I thought this would be a good time to share what my indoor Sacred Space looks like, a few special pieces within that, and a 9 day working that I begin today with the Goddess Hel.
My Sacred Space
My primary indoor space is a small mud room in the basement. The room has a sliding glass door that takes up much of one wall. It allows for a ton of natural light and a view of our valley, so even when it is cold, I feel a part of the nature outside. All of my stuff is in one half of the room, along with a large trunk filled with my notebooks, and a love-seat because my dachshund Daisy has to have a place next to me when I work.
On the wall you will see two small tapestries – one white, one black. They represent the idea of Duality, a concept I constantly work within. Each contains a Luna Moth, a special representation for me, and aspects of the night and day.
Above the tapestries you see a large piece of driftwood hanging on the wall. This is Maliki, a representation of the land and its spirits that inhabit our valley. Like most things in my sacred space, it was found here on the property. This piece immediately struck me. Near the top on the spindle that hangs down has a face in it. Deep eyes and a somewhat mysterious smile playing to the illusion of duality in nature – predator and prey in one. Above that is a large natural crown (its currently pretty covered up by the drying red buds). Within the crown are stones that became in-bedded in the wood over time, and the whole things takes on the shape of a dragon in my opinion.
Two of my main Servitors sit directly on my altar. You can learn more about them and their creation here. These two have very specific jobs and since my altar is where I do a lot of my magical work and sharing from, their placement here is important. I also keep my living money bowl and blessings next to them.
In the Center of my altar are representations of the Deities I work with. I am not a huge statue person because it is really hard for me to find ones that represent Them in the ways I experience Them. The women especially in most statues I find, take on this D&D, slutty look. I love D&D but this is not what I would see as an image I want when honoring Them.
The Morrigan is in the wood. I absolutely loved this one. The feathers fanning out behind Her, the Ravens flying about Her, and even the Celtic Crosses – and for me they have nothing to do with christianity.
The small gnome figurine holds the place for Kari . As He is what I consider a forgotten God, there is nothing out there specifically for Him, and I have yet to find the right image for myself in statue form.
The same applies to the Goddess Hel. I have yet to find an image that I feel represent how She presents to me – so as of right now, the flowers will do.
The Gaia statue is another representation of nature for me. I particular loved this one due to all the tiny details such as the tattoos and small animals throughout Her hair.
All of these are at the center of my altar, because They are at the center of my life.
On the right hand side are my Ancestors. The tree represents all my ancestors. The poppets were specially crafted for my Ozark Women and hold a special type of magic within them, bridging Their spirits.
I have deep ties to the spirit of the deer and the deer that reside here. Also, the name given to me by The Morrigan through a test given by Flidais, holds the deer. So when an opportunity presented itself, I was blessed to be able to make this horned headpiece. It wasn’t just stringing them together, it required a death ritual, blessing, and binding magic. When not in use, it sits on my altar with the bowl that holds tools crafted specifically for my own sacred text – Ogham, Runes, and animals – which are laid out in detail within my book Goddess, Sacred Words of Transformation.
Along the side of the room that has the sliding glass door I have my main bookshelf. On top it holds certain pieces such as my feathers and skulls from animals who lived and died in our valley – a Deer, a Turkey Vulture, a coyote – all of whom have a special place in my practice and I have deep bond with their spirits.
Below that is main herbs I use often and some other tools. The next shelf has books my kids or I commonly use, and then below that (which you can not see) is our nature altar filled with different things we find and holds significance for us in nature.
What you see leaning in front of the bookshelf, and the closer picture above is my Seidr/ Spirit Walking Staff. It was created from a sycamore tree that fell in our valley. My husband stripped the bark, sanded and shaped it to my specifications. As I craft and add magic/ spirits into the staff, I burn their symbols and sacred words onto it.
Lastly is my Temple representation. It is a simple, wooden round house that I decorate for different seasons. Hanging from the bottom are feathers from the Raven, Turkey Vulture, and Crane that were dropped on the property. Each of these birds hold significant representations of my practices and sacred connections o the animals themselves.
As I have said before, my altar is for me, creating a space that puts me into the mindset of sacred space and work. I know mine is not as aesthetic as others. It’s not old worldly and packed with stuff like many that seen all over social media, but that’s ok. For me, my altar is a workspace and I need room and a sense of organization for that. If I am in a space packed with stuff, the stuff starts to feel like clutter, no matter how beautiful it may look, and that cluttered feeling will seep into my work, which I absolutely do not want. Will I always feel this way? Who knows – but it is how I feel right now that maters.
A Working to Begin
I just completed my Ritual of Ice and Fire in order to cleanly move forward into this new book (not just a chapter) of my life and magic. I’m not going into the details of why it was needed here, because some things are just for me, but it truly feels like a rebirth – yet carrying forward all the wisdom of skills learned so far. If you know, you know.
To begin this new journey though, requires a re-dedication and going deeper into the specific bond I have with Hel, Norse Goddess of the Dead. I am going to do this with 9 days of mantras. For 9 days I am going to burn the candle above, say a specific prayer, and then do 108 mantras in Her honor. At the end of each day I will drink from Her cup and Spirit Walk with Her.
On the back of the candle is the original symbol for Her, and at the front is the new one She gave me. I found it interesting that She created a new symbol for Herself to resonate with the work we are about to do. I have never had a Deity do that before, but after going through each aspect of it, I understand why. My Guides never cease to amaze me or leave me in awe. Although I have worked really hard for these bonds, I will never lose gratitude for Them or take Them for granted.
The Prayer
Each day the beginning part of the prayer will change. It will depend on where we are and what She wants. It will always end the same though:
To walk with You means to have Faith,
Faith requires Sacrifice,
Sacrifice does not exist without Love.
Faith Guides me,
Devotion Drives me,
Love Binds me.
I am not going to give the specific mantra here. This will be something I only share within my Seidr Course (I’ll give more info on this next week). The mantra is directly tied to Her new symbol and has a specific rhythm to it. As Kari says, Runes and Galdr are the sword – a weapon – and should not be wielded lightly. Not all are for public consumption. I have been working with it though, and am amazed at the energy and power behind this one. It will be interesting to see what happens when putting it into this context.
9 Days
I know some people look at 9 days as a large commitment – because it is. To make the space and time, no matter what else happens to creep up in life, is not always an easy feat. If it is important to you though, you will make the time. We make time to fit in all the other important things, and I feel if you are truly dedicated to your craft, you will make the time. As I have said before, I take my craft and my bonds with Guides/ spirits very seriously. I have worked long and hard to get where I am and to achieve this life with Them, so They are a priority for me.
Nine days shows a deep devotion and the Will needed to move forward. My Deities know I will do the work and put all of myself into it, I have proven that over and over. Yet, by starting off a work with a nine day spell, prayer, or ritual reaffirms to me, my commitment to the path I have crafted and chosen. Even though the exchange is there – it is for Hel and our bond together – this work is also about placing my thoughts, emotions, and actions into that mindset. Onto this deeper path We are crafting together.
If you want to show a Spirit, Deity, or Guide that you are serious, dedicated, and willing to do the work necessary – a 9 Day devotion is a really good way to start. It not only proves to Them that you are serious – but you are also proving to yourself the commitment you are willing to make to achieve your desires.
Ending Thoughts
I am not sure how of the 9 day journey I will be sharing. A lot depends on Hel and what She shows me. I will try to at least share the experience, even if I have to leave out some of the details. I think sharing is important. It helps people get an idea of what the work could be like, and perhaps even some things to be prepared for. We will all have our own experiences, because it is personal for us, but there are always some core similarities.
I will also be adding some pieces to my sacred room over this time and I will share those as they are completed. I am really excited for that because it combines my artistic side and magical crafting skills.
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