The meditations you find here are mostly taken from the AFA's Book of Uncommon Prayers and modified for my personal use. The first seven gods and meditations are directly associated with a day of the week. They are used in the morning on a daily basis. The rest are used as necessary in the late afternoon or evening and are on a rotating basis. Meditations to Brego, die Wurtâ, Forsizo, and Saga are totally my creations and I owe no person's recognition for it.
Wikipedia says, "Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or as an end in itself". Heathens take the notion that our gods have no taste for kneeling. Kneeling on both knees is a sign of submission. We as Heathens don't necessarily "submit" to our gods, we honor them and hence; don't take a submissive kneeling position before them. We have more of a direct relationship to them as we see our gods as our ancestors. Meditating on them or conversing with them is generally done standing on our feet or on a single knee bent and our eyes open to the heavens. We honor our gods in our strength.
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, arguably the founder of modern Heathenry said this in an interview; "Anyone can pray to the Gods in whatever manner he likes. Óðinn stands for Wisdom, the Imagination, and great Knowledge." http://www.angelfire.com/nm/seidhman/beinweb.html
Prayers Featured for Each Day of the Week: Please note each prayer is in the god-name form of an Irminist.
Monday/Manostac, we meditate on Mano, god of the moon: Greetings to you, Mano, glorious male aspect of the moon; silver messenger on high. As you fly silently on your way reflect into our souls the glory of the High Ones that we might aspire to the realms of the gods. Bathe our world in soft brightness, and whisper to our souls of joyous realms beyond our knowing. Mano let us see the goodness within us and without us, all the nights and days of our lives. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, MANO, as we honor the Mano that resides in us all!
Ziustac/Tuesday, we meditate on Ziu: Ziu, husband to Zisa, Great God of bravery, one-handed god, you chained the Fenris Wolf that threatened the worlds. We can’t do that, but we can do other things, some ordinary, others heroic. Remind us of your bravery and your sacrifice. Give us the courage and strength we need to fetter our own Fenris. Keep us mindful of our duties, and help us keep our fears bound as tightly as you bound old Slaver Mouth. Thus doing, may we share in your glory by imitating you. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, ZIU, as we honor the Ziu that resides in us all!
Wednesday/Wodanstac we meditate on Wodan: All-Father God! Rune god! Wolf God! Raven god! WODAN!! We call out to you, not as slaves or on bended knee, but on our feet and opened-armed as befits your offspring. Watch us as we struggle, but the fight and fame must both be ours! Grant us that victory which we win by OUR might and mane! After a life battle-worn, Wodan, grant us access to one of the Great Halls where we may feast, drink and be merry with our heroes and our ancestors until the time comes to live or fight once more. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, WODAN, as we honor the Wodan that resides in us all!
Thursday/Donarstac, we meditate on Donar: Donar, wielder of Malant and Great God of thunder, thunder forth in our lives. When we would hold back, let us advance. When we would be weak, help us be strong. When we would shun life’s pleasures, sharpen our appetites for that which is lusty and good. Help us grow from strength, and teach us, elder brother, how to throw our own Hammer, and slay the giants who oppose our will. WE GIVE YOU A MOST A HEART-FELT HEIL, DONAR, as we honor the Donar that resides in us all!
Friday/Frijastac, we meditate on Frija: Frija, Great All-Mother; caregiver of Family, Hearth and Home, teach us to be patient but not passive; wise but not haughty in our wisdom; far seeing yet not blind to that which is before us. May we nurture life, increase life, and live our own lives more fully. Through you we give honor to our human mothers. Through you we see all the beauty that surrounds us as well. WE GIVE YOU A MOST A HEART-FELT HEIL, FRIJA, as we honor the Frija that resides in us all!
Saturday/Saturn’s Day/Day of Fertility/Tag der Fruchtbarkeit, we meditate on Frouwa and Ing-Fro: Frouwa, most lovely of all goddesses; who could not love you? Women as their own inner glory and highest attainment as the self-made woman, men for your beauty, passion and strength. Praise to you for the gift of life, and for the love that makes life worth living. Remind us always that it is the strong who love the best and the most, and that only the mighty can truly be gentle. Fill our lives with passion and lust that we may live our lives to the fullest. WE GIVE YOU MOST A HEART-FELT HEIL, FROUWA, as we honor the Frouwa that resides in us all!
Ing-Frô, you’re the Great God of “Ar”, the good harvest and prosperity: you are indeed the lusty enlarger of life. When the day to day wears us down remind us of pleasures and joys. Help us recall the wonderful excesses that brought our lives into being and which sustain the human spirit during good times and bad. Without you, there would be no life and certainly little delight. Thank you, Ing-Frô, for the rushing life spirit and the eternal play of passions that make our lives fruitful. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, ING-FRÔ, as we honor the Ing-Frô that resides in us all!
Sunday/Sunnastac, we meditate on Sunna, goddess of the Sun: Greetings to you Sunna, in all your feminine, fertile glory, Lamp of Wodan, newly risen! Hail to you who has shown on all our ancestors, who shines on us, and who will yet shine on our decedents yet unborn. Share with us some of your light, your energy, your power, so that we might better fight our battles and attain our goals. WE GIVE YOU A MOST A HEART-FELT HEIL SUNNA, as we honor the Sunna that resides in us all.
The following are meditations used in the evening on a rotating basis:
Sibba, Great Goddess of Fertility and Family, wife of Donar; let us see you in all the growing things that sustain our lives. Help us look beyond the packaging and promotion, to the richness of the Earth from which all bounty comes. When ordinary eyes see only corn, let us see your golden hair hid in its silk. When others see only bread, let us see the grain, beyond that, your smile and laughter. Feed our might and main, Holy Sibba, that we may do our work in the world. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, SIBBA, as we honor the Sibba that resides in us all!
Paltar, blameless god, gloriously shining god, restoration god, beloved son of Wodan and Frija, husband to Nanda. Let your goodness and your reconciliation smooth our paths on Earth. When our days here are over, remind us of your rise from Hel and light up death’s darkness with the promise of our own rebirth. Help is to avoid evil, and seek the good. Inspired by you, we will keep our reputations spotless that our lives be proclaimed a victory of the Spirit, and our leaving this life a tragedy. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, PALTAR, as we honor the Paltar that resides in us all!
Scata, Winter goddess, fleet on your skis and let me be the game you bag with you bow. Stun me with your grace and beauty, tuck me in the skin-sack at your side, and then take me to your home where wolves howl. There, show me the crisp freedom of winter and wilderness. Just as you were ready, willing and able to obtain your revenge on the Aesir for the killing of your father, Thiazi, grant us the same ferocity in our lives. Direct us to be strong, able and favored of you. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, SCATA, as we honor the Scata that resides in us all!
Wuldar, glory-god, hunting-god, ski-god, dueling-god; Son of Sibba, step-son of Donar, you glide through the snow-clad forests bringing death to game and life to your people. Remind us that life feeds on life, and that the beauty of the prey is formed generation after generation by the culling ferocity of the predator. Let your Yew-bow be the great World-Yew under another guise. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, WULDAR, as we honor the Wuldar that resides in all of us!
Ostara, trustworthy goddess; keeper of the golden apples of youth and eternal life, keep us young inside. When we are starving for laughter, hungry for the lightness that comes with having few years on our shoulders, slip us one of those gleaming fruits that we may see the world through youthful eyes. Let springtime be in our steps, love in our hearts and a song on our lips. Change us to the core! Fill us with optimism and dreams for the future. WE GIVE YOU MOST A HEART-FELT HEIL, OSTARA, as we honor the Ostara that resides in us all!
Nirdu, brother-husband to Nirda, parents of the Wanâ; Ing-Fro and the Frouwa, beloved god of harbors and seas close to land; help us to remember the cargoes of wealth that float to our doors daily from the wonderful Universe in which we live. Though our misfortunes may rise and fall like the tides, the chance of prosperity, like the eternal sea brimming with fish, is still there. Like the salt-sea spray, awaken us to the possibilities that surround us, so that our nets may be cast wide and return full of life’s gifts. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, NIRDU, as we honor the Nirdu that resides in us all!
Eger und Râhana, mysterious keepers of the deep hall at ocean’s bottom, host to the drowned and the sea lost. Your dwelling might be thought sad and gloomy, but you are known to be kind and hospitable ale givers. In your goodness then, cheer us when waves of misfortune pound our life’s fragile boats to the bottom. For even at the bottom, there is warmth, cheer and hope. Be our assurance; be our inspiration to strive on despite the swells and swirls of fate. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, EGER UND RÂHANA, as we honor the Eger und Râhana that resides in us all!
Heimo, HEAR ME! Gellanhorn’s god, son of nine mothers and whitest of all gods. You’re the genetic link between the gods and humankind. From your home in Himilberg, your keen eyes and sharp ears guard Ensigart, the world of the gods. As you stand so alert for the approach of giants, remind us that we must also watch for our own encroaching evil. Let weakness, cowardice, lies and dishonor be barred from Ensiwëg, the Rainbow Bridge, leading to our heart’s abode. Be a model for vigilance, that we may rise to the best that is in us, and someday join the Noble Gods in their shining homes. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, HEIMO, as we honor the Heimo that resides in us all!
Êra, handmaiden of Frija, goddess of the healing arts; whose loving hands and sweet breath brings wholeness and health, PRAISE YOUR NAME AMONG NORTH-FOLK! We thank you for your gentle caress, your soft ministrations and your care. When stress, strains, aches and pains plague us, you come with your herbal medicines and compassion to ease our distress. Êra, goddess holy and wise, we honor you. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL Êra, as we honor the Êra that resides in us all!
Brego, long-bearded god; son of Wodan and Gunnlod; husband of Ostara; you’re the god of poetry and eloquence; the adherent god of skalds. You have the Runes carved on your tongue. Your inspiration is enhanced by a drink from the glorious mead. Our oath to you, as we partake upon your silver cup called Bregofull; we swear our never-ending faith and allegiance to the gods and ways of our ancestors. We stand firm with them as we live our lives to the fullest. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, BREGO, as we honor the Brego that resides in us all!
Die Wurtâ : Die Wurtâ , all three, are present at birth To weave our Fate from merriment to dearth. Urda, Werdanda and Sculd, the dark queens renowned; Glorious ladies ‘neath the Tree, work your mysteries in us now.
That which “was” we can clearly see. That which “is becoming” will form now in our deeds. That which “is owed”, will be, but we cannot yet see. We celebrate die Wurtâ , the Ladies Three, for all eternity
Forsizo; Heil to you, son of Paltar and Nanda! We call out to you in our time of legal need. You’re the god of justice and reconciliation. We know that justice is a double-edged ax. On the one side, if our argument is just, grant us the proper conclusion. On the other side, if our argument is fraudulent, mete-out justice accordingly. Whether in the court of legal proceedings or the court of public opinion, grant us the justice according to the rightness of our deeds. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, FORSIZO, as we honor the Forsizo that resides in us all!
Saga, you’re the goddess of history; part and parcel of our ever expanding past. Whisper to our hearts of the stories about our gods, our ancestors, our heroes and their glories. Be the resource for our memories should we ever forget from whence we come. Gently remind us that we all have a rich history from which to pull. For it is as we remember and respect the past can we deal with our present, knowing that we will some day have to deal with our spiritual debt. We honor you, Saga, as a repository for the basis of all that we are, all that we are coming to be, and all that our offspring will inherit from us. WE GIVE YOU A MOST HEART-FELT HEIL, SAGA, as we honor the Saga that resides in us all.
All you gods and goddesses bless and keep your Holy Folk. From the cold shadows of the glaciers to the colder shadows of space, always, we have been your people. Guide and guard your North Folk as you did in ages past. Wodan, give wisdom and craft to wits shaped by ice and fire that our foes be foxed. Donar, give us strength and the will to use it. Ing-Fro and Frouwa, give full wombs so that bodies will be found for the souls of heroes. Let your Northern Folk grow in number and in power, so that our kind may live, love, survive and thrive, not just today, not for a millennium, but for ever and ever! HEIL! HEIL!! HEIL!!!