The Festival of Duir

Oak Tree Month

Color: Black
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a black cloth place the vase of oak branches, a hammer, a metal lightning bolt, a sun symbol with the rune Sigil upon it, and a Green Man with an oak-leaf face.
Offerings: Give thanks for personal victories.
Daily Meal: Serve salad with each meal, arranged in the circular pattern of the Green Man.

Duir Invocation

Call: Now is the time of the Sun's height.
Response: Now is the time when the leaves reach to the heavens.
Call: Now is the time when the Oak King spread his arms.
Response: Now is the time when we reach with him for the Sun.
Call: Now is the time when we return to the ancient grove of the Druids.
Response: Now is the time when we witness the Sun's sacrifice.
Call: Now is the time when we go forth in glory.
Response: Now is the time of the turning of the year.
Call: Hail to the wren, soul of the Oak King!
Response: Hail to the sky, crown of the Oak King!
Call: Hail to the Earth, bed of the Oak King!
Response: Hail to the Sun, lover of the Oak King!
Call: Hail to the guardians of the door!
Response: May they guard us well, O oaken beams!
Call: We have no need to guard ourselves....
Response: For the Gods will guard us.
Call: We have no need to hide behind bolted doors....
Response: For now is the time to be open to the Sun!
Call: Like the Green Man, we speak through the oak!
Response: Like the Green Man, our voice is the strength of the earth!
Call: Like the Oak King, we do not fear the lightning!
Response: Like the Oak King, we will accept all repercussions!
Call: We have no shame for our actions....
Response: For all that we do, we do from a place of worthiness.
Call: For all that we do, we do from a place of honor.
Response: For all that we do, we do from a place of love.

Chant:
By my body I be earth
By my spirit I be fire
Call the lightning to my heart
Bring my soul what I desire

Invocation to Nerthus and Wuldorfader

Great Mother Earth beneath our feet
Who gives forth all our sustenance,
Who feeds us from your breast,
Never let us forget
How much we owe
Your eternal fertility.
Father of Glory above us,
You who send the rain
To grow your bride's crops
High enough to touch your hand,
May you be generous to us this year.
Earth and Rain, we beg you
To move in a joyful dance together
And never spend too long apart.

Invocation to Hela

Hail to Hel
Queen of Helheim
Wisest of Wights
Keeper of Secrets
Keeper of the hopes for tomorrow
Guardian of Souls
Implacable one of the frozen realm
Half the face of beauty
Half the face of Death.
You who feed the dead
At your meager table
Where everyone gets their fair share,
You who care not
About wealth or status,
About fame or fortune,
Who cares for the peasant
Equally with the ruler,
Teach us that Death is the great leveller
And that we need have no pride
When we reach your halls.
Lady who takes away
Yet holds always promise,
Teach us to praise loss and death
And the passing of all things,
For from this flux
We know your blessings flow.

Invocation to Loki

Color: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon a red cloth place three red candles, a stone with the rune Os carved into it, the figure of a mare, the figure of a bird, two small round stones, and a chain.
Offerings: Examine yourself for how you manipulate others, even for their own good, or with truthful means. Be ruthless with yourself.
Daily Meal: Hot, spicy food.

Laufey's Son,
Trickster of the far north,
Delicate spawn of giants,
Wheedler and coaxer with the secret agenda,
Liar who speaks the truth others will not hear,
We call you, two-faced one whose soul burns bright,
And invite you to be critical of our souls.
You love to make us break our vows,
When those vows are made heedlessly.
You love to catch us in our own hypocrisies
And puncture our bubbles of pride.
Nothing is safe from you, no emotion
Is sacrosanct from your prodding.
What do we really think, you ask?
What are we not saying? You know,
And your shifty eyes catch ours,
Your crafty smile slips across your face,
And we blush in shame, knowing
That you have read our foolish fumblings
With the truth. For the truth is a flame that burns,
You tell us. Do not pretend to eat fire
If you are not willing to suffer the consequences,
Which is to be cast out by others.
Only when we are clear-eyed and humble
Will your gaze toward us be free of slyness.
Loki, Spirit of Truth and Lies,
Burn us with the measure of our own words.

Invocation to Thor

Hail, Thor, Lord of the Hammer!
Lord of the Storm, rumbling chariot
That tears across the sky,
Lord who speaks plainly
And has no time for intrigue
And subtle ploys,
Protector of the common man,
Warrior beloved by farmers,
Help us to untwist our tongues
And speak the fiery truth
Hurled blazing like a hammer-bolt
Across the open sky!

Invocation to Odhinn All-Father

Hail Odhinn, Lord of Asgard,
Warrior and wanderer, valiant and wise,
You to whom all the gods of Asgard look,
Sky Father on the eight-legged steed,
You who traded an eye for wisdom
And ruled a turbulent realm,
Give us the wisdom to accept
The twists and turns of Fate
Even as you surrendered yourself
To the mercies of the Norns.
Protect us, All-Father,
From what harm may come to us.
Lead us through the wilderness
And bring us safely to that great hall
That you reserve only for the brave of spirit.

Invocation to Frigga

We call you, Frigga, from your misty halls at Fensalir,
All-knowing Queen, norn-wise,
Odhinn's loved companion, splendid queen of tribes,
Blessed in triumph, binding folk together.
Lover of your people, lady bright-minded,
Bridler of kin-strife, bourne of kin-mindfulness.
Protector and peaceweaver, friendly goddess:
Your blessings give to us, to babies and brave ones,
Great-hearted queen, holding secret counsel
With god-loving soothsayers; to the wise-minded
Giving rede and wisdom, discretion and prudence.
Key-keeper mighty, in your starry cape,
You know there is no tongue in which to tell
Of all that is and that shall be;
To sort the spinning strands of possibility
Into a span of words,
Yet with your spindle and your well-strung loom
You weave the airy clouds
And send the winds to shape them,
Writing your wordless wisdom-runes
In the ever-changing valleys of the sky.
(Adapted from Winifred Hodge)

Chant:
Cloth of honor from the thread of truth
Weave your heart into all you offer

Invocation to Frey and Freya

Holy sister and brother,
Lady and Lord of the Vanir,
Golden of hair as the fields of wheat
Who bring riches of heart and hearth
To noble and common folk alike
You are the security wealth can buy
And the happiness it cannot.
Lord Frey, Corn God
Warrior without a weapon
Who gave his sword for love,
You who make the grain spring forth,
Show us faith in every harvest.
Bless the bonds of those whose love
Binds them to land, to hearth,
To commitment of permanence,
O God whose wedding was cursed and blessed.
Lady Freya, warrior woman,
Chooser of the slain warriors,
Teacher of magic and mysteries,
Mistress of Seidhr and mother of jewels,
Love Goddess and Lady of Springtime,
Flowers scattered in your footsteps,
Unashamed of love and pleasure,
Help us to remember
That there are many kinds of wealth.
Bless us, Frey and Freya,
Most precious gems of Vanaheim,
With the gold of next year's grain and sun.

Invocation to Frey

Hail Frey, Lord of the fields!
Lord of the Vanir,
Golden of hair as the fields of wheat,
Bringing riches of heart and hearth
To noble and common folk alike,
We hail you with the corn that springs forth
And falls again to nourish us.
We hail you, mighty boar in flight,
Lord of the phallus that gives life,
Lord of Love that is bound to land,
Love that is bound with commitment,
Love that does not come easily,
As one must toil for the harvest.
Teach us that love is worth working for,
And that work is worth loving,
And that neither lives long without the other.
Lord Frey, Corn God,
Husband of Gerda the etin-bride,
You who can warm the cold heart,
Warrior without a weapon
Who gave your sword for love,
You who make the grain spring forth,
Show us faith in every springtime.

Invocation to Forseti

The Norse god of justice, fairness, arbitration, and reconciliation, Forseti, whose name means "presiding one," stills all strife; in other words, he's the ultimate peacemaker. He's an arbitrator in Heaven, listening to both points of view in arguments, and creating win-win solutions. He resolves differences with love so that everyone involved in the original dispute is persuaded to reconcile.

He is the son of Balder & Nanna. He is the perfect companion for those who want to learn how to put themselves into a meditative state of mind or trance-like states. He helps you to get into a calm, relaxed state of mind that leads to meditation and can help you in your meditation skills. He is also a good companion for those looking for justice & retribution.

Associations

Weekday: Friday
Planet: Mars
Month: January
Gemstone: Garnet
Color: Black
Foliage: Pine
Animal: Hedgehog
Scent: Olive
Herb: Buckeye

Associations can be used to create a closer connection with the entity. By recognizing their associations with the Earth and Universe you can use any combination of these tools to create treats, rituals, and bonding exercises between you.

You can purchase candles, incense, cones, oils, sprays, etc scented with the Scent, Herb, or Foliage they are associated with. You can purchase statuary, paintings, prints, textiles, etc with the Color, Animal, or Foliage they are associated with and keep them in your home where the entity will see them.

To boost their presence and give them a natural feeding of Earthen core energy you can buy raw, polished or cut specimens of the Gemstone they are associated with. Place the gemstones where you keep their vessel or wear the jewelry with the gemstones when you wear the vessel.

To have peak results it is best to meditate, perform rituals, invocations or spells for the entity on the Weekday they are associated with. The Month they are associated with is a block of time to celebrate and show your appreciation for your entity!

Methods of Connecting:

Time spent closely with the spirit the first 30 days of coming to the Keeper's home.

Treats are silver, onyx, copper

Characteristics:

Highly mystic energy, ancient energy, powerful energy
Can manifest as orbs, streaks light, Shades, dreams, day and/or night visions.

Helps with:

• Arguments, resolving
• Fairness
• Legal matters, resolving
• Peace
• Protection—especially legal in nature
• Truth issues

INVOCATION

Hail, Forseti, Lord of Justice,
Hand of Fairness of the Aesir.
Son of Baldur the Bright, Fallen Sun
And his faithful Nanna who followed him into death,
You stand quiet but strong on the fringes
Of the light and noise of your people.
You who are a warrior
And understand the nature of warriors,
Yet who steps between the warring parties
And finds the threads that lead to compromise.
You teach us that compromise need not be a betrayal,
But can indeed be a triumph.
You who father was slain,
Creating great rifts between the hearts of many,
Yet who demanded not vengeance or weregild
No matter how many voices cried for war,
Yet instead set yourself on a path of peace,
Until your words were seen as so just
That the Gods themselves would lay their grievances
Before you. Hail, Lord of the Great Axe
Who is not afraid to use the warrior's skill
To wage peace, and also to enforce it.
Teach us to see those with whom we quarrel
As honorable opponents worthy of our respect.
Teach us that a fair compromise,
Or better yet, a breakthrough in understanding,
Is a far better victory than one wrought of anger and blood.

Invocation to Fenris

(First speaker:) 
The Hag of the Iron Wood had three children,
And the daughter was Death,
The son was Destruction,
And the third encircled the World.

(Second speaker:) 
I call you, Great Wolf,
But not to waking.
Sleep sound in your chains,
Sleep gently in your torment,
I would not recall you
To knowledge of your pain.
I call you in your dreams,
I call you in my dreams,
May we run together
In a world golden and fiery
Where a hundred suns
Blaze together in the sky
Like berries ripe for picking
Like rabbits to be chased.
May my wild self run with you there
And learn some measure of freedom.

(Third speaker:) 
We all wear chains of our own binding,
Lest we do harm to others,
And within each of us stirs that which hates them
And desires all freedom.
Speak of him, that he may know you love him also,
Even though he must be chained!

(All speak in turn of their inner beast, and why he is worthy of love, even though he must be chained. Pour the blood out as a libation.)

Invocation to Baldur

Long, long ago, Baldur was the favored of the gods.
Of all the Aesir the most beautiful, golden and fine
As the Sun, and everywhere that he went, he shone.
All loved him on sight,
And all agreed that Baldur was to be the next King.
In his home, nothing impure was allowed,
That it might not dim his glory.
Yet it was Loki plotted his downfall,
Tricked a blind man into killing him,
And it was Hel who took him in,
Took his soul to her breast.
And so it was that all of Asgard wept
And there was sorrow flowing everywhere,
For Baldur the bright had been taken from the living
And hidden away in the twilit world.
So it was that Hermod the brave rode to Helheim
And asked for Baldur's return, but Hel would not
Be moved unless every living thing wept for him.
So it was that Frigga his mother went to every living thing
And begged them to weep for her lost son, and all wept
Save one old woman in a cave who said, "Let Hel keep her own."
And we would think this story only a tragedy,
Was it not know that at the end of days,
When the Aesir would fall, if Baldur the bright
Were present, he too would be sought out and slain.
There was only one safe place in the Nine Worlds
For the King of the Next World to wait for his throne,
And that was Helheim. Think on that mystery as he sleeps in peace.

Invocation to Angrboda

Hail, Hag of the Iron Wood!
From thy womb came
The Lady of Death,
Dark mistress of the shades;
The wolf of destruction,
The serpent all-encompassing.
Strong one who stands alone,
Who defends her children
No matter how ugly they might be,
Who defends her spouse
Even when all others revile him,
Who would die for her loved ones
Even when they are imperfect.
Your children exiled or imprisoned,
Yet the tide of death and destruction
Was not slowed an inch.
Hail, Lady whose heart
Was burned to ash by those
Who would not look upon ugliness
Lest they see in it a dark mirror
Of their own bright souls.

Chant: Angrboda Angrboda
Hag of the Iron Wood

Invocation to Aegir, Ran, and the Nine Sisters

Lord and Lady of the Depths,
Keepers of the great flocks and herds
That float by the millions
Through glass-green waves,
Lady Ran of the ten-times-fingering weed,
Your hair spread throughout the worlds,
Lord Aegir of the great currents
And the waves that keep the ship afloat,
Generous in your bounty,
Capricious in your favor,
Brewer of ale for gods and lost souls,
Keep us safe as we pass over your realm
In life, in dreams, and in mystery.
Nine Sisters of the Waves, Sacred Undines,
Daughters of Aegir and Ran, fish-tailed,
Blood on your hands and beauty in your song,
We hail you from the shores, the depths, the heights of sea-cliffs.
Kolga the Cold One, Ice-Maiden of the floes and castles.
Duva the Hidden One, Keeper of island treasures.
Blodughadda, Blood-Haired One, shark's delight.
Hronn, Sucking Whirlpool, Eel-daughter and Mistress of Fear.
Hevring, Heaving Storm, Mourning's Mistress.
Bara, Great Wave of the Whale, battering the land's stalwart stand.
Bylgja, Breaker's Dancer, Rider of the Wave-Horse.
Unn, Billowing Tides, Maiden of the Counting Moon's Rhythm.
Himinglava, Fair-Weather Mermaid, Sun Shining Through.
Teach us by the Powers of Water
How to find the way to our own souls.