A GUIDE TO THE ODINIST RITUALS

A GUIDE TO THE ODINIST RITUALS
PART TWO
These are the second six of twelve monthly rituals, which are performed by some Odinists. As I said in part one of this article, these are not the only rituals or Blotar you can perform, that is up to the individual or group. This is a basic guide to the Blotar performed by the group that I belong to.

JULY (HAYMOON)
SLEIPNIR (LIFE)
This festival is named after Odin’s eight-legged horse Sleipnir. Odin is often, though not always, depicted riding the eight-legged horse. In mythology he is supposed to be able to ride between the nine worlds of our tradition, on Sleipnir. It is known as the festival of life because it tells us of our link to the whole of creation. We are all interlinked with each other and with all of nature. We cannot exist separately, apart from it. We recognise the divinity in all life. This does not mean that all are equally good, but Odinism respects life. We celebrate the diversity of life. But kind should stay with it’s own kind; the wolf does not mate with the raven. Our ancestors recognised the link between us and nature and our dependence on it. In the modern world we see how ignorance of this is destroying our Mother Earth and as a consequence destroying ourselves.

AUGUST (HARVEST)
DISCOVERY OF THE RUNES (MIND)
Odin hung for nine nights on the tree, as a sacrifice to himself, to gain the wisdom and knowledge of the sacred runes. This reminds us of the mighty and mystic power of the mind. We celebrate scholarship and learning. We must develop our minds as well as our physical being. The sacred runes can be used for personal transformation, healing, psychic development and the building of our inner will, they represent true wisdom. This Blot also reminds us of a basic truth. Just because humans are created from the same stuff, that doesn’t mean that all are of the same value. Our ancient texts, including the Edda, show that there have always been differences in human qualities and skills. Today this is a very unpopular truth, and the powers to be want to drag us down to the lowest common denominator, which in the end benefits no-one. We salute diversity but remember that until we respect ourselves, our Folk and their unique achievements and gifts, we cannot respect another’s.

SEPTEMBER (SHEDDING)
WINTER FINDING (HARVEST END)
Harvest End, a time of balance, when the Sun and the Moon share the sky, when Balder the bright one leaves Midgarth and travels over the Bifrost bridge to Asgarth, and we await his return. This festival emphasises the wheel of nature. At the autumn equinox it reaches fruition, followed by a period of decline. This is the death of summer, and we commemorate this and face the arrival of winter. This season of fruitfulness sits side by side with the approaching decay of winter. At this time of year we look at our achievements, and ourselves and look forward to the future spring. We feel the pulse of life and the turning of the wheel, as at Summer Finding, the spring equinox. Amidst the great bounty of the year, we move towards its dissolution. The Sun descends into darkness, as a sacrifice, before beginning its ascent once more on the Mother Night. In the modern world, many of us are removed from the natural world, but we must still heed nature’s call. We give thanks for the year’s food supply and hope that it will keep us sustained until spring. The corn token is given at this Blot, a symbol of hope, continuity and our great debt to Mother Earth.

OCTOBER (HUNTING)
HENGEST (SETTLEMENT)
At this time of the year we celebrate not only the settlement of our Folk in Britain, but also of the other lands our Folk have settled. It is named after Hengest, who along with his brother Horsa led our people to this island. Under the banners of the White Horse and the Raven they came. We honour our Forebears, who by our Holy Gods and the sword of Hengest, extended our Holy Nation into these lands. This is our land, do not let the stranger’s force or cunning take it from us. Let us remember always those noble ones who won it – we are their blood. Hail all our European homelands and our Folk everywhere. It is a statement of who we are, be proud of our heritage. It is a link between all the tribal groupings of our Folk. Our ancestors ensured a future for us by their blood and toil. Let us not throw away this precious gift, which they have bequeathed us.

NOVEMBER (FOGMOON)
EINHERIAR (HEROES)
This is the time of the year when it seems that much of nature’s bounties have died, their physical essence going back to where they came – Mother Earth. It is a strange month when the veil between the past, the present, and the future is at its thinnest. There are various festivals held at this time of year that broadly deal with this theme. The Celtic Samhain, or as it is known in its Christian guise, Halloween, being the most obvious example. It is a kind of yearly Ragnarok for nature, with the approaching cold and dark before the Ragnar Rise, rebirth and renewal. We think of our ancestors and kinsfolk who have passed into other realms, and especially all those of our Folk who have fallen in conflict. They gave the ultimate sacrifice in defence of what they believed was right. We honour the warriors who died defending our Folk, and their warrior spirit, which is epitomised by the Einheriar – Odin’s elite warrior company. Their noble blood, bright as Thor’s poppy. Although we wish for our families to live in peace and freedom, we know that sometimes this must be fought for, and once won, defended. We must also remember that if we are to survive as a race, we will have to make personal sacrifices to stand up for what is right, even though at times the enemy may seem overwhelming. We hail also those of our Folk who are today risking their lives in combat situations, even if we may disagree with the cause.

DECEMBER (WOLFMOON)
MOTHER NIGHT (YULE – MIDWINTER)
This is the celebration of the Winter solstice, when the sun, after descending into darkness, is ‘re-born’ and starts its ascent again. It is the end of one cycle and the beginning of a new one. A night when we honour rebirth and mothers. Celebrating the great joy that new birth brings. This is the first night of Yule; the word is taken from the Old English hweol, which means wheel. Following this are eleven more nights of festivity, which encapsulates the twelve months of the year. During these twelve nights, the cosmic spirit of the multiverse is especially close, as end and beginning, death and rebirth merge. There are many customs surrounding this festive period and virtually all those still in use today are based on Odinic practices: evergreen decorations, Yule candles and Yule wheels (Yule logs), ‘Christmas trees’ (symbols of Yggdrasil), feasting, exchanging gifts and so on. A time for families, comradeship and hope. The wheel has turned full circle, a new cycle begins. Hail to Uller, the Winter King! Hail the turning of the wheel! Hail the Sun!

This is a brief explanation of the monthly Blotar. Each has many layers of symbolism, meaning and learning. They apply to not only personal existence, but to immediate family, friends, the Folk, and to the multiverse itself.

Hail all our Holy Gods and Goddesses!

Peter G