Jun-2012-28 Simple Guidance

My patroness is Danu but recently, in the last year or so, I have felt another presence, a patron. I have been addressing him as my unknown patron and including him in rites.  I have a lot of UPG related to him but I am waiting for him to reveal himself properly. I think he did so in a dream a few weeks back but I forgot to write what he told me so I’m still in the dark as to who He is.

Anyways, I did a full COoR today, just because it felt like the thing to do. I was up before the sun and had time to make a couple of small silver and gemstone offerings before the rite began. When I started it was that pre-dawn time, when the sky is lightening but the sun isn’t up, just the type of in-between that’s perfect for rites.

I was looking to accomplish three things in this rite:

1. Connect with my unknown patron
2. Seek guidance regarding job (since I am looking for a new consulting gig in a month or so)
3. Seek help for family matters related to grandchildren

I also offered up an apple and orange to the nature spirits, in addition to the oats I usually do.

The rite went well. I drew omens (more on those below) and realized that I had misinterpreted the omens I drew at Solstice and corrected that after the rite.

I then took my offerings out, offering the tobacco for my ancestors to the wind and giving my well offerings and the oatmeal to the pond (where the oatmeal was gobbled up by a gaggle of ducks). Then I took the orange and apple across the street to a parcel of land that’s overgrown and left the orange and apple there for those nature spirits.

I still have a half tumbler of Glenlivet on my shrine. It felt like the right offering to give my unknown patron but I’m not sure where he would like me to deposit it. I had an idea coming back from the pond, though. There’s the stump of a tree there and it seems like it’s a good place to pour out the offering but it seems that it should wait until night so I guess it will sit on my shrine until then.

Omens:

• What blessing do the kindred offer in return for my offerings?
  Ingwaz: Ing: fertility, ancestors.
  • I’m not really sure about this. I’ve done some research on Ingwaz and I’m going to have to get back on this one. It appears to be a positive omen though.
• What blessings do the nature spirits offer in return for my offerings?
  Jera: Year: good harvest, hard work
  • I have to admit, this is a good symbol, especially with regard to my question about future work
• What blessings do the Shining Ones offer in return for my offerings?
  Fehu:  Cattle, movable wealth, generosity
  • I think this goes hand in hand with the nature spirits omen regarding future work
• What  blessings does my unknown patron offer in return for my offering?
  Mannaz: kinship
  • I have to believe I’m on the right track with my unknown patron and trust that he will reveal himself when the time is right.

Overall I think the rite went well. I know that I feel a bit better about all of the work I’ve been doing trying to sharpen my skillset. Now, off to work.

Blessings

Summer time

I was up early this morning so I stepped out on the patio to enjoy the morning while the rest of the house sleeps. The sun was still wending over the horizon then, her golden tendrils tinging the black robe of night with a luminescent edge.
Now, with the sun properly over the horizon though still hid behind apartment buildings, the world around me begins to stir.



While I have sat here, the chatter of birds has been filling the air much the same way the sun has. My own two nature spirits, Sheba and Sheena, have been sitting inside glaring at me, probably because they haven't had their gooshy food yet. They will survive a bit longer.
Like our agrarian ancestors, summer is a time for working on bringing things to fruition. I am working on several projects that I hope to bring to completion this season, projects that will see me through the winter months. It is a hectic season but there is always time to stop, take a breath and appreciate nature.

Summer Solstice 2012

7:00 am on June 19 2012
(Rough draft of notes, to be properly rewritten at a later date)
I held my Summer Solstice rite today. I actually did one yesterday and then realized that I hadn’t followed the COoR so I printed out a handy cheat sheet from the Dedicant manual and tried again.
I spent some time before the ritual listening to David and Steve Gordon’s Sacred Drum Visions while I created an offering to Danu. In this case it was an inch and a half long, hexagonally shaped piece of Burmese Jade capped with beads of Sugilite at either end bound together by silver  that ran down each side of the Jade.
Then I opened with a prayer to all, asking that the kindred, nature spirits and Shining Ones be welcome at my rite. I took 2 oz of GlenLivet and acknowledged the OutLIers, asking that they take this offering and leave my rite in peace, then I poured that outside for them.
With another small piece I had made of Sugilite, Aventurine and Silver I purified my well and used incense to purify my space. I honored the Earth Mother by acknowledging her role in providing life and keeping us safe and helping to nurture the growth of all.
Then I acknowledged why I was here:

As the year turns on from day to day; as the long, dark nights of winter have faded into memory; as the sun reigns longer each day until it reaches its zenith; so do we come to this place every year. The sun shall shine longer than it has before and then it shall slowly begin to rise for shorter periods. Such is the natural cycle of life. But today, at it’s peak, we welcome it’s warmth upon our faces and give thanks for the nurturing nature of the sun upon the plants we grow and upon ourselves, basking in the glow of the sun’s luminosity. So we come to rejoice with the sun and ask blessings upon our in progress tasks, that they may be nurtured as the sun nurtures the grain.

I then took my well containing water from a well, water from a creek and water from the sky and asked that it could represent the well. I took my hand poured beeswax candle and asked it to be the fire and I asked my representation of the World Tree to be the World Tree.
Next, I called upon Garanus, who lives in the air, the tree and the water to act as gatekeeper. I invited my ancestors, both those of flesh and blood and those of a spiritual nature, to join me. I invited the nature spirits (and acknowledged the spider on the ceiling above me as one of them). I invited the Shining Ones and finally I invited Danu to join me.
I offered up oats to the nature spirits (placed in a bowl), tobacco to my ancestors (placed in a separate bowl) and the jade piece to Danu in my well.
I offered up a prayer of sacrifice, reminding Danu of the work I have done for her and asking her for inspiration to write a new story about her.
I took the following omens:

• What blessing do the kindred offer in return for our offerings?
  Ansuz: Mouth, god, beginnings, communication
  Fehu: Cattle; movable wealth, generosity (I realized as I was reviewing this today (Jun-28-2012) that I had misread Ansuz as Fehu)
• What blessings do the nature spirits offer in return for our offerings?
  Laguz: Water, change, hidden wealth, flowing
• What blessings do the Shining Ones offer in return for our offerings?
  Ehwaz: easy and joyful travel, help
• What advice does Danu offer in return for our offering?
  Wunjo; joy, bliss

Overall the omens read very well, all very positive. I think the most interesting one was Danu’s. Perhaps I should have asked what blessings she offered instead of advice but, taken as advice I would say that it means to seize the day and enjoy the moments of summer. Interestingly enough, when I took the offerings out and flung the oats into the retention pond, there were 5 ducks who immediately paddled over and that cup of oats disappeared mighty fast down their gullets so I know they, at least, were well pleased.

Decisions, Decisions

I am reaching the end of one part of my work life and have opportunities for other parts coming up. And I wanted some guidance as to what to do. So I asked Danu for some help and made offerings to the nature spirits and my ancestors and then to Danu and asked:

What advice did Danu have for me?
Isa: Ice, beautiful and dangerous

What blessing did She have for me?
Perþo: Dice cup, vulva; joy, uncertainty

What power should I bring to the day?
Tiwaz Tir; guidance, justice, navigation

So, how do I interpret these omens? Good question. I actually have two choices in front of me. One is a safe choice that would extend me for a month and the other is a dice shoot. I was seriously thinking about telling my boss to extend me and let the other option pass me by but I don’t think I’m going to do that now. I’ll take the uncertainty and the potential beauty for today.

Peace and blessings

Gathering Waters

Living in the suburbs, it’s not easy to find  nature spots. They exist, this I know, but I’m still looking for one close to home that feels right for me. However, I am blessed to have a daughter who lives on a farm in a house whose history stretches back over 150 years and that’s where I was the last couple of days.

While there were many reasons to come up, one reason was that I wanted water for my rituals. As a member of ADF, I use a well, a tree and fire in my rites. I have been using rain water captured during thunderstorms, which is good but I felt it was missing a bit. So I went out this morning to the creek behind the house. There’s an ox bow like meander with a tree that has a set of thick roots at it’s base where I like to sit. It’s peaceful, another plus. I took with me a liter jug and some oats as offerings.

I spent some time centering myself, feeling myself extend down into the earth and rise up to the sky. Then I turned to the tree. I silvered the creek with a small coin, asked the tree to assume the role of Yggdrasil, and asked the heavens to be the heavens. I called upon Garanus to act as gate keeper and opened the gates.

I called upon the local nature spirits and asked them to look kindly on what I was asking and put out oats for them.

I called upon the local river spirits to hear me and asked them if I could take of their water to use in my rites. Then, standing in the creek, I filled the bottle. I emptied part of it over the roots of the tree as a thank you to the tree and then refilled the jug.

I then asked the water spirits two questions.

In response to my question of whether they liked the offerings, I got Laguz: Water, hidden wealth, flowing. Since my rite was asking about using water, I took that as a very good sign.

In response to my question of what guidance they responded with Dagaz: Day, rising sun, new day, deliverance.

Then I thanked the water spirits and the nature spirits. I offered up the remainder of my oats to the nature  spirits and thanked Garanus for helping and closed the gates and took my jug of water, well pleased.

I also filled a jug from the tap, well-water. Wasn’t sure about a rite for that but I was very thankful as I did it. When I get home, I’ll mix the creek, well and rain water together for my rites.

Peace and blessings