</p><p>And blood doesn’t always have to be spilled to enliven these bones. The blood rushes through the seer, the listener, and as attention shifts, reaches, finds the object, power follows, for power follows attention. That power is the power of the blood, iron rich blood swirling, like 18,562 tiny magnets, power, swirling, enlivening the bones, the objects, once held dear or just held.</p><p>Objects have stories.</p><p>A piece of pottery from a shell mound near Berkeley, where many claim it shouldn’t be. A circle of people in the dark, a fire burning near the shore of an ocean not quite as old as now, bowls filled with fish. An old man chip, chip, chipping and arrowhead.</p><p>A leg bone of a deer, actual bone, laying beside the river, the Laramie River in Wyoming. Visions of the deer walking, alert, then a foot caught, a slow end, coyotes clean the bones.</p><p>An old key, opener of doors, in a cup of keys in an antique store in Boulder, carried long in a pocket, flashes of solid wood doors, tarnished brass locks. An old woman’s hand shaking, the feel of ache in your own hand, arthritis, or the memory of it. The door opens.</p><p>Cherished jewelry grandmother to grand daughter. The blood of family brings echoes beyond just the objects. A red flower or sun, red jade set in pewter, flashes of a long corridor, sun through breaks, windows or openings, jade and pewter on a young woman, a flash of fur on a dressing table. Beads, flashes of foreign lands and more familiar places, sitting and waiting, waiting for return.</p><p>Some objects whisper, the bare hint of the stories they recall, quieter and quieter as the years pass. Some objects scream, loud and vivid stories, growing stronger with age, the story echoing through the halls of time.</p><p>Objects have stories. They just wait for one who can See the stories without eyes, Hear the stories without ears. They wait for those who can. They wait for those willing.</p><p>They wait for someone to go calm and pay attention, to not pull back from the dull ache the time past causes, not just the echo of pain long gone, but an ache in the bones as bones call out to bones, blood calls out to blood. An ache in reaching through the cold/hot echoing halls of time, to find the story, to learn what is says.</p><p>Objects have stories. Will you witness them?</p><p><br />FFF,<br />~Bethany “Lorekeeper” Davis, Muninn’s Kiss</p>Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-29728283962117116372019-06-28T15:22:00.000-06:002019-06-28T15:22:09.638-06:00Gate 117: Zayin-Lamed (זל)<div>
The 117th gate of the 231 gates is זל, Zayin Lamed.</div>
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ז - Zayin - Weapon, Sword, Arm, Strength, Will, Choice, Desire, Actively impacting the world, Marriage, War, Wife, Husband, Crown, Completion, To Act</div>
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ל - Lamed - Ox Goad, Staff, Prod, Go Forward, Tongue, To Learn, To Teach, Secret Heart of Eve, Tower Soaring in the Air, Heart that Understands Knowledge</div>
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זול - zûwl - to shake, to shatter, figuratively to treat lightly, lavish, despise</div>
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לוז - lûwz - to turn aside, to depart, be perverse, depart, froward, perverse (-ness)</div>
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אָזל - âzal - “I will” + ״זל״ - go away, disappear, fail, gad about, go to and fro, yarn, be gone (spent), be exhausted, evaporate, to roll, to spin (in the sense of rolling, but used in weaver), to take away, to troll or trowl</div>
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הלּז - hallâz - “the” + “לּז” - this or that, side, that, this</div>
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נזל - nâzal - “we” + “זל” - to drip or shed by trickling, distil, drop, flood, cause to flow, flowing, gush out, melt, pour, pour down, running water, stream</div>
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Literally, Zayin-Lamed, the Weapon (or Arm) and the Ox Hoad, figuratively, to cut and to prod, to move away and to move forward.</div>
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This gate is about shaking things up, separating things, defining things by difference, distilling and filtering, spinning something into something new. It’s about change, being changed, creating change. In this context, Zayin is about being active and Lamed is about learning. Both create change. To stop moving or stop learning, either is to stay the same. This gate is a call to do the opposite. Keep learning, keep moving, keep changing and causing change. It is the gate of the Catalyst, for through it, all things change, with the strength Zayin brings and the prodding forward by Lamed.</div>
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Zayin (7) + Lamed (30) = 37. Other words that add to 37 include ones meaning to perish, grow old, standard or banner, professional, flame, and Yechidah, which is the upper soul, the Godself, which holds the Threads of Fate. 37 reduces once to Yod (10), and twice to Aleph (1). Yod, the Hand, is that which gives and received, the seed from which things grow, the single point, the centre which is the circumference of all, it is creation and desire, the beginning, which is also Aleph (1) which it reduces to. Aleph, like Zayin, is strength, but a strength of beginning where Zayin is a strength of changing. Aleph is the ox, which pulls the plow, it is the silence before creation, the separation of above from below, sky from earth, the Mirror of the Outer Dark. It is Air, which is the middle pillar, and Beriah, the World of Creation.</div>
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Beginnings and endings, creation and growing old. Seeds producing life, flame creating heat, beginnings and growing from beginnings. Change. Change of creation, change of growth, change of old age and perishing. Change, action, movement.</div>
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The lesson of the 117th Gate is that it is necessary to act and to learn, necessary to change. Stagnation, like in a pond, kills. Life is in the change. Embrace change, embrace action, embrace learning. We are in the World of Action, the world where change begins, rippling up through the worlds, as below so above, as above so below. Be always learning and always acting.</div>
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FFF,</div>
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~Lorekeeper</div>
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Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-45884724167938557552017-03-19T05:09:00.000-06:002017-03-19T05:16:23.251-06:00On Wild Urban PlacesOne question I see a lot and and take part in a lot of conversation is people living in urban areas desiring to connect with wild or untamed places. Side stepping the discussion of the human world verse the natural world, there is a part of most people that desires wild places. This desire is weaker or stronger in different people, but it's there for most.<br />
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In a lot of parts of the New World, we're lucky. I can get to mountain forest on land that's never been cultivated in about half an hour, to set aside Open Spaces in five minutes, and to trail heads in 45 minutes where I can hike up into the wilderness and see maybe a person a day if that and be approached by none. The wild areas change as the landscape changes, but much of this hemisphere has these wild spaces. Much of Australia, Africa, and Asia have the same. Not every place, certainly, but its amazing how much wind space is left.<br />
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But I know most of Europe isn't that lucky, and same for some of the larger urban areas in the rest of the world as well. It's easy for people to say, well, drive somewhere, take a bus somewhere, etc, but when it's an eight or twelve hour or more drive to get to the nearest wild place, this is prohibitive for most people. It costs money and requires time off work which can cost more. Those that can afford such, it's awesome for them, but many people can't do that, and need other options.<br />
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But the "wild" waits at the edge of the "civilized", waiting to reclaim.<br />
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There are wild places in every city, places where the wild has crept back in. While they might not be untamed, they are re-feralled, if you will. Urban places gone feral. You can find them along waterways, in vacant lots or abandoned buildings, in alleys and access ways, at the forgotten ends of parks and cemeteries. Wherever "civilization" stops maintaining and grooming, the "wild" slips back in, takes hold, and slowly grows.<br />
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It's a different type of wild, but it is wild, Other, luminal.<br />
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They aren't easy to find, but looking with the right eyes, paying attention, really seeing, they are there to be found, waiting in the shadows and unnoticed places.<br />
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Dangerous places sometimes, with dangers much different from wilderness areas, for what is wild attracts what is wild. But it's worth the risk, worth risking the dangers, to those who seek such.<br />
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Just be sure to keep yourself safe.<br />
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FFF,<br />
~Lorekeeper/Muninn's KissMuninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-61235992430126597052017-01-23T05:14:00.000-07:002017-01-23T05:14:03.400-07:00The Watchers, the Fey, and the Witch: A Study of BloodLet's consider for a moment several bits of myth and several bits of lore, and how mythic history interweaves with how things work in the craft.<br />
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The general starting point is the often misunderstood or misrepresented concept of witch-blood. I'm going to start from a mythic understanding here, with the warning that confusing myth and science can be damaging to one's mental processes. Work with me here.<br />
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Starting with the premise that all who work the craft have witch-blood, that all witches are of the blood, you might say. Now, those with witch-blood have the Sight. The Sight, as folktales and folklore and myth and lore will tell you, is the ability to see what's truly there, to see through glamour and see the true form of those who have assumed another shape, shapeshifters if you will, and other such things where the average observer doesn't see what's really there. People tend to see what they expect to see. The Sight shows otherwise.<br />
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Now there's lore, a myth, of the Founders. I won't go into it here, but the witch-blood comes from the Founders, and to them from the Daughters, and to them from the Watchers. And through the Ninth Mother to those with that witch-blood. So that's the start of it.<br />
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So, the Sight, True Sight, being that which, in Celtic folktales, allows those with it to see through the glamour of the Fey. Now, if the witch-blood gives the Sight, and that blood comes from the Blood of the Watchers, the Sight comes from their blood. Now if the Sight is the seeing through the glamour of the Fey, it has power over their glamour. It would make sense that that which is greater trumps that which is lesser, so the witch-blood must be greater than the glamour of the Fey.<br />
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Now, consider the connection of the Fey to burial mounds and corpse roads, and other bits and pieces, and what this and other things imply. Now one group of the Fey are of interest here, at least in Ireland, which is the location I want to focus on here, the Sidhe.<br />
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Now Sidhe did not indicate a people originally, it means mound, as in a burial mound. And the stories are of them living in Hollow Hills. I'll leave the connection between the two to you.<br />
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Now it was Manannán, son of Lir, that great sorcerer and shapeshifter, who was powerful in glamour among many other things, raised the Veil that separated Ireland into that above and that below, and the Tuatha De Danann went into the Hollow Hills. This was when it became obvious the Milesians, who myth says became the later Irish, would defeat the Tuatha. It's not a huge leap to consider the possibility that the Tuatha are the Sidhe.<br />
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Note Manannán's shapeshifting and glamour, and other abilities, this might be important.<br />
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Now, the Tuatha De Danann are often described as very tall, giants if you will, as were the Fir Bolg. The Fir Bolg were the people who living in Ireland when the Tuatha invaded, and the two fought for some time until the Tuatha ended up victors. Some descriptions, however, show the De Danann being a sect or offshoot of the Fir Bolg.<br />
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Consider, then, the Nephilim. "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." Or, "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown." It is not a stretch to link the descriptions of the Nephilim, the children of the Watchers and the Daughters, with the Fir Bold and De Danann. Other tales around the world similarly fit this parallel.<br />
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Now if Manannán's powers, most of which are later seen in witch trial accounts and folktales of witches, and in various cultures around the world including modern trad craft, came from his bloodline, and his people, his blood, comes from the Nephilim, and hence from the Watchers, and if those are the same powers that witches possess, consider again the Sight, and who the Fey are.<br />
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Is it impossible that the Fey, especially the Sidhe, are the Mighty Dead, those of Watcher descent, of the witch-blood, who have passed beyond the Veil? And this Veil being the same that separates the two Irelands in the story of the descent of the Tuatha De Danann into the Hollow Hills?<br />
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Now, those living can see through the glamour of those who have passed if this is the case, and the blood is the source of Sight as we said, and also of the glamour and shapeshifting and other abilities the tales ascribe to Manannán and later the Fey and to witches.<br />
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Now blood is iron and blood is life. The dead have no blood, as we all know, as they have died, hence they have in much of the lore an aversion to iron, which is, as we said, of the blood. This is the reason it runs red.<br />
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So the power of the Fey is the result of blood no longer there, but for the power of a witch, the blood is still there. So the blood has power over the dead who have no blood, as the Sight of the witch overcomes the glamour of the Fey.<br />
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So the blood is the difference. The witch-blood. If you get my meaning.<br />
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FFF,<br />
~Lorekeeper/Muninn's Kiss<br />
<br />Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-84089425971558040292016-11-24T15:31:00.000-07:002016-11-24T15:33:52.091-07:00Requiem Aeternam Dona Eis: Some Thoughts on Misruletide’Tis the season. But what season? This is an interesting time of year.<br />
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Winter.<br />
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A time of rest.<br />
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The land stands fallow and sleeping.<br />
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The days shorten, the nights lengthen.<br />
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The shadows stretch, the darkness grows.<br />
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What season?<br />
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There is a time, a time outside of time. A season? Certainly. Better, a time, a tide.<br />
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A time outside of time. The Time of Misrule. The Tide of Misrule. Misruletide.<br />
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I’m not talking just about the Christmastime, Christmastide, celebration by this name, but the portion of time starting at All Saint’s or All Hallow’s and extending to Candlemas. I’m talking of a year ending at Hallowtide and starting at Candletide. The year has ended. The year has not yet began.<br />
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It is a time of rest. Certainly. A rest for whom? The land, well, yes, but who else? If it is the Time of Misrule, the Season of Misrule, the Tide of Misrule, we should start with what Misrule is, both in the festival use of the word and how we mean it here.<br />
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I won’t go much into the festivities or history, but the tradition of Feast of Fools and similar celebrations on Christmas and around that part of the year, was a celebration where everything was turned on its head, socially. It was a time or revelry and irreverence, a time of no rules, or, namely, misrule. Depending on where and when, it was sometimes a large scale celebration and sometimes a private affair. Regardless, the “ruler” over the festivities was among the peasantry or the lower clergy, taking the role of king or abbot. In Britain, the Lord of Misrule. One aspect of this, anything trying to hurt or cause problems for those higher in society would be mislead into going after those low in society as well. I can’t rule out that this aspect was not a part of things as well.<br />
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This is the sense I am using for this part of the year, from its end at Hallowmas to its beginning at Candlemas. The Time of Misrule, the time when the normal order of things is tipped on its head.<br />
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It is during this time of year, at various points, in various forms, that we see lore of the Wild Hunt and traditions and folktales that have descended from the Hunt. In its many forms, the faeries or the dead or witches or other beings ride abroad. They are lead by various figures, Öðinn, Frigg, Frey, Freyja, Holda, Frau Holle, Berchta, Diana, Gwydion, King Arthur, Nuada, Herne, the Devil, Sir Francis Drake, Manannán, Arawn, Nicnevin, Ankow, and many others. The Wild Hunt is said to occur, depending on the lore, on All Hallow’s Eve, on Midwinter’s Eve, on Christmas Eve, or on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), or simple during the winter months, during the Misruletide we are discussing.<br />
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The variations veil and hide things, for it is the nature of lore to shift, but under it all, we see a Hunt lead by a figure, or two figures, and a host of the Dead or of spirits. It is interesting to note that the lore of All Hallow’s Eve is of a time when the Dead or spirits roam in the world of the living. This is not the “normal” state of things, it doesn’t follow the normal rule. And many of the figures seen leading the Hunt are either dead folk heroes or gods or goddesses of death.<br />
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If we consider the parallel of a time when the Dead walk lead by a lord or lady of death with the Feast of Fools led by the Lord of Misrule, the idea becomes apparent.<br />
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Consider for the moment an image.<br />
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See a woman dressed in black robes with a red veil hiding her face. She stands in a stone chamber deep beneath the ground, a round chamber with stone benches carved in the sides. There are two thresholds in the room, an empty doorway with no door to her right, and a pair of massive doors to her left. A figure stands before the black doors, watching her, still as death, silent as the grave. In front of her is a black altar, a cube of unworked black stone, the colour of deepest night, deepest shadow. A body rests on this altar, or a Thread, there is less difference than there seems. The body is familiar. In one shrivaled hand, she holds a rod or wand, wood, made of a blackthorn root. In the other, she holds a knife.<br />
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When the time becomes full, when the tide is complete, the knife drops, the Thread is cut, the blood flows from the body, blood black in the shadows, covering the black altar. This time has ended, the Thread cut, the Cutter’s knife has fallen.<br />
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The woman raises the rod and points at the doors, and the figure before it moves. The figure it tall and thin, covered in black tattered robes. His face is hidden in the shadowed cowl. Folded at his back is a pair of skeletal wings with shadow stretched between the bones. His hands, sticking from the arms of the robes, are nothing but bone. In one hand, he holds a book, chained to his wrist. His other hand is em<br />
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When the woman raises the rod, the winged figure wipes a line from his book with one skeletal finger. The ink flows like smoke off the page and a figure rises from the body and joins it, the two becoming one, a spectral image of the body still on the altar. The figure reaches and opens the doors wide. Beyond, it is both as dark as the night and bright beyond imagination. A wind fills the cavern, and the body crumbles to dust and blows away.<br />
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The figure beacons, silent, and the spectre walks through the Gates of Life and Death, which are closed fast behind them.<br />
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It is finished.</blockquote>
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This is the normal rule, the Quick die, becomes the Dead, cross through the Gates, and rest until the time comes for them to return, becoming Quick again. But this is the time of Misrule, the Dead don’t always stay dead, sometimes the Wild Hunt rides.<br />
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But who sides at the front of the Hunt? Who leads the Dead? Death. Like Hel leading the people of her domain in Ragnorak, like the Queen of Faerie leading the people of her domain forth, like Odin or Freyja leading the Dead they have gathered forth, Like King Arthur leading the knights that died, Death rides forth at the front of the Host.<br />
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But, if Death leads the Hunt, who guards the Gates? Ah. The Time of Misrule. The Quick caught up in the Host become Dead, and the Dead beyond the Gates can walk. This is Misruletide. Among other things.<br />
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Now, when the Keeper of the Lost sits as Regent, and the Quick and the Dead can switch station, now is when things aren’t always what they seem.<br />
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So, what do we have at Hallowtide? Not just All Hallow’s Eve. It is the Eve of All Hallows, of course, All Hallow’s Day, All Saint’s Day, which is followed by All Soul’s Day. Three days focussed on the Dead, in different ways. But let’s look specifically at All Soul’s Day.<br />
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This is of course best known in the part of the world I live in as the Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, when masks are worn and feasts and presents are prepared for the Dead, often at grave sites, is a similar fashion to the tradition practiced by many of my Craft brothers and sisters in a Dumb Supper on All Hallow’s Eve. The giving of food to the Dead is present in many cultures throughout the world and throughout time, though not always this time of year. It is common this time of year, however.<br />
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In Catholic practice, All Soul’s Day is a day of commemoration for the “faithful departed”. This is a somewhat enigmatic phrase to many. It’s taken to mean those who have died and are in Purgatory. The phrase is, “fidelium animae”, fidelium, fidelis, fides, faith/belief/trust/confidence, so faithful, believing, or trustable, animae, anima, soul/spirit/life/air/breeze/breath, so spirit of the dead in this context. Those that believe but haven’t obtained heaven, basically.<br />
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Misruletide begins with a focus on the dead, and another use of the phase “fidelium animae” gives some interesting things to consider. A prayer has been commonly prayed for the “faithful departed” is as follows:<br />
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English:<br />
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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.</blockquote>
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Latin:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace. Amen.</blockquote>
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The last phrase, many of us are familiar with, at least in English, “rest in peace”. This has become the most common expression for those who have died, though if you read lore of the dead from many times past, this directive implies a desire for the Dead not to be unrestful, not to rise. The Dead don’t always rest peacefully, that the Gates aren’t always sealed, as we’ve been discussing.<br />
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Consider this phrase in Latin for a moment, "requiescant in pace”. “Pace” is “pax”, meaning peace or harmony. The sense is not in terms of no war, like we often see in in English, it’s the sense of being silent, not being dissident, not conflicting. “Pax!” was also used like we would use, “Be silent!”, or “Hush!”. “Requiescant" is “requiesco”, to rest or repose or sleep. Rest in peace, sleep peacefully and don’t cause me trouble. If you pardon my humour.<br />
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But “requiesco” is “re-“ and “quiesco”. “Re-“ means back, backwards, or again. Basically, to go back to a previous state. “Quiesco” means to rest, cease, sleep, repose, abstain, cease, stop, and similar ideas. It is from “quies” and “-sco”. “-sco” changes a verb to have a meaning of starting to or beginning to. “Quies” means to rest, repose, quiet, and figuratively, to dream. So, getting to the root, we have the same meaning as we started with, but the combination implies a bit more specific sense than we saw with the original meaning. “Quiesco” would be, to begin or start to rest, repose, or be quiet. “Requisco” would be, to return to a state of beginning or starting to rest, repose, or be quiet. But beginning to rest or repose would be to go to sleep, basically, and to begin to be quiet would be to stop making noise. So, returning to these would be to go back to sleep, or to become quiet again. A returning to a previous state of sleep or quietness.<br />
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This brings to mind discussions of Charon the ferryman being silent, and of the Dead being silent until Odysseus provides blood, and other stories relating to the silent dead being given speak though blood or other methods. Bran the Blessed’s cauldron returned the Dead to life, but they were silent, unable to speak. This is common in much of the lore, the Dead cannot speak, they are silent, unless voice is brought by some means. To be Dead is to be Silent. “Requiesco” implies a return to a state of sleep and silence, a return to death.<br />
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In modern Catholic context, the prayer implies those in Purgatory moving on quickly to Heaven, but the wording has other repercussions, and begs the question, as this prayer was introduced by St. Benedict in the sixth century and is believed to be older still, was the meaning always what it is now seen as? The formalized beliefs concerning Purgatory were much later, though the concept existed in deferent forms back before Benedict. It seems possible, though, that the implications of the prayer as that to keep the Dead at rest is not impossible.<br />
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"Requiem aeternam” is of note. “Requiem” is of course from requies, also, a “place of rest”. “Aeternam”, “arternus”, is translated as permanent, lasting, eternal, endless, immortal. Hence, eternal rest, or an eternal resting place. The second word comes from “-rnus”, making it an adjective, and “aetus”, meaning lifetime or age. The root meaning is more about a resting place that will last a lifetime than the modern sense of eternity.<br />
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So, my tongue and cheek transition:<br />
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A place to sleep until we all die, O Lord please give them, and let the uninterrupted light shine on them, and those of the Dead who are trustworthy, by the mercy of God, keep quiet and not bother us. Amen.</blockquote>
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Misruletide is a time when the Dead can walk among the Quick, and when much of the feasts, fasts, celebrations, measures, folk traditions, and rituals are concerned with keeping them from doing so, or misdirecting them so they don’t succeed in whatever they seek to do.<br />
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And, I say:<br />
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Hail, oh Builder of Storms, Keeper of the Lost, Regent of the North, Ruler of the Time of Misrule, bringer of Change.<br />
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Hail, oh Cutter, you whose Knife cuts every Thread when the time comes, the Last Witness, Priestess of the Black Altar.<br />
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Hail, oh Guardian of the Gates of Life and Death, Darkling Twin, Shadow of the World, Keeper of the Book in which all is written and all is erased.<br />
<br />
May the Time of Misrule bring its secrets and lore and surprises, may the storms bring the life of spring, may the Dead speak when speech is needed, be silent when it is not, ride forth when it is time, and rest in peace when all is accomplished.<br />
<br />
Dance, oh Spirits of Misruletide, dance through the long dark nights, and may the lights of the new year find us when Candletide comes again.<br />
<br />
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace. Amen.</blockquote>
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn’s Kiss<br />
<br />Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-26226925179767402592016-04-06T03:42:00.000-06:002016-04-06T03:42:05.897-06:00Stories from the Gleam<br />
Stories.<br />
<br />
Tales.<br />
<br />
Myths.<br />
<br />
Stories draw from the Gleam, and the combination of that source, the storyteller's blood, sweat, and tears, and the fascination or emotional reaction of the listener becomes something living, like a egregore but free willed.<br />
<br />
The Gleam is a place of danger, the endless plains and forests and oceans. Beyond the Veil, beyond the Gloom, the Gleam is endless. It is dangerous, deadly, because there are no safe guards like there are here in the Dreamings we mistakenly call reality.<br />
<br />
Many things live in the Gleam, for an endlessness contains no end of things. There is a paradox where it's impossible to know, does the Dreamer, do the dreams and imaginings and fears, of the Dreaming populate the Gleam, or are the dreams and imaginings and fears of the Dreamer the echo or remembrance or viewing of the Gleam? Do dreams and imaginings flow from the Gleam to the Dreaming, of the Dreaming to the Gleam? Or both for that matter?<br />
<br />
Stories draw from the Gleam. In the Gleam, all stories are real, in some sense. Some stories are distorted, warped images seem through the Gloom darkly. Some stories are all too close to their source. Does the Storyteller create the stories that are acted out in the Gleam, or view or receive the stories played out there and relate them? Does it matter?<br />
<br />
Stories draw from the Gleam. Whether in Dream or Imagination, whether in vision or experience, whether reflected into happenings in the Dreaming, they draw the the Gleam.<br />
<br />
The Gleam is a place of power, infinite, endless, forevermore. The Gleam is power. And stories, drawing from the Gleam, draw from that power, are energized, are made of the stuff of that power, the stuff of the Gleam.<br />
<br />
Stories draw from the Gleam. Stories innately contain power, are power. The Story is the Gleam, and the Gleam is the Story. The Storyteller is the Story, the Story is the Storyteller. The Storyteller is the Gleam, the Gleam is the Storyteller. The conduit. The bridge.<br />
<br />
Stories draw from the Gleam. The Storyteller takes those stories, births them. Tales are birthed, brought forth, manifest. They are birthed in blood, sweat, and tears. Nothing is born without effort. Nothing is born without pain. The Storyteller brings forth the story from the Gleam.<br />
<br />
You get out of something what you put into it. Nothing comes for free. The work, the blood, sweat, and tears, is the cost, and the gift. A gift for a gift. The Storyteller gives of herself, the Gleam gives back. The Story is born.<br />
<br />
You get out of something what you put into it. The blood, sweat, and tears of the Storyteller puts power into the Story, adds to the power from the Gleam. The power grows. The Story grows. Life is breathed into the think that is not Dead, but have never lived.<br />
<br />
A Story isn't a Story without a Listener. A Storyteller isn't a Storyteller without a Listener. A Story kept to yourself is a Dream. A Storyteller without a Listener is a Dreamer. But in the telling, the Dream becomes a Story. In the transmission, the sharing, the teaching. It matters not if the Story is spoken or written, until it is heard or read, it is the Dream. When the Dream is shared, it becomes the Story.<br />
<br />
The Listener is not listening, is not the Listener, if the listening is passive. The Listener hears, listens, comes to know. The Listener receives the story. In the receiving, the Story is no longer just the Storyteller's. The Storyteller and the Listener both hold the Story. The Dream made flesh, the Dream manifest as Story.<br />
<br />
In the Listener, fascination is born. In the Listener, emotions are born. This fascination, these emotions, feed the Story, it grows in power, it grows. The Story becomes more than a Story. The Story takes on Life, Spirit. The Story breathes. The Story takes on a spirit of its own, becomes a spirit, The Dream became the Story, the Story became the Spirit, the Spirit lives.<br />
<br />
But Spirits are living things, and living things like to continue living. If the Spirit only exists between the Storyteller and the Listener, the Spirit dies with them when both are gone. Or when the Spirit is forgotten, for while it lives, it lives on Memory. Memory is in the Bone, enlived by the Blood. The Spirit is in the Memory, the Memory of the Story, the Story of the Dream, the Dream of the Gleam. Like all living things, the Spirit desires to survive.<br />
<br />
How can a memory survive the one who remembers it? Only in the sharing of it or recording of it. But it is not a memory if it is recorded but the record is never picked up. So, for the memory to survive, it must be either shared directly or shared indirectly.<br />
<br />
The Spirit of the Story of the Dream of the Gleam compels the Listener to share it. Some resist and Spirits die, living on only in the Gleam. But many share. In sharing, the Listener becomes the Storyteller, the Story becoming her Story, and in the telling, she once more births it anew. The Story grows, and with it the Spirit, becoming stronger. And the new Listener receives, as the Listener turned Storyteller did before her, as the original Storyteller received from the Gleam, through the the Gloom and the Veil.<br />
<br />
The Story becomes the Lore with the retelling by the new Storyteller, and the Spirit of the Lore of the Story of the Dream of the Gleam is strong, and still wants to survive, to live on.<br />
<br />
And the Lore is a very powerful Spirit.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Lorekeeper<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-88270169565418588842015-07-24T20:32:00.000-06:002015-07-24T20:42:08.361-06:00On Veils and Webs and Hedges...Much folklore, tradition, and mythology talk of a boundary, an edge, a division between worlds. Why this is common should be fairly evident. If there is an Otherworld, Underworld, any type of world beyond ours, if there was no separation, there would be no other world, the two would be one. For the two to be distinct, or function as distinct, something must divide them.<br />
<br />
There are different words in different languages and cultures, different meanings, different methods to cross this boundary. But the boundary is constant, because it has to be. If there's another world, there is a boundary making these worlds distinct.<br />
<br />
One common word used in English is the Veil. This is the term I most commonly use. As do many others.<br />
<br />
The term brings to mind for some the veils of nuns or brides, the veils of mourners, the veils of Islamic women. For others, it brings to mind the veils of belly dancers, or harems, or erotic chambers. For others still, it brings to mind the curtain between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem, and of the verse in the New Testament of that veil torn in two from top to bottom.<br />
<br />
These imaginings of the Veil are useful, of course they are. But how accurate are they? Why do we use the term, and do our images match the reality the term is trying to describe.<br />
<br />
Lets start with the meaning of Veil, and it's origins.<br />
<br />
veil (n.)<br />
c.1200, "nun's head covering," from Anglo-French and Old North French veil (12c., Modern French voile) "a head-covering," also "a sail, a curtain," from Latin vela, plural of velum "sail, curtain, covering," from PIE root *weg- (1) "to weave a web." Vela was mistaken in Vulgar Latin for a feminine singular noun. To take the veil "become a nun" is attested from early 14c.<br />
(<a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=veil">http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=veil</a>)<br />
<br />
The beginning of this description of course is some of the uses we described above, a head covering, a curtain. But note first the Latin vela, velum. Despite it's use as singular, vela is plural, and that is the word we get veil from, not the singular. Of interest, though, is that the Latin velum also becomes the English velum, which is the soft palate, the roof of the mouth. A veil is thin and covers, but it isn't necessarily cloth or fragile.<br />
<br />
Of more interest is the fact that Velum comes the reconstructed *weg- meaning "to weave a web". It is the image of a spider's web across a surface or over an opening. Have you ever walked into a room or cave or cavern or between trees and walked right into a spider web at face level? That is a veil.<br />
<br />
Web comes from the same word and so does weave. These two retained that meaning well. Most of the words coming from this root mean something along the lines of entwined, interlaced, woven.<br />
<br />
But, as words do change meaning over time, do these meanings hold relevance to our Veil, the way we use it in the context of this discussion?<br />
<br />
Consider for a moment, the idea of the endless Web of Fate I have described elsewhere. Each being, human or not, has a knot of Threads at their core, that tie them to everything else. These Threads interconnect with other Threads of those we encounter and interact with, and to our ancestors by blood, lore, or past lives. These form a multidimensional Web, woven by the one who weaves. I describe the web like this:<br />
<br />
"Picture a spider web, a huge orb web, threads of web radiating out in all directions on a plane from a central point. Picture those threads connected to other threads between them, forming circles, spirals, curves around that centre. Picture the log thread stretching from the central point out to infinity in all directions, an infinite web. Picture the way the light shines through and across those threads, sometimes making them shine like glass, sometimes hiding them from view. Sometimes you see one thread, or three, or ten, sometimes just the part of the web near you. Lift your head, change the angle. You see the whole web sprawling out to eternity in the direction you are looking."<br />
<br />
What if this Web I describe is the boundary between worlds? What if it is our woven interconnectedness throughout Time and Space that separates us from that which is outside our Time and Space? If this is the case, the Web that binds us together holds us in what we think is reality. This would make crossing over that boundary very difficult, because we ourselves become the sentilils and guards, the Guardians of the Gate if you will. All our experiences and pasts and futures and interactions in this world tie us deeper into the Web and more to what we think is reality. People tend to see what they expect to see.<br />
<br />
But, then, crossing that boundary also would mean being disentangled from it. Not necessarily cut free (after the one who cuts cuts our Thread, we cross the Gates of Life and Death; completely cut free of the Web is freedom from this world and our bodies, for the Threads are what knits flesh and spirit, spirit and flesh) but loosed. So, to cross over, the knots that hold us to what we know and expect of reality must be loosened and the Threads allowed to bend. The Threads of Fate but be bent, Fate must be bent.<br />
<br />
Consider for a moment the word "warp". In most common usages in Modern English, it is to "to bend, twist, distort". This word is believed to come from the reconstructed Proto-Indoeuropian *werp- meaning "to turn or bend". In weaving, it is used in contrast to "woof", the woof being the set threads in the loom, the warp twisting and turning through the woof, bending it, to create a fabric. "Woof" comes from *webh- meaning "to weave", which is the source of both our English weave, web, and wave.<br />
<br />
If the Web of Fate is the boundary between worlds, and the All as a loom, and we see it as the woof in that loom, the threads that aren't connected to the woof that twist and turn between them and bend them become the warp. The warp bends the woof, the weave, the Web. Without a warp in a loom, there is no fabric. Cut the ends and the woof is a pile of strings. But with the warp wove through the woof, a fabric forms. The warp hold the woof in place, and of course gives it colour and pattern. The woof is the foundation, but the warp defines its form.<br />
<br />
Some Celtic sources describe the worlds as the Endless Knot, two separate lines interwoven but never connecting. The is of course the two worlds, the world we know, and the Otherworld. The two are seen as being tied together in certain places, and the Veil being thinnest there. Places meaning points on the earth, spatial places, and points in time, temporal places. At certain locations, the Veil is very thin because the worlds are so close. At certain times, liminal times, the worlds draw close, and the Veil thins. This idea of two interwoven worlds fits well the idea of the fabric of the Veil being the interweaving of the woof, our world, and the Threads that connect us, and the warp, the Otherworld and the Threads that connect those that live beyond the Veil, beyond the Gloom out in the endless Gleam.<br />
<br />
Then, expanding the metaphor, and the reality it describes, crossing over is a matter of being tied to that other Web, that is the warp, which would mean that those who cross over are tied to both webs, that the Threads at their core run both out into the Woof Web of Fate and the Warp Web of Fate. They span the worlds, are the Gates, and guardians thereof, they are of both worlds, so not fully of either.<br />
<br />
It's by no accident that one of the folk etymologies for "witch" is that it came from a word meaning "to bend or turn". Especially when we consider that the English "weird", from the Germanic "wyrd", urdr, ultimately meaning Fate, and is the name of one of the three Norns in Norse myth, comes from *wert-, from *wer-, the origin of *werp- we discussed above, "to bend or turn". The warp of the loom, the wyrd, the fate, the Norns who decide the fate of all beings, the Spinner who spins the Thread, the Weaver who weaves it into the Webs, and the Cutter who cuts to on the Black Altar. The Grimr.<br />
<br />
Moving on from weaving and webs and veils, let's consider another common term for the boundary between worlds, the Hedge.<br />
<br />
The image here is English style hedgerows of the type that separate fields or surround a residence. These form a living, wild boundary between two fields, or between what is inside and what is outside. For metaphoric purposes, we can use the image of a hedge around a residence, separating the inside and the outside.<br />
<br />
Taking this idea back, and looking at the residence with a hedge around as an extension of the hill fort with a baracade or the castle or city with a wall, the inside becomes "us" and the outside "them", the hedge as protection from the Other beyond it. Inside, we cultivate and control, we build and grow crops, we live life in relative safety. Outside, there's uncertainty, danger, the settled, civilized farming settlement with the dangerous dark wood beyond, the image of the shift from nomadic to settled life.<br />
<br />
The hedge is a wild and dangerous place, but intentionally so. There's a reason two of the most common hedge trees are the whitethorn (hawthorn) and blackthorn (sloethorn). While pretty trees, and both producing fruit (the haws and sloes) that provide food for those within and without alike, and to birds and rodents and other animals, the thorns are the important part. These are thicket forming trees with long, dangerous thorns. The blackthorn's thorns will cause nasty infections, and both are long and very sharp. You can't cross the hedge without a lot of pain and threat to your body. Among the thorns creatures live and other plants, including other trees, grow intermixed. The result is a very dense wild boundary almost impossible to cross.<br />
<br />
The hedge, though, being a wild space, also becomes a space where many herbs and other plants grow, giving rise to one of the two major modern usages of the term "hedgewitch". The second meaning relates more to the hedge metaphor I'm going toward than the mundane hedgerows.<br />
<br />
Often stiles are built where passage is needed. Stairs up one side and down the other, these triangular constructions allow passage over the hedge, the only safe passage. And these often can be gated at the top, and also mean limited known ingress and egress points.<br />
<br />
Our hedge is like that, a wild space that both keeps us in, we that live in the Dreaming, the reserve if you will, and keeps the Other out, the deadly things that roam the Gleam, dangerous things our hedge protects us from. The hedge itself is dangerous to both, but limited and defined, a wild place that keeps the inward inward and outward outward.<br />
<br />
The thin spots we talked about above function similar to stiles, but it should be remembered that what allows one to go outside the hedge also allows one to come inside the hedge. The stiles both allow passage out into the Gleam through the Gloom and become a dangerous gateway for things to possibly come into the Dreaming.<br />
<br />
Just like with the mundane hedgerow, there are things in this hedge that can provide healing and nourishment, and things that are poisonous or deadly. Those who enter the hedge can gain much for it, but also must be cautious. And those that cross completely through or over the hedge instead of riding it must be very careful, because there's a reason we live inside the hedge. The risk can definitely be worth it, though.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Lorekeeper, Muninn's KissMuninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-40317528465950674562015-07-10T13:12:00.000-06:002015-07-10T13:12:54.872-06:00The Cauldron of AnnwfnThe following is Preiddeu Annwyn, the Raid of Annwyn, the Raid of the Otherworld, part XXX (30) of the Book of Taliesin, as related by William F. Skene in 1868 in his The Four Ancient Books of Wales. In it is related the Caer Sidi, Caer Pedrycan, Caer Vedwyd, Caer Rigor, Caer Wydyr, Caer Golud, Caer Vandwy, and Caer Ochren, familiar to readers of the White Goddess by Robert Graves, and the Cauldron of Annwyn, referenced by Robert Cochrane when we asked Taliesin’s question, what two words are not spoken from the Cauldron.<br />
<br />
Note that it is nine maidens whose breath it was warmed by. Those who know Norse myth might get a parallel. Those who know Greek myth might get another. Not the question, “what is its intention”. Those that know Arthurian legend, specifically of the Graal, might get a parallel. Also note the Cauldron is lined with Pearl. Some might get where I’m leading there.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Lorekeeper, Muninn’s Kiss<br />
<br />
<br />
I WILL praise the sovereign, supreme king of the land,<br />
Who hath extended his dominion over the shore of the world.<br />
Complete was the prison of Gweir in Caer Sidi,<br />
Through the spite of Pwyll and Pryderi.<br />
No one before him went into it.<br />
The heavy blue chain held the faithful youth,<br />
And before the spoils of Annwvn woefully he sings,<br />
And till doom shall continue a bard of prayer.<br />
Thrice enough to fill Prydwen, we went into it;<br />
Except seven, none returned from Caer Sidi<br />
<br />
Am I not a candidate for fame, if a song is heard?<br />
In Caer Pedryvan, four its revolutions;<br />
In the first word from the cauldron when spoken,<br />
From the breath of nine maidens it was gently warmed.<br />
Is it not the cauldron of the chief of Annwvn? What is its intention?<br />
A ridge about its edge and pearls.<br />
It will not boil the food of a coward, that has not been sworn,<br />
A sword bright gleaming to him was raised,<br />
And in the hand of Lleminawg it was left.<br />
And before the door of the gate of Uffern [hell] the lamp was burning.<br />
And when we went with Arthur; a splendid labour,<br />
Except seven, none returned from Caer Vedwyd.<br />
<br />
Am I not a candidate for fame with the listened song<br />
In Caer Pedryvan, in the isle of the strong door?<br />
The twilight and pitchy darkness were mixed together.<br />
Bright wine their liquor before their retinue.<br />
Thrice enough to fill Prydwen we went on the sea,<br />
Except seven, none returned from Caer Rigor.<br />
<br />
I shall not deserve much from the ruler of literature,<br />
Beyond Caer Wydyr they saw not the prowess of Arthur.<br />
Three score Canhwr stood on the wall,<br />
Difficult was a conversation with its sentinel.<br />
Thrice enough to fill Prydwen there went with Arthur,<br />
Except seven, none returned from Caer Golud.<br />
<br />
I shall not deserve much from those with long shields.<br />
They know not what day, who the causer,<br />
What hour in the serene day Cwy was born.<br />
Who caused that he should not go to the dales of Devwy.<br />
They know not the brindled ox, thick his head-band.<br />
Seven score knobs in his collar.<br />
And when we went with Arthur of anxious memory,<br />
Except seven, none returned from Caer Vandwy.<br />
<br />
I shall not deserve much from those of loose bias,<br />
They know not what day the chief was caused.<br />
What hour in the serene day the owner was born.<br />
What animal they keep, silver its head.<br />
When we went with Arthur of anxious contention,<br />
Except seven, none returned from Caer Ochren.<br />
<br />
Monks congregate like dogs in a kennel,<br />
From contact with their superiors they acquire knowledge,<br />
Is one the course of the wind, is one the water of the sea?<br />
Is one the spark of the fire, of unrestrainable tumult?<br />
Monks congregate like wolves,<br />
From contact with their superiors they acquire knowledge.<br />
They know not when the deep night and dawn divide.<br />
Nor what is the course of the wind, or who agitates it,<br />
In what place it dies away, on what land it roars.<br />
The grave of the saint is vanishing from the altar-tomb.<br />
I will pray to the Lord, the great supreme,<br />
That I be not wretched. Christ be my portion.Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-2287995439983105172014-10-27T06:29:00.002-06:002014-10-27T06:29:38.714-06:00Dance Under Starless Skies, Fair King of the Pictish WitchesAs more and more of a generation crosses the Veil, those of us left, both those of the generation that brought us to were where are and those of us that inherit their legacy and lore, contemplate mortality in ways that weren’t as literal not long ago. I could talk of many of the elders in our traditions and stream who have passed over the years and especially in recent years, but I’ll take the liberty of talking of one in particular.<br />
<br />
On the Dark of the Moon this last Friday, Tony Spurlock, Brian DRGN, King of the Picts in Exile (no longer), and the founder and High Mojomuck of The First Church of The Doors, passed from the land of the living, leaving those of us remaining to mourn our loss and celebrate his gain. As has been noted, the King of Dead, long Live the King.<br />
<br />
The timing saddens me, as I was possibly going to be in San Francisco later this month and was hoping to finally meet him in person, but it’s too late now. May he dance under starless skies. I would not be where I am or who I am if it was not for him, great soul. I will miss him greatly, and I know many others will. The Mighty and Blessed Dead embrace him, as he joins the Dragons who went before.<br />
<br />
I have known DRGN only a short time, all said. Many who grieve have known him longer. I met him online five years ago, in 2009, on the 1734 list he had just joined, which I had been a member of for some time. At the time, I asked if he would be willing to teach me Anderson craft. He declined, not out of unwillingness, but because he felt he could not well teach it remotely. Over the years since, we shared much conversation, and I think I can honestly say that even though he wasn’t teaching me, per se, I learned more of my craft from him than any other, and wouldn’t be who I am or what I am today without him. And, though he felt in exile at times from the tradition, I think I can say the tradition would not be what it is today without him. And I’m talking the Heart of the tradition, that which will sustain and survive any tribulations the tradition may suffer, that which is true Feri by whatever name, that which is Anderson Craft.<br />
<br />
It was with a heavy heart that I heard of his passing, and I do truly mourn, as do many. I truly wish I had met him in the flesh, and hope to meet him in spirit. I will always cherish the lore and insights and knowledge and understanding and wisdom he shared with me, and friendship and connection we shared.<br />
<br />
Hold your head high, DRGN, King of the Pictish Witches! Dance, dance for joy, dance for sorrow, dance for all that was and is and will ever be.<br />
<br />
"Forget the night.<br />
Live with us in forests of azure.<br />
Out here on the perimeter there are no stars<br />
Out here we is stoned - immaculate.”<br />
<br />
"For seven years, I dwelt<br />
In the loose palace of exile<br />
Playing strange games with the girls of the island<br />
Now, I have come again<br />
To the land of the fair, and the strong, and the wise<br />
Brothers and sisters of the pale forest<br />
Children of night<br />
Who among you will run with the hunt?<br />
Now night arrives with her purple legion<br />
Retire now to your tents and to your dreams<br />
Tomorrow we enter the town of my birth<br />
I want to be ready.”<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn’s Kiss/Lorekeeper<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-66956022358030747132014-08-21T23:48:00.000-06:002014-08-21T23:48:44.217-06:00Forming a New Working GroupWhat follows is a brief outline of an approach to forming a new working group. I have deliberately attempted to make it general and not path, stream, or tradition specific. These are mostly off the top of my head, so their usefulness for others might or might not be significant. I’ve tried to include all the things I see as necessary and essential, and encourage the reader to think about these and determine what is useful and what isn’t. Adapt it, re-work it, expand it, prune it. I put it out for anyone to work with, as is. Your mileage may vary and use it at your own risk. I may later expand this into a more substantial work, I’m not certain. I’ve given an attempt at defining a few terms at the end.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>The Virtue, the essence, the stream should be present first. This is the guiding force on where the group goes and is essential for focus and success. Those seeking to form a group need to establish this first. The Virtue includes the lore, ethics, methods, spirits, and members, both living and dead, depending on the age of the group, and more than these things. Without those elements, the Virtue is demonstrably absent, though the details will vary for each group.</li>
<br />
<li>The Call, the sending out of the draw to bring those needed to the group, should be performed early, after the Virtue is present but before trying to get started. The specifics of this will be specific to the stream and Virtue, and involve the spirits and the lore, and all the founding members of the new group.</li>
<br />
<li>A vetting process, a way to weed out those that are called from those that are curious, those that meld well with the Virtue from those that do not, is necessary before taking in members. Those starting the group should determine how they want to approach this. This of course requires the Sight, decrement, and observation. This should point toward an approach, as each of those seeking to form the group, presuming there isn’t just one, will have different skills.</li>
<br />
<li>Clear goals for the group, what is the intent, and how to approach it, is necessary before inviting those called into the group, as these should be clearly described and enumerated to those coming in. This does not mean those who are still in the vetting process, which could be quick or over time depending on the skills and needs of the group, don’t necessarily need this knowledge. It should be clear to those starting the group, however, before that vetting process begins, so should be outlined prior, even if there is no one yet to share it with. These should flow out of the Virtue, and relate to how the Call is conducted.</li>
<br />
<li>The ethics of the group, stemming from the Virtue and consistent with the goals, should be clear and known to all members, possibly even those in the vetting process. Their willingness to conform to these ethics should be part of that process, and should also connect with the way the Call is conducted.</li>
<br />
<li>Commitment and dedication are necessary. The bringing of new people into the group should include some type of agreement both on the group’s responsibility to the new member and the new member’s responsibility to the group. This may take different forms, depending on the makeup of the group, the Virtue involved, and the cultural context the group exists within. This should be outlined and refined before it is needed, based on the vetting process, ethics, goals, Call, and Virtue.</li>
<br />
<li>Evolving methods are important. The group should have an initial basis for working, built on the Virtue, Call, goals, and ethics. This should be flexible and adaptable enough to begin to grow and evolve with the group needs, not set in stone. To begin with, this is a framework, a skeleton, a place to start working from.</li>
<br />
<li>The Initiation or Ordeal should be outlines. This will vary greatly depending on stream and region, and should be based on spirit guidance and the lore. It should not be something easy for the new member, should provide a clear transition into the group, include opportunity for the spirits to contribute, and be impactful, something not easily forgotten. This doesn’t have to be the same for each new member, but there should be clear connections with different types of initiations and ordeals to each other, the lore, and the Virtue.</li>
<br />
<li>The Pact or Oath should be defined. This may or may not include an actual oath, depending on the stream, tradition, background, and ethics of those forming the group, and is different from the commitment and dedication, as this isn’t a pact or oath with the group, but with the spirits tied to the Virtue and participating in the Call. This is the agreement between the spirits and the new member of the group. This is important because you are not looking for, in the forming of a group, a clergy and a laity. You want each member to have their own connection to the spirits, and thereby to the stream and Virtue. This doesn’t need to be defined as an exact agreement or oath, the form should be defined, the purpose should be defined, but the specifics typically are better the new member’s own words unless the stream already has predefined words, as this makes it the new member’s own. The Pact or Oath can be part of the Initiation or Ordeal, or immediately following it, or as part of a ceremony or ritual later. I favor the idea of during.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
These last two parts aren’t just for new members, part of the receiving of Virtue involves Ordeal and Pact as well, and the new members are being connected to the existing Virtue through the act.<br />
<br />
A few definitions that might or might not help:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Call - The sending out of a beacon, basically, to draw those that resonate with the group to the group, or to the founding member or members. It both draws those that need to come to come, and establishes the group in the place it is performed. The details and methods will vary based on tradition.</li>
<br />
<li>Initiation - The beginning of things, the rite or experience that brings a new member into the group, and, more importantly, introduces them to the spirits and the lore. Often the same as an Ordeal, but can be separate.</li>
<br />
<li>Oath - A sworn agreement with the spirits or with the spirits as witness, with major consequences on breaking them. Different from a Pact in that the one swearing is bound by the Oath, not the other party, whereas a Pact is mutually. An Oath says, this is my commitment, a Pact says, if you will do thus, I will do thus. In some cases, both will be present, in others one or the other.</li>
<br />
<li>Ordeal - An experience that has to be passed through, suffered, or survived in order to join the group. Often the same as an Initiation, but can be separate.</li>
<br />
<li>Pact - An agreement between a person and the spirits, for mutual benefit, usually with both conditions for ending the Pact (if possible) and with the results of breaking the agreement.</li>
<br />
<li>Virtue - the essence and sum total of the group, stream, or tradition, including the lore and spirits, the Thread of Fate making up said stream, those that came before, are present, and will be part of it. This is the life force or egregore of the group, but more than these.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<br />Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-34664715961453359692014-07-23T05:40:00.000-06:002014-07-23T05:40:00.067-06:00An Abstract on AbstractionThe focus on the abstract and the symbolic in many modern traditions is a bit odd in my opinion. Not that the abstract and symbolic don't have a place or value, of course. As a born mystic, these things have always intrigued and interested me. It's the amount of focus and the importance placed that I think is a harmful thing for really growing and practicing.<br />
<br />
As a specific example, my main objection to the Classic elements in folk magic is the lack of practical application to the real work. I can't hold elemental Fire or Water or Earth or Air in my hands, I can't mix them and make something out of them. But I can take the soil of the land and mix it with water from creek or pond or river or lake, to make mud, and form it into a figure of someone or something or a tablet or a disc for an amulet, and can sit it out for the wind and sun to dry.<br />
<br />
You won't hear a farmer use a blessing like, "may you have water and air and earth." That is too abstract to be meaningful. You would hear something closer to, "may you have rain or irrigation water to water the crops, may you have fresh air to breathe and wind to blow away harmful insects, may your land be fertile and rich and produce." Or something more along those more practical lines.<br />
<br />
This holds true in many areas. What good does a symbol do if it isn't applicable in a material or at least methodical way? The Work is about doing the work, not about symbols that can be meditated on but have no pragmatic purpose.<br />
<br />
The toad bone was not obtained by some because it symbolized all the things it can be seen to symbolize. These symbols aren't of no importance, nor are they not real, but they aren't the point. The toad bone was obtained for very specific purposes, to control animals, to have power over people, and others. Read Andrew Chumbley's The Leaper Between, and you will see the application is the major focus, not the symbolism, though that exists as well.<br />
<br />
I come from simple people, even if I work in an industry far from that, and move at times in higher society. My ancestors on both sides were mostly farms, and when not farmers, still working class people. Salt of the earth, honest folk. This is why my grandpa lost everything twice, as to him, a handshake was a deal. This is why my father always felt more comfortable out with his drilling team in the forest pulling up rock core samples than in the office with those who were more concerned with politics than the work. My father tastes dirt to know what it is made of. My grandpa on my mother’s side worked the ground most of his life, as his father did, and his, all the way back to Germany and Prussia. I come from simple, working class, people, not academics or philosophers, not politicians or old money. And when you live that life, or come from that seed, or do that work, you do what needs to be done, rather than worrying what it means.<br />
<br />
Both my father and my mother’s father were water witchers, and could find whatever they were looking for beneath the ground with their skill. It didn’t mater what the meaning of anything was, it mattered that it worked and they could find what they needed. My father used that skill with the drilling team, and they always hit the vein they were trying for when he told them where to drill. There was no symbolism, no hidden meaning, just a skill others couldn’t use that was accurate and got the job done.<br />
<br />
Except among philosophers and theologians, symbols and meanings are secondary to what you can use the thing for. The Classical elements are great for discussion and even as symbols in ritual, but, as Bearwalker would say, you can you grow corn in them? The abstraction from the physical things that we interact with when we get our hands dirty to the philosophers’ symbols and metaphors is often a distraction from the work, work that only truly gets done when we get our hands dirty and do the work.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn’s Kiss<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-49831641483397023362014-07-21T17:13:00.000-06:002014-07-21T17:13:37.393-06:00The Narrative of What is TaughtOne thing I see a lot that I think is detrimental to the passing of what we know and learn, the lore the spirits have given us, and the lore our teachers, both formal and informal, have given us is entitlement.<br />
<br />
I'm talking about the entitlement that because someone knows something or can teach you something, they should and that what they know should not be kept to themselves, that all information should be free and accessible.<br />
<br />
This is kind of a general war cry in our time, from the call for all software to be open source and license free, to the idea that all government records should be available to the public, to the idea that if something is published on the Internet, it is automatically public domain and can be used without citing or credit, to the idea that copyrights on music and patents on things developed by corporations are automatically an attack on the people. While there might be legitimacy in several, maybe all, of these in some cases, the general idea that all things should be free and available, when we want it and how we want it actually does us all a disservice. We are all singing with Queen, "Here’s to the future, hear the cry of youth, I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.” But if we’re going to live a Rock and Roll slogan, maybe we need to hear the Rolling Stones singing, “No, you don’t always get what you want, no, you don’t always get what you want, no, you don’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you might find, you get what you need."<br />
<br />
I'd like to quote one of the tenets of Toteg Tribe in regard to this, as I think it expresses well what I'm referring to.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We listen with consideration to those who choose to share their wisdom with us, and respect their rights to do so in their own way, in their own time." </blockquote>
The thing is, the process of learning from someone, whether they are formally teaching you or not, whether they are human or not, is not a dump of information like you can get by using Google or Wikipedia to find answers fast. The narrative, the context, and the story that goes along with the teaching is just as important, and stories don't live in the "I want it all and I want it now" range. The story gets lost there, and the information loses its meaning.<br />
<br />
It's in the narrative between teacher/master and student/apprentice that the craft is taught, not in the facts and information. Facts and information might help you learn dogma, but the craft isn’t about dogma. Facts and information might help you learn a liturgy of lore, but that liturgy is of no use in the craft if it’s just that, just words repeated like the catechism of the Catholic Church. Facts and information might, maybe, point you in a direction where you might be able to apply them and make contact with spirits, and learn on your own, but why do you need a teacher if that is your course? It’s the narrative between the teacher and student, master and apprentice, where any craft is taught, and our craft even more so. You don’t learn enough to start a business in smithing after a weekend course. You don’t learn enough to wire a house after a weekend course with an electrician. You can’t build quality, beautiful cabinets or build a house after a weekend course in carpentry. You can’t build a cathedral after a weekend course in masonry. If you could do any of these, the requirements for a license would be to watch Youtube videos. No, it takes time to learn these crafts, training with a master, and it’s the stories and tales of their experiences that you learn more from than lessons in the simple skills or a dump of information. Why would our craft be different from that?<br />
<br />
The teacher that can and will teach you will do so in their own way and their own time. You're job is to be receptive and live the story they share.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn’s Kiss<br />
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-29431270145631178172014-05-15T15:13:00.000-06:002014-05-15T15:13:13.498-06:00Hominidic Awareness"I see people."<br />
<br />
I'm not talking about the phrase from Sixth Sense, "I see dead people". I won't confirm or deny that statement. I'm talking living people here.<br />
<br />
"I see people." Do you?<br />
<br />
Likely your answer is, of course I do. Unless you're living as a hermit, or working a night shift alone, of course.<br />
<br />
"Of course I do." Do you?<br />
<br />
Do you really see people, or do you just notice they are there? Do you even always notice they are there, or do you only notice some people, with others blending into the background of humanity, human habitat, and wild places?<br />
<br />
"I see people." Do you?<br />
<br />
If you live in a city, a large town, or even some small towns, or ever visit this places, you have likely passed someone standing on a corner with a cardboard sign with something written on it. Think back to the last such person you passed. What did their sign say? Do you remember? Were they obviously male? Obviously female? Of indeterminate gender just looking without talking to them? Did you notice? Do you remember? How were they dressed? Do you remember? What did they look like? Do you remember? Did you notice their eyes? What colour were they? Did they smile at you or frown? Or even notice you? Did you see them? Did they see you?<br />
<br />
"I see people." Do you?<br />
<br />
Have you ever been that person with a sign on the corner? If you have, are often still are, what do you notice about those who pass by? Who meets your eyes and who looks away? Who seems happy and who seems sad? Could you recall someone that had passed by and giving you something ten minutes before? Someone who didn't give you anything? Those who took notice of you? Those who didn't?<br />
<br />
"I see people." Do you?<br />
<br />
Do you drive a lot? If you do, do you notice the people in the cars around you? People walking or riding a bike along the road? A minute later, can you count how many people walking or riding their bike you passed? What they were wearing? If they looked happy or sad? If their heads were down or they were looking forward without noticing anything to the sides or if they were taking in everything around them? Do you notice the driver beside you as stop lights? A minute later, do you recall what they looked like? What they were wearing? If they looked happy or sad? Did you even notice any of these people? Did they notice you?<br />
<br />
"I see people." Do you?<br />
<br />
Do you walk a lot? If you do, do you notice the people around you, not just other walkers but the people in the cars passing or stopped? A minute later, could you recognize them if they were no longer in their car? Or even if they are? Do you notice if they are happy or sad? What they are wearing? What they look like? How about the same for walkers you pass going the opposite direction? Or the same direction, or passing you going the same direction? What do you notice about them? Anything? Everything? What can you recall a minute later?<br />
<br />
"I see people." Do you?<br />
<br />
Do you work in an office building? In an office position or a service position?<br />
<br />
If you work in an office position, meaning the building is what you work in, not your job itself, do you notice those who keep the building clean, who restock things, who work in the cafeteria or coffee shop or gym or as security if you have this things? Do you hold doors open for them? Thank them? Say good morning or good afternoon? Or do they blend into the background for you to the point you only notice them when something goes wrong? Can you count from memory how many people serve these roles where you work? Or how many you see in a day? Do you know any of them by name? Do they know yours?<br />
<br />
If you work in a service job like the ones described above, do you notice those that just use the building or facilities but aren't the ones who care for them? Or do they blend in as obstacles to your job? Do you talk to them? Do you know their names? Do they know yours?<br />
<br />
"I see people." Do you?<br />
<br />
All people who live and work and play where you do are part of the place you live in, your home, your Land. Every one of them are a part of that whole, as much as the animals and plants and rocks and streams are. You share habitat with them, as readily as a vole might share habitat with a rabbit, or with another vole. Being aware of where you live isn't just about noticing the non-human aspects but the humans as well. With awareness comes consciousness, with consciousness comes caring, with caring comes community. And community is an important and needed things for humans, who are inherently social, even if the degree of need and tolerance vary.<br />
<br />
"I see people." Do you? Do you notice those around you? Do you interact with them? It is important to develop hominidic awareness, not just awareness of the non-human portions of your environment. Start paying attention to those around you and build your awareness today, and see how that changes how you live.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-8391217202938172862014-05-08T18:51:00.000-06:002014-05-08T18:51:42.461-06:00Approaching the LandWe live in a world, among people and animals and plants and streams and rocks and all manner of things. So we know where we live, right? We have a working knowledge of the place we live? You would think so, but this is far from a certainty. How we approach it, or don't, determines both out experience of it and our knowledge of it. What do you truly know about the world around you? How do you approach the world around you? How do you approach the Land?<br />
<br />
I would postulate that there are three main ways people approach the world around them. These might be a bit oversimplification, or they might adequately describe the human approach. My observation shows them to be fairly encompassing.<br />
<br />
<b>1) To Let the World Happen to You</b><br />
<br />
In my observation, this is the most common. It is an approach of not approaching. Most people don't approach the world, they let the world approach them. They go through life just trying to go through life, and learn of the world by how it collides with them, often in cross purposes to how they are trying to go through life. Their experience of the world is that of opposition, that which is trying to stop them, delay them, irritate them, upset them. As such, the world outside their skin becomes the enemy, something to fight against, the strive against. Whole religious doctrines have been built off this view of the world, and are a result of choosing not to approach the world, to let the world happen to you.<br />
<br />
<b>2) To Seek What is Known to You</b><br />
<br />
This approach is a very academic approach. You start with what you know, what you've learned, what you believe, what you think is true. Your truth. You take that idea, and look for the proof in the world around you. If you find it not to be true, find proof that it isn't true, or don't find it where you expect to, you refine your idea, research a new idea, or come up with a new truth. Rinse and repeat. This is an abstract and symbolic way of approaching the world, because you start with something abstract or symbolic, something you believe to be Truth but don't have the experience yet to apply, then test it and find what it looks like, or doesn't look like, in the world around you. Much of the application of scientific method uses this approach, where the theory starts in the abstract and in equations or calculations, and is then tested to see if it is true. A lot of market research also takes this approach.<br />
<br />
Unlike the first approach, this approach sees the world as a test bed, not as an enemy. The world becomes that which will aid me in refining my Truth, distilling it down to its essence. Truth becomes the driving force, and both that within my skin and without becomes the tools to obtain it.<br />
<br />
<b>3) To Observe the World and Find What It Teaches</b><br />
<br />
The third approach is to assume nothing. Presume you don't know anything and go out to see what the world will show you and tell you. This doesn't mean dismissing what you know or not taking it into account, but observing the world and using it to understand what you already know. Instead of, I know the he East means this, so what does that tell me about it, this approach is to say, if I knew nothing about the East, and I look to it and think about it and observe what is there, what would I see, and what would that tell me about what I already know or think I know? Instead of, this is a green ash and I know these things about ash trees so how does that apply to what I'm seeing, this approach is to say, I know this is an ash, but if I did not and if I knew nothing about it, what would I see before me now, what would I learn, then, what does that say and show me about what I already knew?<br />
<br />
In this approach, the world isn't the enemy nor the test bed, it's the teacher, showing us what is truly there. Our Truth is refined and distilled as a byproduct rather than the goal, the goal it to know the world, the Land, around us, to understand our place in it, and to learn what it would teach whether that is relevant to what we already knew or thought we knew or isn't.<br />
<br />
You can likely tell from my wording my thoughts on each approach, but I want to be clear, none of them are bad. We each approach the world the way we know and can, though if aware of how we do, we have the option of changing it. These three approaches are all acceptable approaches, and the results aren't necessarily better or worse than each other, just different. It depends a lot where you want to go in life and what you are comfortable with.<br />
<br />
That said, the third approach is the one I tend to recommend, the one I encourage when asked, and the one I try to take for myself. The results of it are the results I want in my life and in the world around me, and results I'm biased for when encouraging others.<br />
<br />
What is your heart, where do you want to go, what do you want out of life, the world, the Land?<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-26446931313361320412014-04-27T13:16:00.001-06:002014-04-27T13:16:55.520-06:00On the Paradigm of Opposition Between the Human World and the Natural WorldThe disconnect that is often propagated between the human world and the natural world, and the dichotomy created by it, has slowly lead to an understanding that pulls us away from some very important truths, creating a cycle of misunderstanding that pulls us further and further from a healthy and beneficial coexistence with the world we live in.<br />
<br />
This can be described as the urbanization of the human mind, the movement away from a realization that we are part of the world around us to the idea of human habitat as an urban bastion of non-nature in a sea of natural world, and the growth of cities as the expanding of the walls and driving back that which is beyond.<br />
<br />
While there is truth in this image, it tends to manifest in two different mental processes, both of which miss the true nature of both the reality and of the issues created.<br />
<br />
The first mental process is that of the natural world as the aggressor. This mental process grew in the transition from hunter/gatherer nomadic society to an agricultural fixed location society. It is less present among nomadic cultures that aren't fixed in location. The image is of humans behind walls or fences or hedges, with all of the natural world besieging. This is a position of fear of the unknown beyond the boundaries. There is truth in it, but it creates a us and them idea of the world. It seals the humans within the walls, with limited ability to identify with what is beyond. It also can and has lead to an image of the natural world as something to be conquered, manifest destiny if you will. The idea that if humans don't subjugate or suppress the natural world, that the natural world will do so to humans. Kill or be killed.<br />
<br />
The second mental process is that of the human world as the aggressor. This mental process grew out of the developments of the last century, of seeing the negative impact of human actions of the natural world and determining humans should thereby be seen as a virus or disease that threatens the natural world. This leads, and has lead, to the idea that the only way to protect the natural world is to exterminate the human threat. This is usually not taken to the full extreme, but the idea creates the idea that the goal is to limit human activities as much as possible, preserve the remaining wild areas by completely preventing human presence. Quarantining the humans to prevent their spread. Containment.<br />
<br />
Both of these mental processes, while being rooted in concerns and truths that are very real, miss the truth that humans are part of the natural world, that human habitat damaging that of others is only different in scale from certain ants that consume everything in their path, of large amounts of predators decimating prey populations, of large populations of herbivores decimating plant populations.<br />
<br />
The goal of subjugation of nature hurts not just what is perceived as the natural world, but the human world as well, as we depend on that which isn't human for food, for oxygen, for climate regulation, for clean water, housing, for many things we need for survival, to make human habitat possible.<br />
<br />
And humans are a part of the environment as much as any other species. The elimination of humans will have the same results as the elimination of a predator or grazing species. This is well seen in changes between fire management policies. A change from a policy to put out all fires to a let it burn approach results in danger not just to human habitat but to many other habitats, as the prevention of fire allows fuel to build up, and a sudden stop in prevention results in worse and wider spread fires that would naturally occur. Likewise, fire prevention if too aggressive prevent the processes that would naturally occur. For instance, fire reduces pine beetle populations, lowering the amount of dead pine timber, which are the cause of large spread fire, and stimulates the cones to replace what was burned. Fire also stimulates root activity in aspens, causing growth in size and density of aspen groves which are habitat to many types of species. Any change in policy, or in human behavior, if not gradual with a smooth transition, will have unexpected ramifications that might not be beneficial.<br />
<br />
The solution to the problems that arise in human vs nature interactions is not to fight against nature or against humans, but to understand that there is no separation. Human is part of nature, not a separate thing. In this understanding, solutions arise that can facilitate human needs while taking into account the impact on the other parts of nature. Only then can a better balance and better approach be possible.<br />
<br />
This, however, isn't a matter of writing up a plan, or defining policy, law, or procedures. The issue is one of mental process, of paradigm and world view. Such changes can't be regulated into manifestation. Mental process changes, paradigm shifts, and changes to world view aren't a matter of law but of practice, not a matter of top down enforcement and dictation, but of individual changes spreading.<br />
<br />
A different type of disease than was discussed above, a fire of inspiration and passion igniting change from individual to group, from group to community, from community to region, and outward.<br />
<br />
What is needed is not laws and regulations, restrictions and policy. These things are not bad, especially as an intermediate step to treat the symptoms. But they won't create change.<br />
<br />
Change is a whirlwind, chaos, it is prophecy and inspiration, the meed of poetry, heady and potent. Law is my its nature a thing of stasis and control, order, establishment.<br />
<br />
Change begins not in law but in hearts and minds. Change is spoken. Change is acted. Change is a thing done in the day to day life, impacting that spot you live in, that soil you are planted in. Change is shared with those you are in contacted with, with community, with clan, with tribe.<br />
<br />
Light the fire of inspiration and change in your own heart and mind, plant the seed in the fertile soil of yourself. Let it spread. Let the fire light in others by contact, let the root reach out and grow into trees in the soil of those around you.<br />
<br />
Let those that are lit by your fire do the same, and those lit by theirs. Change the world where you are, and the ripples and waves across the pond that is our world will be seen in all places.<br />
<br />
Embody change, embody spirit, embody the unity of all things, the interconnected web that is all living things. Look for what you can do where you are, and do it. Don't hesitate, don't be afraid.<br />
<br />
Be a flame burning bright. Let your flame spread.<br />
<br />
Consider this well, and think on it.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-71174553038947734382014-04-21T09:02:00.001-06:002014-04-21T09:07:32.084-06:00The Land Where I'm PlantedThis is an interesting part of the year, with various holidays and special days all dancing through the days together. The Jewish Passover began last week and will continue though tomorrow. The Christian Easter was yesterday. Living in Colorado, I must mention that yesterday was also 4/20. And today is Earth Day. We are between the Equinox and Beltaine still, in the second Moon of Spring, the Willow Moon, for which the Bright Moon, the High Tide, was last week. Trees are budding, flowers blooming, grasses turning green. A time of renewal and rebirth no matter which way you cut the seasons and days.<br />
<br />
With the nature of this time, and with today being Earth Day, which many celebrate as a specific focus on helping the environment, and for many, the planting of a tree, it seems appropriate to look at what I do in relation to the Land here, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, sometimes proactively, sometimes just in an over all sense of what is important to keep in mind.<br />
<br />
In this area, I focus more local that global, focused on the Land where I am at, including the human portion of that, not as opposed to it. I work for better practices and behaviors that allow humans to coexist with all other things in this space, animal, plant, fungus, mineral, spirit, and anything else that lives here, minimize the things that are harmful to the Land and all those that live in it, regardless of guise, and against those things that harm.<br />
<br />
This includes:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>fighting human trafficking (which is one of the things biggest on my heart)</li>
<li>how the homeless are treated</li>
<li>biases/prejudices and dangers based on those biases/prejudices to portions of the community (specifically trans* and the wider LGBT community)</li>
<li>mining/drilling/pumping techniques that are harmful (not shown by hype as harmful but truly harmful)</li>
<li>minimization of waste both to lower impact in consuming and to lower impact in disposal</li>
<li>supporting local businesses and producers (especially local farms and ranches) to improve the economy here and to minimize the impact of transporting from other parts of the country</li>
<li>limiting and clean up of litter and other things that can hurt the plants and animals around us</li>
<li>support for the Open Areas and encouragement of responsible development to both meet the human needs and minimize the impact on our neighbours be they animal, plant, fungus, or mineral, gardening and growing of your own food as much as possible</li>
</ul>
<br />
That type of thing.<br />
<br />
Some of these I work more actively toward, some less so. Some I work primarily towards in my personal habits and behavior, others in outreach and education, others in more action based approaches. Some I use magical techniques toward, others it's very much physical and direct.<br />
<br />
And many of these, I can't do much beyond my own actions without help, so I have plans to try to gather a group to work toward these aims. If you live in Plains Edge, the Northern Frontrange Area of Colorado, or near this area, or have ideas or would like to talk, feel free to reach out to me at <a href="mailto:plainsedge@grimr.org">plainsedge@grimr.org</a>. I have no certain plans nor a sure direction, but I'd love to talk with anyone with a heart of the area, or who would like to connect for other reasons.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's KissMuninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-38383552046535884302014-04-20T11:32:00.000-06:002014-04-20T11:34:03.461-06:00The Good FolkIt's interesting so many people do so much to invoke the fae, but historically, the widespread charms were to keep them out of placate them rather than draw them.<br />
<br />
There are examples in older surviving texts of people talking to them, but none I know of that imply invoking them or calling them to you by whatever means. If there are, I'd love to hear about them.<br />
<br />
Talking to them is not the same as inviting them into your home. As they say, good fences make good neighbours (1). And they are likely already there anyway. No need to invoke more, just need eyes to See what's already there.<br />
<br />
I had a conversation related to this with a friend a few days ago and I'd like to share my thoughts here.<br />
<br />
I'm not trying to disparage or say anything negative about authors, teachers, and practitioners who recommend seeking contact and invoking the fae, or do so themselves. I just recommend caution and a good dose of self possession. While I won't say their approach is wrong, I would say I don't see much evidence of such active seeking in the materials that have survived from earlier time, and I think the reason for that is valid.<br />
<br />
The Victorian view of the fae did a lot to defang them in the eyes of the general populace, and this is both good and bad. I'll leave the good for a different discussion. The bad is the lack of caution that has resulted.<br />
<br />
The fae were not called the Good Folk because they were benevolent, kind, or forces of good fighting evil in the world any more than calling mafia good fellas implies upright morals. It was to avoid offending, because of the result if you do.<br />
<br />
The thing to remember about the fae is that they don't see anything through human eyes. Their ideas of ethics and morals, good and evil, right and wrong, and benevolence and malevolence are different from ours. Even those that might wish us good aren't thinking what we are. Accomplishing your goal but dying in the process might be seen as your own good, for example.<br />
<br />
The thing to remember is you are in charge of your own life (this is much of what makes a witch), you are responsible for your decisions and actions, and you must not submit your life force to another (2).<br />
<br />
Point being, make no deal you can't live with the consequences of, agree to no condition you aren't willing to meet, and don't assume you must do what they say. While I'm against attempts to enslave them (which will end badly regardless), I also caution not to allow yourself to be enslaved to them.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<br />
<br />
(1) This is an old adage, now famous from Robert Frost's poem Mending Wall.<br />
(2) As Victor Anderson put it. Or, as Robert Cochrane put it:<br />
<br />
"In fate, and the overcoming of fate is the true Graal, for from this inspiration comes, and death is defeated. There is no fate so terrible that it cannot be overcome - whether by a literal victory gained by action and in time, or the deeper victory of spirit in the lonely battle of the self, Fate is the trial, the Castle Perilous in which we all meet to win or to die" <a href="http://www.1734-witchcraft.org/lettertwo.html" target="_blank">http://www.1734-witchcraft.org/lettertwo.html</a>Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-77179141511118936632014-03-01T13:39:00.000-07:002014-03-01T13:39:39.012-07:00On Doing the WorkTraining is good, yes.<br />
<br />
Books are good, yes.<br />
<br />
But you can be trained in formal training for twenty years and never "get it", and you can go out your back door with no training or knowledge at all and just "get it". There is no guaranties, and none of it is where you actually get experience and wisdom. You get those from doing it.<br />
<br />
If I went through the best medical school in the world, I wouldn't be able to go straight in and be able to do everything day one. As an example, I want into the emergency room for something. The doctor was concerned about something else because he hadn't ever seen it, but the nurse told him, no, that isn't normal, but it's not abnormal, and convince him not to worry about it. He had far more formal training than she did, but she had worked in the ER for many years and seen much more than he had. He had more knowledge, but she had more experience. In general, nurses see more and experience more because they handle most things that don't require the expertise the doctor has because of training, so have more wisdom to see things as they really are and know what to do in a lot more circumstances.<br />
<br />
I read a quote in a book last night, Witches, Midwives, and Nurse: A History of Women Healers. "If a woman dare to cure without having studies she is a witch and must die." Note the emphasis on studying (indicating training, not reading, in this context). While the restriction of women in medical schools and the prevalence of women over men in folk practice was an issue at the time, it was more about credentials vs no credentials than about gender. The doctors felt only they should be able to heal because they were the ones with training, who had put in the time and effort to be trained, and could prove they were training. Not really different from today when the main argument against alternative medicine in the US is not about if it works or not, but about lack of a medical degree.<br />
<br />
Back to the craft, same thing.<br />
<br />
Training is good, and is required in some *traditions* to practice that *tradition*, for very good reasons, but is not required to practice the craft, and doesn't guaranty success in it, any more than reading books do. It's the experience that builds wisdom, and if you don't do anything until you have learned sufficiently to make no mistakes and always be good at it, you'll never reach that.<br />
<br />
Read what you can, sure.<br />
<br />
Get the formal, or informal, training if you can, sure.<br />
<br />
But are real teachers are the spirits, our experiences, and our own self, seen through a mirror darkly.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-71088918137134592742014-02-05T09:26:00.000-07:002014-02-05T09:35:07.150-07:00Rite of Pacific StormsI have many friends on the West Coast of the United States who are talking of the draught in that region at the moment, both in the Pacific Northwest and in California, possibly up and down the coast of Mexico, Canada, and Alaska as well, I'm not certain. The rest of the US is being hit hard, colder temperatures than most can remember, and a lot of snowfall and rainfall. The snowpacks reached 110% in December, quite early. There is unlikely to be drought conditions in the rest of the country this year, and similar in Europe, it seems. But the West Coast is suffering, with a very mild winter and much less rain and snow than normal. The storms are all hitting further east.<br />
<br />
I said flippantly that I would try to do something, but I didn't mean it as flippantly as I said it. I have called winds, and called and raised storms, usually with some success, most of my life, but it would do little good to call them from here in the Rockies, as I'm more likely to draw them away from the coast than to it. As such, I'm sharing the following rite, for those that would like to try it and live in the area it is crafted for.<br />
<br />
Feel free to adapt it. It is crafted from my practice, and might need modification for you. And the wording or details might need changing, as each of us are different. The important part is the binding done when the shell is driven down, the rest can change as needed. I've made it as simple as possible, both for ease of use, ease of adaptation, and to minimize the need to bring anything but what is needed with you. It could also very easily be adapted and expanded to a group rite.<br />
<br />
This rite would be best done this coming Dark Moon in March, on the first, though you can do it at a different time if you prefer or have a reason. It is best done on the shore, preferably in a sandy area, or at least soft soil or mud, for practical reasons. It is best done at the low tide closest to that Dark Moon, at night, near the water's edge, on land that is usually water. But this, too, can be done otherwise if there is a reason. But near the water's edge at low tide on the night of the Dark Moon on March 1 is best. Preferably a shore facing out to sea, west or northwest being best.<br />
<br />
Most important item you will need is a shell. Preferably, find this on the shore sometime before the rite. You want a shell you can easily stab into the sand, so one with a sharp tip or edge is best.<br />
<br />
Some red thread, string, or yarn is a plus, but not necessary.<br />
<br />
You don't need anything else but yourself.<br />
<br />
Stand facing the water's edge, preferably facing west or northwest. Hold the shell in one hand, whichever feels best (typically the hand you give or send with, but not always). If you have string or yarn, hold it in the other hand.<br />
<br />
Raise your hands over your head, closed palms outward toward the shore (you objects in your hands facing the sea, the backs of your hands away). Close your eyes and feel the wind on you. Where does it come from? Which direction? How strong is it? How wet? Keep your attention on the wind.<br />
<br />
Speak the following (or an adaptation of it) to the wind:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bringer of storms,<br />Bringer of moisture,<br />Bringer of wind,<br />I call you.<br />Come to me.</blockquote>
If you have string or thread, bring your hands down and tie it around the shell, saying:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What begins here,<br />I do bind with this thread,<br />What I have, I hold.</blockquote>
After tying it, return your hands to where they were.<br />
<br />
Repeat the following:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Let the storms come!<br />Let the the moisture fall!<br />Let the wind blow!<br />I call the storms to these shores,<br />I bind and fix them here!</blockquote>
With the last line, bend down and bury in one action the shell as deep in the sand as you can.<br />
<br />
Turn and leave the shore, not looking back, knowing the waves with cover the shell, the shell that binds the storms and moisture and wind to the earth and sea, the sand and waves.<br />
<br />
And the storms will come.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-86816332488794153352014-01-23T21:34:00.000-07:002014-01-23T21:34:44.756-07:00The Coming Year<div>
With Bride's Day and Candlemas, my New Year, coming up, I've been looking back at the last, a year of change. It was a year of starting new things, of revelation and contemplation, of moves and reorganization. A year of flux.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I consider the coming year, what is in store, what I can expect, where my focus will be.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don't really do New Years resolutions, regardless of what New Year I'm talking about. But having some areas to focus on throughout the year is always a good thing. Here are the areas I am planning on focusing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Being more open and authentic to who I am.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This affects many areas of my life. A lot of the time, I hide parts of myself because I'm not sure how people will respond to them. Not because I think they will judge me, nor that they would be upset at me, but because I am afraid it would hurt them or disturb them, that they would worry or not know how to handle it. So I lock off parts of my life based on possible issues revealing them could cause. Which, in trying to avoid hurting people often hurts me or ends up hurting them anyway, likely in ways that telling them never would.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This doesn't just mean over all, it also means in the moment. There are parts of me that change, cycles and shifts. These aren't constant, they are fluid. Being open and authentic doesn't just mean being such to the stable, static aspects (though nothing is really static, just the life cycles of them are much longer), but to the changing, dynamic aspects as well.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This also doesn't mean telling everyone everything. I'm focusing on avoiding hiding parts of me, avoiding not being true to who I am, but that doesn't mean I need to advertise and promote it either. That is no more authentic than the hiding is. The goal is a general shift to hiding less and being more open and true. Of giving others the chance to accept who I am instead of taking that from them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Understand my own cycles.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To do this, an important part is understanding those cycles. I spent much of the last two years working to understand the cycles of the land, the seasons, the moons. Now I need to add to that an understanding of my own cycles, those of my body, my mind, my souls. How do I change with time? What cycles exist? Are they regular or are the influenced by outside things? I need to know me before I can be true, authentic, and open about it. I have a fair understanding of myself, of the various aspects, of what changes and what stays basically the same. But I know these things in the moment, not how I get to them, what patterns exist in the shifts. It's time to identify these.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Learning to be an oral storyteller.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have many stories I know, enough to fill several lifetimes of telling, and more keep coming. As Lorekeeper, I keeper the lore I am given and am responsible for getting it to those that need to hear it. I'm a decent writer, I think, and good at crafting stories. But presenting them to others orally, not so much. I can speak, I can share, but I don't have the skills to bring them alive.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This year, I'm going to focus on developing those skills. Learn what those skills are. Learn how to learn to use them. Learn how to use them. Practice and hone them. It won't be finished in a year obviously, but I can begin the journey, I can actively pursue it, I can make choices that will bring it to me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hone my skills at and determine if I can start doing readings for others.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I've found over the last year I'm decent at doing readings, not just for myself, but also for others. I've used readings to determine what people need, and present that in a form they can relate to. I don't know if I could make money with it or not, or if I could do it actively enough to make it a thing I do, whether I'm paid or not. This year, I want to focus on honing my skills at it in relation to others, as most of my experience is for myself, and look into what directions it can take beyond what I do now, whether it could be a business or a community service, whether there are other related areas or techniques I need to learn, and what form it might take in whatever direction I take it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Just as understanding my cycles relates to being authentic, this relates to storytelling. For reading for someone else is essentially telling the story. I can say all I want, this card typically means this, and in this position it usually means this, but a reading is so much more meaningful if you bring it to life. It's fortunetelling, not fortune-analyzing. I'm good at the analytical side, it's time to learn the telling side.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Additionally, I want to practice dowsing more in the coming year. I re-awoke it this last year after not doing it since my father taught me as a child. Now I need to practice and hone it. And to determine what uses I can put it to for others, whether pro bono or for money.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, four areas:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Authenticity</div>
<div>
Understanding Personal Cycles</div>
<div>
Storytelling</div>
<div>
Fortunetelling</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We'll see where this all leads and its effect on the rest of my practice, life, and future.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
FFF,</div>
<div>
~Muninn's Kiss</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-7890409793659661362014-01-03T11:26:00.000-07:002014-01-03T11:31:03.139-07:00Stoicism, Denial, and the Craft: A look at self-imposed hardship, in particular, fastingSelf imposed suffering and denial, purposeful tribulation and ordeal, has a long history, and if present in different forms in just about if not all cultures. It serves many purposes depending on the context, but it typically of a ritualistic, ceremonial, religious, spiritual, or magical nature, breaking down the physical or ego in some way to allow something of a spiritual, magical, or religious nature to occur.<br />
<br />
We use the word "stoic" or "stoicism" for these practices, a name that traces back to Ancient Greece. The Stoics, Στωικοί, were a sect in Ancient Greece who followed the teachings of Zeno of Citium, who believed that it was our mistakes, our poor choices, that resulted in negative emotions, and that it was important to use logic, knowledge, and ethics to prevent this to a level that you never experiences these. In later times, the term took on a different meaning, to prevent happiness, pleasure, and enjoyment, rather than anger, fear, and hate. In effect, the emotions seen by the original Stoics as positive and allowed were grouped in with the negative emotions, in the understanding people had, and have, of the term. This is not to say all those who were considered Stoics in later time would have agreed and didn't experience these.<br />
<br />
Stoicism, referring to post-Greek stoicism, and things that could be referred to by the term in older times, has taken many forms.<br />
<br />
We see John the Baptist, dressed in camel hair, living on only locusts and honey in the wilderness. Camel hair is very course, much like wearing burlap. I've worn a burlap robe. John wearing camel hair constantly would mean rashes and calloused skin, for the movement would never allow your skin to get used to it. Locusts and honey is of course a very limited diet. He was likely very thin and somewhat malnourished, as it would take too many locusts and too much honey to not be so. He was in the wilderness near the River Jordan, and the wilderness of Judea, modern day Israel, is very unforgiving, with wild animals and physical dangers, and hot sun beating down. He would have had leather skin, tight, wiry muscles, be thin and gnarled, a wild man. But people came to him to hear his message because he spoke with the Divine, and connected with the spiritual in a way few others could.<br />
<br />
We see similar from the Desert Mothers and Desert Fathers of the following few centuries, who gave up everything and went to live out in the desert. This is what the part in Life of Brian, where Brian falls in the hole where a hermit with a vow of silence is living and spoke for the first time because of it was making fun of. The hermits went out to live in the desert and devote themselves to God, putting various restrictions on themselves. But people began to flock out to find them, as they were thought to speak for God because of their stoic life.<br />
<br />
One such example if Saint Benedict, who, finding he had a large group of followers after trying to be alone, realized there was no order and it would go bad quick without some, so he wrote what is now called the Rule of Saint Benedict (possibly orally and later wrote down or dictated and recorded by one of his followers), outlining how the people should live, This became the basis for the monastic movement that followed, where orders and monasteries were established for people to be alone with God (monastic from monasticus, ultimately from monos, alone). Each order had vows, which were of a stoic nature. They varied order by order, and sometimes monastery to monastery.<br />
<br />
Vows of chastity, vows of poverty, vows of silence, vows of temperance, were all to be found, and others. Each of these is a denial, a taboo. Chastity is to abstain from sex. Poverty is to abstain from ownership, in some cases everything but your robe or smock, a staff, and sandles (following what was stated in Mark 6:8-9: "He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.") and in other cases, just a limiting of possessions. A vow of poverty also sometimes prescribed eating only what was begged for, to be like the poor that are poor without choice or vow. Silence is not speaking, sometime like what was shown in Life of Brian, never speaking, sometimes only speaking at prescribed times, like meals, sometimes just a limiting of speech or of what could be spoken of. Temperance is the abstaining from alcohol, one of the least common, as the Eucharist used wine for the Blood of Christ, though some monasteries had vows that only allowed this communion wine, no other alcohol.<br />
<br />
Later, there was a movement called Anchorism, where the devote who had taken no vows and weren't part of an order wished to remain in the presence of the Lord, so were bricked in to a portion of the church. They did not leave, and remained there until death, their needs for food and water being brought to them. It is a very curious tradition, as most other examples of living on church grounds before and after were that of a priest or friar or monk who was the caretaker for the building or site. Anchorism was laity with no tasks to do, living out life in a bricked in cell in the church.<br />
<br />
One of the most wide spread forms of stoicism, is fasting. Fasting, though sometimes applied to other things, is very specifically abstaining from food, just as chastity is from sex and temperance is from alcohol. It is a very specific act, it is a temporary giving up, for a specific reason, not a purging of things to be got rid of completely, which is either cleansing or sacrifice, to me, cleansing when it is getting rid of the bad, sacrifice when it is giving of something valued. Fasting can be a sacrifice, and can be used as a means to cleanse, but it isn't the same as either.<br />
<br />
Fasting has been around since time began, to all indication. It is used in may cultures before various rites, and has a direct line of practice and theology and lore tied to it, from Ancient Judaism through Modern Judaism and Christianity. It is one of the few traditions with that type of longevity with little variance. This is important.<br />
<br />
From a more Craft context, considering a historical viewpoint, both modern ceremonial magic (meaning Dr. Dee and forward) and the examples normally looked at as witchcraft before 1900 like cunningfolk and the like, grew up in Christian context, usually what we now call dual-faith if not fully seen as Christian. Fasting has been an important idea in Christianity since the beginning, though its importance has faded more recently. As it was most often seen as a means to get closer to God, or to show suffering or purity to get God to answer prayer, it likely held similar importance in various magical practices, be they ceremonial or folk practices. As such, they were very likely used in the context we're talking, and likely as a means to either get closer to the spirits, earn their trust, open to them, or get them to do what the practitioner wanted. As such, I suspect it was used both for what I use it for, some spirit contact, divination, and personal soul searching, and for what CMs use it for, preparation for ceremonies or workings, among cunningfolk and other folk practitioners. I can also see the use of it after a working, for a time specific working, fasting until the time it will manifest.<br />
<br />
Ok, let's look on a more intellectual level, leading to present time application.<br />
<br />
Fasting, like any form of stoicism, is emulation of the physical. My favourite example is anchorism, where the seeker was literally bricked in to a church so they lived in isolation but in the presence of God (not the greatest description the way I phrased it, but sufficient). It is the denial of the "flesh" to encourage the "spirit", the breaking down of the ego to get it to step aside. To an extreme, of course, it leads to a dualistic view, that the flesh is bad and should be punished or destroyed, or to health problems. We need our strength and full health for some things. To quote a common paraphrase of Aristotle, all things in moderation. Via media. Used correctly, safely, and with wisdom, it becomes a means to temporarily put the ego and general desires aside by replacing them with a baser and stronger desire based on need, in this case, food.<br />
<br />
This can serve several purposes.<br />
<br />
First, the distraction from every day concerns allows us to gain a new perspective, seeing things differently. This can aid in decision making, in contemplation, in self analysis, and in helping us walk the edges between worlds.<br />
<br />
Second, the weakness created opens us up, both to receive wisdom and knowledge, and for possession and similar work, as our barriers and boundaries are weakened, allowing what couldn't pass normally to do so.<br />
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Third, the weakness can help with entering a trance state, with all the goals and uses that includes, being very useful in divination and in spirit contact.<br />
<br />
Of course, these imply the danger as well. The distraction can cause us to miss physical issues that shouldn't be ignored. The weakness can open us up to things we don't want in us, whether ideas and opinions and suggestions, or spirits that are not of the type we want to open up to. And a trance state and weakness can both be bad in certain activities. You should avoid fasting and driving. All things with wisdom, all things in moderation.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-55067710073979249562013-12-31T10:09:00.003-07:002013-12-31T10:10:28.654-07:00Twenty-Four Knots on the WheelWe are currently sitting half way between Christmas and Twelfth Night and Epiphany. In musing about this, some patterns began to emerge.<br />
<br />
Epiphany is of course Twelfth Day, and the Eve of Epiphany Twelfth Night. Twelfth days from Christmas, or in the older calendar, from the Solstice.<br />
<br />
Traditionally, Jan 6 is both the day Christ was presented in the temple (hence the name Epiphany) and the day the Kings arrived, or, more accurately, they arrived the night before but were present during the day as well. Interestingly, the presentation of Christ is also connected to Candlemas, which is 40 days from Christmas, and Epiphany is also called the Day of Lights, with direct relation to the candles of Candlemas. The 40 day times in traditional usage are important, Ash Wednesday 40 days before Easter, etc. The lore of Bride's Day and Candlemas bring interesting light (no pun intended) to Twelfth Night/Day, Epiphany, and Three Kings Day. But that's a side point.<br />
<br />
In the Eastern Church, Epiphany is the baptism of Christ, the descent (fall?) of the Holy Spirit upon him, his manifestation as the Son of God. This is very much an initiatory event, the baptism a ritual death, the spirit descending much like the Fall of the Watchers and the settling on him as a dove much like later stories of witches and familiar spirits. This is followed, of course, by 40 days in the Wilderness/Wasteland to be tempted, an ordeal, fasting, harsh conditions. The type of thing you return dead, mad, or a poet, in the British Isles. 40 days places it on my birthday, February 15, which is Lupercalia in Rome, the Wolf Festival, a festival to Faunus/Pan, for the protection of flocks. A sacrifice was made in the cave where legend said Romulus and Remus were suckled by the wolf. The rites were said to have been brought from Arcadia (all things tie back to Acadia), the homeland of Pan. Twelve days before the Lupercalia is of course Candlemas.<br />
<br />
That's of course using the Gregorian placement of January 6. In the Eastern Church, they use the Julian, so it lands on our January 19, and 40 days is February 28 in the Gregorian. This places Christmas, of course, on the 6th or 7th of January, so our Epiphany is essentially their Christmas. The shift obscures, just as the shift from the actual Solstice to what is December 25, where Christmas is celebrated and things are measured.<br />
<br />
The 25 of December being Solstice places the 20th or 21st depending on the year as Christmas, so January 1st of 2nd as Epiphany. New Years becomes Epiphany, New Years Eve Twelfth Night. Lupercalia becomes February 10th in our calendar, Candlemas January 29th.<br />
<br />
But in effect, the Solstice is the important date, Epiphany 12 days hence, then Bride's Day with Lupercalia 12 days hence, then the Equinox with Easter 12 days hence, then Beltaine, with Pentacost 12 days hence, then the Summer Solstice with the Fourth of July 12 days hence, then Lugh's Day, with Assumption 12 days hence, then the Equinox, with Michaelmas 12 days hence, the Samhain with Feroniae 12 days hence. Approximately. Kalends and Ides.<br />
<br />
But, of course, that's only eight. Not the ten months of the early Roman Calendar or the later twelve months that became our own.<br />
<br />
The 12 days of course count from the day after, to the Eve. This means approximately 14 days counting the actual days, two weeks, approximately half a moon. 28 days, you get 13 moons, 364 days. A year and a day making 365. 28 and 12 is of course 40 days, so if you take a complete moon cycle from each of the major dates, then 12 before the secondary dates, you get 40 days. So, Solstice + 12, 13 is Epiphany, Epiphany + 28 is Candlemas. Candlemas + 12, 13 is Lupercalia, and so forth. Which means 2 weeks, then 4 weeks, 2 weeks, then 4 weeks, and so forth. 6 weeks, eight majors, you have 48 weeks, 336 days. Which of course is four weeks short, one moon. But this is because it isn't exactly what I implied.<br />
<br />
If you add one week before each of the Solstices and Equinoxes, between them and the last marked Ides, you hit real close to the right dates, and get 364 days, 52 weeks, 13 moons.<br />
<br />
Going backwards around, 12 days before Christmas (Solstice) is Lucie, my wife's birthday. 12 days before the Autumn Equinox, Holyrood. 12 days before the Nativity of John the Baptist (Solstice) is Whitsun. And 12 days before the Spring Equinox, Lent. The four Ember Days. 40 days before those, Samhain, Lugh's Day, Beltain, and Bride's Day. Approximately, anyway.<br />
<br />
12 days before Bride's Day, Beltain, Samhain, Lugh's Day, and Samhain are approximately cusps of Capricorn/Aquarius, Aries/Taurus, Cancer/Leo, and Libra/Scorpio. These are one week after the Ides, and while there are rustic Roman festivals celebrated on these, they are more obscure and doing lend much.<br />
<br />
So, Solstice, plus two weeks, Epiphany, plus two weeks, Cusp, plus two weeks, Candlemas, plus two weeks, Lupercalia, plus one week, Lent, plus two weeks, Equinox, plus two weeks, Easter, plus two weeks, Cusp, plus two weeks, Beltain, plus two weeks, Pentecost, plus one week, Whitsun, plus two weeks, Solstice, plus two weeks, the Fourth of July, plus two weeks, Cusp, plus two weeks, Lugh's Day, plus two weeks, Assumption, plus one week, Holyrood, plus two weeks, Equinox, plus two weeks, Michaelmas, plus two weeks, Cusp, plus two weeks, Samhain, plus two weeks, Feroniae, plus one week, Lucie, plus two weeks, Solstice.<br />
<br />
Eight days (Solstices, Equinoxes, Bride's, Beltain, Lugh's, and Samhain), with a day twelve days before and twelve after. 24 days.<br />
<br />
There are 24 knots in my year, not modeled after these, but it ties in nicely to mine, which are the Bright and Dark Moons closest to each 15 degrees of the Zodiac, the custs and the midpoints. But the above is close enough to these that I think I need to work through the these and see how they relate to my own cycle, and what lore will come out of it.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<br />Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-3139392593094509702013-12-22T04:38:00.000-07:002013-12-22T04:38:20.749-07:00That One Is More Important: A look at buildings, history, and learning to ask the right questons<div style="text-align: center;">
"That one is more important."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Why do I know that?"</div>
<br />
It is important to learn to observe. And it is important to learn to listen. Especially when it is ourself talking. And it is important to learn to ask the right questions. Buildings are important. Locations are important. Names are important. History is important. Learn to observe. Learn to listen. Learn to ask the right questions.<br />
<br />
On Friday, I drove into Denver with the intent to go on a tour of the Governor's Residence. They were doing tours through that day, from 10am-2pm each week day. This was in relation to the Christmas decorations that were done this year by the Colorado Interior Design Coalition. It was supposed to be beautiful.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH8hmQXcIezb_PN4RKH4kbzHvYFws_0ciukW5P4bAzuMhq7mIEOJ98xc2Ryr0O9OM25DIX1M1aH7-WCFHhCt-ikcnyzL5CXn4P_tn5SWqTsAQZqOv2XQqCARFbZvP-3f3BVubtVrNVPY/s1600/2013-12-20+14.10.47+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Governor's Residence at the Boettcher Mansion" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH8hmQXcIezb_PN4RKH4kbzHvYFws_0ciukW5P4bAzuMhq7mIEOJ98xc2Ryr0O9OM25DIX1M1aH7-WCFHhCt-ikcnyzL5CXn4P_tn5SWqTsAQZqOv2XQqCARFbZvP-3f3BVubtVrNVPY/s1600/2013-12-20+14.10.47+HDR.jpg" height="240" title="Governor's Residence at the Boettcher Mansion" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Governor's Residence at the Boettcher Mansion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Governor's Residence is more properly called the Governor's Residence at the Boettcher Mansion. Previously, it was referred to as the Governor's Mansion. It was completed in 1908 by Walter Cheesman. Cheesman was a druggist from Long Island originally and growing up in Chicago, working with his brother to provide the necessities in early Denver. He made his fortune in real estate and built himself a mansion, which his widow sold to Claude Boettcher in 1923. Boettcher came from a pioneering family who started with a hardware store selling to miners and built a fortune in many areas including sugar and cement. The Boettcher Foundation donated the mansion as the residence for the governor in 1959.<br />
<br />
I ran into slow traffic on my way from Longmont to Denver, and got there too late. The tours were until 2pm, and I got to the closed gate at 2:10. I only got to see it from the road, but it is a gorgeous building. I walked around it and down the hill past the carriage house, then across Governor's Park below it. I proceeded up the hill on the other side in the park, and say another mansion to the east of Boettcher Mansion. My mind spoke, saying, "That one is more important." I then asked the obvious next question, "Why do I know that?" "Because it's higher" came the answer. And I wondered why that was the reason.<br />
<br />
High places have always been important. As are low places. Study many cultures and peoples in history, and this is quite evident. There are different reasons for this, in regard to high places. One is the military element. A high place sees more of the surrounding area, so gives you more warning of an attack. Build a tower or raised platform and it becomes more so. A high place is also easier to defend. Being above your enemy gives you the advantage, whether you are shooting (shooting arrows, throwing spears, later, shooting guns or cannons, are easier to kill with using gravity to draw them down from a height) or fighting with a melee weapon (you have an advantage swinging down, with gravity helping, over someone swinging up). Second, there is a power and government element. Being higher than someone by definition is superior, and this implies power over those below. Whoever is on the hill above is easily seen as more powerful and more affluentual. There is also a spiritual aspect, when dealing with sky gods or spirits, the high place is closest to them, just as when dealing with chthonic gods and spirits, the low place is closest, like caves and pits.<br />
<br />
So, this second mansion is higher. So what? Does the idea above hold water? Is this second mansion, which is not the Governor's, more important? It is most definitely higher. From the atrium of Boettcher Mansion, you can see Pike's Peak on a clear day, which is way south near Colorado Springs. Boettcher Mansion has an amazing view. But the balcony on the highest floor of the second mansion is a good fifty feet higher, and looks out above the roof of Boettcher Mansion. In fact, before the much more recent apartment complexes around it were built, and before the sky scrapers in the Upper Downtown area were built, it would have been the highest point in Denver, with a view incorporating everything to the west of it all the way to the Frontrange, for an amazing panorama. So it has the height, but was it really more important? Is it now?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijw3NyJE_SKYWX5HNJZwUuc4gphn1QHJJy18qoBDNB9525k0viSNqe9uyOy3oGSKOAeyF8Svm4Viqkmi-6RfMXKIVAp66iw6doi14wbnYU9ax1LJovhceAY5XNeyNhjRivM8RYEnbbkM4/s1600/2013-12-20+14.15.40+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Grant-Humphreys Mansion" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijw3NyJE_SKYWX5HNJZwUuc4gphn1QHJJy18qoBDNB9525k0viSNqe9uyOy3oGSKOAeyF8Svm4Viqkmi-6RfMXKIVAp66iw6doi14wbnYU9ax1LJovhceAY5XNeyNhjRivM8RYEnbbkM4/s1600/2013-12-20+14.15.40+HDR.jpg" height="240" title="Grant-Humphreys Mansion" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grant-Humphreys Mansion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The second mansion is the Grant-Humphreys Mansion. It was completed six years before the Boettcher Mansion, in 1902, for $35,000, which was a very large sum at the time. The original building had 30 rooms and was much bigger than the Boettcher Mansion. It was built by James Benton Grant. Grant Street in downtown Denver is not named for the president as I presumed, but for this Grant. Grant was a plantation owner in Alabama who was impoverished by the Civil War and decided to try to make it back in the mining industry. He studied in Germany and moved to Leadville, Colorado where he made a fortune with a smelting company. In 1917, his widow sold the mansion to Albert E. Humphreys. Humphreys made a fortune three times, only sustaining it on the third. One was in logging, then in mining, and finally in oil. The mansion came under the stewardship of the Colorado Historical Society in 1976.<br />
<br />
Now, as you can guess, smelting, in a time where mining was the biggest industry in the Frontrange, was a bit more important than, say, drugstores and hardware stores. Likewise, an oil baron was a bit more influential than the owners of the Boettcher Mansion. There's a reason the second mansion is larger, higher, and older than the first.<br />
<br />
So, I observed. I looked at two mansions and noted what I could with my senses. I listened. I listened to my internal voice, took note when I told myself the second mansion was more important. And I asked the right questions. I asked, and through those questions identified why it was so.<br />
<br />
And named are important. They leave legacies, and the places and streets and locations bearing the names lend clues to understanding the history, the impact, and the importance of those that bore the names. The four names above, each to different degrees, were important in the Denver area and the history of the area. One of the major roads in Denver was named for Grant, who served as Colorado's third governor, did much for Colorado's trade and commerce industries, and contributed to great extent to education in the state. The neighbourhood to the east of Capital Hill, on which these two mansions are built, is named for Cheesman, including a park named for him, with many tales of being haunted and a colourful history. Walter Cheesman has instrumental in developing Denver's water system, and was well known for using his money to help people. The Boettcher Foundation has been responsible for aiding in many endeavors to improve Colorado, including building projects and educational scholarships.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<br />Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-79447073902541285552013-12-06T00:32:00.002-07:002013-12-06T00:38:43.147-07:00Lord of SerpentsNow this is interesting.<br />
<br />
From Skáldskaparmál:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
These are names of serpents: Dragon, Fáfnir, Mighty Monster, Adder, Nídhöggr, Lindworm, She-Adder, Góinn, Móinn, Grafvitnir, Grábakr, Ófnir, Sváfnir, Hooded One.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Þessi eru orma heiti: dreki, Fáfnir, Jörmungandr, naðr, Níðhöggr, linnr, naðra, Góinn, Móinn, Grafvitnir, Grábakr, Ófnir, Sváfnir, grímr.</blockquote>
<br />
This is interesting because of this, from the Grimnismol:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now am I Othin, | Ygg was I once,<br />
Ere that did they call me Thund;<br />
Vak and Skilfing, | Vofuth and Hroptatyr,<br />
Gaut and Jalk midst the gods;<br />
Ofnir and Svafnir, | and all, methinks,<br />
Are names for none but me.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Óðinn ek nú heiti,<br />
Yggr ek áðan hét,<br />
hétomk Þundr fyrir þat,<br />
Vakr ok Skilfingr,<br />
Váfuðr ok Hroptatýr,<br />
Gautr ok Iálkr með goðom,<br />
Ofnir ok Svafnir,<br />
er ek hygg at orðnir sé<br />
allir af einom mér.</blockquote>
<br />
You'll note Svafnir and Ofnir in both lists, with Odin saying in the second that they are names for none but him. Grímr, also, is used for him in another place, though for other things as well. The list definitely starts with serpents, Jörmungandr being Loki's son, the World Serpent that circles Midgard, Níðhöggr being the serpent in the Roaring Cauldron who chews on the roots of Yggdrasil, and Fáfnir being the dwarf in the Volsunga Saga that turns to a dragon from greed. Odin himself, also in the Grimnismol, gives a list:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
More serpents there are | beneath the ash<br />
Than an unwise ape would think;<br />
Goin and Moin, | Grafvitnir's sons,<br />
Grabak and Grafvolluth,<br />
Ofnir and Svafnir | shall ever, methinks,<br />
Gnaw at the twigs of the tree.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ormar fleiri<br />
liggia under aski Yggdrasils<br />
en þat uf hyggi hverr ósviðra apa:<br />
Góinn ok Móinn,<br />
þeir ero Grafvitnis synir,<br />
Grábakr ok Grafvölluðr,<br />
Ofnir ok Svafnir<br />
hygg ek at æ skyli<br />
meiðs kvisto má.</blockquote>
<br />
His list has some in common, also including the two he names later as names for himself.<br />
Ofnir means inciter, Svafnir means sleep bringer, or closer. Doesn't take much thought to see them as opposites, Ofnir inciting to action, Svafnir bringing an end to action. Catalyst and Nexus.<br />
<br />
It's easy to see these as names for Odin, what's harder is to understand why Odin himself says they are names only for him, and and that they will forever gnaw on the tree. Scholars figure there is likely corruption, that the two names weren't in both lists originally, but this is conjecture, unknown for sure. If he is calling himself a serpent, there may be a mystery in those names.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<br />Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521855903057174870.post-27147918858763633872013-11-23T13:15:00.000-07:002013-11-23T13:16:15.041-07:00Thirteen Points of Advice for Those Starting on the PathThe following are thirteen points of advice and guidance I'd give to anyone starting out of the path. They aren't exclusive, there are other things to know. And they aren't original, they are drawn from many sources. And they are from my point of view, so should not be taken as gospel. I hope they help some who read them. Before getting into them, four books I'd recommend before most others, and I have a very long recommended reading list, are the following:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Visual Magick by Jan Fries (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1869928571/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1869928571&linkCode=as2&tag=grimr-20" target="_blank">Paperback</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ZW8G00/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009ZW8G00&linkCode=as2&tag=grimr-20" target="_blank">Kindle</a>)</li>
<li>Drawing Down the Spirits by Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159477269X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=159477269X&linkCode=as2&tag=grimr-20" target="_blank">Paperback</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C05GYY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004C05GYY&linkCode=as2&tag=grimr-20" target="_blank">Kindle</a>)</li>
<li>Mysticism: Initiation and Dream by Andrew D. Chumbley (<a href="http://www.jdholmes.com/shop/jdholmes/X-M1.html" target="_blank">J.D. Holmes - US</a>, <a href="http://www.threehandspress.com/monograph1.php" target="_blank">Three Hands Press - UK</a>)</li>
<li>The Robert Cochrane Letters by Robert Cochrane and Evan John Jones (Out of print but available <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1861632215/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1861632215&linkCode=as2&tag=grimr-20" target="_blank">through Amazon</a>)</li>
</ul>
<br />
And that being said, here are the thirteen points of advice that are my intention if sharing this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Mutual respect is essential. Respect the spirits, and expect respect in return. If you don't receive it, they're out, burnt, or cut off.</li>
<li>All things have a spirit, and that spirit can be worked with and learned from. Some work with them as servants, or worship them and become servants. I prefer to work with them as partners. There is an authority in knowing you are equal with all things.</li>
<li>People (and spirits) see what they expect to see. Open your eyes, then open them again. Observe. Perceive. Understand.</li>
<li>What conceals also reveals. Look beneath the surface, both in of what your senses (physical or otherwise) tell you and what teachings, lore, and myth tell you. What they hide is as important as what they say.</li>
<li>Learn to ask the right questions. Asking the wrong question will send you in the wrong direction. There are no bad questions, but often looking at the question in the right way opens doors. And always ask the next question, don't let the answer be the end of the question.</li>
<li>When all else fails, cheat. Don't assume that the traditional way to do something, the way everyone does it, or the way you've always done it is the only approach. If it doesn't work, do something else.</li>
<li>Divide and conquer. If something is baffling or seems to be concealing something you can't quite grasp or see, break it down, look at each part of it separately, determine where something is missing, concealed, or not working, and focus there.</li>
<li>Only you are responsible for your actions and words, no one else, and you aren't responsible for anyone else's. Do what is necessary, but accept the responsibility for it. Own what you say and what you do, regardless of the consequences or what you think of them later. Don't pass blame, and don't take it on.</li>
<li>Learn from all things. All beings, objects, persons, spirits, circumstances, lore, teachings, regardless of the source or pain or issues, contain beauty, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and can be learned from, if you ask the right questions, look beneath the surface, and separate what has value from what doesn't. There's a saying in Hawai'i that not all knowledge is found in one shed.</li>
<li>Be willing to consider any idea, no matter how different from your own. Examine it, understand it, but don't just accept it in you process. Hold on firmly to what you know, and only change it if there is good reason to do so.</li>
<li>Everybody lies, misrepresents, and hides things. This goes for spirits as well as living humans, and all things. Never assume you are being told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We all speak through our filters, understand based on our experiences, hide what we don't want seen, and mislead when it will gain us something. Make no assumptions about the truth of, completeness of, or accuracy of anything you are told. This goes for what you tell yourself as well. Look deeper, examine. Observe. Perceive. Understand.</li>
<li>What is yours, you need to hold, protect, defend. As Cochrane said, "What I have--I hold!" You are guardian and keeper of what is yours. Find what that is, and keep it against the storm.</li>
<li>What you put in, you get out. As we say in computers, garbage in, garbage out. Only you control what you get from the path. No effort, no result. No danger, no gain. Victor Anderson said anything worth doing is dangerous, and Cochrane said take all you are given, give all of yourself. Huna teaches that where your attention goes, the mana goes, and Taoist thought teaches similar, where the mind goes, the chi follows. Where you focus, that's where your energy is, what you think about and contemplate, that is where you will learn. It's all about you. You hold the reins. Make the most of it.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
Hope these are helpful for some.<br />
<br />
FFF,<br />
<br />
~Muninn's Kiss<br />
<br />Muninn's Kisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950767190932974289noreply@blogger.com2