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Thursday, 23 January 2014

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Living Vanatru Blt
Most of the Vanatruar I know, myself included, are not reconstructionists - each of us seems to have our own idiosyncratic way of relating to the Powers, much like bio-regions differ from region to region, the Vanic path will vary from person to person. I do not believe that reconstructionism is superior, nor do I believe that modernism is superior: in Vanatru, there is no one true way of doing things, we recognize that diversity is organic and natural, responding to the needs of different situations and relationships. With that caveat...

One of the questions I am often asked is "where do I start? how do I begin?" If you are new to Vanatru, you may feel overwhelmed by the very do-it-yourself approach found among much of Vanatruar. Sometimes people need a point in some direction, even if they choose later on to do things differently. In my book "Visions of Vanaheim "(paperback PDF), I look at some older practices connected with the Vanic cultus - such as the wain processions of Frey and Nerthus - and how one might adapt these practices for the modern day. One of the rites of the elder Heathen that we know about is a ritual called bl'ot. This word means "blood", and is a sacrificial rite, usually of a farm animal where at least some of it would be cooked and eaten by the attendants. In the 21st century, most of us do not make blood sacrifices to the gods (please note: I do not want to get into a debate here about blood sacrifice, that is not what my post is about) - it is commonplace to substitute an alcoholic beverage such as mead, or a non-alcoholic beverage such as cider or goat's milk.

While the bl'ot sacrifice was given to the gods, we also know from historical accounts that the elves were yielded bl'ot as well. As such, this is a sample bl'ot outline that could be used for Vanic gods or the Vanic local guardians or a tribe of Vanaheim (for example, offering to the Ravens or Cat tribe). I do not claim that this is the only way to do the bl'ot ritual - this is the way I was taught; the bl'ot ritual tends to have variations from group to group, person to person, though what most people tend to think of as bl'ot in modern Germanic Pagan practice is usually a combination of bl'ot (making the sacrifice) and sumbel (drinking toasts). This is also a "Vanic-flavored" bl'ot ritual.

ITEMS NEEDED:

-some sort of drink offering

-an evergreen twig

-an altar or large stone which items can be rested upon

-a bowl

-a drinking vessel (while modern-day Heathens often use drinking horns, in a Vanic practice it would be appropriate to use a [drink-safe] ceramic beaker-shaped vessel, connected with the Earth as well as the Beaker period in history)

OPENING (optional)

If you like a more formal ritual, you may wish to cleanse and bless the space first. In a Vanic practice, it would be appropriate to do so using the elements - walking around the bl'ot altar or stone with incense (for Air), then a candle (for Fire), then sprinkling water (for Water), then sprinkling salt or herbs (for Earth). This can be done by one person, or split amongst four people if you are doing ritual with more than one person.

If you wish to ward the space, one of the ways I used to ward ritual space was with an antler, going in the directions and visualizing/projecting protective energy forming a shield, saying "Antler of Frey, hallow and hold this holy stead." However, you may not wish to ward the space, especially if it is somewhere you regularly hold ritual.

INVOCATION

This is where you address whatever entities you are making the offering to, be they the named gods, or local elven guardians, or one of the tribes of Vanaheim. Here are some sample invocations, as an example which can be modified as the situation needs:

"To Frey, God of the World, Lord of the Ljossalfar,

giver of bounty, of lust of life,

I have come to hail and honor you."

"To Frey and Freya, Lord and Lady,

whose love is the joy of the worlds,

I have come to hail and honor you."

"To the guardian of this place,

watcher of Vanaheim, friend of Midgard,

I have come to hail and honor you."

"To the Raven tribe of Vanaheim,

for your knowledge, your lore, your wisdom,

I have come to honor you, and seek your favor."

"To the Frog tribe of the Vanir,

healers, whole-makers,

I offer to you so that [Name] may be well."

Take a moment to meditate upon the entity or entities you are calling upon. If you can, reach out with your mind and try to feel their presence there with you.

THE BL'OT

Pour the drink offering into the drinking vessel, hold it into your hands, and raise it in the air, symbolically offering the drink to the entities present. Pour some of the offering into the bowl on the altar or stone. If there are other people present at the rite, pass the drinking vessel around. Each person should take a moment to hail the Power/s invoked, such as by complimenting them and/or expressing gratitude. For example, at a Freysbl'ot one might say:

"Thank you, O Phallic One,

for prosperity, passion, and health."

"Alfar Lord, lover, warrior,

thank you for the goodness of life."

It is then customary to say "Hail" and take a sip of the drink.

If it is just you, you can take a moment to praise the Power/s invoked and thank them, and then take a sip of the drink. There should be enough in the drinking vessel to pour the rest into the bowl. Visualize the Power/s invoked partaking of the drink offering, and when it feels ready, take the evergreen sprig and dip it into the bowl. If there are other attendants, each person will get sprinkled with the evergreen sprig, which conveys the energy and blessing of the Power/s on the person. If it is just you, you can sprinkle yourself, and a little for the space around you, to bless this space (especially good for blessing one's home).

(The evergreen is particularly apt for a Vanic-oriented ritual as the word "Eshnahai", which the Vanir call themselves, means "evergreen" in their language, and evergreen trees are seen as a symbol of Vanaheim.)

CLOSING

At this point, it is customary to thank the Power/s for coming and sharing in the rite. If you have done the ritual indoors, you will carry the bl'ot bowl outside. If you have done the ritual outdoors, you should pour the contents of the bl'ot bowl on the stone used for an altar, or around the stone. Before pouring the contents of the bl'ot bowl it is nice to say something to the effect of:

"From the Vanir to the Earth to us,

from us to the Earth to the Vanir,

a gift for a gift.
" (pour the bowl)

Hail the Vanir!

"(image in post is mine, Southern California in 2010)"

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Credit: theartofastralprojection.blogspot.com