Introduction to: The God Loki

This video has multiple subtitles, you can choose between, English, Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Many thanks to the contributors!

Hello friends how are you? I've seen that a lot of people would like to know more about the gods; I even receive private messages on my facebook page of people wanting to know a bit more about the rituals and how to praise the deities. So here it is, an intoduction to the Norse deity Loki.

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Introduction to: The God Freyr

I leave you here with a video I’ve done a year ago, speaking about the Norse/Germanic deity – the god Freyr.

You can read about this deity here at my blog, of course. But for those of you who prefer to listen rather than reading, I recomend my own video on the subject 😛 hehe.

If you want more videos about such subjects, please subscribe to my channel; your support and feedback keep the videos coming. I hope you enjoy this one and any suggestions you can always speak to me freely.

Enjoy the video friends! 😀

Working With The Gods: Hela

In the Norse pantheon, Hel/Hela is the goddess of death, the deity that rules in the underworld and all its denizens. In previous posts I have written about her already. Now, I will not delve much into the subject of who she is and her purpose as a goddess, nor will I talk about her gifts. In this post, I will write about her in a different manner, how to work with her in a spiritual way. To those who already know her, it will be easier to interpret.

The majority of the Norse gods (both genders) are associated with light, but Hela on the other hand, is one of the few Norse deities which represents exactly the opposite. She is associated with darkness, the kind of darkness which absorbs the light, a very powerful negative energy. This is probably one of the reasons people associate her with evil and an horrific afterlife spent in darkness. The christianization of Europe adopted her name to label the terrible afterlife awaiting those who sin, the place where the devil reigns and tortures souls (Hell). This is an awful mistake, Hela has nothing to do with christian beliefs, and she may be associated with darkness, but that doesn't mean that darkness itself is naturally linked to evil. She seldom comes in the lore, and even the most important lore we have about the gods, such as the written works of Snorri Sturluson, had already a christian influence which is perfectly natural at that time, for the christian faith was gaining much ground and none could speak or write about subjects which "defiled" the christian faith. Most of what we really know about the goddess Hela, comes from the spirit-workers who have the honour to work with her. Unfortunatelly, such people are few, but we still can learn a lot about the gods in this manner. We must let go all the mysticism and lies that were created around many pagan gods.

Working with Hela:

When meeting with Hela (if you have such honour, because she really only chooses a handful of spirit-workers once in a life time), she would certainly like to be offered something to drink, be that alcoholic or not, preferably home-brewed. She usually wears long and simple clothing, normally black or grey or both, you will recognize her easily.Also, the her best feature which you will recognize her immediately as soon as you see it, is the fact that she usually wears rings. One ring on every finger of her left hand.

There are some people, Spirit-workers or not, that paint half of their faces resembling a skull, or actually use a mask like that to honour her. Hela will often work with female spirit-workers, but occasionally it is possible for her to also call for a male spirit-worker, but that seldom happens.

Hela walks very slowly and moves quietly. She only speaks to a person at the time, there are no group gatherings around her. Be very quiet, don't interrupt her, listen intently to what she has to say. Her vast knowledge is something that she will not share with most, and if she chooses to share it with you, be certain that you are being given the most honourable audience of all.

Angrboda - How To Praise And Make Offerings To Her?

As I have written the other day about this norse goddess, this post will be only about making offerings to her. Summarizing, Angrboda was the first wife of the god Loki. That is how she was entitled as a goddess thereafter, foe being connected with another deity. This doesn't mean she had no power before, on the contrary, she was a powerful figure in Jotunheim, chieftain of all the tribes of Jotnar. Such power she had, that Loki himself felt drawn to her. She is also the mother of the death goddess, Hel, or Hela, as well as the great sea serpent and the wolf Fenrir. Angrboda's marriage to Loki produced three children - Hela, who became the goddess of Death; Jormundgand the Great Serpent who surrounds and protects all of Midgard; and Fenris the wolf-shaped God of Destruction who was chained. 

In the previous post about her, I wrote that she will not work with anyone, her choices in spiritual-workers are very specific. Whoever she chooses, she will protect the person if she considers him/her to be a member of her clan.

In Ironwood, as well as in most places throughout Jotunheim, she is known as the Wolf Mother. This shows her matriarch personality. This title "Wolf Mother" is actually relevant for this post, because most want to work with her but can't, so in other to help her or give her offerings indirectly, you can help the wolves of your country, those animals are an endangered specie in all the countries which they are native. Helping the wolves, in whatever kind of job is needed in the centres that protect them, is actually hard work, and Angrboda appreciates the tough ones.

Most people only know Angrboda by her marriage with Loki and for being the mother of many of his children. The lore speaks of such things but not how to work with her and what is her real purpose. Through time, many spiritual-workers gave us the knowledge of the things that don't come in the lore.
She is a strong figure, violent, passionate, very protective like a wolf mother to her cubs, and also much wise. She as a reddish hair, a brown hair with a mixture like copper and red, or the color of dried blood.

As i told before, she is a very strong mother-figure, not in terms of nurturing or tender love, but in terms of motivation, support and advice, she takes special care to those who are "different", who have physical anomalies, people who also need love and care and need a mother-figure to guide them and to tell them they are also beautiful, as long as they are strong inside and never give up.

To work with her indirectly, you don't need to just help wolves, but also people with physical and mental disorders. As I have said before, she requires a strong spiritual-worker, capable of leadership, determined, wise and inclined for more primal aspects of life and human behaviour. Take note that she only works with female spiritual-workers, but once in a while a male spiritual-worker might also be summoned.

Working With The Gods - Angrboda

In Jötunheim, the land of giants, lies the most famous forest of all the nine norse cosmic worlds. Jarnvidur is its names, or commonly known as "Ironwood".

Angrboda (Whose name means "the one who brings grief") is the leader of all the Jotnar tribes living in Ironwood. According to the spiritual workers of the northern shamanic traditions, this goddess prefers female attendents, in other words, feminine spiritual workers. But she doesn't work with any who wants to work with her. In physical terms, she prefers tall women, strong, capable of enduring every trial Angrboda might have for them. However, she also preferes to work with older women, and in such cases, it doesn't matter their physical aspect. Only the young ones must be strong, willing to work with her. She doesn't work with teens for example, only adult women with some authority.The weak and delicate are not welcomed by her.

Angrboda is one of the oldest deities in the Norse cosmology, she was worshiped in prehistoric times, as such, she doesn't like to work with spiritual-workers who come clothed with something that may hold movements. Come to her in your natural form. That is part of the psychological profile of the spiritual-workers she likes to work with, without cloths that may hold the movements, is a metaphor for a person who moves with confidence and unconcern. If you must wear any type of clothing, choose a tunic or something made out of leather or animal skins. She likes women who have a warrior spirit. She is not a sweet deity, neither kind nor patient. Although, she is very kind to those who are physically different.

Note: When I've written that she likes clothes of animal skin, it would be absurd to assume that she likes to wear those just as a fashion, after all, she protects the wild animals, especially the wolves. She is a figure of ancient prehistoric cults as I have said, to be more precise, from the Neolithic period; she has been worshiped for a few millennia. Just as the humans once needed animal skins to warm themselves and to protect the body against the cold winter, she also needs them, for Ironwood is in Jotunheim, a hard place to live for those who aren't used to its weather. The best place in this world you might compare to it, are the thick shadowy and cold forests of Siberia.

Working With The Gods: Heid

Heid is not the only Norse goddess who is seldom heard, as such, people tend to work with other deities and pay little attention to some deities. Heid is as important as any other deity, especially in her field of expertise of course. When she is called upon and comes to work with the spiritual-worker, she appears as a little old woman, it's her disguise. If you want to make an altar for her, don't forget to add her favorite colours, which are: Black and gold. Usually Heid doesn't work with a single person unlike Gerda. Heid prefers to come to a group, a circle or seidr-workers, in order to give them advice and training. She works with both genders, but both men and women should be older, middle-aged at the least. Those who work with her should/must be seidr-workers, otherwise she will not come, it is unlikely that she will.

Working With The Gods : Gerda

Gerda is a Vanir goddess and the wife of the fertility god Freyr. Gerda is of giant blood, an etin woman. She is quiet and introverted. She is not the type of deity that likes to gather a lot of people, nor does she like a crowd of followers. She will likely to work only with a very small group of people, sometimes even just one single person. So if a group of people wants to call upon her, she will not come so willingly. She is a goddess linked to the earth, as such, she prefers colours that remind her of her beloved land. Greens and browns are a favorite colours, but also greys and purples. If you want to make an offer to her or when calling upon her to make spiritual work, don't forget to have near by freshly-cut herbs. Also burn or boil a few, the scent will certainly catch her attention.

Gerda Will only appear to you when there is no need at all, when you have probably got over the problems you were facing and those might have been the reason why you called upon her in the first place. When she comes, she will advise you and give you a certain amount of information that you probably needed to hear. Gerda is also the patron of the women who make abortions, because that is a very difficult thing to be handled and it might bring complications to the body. If that is your problem or the problem of the person you want to help, bath yourself or the woman you are trying to help, in salt water first, before calling upon Gerda. Also add some herbs to the bath. Gerda will certainly seem calm to you, very quiet. Be respectful when she comes. I should point that she doesn't work with male spirit workers, only female.

Working With The Gods : Freyr

Because this month started with a celebration to Freyr, it seems that talking about him would be a good opportunity, because he is one of the most famous gods in the Nordic pantheon and many feel both love and respect and are inclined to worship him.

Freyr is one of the very few norse deities easier to work with. He is a kind god, fair, willing to help. Freyr likes homemade food, such as bread and vegetables from your farm or home garden, food as natural and organic as possible. Freyr encourages people to grow their own food. Freyr also likes meat, although he prefers fruits and vegetables, but if you really want to give him meat, make sure it comes from an animal who was raised in a farm, in good conditions, with an healthy, happy life, well taken care of until its death. Freyr isn't a vegetarian deity, he doesn't encourage people to eat only vegetables and fruits, but he his a deity that shows much respect for all living things, that is why if you serve him meat, that mustn't be from the poorly, horrible, industrial business that slaughters animals in mass, and treats them like an old sack of potatoes. Serve him food without any chemical poisons as well. Freyr also likes beer and I has a thing for cherries.

The colors of Freyr are yellow, green and gold. If you want to use a specific type of clothing just to work with Freyr in any ritual, use one made of linen, or cotton, cloths made of fiber from plants, he will be happy about it.

Take notice, that unlike many of the Norse deities who require a kind of weapon in rituals and ceremonies, Freyr doesn't want one, while working with him, be sure that you don't bring a weapon of any kind. Freyr works with both genders, men and women.

Working With The Gods: Nerthus And Njord

When we are familiar with the Norse/Germanic tribes of old, we have the perception that the most worshiped deities were those linked to war, conflict, protection, fortification and all the things linked to combat. If any of you has read the book "Germania" by the Roman Tácito (if you haven't, you should, for it is the best and most complete historical-ethnographic treatise of antiquity) you see that the Germanic and Norse tribes did little work of agriculture, and even with the Baltic sea at hand, they also did little fishing and invasions by sea at that time. Works of magic and spirituality were left to the prophetesses and the slaves would perform the dangerous work of giving themselves to a deity as gifts in certain times and to certain deities. So the most worshiped deities were the ones linked to war and battle, the earth deity mother of all gods and living things, and in some cases, certain prophetesses were worshiped as living godesses.

A little history doesn't harm anyone, but all this to say that certain deities weren't there since the beginning, at least not with the names we know nowadays and not with the powers atributed to them. Nerthus and Njord are the Norse deities of the ocean, of the northern sea, they began to be worshiped in a late time and only nowadays ,with the spiritual work increasing, we know more about these deities and their true powers.

When working with Nerthus, Njord's wife, we do know that she prefers female spiritual-workers. No one is able to see her face, it is always covered, only a person who has become a priest or a priestess of the Vanir tribe, can see the face of this deity, otherwise a person that hasn't this job or any link whatsoever with the Vanir, must be killed if by any chance sees her face. So those who work with this deity are always female attendants, it is really rare to see any male working with Nerthus.
Njord prefers male spiritual-workers, they can be of any gender, but he really prefers male spiritual-workers and if any of those have the chance to have any kind of meal with this deity or be invited to a feast, be ready to eat a lot of sea food. If you want to gift Njord with food, his favorite is salmon.
Such as the post I have written about Freyja as being one of the few deities we know which colors she prefers, we too know the colors which her father, Njord, prefers, and it isn't hard to figure it out since he is a god of the northern sea and his halls are filled with those colors, white and the many tones of blue.

Note: The artwork to illustrate this post is a drawing made by me entitled "The Summoning of Njörðr". If you have any questions for me or if you want to see my artistic works, check out my Facebook page and make a Like if you can by following this link --> http://www.facebook.com/ArithHarger

Working With The Gods: Freyja

Most deities have their own preferences, either in food or drink, even in colors, tools, weapons etc. whatever you can think of. But it is hard to know in detail what are the things they prefer, we just have to be very attentive to the things that surround each deity and the way they behave towards those same things. When dealing with the goddess Freyja, those who do spiritual-work with her or are able to see her Halls, note that the predominant colors in garments, flags, tapestries and so on, are the white, gold, red and green, even those who work at her Hall somehow wear those colors, even Freyja use them. At Freyja's table there is always some kind of food and drink made from fruits, it seems that she prefers food and drink that contain fruit in it. There is also a lot of honey and wine. Since she is a Vanir deity, it isn't a surprise to see pork as the type of meat served at her Halls.

To do spiritual work with her, she prefers female spiritual-workers, most of the information we have about her and her halls, came (and still comes) from women. There are also male spiritual-workers with her of course, but those are too few. Male spiritual-workers are easier to be accepted when these have a warlike background, in this aspect many women are also accepted.

Working With The Gods: Heimdall

Heimdall is possibly the less called deity when it comes to spiritual work. Not that people haven't tried or have no need for him, on the contrary, he is much needed, but he is also needed on his post for he is a guardian deity and seldom leaves his halls or its surroundings. He was once called to protect young boys or to attend the rituals when young boys become men. He is a good advisor for the young and he also protects them, but nowadays that kind of work isn't done as often as it used to be.

Doing spiritual work with Heimdall is very hard, only in very few circumstances will he come to the spiritual-worker. Most of the time it is the person doing the spirital work that will come to him. This out of the body experience will be easier for the spiritual-worker. Heimdall prefers male spiritual-workers, and the young who have recently become adults, he has much to teach to the young ones who have just began their journey and fight in this world.

Working With The Gods : Tyr

Tyr is a god easy to spot, his right hand is missing, but it isn't only for that fact that you will recognize him. He wears a warrior presence, a stern but kind look and a great sword hangs on his right side by the waist. Usually he will be dressed with the dark tones of the colors of war, grey and red. Usually he also wears a cloak to cover his right arm.

He is a deity that prefers to work with male spirit-workers. This is a deity very difficult o work with, if you call upon him be certain that you know exactly what you want, because if he appears, he will be there only for a short time and then vanishes. He is a deity that goes directly to the matter, leaves you with some words of wisdom and then he is gone, it is up to you to know what to do with those words, your choice.

Usually the group of spirit-workers that gather with him, make a semi-circle in front of him, all must wear a weapon of their choice and Tyr will be there, speaking like a warchief speaks to an army. 

Working With The Gods : Bragi

I will not write about how Bragi is, that I leave for another post. Suffice to say that this post is only about working with this deity.

Bragi is a giver of inspiration, even if it is only by hearing his own tales. Bragi is actually a deity easy to talk to, very accessible. He helps those who perform the arts of music and literature, be that prose or poetry. All those who work with words, especially with speech, find Bragi to me the source of power.

Since this deity is a god of eloquence, a mediator, a diplomat, those who work with him always find his words comforting and might learn how to catch the attention of an audience, bring people together and bring peace with the power of words. Bragi is the very breath that flows through us, deep within us till our hearts.

Working With The Gods : Forseti

As I have wrote who Forseti was in a previous post, I will tell you how to work with him in a spiritual way. Fortunately he is one of the Norse deities that people are able to work with and that kind of knowledge is passed down to us.

Forseti is the god of Justice of the Norse pantheon. He is the god to turn to when people are in need of justice, any kind of justice. The problem has to be exposed to Forseti and he will judge if it is a worthy one. Take in mind that he will be at the side of those who have the reason, of those who are righteous and honorable, so before you call upon him, you have to be absolutely sure that you are being wronged and that the law, truth, honor and goodwill are on your side. Also, you have to make sure that your own problem isn't yours to make amends for, if you aren't able to fix your own problem by yourself, with your own strength and the power within you, then you may call upon Forseti. 

He gives valour to those who are able to defend themselves with reason and speech, you can ask his help on that field, and not to do something for you, unless, as I have mention it, if you aren't able to do so because of reasons higher than yourself.

Forseti is also the god of fairness and equal exchange, equal rights, so you have to be sure that you are clean in the problem that you are facing.

The Handmaidens

When talking about Norse mythology we often heard the word "Handmaidens" refering to a female being which helps a particular deity. There are many Norse deities, male and female, who have their own Handmaidens, like Odin's Valkyries, however, there is a huge list of Handmaidens helping and working with Frigga and Freyja and so on. Little is known about the Handmaidens, not even those listed in the lore and the ones people work with through spiritual work.

It is clear that these Handmaidens prefer to work with female spiritual workers, so there is the need to have at hand female objects such as dresses, jewelry, precious stones, rings, bracelets, necklaces and such. Also if you can get any handiwork object, especially if done by yourself, the better. One of the Handmaidens we know about and how she behaves during spiritual work is Fulla. She prefers female, young and unmarried spiritual workers. The spiritual worker will probably be joining an already existing female group of other women working with Fulla.

Another Handmaiden is Eir, unlike Fulla, she is very patient and comprehensible, better to work with when dealing with spiritual problems, psycological problems and so on. She is also very simple, so this is one of the handmaidens which wearing rings and bracelets isn't required, because she is also good to work with for those who do healing spiritual works. For those who work with medicinal herbs, Eir is the one to turn to for that kind of work. She hasn't any preferences in gender, any one can work with her.

There are other Handmaidens, I have mention a lot of them in previous posts, but when it comes to spiritual work, little is known about them. For instance, people also do spiritual work with Var and Hlin, but only few things are known about these two. Or even Vor, which is more turned to spiritual workers who are into divinatory types of work. Some Handmaidens will give you a lot of knowledge, others are better to deliver a message to a specific deity.

Asgard - Home Of The Aesir (5th part) - Fensalir

Fensalir

The post about Asgard and its places continue, this one is exclusively about Fensalir the hall of Frigga.


Like many of the Halls of Asgard, Fensalir also has a golden roof, it is a beautiful hall surrounded by birch trees, because this is the tree of the goddess Frigga. It is delightful to look upon this hall especially during autumn, while the leaves of the birch trees are yellow and the white bark of these really match the colors of the hall. The lawns around the hall are filled with chamomile. Behind the hall lies a vast fens with a real mystical athmosphere.

Fensalir is like a small village but with a huge hall standing there with many small houses around it. After reaching the great white door of the hall, inside of it a cosy and homely feeling fills all that set their feet on the floor of the hall. It is a bright hall with good food and the smell of dried herbs. n the area around Frigga's hall there are other halls, smaller ones, barns where livestock is kept and also workshops.

Frigga is the most powerful goddess of Asgard and she is one of the members of the council of Asgard. Frigga is a peace-maker and a peace-keeper. She is also a great seer and the patron of marriage as well as the patron of all the home works such as crafts, cooking, weaving and so on.
Frigga can be usually found at her home, her hall, always busy along with her helpers.

As I have written before, there are smaller halls around Fensalir which belong to Frigga's handmaidens, however, not hall of Frigga's handmaidens have their hall near Fensalir, some live in different parts of Asgard far from Fensalir, others don't even have a hall because they prefer a smaller house or to live inside Fensalir itself, but most of the time the helpers of Frigga can be found inside Fensalir, most are women and it is impossible to mention all of them.

I can name a few though, I could say I will mention the most important, but all of them have their importance as you might imagine. 
One of Frigga's handmaiden is her own sister Fulla, the goddess of abundance. She is the keeper of Frigga's wealth, all of it and whatever it is.
Fulla lives in Fensalir and lets put it in these terms, she is the second in command when Frigga is busy or not in Fensalir.
There are also human servents in Fensalir.

One of the most important handmaidens of Frigga and highly sought by many is Eir the healer of the Aesir. She keps her own hall around Fensalir, like a hospital.

There is also Gna, Frigga's messenger who lives in Frigga's hall, however she seldom is in it. Gna is always working and running on horseback in the errands that Frigga sends her to. Her horse is named Hofvarpnir whose parents are Gardrofa and Harmskerpir.

There is another handmaiden called Gefjon, a strong farmworker. She is the patron of manuel laborers, either men or women, and she is also the patron of unmarried girls. She has four sons and not a single daughter.

Snotra, another handmaiden, the goddess of virtue and hard working.

Lofn is the protector of lovers and romance and also love. She protects and helps all of those whom relationships are disapproved by someone, or a group of people or even society. She might be one of Frigga's handmaidens but she spends a lot of time in Sessrumnir working with the goddess Freyja.

Sjofn is another, also frequently seen at Sessrumnir, she is the handmaiden of peacemaking between couples. She is the relationship counselor. She has her own cottage and there is a very important rule, before anyone attempts to enter, all weapons must be laid outside. Interesting enough, she also works with the god Forseti.

Var, the goddess who witnesses oaths, is a mostly silent witness, rarely seen even at Fensalir unless someone is doing something that she needs to witness.

Hlin, the handmaiden of mourning, gives comfort and consolation to those who are grieving. She is also a battle Goddess. Hlin is a weaponsmaster, and for those few whom Frigga finds worthy, will teach both Her skill and wisdom in warcraft. (Not the game as you might think)

Syn is the doorkeeper of Fensalir, and another goddess of oath taking. She lives in Fensalir.

Vor is another rarely-seen handmaiden. She is a seer and wisewoman.

Huldra, the hardworking handmaiden of flocks and herds, is often conflated with Holda. However, some say that they are the same, and some say that they are completly different. Huldra is the patron of the Huldre-folk, small earth wights of Midgard.

Working with the Gods: Baldr

Baldr or Baldur is the Norse god of beauty, naivety and light. He is one of the few gods who as descended into the realm of Hel and do not yet arise from it. His story is a difficult one to understand, very tragic for the Aesir tribe of gods, a story of mischief and sorrow.

In the Norse mythology, Baldr is the youngest son of Odin and Frigga, the most beautiful of thesky gods, the Aesir. His mere presence brought light and merriment to all the gods in Asgard, and from him, a very bright light came to everywhere he went. 

Baldr married the Aesir goddess Nana who took care of the orchards of Asgard. They lived in the hall called Breidablik and in its surroundings nothing that was impure could ever live in such place, everything was naturally beautiful. They had a son called Forseti who would be later be known as the god of justice.

The saga of Baldr, Baldurs Draumar (Baldur’s Dream), tells us of the time when Baldr began to have strange dreams about his oncoming doom, death was approaching to cover in darkness the world of Aesir, light itself would be swallowed by it. Baldr told his parents about the dreams and his mother, Frigga, in a hurry, travelled throughout the nine realms asking every living thing not to harm her beloved son. Every living thing made this oath and when Frigga passed by the mistletoe, she thought that it was too young to make such an oath and she thought it to be harmless. Then she returned to Asgard and told to Baldr what she had done and that he was safe, nothing could harm him. Baldr made a game out of this, every god would throw weapons against him and every single object would bounce off.

Every great tragic story has vengeance in it, and this one isn't different. The god Loki was angry with the Aesir because they had murdered his wife Angrboda and imprisoned one of his sons, Fenrir, so Loki discovered the secret of Baldr's imunity to all things except the mistletoe, so he made a dart out of it and waited until the games of throwing weapons to Baldr began. Loki offered himself to help Hoder, the Blind brother of Baldr, so he could also participate in the games. Hoder agreed, and threw the mistletoe dart to Baldr, killing his own brother.

Meanwhile Loki fled and there was great mourning in Asgard. Many gods offered themselves to avenge Baldr's death, but Odin had other things in mind and none from his family was fit to do the task. So Odin raped the giant goddess Rind and she gave him a son called Váli, the god of vengeance. Váli didn't knew about the true story, all he knew is that his half brother Baldr had been killed by Hoder, and so he murdered the blind god.

Baldr was placed on his ship called Hringhorni and the funeral fire was started. Many were those who came to Baldr's funeral. Thor lost his self control because of the death of his younger brother, and in that rage he kicked a visiting dwarf right into the fire thus killing him. Baldr's wife, Nana, threw herself into the funeral pyre, thus commiting suicide to be with her beloved. Baldr's horse was also burnt along with everything that belonged to the god of light. When the time came to push the ship into the waters, it prove to be too heavy. All of a sudden a female giant called Hyrrokin, ridding a great wolf, came and gave the ship such a shove, that the earth itself trembled. It is said that this mysterious Hyrrokin was none other than Angrboda, Loki's wife, coming to witness her vengeance for the murder attempt on her, and for the kidnapping and later binding of her son Fenrir, and also her child Jormundgand, the great sea serpent.

In the meantime Odin and Frigga gave another task to one of Baldur's brothers, Hermod. He was to ride into Helheim and beg Hela to release Baldr. Hermod rode fro nine days till he finaly reached the Gates of Helheim and entered. He begged to Hela for his brother's life and she told him that she would only release him if every living thing in the nine worlds would weep for him. The Aesir went in all directions asking everyone they met to shed a tear for Baldr. All did so, except for an old female giant called Thokk and thus Baldr was lost forever. It is said that this Thokk figure was no other than Loki himself in disguise, making sure that Baldr stood with her daughter Hela.

There is much speculation in why such an event happened, why did Odin let all of this happen. In a foretelling, Odin knew that Baldr would be slain when Ragnarök started if Baldr was alive by then, on the other hand, being slain, Baldr would come to life after Ragnarök and rule in Asgard. It is said that Baldr's death was arranged by Odin and Loki to protect Baldr and send him to the safest place in the nine realms, the realm of the dead, so he might arise when the time comes and rule in Asgard.

The Saxons had another version of this story, in which Baldr and Hoder were two princes and both wanted the mortal princess Nana. Both fought and Hoder killed Baldr with a sword named Mistletoe and thus he married Nana.

It is clear that behind this story we can see that the only thing that can prevail over the light, is darkness, the opposite. Hoder the blind god is darkness and he took the life of his brother, Baldr, the god of light. When darkness covers the land, death and sorrow comes to mortal men and it is in darkness that Ragnarök starts, when all light fades away. But after te darkness a new light comes forth and life sprouts once more. Baldr revives and will rule in the realm of the Sky Gods.

One thing is also certain, to Baldr was given another task and he became a different god with a new sacred task, he is now the god who gives light in dark places, this also means giving light to those who live a life in darkness, while their mind is, metaphorically speaking, in darkness. Sorrow, sadness, depression, living in hard times, Baldr gives light and a new awakening.


Note: The artwork to illustrate this post is a painting of Baldr made by me. If you have any questions for me or if you want to see my artistic works, check out my Facebook page and make a Like if you can by following this link --> http://www.facebook.com/ArithHarger

Working with the Gods: Frigga

For those who practice the Norse spiritual ways, shamanism, keep in mind that when calling upon Frigga or if by any chance you know she will come to you, keep everything as clean as possible, even yourself. Whatever place you might do the spiritual work it must be a tidy and clean space.

Frigga's colors are light or pale blue and white, these are actually the main colors of the sky for she is also a sky goddess. Always remember that even being the wife of Odin and living in the realm of the Aesir, war-like deities, Frigga isn't a goddess of war nor does she works in those ways. Remember that Frigga is a lady, a very polite and sensitive one, very wise, a matriarch. Think of her as the Ladyship of a noble English family in the in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in truth that's what she is, not of the English nobility, but of the royal house of the Aesir, she is the Queen.

Frigga prefers female spiritual workers, mature female spiritual workers, independent women, mothers, housewives, hard working women. A woman being capable of doing traditional works such as weaving is also something very important for Frigga.

Working with the Gods: Thor

Thor is one of the most famous deities in the Norse Pantheon, and for those who do spiritual work with him, they must have two things in mind. Thor prefers to work with male bearded spiritual-workers and he loves the color red, any kind of clothing that you may have with that color is fine.
Thor is the tipical warrior god, sturdy, stalwart, stoic but very kind and friendly, faithful to friends and the bonds he creates with those who work with him.
Nowadays isn't hard to find a symbol that represents him, Thor's Hammer, it is actually very easy to get and you should wear one when doing spiritual work with him, or use a real hammer as a as a symbolic token.
Thor also likes beer, it is actually his favorite alcoholic beverage, but for him the most important thing is to have someone to drink with, as I have mention it before, he is a god that likes to creat friendships and maintain them. He shows you the importance of friendship, not just the merrymaking, but the bond between friends, a brotherhood kind of connection, always being there for a friend when help is needed, being faithfull to them.

Working with the gods: Odin

In shamanism people didn't just work with the spirits of animals, trees or the ancestors, they used to work with all kinds of spirits, including the ones we called gods.

Shamanism in the Norse trandition isn't something we are used to hear about, but it existed and nowadays like all the spiritual work in all the other religions, is being brought to us once again and only to a few people these deities show themselves and actually have anykind of contact with us mortals. Through altered states of consciousness we can have similar experiences that shamans had and still have, but being a shaman isn't something you choose to be, it is something that is chosen for you, however, you can choose to do spiritual work, but that doesn't make you a shaman, being a shaman is more complex. Finding a real shaman is a great challenge, nowadays there are too many spiritual workers, too many that call themselves shamans, but in truth, shamans are fewer nowadays then before, a great clue to know if a person is a real shaman, is that the person will never ever tell you that he/she is a shaman, shamans hide that from all, only the communitie calls them shamans, they don't give to themselves any kind of title.

I'm not here to talk about my personal experiences, I'm here to tell you about a mixture of experiences of various people with whom I have contact, including my own experiences, debating these same spiritual experiences reaching a more concrete conclusion, though not entirely correct.

Lets start with Odin. For those of you already familiar with this deity, there is no need to talk about him in the myths, or who he is, what he does or what kind of god is he, this is entirely in a spiritual prespective.

Odin

For the spiritual work with Odin, it is a good thing to have at hand some kind of alcoholic beverage, it can be either mead or wine, not for you and maybe not for Odin, he will only accept it if he is in the mood for it, this is just like offering a drink to welcome a guest, politeness

 He likes red meat and vegetables. You might want to be dressed with clothings with blue, grey, and black colors, those are his favorites.

Odin is a god to be called upon if you need counsel, advice, he likes ver much to talk, and solve disputes, so if you are in need of these things, he is the right god to do spiritual work with. Whenever you speak with Odin, never mention delicate matters in which he or someone or some deity close to him might have been involved, keep the conversation in what you really need, because Odin isn't a god that likes to talk about his problems, his affairs, he is a god that likes to communicate with the objective to help others.

Odin isn't a god to be taken lightly, he can be very ruthless, but he is extremely wise, treat him with the utmost respect.

Those who work with Odin can be either male or female, and should ideally be people sworn to him. 

Usually the greatest experience one might have when working with Odin, or just by meeting him somehow, is to be turned into a wolf or a raven and experience the natural world in that way, even if for a few seconds. It is a different point of view that will give you both freedom of spirit and cleverness, you will learn to respect, to behave while in a group, you can either lead or be led. Working in group is very important to Odin, the old Norse who worshiped Odin and made a cult around this deity, always worked in group and behaved like wolves in a pack.

Odin is a god that will constantly test you, before you call upon him or he decides to show himself to you he already knows a lot about you, he knows your fears, and every test is so you might know yourself better. You might think that you are very courageous, he will test that to see how far you can go with all your bravery, or you might think otherwise, the complete oposite, and you might find out that you are stronger than you thought.

Note:  If you have any questions for me or if you want to see my artistic works, check out my Facebook page and make a Like if you can by following this link --> http://www.facebook.com/ArithHarger