Up a mountain to meet a goddess: How I spent my New Year

Happy New Year Everyone =) I know it's been awhile since I posted but I am here to share with you a wonderful experience I had last night!

But first a little back story:

For a very long time I knew I was a healer, I just did not know what kind of healer I was. My mother has a healer's touch, she has the gift of soothing people just by laying her hand(s) on them. I have a passion for herbs & their uses, both magically & medicinally. I'm an aspiring wort-cunner & I find so much joy in wondering the fields near my house & studying the flora I come across (as well as the local fae & nature spirits). Some time during the year I came across this image:

Eir by Meredyth on deviantART

This image stuck home to me, and from then on I was pursuit of a form of energy healing that was for me.

I tried Reiki, I had no trouble with channeling energy, but then energy never came from the heavens, but from the Earth it's self. So I focused on that & practiced when ever I could. I later identified this energy as Nwyfre. Nwyfre is the druid word for life force/chi/ki/prana. When I felt confident in my ability I started doing long-distance healing rituals (from my inner realm) when the need arose. I'd gather the nwyfre into my heart-centre then send in down into my palms & give it to my spirit raven, Eir (you'd think I would of figured out the connection there, but nope!) Then Eir my raven would take the nwyfre in her claws & we'd fly to the person in need of healing & like the picture above apply the nwyfre to the ailment. 

   Anywho, back to the journey. Eir has be nudging me for the pass month. She kept popping up everywhere, showing an interest in me (Cernunnos has too, but that's for another post!). She even giving me a glimpse of herself. She wore a green norse style dress (like this one) She has waist long strawberry-blonde hair, which she wore partly up & she has the kindest and warmest smile I have ever seen. So I began doing research, and the more I read the more amazed at what I found. There were so many connections to her, (you can read more about her here) Copper, wort-cunning, energy healing, herb magic, healing with rune, even one of her sacred animal is a raven. So I knew I had to go see her & I decided that the Dark Moon that fell on the New Year would be the best time to do it. On New Year's Eve I place on my altar the Cow from my Druid Animal Oracle, cow is her most sacred animal (I always have the raven card on my altar because Raven is my power animal) and I added the Comfrey card from my Druid Plant Oracle, comfrey, as well as marshmallow, is her sacred herb. In a small pot caved from stone & decorated with a pretty flower on it's lid, I placed a marshmallow flower & some chamomile (it was a plant used by the Norse for healing so I thought it was an appropriate offering) I also put out 3 of my healing runes which are connected to her, Berkano, Uruz & Laguz. My choice of meditation music was Wardruna's Runaljod-Gap Var Ginnunga 

And so I began my journey...

   Once in my inner realm & in my cabin (my inner sacred space) I prep for the journey, I packed my bag with gifts for her; a bread cow, a drinking horn full of milk, a sphere of Gaia stone (Helenite), a clear quart toward, in white cloth I wrapped fresh comfrey, chamomile & marshmallow, securing them with green ribbon. I wore my green robe & placed around my necklace a pendant with the rune 'Berkano' on (I felt compelled to do so) I put on my tool belt & adorn my forest green cloak. Having injured myself in the outer world (I twisted my ankle) the pain of it penetrated my alter mind state, so I took up my blackthorn stang to help me walk. With Eir my raven as always perched on my left shoulder & Erma my she-lynx pressed against my left side, we set off into the fading evening light (my inner world it always one of 3 'betwixt' times, dusk, midnight or dawn). We walked down the hillside to the bottom of the valley where the Old Willow River runs, this is the river I cross to enter the Shaman Lower World. I follow the river East, and walk for a long time, at one point I stopped & collected some river water in a small glass vial. The river become thinner & thinner until it was no more then a trickling creek, I could hear crickets chirping loudly which made me look up across the creek to find Lyfja-Berg, the mountain in which Eir resides. We crossed the creek & made our way to the foot of the mountain & our ascension. I have no idea how long I was climbing, I remember the feel of shape rock cutting & slicing the soles of my bare feet, on top of the constant ache in my twisted ankle. What made me stop was a light in the distance which turned out to be a campfire, I made my up & decided to rest once I reached the fire. Once beside the fire I ate dumpling & drank grape juice, I also took a sip of river water I had collected earlier & felt revitalized by it's freshness. Then I set about treating the wounds on my feet. From one of the pouches on my tool belt I produced a salve made from comfrey, yarrow & plantain, and rubbed the soothing balm into my soles. I rested by the fire for a long while, I hadn't released that it was midnight until I looked around at the darkness that surrounded us, I could still hear crickets chirping. All of a sudden I felt a surge of nwyfre (both in the inner & outer realm) my hands felt suddenly felt very hot, as if I had held them in a fire; in the inner realm I examined my palms, on my left palm was the rune Algiz and on my right palm was the rune Laguz. In the outer world my palms of their own accord began to slowly rise off my chest. When finally stop I place them together in pray postions & I could "feel" the rune Berkano inbetween & around my palm. Then when it felt right, I placed my hand by my sides. 

In the inner realm the campfire sudden when out & we (myself, Erma the lynx & Eir the raven) were plunged into darkness, part of my knew I had to continue on with no aid of light. So we rose and continued our climb up the mountain. After a time the wind started up violently out of nowhere, nearing blowing my poor raven Eir away, I managed to snagged her from the air in time & held her tightly to my chest, Erma took up refuge behind me. I planted my stang into the earth & stood my ground. Part of my wanted to turn back, the darkness had become eerie & unnerving, like something was lurking in the night, I could hear angry crows in the nearby trees. Then out of the darkness came Roe my spirit fox he trotted up the hill & some feet away looked back at me with a look saying "well come on then, what are you waiting for?" Then Airmid & Isis my spirit wolves were by my sides, and Rohan my spirit stag was stood behind me. I was filled with a rush of strength & confident which I knew was from Cernunnos, and so together we continued the climb to the mountain's peak. After a while the wind died down & was gone like it had never been. Fireflies appeared & made a trail up the mountain side, we followed, and I began to hear the song of birds at dawn. Looking up I saw a huge Viking Hall and sure enough morning was streaking across the sky behind the building. I paused in awe of the structure, I was hesitant to move and was flooded with sudden doubt. "What if Eir wasn't there?" "What if this whole journey was for nothing?" I took a deep breath & exhaled heavily, pushing the doubt out with it. Then from out of the hall emerged a figure, wearing a green norse dress, carrying a basket at her hip & her strawberry-blond hair hung in a braid over one shoulder, and there is she was, Eir. Upon noticing me standing there she flashed me a welcoming smile, and I hobbled my way up the rest of the way to her. I fell on my knees in front of her. "Oh Eir, I've come all this way to see you" I managed to say, I was completely overwhelmed with that fact that she was actually there. "I've bought you gift", my hand went to my back but was stopped by Eir landing her hand over mind & she looked at me with a warm smile as if saying "lets get you inside". She helped me rise to my feet & walked me into the hall. The interior was simple yet magnificent in it's seer size, the ceiling must of been at least 30 or 40 feet high. She sat me in one of the high-back chair around a huge long table & she walked out of the room. My animals had all piled in front of the large fire and I climb out of the chair & sat with them. They all crowded close, Rohan sat at my back, Eir (raven) on my shoulder, Airmid & Isis had their heads in my lap, Erma was stretched out in front of my & Roe was curled up asleep. When Eir (the goddess) return she was carrying a drinking horn which she handed to me with a smile, I drank the liquid rather quickly, it was warm milk sweeten with honey & a touch of mead (it warmed me up for sure!) I handed her the empty horn & then proceed to give her all the gift I had brought her. She received each with a a genuine smile and when I had emptied my bag she knelt beside me & hugged me as if we were sisters. I then expressed my thanks and gratitude to her, explaining to her how the image of her had helped me to discover my healing gift. I showed her my palms, still bearing the runes from earlier, she took my hands in her's and held him, instant cause a stir of nwyfre in me. Then I looked up at her & asked the question I had been working up to ask, would she teach me the healing art? Her eyes light up & she beamed her most brilliant smile yet, nodding eagerly...

After that my music skipped & the song that came on jerked me out of mind state. But I was so happy, I have been accepted by a goddess of healing, something I have wanted since I started my path, and I cannot wait to see what Eir has to teach me

Eir - goddess of healing by Nicole Cadet on deviantART

Green Blessings /|\

Raven Dreamer