The Omens from our Lughnasadh 2018 Rite.

Prairie Sky DP students add this to your essay for the High Day. I’m going to include much more than usual here since there were so many questions after the ritual.

First up, the Ancestors and Mighty Dead. Hagalaz. A crisis with a blessing inside. Every hail stone melts as a seed for growth. First comes the storm. The blessing is that seed, the promise of growth, and the strength to get through anything just as our ancestors did in their own days.

The Old English Rune Poem says:

Hail is the whitest of grains,
It comes from high in heaven,
Showers of wind hurl it,
Then it turns to water.

It’s a grain. A seed. It just comes with the storm that hurls it where it must grow, and that place is our group. Why? It’s time to read what we’ve sown through our work. It isn’t easy, and this is much more mystical in it’s shape. We’ve grown. We are changing in little ways that will find some tough times. Hagalaz from the Ancestors says stand on our principles, move through the storm with our eyes on what really matters as a group, and we shall find a new seed of transformation.

Now for the Nature Spirits. Landveattir and Lightalfar all. Tiwaz. A rune of Justice and self sacrifice. Again, this is for the group. We must act wisely as this is a message in the form of a blessing. A reminder that the Noble spirits will not be forgotten. In fact, as I drove back to Mattoon I wondered if any of us made offerings to the land spirits of the ritual site upon arrival. A little hello and thank you? I wonder because this is a North star as well. A not so gentle reminder that it isn’t all about the Gods at Harvest. It is about the Harvest on a deeper level. Self sacrifice. Push your own selfish needs to the side, and serve the group. Nothing severe or demanding. No need to lose a hand. Think of ways we can work in the world for the benefit of this Kindred. Always.

Old English Rune Poem:

Tir is a star,
It keeps faith well
With athlings,
Always on its course
Over the mists of night
It never fails.

Nobility called for with the Noble spirits. Fitting. Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t think of this during reading the Omens. Faery nudges?

Finally, the Shining Ones. The moment I just knew we were about to get more hard hugs. And that we did. Kinda. Thurisaz. As I so eloquently stole from Game of Thrones, harvest means Winter is Coming. The Gods and Goddesses are offering protection. They’re urging us to take stock of what we are holding on to that needs to be dealt with. Harvest those difficult crops. Look out for each other. Come closer together, especially in the growing darkness.

The Old English Rune Poem:

Thurs is very sharp;
For every thane
who grasps it; it is harmful,
And exceedingly cruel
To every man
Who likes upon them.

It’s a much more brutal form of protection which lines up with the other omens.

Why?

The group is growing. What started with three of us has become something quite amazing. Growing comes with challenges, and at some point lessons must be harvested. We have left the bright half of the year, and now we come closer to the darkness. This is a time to pull together as a group – self sacrifice. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds with our values. It’s a time to look out for each other, and see our way through whatever crisis is to come. On the other side of all this are good tidings and strong union.

Would you yet know more?