Hláfmæsse fægnung
My Hláfmæsse fægnung was held last evening, on the full moon of August.
Just before sunset, I gathered the things I would need and made my way to the little park at the end of my block. A few moments were passed sitting on the rocks near the edge of the water, thinking about the reason for holding this observance and about the many fruits this year's harvest has brought. Consent was then asked from the local wights for my holding this fægnung of my Gods here, in their place. The wights were then gifted with some sunflower seeds, some wild blueberries picked on my recent camping trip to the mountains and a bowl of milk. After a few minutes, when I felt comfortable that the wights had consented to the fægnung, I began the rite.
The area was hallowed by carrying a flame around the perimeter while singing a weonde song. The large granite stone I customarily use as a weofod when doing ritual here was then hallowed with flame, as were the gifts I'd brought along for the yielding.
Eorðe was hailed, and a lay I'd written in her honor ( http://bardawulf.livejournal.com/18921.h tml) was sung. Eorðe was toasted with a horn of Samuel Adams Honey Porter. Thanks was given for her many blessings and for the fruitfulness of the year, and her continued good favor was asked. Gifts of pork tenderloin with a blueberry "catsup" (made with the wild blueberries I'd gathered), a cucumber salad, some homemade sunflower seed bread, Stilton cheese, wild blueberries and more of the Honey Porter were given.
Afterwards, several moments were passed just sitting and enjoying the coolness of the evening (quite appreciated, after several days of high humidity!), and in gazing at the beautiful reflection of the full moon on the water.
This morning as the sun was rising, I walked back to the park to collect the plate on which the gifts had been left. I stood a moment and then hailed Sunna before stooping to pick up the plate. When I stood again, a cormorant who'd been perched on a lobster trap drying his wings dove into the water and resurfaced by the rocks near where I was standing. He seemed to give me a good look before turning and disappearing under the waters once more.
Eálá Eorðe!
Just before sunset, I gathered the things I would need and made my way to the little park at the end of my block. A few moments were passed sitting on the rocks near the edge of the water, thinking about the reason for holding this observance and about the many fruits this year's harvest has brought. Consent was then asked from the local wights for my holding this fægnung of my Gods here, in their place. The wights were then gifted with some sunflower seeds, some wild blueberries picked on my recent camping trip to the mountains and a bowl of milk. After a few minutes, when I felt comfortable that the wights had consented to the fægnung, I began the rite.
The area was hallowed by carrying a flame around the perimeter while singing a weonde song. The large granite stone I customarily use as a weofod when doing ritual here was then hallowed with flame, as were the gifts I'd brought along for the yielding.
Eorðe was hailed, and a lay I'd written in her honor ( http://bardawulf.livejournal.com/18921.h tml) was sung. Eorðe was toasted with a horn of Samuel Adams Honey Porter. Thanks was given for her many blessings and for the fruitfulness of the year, and her continued good favor was asked. Gifts of pork tenderloin with a blueberry "catsup" (made with the wild blueberries I'd gathered), a cucumber salad, some homemade sunflower seed bread, Stilton cheese, wild blueberries and more of the Honey Porter were given.
Afterwards, several moments were passed just sitting and enjoying the coolness of the evening (quite appreciated, after several days of high humidity!), and in gazing at the beautiful reflection of the full moon on the water.
This morning as the sun was rising, I walked back to the park to collect the plate on which the gifts had been left. I stood a moment and then hailed Sunna before stooping to pick up the plate. When I stood again, a cormorant who'd been perched on a lobster trap drying his wings dove into the water and resurfaced by the rocks near where I was standing. He seemed to give me a good look before turning and disappearing under the waters once more.
Eálá Eorðe!