Four Cycles

Their are four cycles that all people are trapped in; the external, the inherent, the imposed, and the internal.

1. The external cycle is the cycle that we encounter every day; traffic, school, taxes and on a broader scale the season.
2. The second cycle is the inherited cycle this cycle is the one were born into. Some would call it fate or luck, the aspects of this cycle are poverty, blindness, birth defects and other problems of the body and mind that one had no choice in.
3. The third cycle is the imposed cycle, this cycle is the one that we place on ourselves or is placed on us by others. Slavery, drunkenness, addiction and diet.
4. The last and fourth cycle is the internal cycle this cycle is the mental and spiritual struggle that one confronts every day. This cycle is in all peoples of faith weather they be Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or pagan. In this cycle we struggle to understand the divine and the workings of said entities. In this cycle we look into the mirror and see what one may not want to see. In this cycle people of faith are bombarded with the constant attacks of thous who may not understand a chosen or called path. The warriors of this cycle are depression, self doubt, the ignorance of others and the ignorance of once's self.

All these cycles can be broken in time some apoun death while others with day to day thought. One way of doing this is to recognize recurring destructive thoughts. By picking up on the patterns of thought one can then break one of the four cycles. Example a person wakes up in the morning and always stubs their toe in the doorway. Sooner or later said person figures out the gig and steps over the high ledge in the doorway thus ending the cycle. The same concept applies but to destructive thought.
What is destructive thought; ideas that can lead to ones harming of oneself and others. When destructive thought is recognized by either oneself or by others the next step is to ask oneself "why do I think like this?" then one must be willing to find, contemplate and hear the variety of issues that causes the thought. When the issue is recognized then one can deal with the issues that are the cause of the destructive thought. As thinking people who are trying to reach some sort of serenity before they die, we must always fight, contemplate and remove these destructive thoughts. We have to be like Thor, a half god half giant who is always fighting he's fate. For like Thor, who in the final battle of Ragnarok destroys the mid-gard serpent we ourselves must fight our chaos. Like Thor we must be willing to fight this chaos even if it leads to our own destruction. By doing so we become better then thous who refuses to understand themselves and live a life blinded by their own willful ignorance. When one try's to understand themselves they become ready to change, to grow, to become better then they were before. It is like a toddler who can then walk, run and explore the world around them. Thous who refuse to understand themselves and others are like the toddler unwilling to move on unwilling to find peace. When the cycle's are broken peace can then be found, for me peace comes with having a job and simply living my life. For others it may be a more complex peace but remember that peace is different for all. Below is an image of the four cycles.

The Prayer

The Prayer

I believe in the Fire

I believe in the rain

I believe in the earth

I believe in the oak

the sycamore

the cypress

the redwood

the holly

the willow

and the birch

I believe in Odin

All-father, traveler of nine worlds

May he slaughter the serpent and ward off evil

I believe is Fryr god of peace and prosperity

May he bring peace and prosperity to me and thous around me

I believe in Thor god of the sky, god of thunder, god of lightning

may he give me strength and endurance in my upcoming work

I thank the gods for what they have given me

I thank the gods for what they have taken from me

I thank the gods for what they will give me

and I thank the gods for what they will from me

I thank the gods for the breath that I breath and I thank the gods for the earth that I walk

I thank the gods for the body in which I, my spirit, resides

I thank the gods for all that has been done and will be done.

May Odin Grant me wisdom

May Fryr grant me peace

and may Thor grant me strength in my upcoming work.

“I am a Pagan a stone in the sacred circle balanced on the earth open to the winds of the gods forever enduring.” -DJ Conway

As it is as it always will be.

The Seven Selves

The Seven Selves

1. The Masculine: The aspects of this self are hard to define seeing as how society plays such a large role in the shaping of what it means to be masculine so what I write may not be the ultimate definition. With that said these are the masculine characteristics I've found in myself. Comradery is an aspect of masculinity, companionship in the face of obstacles, needless self sacrifice for an idea, the attainment of wealth and the blindness that comes with it. Pigheadedness, sacrifice for the betterment of the whole, commitment to an idea no matter how far down hill it appears to be going. Wild frivolity in the natural world. The need to make a name for oneself, hopeless depression when this need is not met. The drive to push oneself beyond capacity, stubbornness, over barring dominance, onesidedness, giving and passionate anger.

2. The Feminine: This aspect is going to be bias seeing as how I am not a female these are just aspects I recognize in myself and observed in other. Over barring protection, child blindness, the unwillingness to let go, kindness to strangers, shallowness, selective memory and repetitive nagging. Forgiveness, protection of ones own, self sacrifice for ones own, crippling self confidence issues, acceptance, and jealousy. Other aspects of this side are compassion, relationships beyond the physical or some sort of gain, caring, color blindness, non-judgmental, patients and scorn.

3.The Destructor: This aspect of this self are pain, selfish acts of violence and death. This aspect thinks only of the death of thous who have done them wrong. The destructor aspect of oneself also comes the need to survive. The will to kill in order to preserve oneself, to this aspect comes the will to preserve. Greed want beyond reason and pleasure in the unwilling pain of others.To the destructor aspect the need to survive and continue.

4. The Creator: This aspect of this self is the making of order to bring peace to ones self, bringing life to make life. Creation of order to bring harmony to ones environment. Procreation, the combining of two things to bring forth life. The slaying of something for the continuation of life. Music, art, poetry the ability to seemingly pull ideas out of nowhere. The development of thought, problem solving, the need to care for something. The ability to make things grow. The changing process from seed to plant. Evolution of mind and body.

5.The Uninhibited: The aspects of this self are lust, unbridled passion, love in the moment, quick unthinking anger, unstoppable desire, unmoderated consumption of pleasurable food and drinks. The uninhibited aspects of ones self has a constant need to consume, with this aspect the thought of why does not exist only the desire and the drive to continue to be uninhibited. This aspect strives for unthinking stimulation moving from one action of pleasure to the next. It does not have goals in the larger since but lets the tide of the present carry it. The uninhibited also has the ability to stay in the moment and to love without social disgression or stigma.

6.The Liberated: The liberated Self is the highest form of self one can attain in this lifetime. Aspects of this state of being are unknown but through meditation, prayer, offerings to the Gods/Goddesses and humility to such beings one can attain pieces of what it means to be liberated. For example some would consider freedom from earthly pain and eternal calm as liberation. All people no matter their similarity with one an other have a unique view of what it means to become liberated. Being out of ones self could be considered a liberated state or the breaking of one self destructive cycle could be considered liberated.

7. The Eternal: The eternal self is the part of the human that carries on after one dies. It is neither changing nor unchanging. Like water this self can be formed into a shape and frozen but it's still two hydrogen one oxygen and will eventually go back to it's original state. This self is unaffected by the processes of physical action or thought. It is ambivalent and in reality the purpose, if any, is still unknown.

Rules and Beliefs.

If you follow this way you can leave at anytime this way is a choice as it was for me. If you choice to follow what has been laid out for you and take the wisdom I am giving to heart then I applaud you and hope that these prayers enrich your faith. If you follow this way of thought know that it is religion. It comes from the Nordic cultural belief system and although it's practices are new it is truly a pagan way of belief. As with all religions their are certain rules and modes of thought that one has to follow these modes of thought are as such.

1. Their is a spiritual self.
2. Humans are creatures of polarity.
3. Birth and death are physical states of being.
4. True birth comes when you know your spiritual self.
5. True death is when you are forgotten.
6. Weather spiritually or physically there is something above you.
7. Everything living has a god to it.
8. There is an underlying current to everything and that current is unbreakable.
9. Reincarnation and the afterlife are realities. They exist deal with it.

Their are tenants in this way and if you follow this way you will follow these tenants to the best of ones ability these tenants are as follows:

1. Be honest.
2. Be polite.
3. Deal with the problems as they arise.
4. Always ask questions.
5. Take pride but do not boast.
6. Defend yourself if attacked but don't seek bodily harm on others.
7. Never give up but don't continue a loss cause.
8. Except the mistakes you have made learn and move on.
9. Give only as much as you think you should give.

These are the beliefs and tenants of the Elhaz they are for the way of the Elhaz not for the governing of society. For society should never be governed as religion is governed and the two should always be separate if you follow the way of the Elhaz you too also believe this.

The Way of Elhaz

Elhaz, also known as Algiz is a rune which meaning is either prayer, protection, elk or life. To some in the mystical community it means either a priestess or a witch but seeing as how I am neither a female nor a Wicca this rune means something else something found in all religions, prayer. This blog is entirely dedicated to way of prayer and meditation to the Gods and Goddesses of the Norse pantheon. The deities these prayers and meditative practice are pertaining to are Odin, Thor, Ingwaz, Njord and Tyr. All of these prayers and poems have come to me from them and are to them. I write these prayers as a duty to my fellow community of pagans. This blog also contains runic prayers, yes prayers, and wise sayings. This way is not for the shiftless this way is for thous who truly believe in the gods. If you truly believe than welcome my knowledge and way is your knowledge and way but if you do not believe please do not use any of the prayers that I have written down here. You can choose to stay or leave.