The Northern Feminine

24/04/2022

OFFERINGS
How do you sit with the spirits of wind and rain, of fire and earth? Of space and time? What parts of the land calls to you, beckons you to sit and listen to the heartbeat of Jörð? Sometimes it can be something as simple as sitting under an Oak tree, feeling it’s wisdom whisper.
How do you make offerings? 🌀✨🌀

08/03/2022

06/03/2022

“Cure yourself, with the light of the sun and the rays of the moon.

With the sound of the river and the waterfall.

With the swaying of the sea and the fluttering of birds.

Heal yourself, with the mint and mint leaves,

with neem and eucalyptus.

Sweeten yourself with lavender, rosemary, and chamomile.

Hug yourself with the cocoa bean and a touch of cinnamon.

Put love in tea instead of sugar and take it looking at the stars

Heal yourself , with the kisses that the wind gives you and the hugs of the rain.

Get strong with bare feet on the ground and with everything that is born from it.

Get smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with the eye of your forehead.

Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier.

Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember… you are the medicine. “

- Maria Sabina

Healer
~
Painted by Heather Mclean

25/02/2022

As we move toward the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, the Cailleach sings:
Who is the hare that changes shape?
Who is the hag that becomes a hare?

“Nine haws,
nine knots,
a hag stone bound in red.
Eyes closed,
I sang archaic words upon the charm.
Damp earth-scent replaces turf smoke
I diminished
I re-formed
A twitch of whiskers then I was off
across the silvered land
Past lone tree,
mound and sacred well
Around the hag’s hill
then spiraling far beyond
Fulfilling work begun at Equinox.
The cycle ended I sensed the wholeness in the land.”

~ Jane Brideson, © Jane Brideson 2018
“Into a Hare”
http://theeverlivingones.blogspot.com/p/the-c.html?m=1
Visit this link 👆🏼for more wonderful information!

Art: Andrea Redmond
Painting represents Biddy Early, a renowned Irish witch.
Cailleach Moon Cottage
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100034784932160

18/02/2022

04/02/2022

Paulina Bujytė-Laučinskienė, g. 1934, iš Vilniaus krašto, Mištūnų kaimo Šalčininkų rajone pasakoja apie tradicinę autentišką dzūkų maldelę mėnuliui, kurią ją...

03/02/2022

Marzanna/Morana – Slavic Goddess of Winter, Pestilence, and Death
Stories about the cycle of the seasons vary (and primary sources are basically non-existent), but a prominent tale is that of her marriage with Jaryło/Yarilo/Gerovit – her twin brother and a spring, war, and agriculture god.
It was said that Marzanna was a daughter of Perun, god of thunder, and Mokosz/Mokosh, the Great Mother. In this story, she was once a nature goddess. When she was young, Jaryło was stolen by the god Weles and taken to the underworld of Nawia/Nav. When he returned, the twins did not know they were related, so they fell in love and were married.
This marriage between Marzanna’s nature and Jaryło’s agriculture brought balance in nature and also peace (temporarily) between Perun and Weles. But then Jaryło committed adultery. Marzanna killed him for his betrayal, turning her bitter and making her the winter deity we know today. This split is the reason for the seasons, as Marzanna kills Jaryło in autumn, and he along with a spring goddess (usually either Dziewanna or Żywia/Vesna) kills her in the spring. The cycle continues annually, and neither can exist for long while the other survives.
This story shows a bit of tragedy that is often lacking in many mythological stories. While Marzanna is feared, she has a human element of desiring revenge and having her heart broken. An important note is that most gods in Slavic mythology had a fear and a worship element to them. Marzanna was feared for the death and disease she wrought, but she was also a crucial part of the world’s cycle. Though the goddess was definitely not the most praised, she was recognized because of both this fear and her important role.


more:
https://brendan-noble.com/marzanna-morana-goddess-of-winter-pestilence-and-death/


art by irenhorrors

21/01/2022

Our 17th episdoe is now live! Check out our chat with School of Seidr founder Naomi!
https://thenorthernfeminine.wordpress.com/2022/01/21/episode-17-chat-seidr-with-naomi/

IN episode 17 we chat with Naomi, founder and teacher at The School of Seidr. What a lovely honor it was to hear all about seidr, its practice and history, and how it has evolved over the last thou…

16/01/2022

Have you checked out our Creators page lately? It showcases all the amazing people we have interviewed with links to their shops!
Folks like Úlfsvættr Craftsman Shop and Silna_Herba!

thenorthernfeminine.wordpress.com/creators/

On this page we feature the various craftsmen, wildcrafters, artists, and magic workers that we have chatted with. We hope that you choose to support independently owned creator shops. ulfsvaettr c…

16/01/2022

January's Finnish name (tammikuu) reflects its placement in the middle of winter. In some dialects 'tammi' (oak) means the heart, the center of something, or the pole or axis. Tammikuu is therefore a month located in the center of winter. The 'heart of winter', consisting of January and February, was seen as a single period. January is the first of these ’heart-months’, also called the Big Tammi, whereas February was known as the Little Tammi.
According to another view, the name of January comes from the fact that January (oak-month) is the hardest time of the year and oak is the strongest of trees. January has traditionally been considered the best time for cutting wood for building houses and tools. It was said that a tree cut down in January is particularly strong. It does not rot easily, does not get moldy or infested with larvae nor does it crack easily.
January's strength is not only reflected in the wood. The month was not considered a good time for starting any larger work, but all things acquired or received during the month were said to be strong and sufficient. Strings for fishnets, among other things, were spun during the heart-months so that nets would be as strong as possible.
January begins a lengthy season without feasts, the so-called ’back weeks’ or ’ox weeks’. During the heart of winter, nature is sleeping. Nothing is growing, and it was said that even domestic animals need less food during these months. However, in nature, something is happening: bears give birth in their winter nests and burbots begin to swim towards their spawning areas.
January and February are the coldest months of the year. It was said that mild January was followed by a cold February. ”If there is slush in January, February will get revenge”. If the weather was stable in January, weather conditions were expected to become unstable in February. The daily weather changes were announced by the crows in the yard. If a crow croaked in the morning during the heart-months, there would be mild weather, if in the evening, there would be frost.
Mild January was thought to forecast a good harvest. This was because the growing season would be longer: the earth would not become so deeply frosted and waters would have thinner ice, meaning that nature would awaken faster to a new growth season. On the other hand, at least in Northern Finland it was also speculated that mild January would mean cold weather in July. Mild weather and rain were seen as a good thing in many areas, because ”if it rains in January, one can successfully sow even to the swamp”.
Translation: Anssi A./Taivaannaula
https://www.facebook.com/taivaannaula/photos/a.379403712092868/5099460183420507/

12/01/2022

Tomorrow, 12th, in Norwegian lore
Hokunótt
Primstav-mark ~ snow
~~~
Midwinter day. The day between the first day of winter (14th of October) and first day of summer (14th of April). Scholars do argue that Hókunótt is on the 12th or 14th, but that has mostly to do with calculations and transference to our modern calendar.

The jól-blot occured around this time, with feasting going on throughout the day and coming night. All the food and ale from the past feasts should be layed out today. Any candles left over, should be placed around the table. All candle stubs would be put in special boxes, as they held particularly healing properties on this day and it would be kept harnessed if placed in a beautiful wooden box, so that it could be used for healing of man and animals throughout the year.

First and last was offered to Oðin, Freya and Thor. Special offerings would be presented too and many had different rituals performed.

Both winter and the hibernating bears would now roll over to the other side.
For weather it meant the harshest winter was yet to come, with freezing winds and ice expected.
The bear would turn in the den and have a very sensitive day. It was easily woken and one should not venture near any known dens, because it would be extremely angry if woken.
Only a naked woman could get it back in the den, according to lore, out of shame of seeing a naked woman.

Everything you do today has to be done in the direction of Sunna's travel across the sky.
Food and drink must be passed from left to right, work should be done facing Sunna and so forth. If not you could reverse her travels indefinitely.
Walking backwards on this day would also reverse her travels and bring you nothing but misfortune, there was no remedy for that.

Tomorrow we move into the fourth winter month : Þorri.

According to the sagas this was the men's month. Each man could choose his special day, where his wife had to treat him extra well.
If it was bad weather on that day, bad fortune would fall on him, and vice versa.
As it was the men's month, women should not argue with men nor cause strife. The women should be gentle with the men in her family.

[don't worry: next month is women's month 😊]

Þorrablot also happened now in some places, dates do vary. It was custom for the female head of household to invite Þorri into her home, like any special guest would be greeted.
There was a celebration dance for Þorri in some areas, performed by the heads of the household.

Þorri is Frost's month, and the name is also used for bare ground that is frozen solid.

19/12/2021

Episode 16 records tomorrow! We will be chatting with of ❤️ 🍄 🌲 I cannot wait to delve into this wild woman’s wisdom. Sil is a hedge rider, a walker between worlds, and a plant healer. The light she puts into the world is beautiful and we can’t wait to share it with you all. 🤍🌲🍄🤍🌕

04/12/2021

Excited to announce .ulfrsson will be joining us this Sunday for our next episode! A master craftsman and Naval veteran, Erikír has been making videos on Norse paganism on Instagram to educate the community with total honesty and humor. We can’t wait to share our talk with him! 🌲🍄🌲 Until then, check out his Instagram and website!

20/11/2021

“To be heathen means to belong to the wild, to take our lessons from the natural world, and to be nourished by what we fundamentally are rather than what we are told we must be.”

~ Danielle Dulsky , “The Holy Wild: A Heathen Bible for the Untamed Woman”
danielledulsky.com

Art by Ajna Art
Ajna Art
www.linktr.ee/Ajna_art

16/11/2021

P E R C E P T I O N
What do you see at the last light of day? How do you feel as the sun sinks below the trees, and the stars come out to play? Or as the seasons change, and the cold winds blow in, do you huddle inside or greet it like a friend you haven’t seen in awhile?
The beauty in death takes my breath away every year. The way in which nature revels in its own preparations, with or without our help. The crunch of leaves, the shock of colder air, and the teasing glimpses of frost in the early mornings. Do you let yourself enjoy them? Allow yourself to be transformed with each season. Embrace each nook and cranny of your psyche, making friends if not lovers with the aspects of self you’d rather hide from. That’s what this time represents, from the Autumn Equinox to the Winter Solstice: a time to dig into our deaths, big or small, and befriend ourselves again, in as many ways as we can. Let the sun set on who you think you are, and let the darkness and stillness reveal to you your depths.
-AAYLA

30/10/2021

😂😂😂

30/10/2021

M E D I T A T I O N
We’ve been talking about this a lot and how it pertains to our daily practice and rituals. Meditation isn’t just sitting at an altar, in nature, or a sacred space. It can also be drowning out the mental noise with ambient music and running. That feeling of pushing your body just a bit farther than you thought you could, perseverance against the “I am done” or “I can’t keep going” that cycles in our minds as we use this Earthly temple given to our souls. Using the sacred breath, the life force graced to us, to focus the mind and tune into HOW the body moves, how does it feel, how can you adjust your stride, your grip, your posture? It’s so much more than sitting. There’s something sacred about just BEING with your body.
How will you be within your temple, your body, your flesh and bone, this weekend? How will your honor the goddesses, your ancestors, the spirits, your body? Movement is sacred. Dance, Run, Jump, and just BE in yourself.
-Aayla

23/10/2021

On Jealousy and Sisterhood...

Woman-

When you envy another woman and covet what she possesses... instead of slinging hate or swallowing the bitterness that poisons your soul.. instead of trying to knock her down....

imagine worshipping her as an emanation of the Goddess.

Throw flower petals at her feet.

Anoint her belly and third eye.

Bow your head low to behold the beauty of this jewel.

The one she possesses that moves your heart so deeply it burns with the searing pain of wanting.

Pay respect to the frequency you admire so much it hurts.

Though your honest adoration and celebration has been spoiled for generations and twisted into hatred and resentment...

A legacy of scarcity and competition between women throughout the ages battling to survive...

Realize that the seed of this poison is profound devotion.

Wake up to the true heat of this wanting as your burning love for Her.

Get down low to the ground and expose your own heart to the passion of your longing.

This wild love wearing the drag of envy

Here in this position of aching humility

Of sincere and open yearning

No longer hiding behind the bitter mirror of your unlived life.

Let your pride die into the ground you lay on.

Anoint the goddess.

The goddess in the form of the woman you so badly want to hate.

Let envy Surrender to the flow of Desire.

Here is where you become open to become what you covet.

Here is where you become available to recieve.

Throw flower petals at the feet of your desire.

Be honest and humbled in your Awe.

This is how we heal the wound of sisterhood.

~ Maya Luna
Deep Feminine Mystery School
www.deepfemininemysteryschool.com

Art by Kimberly Rodriguez
IG:
www.linktr.ee/poetagoddess

15/10/2021

Episode 13 is now LIVE! Check us out! We have a special guest on to talk about the surprising ways deity reaches out to us!
https://thenorthernfeminine.wordpress.com/2021/10/15/episode-13-chat-with-mary/

Welcome to episode 13! Tea Recipe: Check out this link for an amazing homemade spicey chai tea. Seriously soooo good!

11/10/2021

Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!

🎨 Eloy Bida, “Life Cycle”
🪶🪶🪶

07/10/2021

¨Anger is an assertion of rights and worth. It is communication, equality, and knowledge. It is intimacy, acceptance, fearlessness, embodiment, revolt, and reconciliation. Anger is memory and rage. It is rational thought and irrational pain. Anger is freedom, independence, expansiveness, and entitlement. It is justice, passion, clarity, and motivation. Anger is instrumental, thoughtful, complicated, and resolved. In anger, whether you like it or not, there is truth.

Anger is the demand of accountability, It is evaluation, judgment, and refutation. It is reflective, visionary, and participatory. It's a speech act, a social statement, an intention, and a purpose. It's a risk and a threat. A confirmation and a wish. It is both powerlessness and power, palliative and a provocation. In anger, you will find both ferocity and comfort, vulnerability and hurt. Anger is the expression of hope.

How much anger is too much? Certainly not the anger that, for many of us, is a remembering of a self we learned to hide and quiet. It is willful and disobedient. It is survival, liberation, creativity, urgency, and vibrancy. It is a statement of need. An insistence of acknowledgment. Anger is a boundary. Anger is boundless. An opportunity for contemplation and self-awareness. It is commitment. Empathy. Self-love. Social responsibility. If it is poison, it is also the antidote. The anger we have as women is an act of radical imagination. Angry women burn brighter than the sun.

In the coming years, we will hear, again, that anger is a destructive force, to be controlled. Watch carefully, because not everyone is asked to do this in equal measure. Women, especially, will be told to set our anger aside in favor of a kinder, gentler approach to change. This is a false juxtaposition. Reenvisioned, anger can be the most feminine of virtues: compassionate, fierce, wise, and powerful. The women I admire most—those who have looked to themselves and the limitations and adversities that come with our bodies and the expectations that come with them—have all found ways to transform their anger into meaningful change. In them, anger has moved from debilitation to liberation.

Your anger is a gift you give to yourself and the world that is yours. In anger, I have lived more fully, freely, intensely, sensitively, and politically. If ever there was a time not to silence yourself, to channel your anger into healthy places and choices, this is it.¨ -Soraya Chemaly

Fury by Bettina Dupont

01/10/2021

Episode 12, Seasonal Shifts is now live!!
https://thenorthernfeminine.wordpress.com/2021/10/01/episode-12-seasonal-shifts/

Join Kaoðin and Thòra as they discuss how the change of the seasons affect them, their families, and their practices. Unfortunately Aayla was unable to record for the episode, but don’t …