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Posted by on in Paths Blogs
Green Fairy Meditation Plus News

An artist friend of my housemate was at the house and said he wanted to paint the Green Fairy but he'd never seen her. So of course I immediately got the necessary things from the wet bar: the absinthe, the sugar cubes, and so on.

I had not originally intended to lead a meditation, just supply drinks. But after we all had some, his speech sped up and he started telling stories about his past nonstop, so rapidly that I thought the fairy would never get a word in edgewise. He might not notice her if she arrived. So I improvised a guided meditation. Those few who have heard what my voice sounds like when I'm guiding a meditation or ritual experience, that's how I sounded. I made my voice slow and calm.

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Posted by on in Paths Blogs

I had a conversation in my head with Odin today. That's not unusual for me since I opened my mind while writing Some Say Fire, but this conversation illustrates an important point in heathenry and this blog is all about what it feels like to do heathenry, so here goes.

First, a little background. I don't usually talk about my health problems on my blog because they are usually not relevant to my religious experiences and activities, but this time they are. I have had various health problems generally classified as autoimmune disorders throughout my life. Last year I had the best allergy year of my life because of wearing a mask everywhere, and after talking it over with my allergy doctor, who is an immunologist and an expert on vaccines, this spring we decided I had managed to fight my immune system down far enough so it might be safe for me to get a vaccine this year. We developed a plan for me in which as soon as I was eligible for the covid vaccine in early summer, I first had an antibody test to see if I already had antibodies to covid, and since I did not I got one jab. I became very sick. My tests indicated I had gotten a laundry list of problems, including another infectious disease, worsening of my existing problems, a neuro issue, and a brand new additional autoimmune disorder. For these reasons I am unable to have a second jab. I might never be allowed to travel, it may never be safe for me to work except from home, and I am aware every time I go somewhere where there are other human beings that I am taking more of a risk than most other people do.

I still go places, but I'm cautious. I wear my mask whenever I'm in public indoors. I don't go to restaurants where people have to take their masks off inside to eat. But I still get out sometimes.

The high point of my week was being interviewed for Ed "The Pagan" Hubbard's podcast. I'll post a link when I have one to share. That took place at an event at a local witch shop, Realms Within. My housemate and I went together and we had a great time. I met a new friend who introduced herself as being in the photo with my late fiancee Tom that Selena Fox had shared about her previous Veterans' Day activities. It was a great evening.

At the end of the week my housemate had cold symptoms. In any other decade, we would both have just brushed it off and gone about life as usual, but now my first reaction when she told me was, "Oh no! I hope it's not covid!" There were some practicalities I had to think of before I had time to just deal with my emotions. It was way harder and took way longer than it should to schedule her for a covid test. Most test sites require a car, which means I will have to drive her (there are some sites she could reach with Paratransit but she chose not to use the bus), and signing up was so hard I ended up having to do it for her on the net. With those tasks out of the way, my mind quieted enough to just think my own thoughts and hear my own inner voice.

And what my inner voice had to say was "Oh no! We're going to die!"

That was when Odin spoke. "You are not going to die this year."

Well it's the middle of November so that was not quite as reassuring as he meant it to be. He heard that too.

"Whenever you need breath, I am here."

And I found myself so reassured my fears melted away. Because I have experienced precisely that, due to asthma and allergies, especially if exposed to smoke or other bad things. I've experienced Odin or one of his brothers coming to me with breath to fill my lungs. I know I can rely on them to be there when I need them.

That's the important point about heathenry that I wanted to tell everyone about. Well, two points, actually. Firstly, that my faith in my god-husbands comes from personal experience. Secondly, that even though Asatru actually has a healer deity, Eir, it's the gods I'm personally closest to who come to me to help me with both my chronic health issues and my nervousness about further health problems. Odin, Honir, Lodhur who is Loki, all have come to me with breath at some point. If I had a serious health emergency I would not hesitate to contact Eir about it, but it's the gods who are close at hand all the time who come to me without being called.

Thus reassured, and not too spun up in myself to think of the community, my next thoughts were that I should stay home from the memorial service I had planned to attend this weekend. I'm disappointed about that, but they say that someone exposed to covid can spread it even if they have no symptoms, so the most responsible thing to do is to not go. I also delayed the stitch-n-bitch party I had planned to hold that was for the purpose of seeing some friends I often only see at the renfaire that I missed seeing this year because I had not been physically able to make it through the whole weekend of faire. I'm disappointed about that too but I will see them another day. I have no fears now, just rational choices, because of my relationship with my gods.

I've spent a lot of effort in my life learning to be calm. To be logical. To think first, act second, and feel third. Now, it's so much easier, because my gods are with me.

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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Erin Lale
    Erin Lale says #
    Thank you Jamie!
  • Jamie
    Jamie says #
    Ms. Lale, I'm glad the test was negative. May the Goddesses and Gods be with you whilst you deal with your health challenges. Pl
  • Erin Lale
    Erin Lale says #
    Great news! The test was negative. All fine here.

Posted by on in Paths Blogs

As I rejoin humanity after a little over a year going slowly feral in my home and generally only speaking to gods and my cat, I find I've developed a habit that I need to break. OK I exaggerated about the aloneness a bit, I did briefly a housemate a couple of times, but still. And I also spoke to the dead a lot. Anyway. The habit is: making grand hand gestures. And I don't mean pouring Grand Marnier.

I only realized how exaggerated my gestures in response to my silent thoughts have become when I accidentally waved my hands around like some kind of Jedi in front of another human, lol. OK not so lol and writing lol is also a bad habit, brought on by excessive social media usage. Now that I can socialize in person again I need to try to get away from that too.

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Tarot in the Time of Coronavirus - The Fool

The youth, the cliff, the sky, the dog--what do the symbols in the Tarot Fool card have to say to us through the lens of coronavirus? Listen to the first episode of my new Say It With Tarot Podcast, Tarot in the Time of Coronavirus - The Fool, as I share my personal journey during the pandemic...and how we can use each Tarot card for reflection, grounding and healing.

-- Janet

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs

Well, well, well. So: the Science-Denier-in-Chief now has the Trump Virus.

Or, to say it in Pagan, the Red Hag now has the Virus-in-Chief.

Metaphor piles on metaphor piles on metaphor. Of course, Fat Donald himself is the virus, a virus that has infected an entire country, a virus whose only interest is self-interest, with utter disregard for anyone else.

Of course, it didn't have to be this way. The US leads the world in corona-virus infections and deaths precisely because of the Science-Denier-in-Chief. Well, let him embrace his disease, and ill may it do him. Truly, he is its High Priest.

Did you hear the Cackle Heard 'Round the World as the news was announced this morning? For the rest of us, it's hard not to feel a sense of vindication.

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Posted by on in Paths Blogs

While my state was on Phase 1 lockdown, I did not hold or go to any religious events in person. However, Nevada entered Phase 2 in the beginning of summer, and while online activities helped, I wanted to find a way to hold a kindred event safely. I decided on an entirely outdoor event, and since it reached 114 degrees out during the week I wanted to hold it, that meant holding it in the pool.

Starting with knowing this would be held in the pool, I designed an event around the theme of water. Last year during the Rainbow Season ritual, which honors Heimdall at the end of monsoon season, we had also honored Heimdall's Nine Mothers. I thought it would be appropriate to honor his mothers again this summer, just before the beginning of monsoon season. Heimdall's mothers are called the waves of the sea, and daughters of Aegir. Aegir is one of the gods who is of the Jotun tribe, and sometimes Heimdall's Nine Mothers are seen as mermaids. So I came up with the Mermaid Party.

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Posted by on in Paths Blogs

How to deal with not being able to get a haircut keeps coming up on my social media. I'm one of the traditionalist Asatruars who don't cut our hair, and I have some styling tips for you.

Coincidentally, this is not the first time I've given out hairstyle tips. Years ago, I spoke to a local college religion class about Asatru. I showed up in my gythia robes and so I had already talked a little bit about what my outfit meant, and I was wearing the pincurled style I wore during my campaign for public office, and I mentioned that many traditionalists don't cut our hair. One of the students asked me about how I kept my hair from getting split ends if I didn't cut it. My reply was, "It does have split ends. You just can't see them because I stick the ends together with mohawk spiking gel."

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