@solostinmysea You're The Sweetest!

@solostinmysea you're the sweetest! 🖤

This really hits a note as, besides Loki, Thor was basically the first Nordic Deity I met "in person" in my practice. I haven't been called by him or whatever, but I know he's there, and tend to call upon him when I need extra protection.

I feel close to the Jötnar and honor them in my practice, yet I understand the delicate balance Thor is part of when he fights them. Hard to explain, just like Nature, but there is a balance.

Hear ye, hear ye, let me tell you how the mighty God Thor came to be.

It was at a time when the remnants of Ymir were scattered and formed the realm known as Midgard. The Trees were growing, the rivers flowing.

Three brothers even formed the first humans out of two types of wood they found in the sand.

And then there was Jörd. Her Hair was like reed, her body full and fertile. Her personality rich and and wild like the landscape around her.

Jörd gave birth to her first and only son and she gave him the name of Thor. Soon he'd join the oldest of the three brothers into Asgard, but until that, he was raised by his mother.

Thor grew up in relative proximity to the humans, who he always observed, trying to understand them.

He saw, that they were plagued by devastating storms, high waves and tides, rock slides and other catastrophies.

Reason for these catastrophies were the Giants, forceful and uncontrollable at that time, sweeping over the land of men.

Young Thor had pity for the mortals, seeing them suffer from the endless amounts of water raining down and mudding and drowning the seed, the waves taking the fishers and amber collectors with them.

It was not long, when he challenged one of them, the Giant named Rigna. For a moment, he was not occupied with letting it rain on the people and the sky cleared and humankind had some relief.

This motivated Thor. In his youthful openness to risk, he charged and tackled Rigna, both falling to the ground, creating an earthquake strong enough to make mountains shiver of fear of breaking apart.

But Thor knew that rain was important to the people and their crops so he withdrew and weakened, the Rain-Giant only gave moderate amounts of the precious drops to the earth.

Thor understood. To bring a balance to the rain and other weathers, he'd have to fight the responsible Giant again and again, weakening them in consequence.

Young Thor did not knew yet, that this could also mean that the Giants could also overwhelm him, still inflicting damage to the lives and possessions of men.

But for the moment the chaotic nature of the Giants was contained. And the young God had found his main task: protecting humankind and regulating the natural forces to make them blessings instead of catastrophies.

So he'd do it not only with the rain, but also with the sea, the air, the soil and the fire. As best as he was able.

Love these, as usual.

And is Artie's shirt the one he wears on the cover of Parsley, or it's just a similar one?

11/09/68: Paul and Art perform at the Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln, Nebraska. They were feeling particularly petty that night, as evidenced by an “incident” with a fan (per the articles about the show, which I’ll post momentarily) 💀

An Mórrígan is the first Goddess I approached many years ago, and my journey with her is far from over.

Someday I'll write more about my UPG, but for today let's just say that this really resonates with me. 🖤

My UPG with the Morrígan

This is, of course, purely anecdotal and should not be taken as fact, just my experiences with and perceptions of the Morrígan.

I often hear the Morrígan described as a frightening goddess, and I don’t think that’s completely untrue. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think she’s “dangerous” or “not for beginners” or whatever other nonsense the witchtok-ers are spewing these days, but I and a friend of mine both had a first encounter with her that made us uncomfortable and even afraid.

For me, it was more frustration than anything. I was the one who reached out to her first. Specifically, I asked if she wanted to form a working relationship with me, and if I would be allowed to add her to my hearth cult. I got an obscure response, but what I got was basically: “Not yet.”

There was something I had to do, some challenge I had to face, before I could work towards earning her favor. I could worship and offer her all I liked, but to create that reciprocal relationship I wanted meant I had to earn her trust. Honestly, I was frustrated. It drove me crazy. I attempted numerous things. I started working out regularly, changing my diet, so many things that I had been told were issues of mine that I needed to work out to create that perseverance the Morrígan would want from me, but… nothing. Silence.

The thought of her kind of slipped from my mind when my depression and anxiety worsened and I ceased to really have any kind of consistent religious practice at all. I didn’t encounter her again until after I managed to get myself out of that slump.

Taking responsibility for myself, taking advantage of my opportunities, and accepting the help that was offered to me took strength. It took courage. That was the Morrígan’s test, I realized: not just to get myself treatment, to help myself, but also to recognize that getting that treatment was an accomplishment grown from a power I didn’t know I had.

With this revelation came to me, I had already begun encountering the Dagda. I decided to welcome them both into my hearth cult at the same time, after the Dagda implied to me that they came as a package deal.

These days, the Morrígan isn’t as frightening to me, but she does bring with her a certain aura of darkness and power, that incites excitement and reminds me of my own autonomy and my accomplishments.

Other things I’ve noticed about her:

Ever since I started working with her, I have gotten sooo many compliments on absolutely everything. I once asked her to let other people see the gifts she’s given to me (AKA my new-found and hard-earned confidence), and I would like to think those gifts are the source.

She absolutely loves cows. This is substantiated by the texts, because of course cattle were so important for the ancient Irish, but I get the impression that, ignoring their practical uses, she also likes cows because they’re adorable and beautiful creatures. I see her in the eyes of every calf I pet at my local dairy farm!

She’s sometimes called “the jealous wife of the Dagda”, but I believe this is a misnomer. What I get from their relationship is that they love each other deeply, but she doesn’t really care about his extra-marital activities. Actually, as an asexual (non-repulsed) individual, I see that reflected a lot in her. Just a very “sex is good but turning into corvids is better” attitude.

I'm not okay. The pizza one had me in tears, I swear. 🤣🤣🤣

Very specific S&G memes, 60s edition!

After laughing hysterically at @beatleinthecanyon’s S&G vine compilation (which you should all go watch), I was inspired to make another batch of memes—as always, I’m happy to clarify the origins of any of them, as some are rather…specific 💀