 The next
festival is the autumn equinox; the runes associated with it are Kenaz, Raido and Gebo. At the autumn equinox, the
forces of light and darkness are balanced. At midsummer, the Sun is at its highest point, and at Yule at its darkest
point; at the spring and autumn equinoxes the Sun is at a midway point.
Since one of the meanings of Gebo is equilibrium and the balancing of opposing forces of equal strength, this rune
is appropriate for the festival. Kenaz and Raido inform us about the nature of these forces, namely knowledge and
consciousness. At this festival a ritual symbolizing Odin's initiation on Yggdrasil could be enacted, the meaning of
which is the suspension of Odin between the realms of light and darkness in order that he could gain knowledge and
achieve a higher state of consciousness.
 Halloween
is the next festival. The month in which Halloween falls is called Blotmonath in Anglo-Saxon, or "blood month." It
was then that the ritual sacrifices were performed, and for a very practical reason. All the animals were slaughtered
so that a supply of food was assured during the winter.
Traditionally, Halloween has been associated with the dead and the "thinning of the veil" between the realms of
life and death, which facilitates communications between these realms. Hagalaz is the rune that provides access to
the underworld of Hel, where the dead reside. In olden days in Holland and certain parts of Germany, boys used to
wear masks to frighten the girls, and would make mischief like petty thefts.
This was known as the "stealing right" or the "right to steal," and it derives from an old ritual in which the
warriors of the tribe ceremonially enacted the part of the Einherjar or heroes. The modern, reconstructed version of
Einherjar's day is usually known as Remembrance Day and takes place on the eleventh day of Blotmonath, or November.
Both festivals, Halloween and Einherjar's day, concern the dead and their remembrance. For this reason I correlate
these festivals. |
