Our family went out in the front yard to the big oak tree towards the North edge of the slope which has become a sacred spot for prayers and personal spiritual work and meditations. We took Ullr, Father Winter, His tasty offering of creamy, buttery grits, with heavy cream and maple syrup drizzled over the top.
We spoke to Him in thanks for the calmness and serenity of winter and the coming season on this shortest day of the year. He made it clear I was to come back and meditate with Him after we returned inside to finish our own breakfasts.
So, I gathered up a blanket and the large journey stone my mentor gave me a few years ago. I’ve been sitting with my feet on it at my desk lately, but was intuitively pulled to bring it outside to the sacred area ‘neath the oak tree and commune with Ullr for a while.
I took my plastic shoes off so as to better be in touch with the earth through natural fiber socks, sat on the journey stone and crossed my legs, and bundled the blanket around my lap since my pants were rather thin. I closed my eyes and began to talk to Ullr.
I was in His winter cottage in the snow white Forest of the Gods and Goddesses. We talked at His table next to His fireplace for a while. I can’t remember exactly all the words that were said, except that I was unburdening my anxieties from the last few weeks in talking to Him. I think He already understood and didn’t really feel the need to speak to me, but instead He led me outside into the snow, across the path in front of His cottage to the hotspring pool on the other side of the path.
Then I was completely surprised that He just pushed me into the hot pool of water surrounded by snow! My head bobbed up as I blew a strawberry from my lips and wiped my hands up and over my face and hair to clear away the dripping water. Ullr’s message was pretty much, “You’ve worked with Velamo to cleanse yourself already, you have work to do, here’s the water again – feel the warmth, feel that you are cleansed, it’s done. Now get out and let’s go back inside.” He wrapped something around me since it was bitter cold, then we went back in and I understood more of why He wanted to talk with me.
My wet clothes were hung across a string in the small space to dry as the fire warmed the one room cottage. I sat wrapped warmly in the dry blanket waiting for my own clothing to dry again – I specifically remember the socks dripping on the line. Everything was warm and felt good and whole.
Ullr was teaching me that life is going to have challenges, but that we shouldn’t get so hung up with anxiety over them that we allow it to distract us from what’s really important – the life mission of bringing more light into the world, easing suffering, and standing between the tide of darkness for the innocent. He was very humorous and lovingly showing me to “Suck it up and just get back to work, girl!”
Hail Ullr, God of Winter! Thank you for showing me that the winters (or challenges) of life are pretty insignificant compared to the holy calling of work with the Gods and Goddesses to help make our reality better each day than it was the day before.
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