Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, & Norse Magic - Diana L. Paxson 2017

Rituals
Appendix

1. Symbols

Over the years, the following items and symbols have been associated with Odin. My experience is that he himself does not really care which ones you choose, but using widely accepted symbols will connect you with him more quickly and enable you to draw on the energy invested in them by others.

Time: Dusk or midnight

Day: Wednesday

Season: Winter

Numbers: Three, nine, and other multiples of three. Nine is particularly significant, being the number of worlds or of days in events such as Odin's ordeal on the Worldtree. Furthermore, among other mathematical games, if you multiply nine by another number and keep adding the digits, the sum will always be nine (e.g., 9 × 542 = 4878, 4+8+7+8 = 27, 2+7 = 9). Try it!

Colors: Blue, black, gray

Metals: Silver or steel

Runes: All of them, but especially ANSUZ and WUNJO

Symbol: the Valknut (the knot of the slain), possibly the same as Hrungnir's Heart. It can be viewed as a three-dimensional entity in two-dimensional form. The unicursal form is basically a trefoil knot, associated with the god's power to bind. The tricursal form consists of three interlaced triangles, or a Borromean knot. Examples are found on Scandinavian memorial stones and English cremation urns. Today, it is usually drawn point up, but on some of the rune-stones, it fits the design better point down.

Weapons: Spear, noose

Animals: Raven, eagle, wolf, bear, the horse Sleipnir

Element: Air, wind

Part of Body: Eye

Drink: Mead, red wine, akvavit, whisky/bourbon—Old Crow or Wild Turkey American Honey

Food: Smoked salmon; red meat, such as prime rib, roast pork (in honor of Saehrimnir); asparagus spears; garlic (spear leek); blue cheese; or whatever he tells you he wants when you're in the grocery store—provided he'll provide the money to pay for it.

2. Nine Nights Devotional

Perform the devotionals for the nine aspects of Odin on nine consecutive nights.

3. A Woden's Day Devotional

Fig. 18. An Odin altar

This is a simple ritual that can be done on Wednesdays, or at any time you need to honor the god. If you are doing this ritual with a group, divide the lines among the participants.

Ward and Balance the Space

Draw a circle clockwise around the space with a staff or spear.

Sunwise I walk the way of wonder,

With sacred staff/spear the worlds I sunder.

As I walk the circle round

By wit and will may it be bound.

OR

May no one enter who fears the point of Odin's spear.

Pour out or set a glass with an offering for the housewight.

With this offering I call

And hail the wight who holds this hall (or holt, if you are outdoors).

Invoke Odin

All sing “Odin's Namechant” (see appendix 2)

Celebrate Odin

If you are working alone, reread one story about Odin's deeds from the Younger Edda or another good source and take a few minutes to contemplate its meaning. In a group, read and discuss a story or ask each participant to talk about their favorite story. Or each participant can bring a poem about Odin and read it.

Sumble

(“Sumble” is the oldest and most widely known Heathen rite, related in origin to the toasts at a banquet, the Greek symposium, and the Christian communion. It consists of drinking from a cup or horn to honor a god, ancestor, or other humans. In a group, the leader blesses the horn and then sends it around the circle. Each participant drinks or otherwise honors the horn and says a few words or, simply, “Hail.”)

Sing the “Odin Welcome” song (see appendix 2).

Bless a horn of mead or other drink with ANSUZ (). Make a prayer to Odin such as the following.

Oski, our desires fulfilling,

Grant to us the gift of joy.

To Thy delight let us drink deeply—

All-father, to our feast be welcome!

Drink, then pass the horn around the circle so that each participant can make their own prayer or simply raise the horn, say, “Hail Odin,” and drink in turn. [Note: To avoid spills, drink with the point of the horn turned downward.]

Open the Space

We/I offer thanks to Odin for your gifts of wit and will.

As we/I go forth, Wanderer, ward our/my way.

Thank the housewight. If you filled a glass, the wight will have taken the essence. Empty what remains outside.

Thanks to the wight who wards the space.

We leave with blessings on this place.

Draw a circle clockwise around the space with a staff or spear.

With sacred spear I circle round.

Widdershins the ward's unbound,

This place to all good use returned,

Leaves us with the lore we've learned.

4. The Odin Party

The Odin Party as hosted by Hrafnar kindred is an ecstatic ritual in which some of the participants channel Odin and converse with the others attending. I became aware of the possibility when what had been intended as a kindred ritual based on Grimnismál unexpectedly became a possessory event as Odin decided to drop in on one of our members and discuss the lore in person. Although some Heathens will tell you that the Norse gods do not interact with humans in this way, the story of Starkad and other references in the sagas suggest that the practice was known, and repeated experience demonstrates that it certainly can happen today.

Possessory work is a community practice, and SHOULD NOT be attempted without a trained support team. I have written about the preparation, training, and procedures for possessory work in Possession, Depossession, and Divine Relationships. For a sense of what is involved, I offer some selections from the “Odin Party Survival Guide,” written by Lorrie Wood for newcomers who attend our yearly Odin Party.

During the event, you may expect to be:

· challenged

· seduced . . . with whatever might seem your heart's desire

· flirted with . . . and argued with

· shown fierce joy . . . and deep despair

· counseled wisely . . . and caught in the trap of your own words

· laughed at . . . and laughed with

If Odin threatens you with the spear, face it for the test it is; although it may not be wise to lean into the point. He may kiss you or “come on,” especially to women. If it's more than a peck, and you do not consent to that level of intimacy, disengage politely.

If you are talking to someone who is in trance for a power, remember:

· they may be at any level of trance, from shadowing through shared consciousness to full possession;

· what they say and how they appear will depend on what aspect of the deity they are carrying as well as the medium's experience and skill level;

· the deity will have access to some or all of what the medium knows, as well as access to “what he is when he's at home.” How much of each are available at any moment will depend, again, on the medium's experience and skill level.

· Regardless, the deity will be speaking through the medium's “software.” They will use the vocabulary they have at hand to the best of their ability, but sufficiently alien concepts will not be conveyed very well.

· Any of these may distort the message.

Recall, also, that we are not slaves to our gods, but rather partners in the work that lies before us all. Yet even as many humans may all have good ideas that contradict one another, so may the gods also.

Another way to put this is: Odin Has an Agenda. To be fair, so do they all; but Odin, in particular, is famous for his. Any request he makes will be in service to that agenda—and, incidentally, his perception of your best interest, being as this is a useful way to win friends and influence people. Your hosts, it should be noted, have fully bought into this agenda, but your choice on it remains your own.

Therefore, if you are given any direction that does not have the immediate “ring of Truth” and does not continue to have it for several days after you are no longer being affected by that power's intense charisma, and/or if it's any direction more significant than “What flavor of ice cream would you like?” get a second opinion. We are Heathens: as Heathens, we believe in both interdependence and personal responsibility. You are the person who chooses your actions. “Second opinions” can include, but are not limited to, rune readings, seidh oracles, or even asking another medium in trance (who wasn't in earshot at the time) for the same god. Sanity checks with knowledgeable, experienced humans once the event is over are good, too, but differently so.

5. Dedication to Odin

In the flush of emotion brought on by participation in a Heathen event, it is not uncommon for someone to raise the horn at sumble and start to dedicate himself (it is usually a guy) to Odin. Since we believe that the luck of all those who hear an oath in a sacred setting depends on them helping the oath-taker to keep it, the oath is usually challenged and denied until everyone is convinced that the calling is true and the individual knows what they are doing.

That said, there are many degrees and approaches to making such a dedication. A number of people have signified their commitment with a tattoo of a valknut over the heart or solar plexus (popularly known as “insert spear here”). Freya Aswynn and Kveldulf Gundarsson chanted runes over me while I was having mine done, a truly ecstatic experience. For obvious reasons, don't make a permanent change to your body unless you are, in fact, willing to give your life, or a part of it, in the service of the god.

Getting a tattoo is one form of ordeal. Some have chosen other experiences to intensify/facilitate their connection to the god, such as piercing and suspension, or a wilderness vigil. The ritual at the end of Taking Up the Runes, in which one is tied to a tree throughout the night while others “present” the runes at intervals, is an initiation to the runes but can be used as part of a sequence of dedications to Odin.

Someone who is stepping up to act as a priest or priestess of Odin in the service of the community may choose a public ceremony of dedication, a ritual that can require an investment of time and money comparable to a wedding or ordination. Those who attend signify their recognition that you are worthy.

The words of the oath should be considered very carefully, and you will need to negotiate the terms of your commitment with the god. For a full discussion of what's involved, see chapter 9 of Possession, Dispossession and Divine Relationships. When taking such an oath, it is also wise to recognize that when the work that Odin has recruited you to do is finished, the relationship may come to an end. Morgan Daimler explains:

I honestly never thought it could happen to me. I knew other people talked about being close to a deity for a period of time, or even being dedicated to one for a while and then having that God “hand them off,” so to speak, but I always had a mindset that that was something that happened to other people. I oathed to Odin in December of 2006 after months of strong omens and communication—including oracular seidhr messages through a third party—which made it clear that was what he wanted done. For ten years I kept those oaths; I dedicated my writing to him, I learned seidhr myself, I taught rune classes, formed a kindred, and found people crossing my path who felt drawn to Odin and needed guidance. This dedication was a bedrock for me, and something I didn't question. I had other Gods and powers I was also close to, but as a polytheist, that seemed natural to me. Still the idea that anything might change with Odin honestly never occurred to me.

And then it did. Ten years and one day after I made oaths to him, the message was clearly received that I was released from those oaths, and that my service belonged to another.

Remember—whether your relationship with Odin is intentional or situational, so long as breath keeps your body going, and thinking keeps your mind alive, there is a level at which, though his presence may not be apparent, your connection to Odin will always remain.