Posts Tagged ‘norse’
Posted on January 20, 2009 - by Andrew
Five female deities with some masculine traits
- Image via Wikipedia
Channelling deities, asking for their guidance, support or blessing is common. Whenever you attempt to involve a deity in a blessing or ritual it is important to know exactly with whom you are dealing with. Deities have their own personalities, preferences and traits. Further more, these aspects of the deity can begin to have an effect on you as well as your rituals. Sometimes rituals and blessings should be done in conjunction with a female deity but would also benefit from not being overwhelmingly feminine.
We’re certainly not suggesting that any of these deities are butch, far from it. Instead the following five deities each have an aspect or two which is also commonly found in male deities.
Artemis (Greek)
Artemis shows her masculine aspects through her hunting and use of bow and arrows. She is twinned with Apollo. If you do channel Artemis with her masculine side in mind then it also equally important to remember she is a virgin and does also represent fertility.
Ma’at (Egyptian)
Ma’at, also sometimes known as Mayet, is a deity of balance, justice and truth. She is a very magical deity and a powerful one. Some Egyptian traditions equated Ma’at with the male deity Thoth.
Frejya (Norse)
Frejya is one of the two main female deities from the Norse tradition. While she is a deity of love, beauty and fertility who would assist in childbirths she is also associated with war, battle, death and wealth.
Ninsar (Babylonian)
There are few significant female Babylonian deities to choose from other than Tiamat and channelling any aspect of Tiamat is not recommended. Ninsar is the daughter of Ninhursag the mother-goddess. Whereas Ninhursag is one of the seven greater deities from Sumer Ninsar is a much smaller entity. She is the Green Lady and a goddess of plants.
Oya (Voodoo)
Oya is a deity of the winds, of the marketplace and cemeteries. Oya is channelled when a change is needed; particularly a business change. In the Yoruba tradition Oya is also a warrior-goddess responsible for hurricanes and tornadoes.
In Pure Spirit
Who would you recommend a female deity appropriate for channelling and who might bring some suggestion of masculinity diversity?
Posted on December 14, 2008 - by Andrew
The meanings of the days of the week
Image via Wikipedia
The origins of the names given to the days of the week in the Western calendar are traced back to a number of different beliefs and sources.
Monday
The name ‘Monday’ is Roman in origin and means “Moon’s Day”.
Tuesday
The word ‘Tuesday’ comes from old German and derived from “Tyr’s Day”. Tyr is a Germanic-Norse god of war and sky.
Wednesday
The name ‘Wednesday’ is derived from the Norse “Woden’s Day” or “Odin’s Day”. Odin is the Nordic all-father god and master of the runes.
Thursday
The world ‘Thursday’ comes from the Norse “Thor’s Day”. Thor is the Nordic god of battle and strength.
Friday
It is thought that the name ‘Friday’ could come from the Nordic phrase “Frigg’s Day”. Frigg was Odin’s wife and a fertility goddess. The name may also derive from “Frey’s Day” a god who could not battle in Ragnarok after the mortal Skirnir lost Frey’s sword.
Saturday
The name ‘Saturday’ has an origin in “Saturn’s Day”. In Roman mythology Saturn is the father of the god Jupiter.
Sunday
Sunday is Roman in origin and means ‘Sun Day’.
In Pure Spirit
What do the days of the week mean in other beliefs? What do they mean to you? Drop us a comment and share your thoughts.
Posted on November 25, 2008 - by Andrew
Maeshowe (or Maes Howe)
Image via Wikipedia
Maeshowe
Maeshowe is a chambered cairn, part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney in Scotland and is a World Hertigate Site. The Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae are found nearby.
No other discovered chambered cairn is similar to Maeshowe which is a set of chambers and complex passageway. During the winter solstice the rear wall of the central chamber is illiminated.
The runes found on some of the stones within Maeshowe were left by 12th centuary Vikings who looted the cairn. Further damage was done to the chambers in 1861 by early archaelogists who broke through the roof, discarding the stone.
In Pure Spirit
Do you think more should be done to protect these sites in Orkney or should we do more to investigate them even if this means more careful digging and examination?
Posted on November 11, 2008 - by Andrew
A Celtic creation myth – hoarfrost
- Image by Kerrythis via Flickr
We all have to find a beginning somewhere and this is where it begins for In Pure Spirit.
A Celtic creation myth
During the first winter a colossal and powerful giant rose from the hoarfrost. Next came the fire and the fire melted the giant.
As the ice giant melted so the world was born. His blood became the seas and oceans. His bones became the mountains. The giant’s hair became the forets and trees. The sky was forged from his skull.
It is thought that some of the ancient Celtics placed their gods at the very heart of the Earth in a realm of mountains and valleys. Beneath, in the Underworld, the dead lived on.
In Pure Spirit
In some ways this Celtic creation myth is similar to the Norse stories of Niflheim the land of ice and Muspelheim the land of fire beginning to mix.
And what of you? What type of beginning would you hope to discover at In Pure Spirit?
