My Othala Galdr

Othala

I've been reading my new book Weaving Memory, A Guide to Honoring the Ancestors (by Laura Patsouris) tonight. Perusing through it, I came across this in it:

Galdr is the practice of raising power with the voice, and Othala is a rune connected to the ancestors and ancestral inheritance. Usually before I galdr my ancestor song I start by tapping on the ground or on a rock with a staff or stick to get the attention of the dead. I learned the practice of tapping on a rock from a Dagara Ancestor Worker and it is really quick and effective. I have a rock that has the rune Othala painted on it using my blood, so as I knock I am sending vibrations out to all of my dead from all of my assorted bloodlines to bear witness and to aid me. 

The hairs stood up on my body as it trembled with deep recogniton, my spirit welled up mightily, and a deeply profound joy embraced me when I read this. I know. I know. I know.

Nearly two decades ago, I had a dream. I dreamt of my clan and myself as we traveled during some prehistoric time before the human family had developed articulate language. This dream, in fact, captured the moment when I, as some ancient hominid creature, took that first step toward communicative speech. I may not have even been a homo sapien in the dream, but may have been an earlier hominid in my ancestral family line. Here is a poem I wrote describing the dream that I had - with tapping on rocks with sticks in it and the power of Voice -

before, when nothing was spoken
yet traveling together, darkness and light
primeval, dreamwalking, on the way
among us, then when we stopped for the night
one night, finding rest together in some cave of the land
I watching you, with sticks in your hand
tapping and banging the rock all around
curious creature, curious creature ...
gazing, watching, wondering about you
and this doing that you do
every action simply, silently speaking
in my ear, beautiful colors of chaos
telling me all about you
and before I knew it, I knew it
from the back of my tongue,
erupting ancient ancient sounds
the first of my story flew through, saying!
what are you trying to do?!
are you trying to tell me your story too ...
and still, from before to the cave and even now
listen, my friend ... it's raining, it's pouring
our story outside 

New Research Supports U5 Hg Originated in Pre-Ice Age Europe

New research information shared by scientist from my mtDNA U5 FB group:

Very important and interesting paper is out today that includes full genome testing of ancient remains - it supports previous theories that U5 originated in pre-ice age Europe. Quoting from the paper: "It has been argued that hg U5 is the most ancient subhaplogroup of the U lineage, originating among the first early modern humans in Europe [18]. Our results support this hypothesis because we find that the two Dolni Vestonice individuals radiocarbon dated to 31.5 kya carry a type of mtDNA that is as yet un-characterized, sits close to the root of hg U, and carries two mutations that are specific to hg U5." Here is a link to the abstract - the paper is behind a pay wall: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822%2813%2900215-7

Ancient Legendary Viking Sunstone Discovered

In synchronicity with yesterday's dream post, Archeology reports an ancient Viking sunstone has been discovered from a shipwreck in the English channel:

ALDERNEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS—Tests indicate that a piece of carved crystal recovered from a sixteenth-century shipwreck at the bottom of the English Channel is calcite. Calcite crystals have been shown to reveal patterns of polarized light around the sun, and could have helped early navigators determine its position in the sky on cloudy days. This crystal was found near the ship’s navigation equipment and may have been used as such an optical compass. These crystals are often found in Iceland and Scandinavia, and may have been the “sunstones” of Norse legends. This is the first time that archaeological evidence has been found to support the “sunstone” interpretation.

Magical Witch's Umbrella

In follow-up to my previous post (Thurisaz - When Frost Giants Dance), I have a cool classic witch umbrella just like the one above. I love it!

Thurisaz - When Frost Giants Dance

Thurisaz

In follow-up to my previous post (Witch Dancing New Logo), last night's rune drawing was Thurisaz. Then I dreamt.

I was in the Underworld in some place working as a nurse. At one point, I was ice dancing as I worked. I didn't like working as a nurse, but there was more to it than meets the eye (connected to Odin's dark eye in my new logo) at first glance. I wanted to get to the surface.

I made sure the orange juice got delivered. Then, as soon as I did this, my work in that place ended and I began making my way towards the outer hall.

The outer hall of the place was a long hall with shelves and shelves and heaped library carts of dusty old books. I noticed that all of the books, no matter what the cover design, had the same title.

Little flitting things (like one might imagine high energy subatomic particles) so small they were beyond seeing, but not beyond my perception, came together in my hand (out of sight, but not beyond perception) like Mary Poppin's magical umbrella and lifted me to the surface.

I woke up.

I knew that the magical lifting device which lifted me back to the surface from the underworld had come together on my behalf on account of making sure the orange juice (connected to the Sowilo rune in my new logo) had been delivered. This was such a little flitting thing (task) during the years I spent working as a nurse that I can't remember any specific time I did this, although I did it all the time. This task was so basic to me, that the remembrance of doing it any specific time made no impression on my consciousness - which fits well with the concept of Thurisaz.

Thurisaz is a rune embodying the preconscious, unthinking forces of Nature and Chaos, structurally in opposition to consciousness. In Northern Tradition runecraft, Thurisaz associates with the rime-thurses (frost giants) and to Thor's hammer (which wields the power of these dangerous forces in service to the evolution of consciousness).

Witch Dancing - New Logo

Witchcrafts Artisan Alchemy logo.

The new logo I created yesterday for my shoppe Witchcrafts Artisan Alchemy has connected its essence with a poem I wrote about 15 years ago - Witch Dance:

a tapestry
a seamless epiphany

of deep shadows
dancing naked with the night

chaos thirsts
ordering the mystery tale

as serpents sing
and scorpions weave music

here, where Lilith laughs
to the sound of brilliance

The Torch

Cen, The Torch

My original poem, THE TORCH, written over a decade ago (probably around 15 years ago). I now dedicate this poem in honor of Loki.

when facts tell lies and confusion reigns
when knowledge and ignorance with futility dance
when hope is dying and faith is failing
truth remains

when pain is endless and pleasure empty
when will lies heavy like stone and clarity is obscured
when wisdom reeks and reason flees
truth remains

when the heart staggers broken
with shattered strength and love drowns lost in the abyss
truth remains

when darkness reverberates blindly
and eternity is filled with hell
truth remains

when life is crushing and all is torn, when hiding cannot conceal
and wretching waters burn the naked dust
truth remains

when the pause is pregnant like a rock of hate against us
truth remains

Noble Warrior Loki

Rune Master

While I've recently discussed specific runeworks dealing with Raidho, another rune I draw very frequently in personal rune readings using my set of Younger Futhark runes is Kaun, the torch. Edred Thorsson tells us (in ALU, An Advanced Guide to Operative Runology) about Kaun:

Fierce, bold, brave, the epitome of the Noble Warrior, the rune Kaun is known to us through the Old English Tradition Rune-Poem as "the Torch, known to every living being by its fire that burns most frequently where nobles rest" in a state of serenity. 

This is how I see Loki - as a Noble Warrior. I am also increasingly becoming to see Loki as my Patron along with Hel, my Patroness. Loki's presence as my Guardian as I walk the path of my Ancestors was made known to me by his fire, even at my first blot where runes on my new altar were torched by fire as I was absorbed in the process of blooding my own runes! Loki clearly claimed and acknowledged me.

Raidho Rides Again

In follow-up to my post (Powerful All-Rune) this past Sunday, in which I described the dream (with a sink hole opening up in it) following my doubled double rune drawing involving Raidho, I report that I also drew Raidho in last night's bedtime rune drawing.

This is interesting from an occult perspective, because following my "Raidho dream" on Sunday which involved a sink hole, today following last night's Raidho rune drawing, the news reported today that last night (the night of last night's rune drawing) a Florida man was swallowed up by a sink hole while asleep in his bed:

SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) — A huge sinkhole about 30-feet across opened up under a man's bedroom and swallowed him, taking all of the furniture too.

Jeff Bush was feared dead after the floor gave way Thursday night. As he screamed for help, his brother Jeremy Bush jumped into the hole to try to help, but couldn't see him and had to be rescued himself. With the earth still crumbling, a sheriff's deputy reached out his hand and pulled Jeremy Bush to safety.

"The floor was still giving in and the dirt was still going down, but I didn't care. I wanted to save my brother," Jeremy Bush said through tears Friday as he stood in a neighbor's yard. "But I just couldn't do nothing."

The only thing sticking out of the hole was a small corner of a bed's box spring. Cables from a television led down into the hole, but the TV set, along with a dresser, was nowhere to be seen.

Officials lowered equipment into the sinkhole but didn't see any sign of life.

Engineers worked to determine the size of the sinkhole. At the surface, officials estimated it was about 30 feet across. Below the surface, officials believed it was 100 feet wide.

From the outside of the small, sky blue house, nothing appeared wrong. There wear no cracks and the only sign something was amiss was the yellow caution tape circling the house.

There were six people at the home when it collapsed, including Jeremy Bush's wife and his 2-year-old daughter.

Read full story here.

Hail Hel for guarding my life! Hail Loki for guarding my path!