Winter Nights 31st October - 1st November

Note: This was a scheduled Post.

Note2: The Drawing was made by me and you can watch my works at my Deviantart


"A sacrifice was to be made for a good season at the beginning of winter…"

In pre-Christian Scandinavia, Veturnætur, Winternights, was a period of two days around the middle of October which marked the beginning of the winter half of the year. At this time the cattle would be brought in from the pastures and, as there was only fodder enough to see the breeding stock through the cold season, the remainder would be slaughtered and the meat preserved to provide food for the farmers throughout the harsh winters. This necessary yearly cull provided an excellent excuse for a big sacrificial feast at which gods, elves and ancestors were welcomed. Friends, relatives and honoured guests would gather at farmstead feast halls decorated with festive tapestries. Descriptions in the Icelandic Sagas suggest that they would play ball games on the frozen lakes during the day and eat and drink to excess during the night.
Also there was and still are two rituals that are held during this festival, álfablót and Dísablót, which i will talk in a later post when the time comes.
This is also a time to remember the dead ones, the ancestors, the importance they had in our lifes and still have as a memorie and their presence still lurk in the other world to this one, also it is the time to remember the female strong power and love, guidance and kindness, mortals, dead ones and Goddesses, but taht is a subject that belongs to Dísablót.

Also there is a similar celebration in the celtic wheel of the year, Samhain the harvest festival or the end of the harvest, when the christianity came into Europe, these pagan festivels, were turned to be a diferent celebration, All Saints' Day or Souls day, it still has this only connection to the pagan roots, the dead, but nothing more, because Winter Nights or Samhain is also a day to celebrate the coming of winter and how good it was all the harvest till this day, to ask for protection, shelter, food and health, happiness and love for the coming winter, the harsh winter.
Dont forget that we are connected to all our ancestors. and they are a part of us, we in turn will be a part of our descendants, as i've told in a earlier post about the ancestors, they continue to play a big part in the role of our lifes.

This is also the time of the wild hunt, when Odin in the Norse mythology comes with the valkyries and the dead ones, and they can be seen in the sky in their wild hunt, hunt for other to join them, ridding in extasy, in trance, this is a great day and and opportunity, or in the Celtic Mythology, Cernnunos the Horned god, i had an experienc in this day, you can read all about it in a post in "Personal Thoughts and Experiences" for this is the day where a tiny gap is opened between this world and the other and the dead ones, the spirits, the gods and so many other beings can visit us and we communicate with them. Unfortunately this day is also called Halloween and it is simply celebrated by wearing costumes of monsters and other scary beings, and people have forgotten their roots and the real celebration, but this has a bit of the old traditions, for the Celts in this day, wear costumes ans masks to be mistaken in the midst of the dead ones, the souls that could come into the world of the mortals, and so no mortal nor spirit would be scared of one another and could celebrate togheter.

For a Shaman, this day can be an easier day to "work" but i leave here and advice, do not let yourself be troubled by this mystical day, the magic and mystery of it, let your mind flow and let your dreams take you away in a difterent journey that may change your life, dont struggle against this and do not be afraid.

Have good celebrations! Farewell!

How Christianity Came into Europe

Note: This post is about History, European History and how the Christian religion came into Europe, also the drawing to illustrate this, was made by me.

Note2: This was a scheduled Post.





How Christianity came into Europe

In 219 BCE the warrior and commander Hannibal of Carthage, a Roman Province in Northern Africa, after his fathers death, gathered the army in his yound age of 16 years old, and went to conquer Rome in revange of his father's death by Roman hands. He went by land into the Iberian Peninsula, Lusitans of Portugal and Spanish from Spain, helped Hannibal, joining his army, they went to the Pyrenees in northern Spain, the border between spain and mordern france, and there the roman troops were waiting for Hannibal's army, 10.000 romans and all slaughtered, Hannibel continue to go and was helped by the Gauls in ancient gaul todays france, after this many other battles were fought, Hannibel killed many romans, and more romans came to him, till he reached northern Italy, Hannibel won all the battles but he did not reach his goal, to burn down rome, which in that time was not yet an Empire, Hannibal turned back to Carthage, strategically he has lost the war. but with this event, the Romans in reprisal start to kill and conquer all those who could oppose their safety, politics, economy and wealth. So it began the wars of rome against the rest of Europe, and it became a vast empire, the first to go down of course, were the people in Northern Italy an ancient tribe of celts and of course the northern Africa where Carthage was, then the rest of Europe. Among the many people the Romans subjected to their will, came the people of Yahushua ( Jesus Christ ), after they have killed Jesus, many created the new Religion of Christianity, and so many more joined this new faith, and the romans and the Jews were the first ones, changing all the wishes of Jesus and turning this new faith into something that would give them power over all, now it would be easier to conquer all without battle, but through faith, a new religion made by lies, and those lies would convince too many to submit themselves to a new order of power, this was not a religion but politics to increase the roman economy, so this was how christianity started to spread, but a germanic tribe called the Wandalns ( Vandals ) invaded rome and brought it down, so the Roman Empire has fallen and as it was falling apart, so all the roman citys and provinces were falling too. The people that were used to live in a roman way, with all the tecnologhy they brought, were now living in a world were all of those works were falling too, such as the aqueducts that used to bring water to all, now that rome had fallen, no one cared about that, and people start to live in a poor way, with no conditions, nor hygiene, so people start to have many problems, and since Europe belonged to no one now, many tribes became countries and those were fighting to have more land and power, and the people now living in a evil world where food was scarce, battles everywhere, the people were in need of something to save them so badly, no one was there to protect them, and now they were being robbed and murdered.
Meanwhile the franks apeared, the Franks were a West Germanic confederation, uniting the peoples in Magna Germania north and east of the Lower Rhine River. The Frankish identity emerged in the first half of the 3rd century out of various Germanic groups, including the Salii, Sicambri, Chamavi, Bructeri, Chatti, Chattuarii, Ampsivarii, Tencteri, Ubii, Batavi and the Tungri, who inhabited the area between the Zuyder Zee and the river Lahn and extended eastwards as far as the Weser, but were most densely settled around the IJssel and between the Lippe and the Sieg. From the third to fifth centuries the Frankish armies raided Roman territory and expanded their influence among the Germanic peoples previously living under Roman rule on the left bank of the Rhine. In 358, the Salian Franks came to some form of agreement with the Romans that allowed them to settle in Toxandria (roughly Noord-Brabant, Antwerpen and Vlaams-Brabant). Each tribe within the Frankish confederation consisted of extended kinship groups centred around a particularly renowned and noble family. The importance of the family bond was made clear by the Salic Law, which ordained that an individual had no right to protection if not part of a family. One particular Salian family comes to light of Frankish history in the early fifth century, in time to become the Merovingians - Salian kings named after Childeric's mythical father Merovech, whose birth was thought to be divine. Clovis, king of the Salian Franks, became the absolute ruler of a united Frankish kingdom in 486. He consolidated his rule with victories over the Gallo-Romans and all the other Frankish tribes and established his capital in Paris. After he had beaten the Visigoths and the Alemanni, his sons drove the Visigoths to Spain and subdued the Burgundians, Alemanni and Thuringians. During the period of Merovingian rule, the Franks reluctantly began to adopt Christianity following the baptism of Clovis in 496 CE. Following Clovis' conversion, a number of Franks rallied around Ragnachar, a powerful figure who had played an important role in Clovis' initial rise to power, but their rebellion was crushed. The remaining pockets of resistance within the population were overcome region by region through a quickly expanding network of monasteries. The Frankish church had to come to terms with an established Gallo-Roman clergy that actively spread anti-Germanic propaganda, which has survived in their writings and works of history; it had to Christianise traditional Frankish sensibilities and effectively suppress them; it had to provide a new theological basis for Frankish kingship, which was deeply rooted in Germanic tradition. While the Goths or the Vandals had been at least partly Christianised since the mid-4th century, traditional Germanic beliefs are thought to have flourished among the Franks until well after the conversion of Clovis to Christianity. So as i've written before, King Clovis of the Franks was cristianized just to get power and lands and noble titles, to conquer them all, and that is how france was born, and for the pope in rome this was great, because clovis was spreading thie christian faith to all Europe, by force, by slaughter, by burning, pillaging and killing. And as i've written before, those peopel that were in a great need of help, now play a big role, they needed a miracle, and came a new faith, promising salvation, all they needed! And so easily those became christians too. The Northern countries of Europe were the last to be Christianized because it was hard to go into those places, and because the people there stand in theur old religions and fought to continue to be the people they have always been, to continue their pagan spirit. The Franks tired of getting sieged by the Germanic people, ofered them titles, lands and weath in gold and jewels if they were to be christianized too, in greed for power, they all accepted, but more people accepted to be christians, so they would not be killed, because those who would not convert, were brutaly tortured and killed.
So Europe was now living in a christianized world, but there were still many to conquer, there were still many pagans who needed taxation, people that had to be christianized, to pay to their Christian Kings and ofcourse to give money to the church, then the Black Death came, an horribel plague that was killing all, in every 10, only 2 survived, the church in its wisdom, used this as a propaganda, it was a sign of God, people had to be christians or would suffer and die of the plague of death! So the people in fear, the rest of the people... were fully christianized. This was a summary of what happened, almost 1500 years to christianized all the Europeans, people that used to be free.. have a free will, a free spirit and mind.

Mythology around runes: Raido

Mythology:
The most obvious mythological connection with the rune Raido is Odin's famous horse, Sleipnir, a fabulous steed with eight legs, which could carry his master to all of the nice worlds of creation. However, tradition states that the rune is intimately connected with an obscure Teutonic fertility God called Ing, Who may well have been imagined as a powerful stallion. Ing was a god of great importance to the early Anglo- Saxons. When they first came to the shore of Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries AD, they bore the banner of the white stallion, which remains the emblem of the country of Kent, in southern England, to this day. It is likely that ing would have been completely forgotten by now were it not for the fact that the country of England owes its very name to Him.

Note: This was scheduled to this day.

Raido

"Riding is easy for the warrior indoors, and very courageous to him who travels the high road upon a stout hourse."
                                                                        
                                                         "The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem"


To the Anglo-Saxons, this rune was known as Rad; in Iceland was Reid; While to the Norwegian vikings, it was known as Raid ( aptly enough, for a piratical race ), which actually means "riding".
Raido is the rune of the sun, pictured in the Norse imagination as a mighty cartwheel rolling across the sky, Thus the rune became connected with carts, land transportation in general, horses and other pack animals. Because of the correspondence with the horse, Raido became the rune of those who rode: the nobility and rulers. Thus it not only meant "to ride", but gained the meaning of doing the right thing, acting honourably and telling right from wrong. By association, Raido also gained an association with the oak tree, with the goats who pulled the chariot of Thor and with the healing herb mugwort.

Upright Meaning:

Jorneys of all kinds, both in the outer world and in the personal, innerrealm, are pictured when the rune Raido appears. The use of judgement, too, is indicated, with the advised course being to act honourably. Doing the right thing at all times will bring you respect and admiration of those who matter. It also suggests the road that you travel along may not always be easy, but that the eventual rewards will be worth the trials and tribulations encountered along the way. Raido can be interpreted as a move forward in some venture, too. Legal and official affairs of all kinds will be resolved to your satisfaction and promises, oaths and testimony will work to your benefit. However, this is not a rune about advice: in fact, the opposite is the case, since Raido clearly states that it is your own judgment taht will outweigh any other point of view. Its appearance warns against confiding your plans to anyone, so keep your counsel, think deeply and once your mind is made up, do not waver from your course.



Inverted Meaning:

Disruptions of your plans are inevitable, but that doest not mean that you can abandon your long-term intentions. The road you are travelling on may be rocky at the moment, but you should not be disheartened. Short.term problems may be pressing, but it is important that you do not lose sight of the bigger picture. A financial venture or legal dispute may not go the way you want, or you may purchase something that promises to solve one problem, but only creates more. Keep the faith: this troublesome period will not last forever.

Body Part: The circulatory system, all those running paths, the roads of the body.
Associated Maladies: Blocked veins or arteries, varicose veins, arteriosclerosis, blood pressure.
Action: Running well.
Solution: Clear blockages of the system. Exercise, movement, getting circulation going.


Note: Everything i will post to this day ( 19/10/2011) beyond, will be posts that are scheduled, because i will not becoming back so soon, if i ever do, i will tell that i've return, meanwhile the posts will have a Note at the end saying that it is something scheduled, so i will not be here to answer back , i will have to work this entire day in puting many things scheduled till i return again, if i return... i dont feel motivated nor eager for anything, i feel lost and distressed, i feel empty and sad. The posts will appear at the same hour 1:00PM / 13:00h i have much to write Farewell friends.

Rökkatru Ethics and Values

Note:  The photo was taken by me, that is why it is so blurred.

The Rökkatru.  honor and love and work with the Gods of the third pantheon of the Norse/Germanic religions, the Gods of underworld and shadow. Like many similar deities in other Pagan cosmologies - Hades, Hecate, Kali, Ereshkigal - they do not see these Gods as evil, because they feel that the concept of Good vs. Evil has no place in the norse cosmology. Instead, they see them as being a source of deep and difficult wisdom. Some may wonder what sort of ethical code would be held by those of us who worship such dark and ambivalent Gods.

Hela's Rule: Vision. Death takes the long view of all things, and so we strive to value far-seeing over temporary difficulties. Ask yourself: Will this matter in a year? Five years? Ten? After I am dead? Think ahead before you react, before you speak. Learn not to take things personally; people often react from their damage, and everything blows over in time.

Loki's Rule: Self-Knowledge. No matter what you say to others, be it truth or lie, never lie to yourself. Know yourself excruciatingly well, even the ugly parts, and always be honest with yourself first. When you speak the truth aloud, remember that the greatest honor is in speaking the truth that no one wants to hear, and that everyone has been avoiding out of fear.

Angrboda's Rule: Diversity. The Giant-Race comes in a myriad of forms, and all shapes, sizes, and natures are valued among them. Being close to Nature, they understand that diversity is survival and strength, while homogeneity is inevitable weakness. Thus, we accept and value diversity in human beings, be that in race, ability, gender, cultural background, lifestyle, sexual preferences, appearance, and all the many ways that we can be wonderfully different.

Jormundgand's Rule: Liminality. As the Snake is neither male nor female, both of Midgard and not of Midgard, so we see that the honorable and the sacred is most often found in that which crosses boundaries, bridges opposites, moves between worlds. We value that which is Both, and Neither, as one of the Great Mysteries.

Sigyn's Rule: Loyalty. Stand by those who love you, and whom you love, no matter what others say of them, no matter if they are driven out. The loyalty of true friends, family, and lovers is more important than the acceptance of any group, and any group that would force you to forswear them is not worthy.

Gerda's Rule: Frithmaking. While sometimes war is necessary, there is always far more honor in making a just peace than waging a just war.

Jord's Rule: Earthwisdom. Revere the Earth and Nature; seek to live lightly on the land. Honor the spirits of the Earth, the stones, the trees, and all Nature.

Nidhogg's Rule: Recycling. There is no such place as Away, so be careful what you throw there. Recycle, give away, don't waste, find a place for it somewhere else. This includes people as well as things.

Aegir's Rule: Hospitality. Open your doors even to those not of your people, not of your tribe. Open your doors to them even when they are annoying, or disrespectful, if there is the chance of an alliance, of changing their ways with frithmaking. Be gracious in the face of others' greed and boorishness. You have the right to set boundaries, but be generous the first time at least, no matter who they are, until they truly prove themselves worthless.

Surt's Rule: Intensity. Whatever you do, let it be with passion and fervor. Do not live a dull, repressed life.

Fenris's Rule: Shadow. Learn to love and find sacred all the parts of yourself, even the darknesses. Honor them by making a safe place for them, where they can neither be harmed nor harm others.

Mordgud's Rule: Self-Control. The Giant-Race are a people of strong passions, and so often are their followers. That is why it is all the more important that we strive always to keep our gates guarded and our walls firm -- not to keep out, but to keep in. Keep control of your emotions, that they might not spill over and burn others, or yourself.

The Norns' Rule: Dedication. Walk your path as you understand it, and as the Gods tell you to, and let no mortal opinion get in the way of your Wyrd.

Supported by RavenKaldera

What is Rökkatru?

Note: The Drawing was made By me and it was an illustration already for the story of the birth of Loki here in my blog, but it serves well for this post as well!

First, there was Asatru, which meant, technically, “True to the Aesir”, or the Norse/Germanic Gods of sky and war and culture. They included Odin, Frigga, Heimdall, Baldur, Iduna, Bragi, and many others. Eventually, those whose religious practice concentrated on the Vanir – the second, more agricultural pantheon of Gods including Frey, Freya, Njord, and Nerthus – decided that they would be called Vanatru. Some time after that, Abby Helasdottir of New Zealand coined the term Rökkatru, for those whose primary focus  was the third pantheon of underworld Gods. These include Hela, Loki, Angrboda, Sigyn, Fenris, Jormundgand, Narvi and Vali, Surt, Mordgud, and Mengloth, among others.

The concept of a World Tree is not limited to northern Europe. Many cultures around the world have world trees, and it is usually the job of the shaman or spirit-worker in that culture to travel from world to world. There are always at least three levels: heaven, earth, and underworld. Each are valued equally and have their own blessings and dangers. There are always spirits of sky, spirits of earth, spirits of the beloved ancestors and those who guard them. Norse cosmology grew from a preliterate culture that followed this pattern, and we follow the same idea. Three pantheons, all valuable, all necessary to the functioning of Yggdrasil.

Those who identify as Rökkatru do not see “dark” as bad, nor “underworld gods” as evil. We feel that this is a Christian concept that has infiltrated some modern interpretations of Norse cosmology, first through the Christians that wrote down (and tainted) the only sources we have of these myths, and second through the Christian upbringings of many converts to Northern religion. Other Neo-Pagan sects have already been down this road and come out the other side; they have learned that underworld Gods are to be honored and revered for many things. Death is not evil; it is part of life. So is rot and decay, and loss, and the passing of all things. So is chaos, so is randomness, so is the destructive parts of Nature that we humans find inconvenient. All these things are sacred and so are the Rökkr. Just as there are those dedicated to Hecate, or Kali, or Hades, or Ereshkigal, or Coyote, so are there those who are dedicated to Loki and Hela and the others.

Currently, at this time, Heathenry (reconstructionist Norse/Germanic religion) prefers to limit itself to worship of the Aesir and Vanir. Northern Tradition Pagans, however, believe that Gods are not divided into categories of “good” and “bad” Gods. They are all worthy of honor, and we honor all of them. Since there are already many lovely websites with information about Asatru and Vanatru but very little for Rökkatru, and since honoring all three pantheons instead of only two is part of what sets us apart, we have chosen to put up a small place of education about this third truth. Not all Northern Tradition Pagans are Rökkatru – they might just as often be dedicated to or favor Aesir or Vanir Gods – but they will all agree that it is good to see all the Gods honored, and have no issue with the followers of underworld Gods.

Supported by RavenKaldera

Offerings to the Ancestors

The best offerings to the ancestors are ones designed for them personally. The traditional offering is food or drink that they would have liked, but if you want to go further, donate time or money or resources to a cause that they would have approved of. This is easier for relatives who died during your lifetime, and who you knew personally - just think of some organization they would have approved of, and give to that group in the name of your relative. When it's people who are many generations dead, or perhaps so far back as to be nameless, it's more difficult. Start with their ethnicity - is there an organization for people of that ethnicity who need help, perhaps in countries other than their original homeland? Barring that, is there a harsh issue that is troubling the descendants of your ancestral people who still live in their own country? Could you donate to an organization who is trying to help? Imagine them looking down at all their modern descendants - who would they be most worried about? That's a good place to start.
Make offerings, and pray to our beloved dead. These include those we knew and loved in life, those we never knew but who survived that we might one day live, and those who did not share their DNA but inspired us to a better existence.