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Midsummer
By Evan McCallum
The place of the ritual should be ringed about with eight standing stones (as large as practical) and have an altar near the north of the ritual area. Beyond the altar hang a banner of the Odin-Rune in black cloth with silver or gold rune-markings. Place a rune-banner for Freya to one side of the Odin-rune and one for Thor to the other side. (Suitable images representing the three Deities may replace the banners.) The patron gods of this season are Balder and Nanna, who are husband and wife. If possible, make up rune-banners for each and place them immediately behind the altar.
On the altar should be an incense brazier, a sword or dagger and a drinking-horn in its center. Have a jug of mead or ale beneath or beside the altar. You may want to have copies of the rite for the participants.
At the center if the ritual area, or beside the bonfire, have a wheel or star of wood (or some other simple, combustible construction) to be sacrificed to the flames during the rite. If indoors, it should be small, so that it can be burned in the incense brazier. For example, a small model or eight-spoked wheel scribed on parchment.
Light the ritual area only with fire. Place a torch at each Quarter and before each rune banner. Have candles or torches on or beside the altar, to be lit during the ceremony. Before beginning, light a small taper on the altar in order to light the other candles or torches and to aid reading. Altar candles should be yellow.
Devotees may carry hand held banners or standards of the Odin-Rune, symbolizing the Gods of Valhalla, or heroes of our own people. Appropriate music would be Wagner's "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla" followed by "Siegfried's Rhine Journey." Alternately, continuously play "Summer," from Walter Carlos' "Sonic Seasonings." Some may prefer other music, even storm or other nature sounds. A bull's horn or other appropriate musical instrument should signal the start of the rite, announce the coming of Spring during the ritual and sound the end of the ceremony.
In addition to the Godi (Priest), it is best a Godia (Priestess) leads the ritual. If a woman of the Folk is not available, place flowers before the banner of Freya and the Godi (or any other) may speak the words of the Godia.
When all is in readiness, sound the horn (or other appropriate musical instrument, if available) and assemble the folk. (When there is room, the Godi and Godia may lead a Procession of Honor, ending before the altar.) The Godi (or other so appointed) lights the candles or torches beside the altar.
Opening the Rite
The Godi or Godia sound the summoning-horn and all gather in a semicircle before the altar. The Godi calls for a period of silence of at least thirteen heartbeats. All place their minds into a calm and meditative state.
Godi:
Great Odin, we do now work this rite in Your honor. Be with us here, we do ask.
Godia:
O Fair and Magical Freya, we do now work this rite in Your honor. Be with us here, we do ask.
Godi (or other):
Strong and Sturdy Thor, we do now work this rite in Your honor. Be with us here, we do ask.
Godia (or other so chosen) turns briefly to the East and salutes, saying:
O winds of the East, blow soft, cool, and sweet upon our people and our Lands. Hail Odin!
All:
Hail Odin!
Godi (or other so chosen) turns briefly to the South and gives salute, saying:
O Warm sun of the South, shine brightly upon our people and our lands. Hail Odin!
All:
Hail Odin!
Godia (or other so chosen) turns briefly to the West and salutes, saying:
O blue waters of the West, flow cool and giving of life for our people and our lands. Hail Odin!
All:
Hail Odin!
Godi (or other so chosen) turns briefly to the North and salutes saying:
O lands of the North, and of all the places of our people, give rich crops and calm souls for our people. Hail Odin!
All:
Hail Odin!
Summer-Blot
Godia takes the jug of mead and holds it for the Godi. He takes the dagger and touches the point to the jug, saying:
Great Odin, accept this as sacrifice in honor of You, in honor of our Gods, and in honor of ourselves. This is the season of your yearly victory, as guardian and giver of the Life force that imbues us all. Place your blessing within this good mead, so that we may draw upon your wisdom, and gain victory in all that we do. Hail Odin!
All:
Hail Odin!
Godi puts down the dagger, takes and opens the jug and half fills the Blot-Bowl. He takes the bowl and dips a bundle of leaves into the mead, and sprinkles each of the worshipers briefly saying:
You are blessed in the Name of Odin.
When all have been blessed, the Godia takes the bowl and leaves and similarly blesses the Godi. Then she replaces all upon the altar, turns to those present and says:
At this time, as in times far past, are those of us who follow the Old Ones blessed and consecrated in their sacred presence. May the strength, power, magick and wisdom, the courage and the steadfastness of the Gods themselves remain forever within each of us. Hail Odin!
All:
Hail Odin!
Calling the Great Ones
Sound the bull's horn.
Godi lights the candle or torch before the Odin-banner and says:
O Great Odin, Azure-Cloaked Wanderer from the far, ancient lands of our people, Lord of the Shining Ones who do protect our land, our folk and our families, we call to Thee to be with us here. We call to Thee across all of time and all the worlds of the Gods. Your people are still here, O Wise One. Come to us again, and give us to drink of Thy cauldron of life and of inspiration that we may prosper once again. Come to us now and be with us here . . .. Odin the wise! Hail Odin!
All:
Hail Odin!
Godia lights the candle or torch in front of the Freya-banner and says:
O Leader of the Wind-Riders, You who weave fates and destinies and before whose magicks men and Gods do bow, Co-Ruler with the Great One, High Odin from the shining Lands of the Gods, we call on Thee, O Freya the Fair One! Be with us here in this rite! Hall Freya!
All:
Hail Freya!
Godi lights the candle or torch before the Thor-banner and says:
O red bearded thunderer, friend and protector of our people, before whose mighty hammer neither God nor man can stand, we call on Thee, O mighty Thor! Be with us here in this rite! Hail Thor!
All:
Hail Thor!
The Midsummer Sacrifice
After a pause of twenty heartbeats or more, sound the bull's horn again.
Godia takes up the sun-wheel and holds it aloft, saying:
We give greetings to gentle Nanna, spirit of the Moon, Consort of Balder, and patroness of this season. Her love and devotion shall always shine as examples for our people. Hail Nanna!
All:
Hail Nanna!
Godi takes the sun-wheel and holds it aloft, saying:
We give greetings to high Balder, giver of life, Consort of loving Nanna and Patron of this season. Your brightness and joy and love shall always shine as examples for our people. Hail Nanna!
All:
Hail Nanna!
Godi throws the sun-wheel on the fire (or otherwise burns it). As it burns the Godia or Godi shall say:
Oh highest of the high ones, accept our offering of this ancient symbol of the year, of our many lives, and of Eternity. Hail to You both, Nanna and Balder!
The Runes of Midsummer
After a pause of 25 heartbeats, sound the bull's horn.
Godi:
The Summer Solstice is the longest day of all the year, and from this time the nights grow longer until the darkness of far Midwinter. Our folk celebrated the summer and winter solstices for millennia past. Those of our people knew full well that all life draws its power and strength from the sun. For Midsummers uncounted, they symbolized it with the bond-fire.
Our folk where wise—they realized that more than just the sun was needed to create life. Hence it was said that life sprang from opposites. The Well of Life, with the sun's warmth, was that from which all sprang. We now in this time do speak of the Life Force as being, in symbol, the starter of all life, and the totality of Nature. Yet still we do use the sun-wheel and the bond-fire as did our ancestors in ancient times.
Godia:
On this day we honor Balder and Nanna for their guidance. The death of High Balder symbolizes the fading of the sun, as the summer does pass. The onslaught of fall and then of winter ever does echo the coming of Ragnarok, the final battle of the world.
Know ye well that all life lives in cycles, whatever the beings, whatever the clans or tribes. We are born, grow to adulthood, create offspring, nurture our young, give wisdom and finally die. Each generation is a cycle. Know also that societies as well do live in cycles. They are founded in strength and hope, grow, mature and eventually crumble as the extended family is corrupted. The Aesir died when corrupted, yet returned after Ragnarok with pure Balder reborn as their leader.
Watcher of the North, tell us of the Summer Solstice.
Watcher of the North:
At the time of the Summer Solstice we know full well that there will soon be crops to harvest and to store for the coming winter. The Summer celebrations, and the good times of the Harvest to follow, should brighten our lives, for the chill of Fall will be upon us too soon. The eternal sky turns, as it always has. The yearly cycle of life goes on and on, as generation after generation do live the cycles of their lives. Nations, empires and all manner of societies live the cycles of their lives . . .. And at the end of every cycle each does meet its own Ragnarok.
Godia:
Watcher of the East, tell us of the Summer Solstice.
Watcher of the East:
The Summer Solstice comes softy and gently, when life, like the flowers, is in full bloom. Let us look ahead and meet the winter crisis that will confront us. Know of the problems but do not fear them, for we can prepare and then act when they come. Our own small Ragnarok is always just around the corner. Fear shall not save us. Careful counsel, planning and proper action shall be our salvation. Our crisis is our opportunity—our opportunity to extend our lives, our people and our future.
Godia:
Watcher of the South, tell us of the Summer Solstice.
Watcher of the South:
Summer comes with the soft winds blowing across the meadows. The ripening of the grain and the fruit of the trees make known to all that the Northern World is lush with nourishment for the coming winter. Let us work, plan, play and rest, for the labors of fall will be upon us. Enjoy all things of life when we can, for we know not when Fate will call us away.
Godia:
Watcher of the West, tell us of the Summer Solstice.
Watcher of the West:
Our ancestors celebrated this time, for they knew the Sun had returned, and the life-giving cycle of the seasons would repeat. Without the Sun there would be no seasons. There would be no winter of cleansing, no spring rains, no bursting-forth of summer life, no dying and drying of the fall harvest.
Godia:
Watcher of the North, tell us your thoughts.
Watcher of the North:
Our ancestors knew the values of the seasons, for they availed themselves of the time of growth from spring to summer that made a bountiful harvest in the fall. Our folk knew when to plant and when to harvest, and made the most of their harvests. They knew when the fish migrated and when they spawned. Our people long ago studied nature, and they looked at humankind as part of nature.
Godia:
Watcher of the East, tell us your thoughts.
Watcher of the East:
With the coming of the Summer Solstice, we of Odin's people should look ahead to the future of our folk. Summer is the time to see the plans and the motives of those around us. Our ancestors studied Man as a part of nature. Man and Man's societies were and are now a part of nature. Our Gods are a part of Nature, the Life Force. Let us look around and about ourselves, to see what is obvious and what is cleverly hidden in the nature of Man.
Godia:
Watcher of the South, tell us your thoughts.
Watcher of the South:
We live now in an age of social chaos. There are no true values that guide or promote Odin's people. And verily you must know that many values of this time and place are destructive to our people. We are living in a gradual Ragnarok that is slowly wasting the lifetime of our folk. And know well that this gradual Ragnarok will be ongoing for ages to come.
Godia:
Watcher of the West, tell us your thoughts.
Watcher of the West:
Listen ye all to the lore of the Eddas, and hearken ye well, for I speak the highest of Truths. In ancient times, Balder's death assured the coming of Ragnarok. There were to be three terrible Fimbulwinters before the start of Ragnarok.
Godia:
Watcher of the North, tell us your thoughts.
Watcher of the North:
We cannot read the future, but we do know the present and the past. We can envision the future with the wisdom thus gained. The modern gradual Ragnarok is now ongoing, and we are living in a new age without clan or tribe, or even a social structure. We need to retain and build our Gimli to hold and to mold our people together in new clans and in new tribes. Life has always been a struggle, a competition. In ancient times as today, people struggled, contended and competed in clans, in tribes, in social units. And yea, lone men and women may compete, yet they are far from being as strong as a tribe or a clan. One cannot be as consistent, persistent and as rich in thought and in gold as a tribe or a clan.
Godia:
Watcher of the East, tell us your thoughts.
Watcher of the East:
Our Gimli is not a structure that rests upon land—it is a structure built of the social bonds of our people. Bonds of trust that are practical in the ways of human emotions, thoughts and actions are used to advance our folk. Honesty of thought and action are necessary to forge these bonds.
Godia:
Watcher of the South, what are your thoughts?
Watcher of the South:
Know ye well that bonds of trust work best with folk that think alike, and who have the same feelings and responses within their hearts. We still possess much of this legacy among our folk, and it is a treasure that we should use! Verily, our people should speak of these bonds, these feelings and this trust, so that all do understand.
Godia:
Watcher of the West, what are your thoughts?
Watcher of the West:
Our first purpose is to survive. The second is to beget the children, who are our gift to the ages. The third is to improve our wealth and our places in life. Let us not try to tell others how they must live. Let us not try to change the world. We Odinists, who have an understanding of the world as it is today, must provide the ideas that preserve our people. Others will follow our thoughts and will thus do most of our bidding. Verily, we may choose to act, yet me must heed always that our numbers are yet very small for the great task ahead. Know well that ideas are more powerful than acts, for you can impel others to act for their own gain as well as yours.
Godia:
Watcher of the North, what are your thoughts?
Watcher of the North:
In the times that shall come there will always be problems and conflicts. Let us learn to live with them and gain from them. Know well that conflict and crisis produce opportunity. Let us plan to benefit from the problems that shall come, to advance our people both in wealth and in their places in life.
Godia:
Watcher of the East, what are your thoughts?
Watcher of the East:
Since before the dawn of history, it has been the talent of our folk to see problems and conflicts that shall come, and to take counsel that they may circumvent or overcome these trials. The counsel of careful planning is the labor that must be done before the time of any crisis. The plans of our folk must have the width and breadth. They must bend with the winds of circumstance, and work in this world as it is and as it shall be. From this day hence we must be our own Heimdall and Balder. Know ye well that above all else, we must win the conflicts that shall come, for our people.
Godia:
Watcher of the South, what are your thoughts?
Watcher of the South:
The Summer is the time to dream, to think and to plan. We can sense the feelings and emotions of the world around us. With the ending of the season should our | 
