Attended Requiem Rite at Trusty Pines for Rick and Debbie's pre-mature son, Charles.
On way up had long discussion with Ranger and Pam about my time in the Concrete Ashram. This seemed good for me and I told them about some of the more interesting people I met there and answered their questions about my experiences. It is good for me to analyze these memories periodically.
Arrived late so rite was in progress, (nearly over) I was not pleased with this. The Rite was very beautiful and served the purpose of easing the pain of the parents and that of the community. Afterwards, I went down to the Ancestor Shrine with Rick and Debbie adn Ranger and Pam and we made the usual offerings of water, cigars and a plate of food. I had also brought some foil-wrapped chocolate in the shape of a gold coin. In addition we had the mead from the bottle that was left over fromt he ritual. I think that the trip to the ancestor shrine provided an additional closure to the ritual. Shared my reflections with Rick and Debbie that perhaps Charles was taken by Odin to serve in Valhal. A fate that I would embrace...
Other e-mail message from Louis Martinee mentions Manmam Brigette, the wife of Papa Legba and Loa of Beneficial Court proceedings. I interpret this as a favorable sign for Green Dome Temple court hearing and will make appropriate offering at Ancestor Shrine to her if we get a favorable outcome.
We had the second meeting of the Norse Fellowship/Kindred last nite at Dave & Courtney's. Court was at GDT Trial and missed the meeting. I did the Hammer Hallowing to set up sacred space and we then had a discussion on terminology and some stories about the deities. It was a good meeting and we resolved to celebrate Yule/12 Nites on fri. Dec. 20. Also Dave is interested in redoing the Wiccan Temple into a Norse Harrow. I told him that I would be into assisting with that. I would like to create some really charged group ritual items: Hammer, Harrow, Horn, Blot-bowl etc. Preferably, we can combine the craft and Craft talents of each member of the kindred to impart our group essence into these tools.
Did some follow up research on Disir rite that Consort mentioned in the Kevdulf's Teutonic Magic. I didn't realize that it was the source of the daily prayer I say... Thinking about performing full rite to pray for connection to Ancestral Wulf Disir. Will consider possible modifications of this outline.
I wonder if the dream is an expression of my current focus on making a spiritual contact with Deity... Definitely need to check in with Duck!
Tony gives a reprise of his Geomancy presentation which is very interesting. I decide to use the system to divine about my main personal concern which is to get a open connection with deity thru the great work. Using his work sheets I determine that this query will fall under Sagitarius and Jupiter. I am a little concerned about the information on the tables that Tony has because it is very Medaeval with anti-feminist associations for the Moon and the heavy focus of Saturn as malefic. Some of the deity names I think I recognise as attributed differently. Possibly the material has been deliberately re-arranged as commonly done in Fraternaties. I do intend to use the system and I am very interested in its binary basis which is similar to the Oriental I Ching and the African Obi. I consider approcahing Probability and Statistics professor to do an analysis of the system! It would be a fun computer program to write if I get any time to do so...
Attended first of Queen Mother's lectures on Santeria at UC. The lecture was very interesting and I was pleased to find did not merely repeat the material I had heard previously when I attended one of her workshops. I was most interested in her use of the Tree of Life and the associations of the Orisha to the Sephira. I am looking forward to the continuation of her presentation this evening with the coverage of the Obi divination system.
There was some weirdness when Consort and I returned home after lecture. We noticed a series of strange smells in the house. With community weirdness of late I wonder about some sort of Magickal games and ask Consort to Bind house today. She tells me about being told by Wally Entity to Bind immediately Wed. nite just before I got home from meeting at Ann's, which of course she did. There sure is some straneness in the Air of late...
Later she tells me that weirdness is from unintentional "leakage" from community member who is stressed over conflicts of late. Binding is reported to be effectual against same by Wally entity.
Meet Bob H. at meeting. He is new to town and looking for Asatru and Fellow Runers! I get a good feeling from him and invite him to Fellowship and Student Group...
Went to party with Dr. B. for some members of the community. Have a great time and enjoy sacrament. I feel very close to them and in sync. E. tells me that I should consider being the Bard for the community, and tell and record it's stories. Oddly at the time, I don't feel draw to this particular role of service. Certainly there are many who tell a tale better than I! I am committed to building the community into a vehicle for self-actualization, whatever that means! Wonder if I am going to regret that Bodhisatvic vow!? :)
Dr. Bob had the chakra music cd that was spoken of by article that he circulated some weeks ba ck. We listen to the tape and do some spontaneous chakra yoga and mantra/galdor. I really like the cd and think it would be a god (oops misstyped: good) thing to acquire.
Maybe I'm just a goat but sacrament really brings out the whore in me! I just wanna have mystical union with everyone!
Since it is a secular holiday, I am off from work and school. I decide to complete the Geomantic Divination experiment that Tony started on Wed. nite at study group. I had decided to inquire about my efforts to find/forge connection with Disir patroness. I determine that this will be ruled by Juppiter and correspond to the house of Sagittarius. After consulting my copy of the Golden Dawn, I decide that God names are in order for correspondences. It has been a while since I have worked with the Angelic names of this system and I thought some of the associations were off, but they are fine... Still don't like simplistic planetary sigil for Juppiter so I draw the one for Hasmael using the Kamea of Jupiter. Proceed with rite by doing LPBR to create sacred space. Draw earth invoking Pentagram and inscribe with the Sigil using wand. Process of "Dotting" the paper to generate the figures proceeds naturally. Using the instructions provided in the handout, I create the 16 figures from the initial dots. I am unclear about the interpretation of same as the handouts refer to "good" and "bad" results which are vague to me. Will have to wait for next study group to get clear picture of outcome. Did look at GD text. You need to correlate the various figures with which astrological house they are in to figure their meaning...
Had a good Asatru Fellowship meeting last night. We decided to work through Kevdulf's book to give us a common focus and (eventually,) a common basis for the group. Consort and I are pleased that Bob H. is interested in doing the Rune Guild work! A possible start would be to begin working together on learning the Icelandic Language or Old Norse.
Pretty much on a whim, (as far as I could tell...), Ranger decides to do a I Ching reading. He uses three coins to generate the lines but not in the traditional manner in which there are changing lines. He gets the 8th hexagram which is called Pi. The interpretive reading from the Wilhelm translation is amazing and has a focus on community and leadership that seems to apply to the Ranger in a very clear way as well as relating to my own meditations and concerns of late concerning our community.
This turns out to be pre-mature and we will not find out the judges decision until Tues.
Lu forwards e-mail to/from Nema and we will include an older MR that she did in with the ones that he and I are doing currently!
Green Dome Temple meeting at Paul's. We start the meeting with the ritual exercise that had come to me over the week. It goes very well and seems to provide a focus and commonality for most of the meeting. Paul announces at meeting that he will resign a s Director of Green Dome. Group decides that the Trustees will pick a new Director for a five year term. Nominations are taken for the two-year Trustee position that is now open. There is some discussion about problems with ritual space around the bonfire at fest ivals. This is marred by scapegoating of a member not present who is accused of fomenting dissent and driving the various issues behind the discussions. This is very shameful behavior.
After meeting, Consort and Bob H. and I discuss Rune Guild work and decide to f ocus on learning the various Old Norse and Icelandic prayers and Rune poems using the Rune Song tape.
We agree to do the Mummer's Play again and I will reprise my role as the No-Bull Doctor. I am looking forward to the play whi ch is a very special magickal thing. Owen and Rob also requested that I play the role of King Bean for the Yule Boar's Head Feast this year.
Missed evening Hagalaz Galdr-Stada due to drunkeness.
Work on Full Moon Ritual Outline for Fellowship.
Perform private full moon rite with consort. Rite goes well and Galdr vibration is particulary good.
Had Norse Full moon rite at D and C's house. Consort is really tired from work and so in addition to them and myself, only Tony is present. I am pleased with the outline for the rite that I have developed and it oes well. As is my custom I refuse to read the rit e from the outline sheet. This time I am not real pleased with the level of eloquence that comes to me. (In this case outline is better than words I choose in ritual space to use...) One major aspect of the rite is the performance of the symbolic Blot with Mead and a boar-shaped biscuit. This goes well and I feel more confident about dong it in the future. Do perform Galdr for Mani, Norse Moon God but it is oddly flat and lacks the vital resonance I am used to. This may be result of other participants not used to doing same. Overall, rite seems to have gone well though and in evalu ation, folks say that they liked it and were able to get in touch with energies and purpose intended...
Fellowship was good this evening. There was excellent discussion and it was clear that people were getting into the readings. We decided to continue the reading of Teutonic Religion but now that we are at the chapter on the deities we will cover them one per week. Hopefully, in addition to reading the few pages of description that Kvedulf provides, folks will read the associated sections of the Prose and Poetic Eddas.
One thing that interested me fro m the discussion was that Bob described how Loki functions in the myth as a mixture of good and bad actions. In every case, while Loki's actions can be seen as negative, they tend to propell some greater plan. Thus Balder must die in order to come back after Ragnorak, etc. This is of course an archetypal quality of most trickster deities but Loki seems more complex. I am intrigued by the blood brotherhood Loki has with Odhin which suggests to me that he may be a part of Odhin.
Fail to do Hagalaz meditation in evening, just go to bed.