Winifred Hodge Rose
Here is an optional ceremony to perform as you begin your Heathen Soul Lore studies. You are welcome to either use this ceremony as it is presented here, or to insert parts of it into whatever ceremonial framework you prefer to use, to make it suitable for the purpose of ceremonially initiating your soul lore study and practice. If you plan to use one or more soul-tokens as part of your practice, prepare the materials for the token in advance, and have them ready to use during this ceremony. Here is a link for more information about soul-tokens: https://heathensoullore.net/soul-tokens-for-working-with-heathen-soul-lore/
Preparation
Here are the 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.
* * * * *
The Ceremony
Hallowing:
Circle the sacred space, or turn around in place, with a lighted candle, 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 soul-token(s) to initiate and bless, have them 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 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(s) 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.
Initiation reading:
Speak these words to all your souls, addressing your soul-household as “we.”
Now is a time of beginnings, which is what initiation is. We’re setting off on a great quest, an exploration of the broad, deep and complex landscapes of our own souls. These landscapes are connected by soul-bridges to the inner landscapes of others: humans embodied and disembodied, Deities, Alfar, Dwarves, Jotnar, wights, animals, trees, and other beings of nature. Entire Worlds lie before us to explore; this is a mighty deed we are undertaking!
If you are initiating a soul-token(s) at this time, take a moment now to honor your token (or the materials for making it) by raising it up. If you have no token, you can raise your cupped palms or put your hands to your heart to honor your souls, if you wish.
Raise token / hands for a moment of quiet blessing.
Now spend some moments in quiet meditation, to prepare yourself for your quest. Use this time however you feel called:
– For communing with your Deities, ancestors, friendly wights, and asking their blessing on your token and your soul-work.
– For making a silent self-dedication to your soul-work.
– For feeding soul-power into your token, and / or giving it a name or a title.
– And / or any other meditation you feel is appropriate for this moment.
If you wish, you may write in your Daybook at this time.
Finish by raising up your soul-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 souls.
Hail your Quest
Raise your ‘drinking horn’ and offer good words to your own souls as you begin this mighty quest. 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(s) if you have any.
Thanks-Giving and Closing
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 soul-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.