Yule

As a solo practitioner, Yule can be as daunting and lonely as it can also be magical and uplifting. Practising a religion alone, even with the support of online communities such as Discord, Facebook and beyond, can be a real challenge. The inner fire of belief can burn low, it can sputter and go out, and it may need to be gently tended to in order to get it burning again.

However alone we can feel at this time of year, however alone we may be in practising our faith, we do so with a line of ancestors behind us with a vested interest in seeing us succeed and grow to the betterment of our families and communities. Whenever you reach those low moments in the dark of our minds or the dark of the world around us, remember they are there in support of you. Remember, you are never truly alone. There are thousands of people like you all over the world, feeling those same feelings and hoping for more, wondering if anyone else is looking up at those beautiful stars at night at the same time as them. Know that there is always someone else doing that, there is hope and the hope that comes to us at Yuletide is the return of blessed Sunne as she begins to come back into our lives for longer, offering us light, warmth and new life. Yule is the pinnacle of the winter period, it is Midwinter, the Solstice, the shortest day, and the day we must seize upon the opportunity to implore Sunne back into our lives and share her blessed gifts with us.

You don’t need to be with anyone else to do this, you just need to feel it in your heart and feel that shiver up your spine as you speak aloud or in your head to her. What follows is a simple Yule ritual for a solo practitioner and one that I intend to follow this year. Use it if you wish, read it if it comforts you. I wish you all a blessed Yule as we witness the re-birth of Sunne into our lives!

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Having washed and cleansed myself, I will wear warm, simple clothing and my decision this year is to complete the ritual outside in my orchard where a neat raised bank forms a semi-circle in the grounds I have with a beautiful canopy of evergreen trees above me, and bare birch trees rise skywards beyond that. My altar for this consists of a tree stump upon which will be a votive candle within a glass surround (To prevent it being blown out by any breeze!). If it is windy, I will instead bring a battery-powered lantern out to perform the same task. I intend to conduct the ritual at dawn on Yule morning. The candle or lantern will act as a light in the dusk and a focal point for the ritual.

Because the ritual is being conducted outside, I will first address the landwights to appeal to them not to interfere in the ritual and grant me grith (temporary truce) to allow me to proceed.

“Spirits of this land, I come to you in peace, unarmed and of true intent. I wish to petition the Gods and wish no ill upon you or this place. I beseech thee to allow me to continue and offer you this gift in exchange for griþ.”

I will then pour mead outside of the henge-bank area where I am to conduct my ritual, at each compass point. The significance of this is personal, and you may choose to simply pour some out anywhere upon the ground to signify the offering to the landwights.

I will then ward the area to be used for the ritual as a temporary sacred space by hallowing it with the flame of the votive candle or lantern repeating as I walk around the edges of it:

“Þunor-Hālgynghealdend (Hallowing Protector) I call to thee to make this place sacred and protect me and this area from those who would do us harm or have malign intent for the purposes of this ritual. Hail to thee, mighty Gumfrēong (Man-friend) and thank you, please accept this offering of mead in exchange for your blessing.”

I pour some mead into an offering cup for Þunor and place it upon the altar. The votive candle/lantern is also placed upon the altar at this point. I will then petition Nerþum-Þerscoldweard (Threshold Guardian) by taking a pinch of soil from the ground beneath me and holding it in my palm.

“Nerþum, Nerþum, Nerþum
Mother of Earth
Bringer of life
Keeper of the dead
You are both womb and tomb
Guardian of the threshold between life and death
I ask you to open the way between the worlds so that the Gods and the honoured dead may hear my entreaty
You are of me as I am of you
So I began as dust, so too will I end as such
I beseech thee to accept this offering of incense placed upon this altar in gratitude
Hail Nerþum, none may look upon your countenance and live, such is your beauty”

I light some incense upon the altar. I will now call again to the landwights, this time entreating those who wish to join me to do so if their intentions are true.

“Spirits of this land, I call to thee once more. We are at the heart of winter; the shortest day and this land is gripped in a deep slumber. If there are those among you who wish to join me in this petition, please do so if your intentions be true. Come join me in warmth and joy as I beseech fair Sunne to return to us.”

I will pour a second libation outside of the sacred space. Note well, this encourages the landwights to join you in your sacred space, but it is important to ONLY invite those of good intent. You will have hallowed the space, but the strength of landwights cannot be readily known and that may not prove sufficient if you invite ALL to join.

Now I will call to my ancestors.

“I call to the honoured dead. My family, my ancestors and those who have shown me love and care in this life but have passed to the Summerlands or to Hel’s Hall. I speak to you now, humbly, in sincere gratitude for the love and support you have shown to me, my children and my family. This is the shortest day and blessed Sunne is to be petitioned to return. I ask you to join me here, to support me further in that petition and to be joyful that Midwinter has arrived, and fairer days are to come. Accept this gift of mead, that I share with thee and may it provide warmth against the cold of death, some sweetness against the bitterness of the wind and some gold to signify the return of blessed Sunne”

I will then offer up my mead cup to the votive candle and take a sip for myself, sharing that moment with my ancestors.

Next will be my call to Wōden and my petition to Sunne herself.

“Hail Wōden Ādrysendlīc (Unquenchable/Inextinguishable)
I ask that you accept this offering in exchange for helping me to maintain the three fires within me – the fire of belief, the fire of inspiration and the fire of knowledge.
I ask that you continue to help me feed the flames with hope, perseverance and thirst respectively.
It is Yule and I seek to share my mead-cup with thee in gratitude for your presence in my life.
Hail to thee, and thank you.

Sunne-Feorhgiefu (Giver of Life), Sunne-Beorht-Cwēn (Bright Queen)!
Oh blessed lady, I beseech thee to return to us from whence you have gone!
Come back to us and shine down upon the earth again!
Come back to us and let us feel the warmth of your touch on our skin!
Yule is upon us, I make offering to you for your safe return
May your presence breathe life once more into the world around us.

I will then offer mead to both Wōden and Sunne and place the offering cup upon the altar. I will then bring my ritual to a close.

“Hail to the gods and the honoured dead and the land spirits here present. I am grateful for your listening ears and your time this morning.”

I will then pour any remaining mead upon the ground and state:

“From the gods and the honoured dead, to the earth and to me
From me to the earth, to the gods and the honoured dead
Gifts have been given, may they be well received

Hail fair Nerþum, that gives to all men. I call to you finally, Nerþum-Þerscoldweard and ask now that you close the way between the worlds and accept my gratitude for doing so.

May this hallowed site return to the use of all.”

I will extinguish the votive candle/lantern and reflect for a few moments before leaving.

****

May you all have a blessed Yule. I hope anyone out there who has to celebrate Yule alone takes comfort in knowing that none of us are every truly alone, hold tight to those flames within.

Wōden’s Walk

Wōden-Pæþwyrhta I feel you still
You passed by here and went where you will
Through the trees and over the hills
By the farms and broken flour mills

Your destination, I know not where
I will choose to follow only if I dare
Treading that path, I must have a care
As I must pass the old wīht’s lair

Wisdom and knowledge I do so crave
From dusty tomes and darkened caves
Following your footsteps upon the paves
Away from the light and into the shade

Inspire me, ruin me, and make me fight on!
I will never give up and never be done!
Incessant, persistent from a walk I will run
By the light of dear Mōna, in the heat of fair Sunne

I feel I am gaining, not falling behind
Learning by deed and trying to be kind
Knowing without knowing just what I will find
Tasting the fruits of my labours and not just the rind

Wōden-Pæþwyrhta I feel you still
Deep in my bones, moving in for the kill
Amongst the trees and beneath the hills
As you pass me by and go where you will

Winterfylleð

Firstly, it is important to note that no records survive to indicate what rituals or celebrations took place at Winterfylleð. What we have is a recognition of the month itself and how winter was identified via a brief explanation by Bede:

“The old English people split the year into two seasons: summer and winter, placing six months – during which the days are longer than the nights – in summer, and the other six in winter. They called the month when the winter season began “Ƿintirfylliþ, a word composed of “winter” and “full moon”, because winter began on the first full moon of that month.”

Let us not forget that the passing of the seasons during the period in question was extremely important to the functioning of society and the survival of its people. Each month had its own purpose in ensuring that seeds were sown, plants grown, harvested, and then stored to aid with people surviving through the winter until the Summer began anew. We know from Bede that the coming of what we now call Spring would have fallen at the same time of Eostemonað or Easter-month which equates to roughly April in modern terminology with a variation on timings and dates due to the way that months were calculated according to the moon cycles. Consequently, Winterfylleð falls 6 months, or 6 lunar cycles, later and is the founding of Winter and the end of Summer.

This is clearly a significant point in time to recognise and acknowledge and it therefore stands to reason that such acknowledgement would have taken the form of some kind of feasting, celebration and ritual as we mourn the end of Summer and brace ourselves for the coming Winter. I, myself, do not acknowledge Spring and Autumn. The equinoxes were not, to the best of our knowledge, specifically celebrated by the Anglo-Saxons but we have the full moon at Eostre and the full moon at Winterfylleð that indicate the beginnings and endings of Summer and Winter much as other cultures would have celebrated the equinoxes.

The ritual I am to share with you is deeply personal. It is personal because it belongs to me, was written for me and I conduct my rituals alone, therefore you may take from it what you will and use it and adapt it for your own purposes. One of the reasons I love Fyrnsidu so much is that it is a largely blank canvas to work upon and to make your own. There are standard formats we can glean from historical evidence and there are many who draw from those examples to flesh out their own praxis or fulfil the needs of a community ritual, but then there are others who choose their own path with loose or even no historicity to base it upon because it just feels right to do it that way.

And who am I to argue with that? You do you and if it suits you, I’m all for it.

And so below is my ritual for Winterfylleð which I like to refer to as Winterfinding. It will take place this year on Saturday 28th into 29th October which is the first full moon of October following the Equinox in September and the beginning of the month of Winterfylleð which this year begins on 16th October on my calendar.

So now on to the ritual proper and my proposed format this year.

Firstly, my altar has now moved and is in a private cupboard within an outbuilding adjacent to my home. This helps me to separate it from the profane and keep it as a sacred space. Again, you do you. Because of where it is situated, I tend to now kneel with my arms outstretched before me and palms upwards, showing that I come before the Gods unarmed, open to the ritual and vulnerable before them. That vulnerability is important in my hearth praxis as it shows a willingness to engage one’s whole self.

Prior to this, I will have washed and cleansed myself, normally by way of a full shower, but in a pinch this can often be hands and face only. I don’t want to rush this ritual and therefore I would prefer to be fully showered. Water plays a key part in the liminality of the occasion, so whilst it cleanses, it also provides the gateway to the numinous.

I then hallow my altar having lit a votive candle. I move this sunwise around my altar three times and invoke Þunor-Hālgunghealdend (Hallowing Protector) to make this place sacred and protect it from malicious intentions and wights (wīhta).

I will then address the deities I wish to invite to witness the sacrifice. In this case, I intend to petition Nerþum-Þerscoldweard (Threshold Guardian) with a pinch of soil from the grounds of my home and offer incense and repeat the following:

Nerþum, Nerþum, Nerþum
Mother of Earth
Bringer of life
Keeper of the dead
You are both womb and tomb
Guardian of the threshold between life and death
I ask you to open the way between the worlds so that the Gods and the honoured dead may hear my entreaty
You are of us, as we are of you
So we begin as dust, so too do we end as such
I beseech thee to accept this offering of incense and fruits grown from this land, placed upon this altar in gratitude
Hail Nerþum, none look upon your countenance and live, such is your divine beauty

I call now to Frīg-Heorþmodor (Hearth-mother), Frīg-Heorþweard (Hearth Guardian)
She who protects my children and my family
Weaver of the web of Wyrd
I call to thee and ask you to convey these offerings from my hearth to their intended recipients
I pray you will accept this offering of an apple from my orchard and water that has fallen upon our property by way of thanks
Hail Frīg, mother of my hearth

I call now to Ēostre-Efnīwung (Renewal)
Oh she of the divine light of dawn, bringer of Summer!
You bring with thee the hope of new life and the warmth of love
But now you must sleep within the embrace of blessed Nerþum
You rest so that the cycle of life will continue and winter will return
I ask thee to accept this offering of honey to sweeten your journey towards thy earthy bedchamber
Hail Ēostre, may you bring the death of winter again on your anticipated return

Hail Sunne-Feorhgiefu (Giver of Life)
She who brings light, life and warmth to all our lives
Now you will go in search of blessed Ēostre as she disappears from the land
You will seek her further and further afield and the cold will return to these grounds
I beseech you to not forget us, to not leave us and to allow your light to guide us through the winter
I ask thee to accept this offering of mead such that it may warm your heart as you journey from us

Hail Mōna Nīht-hopa (Night-hope)
He who shines radiance upon us in the darkest of times
The darkness begins now to encroach on our days, keeping us to our homes and hearths
I ask that you help us to see that light when our hearts feel numb from the cold or indifferent to our environment
May you expose those who move in the night to act against us, protect us from their intentions
As the dark hours threaten to overwhelm us, I ask you to be that beacon of hope we need
I ask thee to accept this offering of camomile tea to help maintain calm and peace through the long nights

I give thanks this night also to fair Ingui-Æhteman (Husbandman), Ingui-Eowend (Virility) and I bid you hail
Hail to he who gives life to the land and brings virility to men
During these long winter nights, I ask for you to inspire me to be a better husband and father
Help me to draw close those I care about most and protect them from the harshness of winter
May new life abound once more at Wintersdeað
Please accept this offering of acorns that will impregnate the ground with new life as you do with fair Nerþum

I call finally to the honoured dead – to my ancestors and those who have shown me love and care throughout my life and without whom my life and those of my children would not have been possible. I welcome that love, that care and that positivity into my life and I know that you continue to surround me and my family with it. I speak to you now, humbly, in sincere gratitude and unending love for everything you ever did that had led us to this point. The web of wyrd is tangled, sometimes it is frustrating, worrying or even frightening, so to have your support behind us every step of the way means more to us than you can ever know. As we head now into the winter months, the temperature will drop, the days will become shorter and we will need each other that much more to support and provide warmth and hope for the future. I ask you to continue to show us your love and care throughout these long months and beseech you to accept this gift of mead in return. May it provide you with some warmth against the cold, some sweetness against the sour, and some gold to radiate the hope we all have for the future.

Hail to all the gods and the honoured dead here mentioned. I am grateful for your listening ears and your time this night.

From the gods and the honoured dead, to the earth, to us
From us, to the earth, to the gods and the honoured dead
Gifts have been given, may they be well received.

Hail fair Nerþum, that gives to all men. I call to you finally, Nerþum-Þerscoldweard (Threshold Guardian) and ask that you now close the way between the worlds and accept my gratitude for doing so.

And with that, I extinguish the votive candle and sit in peace for a few moments.

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As with all rituals, these are deeply personal things that may resonate with some, and not with others. Please do take from this what you will, I sincerely hope you find some of it useful and are able to hold your own ritual, or blōt, this coming Winterfylleð.

The Sceadugenga

Sceadugenga, Sceadugenga slipping through the trees
Insidious and dangerous, it willl bring you to your knees
Hiding in plain sight, their true nature you cannot see
Sceadugenga, Sceadugenga it is deaf to your pleas

Shadow-stalker, shadow-stalker watching your every move
Seizing, twisting all your words so that it will never lose
Backing you in a corner with allegations it can never prove
Shadow-stalker, shadow-stalker no fool sees through their ruse

Dark-lover, dark-lover it opens its gaping maw
Attacking all your loved ones it leaves you bruised and raw
Promising such riches has left them wanting more
Dark-lover, dark-lover it has left their hāma poor

Sceadugenga, Sceadugenga of you we have no fear
Harken to the Old Ways and Sunne’s light is ever near
Banish all those shadows and wipe away your tears
Sceadugenga, Sceadugenga there’s nothing for you here

Runic Dreaming – Peorth

Peorþ / Peorth is pronounced “PAY-OR-TH”. It is a most fascinating rune because not very much is really known of it. People have speculated about the meaning of the word based on clues from the rune poem and have drawn somewhat different conclusions on it from meaning a “dice box” to “chessman” and even sexual relations of some description. The issue with the chess connation is that chess did not arrive in England until after the Norman Conquest, long after the rune poem was written. Pollington states in his “Rudiments of Runelore” that it could reflect the filling and emptying of the primeval well of past time which overflows when an age of the world passes, resulting in cataclysmic events not unlike the Norse belief in Ragnarok which is not attested in Anglo-Saxon sources. He also mentions it may derive from the Celtic word “ceirt” which is the ogham name for the apple tree. Alaric Albertsson believes it relates to gaming in general terms due to the rune poem and its description. He states there is an emphasis on the friendship, laughter and cheer associated with gaming and that the mystery with this rune associates with the mystery of play itself.

For me it is a community rune, reflective of the lifelong need for “play” with friends, family and community and the development of those bonds through such pastimes. It could be argued that the rune looks not unlike a cup that has been shifted horizontally in order to dispense dice from within. I must say that the Dungeons & Dragons nerd in me finds this quite appealing. The random nature of the outcome of play is thus reflective of this rune in terms of indicating that sometimes our fate is out of our hands – literally dependent on the throw of the dice! I don’t find that to be in a negative way, however, more indicative of the nature of human beings that are willing to play along and see where the game takes us. Wild abandon, perhaps, somewhat carefree.

This brings with it the other side of the coin in that it may also indicate the need to get serious and stop playing around. Interpretation of this rune alongside any others in you cast/draw is therefore key to working out how it relates to the querent as an individual.

The more I have begun to explore the runes and consider their meaning, the more I have found them to be relatable in every part of our lives. They truly pull together different aspects of human existence and coalesce this into genuine meaning that can help us to move forward with our lives in a way that can be fulfilling and cognisant of the factors at play in our daily lives. Mastery of the runes is a long way off, as interpretation of them is fraught with danger and difficulty, yet in time I think the runes can and will be useful to me in helping me and others through this confusing life.

Thank you for coming with me on the journey, I look forward to exploring the remaining runes in due course.

Runic Dreaming – Thorn

Phonetic value as “th” as in thorn.

Now this is either Þorn (Thorn) or Þyrse (Thyrse), depending, it seems, on your interpretation of the rune poems. Certainly, the meaning differs between the Icelandic and Norwegian rune poems as compared to the Anglo-Saxon and some have clearly mused on the possibility that the Anglo-Saxon scribe of the rune poem opted for a less “Pagan” version of the poem so as not to draw upon the mythology of giants and other creatures.

Despite the differences in the poems as regards to whether they refer to a thorn or a thyrse, the implications remain similar: This is not a good rune to see in a reading! Thorns are sharp and painful. They represent at the least, discomfort, and threat – even a place that is almost impossible to get to like the giant thorns that surrounded the palace during the 100-year slumber of Sleeping Beauty. The hawthorn tree is attributed with having blossoms which are considered unlucky to some. For me, the hawthorn is and was used as a barrier to farmers fields, a barrier between their land and that which is not their land. Inner and outer, a painful exit or a painful entry from one place to the next. The comparisons can be drawn between moving from one life event to another and having to endure significant hardship to do so.

Hawthorn berries, or haws, are usually bright red, the international symbol of danger. Despite this, the berries are believed to have several health benefits, loaded as they are with antioxidants in the form of polyphenols so at the right time of year, they can be prepared appropriately for consumption. Therefore, in my view this relates strongly to the very nature of life itself. If the rune presents itself during the season where it is in full fruit, then it may represent hardship coupled with potential reward – I.E. that the challenge will be testing, but there may also be a reward. But at what cost, however?

Uprooting a hawthorn is said to be bad luck, and similarly given that it represents painful challenge and potential misery, it is not a simple case of uprooting it at the source, it must be handled carefully, recognised for the fact that life yields challenges and rewards, not always in equal measure, but that no life will ever been complete if we have not had our capabilities tested from time to time.

When hawthorn is laid as hedgerows, over time it becomes an impenetrable mass, representative of what can happen in life if you ignore your problems for too long – they become very difficult to resolve! The rune itself clearly looks very much like an upright thorn and needs little in the way of understanding to perceive it as such. It is a warning when it appears in a divination, and warnings should be heeded. Consider again the position and prominence of it upon the cloth if you are scattering runes as the interpretation of the warning will hinge upon how close it is to your spiritual centre and what relationship it appears to be having with any other runes.

Clearly it suggests at the very least to proceed with caution. Keep your eyes open as although it represents a hazard, it does not necessarily mean interaction with that hazard is unavoidable. With preparation and understanding, you may be able to recognise the threat in time and avoid it, just as you would not wilfully blunder into a hawthorn bush. As a result of the cautionary nature of this rune, it is also a strong protective rune when employed in charms or bindrunes when it comes to protecting something you may not want to be commonly known. This is not necessarily in reaction to a known threat, more as a protective presence to prevent someone or something from blundering into your protected enclosure – like a runic hawthorn hedgerow.

Runic Dreaming – Ur

Ur is pronounced Oo-r.

All the books and rune poems indicate that this rune represents the mighty Aurochs, the primogenitor of the modern cow, essentially. It was said to be difficult to domesticate, with large horns, a wild temperament and if you could kill one successfully, it was the measure of a man’s skill and courage to do so. It has associations with rites of passage from childhood to adulthood. The rune itself is almost as if two horns are pointed downwards in a power position, as if the mighty beast is preparing to charge or act in defence, making use of its weaponry to its full potential.

I certainly feel that from contemplating on this rune. I feel the potential of it contained within, the raw power at the heart of it because let’s not forget the associations with the myths of the Northern tradition, the great “Auðumbla”, the primeval cow that provided milk to Ymir. To be fair, the story is somewhat convoluted and a little confusing, but my takeaway from that is that the cow represents a symbol of sustaining life and remaining resilient. Cows provide milk to us all and the amount consumed globally is enormous. The quiet strength of the aurochs then, that wild side of bovine nature, suggests to me that this rune is one that may symbolise the need for strength in those difficult times, whether that be now or in the future. Courage, resilience and strength – the need to tap into those when the going gets tough. The rune suggests, at least to me, that if it were to come up in a divination then I would have the strength I need to see me through the challenges ahead, perhaps in spite of those challenges.

I find the rune can be a comfort in times when the need for self-empowerment is pressing. I can picture that great aurochs with head bowed, stamping its hooves prior to the charge. There are methods promoted by others of spells, bindrunes or charms that may help to support people in difficult times.

Again, depending on how you choose to use the runes for divination, as in the method you use, the interpretation of the rune will be different. If you do single draws, two-rune draws, three-rune draws or the scatter approach referred to by Tacitus in his writings, have a mind to the position of the rune in conjunction with any others and how that relates to yours or your subject’s position. If casting upon the cloth, consider its location from the centre and positioning in respect of the other runes to perhaps help to identify where you will need to focus your inner strength and in respect of what circumstances.

Runic Dreaming – Feoh

I have been thinking on the runes lately, sleeping with them, dreaming about them, carrying them round with me and the like. If you were to ask me why, my response would be almost entirely UPG – Because it felt like I needed to. It seems like a good way to attune myself to my Futhorc runes

It’s been years since I updated my blog so this is my first venture back into it for some time. Be gentle with me!

In keeping with the easiest way for people to get their head round each rune, I will start at the beginning with Feoh.

Feoh is pronounced FAY-och (As in a Scottish Loch). It is said to have the meaning of “movable wealth” like cattle used to represent. Historically if a household had cattle then they had access to milk, butter, cheese, beef, gelatine, horn, bone, leather/hide and manure, all of which were vital tools in bettering oneself or providing for the family and community. That is the very definition or wealth! The modern word would be “fee” as in the type of wealth used to pay a fee. My initial thoughts on this are that wealth ebbs and flows when we work, when we face significant challenges or when we capitalise on opportunities. The rune presents to me as being a representation of wealth that is due to be paid to others as well as wealth that is received in the form of a transaction, not an act of charity or gifting. It looks to me as if a person is stood in profile with their arms outstretched upwards in a gesture that could mean receipt or indeed dispensing of said wealth and gives the impression of movement which would be in keeping with the meaning of “movable wealth” associated with the rune.

We know from the Futhorc rune poem that it contains the warning that if you wish to gain honour in the sight of the “Lord” then it must be bestowed freely. I feel the “lord” mentioned in the rune poem is as likely to mean the “local lord” as much as it is inferred to mean the Christian God seeing as the rune poem was written long after conversion had taken place. That suggests to me that it is incumbent upon us all to ensure that we are not miserly or overly frugal with our wealth for the sake of hoarding it, otherwise we would be no better than the wyrms that jealously guard their treasure in the myths, legends, and folklore of old. We would not be afforded the respect and honour from within our local communities if we do not benefit them by sharing our wealth with them in some fashion, such as spending our money on community projects or within community businesses.

I perceive this differently to Gifu (X) which is for gifting more generally, as Feoh relates specifically to wealth, particularly that wealth which one would have ready access to, including perhaps cash, tangible assets or indeed knowledge and the earning of it when it comes to receipt. If it presents in a divination, it implies that wealth may be moving either towards, or indeed away from the querent! Consider the position of the rune when it is cast upon the cloth if that is your preferred practice. If it is closer to the middle of the cloth, which represents your spiritual centre, as it were, then it may be that there may be an opportunity forthcoming to earn some form of wealth (Be it monetary or otherwise, such as an asset/property or knowledge/power). The further the rune sits towards the edge of the cloth may infer the likelihood of wealth in some form moving away from you, or indeed a more remote opportunity that requires you to pay close attention to make use of! Interpretation can be a challenge here as we must remember that if presented then the rune is suggesting that you must also share something to benefit from its appearance in a reading. What that something could be may vary widely and thus requires active thought as time goes on to establish in your own mind whether the appearance of it in the reading has shown true for you.

Feoh therefore could represent any number of outcomes, such as an opportunity to earn respect by sharing your knowledge of a subject with a person or persons, or it could mean an opportunity to invest in property or a local community project is coming your way, and this could thus earn you a dividend on a physical or indeed spiritual level.

Consider then the position of any other runes that have been drawn or cast upon your cloth in relation specifically to Feoh. One rune drawn alone can make an interpretation of the meaning of it nearly impossible because of the vast possible meanings and nuances, at least without practice, contemplation on the runes and their individual meanings and then how they relate to one another during a reading.

On the subject of bindrunes, I have seen a few people reflect on preparing a talisman or charm to benefit a person seeking, for example, new employment by combining the Feoh with Beorc (ᛒ) or Wynn (ᚹ) which represent good, yet unexpected outcomes and joy/prosperity respectively. Bindrunes requires careful thought when creating them to ensure that the inadvertent presentation of any other runes in the process is welcomed and deliberate as they will have a bearing on the power and intent associated with the binding.

I’ll probably share some information in due course around rune-casting for the purposes of divination and augury, however I am still exploring this topic myself so I am considering a range of approaches before I settle on one which makes most sense to me. Remember, this is personal practice, and you should do what suits you best. I will talk through the process of how I approach it in a later post, hopefully!

Wassailing

Wassail! Wassail! All over the town,
Our toast is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree
With the wassailing bowl, we’ll drink to thee.

Here’s to our horse and to his right ear,
The gods send our master a happy new year:
A happy new year as e’er he did see,
With my wassailing bowl, I drink to thee.

So here is to Cherry and his right cheek,
Pray the gods send our master a good piece of beef
And a good piece of beef that may we all see
With the wassailing bowl, we’ll drink to thee.

Here’s to our mare, and to her right eye,
Gods send our mistress a good Yule pie;
A good Yule pie as e’er I did see
With my wassailing bowl I drink to thee

The Æcerbot Charm

The Æcerbot Charm is a Christianized version of a clearly pre-Christian traditional ritual of blessing for the fertility of fields. There is reference to a “holy keeper” which is perceived by Rosenberg (1966) to be Þunor which is not at odds with the heathen practice of using a hammer of Þunor or indeed invoking his name as a blessing to consecrate and bless. Herbert (1994) suggests that the plough is a symbolic penis; hence it is used to inseminate the ground with seed, thus is a possible reference to the importance of Ingui as a fertility god. Rosenberg also theorizes that the bread that is laid is symbolic of the “corn-baby” that was widely used across Europe. There are obvious links to other gods in the ritual that can be used in substitution by the modern Fyrnsidere to replace the Christianized form and I have included these in my own version of the charm following the original Old English version below.

I recognise that my own version of this ritual may not be to everyone’s taste, however it is a personal thing to me that I would consider if seeking a blessing with any planting I was looking to do in a field that seemed curiously afflicted with a poor ability to grow crops.

The original is below in Old English, followed by my own interpretation for modern use. I have not provided a direct translation as these are widely available on Google.

*****

Her ys seo bot, hu ðu meaht þine æceras betan gif hi nellaþ wel wexan oþþe þær hwilc ungedefe þing on gedon bið on dry oððe on lyblace. Genim þonne on niht, ær hyt dagige, feower tyrf on feower healfa þæs landes, and gemearca hu hy ær stodon. Nim þonne ele and hunig and beorman, and ælces feos meolc þe on þæm lande sy, and ælces treow – cynnes dæl þe on þæm lande sy gewexen, butan heardan beaman, and ælcre namcuþre wyrte dæl, butan glappan anon, and do þonne haligwæter ðær on, and drype þonne þriwa on þone staðol þara turfa, and cweþe ðonne ðas word:

Crescite, wexe, et multiplicamini and gemænigfealda, et replete, and gefylle, terre, þas eorðan. In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti sit benedicti. And Pater Noster swa oft swa þæt oðer.

And bere siþþan ða turf to circean, and mæssepreost asinge feower mæssan ofer þan turfon, and wende man þæt grene to ðan weofode, and siþþan gebringe man þa turf þær hi ær wæron ær sunnan setlgange. And hæbbe him gæworht of cwicbeame feower Cristes mælo and awrite on ælcon ende: Matheus and Marcus, Lucas and Iohannes. Lege þæt Cristes mæl on þone pyt neoþeweardne, cweðe ðonne:

Crux Matheus, crux Marcus, crux Lucas, crux sanctus Iohannes.

Nim ðonne þa turf and sete ðær ufon on and cweþe donne nigon siþon þas word, Crescite, and swa oft Pater Noster, and wende þe þonne eastweard, and onlut nigon siðon eadmodlice, and cweð þonne þas word:

Eastward ic stande, arena ic me bidde, bidde ic þone mæran domine, bidde ðone miclan drihten, bidde ic ðone haligan heofonrices weard, eorðan ic bidde and upheofon and ða soþan sancta Marian an heofones meaht and heahreced, þæt ic mote þis gealdor mid gife drihtnes, toðum ontynan þurh trumne geþanc, aweccan þas wæstmas us to woruldnytte, gefyllan þas foldan mid fæste geleafan, wlitigigan þas wancgturf, swa se witega cwæð þæt se hæfde are on eorþrice, se þe ælmyssan dælde domlice drihtnes þances.

Wende þe þonne III sunganges, astrece þonne on andlang and arim þær letanias and cweð þonne: Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus oþ ende. Sing þonne Bendicte aþenedon earmon and Magnificat and Pater Noster III, and bebeod hit Criste and sancta Marian and þære halgan rode to lofe and to weorþinga and to are þam þa þæt land age and eallon þam þe him underðeodde synt. Đonne þæt eall sie gedon þonne nime man, and gegaderie ealle his sulhgeteogo togædere; borige þonne on þam beame stor and finol and gehalgode sapan and gehalgod sealt. Nim þonne þæt sæd, sete on þæs sules bodig, cweð þonne:

Erce, Erce, Erce, eorþan modor, geunne þe se alwalda, ece drihten, æcera wexendra and wridendra, eacniendra and elniendra, sceafta scira, hersaewæstma and þæra bradan berewæstma, and þæra hwitan hwætewæstma, and ealra eorþan wæstma. Geunne him ece drihten and his halige, þe on heofonum synt, þæt hys yrþ si gefriþod wið ealra feonda gehwæne, and heo si geborgen wið ealra bealwa gehwylc, þara lyblaca geond land sawen. Nu ic bidde ðone waldend, se ðe ðas woruld gesceop, þæ ne sy nan to þæs cwidol wif ne to þæs cræftig man þæt awendan ne mæge word þus gecwedene.

Þonne man þa sulh forð drife and þa forman furh onsceote, cweð þonne:
Hal wes þu, folde, fira modor! Beo þu growende on godes fæþme, fodre gefylled firum to nytte.

Nim þonne ælces cynnes melo and abacæ man innwerdre handa bradnæ hlaf and gecned hine mid meolce and mid haligwætre and lecge under þa forman furh. Cweð þonne: Ful æcer fodres fira cinne, beorhtblowende, þu gebletsod weorþ þæs haligan noman þe ðas heofon gesceop and ðas eorþan þ we on lifiaþ; se god, se þas grundas geworhte, geunne us growende gife, Þæt us corna gehwylc cume to nytte. Cweð þonne III Crescite in nomine patris, sit benedicti. Amen and Pater Noster þriwa.

*****

Below is my own version of the ritual to fit with my personal Fyrnsidere praxis presented in Modern English:

Here is the remedy to a land that has been bewitched or fouled by unclean wīhta (Wights), malevolent entities or any untoward thing such that your crops do not grow as they should. On the night of the new moon, take four pieces of turf from four parts of the land and mark how they previously stood. Then, take oil (Rapeseed, sunflower) and honey and the milk of every animal which may be on that land, and a piece of wood from every kind of tree which is grown on the land, save sacred oak and beech, and a piece of every named plant, except only burdock, and then put Þunor-hallowed water sourced from the land onto them, and let it drip three times into the place of each piece of turf, saying these words:

“Grow and multiply and be filled, this earth. In the names of Ingui (Ing) and Nerþum (Nerthum) may it be blessed” Afterwards, carry the turfs to your wēofod (altar) and sing four blessings over those turfs to Ingui, to Nerþum, to Bēow (Bue) and to Frīg (Free), and let the green sides be turned towards the altar. Afterwards have the turfs brought to where they were before the setting of Sunne (Sun). And let Þunor (Thunor) have four signs of the hammer, made from rowan-wood with the Þorn (Thorn), Ear (Earth/Grave), Ēðel (Estate) and Ing (Ing) runes carved upon each. Let the hammers lie in the bottom of the pit and then say:

“Þorn, Ear, Ēðel, Ing” above each.
Then take the turfs and lay them above the hammers and say these words nine time above each: “Grow! Þunor-Corngrowere (Thunor-Corngrower) bless this ground.”

And then turn yourself to the east and raise your open palms skywards and say these words:

“Eastward I stand, favours I ask for myself
I ask the famed master, I ask the great Lord Ingui
I ask the great keeper of the honoured dead, Nerþum
I ask both below and above
And the true holy mother, Frīg
And the high hall of Wōden
So that with Ingui–Ēowend’s (Virile Ing) permission this charm I may
Satisfy with thought turned towards firm purpose
Awaken the fruits of this land for our use in the world
Fill these fields with steadfast trust and faith
Make the this soil complete with earthly riches such that all may benefit”

Then turn yourself three times sunwise. Then stretch yourself out and recite the Rune Poem. Then make offering to Ingui-Ēowend, and to Bēow-Sulhhandla (Ploughman Bue) , and to Þunor-Corngrowere, and to Frīg-Eallmeaht (Almighty Free) and to Nerthum-Eorþan Modor (Nerthum Earth-Mother) and to the honour and grace of him who owns the land and all those who are dependent upon him. When all this has been done, then let an unknown seed be taken from the needy and then give to them twice as much as is taken from them. Have all the ploughing-gear brought out and put together. Have a hole bored on the plough-stick filled with incense and fennel and Þunor-hallowed soap and salt. Then take the seed, set it into the plough’s shaft and say:

“Erce, Erce, Erce, mother of earth
may the fertile one, the lord of the Ingaveones
grant fields growing and sprouting
increasing and strengthening
with shining shafts of bright crops
and the broad barley-crops
and the white wheat-crops
and all the crops of the earth.
Grant to him oh Lord Ingui
and all the blessed Gods
that this tilling be protected against any enemy
and it be victorious against any evil
of witchcraft and malevolence seen throughout the land.
Now I ask the ruler who shaped this world
that no woman be so word-strong nor man so clever
that he or she should be able to turn aside my words thus spoken”
When the plough is driven out and turns the first furrow, then say:
“Hale be thou, Nerþum, earth-mother!
Be thou growing in Ingui’s embrace
Filled with food for the use of men”
Then take each kind of meal (Flour made from the crops of the land) and bake a hand-sized loaf and knead it with milk and Þunor-hallowed water and lay it under the first furrow. Then say:

“A field full of food for the race of men bright-blooming may you become blessed in the name of the gods and this earth on which we live; the gods who made these lands grant growth to us as a gift so that each grain may come to us for our use.”
Then say three times: “Mighty Þunor-Corngrowere, let it be so blessed”.

*****

You will note that there are multiple gods and goddesses referred to throughout this piece. The following is offered in explanation:

Þunor: As previously mentioned at the beginning of the article, it was identified by Rosenberg in 1966 that the “Holy Keeper” referred to in the charm may relate to Þunor whose name was, and still is invoked as a means to consecrate, hallow and hold spaces and objects which were to be used for sacred purposes. I have used him for the purposes of blessing both within my hearth and without, therefore to me he remains a natural choice in his aspect as “Corngrowere/Corngrower” to essentially sanctify the land.

Ingui: Ingui in his aspect of “Ēowend/Virile” is called upon as a giver of life and as a literal “sower of seeds”, called upon to take an earthly role in impregnating the land with the seeds given by the needy/almsmen/beggars in the physical form of the plough itself, entering the earth with the act of sowing. He is the perfect choice for such a role, given his strong link to virility and fertility.

Nerþum: The Æcerbot charm refers directly to Nerþum in her role as Eorþan Modor/Earth Mother and the Earth in the Angle tradition of life and death is both womb and tomb, essentially. Given her strong role in the charm, I have referred to her by her known name whilst retaining the alternative reference to her as “Erce” which is within the original charm in Old English. To all intents and purposes, it is to her that we are pleading that the seed of Ingui will take hold for our benefit.

Bēow: As the Barley God concerned with the agrarian cycle, in my view such a pleading in this ritual would also need to include some reference to him for he lives and dies each year with the cycle and we are asking him to come forth in this aspect and grow to his fullest potential. He is also known as the Sulhhandla /Ploughman and would be concerned with such when seeking to turn around the fortune of a blighted field.

Wōden & Frīg: Perhaps the more contentious of the God’s/Goddesses I have included in my version of the charm. I have referred to them because the literal translation from the Old English refers to the “true holy mother” and the “high hall” which, it could be argued, relate to Frīg in her aspect as mother-figure to mankind, and Wōden in his aspect as All Father. Wōden could be appealed to here in several aspects – Wordsāwere/Wordsower as a means to enforcing the strength of the charms words, Lǣce/Healer to appeal to him as a healer of the land, or even Wēstend/Destroyer in his aspect as a Desolater to destroy the presence of that which has seemingly cursed the land. To that end, I have used his name in the general form without being specific.

With regards to the moon cycle I have chosen for the selecting of the turfs, this is so that the ritual is completed on the day following the night of the new moon as it has all the connotations and associations with new beginnings and new efforts that appealed to my common sense.

The runes are referred to twice in my version, as in the Old English version it recounts having crosses made of ash and marked with the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, therefore I have selected four runes from the Futhorc that I would etch upon hammers made from rowan-wood – runes that I felt lent themselves nicely to the spirit of the ritual though you could justify the use of many other runes in their stead should you so wish. The recitation of the Rune Poem replaces the litanies referred to in the Old English version.

And finally, the “water taken from the land” is an extrapolation of mine away from the “holy water” concept in the original, because I feel that water as a purifying and liminal agent used frequently in hearth praxis, should be taken from the land on which one resides. I find this an important concept as the water is already associated with the land and ties in nicely with the plants, wood and turfs that have been sourced already. This should be hallowed by Þunor also if it is to be in keeping with the original ritual.