My new 'Road to Hel' column is now available here: http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Indigenous-Heathenry-Galina-Krasskova-06-30-2011.htmlthis column talks about Heathenry as one of our indigenous traditions and the deep need to reclaim the filter of indigeny as we progress in our restoration. It is an important topic, perhaps one of the most important I have ever chosen to write about. Check it out, folks.
This morning began in the best way possible. Three friends and fellow polytheists (two Heathen, one Hellenic) gathered at my house with offerings. We readied ourselves and proceeded to one of the five cemeteries near my house. Earlier in the week, I had made the rounds of the cemeteries to suss out which would be best for this ritual. I got the strong feeling that the dead of one particularly wished to host. So we went there. Everyone grew quiet as we drove up to the gates. I parked and we took our offerings out of the trunk: two bottles of wine, beer, tobacco, bread, cupcakes, chocolate, coffee, flowers and more. I reminded everyone that a cemetery is holy ground and we entered, bidding the land spirits and the dead welcome. We got the strong feeling that they wanted us to hold the ritual in the center, near the flagpole but I asked if instead we might hold it under a tree in the corner of the cemetery so that we would not be quite so visible. This seemed an acceptable compromise.
I laid out tobacco both for our unseen hosts and for the land spirits. We began our prayers, calling upon Hela as Lady Death, Mother of Bones, She who nurtures and nourishes our dead. We brought offerings for those dead present and for all who might come to Her table, for all who were commended by their deaths into Her care. We said that we brought food for Her table. Several prayers to Her were read and then each person respectfully laid out the offerings that he or she had brought. the flowers were laid down last, a clear sign that the offerings were given in reverence and remembrance.
We made sure everything was bio-degradeable (i tore the filters off the cigarettes, and we gathered all bottles, paper, wrappings, and trash up in a bag I had brought for that purpose). We hailed our dead and thanked Hela for Her wise care. We thanked all those who tend the dead and one person present offered to take upon herself the sacred duty of tending certain forgotten dead. We all felt this was very, very pleasing to Hela. I made sure to smile and wave to the man walking his dogs who was intensely curious about our goings on. No need to be rude.
Finally, we thanked the dead present, apologized for the need to keep the ritual brief, and quietly departed.
It was lovely. We went early in the morning so we would not disturb or even encounter anyone else.
I tend the five cemeteries near my house regularly, but this was the first time that several of us had gathered to honor one of those sacred places with ritual. I hope to have the chance to speak with the caretaker soon and then hopefully I will be able to be a bit bolder in the Work there.
As of yesterday, NY senate passed a bill legalizing same sex marriage. All i can say to this is: Bravo, and it's about time! I am glad, as a New Yorker, to see my state taking this momentous step toward equality and respect for all people, regardless of whom they choose to love and share their lives with. Good for you, New York!
Now here's praying other States quickly follow suit!
Over the next two months, i will be making two trips to honor the military dead. the first will be to Gettysburg and several cemeteries and battlefield sites in Fredricksburg, VA. The second will be to DC to visit all of the various war memorials in the National Wall and then Arlington Cemetery.
I expect these to be very heavy working trips. Because ancestor work is a community thing, it is the thread that binds us all together; it both sustains and protects, I've been instructed to offer to make offerings for folks. If anyone would like a specific offering made at any of the war memorials in the National Mall, Arlington, or Gettysburg, please contact me off list and let me know. I am willing to do my best to hunt up specific graves at the cemetery if need be.
Most likely i will be leaving offerings of flowers, alcohol, and tobacco. I can also copy out prayers if anyone would like that. Those interested should contact me at tamyris at earthlink.net within the next couple of days. While I"m not traveling for a couple of weeks yet, I want to have everything well organized beforehand.
Salena A. was kind enough to provide me with the following link. It's a rather interesting article about the Alcis Twins.
I am personally delighted whenever I learn that our, in contemporary times, lesser known Deities are having Their worship and cultus restored. This is good work, holy work, and very important work. Each offering poured out, each prayer given is a victory. I am very much hoping that the next few years see the Alcis becoming more commonly honored in rituals and more commonly explored in our various communities.
anyway, i could talk about that at length but instead, I'm just going to give you the link. If anyone has useful links or articles about the Alcis, please feel free to pass them my way either in the comments section or via email.
http://meadhall.homestead.com/Alcis.html
Happy Solstice.
 Saturday June 18th was a powerful day in the Work that we do, at least the Work that my house has been doing. We held our fourth public ancestor ritual and it went very, very well. I’m still a bit tired from the weekend but I wanted to post at least as basic recap here, since several folks have emailed me asking about it.
We actually began preparations the night before. Two colleagues and friends arrived late in the day on Friday and, with the help of another friend we cleaned the ritual area (the house had already been cleaned) and began setting up the altar. This was a particularly special occasion since we were hosting a wedding shortly after the ancestor rite, so we had to prepare an altar for the wedding in addition to the proper ancestral spread. (You can see a picture here of those altars right before the ritual began. The photo was taken by Mary Ann Glass and is used here with permission. She is a well-known wedding photographer in the Hudson Valley and was present to photograph the wedding. You can see more of her work at maryannglassphotos.blogspot.com. She was kind enough to take and share a couple of photos of the ancestor altar for me).
As is traditional in many indigenous traditions (and, folks, Heathenry is an indigenous tradition. Long before monotheism usurped and corrupted our people and their ways, Heathenry was their natural, tribal tradition and faith. Above all the many things that we must, of necessity, strive to reclaim, that indigenous consciousness is the most important), we set out pictures of our dead, items that call their presence to mind, and offerings of food and drink on the floor. Honoring and connecting to the dead isn’t an intellectual activity. It’s in the bones, in the blood, in the gut. We touch the floor in recognition of the land that cradles the bones of our dead. We get down and lay out for them in recognition that honoring the dead is our first and most essential foundation. It is what will protect and guide us in this battle for restoration and reconnection.
I’ll admit that the presence of the ancestors was so strong that we actually began making some offerings Friday night. There was a palpable feeling of excitement that we all chalked up to the fact that one of their descendants was getting married and they were all invited! Then, first thing Saturday morning, I got up early along with my colleague L. and a little later R.T. We started the day by making offerings to all the Gods represented by those soon to be gathered. Then, L. cooked up a ton of chorizo sausage that our warrior dead had requested and made some fry bread. Of course we couldn’t wait until the ritual to set that out and so, the first offering to the dead was made before 9am! We also honored the land vaettir, the house vaettir, and the local mountain spirit and genus loci of my town.
The bride and her sister arrived shortly after that and soon the catering, flowers, and other guests were pouring into the house, including two honored guests from the Dagara tradition. We got everyone sorted out and a little before 1pm we began the ancestor ritual proper. We began the rite with paying respect to those Gods who open the lines of communication with the other worlds, consecrating our ritual space in Their name. Our ancestors were called with chanting, with song, with prayers, and heartfelt tears. We honored the Native dead (several attendees were coming from Taino, Apache, Arawak, Cherokee, and other Native lines and we’re on land that once had a very strong Native presence), then the warrior and military dead (it being the day before Father’s Day, I particularly poured out offerings to my father John Dabravalskas, a WWII and Korean War vet). We also thanked those living veterans present.
Then we made offerings to our mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers who have passed, then our ancient ancestors, and any children in our line who had died. We honored friends and mentors, lineage ancestors, and name after name of beloved kin. The passionate outpouring of respect and devotion flowed forth setting our active remembrance deep in the ever-weaving threads of wyrd.
The offerings were many: tobacco, corn meal, fry bread, water, rum, vodka, cider, chocolate milk, cereal, cookies and candy (for the children), two cakes, corn bread, chocolate, honey, chorizo, flowers, brownies, regular bread, candles, and an awful lot of beer. After the ritual formally ended, we filed outside where I fired up a portable fire brazier and more offerings were burned, the most popular being incense and a huge brick of ‘hell’ money, which was parceled out amongst those present so they could gift their dead. At one point before the ritual ended, I hailed my adopted mom and the moment I did so, the electricity went off in the entire house for a second and back on. We took it as a sign she was making her presence known! Lol.
Gifts were formally exchanged between my house and the house of our Dagara visitors. Then the bride disappeared to prepare for her wedding, my crew prepared the altar space for that celebration, moving the offerings to either side of the standing altar, and wedding décor was brought out. About an hour and a half later, we held an absolutely beautiful service. The groom was present (always a good thing :P) and the bride was radiant. The tale of that wedding is another’s story to tell. Suffice it to say everything proceeded exactly as it was supposed to and with great success. Afterwards, there was drinking, feasting, and celebration.
Some folks stayed the night and there was a bit of ancestor work the next morning. Then everyone headed home, renewed, restored, and reconnected.
The next open ancestor rite will be held at 1pm on September 10.
I will also be giving a workshop on ancestor work at this year’s Etinmoot (for more information see: http://ironwoodkindred.wordpress.com/, though I’m not sure if the schedule has been posted yet).
Happy Summer Solstice, folks. May the time between Solstice and Solstice be fruitful and joyous. Today let us honor our Gods, pour out offerings to the land, and hail our honored dead. Today let us laugh and celebrate and say thank you to all the Powers that protect and bless us and this beautiful if immensely flawed world.
Happy Litha!
The Solstice issue of "Eternal Haunted Summer" is now available. I have an extensive article on honoring Scathach there and also the editor published a review of my children's book. Check it out: http://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/summer-solstice-2011/
The second issue of "Huginn" is now available here: http://huginnjournal.com/issues.html. I have a small piece in it and there are many good and worthy articles by several of my colleagues as well. Enjoy, folks.
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