gullindagan

 Well, I decided after all to change the ritual for the book, here's what I've got now. Is anybody doing this ritual and have updates? Would you be willing to try this version and see how that feels?

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The Heathen Supreme Summoning Ritual of the Pentagram

1. Stand in the east and perform the Hammer Sign.

2. Go to the Eastern corner and draw a pentagram in glowing yellow light, starting from the top left corner and working clockwise.
Point to the center of the pentagram and say:
"By the name of ODIN (or WODEN for Anglo-Saxon track) (vibrate), spirits of Air, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn, come ye forth and assist me in this work of Air."
Draw a yellow ᚫ (ᚩ for Anglo-Saxon track) in the middle of the pentagram and say:
"By the spear of the High One, who hung himself on that windy tree, spirits of Air, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn. Come ye forth and assist me in this work of Air."
Take the Ansuz posture (straight spine, put arms out in the front so that your body looks like ᚫ) and say:
"By the Dwarf of the East
And the dawning of Day
By the thrill of the thaw
And the whirling of wind
And by the great lung-gift
That the Spear-God gave
Spirits of Air, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn
Come ye forth and assist me in this work of Air."

3. Trace a circle of pure white light around from the center of the Air pentagram to the South and draw a pentagram in glowing red light from the bottom right corner and working clockwise. Point to the center and say:
"By the name SOL (SUNNA for Anglo-Saxon track) (vibrate), spirits of Fire, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn, come ye forth and assist me in this work of Fire."
Draw a red ᛋ in the middle of the pentagram and say:
"By the sword of the Summer Lord, which fire giants fear to face, spirits of Fire, come ye forth and assist me in this work of Fire."
Take the Sowilo posture (spine straight, feet together, knees slightly bent so your body looks like ᛋ) and say:

"By the Dwarf of the South
And the sweetness of summer
By the height of bright noon
And the hearth of the home
By the lament of ice
And the light of the land
Spirits of Fire, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn
Come ye forth and assist me in this work of Fire."

4. Trace the circle in pure white light from the center of the Fire pentagram to the West and draw a pentagram in glowing blue light from the top right corner working clockwise. Point to the center and say:
"By the name NJORD (MONE for Anglo-Saxon track) (vibrate), spirits of Water, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn, come ye forth and assist me in this work of Water."
Draw a blue ᛚ in the middle of the pentagram and say:
"By the horn of the god who's ear hears from Memory's Well, spirits of Water, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn, come yet forth and assist me in this work of Water."
Take the Laguz posture (spine straight, feet together, right arm out in the front at an angle so that your body looks like a ᛚ ) and say:

"By the Dwarf of the West
And the darkness of dusk
By the happy harvest
And the highway of ships
By the wisdom of water
And the most sacred Well
Spirits of Water, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn
Come ye forth and assist me in this work of Water."

5. Trace the circle in pure white light from the center of the Water pentagram to the North and draw a pentagram in glowing green light from the bottom left corner and working clockwise. Point to the center and say:
"By the name JORD (ERCE for the Anglo-Saxon track) (vibrate), spirits of Earth, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn, come ye forth and assist me in this work of Earth."
Draw a green ᛒ in the middle of the pentagram and say:
"By the Ring of Earth's Lover, which births eight new rings every ninth night, spirits of Earth, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn, come ye forth and assist me in this work of Earth."
Take the Berkano posture (spine straight, right elbow and knee out to the side so that your body looks like a Berkano rune) and say:

"By the Dwarf of the North
And the nadir of night
By the silence of winter
And the strength of the stone
By the wondrous tree
Coated with clear white clay
Spirits of Earth, behold the rays of the Golden Dawn
Come ye forth and assist me in this work of Earth."

6.Trace the circle in pure white light around to the East, then go back to the center, and say:

"Before me, the Spear of the High One and the Powers of Air, behind me the Horn of the Golden Toothed God and the Powers of Water, to my right hand the Sword of the Summer Lord and the Powers of Fire, to my left hand the Ring of Earth's Lover and the Powers of Earth. For about me shines the five pointed stars, and upon me shines the Aesir's light"

7. Perform the Hammer Sign again.



 

 

The Heathen Supreme Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

1. Do the Hammer Sign

2. Go to the East, say:
"By the name of ODIN (or WODEN for Anglo-Saxon track) (vibrate) and by the Spear of the High One, and with thanks for your assistance, spirits of Air, you may return to your rightful habitations in peace, and let peace be between us."
Draw a pentagram in glowing yellow light, starting from the top left point and going counter-clockwise.

3. Draw a line of pure white light from the center of the Air pentagram to the South and say:
"By the name SOL (SUNNA for Anglo-Saxon track) (vibrate) and by the Sword of the Summer Lord, and with thanks for your assistance, spirits of Fire, you may returns to your rightful habitations in peace, and let peace be between us."
Draw a pentagram in glowing red light, starting from the bottom right corner and going counter-clockwise.

4. Draw a line of pure white light from the center of the Fire pentagram to the West and say:
"By the name NJORÐ (MONE for Anglo-Saxon track) (vibrate) and by the Horn of the Golden Toothed God, and with thanks for your assistance, spirits of Water, you may return to your rightful habitations in peace, and let peace be between us."
Draw a pentagram in glowing blue light, starting from the top right corner and going counter-clockwise."

5.Draw a line of pure white light from the center of the Water pentagram to the North and say:
"By the name JORÐ (EORÐA for the Anglo-Saxon track)(vibrate) and by the Ring of Earth's Lover, and with thanks for your assistance, spirits of Earth, you may return to your rightful habitations in peace, and let peace be between us."
Draw a pentagram in glowing green light, starting form the bottom left corner and going counter-clockwise."

6. Trace a line of pure white light from the center of the Earth pentagram back to the East and then return to the center, say:

"Before me, the Spear of the High One and the Powers of Air, behind me the Horn of the Golden Toothed God and the Powers of Water, to my right hand the Sword of the Summer Lord and the Powers of Fire, to my left hand the Ring of Earth's Lover and the Powers of Earth. For about me shines the five pointed stars, and upon me shines the Aesir's light"

7. Perform the Hammer Sign again.

 

The purpose of the Greater Rituals of the Hexagram is to invoke planetary energies. These are very powerful and practical energies that have a long history of usage in magic. There is also a very ancient association of certain Heathen gods with the classical 7 planets. As early as 98 C.E., Tacitus equates the Roman god Mercury, who gives his name to the planet, with Wodanaz, saying: "Above all other gods they worship Mercury" (Tacitus, Germania). Today we still call the days of the week by Heathen god names, which are associated with planets. Sunday is Sunna's day, Monday is the Moon's day, Tuesday is Tyr/Tiw/Tiwaz day, Mars' day, Wednesday is Woden/Odin's day, Mercury's day, Thursday is Thor/Thunar's day, Jupiter's day,  Friday is Frigga's day, Venus' day and Saturday is... Saturn's day. Saturn isn't a Heathen god per se, but in sources from the 15th century (Conrad Bote's Saxon Chronicle, 1492), there is indeed a Heathen god associated with this day, "Saeter", formerly known as "Krodo". The image for this god reminds me a lot of Njord. You can read more about this tradition of Saxon gods here: http://www.germanicmythology.com/works/VersteganDaysofWeek.html



The association of Heathen gods with planets is very old, going back at least 1600 years, since well before Christianity became dominant in Europe. Scholar Rudolf Simek states "When the Germanic peoples came into closer contact with the Roman Empire from the last pre-Christian century onwards, they partly adopted the Roman designations for the days of the week, translating them into Germanic. This process of adoption was completed at the latest in the 4th century A.D." (Simek, Dictionary of Northern Mythology, pg 371.) The use of planets for the days of the week comes from the science of Astrology, and based on planetary hours, which are extremely useful for timing practical magic. There is a slightly complicated rationale for how this all fits together, but it is quite elegant, and will be elaborated at a future time.

For now, we just need to know how to invoke these planetary energies with the help of ritual and Heathen gods. The gods are not necessarily equivalent to the planets, but they do share in some of the energies. For instance, Odin is a much more complicated figure than the planet Mercury, nonetheless, he does share many designations with said planet, and has been considered a "Mercurial" god.

These rituals should be done in a fully opened temple, and after a Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram is performed. Another LBRH should be performed before the temple is closed. Here's an example of the order: Full Temple Opening -> LBRH -> GSRH -> invocation/talisman making/meditation -> GBRH -> LBRH -> Full Temple Closing. I like to do this on the associated day and hour, but this is not strictly necessary.

For this ritual, you use the proper color to trace the hexagram in, starting from the proper angle. To invoke the Sun/Sunna/Sol, you draw each hexagram in it's own color and starting from it's own angle, in descending order, and then point in the middle and vibrate SUNNA ( for both Saxon and Norse systems) and visualize all the colors turning to golden yellow. The order of the planets is in slowest/furthest to fastest/closest, so Saeter/Njord (Saturn) -> Thor/Thunar (Jupiter) -> Tyr/Tiw (Mars) -> Sunna (The Sun) -> Frigga/Frig (Venus) -> Odin/Woden (Mercury) -> Mani (The Moon.) For each pentagram you draw the hexagram clockwise for summoning, counter-clockwise to banish.

Saturn is the top angle, and has a color of deep purple, and the divine name of NJORD, SAETER for the Anglo-Saxon track. Jupiter is the second point to the right from the top, has a color of blue, and the divine name of THOR or THUNAR. Mars is the second point to the left from the top, has a color of red, and the divine name of TYR or TIW. Venus is the second point up and to the right from the bottom point, in green, and the divine name of FRIGGA or FRIG. Mercury is the second point up and to the left from the bottom point, in orange, and the divine name of ODIN or WODEN. The Moon is the bottom point, in light purple, and with the divine name MANI or  MONA.





I will give an example of the invoking ritual of Sunna, the most complicated form. The format was taken from John Michael Greer's Circles of Power and changed for integration into the Heathen Golden Dawn.


The Greater Summoning Ritual of the Hexagram of Sunna

1. Standing in the center of your practice space, perform the Hammer Sign.

2. Go to the eastern edge of the space, and with the first two fingers of your right hand, or your wand, trace the regular hexagram (Star of David)  forms of all six of the invoking planetary hexagrams in their traditional order - Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Moon - in the air before you. They should all be the same size, about three feet tall, and in exactly the same space. Visualize each in its color as you draw it, and vibrate the divine name SUNNA slowly while tracing the lines. Point to the center, and vibrate  GINNREGIN (or UPGODUO if using Anglo-Saxon names) and as you do this, visualize the colors blending into a yellow gold.
 
3. With your arm extended, trace a line around to the southern edge of the space, visualizing it as drawn in pure golden light. There, repeat the entire process, tracing the planetary hexagrams and vibrating the Name. Finish again by vibrating GINNREGIN or UPGODUO.

4. Repeat the process, tracing a line around to the west, where you draw the planetary hexagrams and vibrate the Name, and then to the north, where you do the same.

5. Trace a line around to the East, completing the circle, and return to the center. Stand, facing east, and repeat the Contemplation of the Primal Rune as in the LRH and the ALU Rite.

6. Visualize the descending light, hold the image for a time, and then release the image and perform the Hammer Sign. This completes the ritual.

In this essay I will describe how I have laid out the 33 Northumbrian Runes onto the 32 +1 paths on the Tree of Life. Using runes as symbols for the paths allows a Heathen Initiate access to some of the deeper levels of the Tree of Life, as well as illuminating the runes themselves in a new light. There are many ways this could be done, but this layout seems solid to me after many reworkings. That being said, this is still open, so if commenters have opinions, let them opine.

There are 32 paths on the Cabalistic Tree of Life, plus an invisible sphere, called "Da'ath", or "knowledge." The first 10 are the spheres themselves, the other paths link the spheres together. Firstly, I wanted this layout to work with the Heathen Golden Dawn system already in process, and specifically the main track (there are 3 tracks, Modern, Saxon and Norse, using the Elder Futharc, the OE Futhorc, and the Younger Futhark.) By the time the practitioner is ready to work with these paths, they will have already internalized one set of runes,  probably the Elder. Now they will start working with the Old English runes with the Northumbrian expansion. This is very helpful for anybody who speaks English, as you can use these runes for any Rune working in modern English. It's best to use the Elder to write out Proto-Germanic, and the Younger to write out Old Norse, or one of the offspring of Old Norse. The Northumbrian Futhorc also fits the 32 + 1 paths perfectly. The other Rune sets fit other symbolic systems very well too, which we'll get into later. I have used the world associations laid out by Thomas Karlsson in his book Nightside of the Runes which he lays out on pages 116-119. Though I find his association elegant, I have not used his runic associations, and don't agree with him on everything. I have used translations of the Old English Rune Poems from https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Rune_poems

The 1st Path is the 1st Sphere, called "Kether" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "crown." This is the sphere of unity. The World name in our system is 'Ginnungagap', the primal void. The divine name is ODIN, the one-eyed All Father. The rune placed here is Aesc, the Ash tree. The rune poem goes "The ash is exceedingly high and precious to men. / With its sturdy trunk it offers a stubborn resistance,/ though attacked by many a man." Here we have the high tree on which Odin hung himself. Ash wood is also mainly used to make spears, which is why it offers "stubborn resistance though attacked by many a man." The spear is Odin's instrument of war, with which he also sacrificed himself to himself. The Ash rune is the same form as the Elder Ansus, the rune of Odin, though in the OE Futhorc, Odin's rune is 'Os', 'God' or 'Mouth', which I have used for the 8th Sphere. But Aesc is also Odin's rune, and it's high and lofty nature fit it well to the first Sphere. The places associated with this sphere are Hlidskjalf and Gimle, the first being the high seat of Odin where he can see into all worlds, and the second being the highest heaven, untouched by the fires of Ragnarok.

The 2d Sphere is called "Chockmah" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Wisdom." This is the first stirrings, the movement that happens in the void, and is symbolized by the phallus. For us, this is the sphere of Muspelheim, primal fire, and of the god Ingui-Frea/Yngvi-Freyr, the divine name of FREYR or ING. The rune for this is naturally 'Ing', his rune. He is the god of fertility, is symbolized with a large, erect phallus, and connected with the reign of the mythical king Frodi, whose name means "Wise."

The 3rd Sphere is called "Binah" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Understanding." This is the first limits that the movement in the void runs into. If the first stirrings start moving, as Dion Fortune says in The Cosmic Doctrine, they eventually find themselves in a circle. This circle is the 3rd Sphere, the hard limits. For us, this world is Nifleheim, the world of ice and mist. The divine name associated with this Sphere is Freyr's sister, FREYA. Fortune says that this Sphere is associated with "Ama, the dark sterile Mother" and "Aima, the bright fertile Mother." There is an interesting connection here if one is to read the Lay of Hyndla where Freya and Hyndla, who Freya calls her "sister" vie over the fate of a devotee of Freya. In this poems, Freya is bright and shining, where Hyndla is dark and mean. They represent both sides of the 2d Sphere. The rune for this sphere is "Peorth" which has a rather misty meaning, but has associations with games of chance, and thus fate, as well as drinking, and thus can represent the primal Cup. Ann Sheffield, in Long Branches says that "the vessel represents the Well itself, the drink is its holy water, the words of the vow lay down the pattern that must be completed, and the act of drinking binds the speaker to realize the pattern in the physical world." (pg 212)

The 4th Sphere is called "Chesed" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Mercy." This sphere is all about expansion and love. The planet associated with it is Jupiter, and while Thor is associated with Jupiter, the divine name of this sphere in the Heathen GD system is "NJORD" who represents the qualities of the 2d Sphere much better. The world associated with this sphere is Vanaheim. The rune associated with this sphere is Ac, the Oak. The Rune Poem says: "The oak fattens the flesh of pigs for the children of men." Acorns, the corns (grain) of the  ac/oak, are generously dropped by the oak for our food to feed on. In these days where many folks are disconnected from their food, many might not understand the importance of this, but old timers used to let their pigs out into the oak forests to fatten up in the fall. Many cultures have also used acorns as a staple crop after leeching them of tannin. This generosity ties this rune in with the underlying pattern of the 2d sphere, as well as with the Vanir, the gods of Nature and Fertility, and, indeed, with Thor, as the Oak is Thor's tree, and Jupiter's tree!

The 5th Sphere is called "Geburah" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Severity." This is the sphere of the planet Mars, which is linked with the god Tyr/Tiw.  On page 173 of The Mystical Cabala, Fortune links this sphere with "Justice", "Fear", "Courage", and "the right arm." As Tyr is the god who lost his right hand in the jaws of Fenrir, the divine name of TYR or TIW for this sphere is apt. The rune, however, is not "Tiw" but "Nied." Nied is Necessity, and fits the underlying pattern of this sphere very well. Violence sometimes is necessary, and when it's necessary, it's honorable, but when it's not necessary, it's terrible and cruel. But sometimes we have to be severe. As the rune poem states: "Trouble is oppressive to the heart; / yet often it proves a source of help and salvation / to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it". The world associated with this sphere is Jotunheim. The place associated with this sphere is Vigrithr, where the battle between the Aesir and Surtr happens.

The 6th Sphere is called "Tiphareth" in the Hebrew Cabal, which means "Beauty." This sphere is associated with the Sun and with "a sacrificed god" (The Mystical Cabala, pg 188) Naturally, the divine name for us is BALDR, the beautiful god who was killed by his brother (and Loki)... the world associated with this sphere is Asgard, the realm of the Aesir. The rune associated with this sphere is Sigel, the rune of the Sun. The place associated with this sphere is Ithavoll, the field where the gods play in the sun, before and after Ragnarok.

The 7th Sphere is called "Netzach" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Victory." This is the sphere of the planet Venus, of love and emotions, what motivates all beings from a deep feeling level. The divine name associated with this sphere for us is FRIGGA, Odin's wife. Simek in Dictionary of Northern Mythology states that "Frigg may be understood to have been originally the goddess of women, of relationships and possibly of love." and that "Venus was so obviously identified as the Latin equivalent to Frigg that dies Veneris became... Friday". (pg 94) The rune for this sphere is Calc, the Northumbrian rune for "Chalice." This connects the 3rd Sphere and the 7th Sphere, both relating to cups. Cups often have a vaginal association, as well as an association with feelings and emotions. The world for this sphere is Svartalfheim, the realm of the Dark Elves. The hall is Fensalir, Frigga's moist hall.

The 8th Sphere is called "Hod" in the Hebrew Cabala, and has connotations of intellectual activity, language, poetry, ritual magic, and associations with the planet Mercury. The divine name associated with this sphere for us is BRAGI, the god of poetry and eloquence, considered by some to be a hypostasis of Odin. The rune for this sphere is Os, which is Odin's rune, and Odin is associated with the planet Mercury. "Os" means both "mouth" and "god", and the OE Rune Poem puns on this by stating: "Os is the source of all language, / a pillar of wisdom and a comfort to wise men, /  a blessing and a joy to every knight." Quite fitting! The world associated with this sphere is Ljusalfheim, the realm of the Light Elves, and the hall is Hnitborg, where Odin stole the Mead of Poetry from Suttung.
 

The 9th Sphere is called "Yesod" in the Hebrew Cabala, which means "Foundation." This sphere is associated with the Moon, with rainbows, etheric energy/the vital force, and reproduction. HEIMDALL is the obvious divine name, the god who guards the rainbow bridge and who fathered all human lines, as told in the Rigsthula. The rune associated with this sphere is Man, the rune of Humans, the children of Heimdall. The world associated with this rune is Helheim, the realm of the dead. This is the underworld as well as the heavens.

The 10th Sphere is "Malkuth", "the Kingdom" in the Hebrew Cabala, and to us it is Midgard. This is the physical world, and the middle world. It is at the bottom of the tree from one perspective, but from the bottom you go back up, so it is actually in the middle. The divine name of this sphere is IDUN, the goddess who keeps the golden apples of eternal youth. The rune associated with this sphere is Beorc, the birch or poplar tree which " bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers, / for it is generated from its leaves. / Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned" - green green growth, but somehow sterile. Both poplars and birches actually do produce fruit, though poplars do have quite a suckering habit... maybe there is a hidden meaning here. As Fortune says, "Binah has its culmination in Malkuth." (The Mystical Qabalah, pg 285)  Earth is the realm of life, but also of death.

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?