StormJewels Pagan Blog

At first glance, Norse mythology seems to be pretty bleak.

Many of the tales focus on the end of the world, a time known as Ragnorak. During Ragnorak, winter would come and never leave; the gods would battle with giants and terrible monsters; many of the gods would die.

The harshness of these myths is a reflection of the world in which the Norse people lived.

Each year, they faced punishing winters. In order to trade food and furs, the Vikings travelled across dangerous oceans. They did all this with much less technology and knowledge than we have today; they could not rely on cars and fossil fuels to power their journeys. The Vikings rowed their boats with their own arms.

In the face of these intense challenges, the Vikings developed a deep veneration for strength and endurance.

This can be seen in the central God of the Norse pantheon, Odin, All-Father, King of the Gods.

Who is Odin?

Odin is a God of War, who fights to defend his land and his people. He will lend his strength to those who call on him. Odin also possesses great courage. During the final nights of Ragnarok, he does battle with the dread Fenrir Wolf. Even though Odin knows that this battle will be his undoing, he stands his ground and fights valiantly.

But Odin has more facets than warrior. He is also a sorcerer, and a trickster. When he leaves his hall in Asgard, Realm of the Gods, he frequently goes forth in disguise.

In many tales, he uses cunning and misdirection to get what he needs. Odin has also mastered the arts of magic, at great personal cost. Odin plucked out one of his own eyes in order to gain wisdom and secret sight; he can see into the mysteries of past, present and future.

With all these powerful attributes, Odin represents a balanced mastery of body, mind, and spirit. But he also can be seen as representing the willingness to do whatever is necessary to survive.

Odin chooses to master feats of physical strength, guile, and hidden magic because there is no other way for him to protect himself and his people.

Again and again, he rises to the challenge. Even when it seems like the world is destined to end. Even at great cost to himself. Even when he knows, with his prophetic power, that his actions will lead to his own death.

Working with Odin can help us discover our own hidden strengths and magics, our own capacity to endure the seemingly impossible.

The Viking All-Father can teach us how to rise to our own challenges, to discover our own warrior spirits.

Ask yourself:

• What are you inspired to defend?
• What do you value more than your own comfort?
• What are you willing to take risks for?

Odin, and all the Norse Gods, faced a legion of giants who sought to destroy the world. They faced the prospect of a world of endless winter. We can find parallels in these stories for some of the great environmental challenges of our day. At times, it seems like we face a system that is trying to cause grievous harm to the living web of life. We face the prospect of intense climate change.

Rebirth Follows Death in Norse Mythology

Norse mythology can offer us inspiration and courage, stirring stories of beings who saw a terrible threat and found the strength and courage within themselves to fight as honourable warriors. And, while most contemporary conversations about Norse mythology focus on the harsh battles of Ragnorak, this is not the end of the story.

The death of the world results in a rebirth, a green and peaceful world that flourishes in the aftermath. In this world, the separation between the Gods and humanity vanishes.

There is more than enough abundant life to feed everyone. May our own struggles reach such a happy conclusion.

by Allison Grey

StormJewel Says: Thanks for this fascinating article about Norse and Viking Mythology, it certainly does help us to understand their myths when we look at the context of their lives.

If you are looking for Viking and Norse Pendants or figurines, then please check out these links on my shop

Viking figurines and Mythology – Handmade Viking Pendants - More Viking Jewellery

Technorati Tags: Mythology, Norse mythology, Odin, Viking

Tags: Mythology, Norse mythology, Odin, Viking

By Anne Stokes and Available as a wall hanging and also a figurine in my shop!

StormJewel Says: Dear All, as you may know I have a little fire dragon, Calcifer, as my familiar!  If you want to know why and how you can get your own dragon companion, read this excellent article by my newest writer Allison Grey!

Dragons are one of the oldest and most powerful legends in Western Culture.  Well-known by some for their fearsome strength, wild cunning, and secret knowledge, dragons have been cast as villains in many stories old and new.  Dragons have been painted as monsters, as foes, as symbols of evil.

But what if their terrible strength can be interpreted in another light? 

What if we can learn how to befriend dragons, to fly with them across mysterious landscapes and listen to the ancient secrets they keep?

Find out how to befriend and work with these magickal creatures in this article!

Why Befriend a Dragon?

Dragons are strong for a reason; they are guardians, charged with protecting precious treasures.  With this insight, we can understand them as necessary challenges on our paths.

In order to reach the treasure, which we can see as our own power–a facet of our innate capabilities that we can’t currently reach–we must confront the dragon.  Dragons, like all monsters, force us to find our courage.  As we learn how to defeat a dragon, or outwit it, or perhaps even to negotiate with it, we learn how powerful we are.

But dragons guard more than treasures. 

Consider where dragons live–on the tops of mountains, in the hearts of forests, deep in the untamed landscape where humans have not yet declared ownership.  Dragons are guardians of the wilderness itself.  Like the snakes they resemble, dragons are intimately tied to the Earth.

This is why dragons have often been portrayed as enemies, because many humans have been trying to control and dominate nature.  But as more and more people are becoming aware that we need to protect nature, the potential for dragons to be our allies is becoming clearer.  Dragons demonstrate the wisdom of the wild world beyond human control.

If we can learn to live in right relationship with dragons, they can teach us how to become guardians of the wild ourselves.

Image Credit: Anne Stokes

How To Make Friends With a Dragon

The Draca Stella Dragon Jewellery Pendant available at StormJewel’s Gifts!

As with any magical venture, the first step in developing a relationship with a dragon is to set your intention. 

This can be as simple as saying aloud to yourself, “I intend to find a dragon ally to work with.” It could also be as involved as creating a drawing or painting that represents the type of dragon you would like to work with.

In general, the more strongly you can visualize a dragon ally, the stronger your call to the spirit realms will be. 

You may want to gather inspiring images of dragons.  You could also place a statue of a dragon on your altar to serve as a physical embodiment of your intention.  Another way to keep these creatures close to your heart is by getting yourself a treasured piece of dragon jewellery that you feel drawn to, or some dragon figurines and other draconic items to decorate your home or altar.

What Kind of Dragon Do You Want?

As you imagine the type of dragon you might like to work with, consider these questions:

1. What in your life needs a guardian?
2. What do you feel called to become a guardian for?

Some dragons are associated with a particular element: air, fire, water or earth.

Air dragons would be excellent allies in a political campaign to reduce air pollution, or to guard your mind from worries and unhelpful thoughts.

Fire dragons can help with efforts to promote renewable energy, especially solar power, and with personal protection around creative projects.

Water dragons are a natural fit for those seeking to protect rivers, lakes and oceans, as well as the creatures who live there.  You could also work with water dragons to protect your own emotions and intimate relationships.

Finally, Earth dragons are well-suited to land conservation, such as preventing wild forests from being cut down, and to guarding physical health.

Water Dragon Image Credit: Dragon-Myths

Doing it Your Own Way?

Pentadraca – available in my shop along with many other dragon pendants

You may not feel drawn to any of these elements or you may be uncertain about which would be best for you.  If that’s true, there’s no need to worry.  You can simply use an intention of welcoming in a dragon ally who can help you.

If you’re familiar with methods of exploring the spirit world, such as shamanic journeying, you can go forth and seek whatever dragon comes to you.

Whichever method you use, remember to be courageous.  Dragons respect power.  The stronger and more bold your call, the more likely a dragon is to answer.

Final Dragon Thought…

In all the art and all the stories, dragons are bigger than we are.  If we can learn to accept that the natural world is larger and wilder than we are, if we can learn humility and grow as spiritual beings.

by Allison Grey

StormJewel Says: Allison thanks for another fantastic article, I have always been fascinated by dragons as Calcifer will agree!   I’ve got loads of cool dragon gifts in my shop, from jewellery and figurines, to artwork, mirrors and boxes, so why not take a look for a bit of inspiration!

Technorati Tags: dragon

Tags: dragon

This reminds me of the funeral masks made by the Ancient Greeks and Romans to honour their ancestors

If you’ve been curious about working with your ancestor spirits, now is an excellent time of year to start, because the dark of the year is a great time to listen to otherworldly voices and connect with the shadow lands.

We’re nearing Samhain, which is the ancient Celtic holiday that Halloween is based on.

All the Halloween zombies and ghosts are half-remembered reminders of an ancient truth: around the end of October, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead grows thin.

We now have a heightened opportunity to reach across the divide and communicate with all the spirits of those who have passed.

Here are some tips for developing relationships with your ancestors:

First, keep in mind that your ancestors are as diverse as your living family.  They might not all want to talk with you, especially in the context of a Pagan ritual.  While most ancestors interact with their descendants in a loving and encouraging manner, some are difficult or quarrelsome.

If you have an especially trying time interacting with your deceased family, keep in mind that there are multiple types of ancestors you can work with.

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Who are my Ancestors?

Ancestors of spirit are all those who inspire you, whose work you carry on in the world, who built the tools and traditions you use in your life.

Your ancestors of spirit might include the Witches and Pagans of the past.  Your ancestors of spirit might include the writers and musicians and artists whose work has touched your heart, lifted your spirits, or inspired you to create yourself.  They might include activists who have fought for the rights and opportunities that you enjoy.  They might include the people who founded the field you work in, the people who started the hobbies that fill your life with joy.

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Ancestors of place include all the beings who once lived in the area you live.

They extend beyond other human beings to include the animals who lived and died, the plants who flourished and decayed.  The ground you walk on is literally made out of the bodies of those plants and animals, those ancestors of place.  If you live in a city, your ancestors of place include all the human hands who planned and built and cared for the houses and streets that make up your world.

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Ancestors of blood are the people you’re physically descended from.

Their bones are your bones; their blood flows through your veins.  You can imagine yourself as the bud on a branch of a great tree, with roots extending far into the past.  You are the child and the grandchild and the great-grandchild of people who survived, at least long enough to reproduce.  Whatever else your family might have done or failed to do, they brought you into this world.

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How to build relationships with these Ancestor Spirits

All three types of ancestors have given us many gifts. 

An excellent way to begin developing relationships with them is by expressing your gratitude for the many gifts they’ve given you.  Your ancestors of blood gave you your body and your life.  All the other experiences you enjoy are based on this first gift.

Your ancestors of place give you solid ground to walk on, a home to shelter you, perhaps a lovely garden to enjoy.  Your ancestors of spirit give you inspiration, magical tools and ways to understand the world.

Building an Ancestor Altar

When we are trying to build a relationship with a living person, we might invite them to dinner.  In order to do something similar with ancestors, we can build an ancestor altar.  This creates a space for them in our homes. 

An ancestor altar can be as simple as a table with a candle and a few photos of loved ones who have passed, or as complex as a full spread of magical tools with a pentagram at the centre.

Try sitting with your ancestor altar once a day or once a week, as your schedule allows.  Thank you ancestors for what they’ve given you.  Tell them about your life.  Ask for their advice.  And simply allow yourself to listen.  Your ancestors may make specific requests from you.  They might want you to light a candle for them, or burn a certain kind of incense.  They might want to be served a small plate of the food you eat for dinner, or a glass of water.

Be patient and generous and your connection with your ancestors will flower.

By Allison Grey

StormJewel: Thanks for another fantastic article Allison!  There’s lots to learn and do from this.

I’d love to hear your ancestor experiences, or even just whether you think you will be trying this or not.  Let us know below!  Blessings!

Technorati Tags: Ancestor, Halloween, Samhain, Veneration of the dead

Tags: Ancestor, Halloween, Samhain, Veneration of the dead

I Am Not I

As we’ve passed the Autumnal Equinox, the nights are getting longer and longer.  We can feel the chill of winter begin to creep into the air.  We are nearing the dark time of the year.

In the natural world, the squirrels are gathering nuts for the winter.  The hedgehogs are gorging themselves, building up fat reserves to nourish them through the long dreaming days of hibernation.

As humans, how can we prepare ourselves for the dark time of the year?  How can we live more deeply in harmony with the seasons and grow and shift along with the Earth?

If we take nature as our guide, we can see that the dark of the year is a time for rest.  Like the trees releasing their leaves and the animals hibernating, we can simplify our lives, let go our distractions and focus our attention inward.

The stillness that fills the world in winter provides us with a chance to explore our own interior worlds so that we can learn about ourselves, our spiritual gifts and our purpose in the world.

Many people in the modern world keep very busy.  In our fast-paced, technological world, we are often taught to keep moving, keep doing, to fill our minds with new information every second.    But the rhythm of the natural world is motion and stillness, action and rest, day and night.

The Darkness as a Nurturing Force

We are sometimes taught to fear darkness, to fear stillness, to fear the quiet, still, resting night inside of us.  The gathering dark of the year is an invitation for us to challenge these fears and enter more deeply into our own souls.

In order to move through our fears, we may need to let go of our old stories about darkness being evil or harmful.

Try instead to think of darkness as something natural, as necessary as the rhythm of day and night. Imagine darkness as the wide open sky, full of mystery and possibility.  Imagine darkness as the safe, enclosed space of the womb, nurturing that which is small and growing and not yet ready to emerge into the light.  Think of the darkness beneath the soil, nurturing tiny seeds.

Get in Touch With Yourself in Winter

Held by the sheltering darkness of winter, what do you hear?  Can you listen to the soft, wise voice of your own intuition?  This is an excellent time of year to strengthen your connection to that voice. Consider beginning to work with a new divinatory tool, such as runes or the Tarot.

You may also want to start a daily practise of listening.  This could be as simple as setting aside ten minutes every morning to sit in quiet meditation.  If you’re interested in doing so, all you need to do is find a comfortable place to sit.   Focus your attention on your breathing.  If troubling thoughts or emotions emerge, allow them to pass through your mind like clouds blowing across the sky.  This practise can create a deep calm within you, mirroring the calm, reflective nature of the world in winter.

The dark half of the year, with its long nights, is also an excellent time to explore dreamwork.  Your dreams can reveal the depths of your own heart to you, and may also contain the seeds of spiritual wisdom and glimmers of the future.  The nights also provide ample space to explore spiritual realms.

In the quiet of the winter, it can be easier to hear the voices of spirit guides, guardian angels and spirit animals.  You can tap into conversations with these beings through practises such as shamanic journeying, guided visualisations and prayer.

Friends, Warmth and Light

While you’re venturing into the hidden spaces within yourself and into the spirit world, it’s important to keep one foot in physical reality. You don’t want to get lost in the vast, wide darkness.  As the Equinox reminds us, there is a need for balance between dark and light.

You need to cultivate some warmth and light along with the solitary introspective dark. 

One excellent way to do so is to create a winter circle of friends.  You could meet once a week or once a month to share food, laughter, and stories.  Such a group could be a place to share your experiences of wandering in the dark, and a place to recount the beautiful treasures you find there.

By Allison Grey

[StormJewel] Thanks Allison for that great article, it’s really inspiring to me as someone who feels the cold and loves the light of summer!  This serves as a reminder to me that as Pagans it’s important to embrace natures rhythms and it’s clear that if we learn to love the changing of the seasons we will find it very rewarding! 

Do you prefer winter or summer? What things do you like to do in winter? Let us know below!

Technorati Tags: Autumnal Equinox, Darkness, nature, Winter

Tags: Autumnal Equinox, Darkness, nature, Winter

Hi All!

Ok so the winners of my favourite animal competition have been drawn and are ready to be announced….

*fanfares playing*

In First Place winning the £30 gift voucher is Lauren R whose favourite animal is Tigers!

Runner up prizes of £5 each go to Rebecca W who loves Giraffes and Clair D whose fave animal is cats!

Thanks so much to all for entering and sharing your favourite animals with me, and please do keep an eye on my facebook page for more competitions and giveaways!

Want to be sure you never miss out? Why not sign up to my occasional newsletter to find out about new competitions, new items and my latest blog posts.

Can the Law of Attraction get you a home, a job, a partner or whatever else you may wish for? I think it can but perhaps not in the way you think.

With the popularity of ‘The Secret‘, many people are now trying the law of attraction to get what they want.  In case you’ve been in a hole and never heard of it, it basically involves building up a clear picture of what you want in your head, and thinking about it, putting energy into it until you get what you want.

It also says that if you spend too much time focusing on what you are afraid of, or don’t want, that you will attract this too.

But does it really work like this?

I’ve seen quite a few disillusioned people on the internet sharing their experiences.  One guy (sorry forgotten where I saw it) had spent a lot of time visualising what he wanted and it never transpired.  This led him to think out the rules of the law of attraction and find it useless on this basis:

Thoughts don’t equal action.

His opinion was that believing that what we think influences what happens is a mistake understanding of the causal chain – eg when about to start a flight many passengers may be worrying about it crashing, but it still doesn’t crash because thought don’t influence things in this way.

Is he right?  Well yes and no.  Some people worrying about the plane crashing is not going to have any effect.

What if 300 people onboard willed (as opposed to worried about) it to crash? Possibly this might affect it (after all I do believe spells are possible, which are a sending of intention) but I doubt anyone is going to test it out particularly soon, and quite possibly it wouldn’t be strong enough to have an effect.

But in essence this guy is right, simply thinking about things is not enough to change things, but it is a very good start as long as you realise that it is just the start.  One of the most important things in life to me is helping people to realise that we all have the power of our own destiny.

I strongly believe and have seen much evidence to support the idea that the more energy you put into something the more you will get back.

Does that mean every project you do will succeed? No, but usually you will get some kind of energetic reward for putting effort into something, even if it just experience and determination to do better, but quite frequently new doors will have opened just by the fact that you take action.

ACTION! Yes this word is perhaps the key word for this article, since that is what most people who find the secret and law of attraction unsuccessful don’t realise.  Putting the thoughts and energy into creating the ideas things you want is the vital first step, and doing this correctly will set you up for success.

But if you don’t actually go and do anything, just let these little dreams and ideas sit in your head, that’s all they will ever be, ideas.

It can feel really difficult to begin something new (right now I am trying to make dragon t-shirts and have nearly given up several times before I even really started due to my fears of failing and it looking rubbish) but all you have to do it push through that fear and take even baby tentative steps on your journey.

Most likely you’ll be spurred on my your progress, no matter how small, and then all your mental focusing and energy can be expressed, or possibly you realise the project is no good and can begin starting to look for another better way to do things, which in turn will lead to success!

So that’s what I think, and in fact have long since thought about achieving what you want.

What do you reckon, does the Law of Attraction really work? Have you used The Secret, Cosmic Ordering or some other similar idea or mindset? Let me know below!

Technorati Tags: Cosmic Ordering, Law of Attraction

Tags: Cosmic Ordering, Law of Attraction

Got something interesting to say?

Is it related to what you find here on my blog? (eg Paganism Psychic, healing, self help, nature, mythology, dragons, fairies, alternative religions etc).

If so why not write for me! I’m offering generous rates of pay for genuinely interesting articles by Native UK speakers.

Whether you just wanna write one article or many, find out more here and then get in touch!

Blessings

StormJewel

Dear All

Hope you are well and what not! I’ve been off volunteering at a travelling Buddhist cafe called Buddhafield, working at the Green Man festival and the Sunrise Off Grid Festival and it was lots of fun as well as good to get free meditation sessions and tons of tasty vegan food! (Not to mention all the lovely people I met!)

Anyway this is just a quick blog post to let you know that I’ve collaborated with my good friend Penny to help her get off the ground with a new psychic website and team. She’s using some really great psychics and clairvoyants that I have worked with in the past so I can highly recommend them.

As she’s offering this crazy 50% discount to get work for her readers, it really is a great time to get a discounted reading if perhaps you’ve been thinking of it for a while. You can get yourself a full 30 minute reading for just £15 which is a total bargain!

Take a look, here’s the link…

Half Price Clairvoyant Readings by Penelope

Technorati Tags: Clairvoyant

Tags: Clairvoyant

Part of loving nature and the earth, is caring about it and all it’s inhabitants.  Sadly, climate change is happening, but there are things we can do to try and improve the situation.  This donated infographic shows us the kind of impact that recycling can have in saving energy, pollution and more (ok its a bit US centric but still we can all get the idea).  If you like it, why not pin it on pinterest, or bookmark it to your favourite site and spread the eco world around the world!

31 Important Facts About Alternative Living and Recycling

Blessings

StormJewel

Donated by http://www.fabulouscollections.co.uk/  Thanks guys!

Dear All

It’s been a while I know, but I’m back baby!

Do you like interesting/weird/funny/beautiful/inspiring pictures?  If so take a quick look at some gorgeous images on Pinterest – the newest social media site on the block! (You don’t need to sign up or anything).

Recently I’ve been spending quite a lot of time on this exciting site, which is described as an online pinboard.

What this means is you can grab pictures from all around the web and put them on your virtual pinboard to look at later or to show to others.  Like Twitter, (which I also use – feel free to follow me!) you can follow people of interest to you and see when they add new pictures (aka pins).

Its very simple to use and great fun, and if you follow my account you can see all the fantastic and amazing photos I have found on the web, and also see some of my most pretty products!  If you are only interested in some of the things I pin, you can just follow specific pinboards.

The picture you see to the right is one that I have created for Pinterest, to show off all my lovely Fairy figurines by Jasmine Griffith Becket

Currently the main subjects I pin about are,

• Pagan and Wicca things,
• Cute animals & Nature
• Fairies
• Dragons
• Good advice
• Funny things
• Game of Thrones
  (Have you seen or read this?  A fantastic series of books and tv episodes, brilliant for anyone that likes a fantasy setting with excellent characters and intriguing plot lines.)

I’ll be adding more boards as time goes on.  Do you have any suggestions of boards you’d like to see me pin to?  Are you using Pinterest, or thinking about it?  Let me know below!

StormJewel x