Need:
• drinking horn
• mead (or beer or wine or even can use juice)
• spring water in small bowl
• fresh pine twig
• offering bowl
• candles
• wand (if you don’t have one you can use your fingers instead)
• Thor’s Ritual Hammer (optional, can use it for the Hammer Hallowings)
• Any representation of Odin
• Any representation of ancestors
• Any representation of any one is now dead that you admire, in particular those you admire for their wisdom.
• Halloween type decorations and anything related to death and the dead
• Any symbols for wisdom or knowledge
• Any symbols for the after-life

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This ritual, as are all Heathen or northern rituals, is done while facing north, except where otherwise noted. The altar should be such that it is in front of you when you face north.

If you don’t know how to pronounce the runes see my webpage on how to pronounce them here.

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Put spring water in small bowl. Trace 3 Laguz runes over it.:

“LAGUZ… LAGUZ… LAGUZ”

“From the Well of Wyrd does this water flow, and to the Well of Wyrd does it return”

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Make Hammer Sign at item and then splash each ritual item with blessed water using the pine twig and for each item say:

“I bless this ______ with the waters of the Well of Wyrd”

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Now trace Hammer Sign at person being blessed and/or self and splash them with water using twig.

“I bless ______ with the waters of the Well of Wyrd”

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Use twig to splash ritual space with water.

“I bless this space with the waters of the Well of Wyrd”

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Few silent deep breaths.

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All stand in Elhaz position.

“Bi-Frost’s rainbow light shine down upon this space and myself so that I may form a portal between the worlds of Asgard and Midgard”

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Few silent deep breaths.

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All face north and trace the Hammer Sign while chanting:

“Hammer in the north hallow and ward this stead”

All turn east and trace the Hammer Sign while chanting:

“Hammer in the east hallow and ward this stead”

All turn south and trace the Hammer Sign while chanting:

“Hammer in the south hallow and ward this stead”

All turn west trace the Hammer Sign while chanting:

“Hammer in the west hallow and ward this stead”

All return to north and look up and trace Hammer sign while chanting:

“Hammer above hallow and ward this stead”

All look below and trace Hammer sign while chanting:

“Hammer below hallow and ward this stead”

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Return to facing north and all stand in the Elhaz position and chant:

“Around me and within me Asgard and Midgard”

and move into the Dagaz position in the end.

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Few silent deep breaths.

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(Highly recommended optional casting of the rune ring)

(face north and trace the rune shape in the air before you using your wand and loudly chant: “FEHU!”)

(face north-east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “URUZ”)

(face east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “THURISAZ”)

(face south-east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “ANSUZ”)

(face south and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “RAIDHO”)

(face south-west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “KENAZ”)

(face west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “GEBO”)

(face north-west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “WUNJO”)

(face north and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “HAGALAZ”)

(face north-east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “NAUDHIZ”)

(face east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “ISA”)

(face south-east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “JERA”)

(face south and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “EIHWAZ”)

(face south-west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “PERTHRO”)

(face west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “ELHAZ”)

(face north-west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “SOWILO”)

(face north and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “TIWAZ”)

(face north-east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “BERKANO”)

(face east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “EHWAZ”)

(face south-east and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “MANNAZ”)

(face south and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “LAGUZ”)

(face south-west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “INGWAZ”)

(face west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “DAGAZ”)

(face north-west and trace the rune shape and loudly chant: “OTHALA”)

(Few silent deep breaths)

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Hold up the bottle of mead:

“I now brew the holy mead of inspiration. Won by high Odin long ago!”

Chant into the bottle of mead:

“Odhroerir! Son! Bodhn!”

“Now I hallow this drink with staves of light!”

Chant and trace these runes over the bottle:

“Othala”

“Dagaz”

“Raidho”

“Ansuz”

“Raidho”

“Isa”

“Elhaz!”

All say:

“Hail Odhroerir!”

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Few silent deep breaths.

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“Hail Odin! Husband of Frigg. All-father. Father of battle. One-eyed god. Many-shaped. Wanderer. Hanged god. Raven god. Spear-thruster. Wish-bringer. Galdr-father. Graybeard. Deep hood. Thief of Odhroerir. Kinsman of Mimir. Lord of the Wild Hunt. Yule rider. Finder of the Runes. God of the Gautar. Ruler of Valhalla!”

“Hail to my ancestors, both known and unknown. Those of my line going all the way back to the beginning, on up to most recent of times. Both men and women, alfar and disir, whom previously had a human form. Those whom I know, as well as those I do not. Those also whom are the ancestors of all humans living now. All humans that have made the journey of life before my time, and now reside in the realm beyond the living. Hail to the ancestors of all! Hail also to the ancestors of my family line! Hail to the ones that guide me. Hail also to the ones that protect me.”

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Few silent deep breaths.

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“Now is a time in which the rhythms of life turn inward, towards contemplation and trying to understand the deeper mysteries of life and towards the gathering of and seeking out of knowledge. It is through the ancestors and those humans that have come before us that we have all the knowledge which we have in human society. Those who have gone before us are the ones that have created the traditions and knowledge which we as humans rely upon to meet all of our needs, such as how to grow and create food, how to build protective shelters for living in, how to make clothing so that our human bodies are protected from the elements, how to survive the seasonal cycles in all different areas of the planet, what dangers to avoid and how to avoid them, and how to keep our human society functioning and going. We humans are the only animal that can not survive without knowledge. Our very lives depend on knowledge of how to do so many things. Over hundreds of thousands of years humans have increased their knowledge to the point that we live with the current advantages which we have now.”

“It is due to the experience and wisdom of our ancestors, both those within our own family line, and the ancestors of all human beings, that we can live as well as we do in the modern times. Those that have gone before us have recorded their wisdom for us in language, in stories, in poetry, in tools, in fashion, in objects of art, in oral knowledge, in traditions, in music and song, in mathematics, in schools of learning, in books, in the recording of historical events, in objects from the past, in plays, in movies, in TV shows, in videos, in blue-prints, in engineering plans, in computer programs, and even in the bones of the dead. All these things are the sum total of human heritage and the source of our knowledge that allows us to survive and thrive as a species. By turning to the past and studying the wisdom of our ancestors we tap into that knowledge. We must honor the dead and those who have gone before us for all that they have given to us. As well it is important that knowledge is passed to others freely, for otherwise the work of so many becomes lost. It has taken us so long to get to the point we are at now as a species, it is important we not be greedy with our knowledge or hoard it away from others, for this impedes human survival and progress.”

“Odin as god of wisdom is often traveling to the realm of the dead to seek out the wisdom of the dead. We too must be like Odin and seek out the knowledge of our ancestors, the wisdom of the dead. At this time the focus of the seasons turns more towards this task of looking inward and to the past. Now is the time to look at all which you have done this season and look at what has worked for you and what has not. It is a time to ponder all lessons that are to be gained from what has been done this year, so that you may know better for next season how to increase the abundance of your life harvest. It may be a good time to record some notes regarding this, safely putting them away some place where they shall not be lost. Also this is a time when the veils between the realm of the living and the dead are at their thinnest, and thus a time in which the knowledge of the dead is more accessible. It is a good time to seek out the wise counsel of the ancestors and those that are now passed beyond the realm of the living. This is a good time to spend time reading books, and studying new things, and pursuing the gaining of knowledge in any form.”

“At this time ponder on what you have learned this year.”

Few silent deep breaths while pondering on this.
“Now consider what things you would like to do differently the next cycle”

Few silent deep breaths while pondering on this.

“Now think about those who have passed into the after life. Now is the time to think about anyone you may know who has died”

Few silent deep breaths while you think about those who have passed on.

“Now think about any wisdom or knowledge they may have for you.”

Few silent deep breaths while you think about this.

“Now is the time to give thanks for all that our ancestors have given to us and to honor the wisdom of the dead.”

(Fill drinking horn with mead and hold it up)

“Hail to all humans that have come before me. Hail to those of my family line, as well as all people of the past of all human family lines. I make this offering to you in thanks for the wisdom you have given us by the lives you have lived in the past. May your knowledge continue and enhance the life of both myself and all other humans alive now and all humans to come for all of eternity! Hail to the ancestors of all people!”

(Drink half the mead and pour out the rest as an offering to the ancestors of all humans.)

“Now is the time to honor Odin, the god of knowledge. Odin tirelessly seeks out the knowledge which all humans have worked to create for all of time. He is the god that seeks to gain and preserve knowledge and give it to others for the benefit of human society and human progress. He is the god who labors tirelessly to establish things in such a way that humans can continue and survive even after the end of this current cycle when Ragnarok comes and all begins again anew. He is the god that has discovered the runes through a difficult process of spiritual initiation so that they may be of benefit for gods and humans alike. He is the god that has made so many sacrifices for the sake of gaining of knowledge. We owe him much for all these things!”

(Fill drinking horn and hold it up)

“Hail Odin, god of the runes. God of knowledge and wisdom. You Odin are the one that frequently travels the worlds seeking to know more. Please guide me Odin in learning more and in applying knowledge in ways that are helpful to me. Please Odin help me to gain a deeper level of connection with all people of the past so that my knowledge may increase. Hail Odin!”

(Drink half the mead and pour out the rest to Odin.)

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Use the pine twig to splash a bit of the liquid in the offering bowl on yourself, on any others in the ritual with you, on your altar, on the ritual space, and in all general areas of your dwelling as well. Does not need to be much splashed around, just a little is fine. This helps to imbue more of the energies of the ritual on you, and others who may also in the ritual with you, and to your place.

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“Now my rite has ended. May all gathered here fare well on their return to their home places. And may the bonds of frith between us grow, gods, wights, and humans alike. Until we meet again.”

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Pour out the offerings from the offering bowl outside:

“A gift for a gift”

Trace gebo at spot offerings were given to.

“GEBO!”

Pour out remaining blessed water outside.

“I pour the sacred water back to the Earth so it may find it’s way back to the Well of Wyrd”

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Now at this point it is very important to ground your energies. This should always be done after every ritual. Not doing so can lead to problems in the long-run. Grounding is like shifting gears in a car, except it is the process of shifting brain states. During rituals you create a trance like brain state, which is desired for during rituals or for during any spiritual practices. But trance states are not good for doing everyday mundane things. You need to return your mind back to the normal state of consciousness after the ritual is finished. That is what grounding is.

The most simple and common method to ground is to visualize yourself as a tree and see roots growing into the ground from the base of your spine and going down into the earth. Sometimes rituals require industrial strength grounding as they can really create some intense energy. In that case you can try the following triple grounding method.:

First visualize your chakras. You picture in your mind closing first the top one and then seeing a sort of lid closing over it, then proceed with the net lower chakra and so on. You want to leave the bottom most chakra, the root chakra fully open as this is your connection to grounding. Don’t be concerned about having the others closed, the normal proper function of them is that they open and close as needed. Problems with being ungrounded happen when one of more of them are stuck open. Only the bottom one is to be left open at all times.

Next step is to picture a ball of pure white light above your head. Now let this white light slowly descent downward into your body and slowly move lower. As it descends it takes with it any unneeded, old, and negative energies. It is sort of sweeping downward through your energies taking all you no longer need with it. Once it reaches your feet let it move lower till it passes down through the floor. If you are on an upper close let it pass all the way to the ground. Let the earth take this energy to recycle it.

Now final step is to do the traditional grounding. Picture yourself as a tree. Visualize roots coming out of the base of your spine and going down into the Earth. Feel the calmness of a tree, the rooted solidness.

If after these three things you still feel hyper or spaced out you can either eat some food, or put a small amount of salt on your tongue. Another thing you can do is prostrate down to the ground, placing your head on the ground and stay like this for a few moments.

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Feel free to copy and use this ritual so long as you acknowledge the source.