Gnosis Diary: Life as a Heathen
My personal experiences, including religious and spiritual experiences, community interaction, general heathenry, and modern life on my heathen path, which is Asatru.
Planting Heritage Wheat for Sif
I lost 20 lbs. on the Goddess Diet. I've been avoiding GMO wheat and corn products because I received gnosis that the goddess Sif wants me to. I'll relate the somewhat amusing story of how I avoid them in another post. As I mentioned in the Fireverse 1 post, while I was writing my probably-unpublishable behemoth Some Say Fire, I received a scene showing that GMO wheat is fatal to Sif, the goddess of wheat. This is what I call novel-gnosis: information about the gods presented to me by them as fiction but which I think may also be applicable beyond the Fireverse.
Once my head was cracked open to hear the gods while writing, I received messages from them as well as being inspired with scenes for the book. I got a strong impression that she wanted non-GMO wheat in real life.
I said, "It would take a revolution to get that for you. An actual revolution."
Sif said, "Get on with it already. Aren't you already talking to Loki?"
It turns out, I was wrong. It didn't take a revolution. Heritage wheat still exists in the world. It might not be in the bread aisle at the grocery store, but one can grow some if one has land on which to do so. Native Seed Search (nativeseeds.org) has some. I ordered some of that wheat to plant for Sif.
When I planted the wheat, I did a ritual to have it blessed by Sif, Thor, and Loki. The what itself is Sif's sphere of influence, and rain is Thor's. The earth itself is Jord's, also known as Fjorgynn, Thor's mother; the place where I was planting already had a dedication to her on it, written on the bottle wall in runes. Clearing the ground relates to one of Loki's spheres of influence. I had to dig up the dead things that were in the planting bed. Also some live things had to be dug up and potted and moved. The ground had to be leveled. I added compost, and turned the soil over. Only then was it ready for Sif's wheat to be planted, and only after that was it ready for Thor to rain on it to make it grow.
I planted the wheat in December and it sprouted in January. It should be ready to harvest in May. Here in the Mojave Desert, correct planting times don't correspond to the spring planting / fall harvest traditions common to pagan and heathen religions originating in Europe. I plant at right time for my local ecosystem. My gods are wherever I am.
Image: art by Katharine Pyle
Comments
-
Please login first in order for you to submit comments
I've been signing lots of online petitions for GMO labeling. I used to subscribe to Organic Gardening magazine so I know there are a number of companies that provide heritage seeds. Alas, I'm currently living in an apartment and am currently unable to indulge in gardening. It sounds like you have a Mediterranean climate with rain in the winter and lots of heat during the rest of the year. I look forward to hearing what "friends from other pantheons" Loki and Sif bring over to visit with you.