|
Gimli
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 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.)
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 available beneath or beside the altar. Place fresh bread and hot fish sticks in a warmer on the altar shortly before beginning. You may want to have copies of the rite for the participants.
Light the ritual area only with fire. Have candles or torches on or beside the altar, to be lit during the ceremony. Place one at each Quarter and before each rune banner. Before beginning, light a small taper on the altar in order to light the other candles or torches and to aid reading. When using altar candles, the one on the left should be yellow and the one on the right, orange.
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." Alternatively, continuously play "Summer," from Walter Carlos' "Sonic Seasonings." Some may prefer other music, recordings of wolf calls, even storm or other nature sounds. If available, a bull's horn or other appropriate musical instrument should signal the start of the rite.
In addition to the Godi (Priest), it is best that a Godia (Priestess) lead 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, assemble the folk. (If there is room, the Godi and Godia may lead a Procession of Honor, ending before the altar.) The Godi lights the candles or torches beside the altar.
Opening the Rite
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, Chief 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 of the shining Lands of the Gods, we call on Thee, O Freya the Fair One! Be with us here in this rite! Hail Freya!
All:
Hail Freya!
Godi (or other) lights the candle or torch in front of 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!
Purification for Gimli
Godi takes the jug of mead and holds it for the Godia. She 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. Place your blessing within, so that we may draw upon your wisdom, and gain victory in all that we do. Hail Odin!
All:
Hail Odin!
Godia puts down the dagger, takes and opens the jug and half fills the Blot-Bowl. She takes the bowl and dips the aspergillis or a bundle of leaves into the mead, and briefly sprinkles each of the worshipers, saying:
You are blessed in the Name of Odin.
When all have been blessed, the Godi takes the bowl and leaves and similarly blesses the Godia. 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!
The Dedication Rite of Gimli
Sound the bull's horn (or other appropriate musical instrument).
Godia:
At this time and in this rite, do we gather to forge the bonds of the new Gimli—the bonds of understanding and trust that shall carry Odin's folk into the new day that shall come!
Godi:
In these trouble days, during this time of gradual Ragnarok, we wise ones of Odin's folk must build our living places. The ancients looked to a fortified building that would house all their kin—a castle, a fortress, or a great hall. In this day we do know that times have changed, and that such worldly keeps are no longer refuges from troubles. Indeed, troubles now come to such places.
The world now about us does not condone such a gathering of like thinking people. Thus it is that our palace, Gimli, we must fashion as a fortress of personal nobility, of personal bonds, of honor, of moral strength and attitudes that will protect our people. Our Gimli will be invisible, yet stronger than iron, constructed within the interstices of this world's society.
Know Ye well well that this world is a place of ravening chaos, without ethical codes or social ties. It has not the vertical structure of logical ethics, or the horizontal structure of people who think alike and have hearts alike. Odin's folk must have these ties!
Godia:
Gimli is a setting of the mind that recognizes that Odin's people must labor together, cooperate and combine their efforts that they may survive. We should not be especially conspicuous in any respect to those in modern society. With ways that are quiet and peaceful we and our families shall grow in numbers, wealth and happiness.
Godia:
Watcher of the East, give us your thoughts!
Watcher of the East:
Constant turmoil appears to be in the future of this land and others. The leaders of this era see no paths out from the decline of today's society. Indeed, the ideas that shall bring yet more problems are put forth as solutions? In today's world the rot is presented as the medicine, and weak blood is to be cured by bleeding. This is the greatest of folly!
Let us also recognize that whatever the followers of Odin shall do will not be affect the modern society in any way. The greatest efforts cannot change a world that is so unutterably wrong. The dream world of a future utopia is so ingrained in this world that even if all collapsed, the people and the leaders would not change except to another utopia? Yet another place that cannot exist!
Godia:
Watcher of the South, give us your thoughts!
Watcher of the South:
Let us understand the methods of the modern society and know its final fate. Let us also be able to use the methods and the final fate of modern society to better our lot and increase our wealth. We cannot change the course of a mad world, but we can use its problems to our advantage.
Godia:
Watcher of the West, give us your thoughts!
Watcher of the West:
Those who follow the way of Odin can perceive the destructiveness and the uselessness of the laws of today's society. In spite of all, Ye should do your best to obey these laws without injuring yourself, for some structure is needed that we might live. Yet even so, let us not cause any further breakdown of the little that is left. Good intentions do not necessarily produce good results, but bad intentions usually produce more problems than anyone needs!
Godia:
Watcher of the North, give us your thoughts!
Watcher of the North:
Gimli is the name of our Odinist alliance. It is the social palace that will bond us together in a living group. Our people will have a Honir, a Vali, a Vidar, a Modi and a Magni as the gradual Ragnarok continues. They will not live in a physical palace of splendor, but in the memory of our people. Other heroes will come in time of need!
Godia:
Watcher of the East, have you more to say?
Watcher of the East:
Let us build our Gimli with folk that are savers, workers, defenders, creators and initiators. Our folk must have positive thoughts of accomplishment that will bring their ideas into reality, and folk who will cooperate in honest endeavors. We must leave out the destroyers and those who bear hatred within them, for ours is a positive mission that can compete and be victorious. And remember always: hate always destroys itself.
Godia:
Watcher of the South, have you more to say?
Watcher of the South:
The people of Gimli must be able to work together and to be prosperous through their honesty and understanding. We must have a store of intellectual ability that can show results. We must have active thinkers, those who cause events to happen, and those who build and create.
Godia:
Watcher of the West, have you more to say?
Watcher of the West:
Those who recently advocate the modern society believe that they are pious and holy. They have a dream that has never happened in all the millions of years that have been, for man does not fit their strange egalitarian dream. Know well that each person is different from all others? And thus equal to any other person!
Godia:
Watcher of the North, have you more to say?
Watcher of the North:
Folk join with other folk who have similar feelings and thoughts of building their social structure for protection, mating and care of their young. The thoughts and emotions of the groups determine the boundaries of the societies. Societies inbreed, after many generations those that think alike tend to look alike in many respects. They are the survivors and the perpetuators. Know well that people therefor will associate looking alike with the ability to socially cooperate.
Godia:
Watcher of the East, tell your thoughts.
Watcher of the East:
May each of us try to emulate one of the surviving gods in building our Gimli. We must have the personal trust and rapport to build the lasting social structure. That is necessary for our survival.
Godi:
Watcher of the North what do you think?
Watcher of the North:
Each of us should choose a God to emulate. I choose Honir as my guide. Odin's son is strong, steady and brave. He had the enduring courage to ride into Helheim. Hail Honir!
All:
Hail Honir!
Godia:
Watcher of the East, who do you choose?
Watcher of the East:
I choose Vali, for he knew his purpose, and met the challenge of life and of death. Hail Vali!
All:
Hail Vali!
Godia:
Watcher of the South, who do you choose?
Watcher of the South:
I choose Vidar, for he honored his father Odin by tearing the jaws of Fenris the Wolf. Hail Vidar!
All:
Hail Vidar!
Godia:
Watcher of the West, who do you choose?
Watcher of the West:
I choose Magni and his brother Modi, for they are of great strength and determination. They are caretakers of the hammer Mjollnir. Hail Magni! Hail Modi!
The Odinist Tradition
Evan McCallum's Odinist Wheel of the Year continues this issue with Gimli and the Loaf Festival (Lammas). On July 10th, Gimli is a rite that renews our commitment to each other and the planet. The Loaf Festival on August 1st is the Odinist's Lammas, a celebration of the first harvest.
Remember that, at this dawning of this New Age, "folk," "culture," "peoples," etc. are what we make them. For instance, many of us find our "family by choice" to be closer than our family by birth. In the New Age, a "folk" is a group with a homogeneity of spirit, rather than of DNA. The "One Planet, One People" bumper stickers do not call for genocide. Similarly, "Folk" asks us to recognize our unity as a species and a planet and to manifest it as a unity of will to create the best world we can.
—S.R. | 
