Norse Shamanism, Dreams and Quantum Physics

In Norse Shamanism, as well as many other shamanic cultures, they held the exceptionally subtle idea that life is a dream. In point of fact, we are able to dream our lives into being. This idea, although incorporating Quantum Physics, is nothing new. In Ancient times it was understood and taught.

Our daily lives, our professions, our occupations etc. are nothing but a dream with which we identify. This does not mean that life is an illusion. It means that dreams are real and reality is a dream. The reality that you are experiencing right now is only one of many dreams. Life is an infinite series of possibilities (dreams) in the Quantum Ocean.

At first this thought seems so strange and confusing. It appears illogical because you can knock your hand against a wall and feel that it is solid. You can hear sounds around you and you can see a great many objects in detail. You think, "What's so dream like about that?"

But let's think about this a moment. The wall you struck your hand against isn't really solid and neither is your hand. Both your hand and the wall are composed of atoms (Quanta). These are mostly energy fields vibrating at different frequencies.

The only reason your hand didn't go through the wall, was because both it and the wall are vibrating at frequencies so close in range that they interfere with each other.

At this very moment, radio and television frequencies are passing right through the wall and your hand as if they weren't even there. When you struck the wall you weren't hitting a solid object.

Instead, two energy fields converged and the information was transmitted to your brain, where it was interpreted  by your memory as the experience of hitting the wall.

And the sound you hear? Let's suppose it's music from your DVD player. But really it isn't music you are hearing directly.

You are experiencing  a vibrational wave pattern moving through the air which hitsyour ear drum and is translated into an electrical nerve impulse received by your brain. Your brain then gives out a signal that you interpret, based on past experience, as music.

Finally the object you see are only seen because light energy bounces off other energy fields toward your eyes, where frequencies are translated into patterns that you intrepret as objects.

What appears to be an external reality now is really "internal" and all in your head. Now that certainly sounds like a dream!

Brightest of Blessings,
Lory

Norse Four Corners Ritual Of Protection

Millions of Christians protect their homes with both crucifix and prayers, Muslim homes are protected with the sign of the crescent moon. As Northern Europeans we need to start to protect our homes daily with symbols and ritual.These things need to be done religiously, which means that they need to be repeated, day after day, in order to build up power and strength.


I begin by lighting White Sage and a white candle. I place Norse God and Goddess pictures at points respectively, North Odin and Tyr, East Heimdel and Balder, South Thor, West Freya and Frey. 

I take my round prayer rug and place in the center of the room. Our Dog, Dixie loves to join me on the rug for the ritual. She is attracted to the energy; so I have to work my way around her. I stand on the rug in the center of the room, raise my small Atame' (knife) and turn completely around the circle saying:

"I consecrate this circle of power to the Ancient Gods.
Here may they manifest and bless us their children."

(Here I go back facing North, and raise my knife or wand in greeting. ) and say:

"This is a time that is not a time, in a place that is not a place,
on a day that is not a day. I stand at the threshold between the worlds, before the Gates of Asgard. "(Spiritual Quantum Physics)


"May the Ancient Ones help and protect us on our magical journey. " 


Here, I chant the 18 Armanen Runes (by Guido Von List):
Fa
Ur 
Thorn
Os
Rit
Ka
Hagal 
Nod 
Is
Ar
Sig
Tyr
Bar
Laf
Man 
Yr
Eh 
Gibor 


Then I recite:
"I know myself hanging on the wind cold tree for nine icy nights, wounded by the spear, consecrated to Odin. I consecrated to myself; I hung from the mighty tree which conceals man, where man grew out of it's roots. They offered me neither bread nor wine. So I bent down in search. I recognized the runes. Wailing I grasped them. Then I began to increase and be wise. To grow and feel well. Words turned into words and deeds shaped into deeds with deeds.  Now I know the runes-songs like no wise man knows and none of the children of men. And should these songs oh human child become un-learnable to you, for shear endless time, grasp them as you get hold of them, Use them as you hear of them, Hail you if you retain them! "


Staying at the North point of the Circle I say: 
"May the Kinder be silent as we again draw this most sacred circle!" 
"To the North I turn, Odin master of mystery, magic and might, thee we invoke. Tyr god of justice who gave his hand to the Feneris Wolf,  thee we invoke.'


"To the East I turn, Heimdel guardian of the Rainbow Bifrost Bridge, thee we inoke. Balder God of rejuvenation and health, thee we invoke."


"To the South I turn, Thor, with Thunder and lightening enter our circle Friend of Man, and may thy Hammer Moljinar smite down all enemies of the Gods and this Kinder."

"To the West I turn, Freya Mistress of Magic, beauty, love and all works of enchantment and prosperity, thee we invoke. And thee thy twin Frey God of virility and the hunt, thee we invoke."

I turn back to the North point, turning respectively to each of the stations as I say:


"We thank you Odin, Tyr, Heimdel, Balder, Thor, Freya and Frey. And we know that you are with us to help, guide and protect us, where ever we go through out the day." 


So Mote it be!


This ritual can be used in the home, (the hof), or a sacred place in the woods. It can be done individually or by the whole Kindred. 


Brightest of Blessings,
Lory

Norse Magic's Ash Sacred Tree of Yggdrassil

In the Northern Tradition, the Ash tree is of vital importantce. It is the tree that forms the cosmic axis, Yggdrassil. 

It is and was good for divination and charms, for it's bud forms a lunar crescent, linking it to the mutable qualities of Mani. Because the ash is a sacred tree divinatory tree, an image of the World Tree, and Odin's spear Gunginir, it will bring bad luck to cut an ash without good reason.

The ash tree is said to, "Court the Flash", being prone to lightening strikes, and so is considered a good conductor of magical energy and force. This is especially so when cut during the Summer Solstice. 

As the immobile Cosmic Axis, the ash has protective qualities against all ill-wishers, and cut for this purpose it is acceptable. 

The broomstick of the traditional Norse besom is made of ash wood. In Norse tradition, the sacred High-Seat Pillars of the Hof, the King's or Lord's Hall in which religious feasts were celebrated, were made of ash. 

Unlike most trees, the wood of the ash will burn when green, without sputtering. The smoke of the ash is a benevolent incense, and was traditional for new born babies first bath from the smoke of ash fire. The sap issuing from the burning ash wood was considered beneficial medicine for babies, welcoming them into the world. 

The leaves of the ash as also lucky, especially those with an even number of leaves on each side. Like the four leaf clovers these are uncommon. If this is found use this charm:

Even Ash, I do the pluck,
Hoping thus to meet good luck,
If no good luck I get from thee, 
I shall wish thee on the tree. 

The Even ash should be worn or carried in your pocket. The runic correspondence of the ash is Hagel. 

Brightest of Blessings,
Lory

Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

In the movie the "Wizard of Oz", the opening lines of Glenda, the good witch of the North, to Dorothy were, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" On this note, I would like to make an exploration of these two ideas of  "good" and "bad."

In Western culture, which is largely Christian, the idea that the Creator God formed both light and darkness is ignored. The Western mind sees "good" and "bad" as two opposing opposites. While the Eastern concept sees them both as equals necessary for perfect balance. 

In the West, the Prime Mover, Grand Architect, what ever name for divinity you prefer to use, is seen as only "good" and therefore unable to create evil. While the Eastern mind sees Divinity as a perfect balance of all things including "good" and "evil."

To understand the words "good" and "bad" we will break them down as "good" symbolizing creation and "bad" as destruction (breaking down of the old.) 

Our Western mind classifies all things in two categories, either it is "good" or it is "bad." One is to be sought out, cherished and protected. The other is to be spurned and discarded. But let us take light and darkness as an example. Western culture sees light as good and darkness as bad. 


The idea of light brings to mind such things as God, truth and love. Darkness, on the other hand invokes the Devil, lies and hate. To the Orientals however, both are equally necessary as one cannot exist without the other. 


The two poles of a magnet are North and South. These two poles create balance, they are not morally good or bad, but necessary ingredients of physics that compliment one another. 


In fact all of life is a cyclical "good" and "bad." A building up and breaking down. Aren't the seasons this way? You have nature just beginning to bud, bloom and turn green in the Spring, going to full bloom in the summer. You have harvest of this bounty in the Autumn. The leaves on the trees are turning colors because of the lack of light from the sun they are receiving. They fall and die, the days get colder, going to the proverbial "death" or sleep of Winter. Only to have us begin the whole cycle again the next Spring. 


All of life is a creation and and then a destruction of such. Birth and Death are examples we can  all identify with. 

Can "good" exist without "bad?" Absolutely not, how could you judge something to be good if you cannot compare it with something bad? 

The same is true for all other concepts. Cold cannot exist without heat, short without tall, or large without small. 


But our Western mind usually ignores these extremes and seeks always to find the "good" or the "bad." The Eastern mind is continually seeking both the "good" and the "bad" in order to find the balance between. 


As a result they realize that one should not want to be overly good and righteous any more than one should strive to be overly bad. They know that the Middle Path is the key.


Brightest of Blessings,
Lory

Alchemist Nicolas Flamel and The Philospher's Stone

Nicolas Flamel, a French alchemist, was said to have found the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, gaining both immortality and wealth. Born in the year 1330 and (some say) died in 1418, others claim to have met him long after; and for all we know Flamel may be sitting in some Starbucks reading this description of himself today.

Flamel worked as a scribe, one day while shopping in a bookstall, an unusual volume caught his eye and he purchased it for two florins. The gilded manuscript had 21 pages made from bark, not paper or parchment as was customary. It had a copper cover. Every seventh page lacked writing but was inscribed with, repsectively:

*A serpent swallowing rods


*A serpent crucified on a cross


*A vast arid desert


Written on the first leaf in gilded letters was a warning from Abraham, Astrologer and Philosopher. This was followed  by curses against all who unauthorized, attempted to use this book. Many believe this manuscript to be an early reference to the system of Abramelin magic found in the grimoire Abramelin and so influenced the work of the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley.

Flamel believed the book to have been confiscated magical text that ended up on the book stall. The book seller was able to offer no explanation. According to the text, a full study of the Kabalah was required for comprehension. 

He recognized the work as an encoded alchemical text but was unable to decipher it. Flamel fell under the book's spell and was obsessed with it, spending 21 years trying to crack it's code to no avail. 


Finally his wife Perenelle suggested he go to Toledo. To consult with experts on the Kabalah. When he returned he was able to transmute mercury into silver and gold. 


There are at least two versions of his life:


* Flamel did not create the Elixir of Life but lived to be 116 years old, dying in 1417 and distributing his considerable wealth to various churches and hospitals. His will provided for the construction of 14 hospitals, 7 churches, and 3 chapels. His wealth was extreme and longevity led to rumors of his alchemical career.


* Flamel discovered the Philospher's Stone and, together with his wife Perenelle, still walks the Earth. 


Brightest of Blessings,
Lory

Nordic Asatru Heathen

Asatru is a modern spiritual path based on ancient Nordic traditions. The term has been used since the late nineteenth century to describe adherence to and the preservation of pre-Christian Nordic religion. The meaning of Asatru is "Trust in the Aesir." 

In Scandinavia this tradition is also known as Forn Sior (Ancient Way) or Hedensksed (Heathen custom). Asatru was granted status as an official religion in Iceland in 1972. 

Heathen is an Anglo-Saxon word that literally means "dweller on the heath." The heath is the area outside the settlement. In post-Christianity days, those wishing to maintain old traditions retired to the heath, hence the name.

Heathen came to be synonymous with the word "Pagan," sometimes with the added implication of rude, ignorant barbarian. The word has been reclaimed by Neo-Pagans subscribing to Asatru and it's Northern European traditions. It is used today with pride. 

Brightest of Blessings,
Lory

The Magic of Self Confidence

After an absence from my blog, on the eve of my birthday, I feel compelled to share a discovery with you. Nancy Collins, famous author of dark vampire fantasies put it better than I ever could. "My after forty face felt far more comfortable than any thing I lived with previously. Self-Confidence was a powerful beauty-potion: I looked better because I felt better. Failure and grief as well as success and love had served me well. Finally, I was  tapping into that most hard-won of youth dews: wisdom.

Many people confuse self-esteem with self-confidence. For me self-esteem is how we really feel about ourselves in the secret sanctuary of our soul. Do we love, accept and approve of ourselves unconditionally? Do we believe that we are worthy of the love others and the best of life has to offer? 

The quality of our self-esteem is very connected to the relationship with our first and most important critics: our parents. If they unconditionally loved, accepted, and approved of us, then we probably do, too. 

But self-confidence is a special magical elixir that Spirit has prepared to help each of us face and surmount the challenges of life. It is an aromatic blending of invigorating essences: attitude, experience, knowledge, wisdom, optimism and faith. 

If you were fortunate enough to grow up in a loving supportive home and your self-esteem is strong, you learn your own homeopathic  formula early. If we did not, then we need to learn how to mix our own custom blend. But what's important to realize is that self-confidence is available to all of us. 

An optimistic attitude is essential to self-confidence. So is learning from our mistakes and recognizing that everything in life can be used as a lesson once we are willing to be taught. If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you can't. 

Today, tell yourself you can do any thing you want to do. Because you can.

Brightest of Blessings!
Lory