The Blot
By Lewis Stead, 1992
Asatru - About Blot
10/29/1993
THE BLOT - RITUAL OFFERINGS
The Blot is the most common ritual within Asatru. In its simplest form a blot is making a sacrifice to the
Gods. In the old days this was done by feasting on an animal consecrated to the Gods and then slaughtered.
(The word blot itself is related to the Norse words for "blood" and "sacrifice.") As we are no longer
farmers and our needs are simpler today, the most common blot is an offering of mead or other alchoholic
beverage to the deities.
Many modern folk will be suspicious of a ritual such as this. Rituals such
as the blot have been falsely interpreted by post-Pagan sources in order to
denegrate the ritual or trivialize it. The most common myth about ritual
sacrifice is that one is buying off a deity e.g. one throws a virgin into
the Volcano so it won't erupt. Nothing could be further from the truth. In
Asatru it is believed that we are not only the worshippers of the Gods but
that we are physically related to them. The Eddas tell of a God, Rig, who
went to various farmsteads and fathered the human race so we are physically
kin to the Gods. On a more esoteric level, humankind is gifted with "ond" or
the gift of ecstasy. Ond is a force that is of the Gods. It is everything
that makes humans different from the other creatures of the world. As
creatures with this gift, we are immediately connected to the Gods, we are
part of their tribe, their kin. Thus we are not simply buying off the Gods
by offering them something that they want, but we are sharing with the Gods
something that we all take joy in. Sharing and gift giving was an
incredibly important part of Norse cultur (and of most ancient cultures)
and had magical significance. Giving a gift was a sign of friendship,
kinship, and connection. By sharing a blot with the Gods we reaffirm our
connection to them and thus reawaken their powers within us and their
watchfullness over our world.
A blot can be a simple affair where a horn of mead is consecrated to the
Gods and then poured as a libation, or it can be a part of a larger ritual.
A good comparison is the Catholic Mass which may be part of a regular
service or special event such as a wedding or funeral, or it may be done as
a purely magical-religious practice without any sermon, hymns, or other trappings.
The blot consists of three parts, the hallowing or consecrating of the
offering, the sharing of the offering, and the libation. Each of these is
equally important. The only tools required are mead, beer or juice, a horn
or chalice, a sprig of evergreen used to sprinkle the mead, and a ceremonial
bowl known as a Hlautbowl into which the initial libation will be made.
The blot begins with the consecration of the offering. The Gothi (Priest) or
Gythia (Priestess) officiating at the blot invokes the God or Goddess being
honored. This is usually accomplished by a spoken declaration with ones
arms being held above ones head in a Y shape, in imitation of the rune
elhaz. This posture is used for most invocations and prayers throughout
Asatru. After the spoken invocation an appropriate rune or other symbol of
the God or Goddess may be drawn in the air with the finger or with the
staff. Once the God is invoked, the Gothi takes up the horn. His assistant
pours mead from the bottle into the horn. The Gothi then traces the hammer
sign (an upside down T) over the horn as a blessing and holds it above his
head offering it to the Gods. He then speaks a request that the God or
Goddess bless the offering and accept it as a sacrifice. At the least one
will feel the presence of the deity; at best one will be able to feel in
some inner way the God taking of the mead and drinking it.
The mead is now not only blessed with divine power but has passed the lips
of the God or Goddess. The Gothi then takes a drink of the horn and it is
passed around the gathered folk. Although it sounds like a very simple
thing, it can be a very powerful experience. At this point the mead is no
longer simply a drink but is imbued with the blessing and power of the God
or Goddess being honored. When one drinks, one is taking that power into
onesself. After the horn has made the rounds once, the Gothi again drinks
from the horn and then empties the remainder into the hlautbowl. The Gothi
then takes up the evergreen sprig and his assistant the hlautbowl and the
Gothi sprinkles the mead around the circle or temple or onto the altar. If
there are a great number of the folk gathered, one may wish to drop the
drinking and merely sprinkle the various folk with the mead as a way of
sharing it. In a small group one might merely drink as the blessing.
When this is done the Hlautbowl is taken by the Gothi and poured out onto
the ground. This is done as an offering not only to the God invoked at the
blot, but it is also traditional to remember the Earth Mother at this time,
since it is being poured onto her ground. Many invocations mention the God,
Goddess, or spirit being sacrificed to, and then Mother Earth, as in the
Sigrdrifa Prayer "Hail to the Gods and to the Goddesses as well; Hail Earth
that gives to all men." (Sigrdrifumal 3) With this action, the blot is ended.
Obviously this is a very sparse ritual and if performed alone could be
completed in only a few minutes. This is as it should be, for blots are
often poured not because it is a time of gathering or festivity for the
folk, but because the blot must be poured in honor or petition of a God or
Goddess on their holiday or some other important occasion. For example, a
father tending his sick child might pour a blot to Eir the Goddess of
healing. Obviously he doesn't have time to waste on the "trappings" of
ritual. The intent is to make an offering to the Goddess as quickly as
possible. At some times a full celebration might not be made of a holiday
because of a persons hectic schedule, but at the least a blot should be
made to mark the occasion. However, in most cases a blot will at least be
accompanied by a statement of intent at the beginning and some sort of
conclusion at the end. It might also be interspersed with or done at the
conclusion of ritual theater or magic. Our kindred, for example, begins the
ritual with a chant of "Odin, Vili, Ve" which connects us to the Gods of
creation. Between the invocation of the God or Goddess and the actual Blot
we usually add a meditation or something else which acts as a focus of the
ritual. Once, for example, we made mead in the middle of a ritual to Aegir.
As part of our blot we also pass the horn three times. The first time
around is a taking in of the power of the charged mead and all offer a
toast to the God(s) of the occasion. The second and third rounds are open to
toasts to other Gods, toasts to the kindred, the hosts, to pledges,
boasting and anything else on wishes to say. It is essentially a "mini
sumble" in the middle of our blot. Always of course, we remember the
purpose of our ritual. We would never toast one of the Jotnar during a
ritual to Thor for example. We have also added a few steps at the end which
are a private affirmation of our groups kinship with each other and with the Gods.
BASIC OUTLINE OF THE BLOT RITUAL:
I. Sanctify space with the Hammer rite
II. Invocation of the Deity
III. Secondary Activities supporting the blot: meditation etc.
IV. Load mead by offering it to the God.
V. Pass mead for blessing or sprinkle on folk.
VI. Other activities, prayers, etc.
VII. Thank the deity.
VIII. Pour the libation to the Earth.
Leather's Book of Shadows: Rituals, Spell-Work & Magick
BOOK OF SHADOWS BLESSING
Often a Book of Shadows begins with a book blessing.
This poem is adapted from Silver Ravenwolf's "To Stir a Magick Cauldron"
It reminds us of who we are and why we keep this book.
I will serve the Great Goddess
And give reverence to the Great God
I am a Pagan Witch
A stone in the ancient circle
Standing firmly
Balanced on the earth
Yet open to the winds of heaven
And enduring through time
May the old gods witness my words
Blessed be.
PAGAN RITUAL SUPPLIES
Dragon's Lair Pagan Parlor: Wiccan, Witchcraft, New Age & Pagan Supplies
Mountain Rose Bulk Herbs
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs A
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs B
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs C
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs D
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs E
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs F
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs G
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs H
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs I
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs J
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs K
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs L
|
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs M
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs N
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs O
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs P
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs R
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs S
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs T
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs U
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs V
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs W
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs Y
|
Mountain Rose Aromatherapy Oils
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils A-B
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils C-E
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils F-L
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils M-P
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils Q-Z
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Oil Blends & Resins
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Diffusers, Nebulizers, & Burners
Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Oil Kits
|
|
Mountain Rose Herbs.com: Order Online |
|
|
A Source For Medicinal & Ritual Herbs & Supplies
Aphrodisiacs
|
Aromatherapy
|
Bath & Body Care
|
Bulk Herbs By The Pound
|
Capsules, Tablets & Extracts
|
Chinese Herbals
|
Electronics
|
Extracts
|
First Aid Products
|
Food Products, Mixes, Seeds, Snacks & More!
|
Hair Care Products & Supplies
|
Herbs & Oils, Kilo & Ton
|
Hydroponics & Gardening
|
Kava Products
|
Kitchen & Housewares
|
Mushrooms
|
Musical Instruments
|
Oral Care & Dental Products
|
PC & IT - Computer Supplies & Assessories
|
Skin Care, Cosmetics, & Gift Sets
|
Smokes, Seeds, Cacti
|
Spices, Salts, Sweeteners, & Seasonings
|
Sports, Toys & Games
|
Sweets, Candy, Chips & Snacks
|
Stimulants
|
Sedatives
|
Teas & Coffees
|
Shaman Shop Home Page
|
WEB SITE BLESSING
May the powers of The One,
The source of all creation;
May the Goddess, the Lady of the Moon;
And the God, Horned Hunter of the Sun;
May the rulers of the elemental realms, Earth, Air, Fire and Water;
May the powers of the Stars above and the Earth below,
Bless this web site, and this time, and I who am with You.
I ask for you to protect these pages,
And that no harm to those who visit here.
So mote it be.
MoonDragon Home Page
MoonDragon's Main Indexlisting
MoonDragon Pregnancy & Birth Index
MoonDragon's MDBS Practice Guidelines Index
MoonDragon's Health & Wellness Index (General Health)
MoonDragon's ObGyn Index by Subject Order (Women-Related Health)
MoonDragon's ObGyn Index by Alphabetical Order (Women-Related Health)
MoonDragon's Alternative Health Index
MoonDragon's Aromatherapy Information Index
MoonDragon's Nutrition Information Index
Willow: A Magical Cat by C.F. Lander (A local friend and author)
MoonDragon cannot be held responsible for use or misuse of this information, especially regarding
formulation of magickal acts or treatments of oneself or others. Although we strive to provide
accurate and useful information, no guarantee is made regarding the accuracy of the material
presented herein.
Web design by Leather Dupris
MoonDragon Birthing Services & Dragon's Lair Pagan Parlor
Salem, Massachusetts
E-mail: moondragon2@aol.com
