The Disclaimer: First, I do not practice any form of Native American spirituality. My practice is derived from my understanding of ancient northern Eurasian practices. Second, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of any Asatru or Heathen group. I do not identify as Asatru or Heathen. I am a northern-tradition Pagan, which is a religious tradition that is reconstructionist-derived, rather than a reconstructionist religious tradition such as Asatru and/or Heathenry. The views espoused in these pages may or may not reflect the views of most Asatru and/or Heathen people or religious groups. They are derived from the personal gnosis of myself and other people whom I trust and respect. I do not claim that they are provable by academic sources, nor that they are anything other than what I say they are. Read at your own risk.

Before Heading Out

Before I go, I wanted to make this last entry into my journal. Julie showed up this morning - she'll be here for the whole time of my trip, to help Bella with the farm - and she brought a giant armful bouquet of long-stemmed dead roses that she'd dried, in all colors, for me to give as an offering to Mama Hel when I get down to Helheim on my final day.

The hermitage - our little treehouse - is all ready. It's a little cabin suspended between four trees. We finished making the rope bed and moved down the futon, and Tannin donated a large wooden box painted with moons. That's all that will fit in there, along with Maegen's cage and my punched-tin lantern. I will be moving my kit down there soon, and Allyson has come out to give me a ritual sendoff. I'm trimming my beard and I will burn the trimmings in the fire, along with a blood offering. My tattoo still aches, wouldn't you know? Ah well.

We had a panicked moment this morning when we couldn't find my magic hairbrush. Josh enchanted it to be a wand of unbinding, and he used it to brush out my hair last night, and then put it on the dresser. It wasn't there this morning. We tore the bedroom apart, afraid that some malevolent spirit had stolen it, with no luck. Then he thought to look in my crane bag, where it goes, and lo and behold there it was. No one had moved it there, as far as we know. All we can figure is that the magic on the bag makes it pull things back that are removed from it, which is a neat trick. Means that even if someone steals something out of it, as soon as they put it down, it'll just get pulled back. Good bag. I'll have to ask for her name.

So far, Odhinn's stated strongly that he wants to see me, and I have appointments with Frigga (to ask a boon for my wife) and Freyja (to ask a boon for my boyfriend), and Iduna (to drop off a message for a friend) and the Norns. And the folks in the Iron Wood want to see me...family, I guess. And the dwarves are waiting. And the dead, the dead were bothering me last night while I was trying to make love to my wife, and Josh cam in from milking the goats and mentioned that there seemed to be dead people in the barn. All right, all right, I'll be there on the ninth day, I'll see you then!

I'll see you then.....in nine days....

--Raven

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