Tarot Blog Hop: Winter Finding

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Welcome to the Autumn Equinox Tarot Blog Hop, hosted by Jay Cassels and Arwen Lynch Poe. The topic this season is "Foodie's Guide to the Tarot" (though for all intents and purposes posts may feature any oracle or divination tool!). 

The Equinox is celebrated around the world, and goes by an array of names according to tradition, culture, or region. Among the practitioners of the Northern Tradition, some refer to this equinox as Winter Finding, a harvest time where special attention is paid to the Vanir gods and goddesses of abundance and fertility, such as Freyja, Freyr, Njörd, and Nerthus. 

Das Germanische Götterorakel - Voenix

Njörd is a god associated with wealth. He is also principally tied to the sea, and humankind's relationship with it: the winds, waves, the catch. Thus Njörd is connected to mariners, fishermen - any and all those whose living depends in some way upon the ocean.

The card featured here is from the Das Germanische Götterorakel (The Germanic Gods Oracle) by Voenix and Thomas Vömel. It is an 81-card oracle deck which represents the major deities, heroes, giants/jötunn, and overarching concepts in the Norse Eddas and Sagas. Here we see Njörd sitting on a coastline draped in seaweed, surrounded by gulls. An open chest of gold lies to his side, and a longship can be seen in the background. A keyword, "Reichtum," is listed on the card, which means "wealth."

I've often imagined some of my ancient North Frisian and Danish forebears - sea people, island folk - holding a special regard for this Norse deity. My great-grandfather left the island of Amrum as a young boy, and came to New York City with his family. Here they are, in the traditional dress of Amrum and Sylt (my great-grandfather is the boy at the lower left). 

In the United States he met and married my great-grandmother, Emilie Hansen, from Ribe, Denmark. Ribe is the oldest town in Denmark, and one of the oldest towns in all of Scandinavia. It is located in southwest Jutland and borders the North Sea, not more than 100 kilometers from Amrum. 

Gerret and Emilie's son, also named Gerret, was my grandfather, and of his three children, one of them - my aunt Lillian - dedicated her life to the U.S. Coast Guard, and for many years (until it sunk in harbor not too long ago) owned a boat she named "Norddorf," after Norddorf, Amrum.  I have fond memories of family celebrations aboard that vessel. The "sea gene" continued to breathe life into the following generations. 

My Grandfather, Gerret

One of my earliest memories of my grandfather (who died of a heart attack while mowing the grass when I was barely two years old) is of sitting next to him at a cafe counter and ordering New England clam chowder. I was so young when he died that I can't be absolutely certain that this occurred, but I've had the memory since I can recall, and the recollection of my grandfather's clothing - a white t-shirt, blue jeans, a red baseball cap - has always been vivid. 

Clam chowder is a fitting maritime meal, it's perfect for the cooling months of coming autumn, and it connects well with honoring Njörd at the Winter Finding, so I'll offer it here. 

I am decidedly not the recipe sort so I'll do what I can to give accurate quantities...

New England Clam Chowder

• 4 large potatoes
• 1 onion or leek
• A 15 oz. can of corn (you can use fresh corn, or frozen, as well)
• Water (enough for boiling the potatoes)
• 1-2 cups of milk (whole milk is great, but you can also use a smaller amount of heavy cream)
• 1 small can of clams (go for fresh if you like!)
• A slice or two of bacon (optional, but worth it)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Butter and/or olive oil

Peel and chop the potatoes and place them in a large stove pot. Pour in just enough water to cover the potatoes completely, add a bit of salt, and let them boil. In the meantime, sautee the chopped onion or leek in butter or olive oil. If you like bacon, you can throw some in to add to the depth of flavor, just chop or crumble after it is cooked. Add the onion and oil/butter (and bacon, if you like) to the potato water. (Do not drain the potatoes - you'll use that water as the base for the broth.) Add the corn when the potatoes are close to done, and let simmer. Then add the clams and their juices. Finally, when the potatoes are soft, turn the heat down so that the liquid is no longer simmering (very low setting), and then add the milk or cream. Cream is finicky about being boiled, so keep that in mind. Milk is a bit sturdier. Mix it in and let it heat through. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as desired. Eat it up!

Now, as I said before, this is my attempt at quantifying a recipe that I usually just "eyeball." If you choose to go for it, don't be afraid to add more or less of any of these ingredients! And if you need precision, there are a lot of nice-looking recipes online that will do the trick (here is one). 

Njörd altar space

Enjoy the Equinox! Happy Mabon, and a Blessed Winter Finding to you all! 

Please use the links at the top or bottom of this post to navigate to the other wonderful blogs in this circle.

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Gefion Takes Me For a Spin

A few days ago the "spirit guide challenge" on Instagram featured the following prompt: "How do my personal relationships detract from my current development?" I was curious as to how this reading exercise would unfold as I don't have any "bad" relationships, so to speak, and I tend to find even the personal challenges and conflicts to be good learning experiences.

First I drew Gefion from Das Germanische Götterorakel, and I did indeed have one of those WTF moments; I ended up drawing Hel (Death) from the Giants Tarot as a secondary pull.

But knowing that Gefion held some important element that would simply take more digging and sitting and thinking, I did just that.

I love Gefion, but she has so much positive energy I was having a hard time placing it with the prompt. Gefion is said to have provided so much merriment to the court of the Swedish King Gylfi that he repaid her by allowing her to keep as much land as she could plow around in a single day. She brought in her four Giant sons, turned them into bulls, and they helped her plow a massive swath of land that she then brought over to Denmark (it is said to be the island of Zealand (Sjaelland).

Two of Gefion's more salient characteristics are that she has formidable work ethic, and she knows how to have a good time with a mug of mead and group of people. I see a lot of myself in Gefion - she is independent, she knows how to take care of business, she cares a lot for the well-being of women. She is quite a force. But what she is that I am not is particularly sociable. I tend to be private and contained - friendly, laid back, communicative when it matters - but not sociable.

The other day I was sitting in a directors meeting and was feeling rather chipper so I thought I'd share some good developments with my colleagues. I prefaced it by saying, "I know I'm quiet and you probably can't tell how I ever feel so I'm going to make it clear - I am super happy!" And they all laughed uproariously! It was a humorous moment, but definitely confirmed my suspicion that I'm a bit hard to get to know. Incidentally next week there is a "happy hour" get together for the women in leadership. I'd been hemming and hawing about attending because those events definitely push me outside of my comfort zone. But Gefion seemed to be saying that that is precisely what I should do - that work is important, but the social ties do matter. As I had that thought we were driving down the highway and I looked up and right at a sign that said "111" (a series that has been following me around quite a bit lately). That felt like a little pat on the head ("Yes, you got it!"). In that light, Hel's appearance made complete sense: I have to release in order to become. I'm glad I let Gefion say her piece!

Mimir's Well and the 8 of Earth

As I've previously mentioned, I'm participating in an Instagram challenge for the month of June which focuses on connecting to spirit guides. A card I've pulled several times in relation to my guide's strength, the purpose of my guide's presence in my life, and what I'm developing at this time, has been the 8 of Pentacles. In fact I've pulled it three times from three different decks! The prompt for today asked about the way(s) in which my guide is helping my spiritual evolution. From a new oracle deck - Das Germanische Götterorakel - I pulled Mimir's Well, and as I was shuffling Aar (representing the nameless Eagle who lives atop the World Tree) came flying out at me, so I considered it as well.

At first glance I wasn't sure if Aar was the Giant (in Eagle form) that creates the winds of the worlds, or if it was that which lives in Yggdrasil's branches, but I was able to clarify that using the "little white book" and Google Translate (this deck is in German-only, and while I did study German for a couple of years long ago, I certainly don't have enough to navigate all of the text in the booklet!).

"Weitsicht" means "farsightedness" which was my first clue. And it felt meaningful in light of the prompt. This eagle was only briefly attested in the lore, and never received a proper name (that we know of), but it is said to hold a great quantity of knowledge. Being a bird that lives in the World Tree's highest branches, it makes sense then that the bird's keen eyesight and lofty vantage point would provide insight and enhanced perspective (as well as close kinship to the cosmos and divine center of the universe).

I was moved when I turned over the card to see Mimir's Well, showing Odin drinking from the water after having sacrificed one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom. I love how his eye peers out of the well's water, both calm and alert, surrounded by the reflection of the stars. I heard a video once, not too long ago, by Maria Kvilhaug (her YouTube channel is Lady of the Labyrinth), where she discussed Odin in depth. While Odin is a wanderer, an ever-thirsty seeker of knowledge and understanding (often considered male traits) Maria discusses the eye in Mimir's Well as his calm, cool, feminine aspect - that part that receives wisdom and connects to the universal knowledge and intelligence of the cosmos; two equal sides of the same coin.

My brief write-up for the Instagram challenge was this:

Wisdom and farsightedness. Odin sacrificed an eye for a drink from Mimir's Well of wisdom, located under one of Yggdrasil's roots. The great Eagle perches in the highest branches of Yggdrasil, and thus knows much of what transpires throughout the worlds below. What wisdom do my sacrifices offer me? How does perspective help me to be more accepting and open minded, and to see the bigger picture?

As I was navigating Instagram's sea of "tags" I discovered something that I had posted from the Shadow Work October challenge last year: when asked about our deepest potential I had pulled the 8 of Earth (Chango from the New Orleans Voodoo Tarot) and Terra (from the Earthbound Oracle).

About this duo I had written:

"I think it's really interesting how both cards connect: 8 of Earth is the Sun in the first decan of Virgo, and Terra shows the sun rising over a bountiful land. The 8 of Earth is strength and patience, dedication and skill, success through learning and the application of hard work. In this case it is also Chango, King, wielder of lightning and passion, a great diviner in his own right. All along this challenge the tale has been that I must learn to own my inner fire, to brandish it, to free my full potential and embrace my personal power. Chango is a great teacher for that. Terra mirrors the rootedness in earth that forms the foundation of how I interact with the world (Capricorn sun and ascendant) and the place I feel most "me": in the forests and mountains, in the rivers, and among the wildlife. The sun rises, showing that my greatest potential lies in harnessing the strength of my earth connection, but also in awakening my own fire, my Aries moon energy.

I love how the river water tumbles forth and down toward even more fertile land, suggesting layers of reality all joining and interacting; the 9 worlds and three levels of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. The water at the very foundation of the card image  might be Mimisbrunnr, the well of sacred wisdom and knowledge where Odin sacrificed his eye in exchange for a taste."

Here again I had the 8 of Earth and Mimir's Well in connection to each other and my own personal development and potential, a consistent theme over the past nine months (hm, 9!).

There is a lot for me to ponder here. I sense some journaling in my future ;-)