For the Files: Oneiric Record Keeping

Dreamwork journals for Rite of Oneiric Insight participants.

On May 23 I hosted a second Rite of Oneiric Insight. It seems to me it is important to keep record of these, or something. 

This time I kept the arrangements & ceremonial format the same, but I made the journals myself because I could not find any that suited my sense of aesthetic or purpose. Maybe this was best anyways, because I found the process of creation meditative & revealing. I am finding art & ceremony are inseparable for me.

People resemble cats when it comes to certain kinds of commitments. Inside, outside, inside, outside... ad nauseam. I prefer it when people do not make commitments until they are certain & actually committed. This may be more common with commitments that cause a feeling of ambiguity. I understand a fear of the unknown -- I have it too, plenty -- but do not engage me with it. Instead, rather, come to me when you have surrendered to your decision -- when you have decided you are in it to win it, not when you are still doing the hokey pokey. 

I always disliked that dance.

At the end of two weeks of hokey pokey, one woman (out of four) attended this particular rite. She was in it to win it & in the end of it all, she was the only one who was supposed to be there. We must trust in these things. 

I plan to repeat this rite using this format one more time (why? I don't know, I just know), then I will likely work another meditation, perhaps one more closely tied to manifesting. Perhaps there will be other changes as well. Also as time progresses, I will continue to add to the Dream Shrine which has already evolved significantly. 

Static does not seem to me to be the natural way of things, but rather subtle, sensible evolution should be allowed to occur, organically, spontaneously. There is always room for thoughtful, conscious adjustment. This, among other things is what distinguishes my work from that of a traditionalist. I cannot claim a pedigree or even a pedagogy. I can only claim what is mine.  

Dreamwork journal bindings:
"Alis volat propriis," "She flies with her own wings."

Rite of Oneiric Insight, Part 2: Cartomancy & Visualization

Cards used for divination in Rite of Oneiric Insight
(Gate of Ivory, Back, Gate of Horn, respectively)
Gate designs by artist Amanda Kiefer. 

Notes on a couple important details for "The Rite of Oneiric Insight": 

Cartomancy:

In Duncan Barford's Rite of Morpheus, he employs a divinatory technique which involves blindfolded attendees choosing to walk toward one or another corner of the room & then revealing to them which Oneiric gate the corner signifies. I hesitated to follow this technique for several reasons, one of which was the simple fact that I had set the room up in the form of a large bedspace & it would be a hazard to try to have people stumble about blindfolded in loose bedding. The other primary reason is that I placed a great deal more emphasis on the visualization portion of this rite & I didn't particularly want to rouse people so abruptly after a long guided meditation.

Instead, I created a deck of cards which contains only two faces: Gate of Ivory or Gate of Horn. All the backs are identical, of course & I laminated them for longer wear. I gave each attendee a muslin pouch into which they would later put a clary sage steeped cloth & mugwort herb, but before that, they needed to select one of the two cards I had placed in their pouch. I did not dictate how they should do this, only that they should consider carefully their forthcoming dreams with great focus. Some selected right from the bag, others took them out, shuffled & spread them. The result were quite incredible, but I will save that story for "Rite of Oneiric Insight Part 3: Reflections." 


Visualization:

The verbiage used for the visualization's beginning & ending, that is, the relaxing entry into a meditative state & the gentle reentry in to the waking world was borrowed & adapted from several of Jody Whiteley's sleep hypnosis videos & scripts including, but not limited to:

Sleep Hypnosis Hypnotic Bedtime Story for Self Confidence Self Esteem
Sleep Hypnosis for Lucid Dreaming a Free Hypnosis Script
Morning Meditation by Jody Whiteley
Sleep Hypnosis for Self Confidence (newest version)
Sleeping Under Red Eleven (Google Drive)

The body of the dreamwork visualization, or the "Journey to the House of Sleep," I composed using excerpts from a variety of sources including:

Metamorphoses Book XI:573-649 The House of Sleep (A. S. Kline's Version)
Homer, Odyssey 19. 562 ff (trans. Shewring)
Charles K. Dillaway, Roman Antiquities & Ancient Mythology for Classical Schools (2nd ed)

The Orphic Hymn to the Oneiroi found within the visualization I adapted from "Dream" by Kimberly Nichols as published in "The Sacred Songs of Orpheus IV: Ares to Death," in Newtopia Magazine.

The text of the visualization (journey body only) is below. Please note that I have omitted the meditation entry & reentry out of respect for Jody Whiteley & her work. My adjustments to her compositions was minimal -- only small to adaptions for context & sequencing of events were made.


"Journey to the House of Sleep" 
A Visualization for Rite of Oneiric Insight

(Relaxation/Meditation Entry Omitted)

"...you can see where you are going now is some place darker and more mysterious and you can hear the faint sounds of ocean breezes and see a twilight sky and the starry cloak of mother Nyx closes over the scene above you until you are looking at the canopy of Night’s heavens and you come to rest upon the soft earth amongst a swath of tall grasses and wildflowers… and as you land, the wispy, green undergrowth, rustles and scratches the sides of your bed that bumps softly twice and it lands to tamp down the foliage to one side, maybe its your left side, there is a path roughly carved into this bluffy landscape and a door has opened beside your bed to invite you to take a little stroll down this path which leads away from the ocean, bending up over a rise, out of sight and you are curious about what you might find across this meadow so you get up out of your bed or your chair and take a walk along this path… 

big gap… 

The trail is very slightly sandy and feels soft and warm beneath your feet and it is slightly damp, but the air is dry and comfortably cool, not chilly. You near the top of the rise in the path and as you do, the sounds of the sea become a little bit quieter and you notice that the breezes have begun to ebb, slowly and softly disappearing into stillness. 

You keep walking in the dim light of the starry sky and when you reach the crest of the hill, you are amazed to see the Moon has broken over the horizon to highlight a wide, low valley, bathed in blooming poppies and sleepy herbs, drowsy plants from whose juices dew-dappled Night gathers sleep, and scatters it over the darkened earth… at the center of this blanket of ethereal, luminescent flowers is a hollow mountain with a deeply cut cave… 

As you begin your descent along the path into the valley, you notice that the sounds of the world around you have disappeared…  

And you become aware that you are now approaching the House of Sleep, a place where perpetual stillness reigns, no noise being heard but the soft murmur of a small fork of the river Lethe, which creeps over the loose pebbles, and invites you to slumber… 

Here, in Hypnos’s sanctuary, silence dwells. In this place of complete peace, you will find no guardians…
No waking cockerel summons Aurora with his crowing,
no dog disturbs the silence with its anxious barking,
no geese cackle their sharp alert…
No beasts, or cattle, or branches in the breeze,
no clamour of human tongues.
Only the flow of Lethe’s stream, murmuring and calling you to drowse… 

As you come closer to the cave entrance, clouds mix with fog, and shadows of the half-light are exhaled from the ground, and through the soft haze, perhaps in the corner of your eye, you think you might see two grandly adorned gates, fading in and out of the shadows. And you remember that somewhere, sometime, someone told you about these gates, these gates somewhere beyond the North Wind… the Gate of Horn and the Gate of Ivory, from which Dreams emerge…

And you know, somehow, in some way, that there are no doors in this palace and that beyond the mouth of this open cave, if were you to travel through the mouth of this cave, lies a tall bed made of ebony, a downy nest, spread with a dark-hued coverlet, where the god of Sleep himself reclines, his limbs relaxed in slumber… his head surrounded by fantastic visions… 

But you have not come here to have an audience with the drowsy god, you have come to meet the Oneiroi, the dream spirits who gather round him and lie, here and there in the soft, quiet darkness of his bedchamber… uncertain dreams, taking different forms, as many as the ears of corn at harvest, as the trees bear leaves, or grains of sand are strewn across the shores… 

Standing a few yards from the entrance, you pause for a moment and observe your surroundings… could this place be a dream? And this is when you remember why you came here… Yes, to honor the dream spirits that rest here and depart through the spectral gates to offer their visions while we sleep… You reach into your pocket and find a paper, a paper with a hymn printed upon it… It is Hymn to the Oneiroi, and you take a deep breath, filling your nostrils and your lungs with the heavy scent of Sleep’s landscape, and you begin to recite… 

Swift-winged dreams, Oneiroi,
messengers of the stars,
oracles to the human mind,
in the sweet silence of sleep
you arrive without a sound
speaking to the soul…
Whispering, you rouse the senses,
in our slumber you reveal to us
the will of the Blessed Ones.
Sincere souls that take the honest way
of devotion to the divine,
you silently show
glimpses of distant tomorrows.
Good wins every race
in mortal minds.
Good leads our lives
to anticipated pleasures,
and relieves our suffering
so the spirits can reveal
the mysteries of Their domain.
The sincere always end more sweetly,
but the insincere remain blind,
pensive with fears,
their respite from pain is never revealed.
In all things bring us closer
to the noble path.
Reveal the concealed
signatures of fate.
Let no strange apparitions
show us signs of ill omen.
We call to you, beloved Ones,
show us the will of the gods. 

In the tranquil silence of the Moonlit landscape, you sense a stirring from within the very heart of the mountain. This stirring you sense from within, with your intuition, your second sight, because the cave is too dark, this place too quiet for you to discern the movements with your well-used senses. Fixing your eyes on the mountain’s yawning mouth, you wait… 

And with a sudden, silent rush there emerges a flood of airborne creatures, a surging wind of dark forms on the wing… birds, bats, or angels of the Night sky — how many ways can we know Them? They surge into the fog, and if you look, not with your eyes, you might see them leaving through the gates, a fluttering, torrent fading into the shadows… 

The softest breeze brushes your cheeks and flutters down your body and you know this sensation must be the passing of some of these dream spiritits, making their passage into the the realm we call the unconscious… 

Something tells you it is time to return to the path and begin your departure from this sleepy valley, but before you turn away from the House of Sleep, you look once more at your hymnal page. You notice it has changed. Take a moment to trace that page into your memory so that you may carry it back with you to a place of wakefulness…"

(Closing/Reentry Ommitted)

One final note: The Ceremony Pamphlet with Hymns, Outline & Credits in  printable PDF format is available HERE via Google Drive.

Crafty: Lá Fhéile Bhríde/Imbolc Décor

Yarn & twigs. Stuff to make stuff.

Every so often something happens to me & I make stuff.

This time, it was a request for submissions to our quarterly Pagan community rag up in Alaska. Our fearless leader & editor, the Amazon Druid, asked if we could come up with something clever for the "Family Corner." The result was very clever. I am pretty sure we might have been channeling those clever Nidulariales I wrote about yesterday. This undertaking, which ended up much like an entry at Instructables was so epic, that I am going to post it here if for no other reason than to get a bit more mileage out of it than just the Alaskan newsletter readership. (By the way, if you are interested in receiving a pdf. copy of Roots & Wings via email, contact the editor over at Birch Goddess. You don't have to be Alaskan & I am sure she would be happy to hook you up.)

Before I get to the copy & paste ad nauseam, I must give credit where credit is due. We adapted our design from this Etsy Listing. Alaska is not a place to obtain the traditional materials for this project & the alternatives we found around the internet were, um, tacky. Pipe cleaners? Um, no. So when I came across this gal's design I figured it could be very helpful for Alaskans who won't be finding any straw or rushes out there under the ocean of snow. Of course, if you are not of the mind to make your own, perhaps you would like to purchase one from Nicole, the Etsy shop owner. She is part of Etsy's Team for Animals, "a group of 200 independent artists, independent craftspeople, independent vintage suppliers, and independent art and craft suppliers that combine their efforts to provide charitable relief to animals." Good girl.

Whether you wish to honor Brigid the Saint, or Brighid the goddess (or perhaps you see her as one in the same), this is a very satisfying project. So, without further ado, here is our family's Imbolc Décor "instructable." Please enjoy. (If you make some, feel free to send me some photos, I would love to see your results.)


Making Brigid’s Crosses for Household Protection & Family Fun

St. Brigid of Kildare @ Wiki.

A Brigid's Cross (called Cros Bríde, Crosóg Bríde or Bogha Bríde, in Irish Gaelic) is a traditional Irish symbol associated with Brigid of Kildare, one of the a patron saints of Ireland. Though it is generally regarded as a Christian symbol, it is likely a pagan remnant. Its design is reminiscent of a sunwheel while Saint Brighid is regarded by many as representative of the ancient Celtic goddess Brighid/Brìde (both pronounced “breed”) or, in more modern parlance, Brigid.

Brighid is said to walk the earth on the eve of her feast. Thus, Brigid’s Crosses were traditionally made from rushes or straw which were gathered on January 31st, the eve of St. Brigit’s Day (Lá Fhéile Bhríde). The crosses were then assembled on 1 February (sometimes February 2nd, or 12th by the old calendar), the day of her honor. 

Brighid by celticseaturtle @ DeviantArt. 

The significance of this for modern Pagans is obvious. St. Brigit’s Day/Lá Fhéile Bhríde occurs simultaneously with the pagan festival, Imbolc/Imbolg (“in the belly”), a traditional agrarian celebration of the pregnancy & lactation of ewes, observed by many modern Pagans, most notably Celtic reconstructionists, Druids and Wiccans. It has been speculated that ancient Imbolc celebrations were also associated with the goddess Brighid. Historical uncertainty aside, Imbolc has most decidedly become Brighid’s feast and it is this we honor.

Brigid Crosses are solar symbols: a woven square with four equal radials extending to the four directions. There are many traditions associated with the making and keeping of the crosses. Most people agree that they act as a talisman for the home, bringing protection to the house and its inhabitants. Many feel they are particularly effective against fire & evil. In Ireland, they are usually hung in the kitchen specifically for their fireproofing prowess. Others prefer to hang them above the inside of the front door or near the hearth. In some traditions, Crosses from the previous year are burned and replaced to affirm the saying: “Out with the old, and in with the new.”

Because traditional materials are unavailable in Alaska during the Imbolc season, we will be working with twigs. We have selected apple twigs since Brigid (allegedly, see interesting debate/discussion here) possessed an apple orchard in the Otherworld, but Birch, Rowan, Alder or other native Alaskan woods will also work nicely. Make sure to trim terminal twigs if possible: they look better and are more pliable. Each cross will require 12 relatively straight cuttings, approximately 4 to 7 inches long. Collect more than you think you will need in case of breakage. Make sure to keep your garden snips handy after you have collected the twigs. They will be needed for trimming at the end of the project.

You will also need scissors & yarn, sisal, raffia, embroidery floss or hemp of your choice to bind the twigs. A needle is very helpful, but not necessary.

• Assemble your best twigs into four bundles of three & wrap one end with yarn. You can use one color, or many. You might want to use the colors of the Celtic quarters; black, red, yellow, grey, or the colors of the directions according to Ceremonial/Wiccan traditions; green, yellow, red, blue. 

• Lay out your bundles in the order you will want for the finished design. Cut a very generous length of yarn, twice as long as you think you will need. Fold it in half. If you are using a thick yarn, or multiple colors/strands, you will need extra length. Have your needle nearby if you will be using one. 

• Take up your first two radials: left vertical and lower horizontal, holding them at right angles with the bottom/horizontal radial overlapping the left/vertical. Pick up your yarn holding the radials with one hand and lace the loop end of your yarn around the center twig near the free end of the horizontal radial bundle. Bring the two ends of the yarn through the loop to create a kind of slipknot. Tighten it down on the center twig and pull the loose strings to the back:

• If you are using a needle, thread it with your loose ends now.  Begin lacing the yarn through the three twigs in the pattern shown below. We have learned from experience that it is more important to make sure your lacing is tight and symmetrical than in what order you sew the sections. Find the sequence that works best for you and for the material you are using:

• Add the next radial using the method above, insuring that you create right angles. Check the images to be sure you have it layered properly: each successive radial should overlap the previous. As you move along, you may need to adjust your radial alignment to make sure that your cross will be symmetrical. To do this, simply measure the distance from the angle to the end of the radial. Remember, you will be trimming the unbound ends of the twigs at the end, so make your adjustments by assessing the symmetry of the bound ends. Also, be sure to keep your stitches tight and even, especially as you move from one section to the next.

 

• Repeat the process with the last radial, measuring for symmetry and making adjustments. The unbound end of the last radial will need to be place under and at right angles to the left vertical radial. 

• The last set of stitches should be pulled tight and ended with a knot on the backside. If you have extra yarn length afterwards, you can trim it, or you may choose to use it to hang your Brigid’s Cross.

• Finally, square your angles, make any final adjustments to your radial alignment and symmetry trim the excess off the unbound ends to complete your Brigid’s Cross. Remember, once the radials are trimmed it will be difficult to make any more adjustments.

Final Notes:

The backside will not be perfect and does not need to be. As long as there are no dangling strings or bulging tangles, your cross is fine. 

Little hands will need some extra help.

Children can participate in most of this project with proper supervision and a little assistance. Take them on a hike and talk to them about the tress you find. You may want to take this time to talk about Imbolc or the Feast of St. Brigid, what it means to you and how you will celebrate it. When you get home, let them select their own twigs, perhaps even making a counting game out of it. Let them make their own color choices and have them wrap their bundles themselves. If they do not yet know how to tie a knot, this is a great opportunity to learn and practice! Depending on your child and your comfort level, you may want to help them do some of the sewing. Your hands will be of great help to them if they are smaller. The final product is a great prize and will give them a great sense of achievement. You can honor them by using their cross as your house protection talisman, or you might suggest that they deliver it to a friend or family member on Imbolc. This project was a wonderful way for us to spend time together as a family. We hope you will enjoy and share it with your loved ones too!

Crafty! Brigid's Crosses. A joyful creation.

Crafty: Repurposed Samhain/Halloween Shakers

About as Martha Stewart as I'll ever get: 

Empty Gerber baby food containers + organic unsalted sunflower seeds (in the shell) + kitchen twine = Samhain (or Halloween) Rattles for the kiddos. 

Afterwards, have a treat, feed the birds, or make an offering.

Twenty shakers all ready for Saturday's child-centered event.