This past weekend we headed down to Virginia to attend a Winter Nights celebration hosted by the Eplagarthr Kindred. We learned of the event through Monika, a NC-based SCA friend of our friend Allison who is just starting to explore Asatru, knew Allison was kinda interested, and thought she might want to meet her there. Allison told us and it was decided that Jen and I would meet her and her husband Chuck and Monika there.
It was our first time venturing out to an Asatru event of this sort. Really, all of our other blots to date have been at home or at friends' houses (it's challenging to be part of such a niche tradition with members scattered hither and yon). The only public sumble I had attended that I had not hosted myself was at Pennsic War this past August. Thus, this was something of a milestone. My main goals for the event were to try to meet some new people and also to participate in their blot to see how they do it. Asatru is so home-brew, every kindred does it a little bit different. I was quite curious to see what sort of window dressing these folk put on their ritual, what sort of language they'd use, etc.
Before going, the event felt like a bit of a pig in a poke since it was the first time this group had hosted a moot and also our first time attending one. We thought, "Could be cool, could be lame, but we won't know unless we go." We decided a positive attitude on our part would be very important. Still, it promised to be a full weekend with mead making, "warrior arts", classes on Holda and Perchta, a Seidh trance-work "demo" (little did I know!), the blot and a concert. There were plenty of other activities as well, but since we had to leave after work on Friday, we missed out on some of them, including the sumble.
Just a reminder, this holiday honors the change of the season, the coming of winter, the ancestors and spirits of Nature as well as The Wild Hunt, which is just getting started about now.
As it turned out, we all had a great experience despite some ?character building? weather and we came away from this festival with new insights, new knowledge of how other groups do things, new ideas and a heck of a lot of inspiration and joy. Using the hosting Kindred?s schedule as an outline, here?s a break-down of how our weekend went and what we experienced?
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Friggsday
After a long drive that started at about 4:30pm, Jen and I arrived and found someone to tell us where to set up camp. We were able to find Monika's little Celtic wedge tent quite easily thanks to her banner. Heraldry works!
We set up camp in the heaviest rain of the weekend about 10pm. I wore my Swiss army rubber trench coat and was able to stay pretty dry except for my lower legs. But still...ugh. Eirene was grumpy and really freaked out by the rain and general chaos of trying to set up our 14x20 pavilion in a downpour. I got help raising the walls from some other guys attending the festival. They were very cheerful about it and that made us feel quite welcome. I lit the chandelier and fired up my new Mr. Heater portable propane heater as soon as we had the tent together and it helped us settle in, though Eirene simply would not sleep.
Our friends Allison and Chuck and their two dogs, with whom we were sharing the pavilion, got lost on the way to the site. Luckily, they raised me on the cel and I got them turned around. But they still didn't get in until midnight. By then, we had the tent up, and our gear unloaded and set up. I did take advantage of the time I was waiting for them to go introduce myself to a few of the other attendees. Nice folks, all.
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Saturday
8:30 - 9:30 am Breakfast
We ate bagels, lox and cream cheese in our nice warm "longhouse" of a tent and generally just relaxed. It had been a long night indeed.
10 am - 12 pm Mead making workshop and class - Aesa
Warrior Competitions - facilitated by North
Chuck and I skipped the Warrior Games, which consisted of axe throwing, hammer throwing, archery and a foot race. We're mead heads, so of course, we had to go to that class! It was led by Aesa, who is a really cool lady as well as a brewer. She ran her students though the very basics of making a straight mead and they all chipped in to assemble a batch. Chuck and I added small commentary and we chatted about brewing with the more experienced people there. We also handed around samples of my straight mead and his Gutterspice, to much acclaim.
2 - 3 pm Discussion on Holda and Perchta - Ratatask and Aesa
These two ladies, the gythjas (god women) of the group, have each been exploring the Goddesses in question. They felt drawn to them respectively and wanted to share some of their research and insights. Now was the time to do it as both are strongly associated with German versions of the Wild Hunt/Furious Host. It was a very nice discussion held in a small cabin heated by a wood stove. Laurel attended and had some good comments. My own dear Jennifer added details about spinning (she and Monika both brought spinning with them and thus fascinated the other ladies, as usually happens). My big contribution was mentioning the similarities between the Holda and Perchta lore and stories of Babayaga. The class reminded me of round-table discussions I have attended in the SCA. Jen was particularly enthused about these Goddesses, who are Germanic Frau who oversee housework, domesticity and family health.
4 - 5 pm *The Practice of Seidh and the History of the Public Oracular Face of the practice - a discussion on why and how seidh came back into practice after its 1000 year "sleep" - led by Laurel
Laurel, the Seidh woman who taught, is one of the original folk who got the practice restarted back in the early 1990's. She was a student and partner of Diana Paxon, the well-known and respected matron/co-founder of The Troth. Laurel discussed how they evolved their trance work by reconstructing techniques described in the lore and by borrowing techniques and folk practices carried on by groups like the Sami and Native Americans. She also described how things have progressed with Seidh in the Asatru community since - it is certainly here to stay. Interesting stuff. I took some of her anecdotes with a grain of salt, but it is clear to me that she and the other Seidh workers are providing an important authentic service. She also described for us what would happen later that night.
5:30 - 6:30 pm Dinner
Well, we got to the hall a little late. (I am amazed at how this group can start everything on time!) They had to bring out an extra table for us and they had misjudged the food quantities even though we'd told them we were going to eat. But they were very sorry and they did their best to find extra things for us including some good veggie/hummus wraps. I still paid them the $9.00 per head. I even rounded it up to $30. What the heck.
7 - 8 pm ***Winternights Blot - we will celebrate the end of the harvest, beginning of the winter and the wild hunt
This was a very cool blot indeed! Aesa, who I decided I really like as an officiant, first led the folk in a Pertchenloaf (sp). Basically, this is a masking activity in honor of the Wild Hunt/Furious Host. There had been a mask-making workshop Friday. Those who had made masks participated. They were divided up into two sides - one armed with deciduous tree branch switches, the other with fur tree branch switches. Aesa offered milk to Perchte and then, in her honor, the masquers circled around each other and started having a wild mock battle all across the field. Chuck grabbed a spare mask and participated on the pine tree side thus bringing honor to our little band. Hail Chuck! Everyone had a blast. The evergreens won the battle and Aesa announced this as a good omen for the folk's safe passage through the winter. Yay!
The camp has a small hut-like dome thing that opens up on all sides. The altar for the blot was set up on an old card table in the center of this and we all formed a large circle around it. The blot began with one kindred member addressing their honorary Mjolnir which was a huge-ass sledge hammer head set onto a very short handle wrapped with rawhide. He spoke well and described how he saw the marks on the hammer from it's various famous battles and how he saw bits of Fenris' fur stuck to the handle. Nicely said. I did find it interesting that he invoked the hammer itself to hallow the hall, not Thor as Mjolnir?s master. I think I'd still call Thor.
The invocations followed - each done by a different Kindred member - Odin, Freyja, The Alfar, the Landvaettir. They offered a big bundle of straw to Odin for Sleipnir, apples to the Alfar, some pumpkin seeds to the Landvaettir and mead to the Einherjar. One man sang a modern song to honor the Einherjar. I gather he is a vet and that there were several other vets or people from military families in the kindred (it being VA/west VA, I am not surprised). The song, about being buried in Arlington Cemetery, moved many of us to tears. Laurel recited a wonderful poem she had written honoring the Wild Hunt and Odin. Mind you, she recited it from memory! The woman is a singer, poet and heathen of many many years experience and it showed. The blot was concluded with a single round of the horn. Each person said a hail, either simply "Hail!" or with an invocation to someone specific. I chose to hail the Alfar. Jen hailed Holda and Perchta.
8:30 - 9:30 pm *Seidh Rite - Laurel
We put Eirene to bed after the blot and that meant that one of us had to stay in camp. Jen was kind enough to volunteer for that and let me go to the Seidh. Allison and Chuck also stayed in camp, just out of fatigue. Our new friend Monika did go though which is cool because as it turned out she had a very powerful experience and it was nice for us to share our thoughts the morning after.
We assembled at the same cabin where the classes had been held earlier, but now it was packed to the gills with people all seated in a half circle around Laurel and her helpers. The wood stove was going, so it was nice and warm and cozy. The only light came from a single candle lantern at Laurel's feet. Most faces were hidden in the darkness.
Essentially, Laurel did what she described for us in her class. First, the group briefly discussed whether we wished to stay behind and let hr go alone or go along on the journey. As was expected, we all agreed to go. Laurel began by singing a very long, chant-like song which invoked the various spirits who would assist in the journey. Each line was followed by a short refrain/chorus which the group sang along: "A horn sounds on the mountain...mist rises in the meadow."
Next, mead (my mead, BTW, I had volunteered it earlier) was poured out to Odin, Freya and the Huldfolk as gifts. Laurel then proceeded to guide the journey. The handiest term to describe it is perhaps "a guided meditation" though that doesn't cover it exactly. Whether one chooses to believe that some part of us left this reality and went to another place or simply that we delved into the subconscious is a personal thing. I started out feeling the latter, but I am more inclined to accept the former now. But really, it doesn't matter - the experience is the thing.
Laurel had us imagine ourselves in a safe natural place that felt like home to us (for me that was the sandstone outcropping behind my parents' house in AZ). From there, she described a path of white stones leading off into a forest. Walking the path, we eventually came to a huge tree which we recognized as Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Laurel was there and escorted us to a hole under one root. Climbing down the hole, we passed through the various lower realms of the World Tree - Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Muspelheim, Jotunheim and so on. She described each to us as we walked through. We passed over the sword river and the blood river and arrived at the outer gate of Hella's realm. Here, we met the giantess who guards that portal. We gave her greeting and paid our respects, upon which she granted us entrance. Beyond this gate, we saw the orchards of Hella's world with their shining apples and green. We approached Hella's Hall and stopped there. Laurel proceeded inside to the mead hall where the ancestors feast. We "waited outside" while she met Balder and the other spirits, though she described all this to us. All this was simply the build-up to the oracular interview. I actually had one powerful moment on the journey itself, but more on that later.
When she was ready, Laurel let us know that she could take our questions. One by one, folk stood up and respectfully asked her questions or bade her give messages to ancestors if they were there. After each question-answer, an assistant to Laurel said "Well have you asked. Well have you been answered. Is there another?" Laurel had described this fellow as her "traffic controller" and it was his job to pace things. I gather he is also a Seidh man.
Well, what followed was quite simply "intense". The questions ranged from simple things like "I want to know whether I should move north or south" (To which Laurel said, "I don't even need to ask the spirits this one, but they agree with me you will be happy wherever you go because happiness is something you bring with you. One old women here says, 'South is better. It is warm and I can visit you there.' " )
To things like, "I wish to know how best to honor out ancestors." (To which the reply included, "The stories you tell feed your ancestors. Tell what needs to be told. Spend time with them, perhaps a meal for you and them together." For some reason, this moved the asker to tears after she sat down and I was compelled to put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.)
To other things which were of such a personal nature I will not repeat them here even in an abstract way. Suffice to say, the answers hit home for a lot of people and there were tears as well as some smiles. At one point, Odin himself decided to appear and speak to one person's question (and expressed a desire to be more involved in her life) after which, Laurel ordered that another sip of mead be poured out.
Laurel described people she saw. One person was given a charm to help her husband find a job. My friend Monika was second to last to ask her question. It was of a very serious nature and Laurel had her come up and hold her hand while she whispered the answers in her ear. Apparently, this is a typical thing to do if the information is of a very private or special nature.
Ok ok, so yes, I did ask a question. Actually, I first sent greetings to my grandfather and said I hoped the truck was working out for him. My question was, "Seeress, I am new to this path and I am trying to raise my family within it. But I have been plagued by a desire to form a kindred of my own. Now it seems I have friends who wish to come down this path with me, but I worry that my desire is only vanity or that I might not be qualified to lead. How do I proceed?"
I'll paraphrase some of what the Seeress said. It was very poetic.
The answer was, "Stop talking! You used the word "plagued" but you should say "driven"! Reach down into your gut and let a fire burn there. Ride it like a wild horse, like the flow from a volcano. Let it explode! Does this make sense to you?"
"Yes," I answered.
"You come from a line of very troublesome, stubborn and tenacious people. They support your dream. From one side, I hear them saying do it with all passion. From the other side, I hear cautious optimism. Does this make sense to you?"
"Yes."
"One piece of advice - try not to spend too much money in this. Does this make sense to you?"
"Yes."
There were more words, but those are the key ones. What really hit home for me with all this was that she was summing up the personalities of several of my ancestors to a tee, including my paternal grandfather (stubborn, determined and good with money) and grandmother (whacko and impulsive and a real "Auntie Mame" go-getter type) as well as my father and mother (though they still live). I was pretty darned impressed.
After all the questions were done. Laurel rejoined us outside the hall and we journeyed back the way we had come until we were back in the cabin. That was pretty much it. A few people hung around to chat. A lot of people hugged.
One thing I really liked about the set-up for this was that Laurel extolled us that by participating in this experience, we were binding ourselves to each other as a community, even if only for that time. She stressed at the beginning how it was a communal experience and that we needed to support each other. This became very clear during the questioning when some people were moved to tears by what they were told. Hence the spontaneous hugging and touching during the interview.
10 pm - 12 am Dragonsong Concert
Eh. I missed this. I went home after the Seidh, helped them fit a fresh canister to the heater, escorted Jen to the washhouse briefly, and then we went to sleep. But we could hear the band in the distance and they weren't bad at all. Cool drums, fiddle and flute.
I slept very unsoundly. I couldn't turn my brain off about the Seidh. Monika told me the next morning she'd had the same problem.
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Sunnasday
We got up pretty lazily and had oat meal, coffee, eggs, and such for breakfast. Monika came in from her own tent and she and I described the Seidh to the others. Jen and Allison were so impressed they decided to attend Laurel's last class which was...
11 am - 12 pm *Journeying Workshop - A practical workshop in the spiritual technology of journeying - led by Laurel
Apparently, she led them on a short journey to visit the earth goddess in her cave. There they received a short message from her and then returned. Laurel also talked about techniques, tools and doing journeying solo vs. in a group. Meanwhile, Eirene and I took full advantage of the swing set and a tricycle we found.
Later, people started to gather for the closing rite of the weekend. I caught up with Laurel and told her I had a follow-up question from last night. She said, "Well, ask the bag." and had me pull a rune out of her rune pouch.
However, the first thing I pulled out was a small red stone. Laurel said "hmm." And explained that the stone was one she'd gotten from some sort of dredging site or mine along the Mississippi (or someone who worked there, I forget). She said she had been considering giving it to Eirene as a gift as it was a special river bottom stone. She said that must be what was supposed to happen since I pulled it out myself! Coolness.
Ok, so I reach into the bag again and pull out Naudiz after asking, "Should I dedicate myself to Freyr?" Something I have wondered for a long time and which weighed heavily on me because of the previous night. Laurel said she interpreted the rune to mean "Do what you have to do."
I then told her what I had really wanted to discuss which was that, during the journey down the World Tree, I had felt a terrible on-rush of intense homesickness when we passed through Vanaheim. So much so that I had started to tear up and got kinda freaked out.
Laurel said, "Do you remember that at that point in the journey I said "...but you can not stay here..."? I had felt someone in the room was being drawn to Vanaheim strongly, I guess it was you."
She said she was not at all surprised now to hear me talk of Freyr - that this dovetailed with my desire to start a kindred and also the Vanaheim reaction. She said a desire to give to the community was a typical trait in Freyrmen. Apparently her husband is one and she thinks he'll be pleased to hear about me.
So, Monday morning, I looked up Naudiz and found that it often implies hardship or tough times. However, it also is symbolic of the Need Fire. That struck me. I begin my blots by symbolically lighting the Need Fire. I have had the words "Light the Need Fire" stuck in my head ever since and I am interpreting it to mean that dedicating and starting a kindred will be a lot of hard work, but that I need to do it to benefit my community, just as the Need Fire warms the folk. Pretty funky chain of events, huh?
12:30 - 1 pm Closing of the Idunn Ve
The Kindred had kicked of the festival by setting up a Ve, that is a holy place out of doors, dedicated to Idunn who is their patron. It is also a nicely appropriate harvest time thing to do and apples are a holy food to all. The camp site has a small orchard, so they set up a small shade fly in it. Within, they set up an altar to Idunn with candles for a Need Fire, garlands, and lots of apples from the surrounding trees. They filled a metal bowl (the honorary Wyrd Well) with apples as an offering. Of course, we missed the opening of the Ve, but we were able to participate in the closing, which was basically thanking Idunn for her attendance at the event and for her continuing friendship with the kindred. Aesa led the group in chanting some runes associated with life and birth. She threw the offering apples onto the ground outside to return them to Nature. She also spoke to one apple tree in particular, which they had dedicated as the honorary World tree for the festival, thanking it and saying "Now please go back to being simply the ordinary, beautiful tree that you are." I found this interesting and just plain cool. Setting a ve in this manner is new to me. That was essentially it. Everyone cheered for the success that the festival had been.
1 - 2 pm Clean up
Departure by 2 pm
Well, I have to admit we didn't do much to help clean up - our camp took a lot of work to break down (typical, right?). We also took time to do something really cool. Monika had suggested Saturday that maybe we could do a small sumble of our own since Allison, Chuck and my brood had all arrived too late to attend the official one. We took Allison's horn and filled it with Chuck's amazing blueberry mead and did a simple 3-round sumbel right there in the woods. Very touching, very powerful and happy. We all felt quite joyful and grateful for the weekend and what it had given us. Allison in particular has decided that this experience clinches it for her - that Asatru is a path she wants to follow.
A&C and us three left by about 4pm and had Mexican in town. Jen and I talked a lot on the way home about what we liked, what she has decided she likes about Asatru, and what we want to do next.
