Dream journaling at 4:00 AM
I was dreaming a few minutes ago: dreaming of symbols, dreaming about runes.
The dream began on this coming Monday, which I know is the Jewish holiday of Passover. The setting of the dream is the indoor soccer facility that I have been playing in for the past several months. So the dream takes place in the future, on Passover in a sport hall. As the dream begins, I am walking to the soccer field and I encounter Demetri, a Russian man that I play soccer with. He asks me a question, and I suggest that he pull a rune. He pulls a rune and I see it in my head, though I am not certain any longer what rune it was. I encounter other members of my team on the way to the field, and each of them pulls a rune. The sigil of each pull burns in my vision, and leaves an imprint in my visual field within the dream. I see the runes that have been pulled in formations. I know that they have something to tell me, and I know it is related to this time and place. I also am aware that this is a dream, as I look at the runes burnt into the oak coins which seem to hang in the air around me.
My mind becomes sensitive to the fact that Norse spirituality is sometimes corrupted by white supremacists who use it as a tool to further their dangerous and terribly misguided perspective in a "spiritual" realm. I become aware that the confluence of these Norse Runes and Passover are an unorthodox but not a conflicting pairing in my dream.
At this time I try to read each of the runes, to glean the meaning from this primitively powerful alphabet and to bring the runic poem into my mind. There are twelve runes pulled and in my visual field, and although I can see each of them in the dream, I realize that I cannot bring all of them with me from the dream. I know I see the Rune of Gyfu which means "gift" and Eihwaz which means "yew." As I said there were twelve runes pulled and I wish I could remember the order and the names of the rest of them. I am not sure if Naudiz which means "need" was pulled or if I just associated this with Gyfu which looks somewhat similar.
I had the sense during the dream that something drastic was on the verge of happening. I felt that something significant was immanent, and I was not sure if this thing would be violence, like an explosion going off outside the soccer facility, or something all together different.
It became apparent to my dreaming mind that I would remain in this restless dream unless I got up and wrote about it. I am fulfilling that charge now so that I may go back to bed and sleep soundly. It is 4:42 AM now, so I am returning to bed. I look forward to spending some of the evening of Passover in the sport hall. I will bring my runes with me when I pack my shin guards and shoes.
Labels: dream, Passover, runes, soccer
Twin Cities Reclaiming (Ethel Me')
Let me tell you about a fantastic class that I have been participating in for the last eight or so months. The class (or path) that I have been participating in is facilitated by a man that I have had the benefit of knowing for a few years, we both have attended the
Midwest Men's Festival.
I first found out about the group through an email that Donald sent to me containing lots of information. Some of this information is copied below.
Ethel Mé – Twin Cities Reclaiming Community Offerings
Ethel Mé, the priestessing program begun in 2005, by Donald Engstrom/Reese, Paul Eaves and Teri Parsley Starnes has changed form for 2006 - 2007. The words Ethel Mé could be translated from Nordic runes (Ethel) and Sumerian language (Mé) as Clan Magic. It is this magic of the clan that we invoke for our work this year.
We will gather monthly to experience, explore and deepen our clan magic. As last year, we will meet one Saturday a month. Different from last year, there will be three paths offered in the mornings from 9:00 am to noon. [See path descriptions below.] These paths require a year’s commitment from its members... Our meeting dates will be the third Saturday of the month. We ask for a donation for each meeting.
Note: the first gathering will be on Saturday, September 16. In the afternoon, we will have the Fall Twin Cities Reclaiming meeting while we celebrate the season with a harvest feast. We invite those who claim to be Reclaiming witches and those who do not. At this feast, we will talk about how we want to move forward as a community, gathering ideas about our afternoon sessions and any other community concerns.
Elements of Magic Intensive
anchored by Donald Engstrom/Reese
One of the projects Ethel Me’ will present this coming season is a year-long intensive focused on the Elements of Magic. This program will encompass the basics taught in many standard Reclaiming Witchcraft 101 classes. However,we will explore these basics and other topics to a depth not normally allowed for in a shorter Reclaiming introductory session. In this Elements intensive we will look at, among other things, ritual design, daily practice, spell working, trance journeying, the labyrinth, Pagan prayer beads, gender work, the seven sacred voices, and many assorted elemental gifts of the multiverse.
Together we will dare to live awake, aware and with conscious intent. Together we will dare to delve deep within and without, nurturing our relationships with the Mysterious Ones, ancestors and spirits of the Upper Mississippi Valley. Together we will dare to dwell in Beauty, Balance and Delight.
This class will be anchored by Donald L. Engstrom/Reese, who each month will be joined by local and visiting guest teachers.
Participants are expected to commit to attending at least ten of the twelve Elements sessions.
Today we met for our eighth session, and it was again, a wonderful experience. I have been an atheistic mystic for a very long time, called myself a radical faerie for several years, and more recently I have begun to embrace the term "witch." I am learning old and new traditions, and I am tapping into mystery in a new way and with renewed intention.
Labels: community, coven, druid, Ethel Me, faggot god, magic, mystery, nature, witchcraft
Labyrinths and Runes
Roughly nine months have passed and I have had few long nights of the soul since my return to Minneapolis, Minnesota, so this space has been less important to me recently. I have been tending my inner garden and also been keeping up with my dharma: working full time, contributing time and energy to my family and my community, and generally doing my best to dwell in beauty balance and delight.
My use of this space is not over. I want to transform this place, which had been about communicating my personal sense of isolation while living in Philadelphia, into a space for exploring spiritual pursuits. In the past I have called myself an atheistic mystic, and I hold onto this description while I also develop tools for exploring the mystery of the unknown. Two sets of tools that I have recently begun working with include
Labyrinths and
Runes.
Labyrinths have been found across time and cultures, and from my basic and short time studying them, I find that they are almost universal and cross cultural shapes. The idea of a winding and possibly confusing path is analogous to the experiences of a human life. There is a single beginning (birth) and a single destination (death) but the loops and turns can be confusing and difficult. Labyrinths are beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Following the path of a labyrinth, also known as "Ariadne's thread," can calm one's mind and the journey to the center of a labyrinth can be an exercise in centering oneself.
Runes are symbols, or sigils, that used to be used to write Germanic languages. Rune markings have been found on stones and valuable personal items dating from the pre-Christian middle ages in Europe. Runes can also be used for divination purposes, in some ways similar to tarot cards. Each rune represents an object or concept such as cattle, ice, or a birch tree. Each rune also represents a stanza from an old Norse poem. It is interesting and rewarding to try to glean some meaning from the rune or runes drawn. The nature of this sort of divination makes concrete answers difficult, but can yeild insight into a question or issue.
