Month: May 2018

I decided it was time for me to meet a new deity. I’ve been working with the Morrigan and Cerridwen for some time. But I knew the pantheon was full of cool folk I just hadn’t met. So off into trance I went to see what I could find out.

As always I contacted my spirit Druid ally Llewelyn. Once we were chatting I told him I wished to meet a new deity. Soon enough there was a man standing in front of me. He appeared to be middle aged. He had a beard. He was dressed in peasant clothes. And he held a very large sickle.

As I took him in I asked him his name. He replied “Lugh.”  All I knew about this god was that there was a holiday named for him. But that’s all I knew. So I asked him what I ask all deities when they’re around. I asked him what wisdom he could give me.

“I am the god of the harvest. I collect all the things that have grown for a full season. I offer wisdom in allowing you to know when it’s time to reap the benefits of your works. Turn to me for wisdom in that regard. I wil not fail you.”  And then he disappeared into a mist.

I thanked Lugh for his words. I thanked Llewelyn for the introduction. I came out of trance. And I started pondering this experience.

A god to help me know when it was time to reap. I could use that!  I often start projects but have no idea when to end them. Makes for a messy life. So I can count on Lugh to help me tie up the loose ends. I can complete projects with his assistance. He knows the time to harvest what I’ve been working on. Cool indeed!

So that was my experience meeting Lugh. I still have to process it all. But at least I have an inkling of where to turn. We’ll see where this leads. The deities have yet to fail me!

Wights are spirits of nature. In some traditions they’re called faeries. As Asatru we tend to have a big issue with the word faeries. It conjures up images of Disney cartoons. But I assure you they are anything but Tinkerbells. These spirits of nature come in all forms. Not winged pixies at all.

There are as many types of wights as there are forms of nature. Tree wights. Water wights. Rock wights. So there’s a lot to get familiar with. Here is the way I get in contact with these wise and powerful entities.

First find a place in nature. Not easy for everyone. I live in the suburbs of Chicago. But very close by are large forest preserves. So I tend to go there. But even an area with a single tree growing will do the trick.

Then once I’ve found a spot I sit down. I ground and center myself. And I begin to meditate or reach a trance state. I make my intention that I am here to meet with the wights of this area. Then I just let the images start to flow.

In my experience the wights take many forms. Earth wights can appear almost like gnomes. Water wights tend to be ethereal and very fast moving. Rock wights are very old and slow to move. Each area you find yourself with nature you will have a new experience of how they appear. Just be open to however they choose to present themselves. You will be happily surprised at the many different varieties of entities that wights appear in.

Once they have appeared I generally ask them if they have any wisdom to share. In my experience many of them say the same thing. That humans are destroying their habitats. And there’s almost always a plea to stop it. So they are very aware of humans and the power we have to destroy their environment. As a whole we need to be more concerned with our place in the universe and become guardians of nature. That’s one way to thank the wights for their assistance.

Then I finish up my session by making an offering to the wights. Cornmeal or bread do the trick. Something to say thank you for all they do.

And what exactly do the wights do?  They assist the plants in growing. They help the rocks remain solid and steadfast keepers of ancient wisdom. They help control water from unleashing it’s fury. These are just several of the many ways wights do their job. They hold a special place in our universe.

After the offering I hail the wights and then go on with my day. It never fails that after one of these sessions I feel calmer and more connected. Try it for yourself and see what results you get!  I’m pretty sure it will be rewarding.

I just have to give a shout out to the reader in Brazil who checks this blog every day. Thanks!  But it has brought up a subject for me. The internationality of Druidry. Let’s take a moment to look at this phenomenon.

What brings us together across national boundaries?  First of all there’s the love of nature. Nature is universal. Trees grow in every nation. Flowers bloom everywhere. And the lessons nature teaches are valid no matter what language you speak. The changing of the seasons. The passage of time. All have valuable lessons for us. And they can be taught wherever you are.

The lore crosses boundaries. The lessons to be found in the lore are universal. Reading the lore offers ancient wisdom that can be applied today. There is no doubt that those stories from years gone by can speak to us today. If we’re open enough to learn. Wisdom is to be found in the lore. Check it out!

The pantheon of our gods is universal. From Cernunnos to the Morrigan the gods also have valuable insights to teach us. It is through their stories that we learn. They are certainly worthy of veneration.

There is so much universality in our path it should be no surprise that people are drawn to it no matter where they live. For wisdom. For inspiration. For a love of nature. All of these things make Druidry a universal path. No matter what language you speak!

One of the keys to being s successful Vitki is flexibility. You can’t become too entrenched in your ways of doing things. Because sure enough as soon as you’ve settled on a way to do things they stop working. What to do? Approach your work with flexibility and the doors open wide.

For example you have found a way to do Seidr that works for you. You’re busy going into trance and traveling the nine realms and everything is happy. Then one day you do your routine and nothing happens. Nada. So you try again the next day. Nothing. So you keep this up for several days with no results. I say that’s when you switch things up. If you’re usually a breathing trance worker try using a drum. If you’re generally a drum worker try swaying. You get the picture. New ways of approaching trance will bring you new avenues to explore. And give you a new tool for your toolbox to boot!

Same with Runes. You’re getting unreadable information in your castings. Nothing is making sense. Time for learning a new layout. Giving the runes new ways to communicate with you is a powerful way to shake things up a bit. Maybe have someone else do a reading for you. There are numerous ways to change up your Runic practices. Try something new and different!

These are ways to get you over the rut you may find yourself stuck in. In my experience it happens to all of us at some point. Knowing ahead of time that you may find something new to do to get you back on track is power. And what are we all about if not personal power and learning new things?

As my new book “Vitki Musings: Runes Seidr and Esoteric Asatru “ was until today the number one bestseller on Amazon in the category Divination with Runes I thought I’d do a post on the subject. By the way check out my book on Amazon today and see what the hubbub is about!

Using Runes for Divination is the primary use of them for me personally. I do readings for others and myself. It’s not too difficult once you have the meanings under your belt. Of course new nuances in meaning come with experience. Learning the meanings is important but only your own experience in reading can give you true and accurate results. Let yourself be open to that process. The results will be many.

Doing a reading for me is not a big event. It’s pretty simple. I light some incense and candles to put me in the proper mood. Then I invoke the gods for their assistance. I used to invoke Odin exclusively but then he told me to invoke the Norns. Since that message I have used the Norns. It has brought me great success.

Then I do the casting. The meanings are pretty clear if I remain open. I sometimes do a seidr session to get results for trickier meanings. That only happens for really difficult readings.

Then I thank the gods for their help. And that’s about it.

Giving the results to clients is sometimes difficult though. If the results are not that positive you have to approach your giving of results with care. Being diplomatic is part of the job of being a Vitki.

So in my opinion keeping things simple is the key. You can’t afford to make things complicated if it doesn’t need to be.

Doing Divination is a vital aspect of Vitki work. I get a lot of results from the act of reading the runes for others. Try it and you’ll see!