Working With The Dead

[gullindagan]

I've recently been reading Ann Groa Sheffield's book Long Branches: Runes of the Younger Futhark and I must say, it is a fantastic read. She uses the runes as a way to explore major themes of ancient Germanic culture, and she's given me a new perspective on a lot. One of the ideas that she presented that made me stop, go "whoa" and nod was that the AS rune "Cen" meant, rather than a pine torch, "haugaeldr, the unearthly "howe-fire" that burns over buriel mounds at night" (Sheffield, pg 89) One of her arguments rests on the translation of the OE word "restath": it is often translated as "sits with ease" but she translates it as "rests" (which it's cognate with...) in the sense of "rest in peace." So instead of a hall where nobles sit and relax, it's the burial mound where nobles rest as undead draugr. Well, that's definitely a little different... creepy... and makes a lot of sense when you take into account all the old tales. She also puts forth the idea that the dwarves are the mound dwellers from the previous age, the great craftsmen who build the megalithic structures from before the Indo-European period. There's a lot of textual evidence to support both of these ideas, and you should get the book if you want to explore them.

Draugr are definitely dangerous. They are a kind of dead being who you don't want to mess around with. Stories like the ones about draugr remind us the wisdom of being hesitant to work with the dead. Of course, there are also very beneficial ways to work with dead beings. For instance, "Alfablot" was a sacred feast at the end of harvest season where the ancestors (at least some "elves" are ancestors) are honored. Very similar to contemporary celebrations like the "Day of the Dead."

In my experience, working with my ancestors, both blood ancestors and spiritual, has been invaluable. I've done a certain amount of practical workings, but often times, just making an offering on my little shrine to my ancestors and asking them genuinely for help has been some of the most efficacious, and rapid, magic I've ever been a part of. Of course, I've also been making daily offerings (usually of water, incense, and a prayer) for a number of years, and it's taken time to build rapport with them.  It does make sense though that of all the spirits that exist in this over-brimming world(s), the ancestors of blood and spirit would be the closest, easiest to work with, and most likely to help. This is probably why in cultures the world over, ancestor work is such a cornerstone of practice.

I first learned how to set up an ancestor altar from watching a video by Galina Krasskova, and what I do is just set up a shelf with a white cloth, and have pictures of my close (up to great grandparents) up. I also have pictures of spiritual ancestors, and images of some deities, but these were added organically over the years. I have removed pieces from the altar after getting the feeling that they didn't belong. Every day I light incense, give them fresh water, and talk to them a little, usually thanking them for blessings and asking them to help in certain ways. Semi-regularly, but definitely on days like Nov 1st, I offer them food and drink, and spend a little more time with them. This seems to work fine.

For me, this kind of work has been very beneficial, but I am curious if any readers do this sort of thing, and if you think it'd be an appropriate addition to the Heathen Golden Dawn system, or not?

Comments

[jprussell]

I also pray to my ancestors daily, and weekly I make a small drink offering. Another addition is that for every drink offering I make to any entity, I toast my ancestors. So, for example, if giving a drink to Woden, I might say "Woden, I give this drink to you, and in the name of my forefathers who sought, found, and kept seeking, I toast." As the example shows, I usually use which ancestors I toast as a kind of specification for the prayer. As for effects, what felt like my mother was a big help in calming a creepy presence in one room of our house, and during the meditation for my Samhuin Grove Ceremony last week, I had a rather profound emotional impression of the generations of ancestors before me.

So, all of that is to say that I find ancestor veneration to be a meaningful and valuable part of my religious practice. As for including it in the HGD? I'm not as sure whether it is a necessary/helpful part of GD-style magical practice. Mostly I'm going on JMG's repeated point that magic != religion. That being said, the potential link with the runes (through Othala, if nothing else) might give a good reason to include it as part of the practice.

[gullindagan]

Thanks for your thoughts, and great points. Yeah I don't know if it makes sense to make it a necessary part of the system, but maybe showing it's importance and making a suggestion would work.

Honoring the Ancestors

[otter_girl]

Very much like the idea of including at least a mention of honoring the ancestors. I too got the inspiration to do this from Galina Krasskova, about two years ago, and it has truly enriched my life (and hopefully my ancestors’ lives as well).

Enjoyed your essay, and the comments, as always.

Thanks,
Valerie

Re: Honoring the Ancestors

[gullindagan]

Thanks for your input, and I'm glad you're finding it beneficial too.