Meditation prayer beads

I made a thing!

Tonight I made meditative prayer beads to connect with Frigg.

I’ve got a wooden anchor bead at the top, followed by various shades of blue representing the different colors of the sky, Celtic knot beads, feathers, both for the feathers I’ve been gifted and the feathers Frigg wears in her hair and on her person, spinning wheels for the spinning she does of flax to linen, spinning of clouds, and spinning of fates. The bottom is anchored again, now with heavy keys to ground me back to reality and showing the her status with the keys for all the halls.

I plan to, starting at the wooden bead, breathe and open up at least my root and crown chakras. The wood will help me ground as I begin my meditations. Measured inhales and exhales through each bead until the first Celtic knot, then a call to my ancestors. Continued measured breathing through the next set of beads then Frigg’s kenning at the first feathers.

Spinner of the Clouds,
Keeper of the stars,
Singer of the Web
Weaver of the way,
Mother of the Light,
Bride of the Wind,
In company with others,
I see You,
On solitary pathways,
I seek You,
Keeper of the Keys,
Your mysteries unfold,
One spun ray at time,

Measured breathing to the first spinning wheel, where I will say

Hail to the Day! Hail to the sons of Day!

Hail to Night and her daughter!

Gaze on me gently standing here;

Give your blessings on my battles!

Hail to the Gods! Hail to the Goddesses!

Hail to the all-giving Earth!

Wisdom and lore grant me, so long as I live,

And healing hands.

Hail the the local wights and my ancestors

Hail the gods and goddesses of my folk, bless me with strength courage health and happiness for all the days that I live.

Four slow measured breaths until the next spinning wheel

Hail to Frigga,

Careful one, sharp-eyed one,
friend of mothers,

protector of children,
all-knowing, all-watchful.
You know the love of parent for child,
you know it is unshakeable,
you know it is everlasting.

Frigga, you know the joy of watching a child grow
into a fine man or woman,

you know the bittersweet pain of parting,

you know what is in a mother’s soul.

Frigga, grant me a steady hand and a soft heart,
grant me understanding,

grant me clarity,
grant me peace of mind in troubled times,
grant me the strength to bend with the storm
and emerge unbroken.

Frigga, goddess,
grant my children the wisdom to choose wisely,
grant them the strength to stand firm against folly,
grant them the will to face any challenge,
grant them the wit to find their way in life.
Beloved Frigga,

defender of families,
keep my children safe from harm,
ward them as they travel through the world

Measured breaths again to the second feathers, with a gratitude kenning,

From your abundance, a roving,
From your spindle, a thread,
From your loom, an understanding,
From your hands, a skill,
Within your arms, a keeping,
Within your wisdom, protection,
Within your fold, a family…

Finally, measured breaths to the final Celtic knot with a gratitude close to my ancestors. Measured breaths again down to the keys, where I will once again ground and quiet down my chakras.

Mother’s prayer from hearth and field, kenning from Frigga’s dottir.

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Roses

My work roommate became ill this year. While she is certainly on the mend, to say it was an easy time would be an understatement.

To thank her cohort for their support, she crafted a vase for each of us. Mine sits on my front entry table, which is slowly being refined into the common-area family altar space.

After Witchlette’s dance recital, we got some roses and they have been sitting nicely for a little over a week. Just a few days ago, they started the really show signs of wilting.

The kids realized something beautiful happened to the felled petals when they were put in the stream of the oil diffuser.

Needless to say, felled rose petals became plucked rose petals and before I knew it, there were no more rose petals.

BUT

The Littles had a surprise for me waiting in my bedroom.

They used the rose petals, along with a few silk petals, to decorate my Frigg totem “because Allmother likes pretty things.”

I am so beyond blessed.

Gods, friends reprised- a meditation

A few weeks ago I shared our recommitment to honoring the Gods, Ancestors, and Good Neighbors through daily offerings. A few weeks later, during meditation and a Rune pull, how Frigg shared that my family is my offering to her.

Later that evening, in preparation to clean the kitchen and start my portion of making dinner, I went to my Frigg box, created by R and stocked with powdered milk and flax seeds wrapped in linen, I lit the candle for her altar in the kitchen and started to begin my usual prayer:

“Hail Allmother, thank you for blessing me…”

No, that doesn’t feel right. Has never felt right.

“Thank you for giving me…”

That’s not it either. That’s payment for service, which I just figured isn’t so…

“Thank you for joining me this evening as I tidy my kitchen and begin cooking for my family. Thank you for walking with me as I go through my lovely life. Hail to you.”

Yes. That’s it.

Gods, friends

Growing up with a Christian worldview with Catholic indoctrination, there was a lot of servitude expected.

If nothing else, at the end of mass, the command to “go forth and share the ‘good news'” aka proselytize, convert your friends and neighbors.

Yahweh is an overlord, and a jealous bastard. He needs all of the attention at all times from all people. And when he doesn’t get what he wants, he goes on a murderous rampage.

Odin is a warlord, no two ways about it. Much of what remains of Frigg has been cleansed, but as the favorite wife of a warlord, she knew how to get her hands bloody.

Yet, they never demanded subservient followers. Odin doesn’t demand that his folks kneel. In fact, he prefers his people to stand. Live with honor and act with hospitality, and you will gain the gods’ favor. One need not serve them, one needs to do right.

Thor, specifically, is known as the friend of man. Often a kenning for him is “Friend Thor.”

This is something I am still trying to work my mind around. Trying to undoctrinate myself. While I am not equal to the gods just as my dogs are not equal to me, we still can have a relationship of give and take. Of reciprocity. Of Gebo.

When you want to get in touch with a friend, you pick up the phone and call. One should not stare at the phone waiting for days for it to ring. It goes both ways. Either party can initiate the connection.

Either a human can reach out to the Aesir or the gods can tap you on the shoulder and inform you on whose team you play. (It’s not as frightening to be drafted as I initially imagined).

Meditation and prayer are just one way to reach across lines. Offerings are another. Friends invite each other into their homes and offer food and drink as a sign of hospitality and warmth.

Recently, we restarted leaving offerings to the gods, wights, good neighbors, and ancestors. A few days later, I asked Frigg specifically what she would like me to offer her. This is not, to me, dissimilar to asking an invited guest what they would care to drink. I through Runes and got an answer: Berkano next to Othala stacked on Gebo. For Frigg, your family is your offering. My devotion to her is to be the best mama I can, and to raise the next generation of Witches to be strong and steadfast. In whatever is coming the work that I need to do in my preparations is to continue to raise my strong little Witches. To hone in on what makes them Magickal and foster them to stand strong against the turn that is coming.

To continue to honor the gods with daily libations. To continue to give offerings to the ancestors with daily libations. To continue the strong spiritual guidance of my babies.

So mote it be.

 

16 years later

Happy birthday, Peanut.

Walking this path was kick-started by you, 13 years ago. It’s amazing to think that I have been classifying myself as Pagan for that long.

Though the days feel long, the years are incredibly short and add up so quickly.

Wasn’t 2007 just last year?

No…it was 10 years ago. Because I’ve been in the workforce for 10 years now.

13 years Pagan, 4.833 years Parent. 1.67 years Frigg’s dottir.

The irony is not lost on me that the goddess with whom I connect on a deep level is the one who cares for children who need a place to wait while their parents live out their natural lives. And, no, I didn’t know that until we were already connected.

A dear friend of mine shares your day of birth. She has seen you on another plane earlier this year. One of Witchlette’s friends also shares this day of birth.

In honor of the three if you, Blessed Solar Return.

Birds have it

In our neck of the woods, it’s rather common to see a red tail hawk. I see at least one a week. It’s not something I was used to growing up, but is going to be a piece of normalcy for my Little Witches.

This evening, while driving to dinner, I spotted three birds acting in a manner that seemed at least slightly unusual. As we got closed, I noted the red tail feathers and spotted underbelly of a red tail hawk and two big black crows.

The red tail hawk is one of the birds I associate with Frigg, and it was the feather of a red tail hawk that somehow someway ended up in my car one glorious afternoon. (It was too perfect to be a coincidence and I’ll never believe it wasn’t a sign from the Devine).

The two black birds, especially because there were exactly two of them, told me Odin was not far.

The birds looked like they were dancing. The two black birds were doing a figure eight around the hawk, who in turn was swooping up and down. Then, as they had my full attention at a red light, they came to a stop and perched on a tree next to the road. Just stopped, and sat peacefully.

The light turned green and off we went, but for that moment, it was a godly connection. Crown chakra tingles and all.

Blessed Frigg’s day!