Beneath the Surface

Bright-eyed Skadhi, daughter of the mountain-giant,
child of the snow and ice, wood-roaming goddess,
firm of footing, firm of purpose, firm of will.
We welcome you, we welcome your strength, we welcome
your season. Skadhi of the cold, shrill winds, the darkened
skies, the frozen earth, Skadhi of sharpened shafts
and feathered flights, stout-armed bow-woman, sure
of hand and sturdy of heart. Grant to us a keen eye
and a steady hand, grant to us full freezers
and safe journeys. Hail to Skadhi! Hail winter's maid!


Ready for Winter Finding early this year!

Just for the record, I do not think that Ostara and Idunna are the same entity. (Appears this is an issue on which people differ.)

Hail to the Vans! Knowing ones, ancient ones, mighty ones
who in elder times broke down the walls of Asgard,
who trampled and tore the very field of battle,
who found in the noble Aesir an even match,
a wise accord, a balanced realm of friend and peer.
From Vanaheim your line arose--fair Vanaheim,
land of green mead and quiet wood, of waters deep
and barrows long enclosed. To bright-halled Asgard
came you four--Nerthus and Njord, Freyja and Frey--
to join your might with the fair Aesir, to share
with them your knowledge and your wisdom, to bring
to that land a lusty nature and a merry heart.
Farsighted gods of the Vanir, we thank you for
the roots that dig into the earth, for the black soil
beneath our feet and the seed that lies so deep within,
for the food we eat, for the daughters and sons
who bring joy to our lives and strength to our kin,
for each and every beat of our heart--for all this,
dear Vanir, we thank you. Hail the gods who bring life
to our lives! Hail the gods of shining Vanaheim!

---

For the Vanir blot during Superior Heathen Gathering.

6. Beliefs - The power of prayer/reciprocity

I am a strong believer in "a gift for a gift." I think it's a much-misunderstood principle. There is, certainly, a contractual aspect to it (the Romans, I think, made this aspect into an art form)--but there is a contractual aspect to marriage and I don't see anyone (well, not many of them) lining up to object to that. Because we know there's so much more to it. As there is so much more to reciprocity. The exchange of gifts between friends is in great part symbolic. It's a concrete representation of the growing bond between the two. You don't give your friends presents in order to get something from them, you do it because you love them and want to share something with them.

I am also a strong believer in building a relationship with deity--that relationship is a greater gift than any other blessing they may grant. Gifts and offerings can be a part of this, but so is prayer, and meditation, and work done for the gods--time spent, effort spent.


( Days to come... )

4. Beliefs - Birth, death and rebirth

I'm not a literalist about this. In my opinion, death is a continuation of our lives, it's the entry point to another part of our existence. I think it may be a more flexible reality than the one we know now. Mainly, I think that any attempts to describe it by earth-bound people (i.e. us) are bound to fail because we don't have the understanding or the tools to do it. Any such attempts made are at best incomplete and almost certainly just wrong.

I don't mean that we shouldn't think about these things, or theorize. I think it's a useful exercise. I just don't think we should expect that we're going to be correct in our guesswork. :)

But I do think we go on. I think we may be able to connect with the world we're in now in some way. Possibly we'll gain a better understanding of the gods. These things are all possible. They just aren't guaranteed. (This is a point where I find myself diverging from the more reconstructionist folks at times.)

So, the answer to this one? As the agnostics say, "I don't know, and neither do you." :)



( Days to come )

2. Beliefs - Cosmology

Or, our place in the universe.

Ask me this, and I go with the scientists--big bang, evolution, dinosaurs, et cetera.

Because mythological truth is mythological truth. No less important, no less true, but nothing to get literal about.

Which means that Ymir and Gaia are both formational forces, and they are unconnected. That fire and ice met. That Gaia birthed her husband, then her children. That all this is true, and it does not conflict.

And that there are manymanymany gods, and some of them are mine, and most of them are not.

And how I put my mind around all of that, I'm not sure. :) But I do.


( More days )

May Day. Tired now. :)

Crazy writing is back, at least for tonight. It's good though. :)

Best suggestive antacid commercial of the day.

Day 18 - Your beliefs

I believe that it's better to assume the best of people; I'd rather be disappointed once in a while than go through life suspicious of everyone I come across. (Of course I still lock my door at night and maintain decent passwords--I may be trusting but I'm not stupid.)

I believe that no matter how bad things are, they could be worse, and they will probably get better. (More of the natural optimist coming through.)

I believe that it's best to do what is right, but sometimes it's necessary to settle for doing what is best.

I believe you can never have too many books. (Luckily I also believe that a little clutter is good for the soul.)

I believe that being one's true self is a lifetime goal.

I believe that being kind is more important than just about anything.


( More topics to come )

From Gylfaginning: The fourth is Gefjun: she is a virgin, and they that die maidens attend her.

Also from Gylfaginning: It is told of him that he gave to a wandering woman, in return for her merry-making, a plow-land in his realm, as much as four oxen might turn up in a day and a night. But this woman was of the kin of the Æsir; she was named Gefjun. She took from the north, out of Jötunheim, four oxen which were the soils of a certain giant and, herself, and set them before the plow. And the plow cut so wide and so deep that it loosened up the land; and the oxen drew the land out into the sea and to the westward, and stopped in a certain sound. There Gefjun set the land, and gave it a name, calling it Selund.

From Lokasenna:
Gefjon:
19. "Why, ye gods twain, | with bitter tongues
Raise hate among us here?
Loki is famed | for his mockery foul,
And the dwellers in heaven he hates."

Loki:
20. "Be silent, Gefjon! | for now shall I say
Who led thee to evil life;
The boy so fair | gave a necklace bright,
And about him thy leg was laid."

Odin:
21. "Mad art thou, Loki, | and little of wit,
The wrath of Gefjon to rouse;
For the fate that is set | for all she sees,
Even as I, methinks."


There's probably more information in the lore on Gefjon than on any of the other handmaidens, but it's still not a lot, and it tends to be contradictory. Mainly, she's a virgin, and yet she has four sons, which if not contradictory tends to indicate that she is unpartnered, not inexperienced. Loki accuses her of sleeping with a man for jewelry; although this could be a case of confusing her with Freyja and the tale of Brisingamen, that's not certain. Odin states in Lokasenna that Gefjon has the same sort of foresight he himself has, which could also mean a conflation with Frigga. But taking these bits of information together, Gefjon is

- kind to maidens (which may well mean unmarried women rather than women who've not had sex), who join her in her hall after death. This seems to mean that she is protective of women who may have few resources of their own, or who would perhaps be happier in a household of women.

- clever, as shown in the Zeeland story.

- interested in the maintenance of frith; she isn't trying to calm Loki himself, rather questioning why the others are giving him so much leeway in the situation

- wise, and with an understanding of wyrd.

It's kind of a scattered picture, which wouldn't necessarily be a problem (certainly she is not the only god whose stories differ widely) except that there's so little of it. It's like a jigsaw puzzle where all you've got is one blue piece, one green piece, and one piece that might be part of an ox.

What I tend to get, on a purely personal level, is that she is independent and self-sufficient, and is supportive of those (particularly women who may have limited resources) who seek their own independence and self-sufficiency and personal power. She's wise, she's clever, she knows much, but the bit that says "Gefjon" to me is the part about autonomy.

I think I've reached the end of the weeks-long inspiration marathon. Or, at least, I'm at a resting spot since I finished a section of what I'm working on.

It's been a strange thing. I feel like writing, and it's there. People keep talking to me and interrupting...and it's there. The kids are yelling in the other room, and it's still there. I'm too tired to write, and it's still there. I get sick and I feel like crap, and it's still there. I can barely concentrate because it's so late, and I finish and I look at it and it's still there!

I know I form it, I know I have input, but it's also kind of like taking dictation. If that makes sense.

Writing prayers again. Love when I manage to "plug in." :)

From Gylfaginning: The fifth is Fulla: she also is a maid, and goes with loose tresses and a golden band about her head; she bears the ashen coffer of Frigg, and has charge over her footgear, and knows her secret counsel.

We don't know much about any of Frigga's handmaidens, but probably we know the most about Fulla. In Grimnismal she is Frigg's messenger to Geirrod, so certainly she is trustworthy; she is one of few to receive a gift from Balder and Nanna after they are with Hella, so she is clearly very close to Frigga and her family; she's mentioned in the Merseburg incantation as Frigga's sister and as one of those who help to cure Balder's horse via charms. Whether or not she is literally a sister to Frigg, she's definitely part of the family. She seems to play the role of executive assistant to Frigga--she's someone who gets things done, who can keep a seemingly-infinite number of irons in the fire at any one time.

I think Fulla would be good to get to know if you're someone who could use some help with their organizational skills. She would also be someone to approach if you're less than comfortable approaching Frigga herself.

Sick, and tired, but slept about 14 hours today due to the former, so the latter is not happening right now.

Got to start thinking about Yule. Getting in a Yule frame of mind. You'd think the snow would help. :)

Hail to Hella, kind-hearted Hella,
who welcomes each traveler to her realm,
who carries sweet mead to those who thirst,
whose tables groan with good meat and bread,
with a place for each by a warm hearthfire,
as family and friends long lost gather round,
to hold the new one close, to clasp their hand,
for a heavy heart--a loss in one world--
brings joy and reunion in the next.
Hella, goddess, lady of Helheim,
heedful guardian of the worlds' renewal,
we thank you for your goodness and graciousness,
for your care of those who have gone before us
into the unknown. Hella, we hail you!

When I was a little girl, I--like many of us--was nominally Christian, due to being part of a Christian family. My parents are not Super-Christians. They're Episcopalians, and my mom has a strong but quiet faith I respect a great deal. (My dad usually goes out somewhere for coffee when she's at church.)

In any case, they were not of the say-grace-before-meals school, and they were not of the make-sure-your-kids-say-their-prayers-before-bed school. At some point, however, I got the idea (I read a lot) that kids should say prayers before bed, so that's what I did.

I wasn't one to ask for stuff, even back then, except in dire circumstances, which were quite rare. What was left?

"God bless mommy, and daddy, and grandma, and grandpa, and other grandma, and other grandpa, and aunt so-and-so, and uncle so-and-so..."

I came from a large family, so this could go on a while, and I was certain to miss a cousin or two.

So, I came up with a good, short, all-purpose before-bed prayer:

"God bless everyone I know."

Good, right? Covers everyone. And that worked, for a while.

Except. Why should I limit myself to people I knew? Wasn't that kind of selfish? So, I came up with version 2:

"God bless everyone I know, and everyone I don't know."

Good, right? Covers everyone, this time for reals. And that, too, worked for a while.

Except. It occurred to me that maybe "people I don't know" only meant people who, while I didn't know them personally, I did know who they were--friends of friends, public figures, and so forth. What about all the people on the planet who I had no way of knowing in any way whatsoever? There were still people out there who weren't getting blessed. Fair-minded child-Hearthstone made a final amendment to the prayer:

"God bless everyone I know, and everyone I don't know, and everyone I never even heard of."

And that was satisfactory.

---

(I posted this to LJ the other day and totally forgot to post here, so if you've already seen this, apologies.)

Sore throat, oncoming cold or flu, therefore crabby.

Researching Ariadne, not sure why I didn't do so years ago.

Not feeling up to writing though.

I know I keep getting back to this whole "what we perceive vs. what is" thing, spiritually. The meaning of meaning. I know it doesn't have significance to everyone. I know it's apples and oranges, I know it's six of one, half a dozen of the other. But it sticks there, in my head.

When I was a kid in school, literature classes often consisted of two things: one, read the required piece, and two, analyze it for meaning. Meaning, at this point in my academic career, may have been complicated to figure out but was simple in its source--the author of the piece. You could look at history to see what the world was like that the author lived in, you could look at the author's background to determine influences of the author's family, experience, personality, but at the end of the day, there almost always was an answer. An answer. And almost always, the meaning of the piece was the meaning that came from the author.

When I got into college and was taking various communication classes (this would be in the mid to late 80s), that was no longer the case. The idea that a written piece's meaning is also influenced by the reader was a new one to me, and one that made (and makes) a lot of intuitive sense. While the author's intended meaning and its influences were still important to consider, and surely have primacy in establishing a piece's meaning, the meaning we bring to what we read and hear and see has its own validity. Sometimes this is due to cultural change over time or place, sometimes to our own experiences (something LJ and DW writers acknowledge when they warn that a link or cut may lead to something "triggery"). These personal, subjective meanings are absolutely valid. But that doesn't necessarily make them correct. Particularly when you take it out of the classroom and onto the spiritual street.

I believe that meaning is something we seek, and it is something we create. Interpretation is individual, but we like our personal gnoses to be substantiated, at least by a few others.

That is the root of why I think about this stuff.

The other day I first heard the term "prosperity theology." I was curious about it, since those are not two words one ordinarily hears together. I thought perhaps it had to do with managing one's spirituality and physical-world responsibilities? Or with how best to pray for material things? I remembered that, in my web research on Habondia, I came across a number of websites listing different deities concerned with abundance--maybe it was something of that sort? It didn't seem like an unreasonable concept--so many people have a hard time balancing spiritual issues with the rest of their lives, and certainly some major (and not-so-major) religions tend to promote the notion that spiritual comfort and physical comfort don't go together--but it was a new one to me.

Turns out that "prosperity theology" is none of those things. What it is, is the notion that a god (or gods) blesses his (or their) best followers with riches in the physical realm. This means that one's fellows can tell just how much favor you have with deity just by looking at the size of your house and the newness of your car. Apparently it's most common in some evangelical Christian churches, which seems counterintuitive given what I know of Christian theology--granted that that may not be a great deal (although apparently there is such a thing as "Christian materialism" as well)--although I think you see a variation on it in some Pagan/Heathen faiths as well (for example, some (not all) Theodish heathens may measure one's "luck" by one's degree of traditional success).

I find this disappointing but unsurprising--unsurprising because people like to know where they stand, and ordinarily there's no sure way to tell this with religious matters. If they can use something as easily quantified as wealth as an indicator, life is simpler and goals are more easily chosen. And disappointing because, well, it's such a narrow view. The separation of material and spiritual isn't a good thing either, of course--you don't get a free pass to the good part of the afterlife just by virtue of being poor (regardless of what the Church used to tell the poor in olden times in order to keep them in their place). But equating them? Bad idea.