1/6/09

Tired of The Cold? Jan 10 Ritual: Feast W/Thor!

Thank you Coven Mates who have left exceptional ideas (including comments) for this Saturday, Jan. 10th, ritual (see previous entries). On this Saturday night, it might also be interesting to also realize that in the ancient Nordic tradition, the first full moon in January (the Jan. 10 full moon this year) is celebrated as "Thurseblot."

Thurseblot is a minor holiday that honors the red-haired bearded son of Odin (aka "the god of thunder"). Customarily, celebrants would prepare a small feast, surround themselves with good fire, good drink and good friends, and then they'd invoke Thor to drive back the Frost Jötunns (giants who are also nature spirits with superhuman strength). By Thor's power, spring could return to Midgard (our world, the place inhabited by humans).

Note: According to Wikipedia: "Thor, became a defiant symbol of Norse paganism during the Christianization of Scandinavia." Regarding the Jötnar (plural form of
Jötunn) the giants often had claws, fangs, and multiple heads!

(Today's image was borrowed from: http://aboutheroes.com/meta/images/Thor%20Thunder-thumb-250x381.jpg)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our small, simple ritual was quite warm and rejuvenating. Our not-quite-four-year-old son told us more than once, "I am the teacher! I will talk from a book." He retrieved "Ten Apples Up on Top" and "read" to us that we should all love everyone and everyone should have lots of apples. We then all went out to bask in the brilliant moonlight. The feast afterwards centered on cinammon glazed pot roast, and long conversation with two good friends.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Saturday eve!

SunTiger said...

Tish/Desert Crone ~ As one who has worked in energy healing, I'm finding your son's declaration to be filled with such fascinating symbology that I would like to share.

Apples are such powerful icons for intuitive imagery -- as slicing them appropriately (horizontally) provides us with the pentacle: a symbol of protection. [Try it. Slice an apple through the middle, sideways, and see the star that each crevice surrounding its 5-seeds make).

I assumed the apples were "Red" matching the color of our root chakra, located at the base of the spine (which represents home, saftey, the element EARTH; a sense of belonging).

How powerful that your 4 y/o might have wanted to gift everyone with, what red symbolically says to me: that their most basic needs would be met: where they'd have a sense of safety and belonging.

{Thank you, very much, for sharing your story!}

Anonymous said...

Sun Tiger--thank you!