Showing posts with label Ritual. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ritual. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Odin's Teenage Rites of Passage Vision Quest Ritual


A Mountain Vision Quest Alone

SUMMER SOLSTICE TEENAGE ODIN VISION QUEST

Here is a Rites of Passage for any teenage Viking who wants to make contact with Odin and the gods/goddesses of the North.

I was given this ritual 15 years ago and I, not being a teenager, performed it partially with great results.

Always keep in mind that I, Ragnar Storyteller, having been outlawed by the Asatru Alliance and the self imposed godis and leaders, have been given permission by Odin to place some very powerful rituals on my website.

He and I are in accord,

if not in actual physical contact, then in mental atunement.

I need to update Odin and the runes and the gods/goddesses of our ancestors into the 21st century. To free Odin from the limitations of the Viking Age.

I was given this ritual while I was writing my first book with and for Odin.

Have you ever woke in the middle of the night with the urge to write something? Took pen and paper in hand and wrote as fast as you could. Then, when you were finished, read it to see what you had written?

That book being Odin's Return.

So, the easiest way for me to present this ritual to you is to copy it, abridged from the book.

Here goes from Odin's Return:

"The summer solstice was fast approaching and Thorolfr had reached his thirteenth year. His year of manhood. The blood of his ancestors pumped furiously through his veins. His size though not yet full in stature, was bigger than any of the other boys in the village. He almost stood as tall as a full grown man. His muscles bulged pridefully through his thin clothes.

"... Thorolfr started towards the mountains the next morning to start his Odin ritual

"He must remember all the steps that the hooded-one had told him upon their last meeting.

"As he walked through the forest towards the mountains, his eyes scoured the area for a tree. It had to be a special tree. A tree that had been struck by lightening. He needed to gather wood from it for his Odin ritual.

"... there it was, a giant ash stripped of all branches and split in the middle.

"It had been hit by Thor's lightening. It was just what he needed for Odins ritual.

"He pulled some ropes from his backpack and tied the wood into a neat bundle.

"He could still feel the heat in the wood. But how could that be? There hadn't been a storm in a week.

"He smiled and recalled the stories told by his father around the campfire about how Odin and the other gods/goddesses could intervene and perform miraculous and magical things to prepare for certain rituals.

"... he started again towards the mountain and the words that Odin had spoke to him ringed through his head. '...like a god you must live and like a god you must die ...'"

"He climbed the mountain slowly and steadily. The weight of the bundle of wood on his back chafed him and he had to shift the load from time to time.

"It was getting towards late afternoon and he finally spotted what looked like an opening between a bunch of bushes.

"... he pushed the bushes aside and saw a small cave. It would be perfect for his three night Odin's vigil .

"That night he made a fire of the sacred wood and all alone with his thoughts he kept a vigil in the cave. He had nothing to eat nor drink except bread and water.

"The hooded-one had told him that he must purge himself by fasting with bread and water.

"That night as he sat by his fire he felt a strangeness that he never felt before. He felt the presence of beings, of higher ones, of gods.

"He could not see them but he felt them. He shuddered in fear as he thought of their closeness.

"... for three days and three nights Thorolfr remained in the cave sustaining himself on nothing but the bread and water.

"Then on midnight of the third day, Thorolfr rebuilt the fire with the last of the sacred wood.

"He sat in front of the fire in a trance-like state. The three days of silence and fasting had raised his level of consciousness and his mind was sharp and eager to learn.

"The fire in front of him danced back and forth and swayed to a hidden rhythm. He watched it in quiet fascination.

"Little faces appeared in the flames and Thorolfr instinctively knew that the fire was alive.

"... he stood up and looked deeply into the flames. The flames parted and he could see a god-like man standing at the entrance to a bridge. The bridge glowed with all the radiant colors of the rainbow.

"... the god-like man, in full battle dress and winged helm stared sternly at Thorolfr.

I did not perform the following part of the ritual farther than pricking my thumb with my dagger to draw a little blood. Any teenager performing this ritual can do the same. I only present it to you as it was given to me.)

Ragnar Storyteller

"... he remembered what the hooded-one told him he must do. He took his dagger from his waist band.

"... he then said 'may this sacrifice of my blood help bring forth the gods of my Fathers back into my world. May my blood help rejuvenate the ancestral soul of the kindred.

"... then using the dagger he made three incisions of his chest and let the blood flow freely.

"He held the tip of the dagger so that the blood flowed onto it.

"He said, 'with this blood, I devote myself to Odin and the gods/goddesses of my ancestors.

"... He let the blood drop into the flames.

"When he had finished he raised his hand into the air and said, 'in the name of Oidn, Thor and Tyr, I dedicate my life to the protection of our ancestral soul.

"... he waited till the last vestige of life went out of the fire. Then he gathered his things and started back down the mountain to the village."

This is indeed a very powerful teenage rites of passage.

One of the reasons we as a Northern European Peoples are losing our country and are being forced out of the cities is because the other cultures all have maintained rites of passages for their children.

The Native Americans have theirs; the Asians have theirs, the Jews have theirs, even the black gangs in the inner cities have theirs

Time for us to build independent one-on-one relationships with Odin and the gods/goddesses of our ancestors.

But most of all we must free them from the confining limits of the viking age, and bring them into the 21st century where we can empower them.

Ragnar Sroryteller




Ellis Peterson AKA Ragnar Storyteller (earned Viking name) is 72 and a skald and runemaster. He is a retired math professor and electrical engineer. He brings his scientific knowledge of Quantum Physics into his Runic Information Website. He offers a unique approach to Runes and Quantum Physcis. He offers free Runic and Quantum Physics essays and articles plus a free newsletter. To take advantage of his uniquely interesting stuff check out his website at http://www.runes-for-health-wealth-love-now.com





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

First Menstruation Rite of Passage Ritual


Rituals are society's way of teaching and maintaining the culture. To

restore the matrilineal lines of initiation (old women teaching young

women) rituals are essential. A menarche (first menstruation) ritual can

make this time easier and more meaningful for both the young women

beginning menstruation, and her mother. Such a ritual comforts the

young woman and lets her know that her feelings are natural and have

been shared by women throughout time. It focuses the attention of the

community on the young women's needs at this time in her life. And it

instructs the young woman about what her family and society expect of

her now that she is entering womanhood.

When your daughter's first menstruation arrives, congratulate her, love

her, and make sure you take care of her immediate physical and

emotional needs. Then call together your community of women to

participate in the ritual you have planned. Let other women support and

nurture you both at this time. Don't worry if some of the women are

embarrassed by the idea of a moon-time ritual. Their feelings will be

healed as they join in the honoring of your daughter. And please don't

put off your daughter's ritual because she is shy and doesn't want to tell

anyone "she has started." This is her moment. I recommend helping her

to face it and feel good about it. Surround her with women she loves and

who love her. You may be surprised, especially if you have never

attended a menarche ritual, at the healing and joy that accompany such

a gathering.

At most menarche rituals, women only are present. The men of the

family, and the young girls who have not yet begun menstruation, are

invited to congratulate the new woman after the ritual, and give her gifts.

Begin your ritual by creating a sacred space in whatever way feels

comfortable to you and to your friends and family. Turn off all phones

(and cell phones) and put "Do Not Disturb" signs on the doors. Light

candles or incense, play soft music or drum softly, read poetry or sit in

silence.

An altar is a common way to create a sacred space. Altars help us

remember and focus on what is meaningful for us. The objects on the

altar are symbolic of the theme of the ritual. We may have symbols of the

Earth, pictures or statues of great or holy people or pictures of revered

family members. Flowers and other decorations are welcome. A flower

garland, to be worn later by the new woman, can be on the altar.

Another way to create a sacred space is to make a circle with a red rope.

Our community has a rope that has been dyed red, which is used at

many community rituals. You can also sprinkle herbs around the outside

of the circle.

As you enter the sacred space, purify your minds and hearts of daily

concerns. You can sprinkle everyone with water, or throw flower petals

over everyone, or smudge-whatever feels to you like dropping the

mundane. Smudging symbolizes cleaning off negative energy and

preparing for the sacred ritual. You can buy smudge sticks at most food

coops, natural food stores, or stores that sell herbs. Or pick some herbs

from your garden, wind cotton string around them to form a "stick" a few

inches long and one to three inches in diameter. Hang the herb stick in

a warm dry place for two to four weeks. At your ritual, light the stick, let it

burn for a few seconds and then extinquish it. It will continue to smoke.

You then "smudge" each other or yourself by letting the smoke drift

around the body.

The Woman's Blessing: At your ritual, have ready a dish of clean sand or

corn meal. (I use a large clay flowerpot base and fill it with sand.) Ask

the new woman to step into the dish of sand or corn meal, leaving her

footprints. (Have a towel for her to wipe her feel afterwards.)

Each woman comes forward, lights a candle, and puts it into the

footprints in the sand or corn meal, which represent the new woman's

journey on Mother Earth. Each woman then gives her woman's

blessings, such as: "I am Marie, sister of Georgia Ann, daughter of Selia,

granddaughter of Mary Ann and Christina, mother of Christina and

Elizabeth, grandmother of Erika, Clara, and Savannah Rose. I ask all

the women of my line to bless, teach, and protect (Name of new woman)

on her journey through all the cycles of Grandmother Moon.

After each woman has made her blessings, the new woman lights a

candle and puts it into the same dish of sand. She gives her woman's

introduction, and accepts the blessings of all the women. "I

am......,daughter of......., granddaughter of....... I accept your blessings,

and thank you all.

The new woman must be adorned in some way. I suggest decorating

her hands with henna. Henna is an herb that dyes the skin a red-orange

color that turns to brown the next day. Henna kits are available at natural

food stores or on the Internet. Flower crowns or garlands are also

beautiful. After the adornment, gifts may be given that have some

significance to her passage. Red jewelry is traditional. Red underpants

are useful! Each gift is given with some ritual words such as, "I am giving

you this book on the life of .............because I have always found her life

to be an inspiration. I know you will find your own path in life and be an

equal inspiration to all of us."

Songs may be sung, poems recited, stories told. Continue with some

symbolic ceremony of passage. Women have invented a variety of ways

to create a passage ritual for their daughters entering puberty. The

women may stand in two lines with arms raised, forming an archway.

The new woman stands at the entrance to the archway. She holds a few

toys representing her childhood. She has been asked to bring the toys

to the ritual to be given to the younger children of the community.

However, she is not asked to bring all her toys, or her favorite toys,

because aspects of the child remain within all of us and continue to be

treasured throughout our lives.

The young woman's grandmother leads the passage ritual. If her

grandmother is not present, then a grandmother figure may be chosen

to represent her. The grandmother asks, "Who approaches this

passage?" The new woman gives her name. Grandmother continues, "

("New woman's name,) it is time for you to leave behind your childhood

and become a member of the circle of women. When you are ready to

do so, leave your toys behind, and walk through the archway." The new

woman puts down her toys and walks through the arch. As she comes to

the end of the archway, the women ring bells, throw flower petals, and

cheer. Everyone kisses and hugs the new woman.

Closing prayers and/or songs end the ritual.

After the ritual the men of the family and the girls who have not yet

begun menstruation are invited to congratulate the new woman and

present gifts. Everybody joins in food and friendship.




Marie Zenack is a teacher of fertility awareness and a facilitator of women?s rites of passage. http://www.menstrual-cycle-period.com/



This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.