Winifred Hodge Rose
Preparation
This Hama initiation will take a little longer than most of them do. In addition to the general preparations that you do before each ceremony, have with you a white or light-colored and lightweight piece of cloth like a delicate scarf, or a length of paper towel long enough to drape over the top and the shade of a lamp (you might need two pieces to drape over the front, back and sides of the lampshade). I suggest white because the light shines through it well, but if you have a very lightweight, gauzy red cloth, that’s even better since the red color reflects our flesh and the blood of La. During the meditation you will lay the cloth or paper towel over a lamp as a demonstration to meditate on. Do this ceremony in a place in your home where a lamp with a shade is handy—a table lamp, standing lamp, or small decorative lamp. Try to have the room dimly lit, either at night or with shades over the windows, but light enough to read this text.
Here are the other items you will need.
– Soul-token(s) or materials for making soul-token(s), if you are planning to use this.
– Your altar.
– Candle in a candlestick that you can hold. If it is a votive or tea-light, place it on a dish so you can carry it without burning yourself. Matches or lighter.
– Thor’s Hammer, or other item that you use for Hallowing.
– ‘Needfire’: incense or aromatic herbs or twigs that will provide a wisp of smoke when burned, along with a suitable container (fire-pot) and charcoal if needed. I like to use a small, burning twig or stalk; if you use loose leaves, then you will need charcoal for burning them. Only a small amount is needed, for a brief time. If you don’t want to use any of these, you can use your candle, or simply imagine a Needfire in front of you. If you are using a little fire-pot with twigs or dried herbs, have a cup of water handy to put it out when you are ready.
– Whatever kind of ceremonial drink you wish to use, and your drinking horn, goblet, or other vessel. This is referred to as the ‘horn’ in the ceremony guidelines.
– A bowl with a little water in it for the blessing-bowl, and a leafy twig for sprinkling. You can use your fingers to sprinkle with, if you don’t have a twig.
– Have your Daybook handy to write any notes, questions, experiences, ideas that occur to you during your meditation and at the end of the ceremony.
Hallowing
Circle the sacred space, or turn around in place, with a lighted candle in one hand and holding a Thor’s Hammer in your other hand. Speak these words, or your own preferred words, and raise the Hammer when you say “Thor hallow”.
Fire I bear around this frithyard,
And bid all here keep frith;
Flame I bear to enclose,
Bidding bale-wights flee away.
Thor hallow, Thor hallow, Thor hallow this holy stead.
Set candle and Thor’s Hammer on your altar.
Calling
Hear me, all you hallowed folk,
Both high and low of Heimdall’s kin!
I hail you, Holy Ones of all the Worlds that are!
Ever shall frith and faith hold firm
Between myself and you:
The wellsprings of my souls.
Raise horn and drink; pour a little into the blessing-bowl.
Eldfathers, eldmothers, kindred of old,
Rooted in might, holding troth with your own,
Behold the new roots, the green shoots from your boughs,
And bless me: the fruit of your branches.
Raise horn and drink; pour a little into the blessing-bowl.
Landwights blessed, land’s life-givers,
Holy hold this stead, all harm withstand.
Be welcome here, all good wights,
And share the blessings with me.
Raise horn and drink; pour a little into the blessing-bowl.
The Needfire
If you have a Hama token to cleanse, initiate and bless, have it ready in front of you. If you are not using tokens, that is fine: your souls are all here with you anyway! Light your incense, herbs or twigs if you are using them. If you are not, imagine, feel, smell, or sense a smoking Needfire before you, aromatic with sacred herbs. Use the smoke, physical or imaginary, to cleanse yourself, your tokens, and the space you are in, by passing your token through the smoke, and waving the smoke around as you recite three times:
Hallowed herbs, all ill dispel,
As fuel on the fire, as smoke on the wind.
If you wish or need to, you can extinguish the Needfire when you are done.
If you have a Hama token, keep it with you for the following meditation.
La, Læti, Litr: Hama Initiation
Context: Hama is composed of La: life-energy in the blood; Læti: speech, action, and behavior; and Litr: our appearance(s) both physical and metaphysical. Hama is connected with hamingja, an energy and a spirit that channels luck and power to you, which subtly enhances the qualities of La, Læti, and Litr as well as many other aspects of your life. Here are three meditations to enhance your perception of these characteristics of your being.
The La in the Blood. Recent discoveries in physiology have shown an amazing thing about the circulation of our blood. It turns out that the heart is simply not powerful enough to pump our blood all the way through our tiny capillary systems and back. Our blood vessels themselves are extremely active partners of the heart in the process of circulation, not only rhythmically expanding and contracting along with the heart, but engaging in spiraling and torquing movements to push the blood onward. Our blood actually fountains through our body in rushings of power and exuberance! Meditate for a few minutes on the idea and the feeling of this amazing life-energy power of your blood: the blessing of La.
The Shining of Litr. Lay your cloth or paper towel over your lampshade and turn on the lamp if it isn’t already on. The cloth or paper and the shade represent your physical body, your Lich. The lightbulb represents your souls, all your inner selves, which shine with beauty and power. The whole lit-up assembly of lamp and covering with the light shining through it is your Litr: the ensouled appearance of your Lich-Hama which reflects your inner beauty and power out into the world.
Meditate for a few minutes, looking at the covered lamp, on this true perception of your Litr and its meaning to you: our Litr is a translucent cover over our shining inner light.
Then meditate a little longer on this thought: most people’s Litrs shine like this, some brighter, some dimmer. One of the ways to enhance the blessedness of our own lives and the lives of others is to learn to see or perceive those shining Litrs with the eyes of your heart and your souls. When we treat others with respect for their own unique shining of power and beauty within them, it encourages them to live up to their own spiritual potential, and it makes our own Hama happy to see the potential for beauty and meaning all around it.
By the same token, if our Hama is trained to perceive those shining Litrs and then notices a person who does not shine, or has a Litr where there is something unsettling about their light, then Hama knows to be cautious around that person.
Sit with your Hama for awhile while Hama considers and assimilates these matters, or decides to alter the statements in accordance with your Hama’s inner truth.
Ensouled Action of the Læti: For your final meditation, consider how your Hama wants to express the inner shining of all your souls through your speech and actions, the Læti-work of your Hama. Without Lich-Hama and Læti, none of our souls could take action or express themselves in the physical world of Midgard. Lich-Hama with its Læti and Litr, energized by La, is our souls’ interface with Midgard. It’s a big responsibility! Spend a little time considering the truth of this and what it means for your Hama.
Finish by raising up your Hama token, and naming it if you wish. If it is something you wear, then you may wear it now. If you have no token, you can raise your cupped palms or put your hands to your heart to honor your Hama.
Hail your Quest
Raise your ‘drinking horn’ and offer good words to your Hama as you begin this mighty quest:
Hail to Laeti: may my actions, behavior, and speech honor my Hama soul and the hamingja it bears. (drink)
Hail to Litr: may it daily reflect the inner beauty and power of all my souls out into the world of Midgard. (drink)
Hail to La: may its energy support the good health and worthy actions of my Hama lifelong. (drink)
Offer prayers to whichever Holy Ones you wish, for their help and Gods-speed on your journey. Sip from your ‘horn’ after each speaking. When you are finished, pour the rest of the drink into the blessing-bowl.
Blessing
Use the twig or your fingers to sprinkle liquid from the blessing-bowl around your altar, yourself, and your soul-token if you have one.
Thanks-Giving and Closing Prayer
All-holy Gods and Goddesses, ancestors, good wights of this place, I offer thanks for your blessing and help with this new adventure I am undertaking: the exploration of my souls, and exploration of my soul-connections with the souls and spirits of other beings, including yourselves.
I take joy in my kinship with you, and with the Feorhcynn: with all that lives. May the frith among us all strengthen and deepen day by day, as I pursue the wisdom of my own souls, and share in the wisdom of others.
This rite is ended. I go forth now in frith, and bear gifts of wisdom and blessing with me, always!
If possible, pour the remaining liquid in the blessing-bowl out in a suitable place outside. If that’s not possible, you could pour it into the pot of a house-plant, or drink it all. If you must pour it down the drain, first say a prayer to the Earth-mother, asking her to accept this offering however it reaches her, and saying that you mean no disrespect to her by pouring it down the drain.
If you have a Hama token, have a suitable container to store it in when you are not wearing or using it: a cloth bag or wrapper, a small bowl, jar, or box. Keep the container on your altar or other meaningful place.