A Druid's Journey Through Midgard
By: Mike Kaan
Hail, Night!
Hail, daughter of Night!
Hail, spirits of Night!
The day is done
as darkness comes,
and Hrimfaxi rides high in the sky.
May the lessons of the day bring wisdom.
May the work of the day bring abundance.
May Night bring rest and peace.
So be it!
Hail, mighty Mississippi!
Your flowing waters
move through the land,
bringing life to all.
This life is the gift you give,
so I return to you this gift
in gratitude.
May your rushing depths
continue to sustain this land.
Mighty Mississippi, accept this offering!
By: Mike Kaan
This ritual template has evolved from my very first rituals using the ADF Core Order of Ritual. The beauty of the ADF Core Order of Ritual lies in its modular nature. I don’t necessarily need to reinvent the wheel every time I plan for my next High Day rite, I just write a new Statement of Purpose and invocations for the deities or beings I will be honoring for that particular ritual. If I do need to revise the template, I can revise it a step at a time without having to rewrite the whole script.
The liturgy that follows has served me well, and has produced powerful solitary ritual experiences for me.
1: Initiating the Rite
[Ring bell three times at shrine]
Say: “A child of the Earth has come to honor the Kindreds!”
[Perform Two Powers meditation]
2: Purification
Say: “The waters of the Earth flow within me, the light of the sky shines within me, cleansing me and making me whole.”
3: Honoring the Earth Mother
Say: “Hail Jord, hail Nerthus! Goddesses of the Earth! Your blessings of abundance and peace flow over the land, giving life to all. I stand upon you with gratitude and I honor you. Be with me in my rite. Jord and Nerthus, accept my offering!”
[Make offering]
4: Statement of Purpose
Say: [A short statement of the purpose of the rite]
5: (Re)Creating the Cosmos
Say: “And so it came to pass that Odin and his brothers slew the giant Ymir: Of Ymir’s flesh the Land was fashioned, and of his blood the Sea; crags of his bones, trees of his hair, and of his skull the Sky. Then of his brows the Gods made Midgard for sons of men.” (modified from original translation)
Say: “Hail to the Fire! Flame of the hearth and tribe, fires of creation and destruction, light of the Heavens, shining forth from Asgard, home of the halls of the Gods, radiant with wisdom, order, and inspiration!”
[Make offering of olive oil to the Fire]
“Sacred Fire, burn within me!”
Say: “Hail to the Well, the triple Well, deep beneath the earth! The Well of Hvergelmir, source of all waters, near the Halls of the Dead, the Well of Mimir, deep pool of sacrifice and wisdom, the Well of Urd, the spring of fate, where the gods hold court, and where the Norns determine the fates of gods and men!”
[Make offering of silver to the Well]
“Sacred Well, flow within me!”
Say: “Hail to Yggdrasil, the World Tree! Standing tall in Midgard, connecting all Nine Worlds together, from Helheim below to shining Asgard above, from deepest root to tallest branch, the center of the cosmos!”
[Cense and asperge Tree]
“Sacred Tree, grow within me!”
[Renew center]
6: Opening the Gate(s)
Say: “Hail Heimdall, son of nine mothers, all-seeing and all-hearing guardian of Bifrost Bridge! You stand at the threshold of Asgard, guarding the realm of the Gods from those who seek to destroy it. Be with me in my rite. Heimdall, accept my offering!”
[Make offering]
Say: “Heimdall, aid me as I open the gates! May this Fire become a gate, opening to Asgard, realm of the Gods! May this Well become a gate, opening to the Halls of the Dead, realm of the Ancestors! May this Tree become a gate, opening to Midgard, realm of the wights, and connecting all Nine Worlds together!”
Say: “May the gates be open!”
[Make an opening motion with hands, envisioning the gates opening in the Sacred Center]
Say: “The gate is now open!”
7: Inviting the Three Kindreds
Say: “Hail Ancestors! From the line of Ask and Embla, to the line of my Alfar and Disir, with wisdom and stength you guide me from realms above and below, with wisdom and strength you guide me from within my blood. I honor you. Be with me in my rite. Ancestors, accept my offering!”
[Make offering]
Say: “Hail Land Wights, spirits of forest and field, spirits of stone and stream, shining elves and earthen dwarves! You guide me as I walk Midgard, teaching me the lessons of nature. I honor you. Be with me in my rite. Land wights, accept my offering!”
[Make offering]
Say: “Hail Gods and Goddesses, Aesir and Vanir! From your halls you shine bright and brave, illuminating me with wisdom, bestowing me with courage, sustaining me with abundance. I honor you. Be with me in my rite. Gods and goddesses, accept my offering!”
[Make offering]
8: Key Offerings
Praise offerings:
[Make offering]
Being of the Occasion:
[Make offering]
9: Prayer of Sacrifice
Say: “Ancestors, Land Wights, Gods and Goddesses! In the Sacred Center I have given you offerings, in the Sacred Center I have given you my devotion! Mighty Kindreds, I honor you! Mighty Kindreds, I praise you! Mighty Kindreds, accept my offering!”
[Make offering]
[Renew center and feel the flow returning]
10: The Omen
Say: “Hail Odin, All-father, ruler of Asgard! Nine nights you hung from Yggdrasil for the secrets of the runes, nine nights you hung on that windy tree, sacrificing self to self. Odin, All-father, wielder of the runes, let the Kindreds speak to me! What blessings do I receive in return for my offerings?”
[Draw three runes]
One for:
Ancestors
Land wights
Gods
11: Calling for the Blessings
Say: “Mighty Kindreds, offerings have I given you and your blessings have been revealed! A gift calls for a gift to complete the exchange of hospitality. Mighty Kindreds, may your blessings flow into this horn, so that I may drink deeply of fair return!”
Say: “Give to me the Waters of Life!”
12: Hallowing the Blessings
[Trace runes on the horn]
[Visualize the traced runes glowing with power, sinking into the cup, into the beverage, and glowing within the liquid]
Say: “Mighty Kindreds, your blessings flow into this horn. Behold the Waters of Life!”
[Drink]
13: Affirming the Blessing
Say: “Mighty Kindreds, your blessings flow through my head, my heart, and my loins. Hail to the Kindreds!”
[Renew center]
14: Workings
[Magical workings are done here]
15: Thanking the Beings
Say: “[BoTO], thank you for your presence and blessings in this rite.”
Say: “Gods and Goddesses, Aesir and Vanir, thank you for your presence and blessings in this rite.”
Say: “Land wights, spirits of the land, thank you for your presence and blessings in this rite.”
Say: “Ancestors, kin of my blood and spirit, thank you for your presence and blessings in this rite.”
16: Closing the Gates
Say: “Heimdall, my work here is finished. May the gates be closed!”
[Make a closing motion with hands, envisioning the gates closing]
Say: “The gates are now closed.”
Say: “Heimdall, son of nine mothers, all-seeing and all-hearing guardian of Bifrost Bridge, thank you for your presence in this rite.”
17: Thanking the Earth Mother
Say: “Nerthus and Jord, Goddesses of the Earth. Your blessings of peace and plenty flow over the land, giving life to all. I stand upon you in gratitude and I honor you.”
[If there are leftover offerings:]
Say: “I return to you that which remains.”
[Give leftover offerings]
Say: “Nerthus and Jord, thank you for your presence in this rite and your rich bounty.”
18: Closing the Rite
Say: “I go forth with the blessings of the Kindreds. This rite has ended!”
By: Mike Kaan
Ehwaz
May I be blessed
to have a strong steed beneath,
bearing me along my path.
May I be blessed
to be the strong steed beneath,
bearing kin through trouble.
By: Mike Kaan
Hail, Sunna!
Bright bride of the heavens,
golden, glowing goddess,
fire of sky and air!
I greet you this day!
May your journey across the sky
be swift and safe.
So be it!
By: Mike Kaan
I lift my voice to the heavens,
praising the mothers of the Sky.
My voice drifts across the Middle World,
praising the mothers of the Land.
I whisper into the Deeps,
praising the mothers of the Sea
and lightless depths.
Mothers of All,
I praise you!
By: Mike Kaan
Omens are meant to remembered and contemplated. They remind us of the dialogue the Kindreds have with us, whether as answers to difficult questions or revealing the blessings received in ritual. Some symbols rise to dominance in our lives, revealing themselves time and again over the course of many draws, while some fade away only to show themselves months later. “The Long Draw” is a way of tracking divination symbols that are drawn over a period of time, to see if patterns and themes emerge which may be useful in personal or group spiritual growth. This method is a way of looking at how certain divination symbols, and their subsequent meanings, influence and reflect our lives. Obviously, divination systems involving a set number of symbols (runes, ogham, tarot, etc.) and revealed by sortilege will work best for analysis.
Omen analysis requires several things to be effective:
1. Journal
This journal should contain the results of the draws you perform. Important additions to the entries would be the date of the draw, and what question was asked. If you feel so inclined, you may also include astronomical information if you think that is important to your draws.
2. Time
I have found that a year’s worth of regular draws can be sufficient in revealing which symbols were most active, although if the celebrant does a daily draw then six months should be sufficient. High Day blessings may require a longer period of time to check emerging patterns, as they are only done 8 times a year. This may require 5 years or more to provide a clearer picture of recurring or non-recurring blessings. Personally, I perform a weekly devotional, with a blessing and advice oracle draw. These two draws would be great candidates for a year-long retrospective.
3. Context
Divination draws are highly contextual, and their interpretation can be based solely on the question asked. As such, it is highly recommended that omen draws are used that apply to a single question. Using an example from the previous paragraph, my advice oracle uses the same question every week, which is: What advice do [the Kindreds] give to me for the coming week? The same could be said for my High Day ritual blessings, where the question is: What blessings do I receive in return for my offerings? This allows for clarity of meaning when looking at the results over a period of time.
4. Consistent symbology
Because different symbol systems have a wide variety of meaning, and are not always consistent with each other, it is also recommended that you use the same set of symbols for every draw during the period you wish to log. This may not be an issue in personal practice, but may be challenging if your grove rotates divination symbols in correlation with cultural focus during seasonal rites. In this case, the symbols can still be logged and compared against symbols of other cultures to see if trends emerge.
5. Patience
A year, even 6 months, can be a long time to wait for results, so a degree of patience is required for this method. That said, the outcome is well worth the wait for the information it can provide.
Once enough time has passed, getting the results is a rather simple affair. On a blank sheet of paper, make a list of all the symbols in the system you are using. Then, starting from the beginning date of your analysis period, place a mark next to each symbol that shows up. It may also be a good idea to make a note of how many times you’ve taken an omen, so that you may derive percentages for each symbol. This is an optional method, but it can be used if you feel that it would be helpful. Alternatively, you could also count your symbols as you go.
After tallying the symbols, you should have a good idea of which ones you have drawn the most. Let’s start with the top 3 symbols. You could read them in a couple of different ways. One possibility would be to look at the meaning of each symbol as it relates to the question asked, and see how it has applied to your life over the period you have chosen. Another way would be to take these top 3 symbols and analyze them just like any other reading, noting their interactions with each other, and the message these symbols relate as a whole.
I’ll use my own rune draws as an example of this system.
Analysis period: 2/24/2014 – 2/24/2015
Question: What advice do [the Kindreds] give to me for the coming week? (Note: The original question requests counsel for a specific time period, but for the purposes of analysis we can apply it to the whole year, since that is what we are seeking.)
Total omen draws for this query during the year: 48
1. Elhaz (pulled 10 times)
2. Gebo (9), Tiwaz (9)
3. Uruz (8), Thurisaz (8), Raido (8)
Interpretation:
The most common rune I pulled all year was Elhaz, which is a rune of protection. To me, Elhaz came across as reassurance from the Kindreds. Last year, I had become a Dedicant Druid and was continuing to build my relationship with the Kindreds. Elhaz was their way of telling me that I am under their care. This leads to the second most common runes, which was Gebo and Tiwaz. Here the Kindreds advise me to continue engaging in *ghos-ti with them and with everyone I have a relationship with (Gebo). This will guide me on my path, leading me on an unerring course to right-action and victory (Tiwaz). Put in another way, right-relationship leads to right-action and vice versa.
The year brought challenges though. Here, Thurisaz is the chaos that was present in my life throughout the year, with strength (Uruz) as the means of overcoming it. Raido is a reminder that this is part of the journey and of life itself, but take care in not running the horse into the ground in my attempt to push through struggle. The horse is often a symbol of those who help us along the way, and good counsel indeed to make sure that I take care of them as well.
In my analysis, I did not have just 3 common runes, but 6. In the case of ties, I would recommend making them a part of the reading. They can only serve to enhance the message. Also, don’t feel limited to analyzing just the top 3 symbols. It can easily be extended to include more, and there is even some value in looking at symbols that were not pulled very often.
It is my hope that this method will help folks look at omens in a different way, one that addresses the long-term to help facilitate spiritual and personal growth.
By: Mike Kaan
Hail Máni,
brother of Sunna,
counter of years!
May your soft silvery light
illuminate my way through darkness.
May your shifting face
remind me that change is constant.
Máni, I honor you!
By: Mike Kaan
Hail, spirits of this land!
Spirits of green and red,
spirits hidden and unhidden,
I call to you!
I come before you seeking friendship and wisdom.
I come before you so that I may know you.
See me as I walk lightly among you,
and hear me as I say these prayers to you.
May your wisdom be revealed to me,
and may my presence disturb you not.
Spirits of this land,
I come with this gift to honor you.
May I fall into your favor.
Land spirits, accept my offering!
