December Pubmoot, Voryuul, Parade of Spirits 2022

 VORYUUL 2022

The Urglaawe observance of Voryuul begins at sunset on December 8, and observance of it is a hybrid event (in person in Bristol, PA and on Zoom) on Friday, December 9. The Parade of Spirits in Philadelphia on December 10. These are the darkest nights, and our tradition is one of confronting the shadowier sides of ourselves and embracing the reality of the totality of ourselves. It can be an illuminating time, but it can also shake up a lot of preconceived notions that we have about ourselves.

All are welcomed to join our hybrid event. If you live in the Philadelphia metropolitan area or in the Deitscherei/Pennsylvania Dutch Country and would like to attend in person, please contact me (Robert L. Schreiwer) directly on Facebook. 

Ritual Event Link (Facebook)

Please note that this event is preceded by a Monthly Heathen Pubmoot at the King George II Inn in Bristol, PA. The ritual itself will start at 6:30 with a walking processional (for those who are able to do so; others are welcomed to ride in vehicles -- and part of me is considering pulling the Buggy as part of the processional, but that might be consideration for next year.)

December Pubmoot Link (Facebook)

The ritual will continue from my house in Bristol, PA, at approximately 7:00 PM.

One of Voryuul's features is the Parade of Spirits in Liberty Lands Park in Philadelphia. This year, the Parade falls on Saturday, December 10, 2022. See site for more info.

Parade of Spirits - Der Geischderschtrutz - 2022

Berchtold, Berchtoldsdaag, Birth, and Rebirth

By Urglaawe reckoning, Berchtoldsdaag began at sunset on January 1 and ends at sunset tonight (January 2).

Berchtold, Berchtoldsdaag, Birth, and Rebirth

Berchtoldstag in Europe runs the entire calendar date of January 2, though there are years when it falls on a different date. Berchtholdstag is an Alemannic observance that takes place primarily in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Elsass (Alsace) and other areas where the population is primarily Alemannic. In Europe, the observance features some surviving traditions that were wiped out elsewhere by the Protestant Reformation. In Hallwil, in the canton of Aargau, people still dress up in costumes that symbolize fertility, age, ugliness, and vice. The parade participants are called Bärzeli.

One of the curious things about the Great Migration is that some of the aforementioned regions were large contributors to what became the Deitsch population. The Amish movement began in Switzerland and Alsace, so the best-known stereotype of the Pennsylvania Dutch is derived more from the Alemanni than from the Franks. My own family line has quite a few arrivals from Alemannic regions.

Berchtold has a scant presence in Deitsch lore collected over the last few years. All of the seven references that I have come from two places: the northern Deitscherei (Carbon and Monroe Counties in Pennsylvania) and the Ohio Deitscherei near Millersburg. Both of these areas had a significant migration with roots in Switzerland. Four of the people who provided any info had some Plain sectarian ancestry. Another approximately 10 to 12 interviewees either had heard the name Berchtold or Bechtel but knew nothing more.

Many sites make a connection between Berchtold and a saint, but just as many sites refute that saint connection and instead connect it to the verb "berchten," which means "to walk around asking for food." Such actions immediately make us think of Berchta (whose name actually means "bright," so we have a "chicken or the egg" quandary. It might well be that the verb with the meaning of asking for food was derived from Berchta's actions during Voryuul and Yuul.

Some folks consider whether the name Berchtold is a combination of Berchta and Holda, but the few who related anything about Berchtold were confident that He is a consort of Berchta.

Urglaawe Working Theories

Here's what we either know or are using as a working theory in Urglaawe. This is based on the lore and practices that survived (though not necessarily are intact) in Europe into the modern era combined with the tidbits turned up in the Deitscherei. This is heavily investigatory at this point.

- No one truly knows and can prove what happens prior to birth or after death. Some people might remember time in the womb, but, overall, the true mysteries of the human soul (for those of us who believe we each have at least one) relate to the arc of the cycle between death and rebirth.

- The true origins of some traditions (or remnants thereof) might be unrecoverable.

- Societies in which the dominant religion is most concerned with a finite existence in this realm and within linear time have a tendency to speculate frequently on what happens after death, but what happens prior to birth is of less concern. Religions that believe in (or at least give consideration to the possibility) that death is a transformation from one state of being to another frequently do give consideration to what happens prior to birth. For religions that believe in reincarnation, full-soul rebirth, or partial-soul rebirth, questions about the time between death and the preparation for the next life are critical to understanding the totality of existence.

- Yuul/Yuulzeit end at sunset on 1. Hadding (January 1 on the solar calendar and January 2 on the Urglaawe lunar calendar); that ending brings Berchtoldsdaag (or Bechtelsdaag) and the beginning of Noochyuul. Berchtoldsdaag has only been related as a one-day observance. Noochyuul is a "season" that continues to run until sunset on 1. Hanning (February 1 on the solar calendar or February 2 on the Urglaawe lunar calendar). At that time, Noochyuul ends and the twelve-night observance of Entschtanning begins, with Grundsaudaag (Groundhog Day) as the first holiday within the Entschtanning season.

- The uncertainty around the "Berchtold" of the observance leads us to go with the premise that, since these traditions are of pre-Christian origin, there is a possibility of a Germanic Heathen deity being involved. We are moving on the presumption that Berchtold is a Heathen god who is the consort of Berchta and who plays a role in some functions of the birth/rebirth phase of spirals and helixes of existence.

- There was a speculation by some interviewers that the allegory of the wheel of life puts Berchtoldsdaag in play at a moment that is already known in lore elsewhere: The end of Yuul brings about a change in observances and events that are derived from depictions of the Wild Hunt. Prior to Berchtoldsdaag, depictions of the Hunt are oriented toward death; costumes are dark and scary, etc. However, at and after Berchtoldsdaag, parades still involve strange and wild costumes, but the promise of life anew brings hope to the dead, and the depictions (some of which are now huge events with faint -- yet visible -- ties to their Heathen origins) tend to feature brightly colored costumes, joy, and music. Some of these parades and depictions are less about the Wild Hunt and more about recognition of the world around them in the moment they are in and/or are intended to strengthen the chances for survival. 

- The cosmos are not beholden to our calendar, but calendars can help us to understand the greater mechanisms of the cosmos. For example, the use of a wheel of the year (es Yaahrsraad) as a metaphor to the cycle of life, death, and rebirth (es Lewesraad) is common in quite a few cultures, including within the understanding of time as non-linear among many Deitsch practitioners of the old ways. The Yaahrsraad underscores the complications of trying to jam linear time into a non-linear concept. The Yaahrsraad operates on a tilt. We have multiple "beginnings" on our linear calendar. Yuul is the beginning of the new solar year; the last day of Yuul is when the calendar flips to the new calendar year. At Berchtoldsdaag, the hope and promise of birth and rebirth set the stage for Entschtanning ("emergnce," or the "baby bump" phase of the birth/rebirth arc. Howeve, the definitive beginning of the new "spiritual year" for Urglaawer is Oschdre, or the Spring Equinox, when new life is free from the confines of the womb, the egg, or the chrysalis.

- The fact that the Wild Hunt is continuing even beyond Oschdre is a reflection of the fact that non-linear time does not have to begin, end, or ambulate by any dictations from creatures of only three dimensions (hearkening back to the Flatland and how two dimensional beings would interpret the three dimensional world).

- The depictions of the parades in Europe include some of the darker or less pleasant sides of the human experience. The rebirth phase of the Lewesraad is described as featuring the assembly of a new soul construct around the higher self and/or the Urleeg. Involved in the process of writing the Urleeg from one life to the next are the Wurthexe (cognates of the Wyrd Sisters or Norns). The Urleeg on the new soul construct is said to predispose one toward certain types of actions, although the application of the mind to improve one's Wurt is seen as one of the purposes of rebirth. Each lifetime is supposed to advance the human life wave on its evolution toward the perfected human. The perfected human, in short description, would be the achievement that the deities set out for us: to be at the end of this cosmic cycle where they were at the beginning of it.

- Thus, the working theory is that the depictions of human flaws and vice are important as part of the transmission of Urleeg and the need to learn from prior experience. Unfortunately, the experiences that a human has prior to birth or rebirth until about age 2 are largely inaccessible. Everything we have in any Germanic lore related to the arc of the cycle between death and rebirth is folkloric, which does not mean it is wrong. However, it does not automatically mean it is right, either. What if we Urglaawer are completely wrong (see the first paragraph with a “-“ in this post)? What if time really is finite and we are born to suffer and to die in a finite existence? In this post-modern era, we are fortunate enough to see indicators from science that time, space, energy, and existence are far more complex and amazing than anything other than metaphor has been able to explain until our technology became advanced enough to engage in quantifiable testing and observation. However, we still don't know a whole lot about ourselves.

- Working theory: Berchtold is a liminal god who is concerned with matters of Urleeg and construction of the soul. It is doubtful that He is alone in that function; if He were, more would likely have survived about Him as it did with Holle an Berchta. The process of sending souls through die Miehl is ongoing; the Wild Hunt's purpose is to seek lost souls and to put them back onto the Lewesraad, thus helping to increase human evolution. We observe the Wild Hunt from the end of Allelieweziel through Wonnezeit, but, in reality, people are dying and being born all the time. Thus, souls are being ground apart by the Mill and emerging on the other side, awaiting a new construct all the time. Pure speculation: Perhaps He, along with the Wurthexe, oversees the preparations for rebirth? What little information we have on Him does show some inclinations toward some of Berchta's areas of concerns, but She focuses on the ends of the cycle, announcing only the onset of the New Year, for example. Berchtold seems interest in what happens after the soul has passed through the Mill and  death's power has receded. Perhaps He takes up the guardianship of the constructed souls during their time in Unnergegend? Might He oversee the application of Urleeg to the soul construct? Might he strive to teach lessons that should have been learned in prior lifetimes? This is pure speculation at this point, and some of it does not "feel" right intuitively.

I'd really like to go to Hallwil when the Bärzeli are walking. I just do not know enough about their traditions and what they mean to the collective unconscious or collective conscious of the modern Alemanni. 

As you can see, we do have some information that leads us to hypotheses, but what follows each hypothesis still requires research. Our own experiences will shape the future, too. As a thriving community during this time of the Great Heathen Rebirth, we can make ourselves available to the deities and the ancestors. Many things lost to the past are unrecoverable, but we can learn a lot about the nature of Berchtold through our own experiences today.

Hail to Berchtold!

Addendum: Research Help Request

Does anyone happen to remember a Pennsylvania Dutch tale or an anecdote about a being called the Bechtel? The only thing I remember about the story specifically is that there was a man traveling a great distance (on foot, but skis might have played a role), and he got lost in a snowstorm. He encountered the Bechtel, and the rest I forget. The Bechtel did help him to get to his destination, though.

A bit more has come back to me. The Bechtel appears to be lost in the snow, too. He has no food or drink. The traveler had some food with him, and he offers to share some with the Bechtel. This rewards the traveler.

Der Voryuul 2020: Necht 11 un 12: Der Greescht Mitlaaf

The Great Conjunction / Der Greescht Mitlaaf

Due to the vagaries of life, I have missed a few nights of public posts of Voryuul this year. However, Nights 11 and 12 contain what has developed into a nebulous personal cosmic mystery question for this year, and it all relates to the Great Conjunction of 2020, which presents some aspects of interest to Urglaawer from our own lore as well as from the lore of neighboring and influential cultures.

I know a bit about astrology, but I have to defer to people with more experience when it comes to events such as this. 

Astrologically (and astronomically) speaking, this IS a big deal. Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn happen frequently (just a bit less than every 20 years); however, this is the closest they will appear to one another in the sky in 800 years. At 13:20 EST on December 21 (Day 1 of Yuul/Yule), they will be separated by just about 0.102 degree or 6.1 arc minutes.

This is not a Christmas Star. If anything, its a Yule Star. (After all, the Season IS the Reason.)

Now here's the part I am fuzzy on due to conflicting information. I am seeing statements that this conjunction will take place at 0 degrees 29 minutes Aquarius, thus "officially" ushering the Age of Aquarius. However, I see other sources stating that the event will take place in Capricornus.

The Age of Aquarius has no well defined beginning, it seems. However, there is a very (I mean very) small pool of Deitsch astrologers whom I had interviewed in 2013 (a bit too late to celebrate) who believed that 2012 year was the "true" entry into the Age of Aquarius as determined by "es Keenichli" ("the Little King") or "der naddlich Wachtmann" ("the Watchman toward the North"). These bynames refer to the star Regulus, which holds a position of esteem among the people I interviewed. 

Es Keenichli is a star credited with constants; in other words, its the metronome that emits the rhythm by which the cosmos is supposed to move. However, it is not an enforcer; it is merely a signal that bears messages and traditions from the ancient past. While the cosmos and the physical location of objects changes, Es Keenichli is said to be the bearer of the old ways.

One of the old ways included in his bailiwick is the equivalence of the solar signs from the Greek zodiac. In truth, the sun does not spend 30 days in each constellation, but the old ways say that it does. Thus, in 2012, es Keenichli moved from from Leo into Virgo. The belief was that every cog on the wheel shifted under the hand of es Keenichli, and that the shift also brought us out of the Age of Pisces and into Aquarius. They were also clear that the effects of the shift would increase as we moved through portals and deeper into Aquarius. Look for signs, they said.

Some of this stuff was well above my pay grade, so I had jotted down the notes and then promptly forgot about them until the topic of comets as plague horss came up earlier this year. Along the side of a note I had written "Der Wachtmann = em Ziu sei Suh?" It was a prompt for me to look into some sort of relationship between the North Star's association with Ziu and der Wachtmann/es Keenichli/Regulus, as in, perhaps, the latter is the son of the former.

I'd been all caught up in trying to get caught up after covid caught me last Spring. Now as I am emerging from the covid fog, I realized that this Great Conjunction (the Deitsch term for a conjunction of stars is "Mitlaaf" or "walk with," so this is "der greescht Mitlaaf" or "the greatest conjunction") was right upon us, and I had not really explored from a cultural standpoint, other than one or two posts, until just now. 

This conjunction is of the two largest planets in our solar system. Jupiter has a long and known association with chief deities, including our Ziu. The planet's association with justice, law, prosperity, education, intelligence are some of the same characteristics seen in the personality of the god and in the North Star, which is even more strongly associated with Him in Deitsch and related cultures.

Less known, though, is the association between Saturn and the god Holler and the goddess Berchta, though one can clearly see how Holler, the personification of Death can be drawn as a cognate to Saturn as Father Time or Grim Reaper, etc. However, at the end of the year, it is not Holler who represents the passage of time. It is the goddess Berchta. 

Berchta is the kickass goddess who roams our little corner (Mannheem or Mannheim) of the World Tree from the beginning of Voryuul (December 

8 until Wonnenacht (April 30). During this time, She is said to walk around in disguise as a beggar. Her feast night is December 31. She also has the only *required* meal that I know of in all of Heathenry, and it is She (some sources cite her sister Holle) who announces the death of the old year and the birth of a new one through the banging of pans, the crack of a whip, etc. She is a goddess concerned with death as opportunity, rebirth, evolution, order of the mind, and giving people swift kicks in the ass when they need them.

The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn to such a close degree on the first day of Yuul could indeed be interpreted as a threshold into new era of some sort. 

The Urglaawe interpretation of the lore about the night of December 20 is similar to that of other Germanic groups, but it is quite specifically about the  moment of the solstice. We call that night "Muddernacht" ("mother night"). 

While it is good to honor mothers at all times, we have a specific time of year for the observance of females, feminine energies, matriarchs, etc., and that is in February. If the night of December 20 were about honoring mothers in general, it would have to be called Middernacht ("mothers night"). The presence of the singular form, Mudder, points us elsewhere. 

In fact, it points us to the night itself. This is when Nacht (the goddess associated with the night portions of cycles of light and darkness) metaphorically gives birth to the new sun. Thus, the pairing of Yuul and the Great Conjunction could be interpreted as the beginning point of a new era. 

>>One Interpretation<<

The current order is already crumbling around us. Many of us are holding onto hope during a time of a pandemic and all the chaos it has brought about. The deities are forcing us to wake up and pressing us forward, granted, with painful labor, toward the next step of the evolution of consciousness. It won't happen immediately; the structure of the collapsing structure (the Tower that we discussed so much back in April and in Byron Ballard's works) is still standing, but it is in flames. Allow it to fall on its own; just stay out of its way. It is time to turn our eyes forward; focus on what can be salvaged from ruins of this cosmic night and how it can be applied to the coming cosmic day. 

That is, though, merely one interpretation. The meditations for Nights 11 and 12 of Voryuul are about how individuals interpret these events. 

Some suggestions for meditation: 

Are these simply astronomical events that we are witnessing due to the accident of our births on a planet that just happens to have this view of the multiverse? 

Is there more to it? Could it be the actions of the deities or of the Maker, Wurt, at play here? How much effect can we have on these events as individuals?

What does change mean to you? Is Iwwermariyeland ("day-after-tomorrowland," roughly like Utopia) even possible?

Is the old "normal" worth returning to? 

One thing for me is essential: The grip that covid has had on my identity is going into the Yuul fires. I am a longhauler, yes, but, even more so, I am alive. I am here on this planet at this time in this unique soul construct to pursue happiness and to help others to find their way toward happiness.

"Make like Fraa Holle and pitch that bitch," my kin, India, once said to me. In this case, the bitch that needs pitching is my identification with covid. It stole my identity, but now I am reclaiming it. I am going to help others to reclaim it. Of course, I have to deal with the damages done by the disease, and we need to be practical about safety. However, I refuse to live in fear anymore.

Let's all focus on not dragging the fear into 2021. Let's instead aim for reasonable actions in a time of a pandemic. Find ways toward happiness, kinship, and joy, and help others find their moments of laughter and merriment. 

As Gedreier Eckhart said to the Parade of Spirits:

"'Hail to Life!' say the Dead."

Hail to Life, indeed!

---------

Some articles to consider: 

The Great Conjunction Is Coming, and It's Major

Star Bright: The Jupiter-Saturn Light Show

Get ready for the 'Great Conjunction' of Jupiter and Saturn

Der Voryuul 2020: Nacht 2

 VORYUUL

Nacht 2: Bedrachdungsvorschlack

Wer bischt du heitich? Bischt du froh? Bischt vergniechlich?

Night 2: Meditation Prompt

Who are you these days? Are you happy? Are you contented?

Der Voryuul 2020

Heele zu de Grenzeziewe… Die, vun de dunkle Ort, vun unner der Schwell, un die datt im Draamzuschtand… Losset uns alldiweil darrich der Voryuul vun de lanne.

Hail to the liminal deities… They, of the dark places, from under the threshold of consciousness, and those in the dream state. Let us learn from them at this time of Voryuul.

Nacht 1: Bedrachdungsvorschlack

Es 2020 (doch im Gang) iss ’n zaehes Yaahr gwest. Was hoscht du iwwer dir glannt? Bischt du desselwert Mensch, as du im 2019 waarscht?

Night 1: Meditation Prompt

2020 (though ongoing) has been a tough year. What have you learned about yourself? Are you the same person who you were in 2019?

Observing Allelieweziel

How can YOU observe Allelieweziel (sunset October 30 (tonight!) to sunset November 11) as a solitary practitioner of Urglaawe or as a new Urglaawer? 

A video containing the pronunciation of the Deitsch words will be linked at the end of the article.

THE TERM

Es Allelieweziel is a major observance on the Urlgaawe calendar. All observances are important, but a few of them have been growing in scope over the last few years, and Allelieweziel is one of them.

The first thing you might want to do is to understand the term. An old article from 2010 actually describes the term: 

https://urglaawe.blogspot.com/2010/11/allelieweziel.html

Last year or the year before, we learned that a cognate of the term does not seem to be found in German, but one can be found in Dutch in relation to All Souls Day. There likely is a connection between the word "soul" and the "Ziel" (literally, "goal") portion of Allelieweziel, which might have been an attempt at approximating the Deitsch word "Seel" (soul). At this point, though, it doesn't matter. Respondents and informants about the term and the observance were fairly consistent. This is the "goal of all love" in our modern understanding. This is Allelieweziel.

ANCESTOR/FOREBEAR SHRINE 

Many Urglaawer have an ancestor or forebear shrine, a generic term for which in Deitsch could be "die Vorgengersweih" or "die Vorfaahrersweih." 

______________________

Linguistic segue:

The semantic difference between "ancestor" and "forebear" is much more slight in Deitsch than in English. Both "Vorgenger" and "Vorfaahrer" can mean either "ancestor" or "forebear." Most Deitsch speakers, if asked to say the word for "ancestors" would use "Vorgenger" (in the plural form: "they who went before"). If asked for the word for "forebears," the response would be either "Vorgenger" or "Vorfaahrer" ("they who fared before"). 

It is important to note that forebears covers a wide range of people who have influenced our lives. They might be unrelated to you by blood, but there is more to life and existence than blood. We do venerate our ancestors (and each other's ancestors), but we have room on our shrines for our personal heroic figures and those who aided our ancestors, etc.

Note: I tend to use the term Vorgengersweih for the shrine to those who have gone before.

______________________

The Vorgengersweih can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Because Urglaawe's understanding is that there is a general continuity from birth through life, through death, and through rebirth, it is not considered improper to honor the living alongside the dead, so living forebears (and even Noochkummer/Noochgenger - descendants) may be included on the shrine.

REFERENCES

There are numerous blog posts on Urglaawe.net and articles in "Hollerbeer Hof," among other places. One place folks should always keep in mind for resources on observances is the Files section here in this main Urglaawe group. The two anchor rituals of the Allelieweziel observance are called:

-- Allelieweziel, but the main components here are the Butzemannsege, or the burning of the Butzemann, and Holle's departure. The 2019 ritual did not vary widely from the 2018 ritual, which can b found here: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Urglaawe/permalink/10155582070181020/

-- Ewicher Yeeger Sege, the feast day of Holler, also known as the Ewicher Yeeger/Eternal Hunter (Death).

The 2019 program for Ewicher Yeeger Sege may be found here:  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Urglaawe/permalink/10156414654116020/

Thus, the two main deities associated with Allelieweziel are Holle and Her consort, Holler. 

Deities are not tied to calendars or calendar dates. Our observances are nailed to linear time concepts that might bear little true resemblance to the spirals or helixes of time and matter throughout the cosmos. Yet, while our calendars and our brains might not be able to wrap themselves fully around cosmic time and matter concepts, many of us see the "short cycles" of the seasons and of the life cycle. It is often said that we are "star stuff," born from the same matter that burns inside the stars themselves. 

Indeed. Stars are born; stars die; from the remnants of the stars' death comes the setting for the birth of more stars.

MEDITATIONS

I could wax poetically more and more on the topic of spirals and helixes and how the very fibers of our being are connected to the larger spirals and helixes of the cosmos, but that is the sort of thing we consider during this Allelieweziel season. 

--- Why honor Death? (see: https://www.thetroth.org/news/20161111-214300

--- What does Death mean in the great cosmic scheme?

One of the pitfalls of the meditations of Allelieweziel and of Voryuul is that we can feel very small and insignificant (which, in our world of vainglory, might actually not be a bad thing). Perhaps we can work on posting guided meditations so that folks don't get lost in the abyss of self-doubt and questioning of self-worth within the enormity of cosmic discussions that are increasingly likely to arise during Allelieweziel.

THE GREAT COSMIC OBSERVANCE

You know, after all these years of running Allelieweziel rituals, I think this is the first time I have ever fully framed it in the macro to the degree I am this year. Holle's departure signals the onset of the Wild Hunt, also known as the Furious Host and the Parade of Spirits (native Deitsch term: die Geischderschtrutzt).

All of our other observances, including Yuul, are focused on Mannheem (here, where we live) and on human activity and points of reference. Even Wonnenacht, with Holle's return, is mostly about the return of life to Mannheem, though it does hint at all of the realms joyously celebrating the passing parade). 

No, there is something unique about Allelieweziel and the departure. This is about that moment when the star explodes, or when we die, or about huge transitions putting out energy. Holle's journey is cosmic, not just limited to Mannheem. 

Perhaps this is about the spiral outward from Mannheem when we die? Or with each rebirth and stage in our evolution? What happens in those other realms as the Hunt approaches? Where are we as a race in our evolution? Are we any closer to being where the deities were when this cosmic day started? Is part of Allelieweziel about the point at which all of existence becomes a singularity?

Heck, as this point, I am not even sure "cosmic" is the appropriate term to use. 

SIMPLE STUFF

Besides pondering the wonders of all of creation, we should also note that, historically, Allelieweziel was the time when male ancestors and forebears were honored (much like the Idise are at Entschtanning) for their work and sacrifices that helped to build the community. This goes alongside the beginnings of die Schlachtzeit, or the culling/butchering time. 

The actual culling and maturation of meat (beef takes 10-30 days) traditionally falls almost entirely in the time between Allelieweziel and Yuul. Often it is the bulls and elderly cows that were culled to serve as food for humans and domestic pets, and their culling also conserves food resources for the heifers and younger or healthier cows through the winter.

RESOLUTIONS (with a side trip into the weeds and the sandtrap)

Most Heathens know how significant oaths are. Whether they are called oaths, promises, pledges, or resolutions, they typically last for a finite period, at the end of which they should be completed. So goes it for most New Year's Resolutions. 

Many Resolutions are completed earlier in the year, but for many personal changes or improvements to be successful, many individuals (and Brauchers) will lay out smaller chunks of the overarching goal. These chunks are typically timed so that the entire resolution is completed by Allelieweziel and then the old habit is symbolically killed in the fires of Allelieweziel or of Hollersege/Ewicher Yeeger. 

Some of the people I interviewed felt that anytime prior to Erschdi Nacht/First Night of Yuul is acceptable because that finishes one resolution cycle right when it is time to consider any need for a resolution in the next cycle. 

Now I'll stray off of the fairway and wander into the weeds, while hopefully not getting stuck in the sandtrap that Voryuul can become.

A few of the people I interviewed believed that the deadline for a year-long resolution cycle to be completed is sunset on December 8, and the next is to begin at that time. This is when the time we call Voryuul (fore-Yule) begins, and the mindset is supposed to gradually switch from the darkness and isolation of the Schlachtzeit and to become more and more enlightened as Yuul approaches. 

Those of you who had front-row seats to the trainwreck that last Voryuul turned into for me (the blog posts are still up from last December) will probably agree with me that facing the shadow side during Voryuul can result in one finding many things about oneself that could use change and improvement. 

I think we should always be thinking of how to improve ourselves and to take on better habits, but some efforts to change are more sacred than others, and those often end up as resolutions. I think the lessons learned during Voryuul should become part of the stage of drafting the resolution, and, when one ties the drafting to the calendar, it falls within Yuul rather than Voryuul.

Whew... That's a lot to chew on for an event that starts tonight. 

Pronunciation of the Deitsch words

Hail to the Ancestors!

Hail to the Forebears!

Zisasege: Continuity and Regeneration

I'd like to thank the Urglaawe community for the vibrancy and excitement that I am seeing as we draw nearer to the Zisasege observance (September 28, 2020, beginning at sunset on Sunday, September 27).

Erntfescht was a turning point for many of us. It was the first time we had gotten together as a group beyond the Ziewer (godsfolk) and their family members. Since then, I have slowly begun to feel reinvigorated, and it appears that others are sharing the same feeling. 

Obviously, we still need to be careful with the covid issue, but much of what is weighing many people down stems from a lack of hope or of something to look forward to. 

Zisa seems to have uncorked (another of Her ways of interacting with us?) a bottle of joy and is pouring it out widely. For me, this joy is coming in the form of continuity. For the first time in almost a year, I am seeing the ability to pick up the efforts from last year and to bring them through the crises and *not only to  carry them again but to expand upon them.* 

This is hope at work. 

I remember this feeling, and it's long seemed elusive.. Yet here it is again, hopefully to stick around.

Many of the Zisasege ideas being floated about the Urglaawe community relate to this continuity... beginning new creative offerings and adding to them each year...

... and now I just had a Clue x 4 moment with a flashback to Sacred Space 2017. Jennifer Milby and I were working on a PowerPoint presentation on Zisa, and the topic of continuity and regeneration came up. Some of Zisa's lore lived on through the centuries in the guise of Maria Knotenlöserin, or Mary Undoer-of-Knots. 

Although the Church and its successors attempted to suppress the belief in the old deities, the Church's own lore sometimes inadvertently provided continuity by preserving  some awareness of our gods and goddesses. 

Beginning in about 2008, Zisa's presence began to be felt among some folks in the community. By 2012, Her name was more widely recognized and came up in discussions at Trothmoot. But 2015 is when things really began to change. The course switched from continuity to regeneration. 

Some folks around here will remember that Pope Francis came to Philadelphia at the time of Philadelphia Pagan Pride Day in 2015 (September 5, 2015). Pope Francis is from Argentina, where Maria Knotenlöserin has a large following, and Pope Francis reveres her. Thus, we extended an invitation to Pope Francis to join our Zisasege that year, never expecting to hear back from anyone (we did, but that is a separate topic). This offer, though, seemed to trigger something in the relationship between Zisa and the Heathen community. Her name was spoken widely in Heathen circles, and more insights into Her areas of concern were developing into a community gnosis.

By 2017, there were quite a few dedicants to Zisa whom I knew of, and I would expect that there are many with whom I am not acquainted. Discussion had led to commentary that Zisa would play an increasing role, not only in bridging the ancient past to the present but also in regenerating the connection between humanity and divinity. Zisa had emerged from the darkness of suppression.

Fast forward to 2020 and jump back up to the first five paragraphs of this post. 

Hail to Continuity!

Hail to Regeneration!

Hail to Hope!

Hail to Zisa!

Es Schpottyaahrsgleichgwicht

 

The 337th Anniversary

July 6 marks the anniversary of a major event in Deitsch history, and, as such I'd like to hail the Netherlands Dutch and their forebears and ancestors. 

The flag of the Netherlands

On this date in 1683, the first ship, the Concord departed from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. On this ship the first "official" settlers who would begin the story of the Pennsylvania Dutch nation.

Thus, on this date (it is July 6 in Rotterdam now), the Great Migration of the Germans to Pennsylvania began.

We Pennsylvania Dutch are ultimately mostly Germans speaking a German dialect and bringing together customs from many German lands. We have evolved as a unique "tribe" or "nation." The moniker of "Pennsylvania Dutch" confuses many people, and much of that confusion is due to a change of the meaning of the word "Dutch" in English, which once had a wider meaning than it does today.

Additionally, we call ourselves "Deitsch," which sounds a bit like "Dutch," and, as was the case with the Concord, many of our early forebears arrived on ships that departed Europe from ports in the Netherlands. The Concord's departure was an indelible moment in the settlers lives that lives on in the presence of the ship on the Deitsch flag today.

The Deitsch flag with the Concord in the center.

Our migration included many people from the Netherlands as well. Although the first arrivals on the Concord were German speakers from Krefeld, some of their surnames were decidedly Dutch.

In many ways, your ancestors were heroes. They got my ancestors out of the wreckage that was the Palatinate after all of the ravaging wars. So, on behalf of my ancestors who I know traveled through Rotterdam, I thank the forebears and the Dutch of the current era.

The Dutch and the Pennsylvania Dutch, though we have separate identities, share strong historical and cultural bonds that are only increasing as the gods and goddesses bring us closer together.

Hail to Holle!


Hail to Nehalennia!

Hail to the Netherlands and to the Dutch people!

May your light always shine brightly!

Hollerbeer Hof 46 - Spring 2020

The Spring 2020 issue of Hollerbeer Hof is now available here.  You can also find a link in the sidebar.

Stay tuned as we format and publish back issues of our beloved newsletter!

Urglaawe Live Vier

Tonight (Sunday, April 12, 2020) at 7:00 PM EDT we will hold another Urglaawe Live presentation/chat in the main Urglaawe group on Facebook.

We will be discussing the Deitsch runes tonight and will be referring to this document. Please note that this document in a work in progress and many of the runes have not been written up in ample detail yet.

Lenzbutzerei and Preparation for Wonnenacht

Although the cosmos are not beholden to our calendar, observances are important, and calendars help us to keep attuned to the cycles of the world we live in. The Lenzbutzerei, or Spring Cleaning, begins with Entschtanning on February 2, runs through Oschdret, and ends on Wonnenacht, which starts at sunset on April 30.

Lenzbutzerei begins at Entschtanning on February 2
and ends on Wonnenacht, April 30

Wonnenacht is the observance of Holle's return to this realm, of the end of the Wild Hunt, and the beginning of the Bright Half of the year. As Wonnenacht draws nearer, this question was posted to the main Urglaawe Facebook group:

So, we are cleaning and organizing, for Holle’s return; my question is; is here specifications she looks for, or is “cleaner that it was” acceptable to her?The items listed below are not exhaustive (other buildings on the property, including barns, would be included) but were drawn from many responses in interviews with Braucherei and Hexerei practitioners. Having had a jam-packed house myself for many years, the matter of Spring Cleaning was always somewhat stressful for me. The issue is that our folklore states that the Wild Hunt passes through the homes on the final leg of its journey, and there must be unimpeded passage from one end of the house to the other. Cleanliness is of particular note. Clutter to be set aside to make room for the parade of spirits to come through, but the presence of the clutter is secondary to the effort to put clutter in order.

Rule of thumb: If you think you have a clutter problem, then you probably do. It does not need to be resolved all at once or even in one season, but any problem that one has that is known yet not addressed can become a burden over time. It took me a few years to resolve the clutter issues in my home to the point where I am comfortable having people come in, and that effort was initiated as part of Lenzbutzerei. Much of this process is about intention and effort.

So, here's what our list consists of:

- Floors are to be swept free of dirt and debris.

- Paths through the house are to be free of obstacles. The path could have books and magazines stacked, narrowing the walkway, but, as long as none of those books or magazines is actually in the walking area, it meets the letter of the law.

- Items that can easily fall or be knocked over should be moved to a safer space.

- Items need to be donated or removed that you have known for three years (some say six, which I support, because six has some “sacred disposal aspects to it) are no longer useful yet you hold into thinking, but I might need this someday.”

- All dishes, pots, pans, etc., cleaned and put away.

- Oven cleaned. This would include microwaves, toasters, toaster ovens, etc.

- Clean other appliances, including refrigerators; check dishwasher, washer and dryer. This would also include the outside of the appliances

- Windows cleaned (safety is a factor to consider) and opened with signs welcoming Holle.

- Clean the bathroom. 

- Dust furniture. Urglaawer should dust their altars.

- Porches swept. This is tied to April 29 on solar calendar but for us would be by sunset on April 30.

- You do not need to do everything in the house, but try to do a bit more than you think you can.

Align disposal with the Lenzbutzerei season that begins at Entschtanning and ends at Wonnenacht.  This means almost three months to work on getting things into minimum order. This time is principally about cleaning up the physical environment, but the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual are all related.

At the opposite end of the calendar in October is Allelieweziel, where there is another major observance related to disposal, thought that tends to focus on the final removal of poor habits and items or events that weigh us down.

As each season approaches, make the cleaning an expression of your spirituality. It may take a few years to finish it, but, as you see the changes, you might find yourself feeling empowered.

Der Ziegdaag

ZIEGDAAG VIDEOCONFERENCE INFO:

Download the Ziegdaag 2020 Program Here

Because we are unable to gather in  in person, we hold this event as a videoconference on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 18:00 (6:00 PM), and we'll change the time to 6:00 PM so that remote workers might be off the clock by that time. We will be videoconferencing again.

In fact, the significance of -- and the lessons learned from -- Ziegdaag are exactly the sort of thing we need to work through as we go through this unprecedented time of change and uncertainty.

Videoconferencing will provide folks an opportunity to engage with the community during this while physically distancing ourselves. One Ziewer (Rob) will be running the ritual, and the other Ziewers (Larry, Victoria, Michelle) may moderate the videoconference (who speaks in what order, etc.).

The program for this event will be posted to this site prior to the event's start.

Please join us at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, by clicking this link:

https://uc.eztalks.com/join_meeting/meeting_id/21874950

BE SURE TO HAVE A LIBATION ON HAND TO HAIL WITH!

----------------------------

Ziegdaag is an Urglaawe observance derived from the old Deitsch Moving Day, which typically fell on April 1. 

We are currently in an unprecedented transition time on a global level. Everyone is impacted, and some of the adjustments are difficult to make, and, as the COVID-19 virus continues to spread, things might continue to get more difficult to cope with.

Enter Ziegdaag. Ziegdaag was (and in some places still is) the “moving day” when tenant farmers and other business operators who rented their shops packed up to move to a new location. It was a very big deal as many families would be moving at the same time, leading to crowded roads, families helping each other, and a genera; fast pace to get things accomplished before sunset. The traditional date is April 1, so Ziegdaag for Urglaawe begins at sunset on March 31.

Der Ziegdaag is about change or transformation in all aspects: the need for change, the fear of change, the agents of change, those who think outside of the box, the trickster figures, the sagacious figures who solve problems, escape from traps, or change the world. This its about change in all forms, from the weather to the way in which one views oneself. This year, I would like to strongly advise participants to consider the changes that are emerging with the shutdowns, quarantines, and curfews. What will life be like on the other side of this crisis? Thinking about it actually makes me a little frightened, to be honest, but there are realities that we as individuals, as part of communities, as nations, and as inhabitants of Earth will have to go through as part of the recovery from this disruption in our daily lives.

Now is the time to use emerging information and to attempt to plan for the worst while striving for the best. All of this, of course, sounds great on paper; it’s not. For many of us, this time is going to really suck.It is important that we all prepare ourselves as much as possible for the trauma. It is normal and ok to feel scared, angry, lost, and depressed. Give yourself the time to recognize the harm that this disruption is doing to you as an individual. Some might find themselves having to grieve the life that they used to know. Go through the process; let it out. Then, over a few days, begin to remind yourself that what you are feeling is normal but that those emotions must begin to take a back seat to recovery efforts. The coping mechanisms will be different for different people, but, perhaps readers can share ideas about how they are coping with the crisis.

Otherwise, observance pairs nicely with April Fool’s Day and the unpredictable weather of this particular time of year. In terms of the Lewesraad, or the wheel of the year, this represents the time of transition from childhood into adolescence, when change is difficult and awkward, yet it is a part of life that we must go through.

Another adjustment is that this observance and ritual will need to be done via videoconference due to the realities of this time.

CHARACTERS


Unlike the Norse lore with Loki, Germanic lore does not have one particularly prominent agent of change. Instead, our folklore is riddled with innumerable characters, some of whom may be rooted in real people, others who have their origins in Heathen lore, and yet others who are entities whose lore we are still picking apart. This year, we will focus mostly on the Mountain Giant known as Riewezaahl, but we will look at a few others as well.

SCHADDE


Schadde (sometimes appears as Schaade) is a trickster figure in a broken Deitsch story in which he manipulates Schlumm, a deity or giant associated with sleep, into blowing darts that put starcrossed lovers Sunna and/or Muun to sleep, thus allowing for Schadde to place them into the sky so they will never be able to consummate their love. He does this out of jealousy, yet this action sets the tides that allow for life on Earth to thrive. Sunna and Muun meet at eclipses, and they are able to use light and reflection to have children on the Earth in the form of dandelions. There appears to be a
reckoning that results in Schadde having to restrict his own movement, but this part is unclear. This story is, unfortunately, missing some other pieces, too, and we have not finished putting what we do have in order as a result.

However, Schadde appears in at least two other fragments of tales, both of which appear to involve cunning and/or setting things straight for the betterment of all involved parties.

TILL EILESCHPIGGEL


Perhaps based in an actual human, the stories of Till are widely known in the German, Dutch, and Flemish cultures. Till isba true trickster in many ways. He thinks outside the box, engages periodically in buffoonery, and has a knack for overturning conventional wisdom. His name reflects the latter; “Eileschpiggel” translates to “owl mirror,” with the owl representing wisdom, and the mirror symbolizing the reflection or the opposite of that wisdom. In some sense, Till is an anti-hero, but, at this time of year, it is worthy to consider the wit and out-of-the-box thinking that are the inspirations for
this character.

DER BARIYEHARR - RIPS (KNOWN ALSO HISTORICALLY AS RIEWEZAAHL)


NOTE: Do not address him directly as Riewezaahl, Riebzaahl, Rübezahl, or anything similar. The term of respect is Der Bariyeharr or the Mountain Lord, but he calls himself Rips when in human form. 

This Giant, whose nickname means “turnips count,” is known in the lore of both Germanic and Slavic cultures. During an interview with a Hexerei practitioner, the topic of the Frost Giants' Wonnetzeit attack came up, and the elderly women asked me if I knew much of Riewezaahl ("turnips count”; using this name because she used it to ask the question.). I had not heard of this being prior to this conversation, and she told me she remembered from her youth her mother talking about Riewezaahl. She said that her mother described Riewezaahl as a irritable Mountain Giant who has a strong ability to bring about unstable weather and would occasionally simply cause trouble because "that is what Giants do." Since that time, I have come across a few other references to him, including him causing squalls and sudden windstorms, earthquakes, and more.

Rips appears in many Silesian legends, and there is a strong historical Silesian presence among the Deitsch in the particular area in which I was doing interviews. Although some of the information I am coming across treats him like a god, but even more information indicates that he is not a pleasant spirit and has more attributes that would place him among the Giants, specifically a Mountain Giant.
The lore emanates mostly from the Germans and Slavs of Silesia and Bohemia. Grimm (Volume II, p. 480) refers to him as a wood-sprite and has some notes regarding him that may link him to Knecht Ruprecht, but there is not an ample description there.

There are tales in which Rips is a helpful trickster and a shapeshifter (the theme of transforming turnips into people or vice-versa comes up occasionally in Germanic lore). Folks may be interested in checking out this article:

http://www.heathenhof.com/rubezahl

Further readings into Silesian lore turn up a very complex Giant who is capable of meting out his own forms of justice. In the book, Silesian Folk Tales (The Book of Rübezahl), by James Lee, M.D., and James T. Carey, A.M., we see the following:

- He is a Mountain Giant with trickster and shapeshifter characteristics.


- His stories frequently involve people in motion, people moving, people in need of change, etc., and he captures the spirit of the Ziegdaag "moving day" features in many ways.


- He appears as many different types of beings, including men, women, etc.
- He aids people who try to improve themselves or to help others.


- He is not to be messed around with, or one will find oneself being beaten to death and hanging from a tree or being rooted firmly into the ground in the middle of a busy marketplace.


- His stories feature a lot of common tasks, including herb collecting, spinning, etc.


- Blue cornflower, already connected to some long life and other magical concepts in Deitsch lore, turns up in at least one of his myths.


- Dreams and dream states turn up in quite a few of these stories, which reminds me more than a bit of Schlumm.


- He plays a prank on an abusive husband that changes the domestic situation in the house (although I think the husband deserved more punishment than he got).

So, in the context of the Ziegdaag observance, focus on this trickster figure’s ability to bring about change through appearing as common folk but performing uncommon tasks. One may also want to consider that he can be capricious; he starts off disliking some people he encounters but a curious aspect to a that person may cause him to give that person a chance. If you irritate him, it is at your own risk.

Grumbieredaag un Frouwasege 2020

The program for Grumbieredaag un Frouwasege has been posted!

ABOUT GRUMBIEREDAAG (POTATO DAY)

This is the traditional Deitsch holiday of St. Gertrude's Day, known also by the name we use in Urglaawe of Grumbieredaag (Potato Day), which is the day we will honor the Frouwa. This is one tradition that the Christians have inadvertently kept alive, and we benefit from it. The Christian expression has been edited to reflect the needs of the Urglaawe tradition and to return aspects this observance to their older roots.

Since the Deitsch population overwhelmingly identifies as Protestant or Anabaptist, the survival of this Catholic observance within the wider culture is interesting in its own right, even if it had been diminishing over time. Even many Christians acknowledge the heathen roots of the observance. While there are other connections that come up (particularly to Holle and to Freid/Frigg), Grimm (305) makes a connection between Gertrude and Frowa/Frouwa, and this is generally accepted by the Urglaawe community.

Potatoes have become a staple crop for the Deitsch since arrival, and tradition is that March 17 is the day to put potatoes in the ground. There are rituals to feed the Heinzelmenner or other Kowwold (kobolds) and to bring fertility to the garden. Specific foods include Datsch (a type of almost granola-like potato bread) and spring onions.

One thing I find important in this observance is the completion of the potato cycle. Potato bread from last year's harvest is consumed and offered to the land at the time that this year's crop is being planted.

Der Waldmops and some of the spirit entities were carried in the popular lore. Der Waldmops is an interesting character. He is described as a Zwarich (Dwarf) by many, and, indeed, the word Mops does mean Dwarf in Deitsch, so Waldmops would be the “Woods Dwarf.” However, others describe him as an Erdgeischt (Gnome), and still others see him as a Dwarf with Green Man characteristics. I fall into this last camp. As the Lord of Beasts, he awakens the animal kingdom from its winter slumber. He stirs the trees of the forest to shoot forth their greens, and he and his people cultivate the fertility of the land. We are most definitely in a symbiotic relationship with our land spirits, and they should be honored often.

ABOUT THE ACTUAL 2020 OBSERVANCE

Due to the Coronavirus, we are encouraging folks who can to do this ritual at home in their own gardens. However, I will be doing this ritual for a small group in Bristol with safety precautions in place. The Datsch that I bake will not be consumed by the participants; only commercially-baked potato rolls will be present, and we will take food-handling precautions with those. The libation (will only be non-alcoholic for this ritual) will not be consumed directly from the stein. Everyone may bring their own vessel or use a cup from here.

PLEASE: If anyone has a cough, fever, or other signs of any sickness, we ask you to tend to your health needs so you are feeling fit for when the pandemic's shutdown is over.

Please note: THERE IS NO MEAL AT THIS RITUAL. This is our simplest ritual (outside of the baking of the Datsch), and most people would be doing this in their own gardens. The recipes for the Antler Cookies and the Datsch have been posted to the Urglaawe Culinary Guild on Facebook. If you are not a member of it, please feel free to submit to join.  :)

IF YOU CANNOT BAKE A DATSCH OR ANTLER COOKIES THIS YEAR, feel free to replace them with potato bread and sugar cookies - for this year. The Datsch is an important devotional aspect of this observance and its baking should be part of the process in the future. The same applies, with less intensity, to the Antler Cookies.

We encourage folks to get hold of a copy of William Woys Weaver's Dutch Treats, wherein both of these recipes appear. 

Next Observance: Grumbieredaag (17 Lenzing / March 17)

This is one of those instances of reconstruction in which the Catholic Church likely retained information about a goddess and imprinted it on one of their saints. In this case, we believe the goddess to be Frouwa and the saint is St. Gertrude of Nivelles.

Ironically, Gertrudsdaag (also Trudisdaag, St. Gertrude's Day, Potato Day, Grumbieredaag, March 17) has always been a thing among the Deitsch even though the Catholic population is small compared to the much larger Lutheran and Reformed bodies. The rise of commercial St. Patrick's Day impacted the breadth of the St. Gertrude observance, but, over the last few years, we've been seeing an increase in discussion about the Deitsch traditions associated with it. Much of the growth in interest seems to be coming from the Protestants, which may surprise some people; however, this is not the only feast day of a saint that is observed in some way by Protestants or even Anabaptists. The Amish shut down on October 11 for St. Michael's Day, even though they would never pray to the saint himself.

As is the case with many observances, many Christians will acknowledge the likely Heathen roots of this observance, which we in Urglaawe call by the Grumbieredaag (Potato Day) name. Potatoes have become a staple crop for the Deitsch since arrival, and tradition is that March 17 is the day to put potatoes in the ground. This is first official planting of the season. 

Echoing Heathen roots even more are rituals to feed the Heinzelmenner or other Kowwold (kobolds) and to bring fertility to the garden. The Waldmops, the Lord of the Beasts, is also honored with offerings on this day. Specific foods include Datsch (a type of almost granola-like potato bread) and spring onions.

One thing I find important in this observance is the completion of the potato cycle. Potato bread from last year's harvest is consumed and offered to the land at the time that this year's crop is being planted.

While there are other connections that come up to other goddesses (particularly to Holle and to Freid/Frigg), Grimm (305) makes a connection between Gertrude and Frowa/Frouwa, and this is generally accepted by the Urglaawe community. 

Frouwa's name did not come up often in our interviews, but one of my earliest interviews was with a Hexerei practitioner who identified as a devotee of Frouwa. Presented were some of the attributes that our Norse-oriented siblings would recognize in Freya: sex, beauty, fertility, fecundity... and, of course, the cats. Like Frouwa and Freya, St. Gertrude is the guardian of cats. 

The ritual is simple, and I will post the program I follow as the time draws nearer. However, you may want to begin to gather items now, particularly if you are interested in William Woys Weaver's "Dutch Treats."

Most of us do this observance in our own yards, but it is also fine to gather a group together.

Items Needed

Potatoes, spring onions (scallions), and/or cabbage seeds, if planting

Bread (Datsch is preferred but not required; see Dutch Treats by William Woys Weaver, pp. 103-105 for traditional recipe; also posted in the Urglaawe Culinary Guild group on Facebook)

Beans (at least three but more is better)

Offerings to Butzemann (if applicable)

Treats to be set out for Frouwa's cats and strays (if applicable; preferably something white, such as fish, white meat chicken, or dried catnip flowers)

Frouwa statuary (optional; Freya statuary is also appropriate)

Decorations (optional; flowers, etc.)

Ritual

This is a simple fertility ritual that serves in Urglaawe as a devotional to Frouwa. Set up your devotional area (outdoors preferred) however works for you.

First, sow or plant potatoes, cabbage, or spring onions.

I usually intone runes at the beginning of rituals, and, if there is a group, we state our purpose for gathering, and then call to Frouwa to join us as an honored guest. 

at the rear door of your house. If you do not have a rear door, the front door is fine. While standing by the door, say the following chant:

Ebbes Griene, Ebbes Schwatze

Ebbes Weisse fer Ihre Katze.

Backt mer Datsch am Frouwasdaag,

Schtrae die Grimmle wu Sie mag,

Vum Eck zum Eck am Gaarderanft,

So wachse die Greider uff ‘s Land

Something Green, Something Black

Something white for her cats,

One bakes Datsch on Frouwa’s Day,

Scatter the crumbs where She wishes.

From corner to corner along the garden’s edge,

So the plants grow on the land.

Walk to the corner of your garden (if no garden, then to the corner of your property) closest to the door where you began. walk in a clockwise manner the perimeter of the garden or property, and, at the first corner or hard turn, scatter a few large crumbs of bread. While scattering, say the following blessing:

Es fiehrt die Frouwa die Kieh zum Graut,

die Biene zum Fluck,

un die Pferd zum Zuck.

The Frouwa leads the cows to fodder,

the bees to flight,

and the horses to pull.

Then take three beans and cast them into the interior of the yard (note, if you only have three beans, reserve them for the final corner or turn instead of casting them now). 

Proceed to continue to walk the perimeter, stopping at each corner or hard turn and repeating the scattering and the blessing. The beans are an offering to the land and to the land spirits, including the Waldmops (and you should say his name aloud), and you may hail them as you scatter the beans. I will provide more information about the Waldmops when the program is completed.

Once you have returned to your starting point, say your personal thanks to Frouwa, and drop any outdoor offerings to Her cats. Then close the rite.

If you have a Butzemann, make an offering to him as well.

This ritual creates the bridge between the end of the Entschtanning season and the beginning of the Oschdret. 

I encourage Urglaawer to take part in this rite. If you have the ability to bake, I'd also suggest baking the Datsch a day or two before as part of the ritual process. 

------------

Grimm, Jacob, James Stallybrass, trans. Teutonic Mythology (4 vols).  New York: Dover Publications, 1966.

Weaver, William Woys. Dutch Treats: Heirloom Recipes from Farmhouse Kitchens. Pittsburgh: St. Lynn's Press, 2016.

Entschtanning 12: Es Lichderfescht

Tonight at sunset we begin the closing of the Entschtanning observance, although the Entschtanning “season” actually runs up until the Spring Equinox observance next month. 

Tonight is what we Urglaawer call “es Lichtfescht” or, more correctly in Deitsch, "es Lichderfescht," which is our festival of lights. On Night 3, we discussed the cleaning of the hearth and of other fire-bearing vessels, including candleholders. This echoes pre-Christian customs that ended up featured as part of Christian Candlemas practice (Yoder 49-50). 

As the interviews and collecting of stories from across the Deitscherei progressed, some interesting interpretations of the use of light during this time emerged. Some of these were “superstitions” and involved sympathetic magic; others were more philosophical.

The superstition that turned up most frequently was an idea that we sometimes hear of at Yule: adding light to the night will help to strengthen the Sun. One elderly man likened the ritual practice of lighting candles from Groundhog Day onward to a parent pushing and guiding a learning child’s bike and then releasing hold when the child had acquired ample balance to move alone. 

The philosophical interpretations are more far-reaching. The whole of this observance is about enlightenment, conscious and conscientious living. At this time, we strive to finish the preparations for the ideas that we developed for the New Year at Yule. We are to be ready to put those ideas into effect by Oschdre in March. 

This brings us to the mind shift (Umdenk) that we often speak about when one converts from monotheism (particularly Christianity) to Heathenry. Within the Urglaawe community, this shift was first expressed by my kinsman, Daniel Riegel, prior to his passing in 2011. He described the mind shift in the context of embracing the dark half of the year, which was consistent with many others’ experiences of recognizing the totality of the self, shadow and all. This recognition of our whole being is not the same as accepting ourselves “as is” and not striving to be better. Instead, it is using the totality of ourselves in order to become the best we can be.

There is a tendency in our society to pretend the shadowy sides of ourselves do not exist. We bury them deeply, and we are ashamed of them. This attitude is pervasive in some Plain sectarian communities, and it is rooted in Christian orthodoxy. Shadow sides are generally viewed as being “evil” or profane. Orthodoxy, meaning that one is required to believe a certain way, trumps orthopraxy, meaning that one is required only to practice the same way within a group. Orthodoxy leads to dogma, and dogma leads to suppression of variant ideas. 

One of the more common beliefs within Urglaawe is that the deities want for us to be at the end of this cosmic cycle where they were at the beginning of it. To achieve this, we have to grow as a race of beings. Such growth, particularly an evolution of consciousness, is very difficult when the largest religions in the world actively attempt to limit questioning and independent thought. 

Maintaining perspectives from Christianity while practicing Heathenry can result in confusion. Our relationships to the deities and to our ancestors differ from that of the Christian understanding. Our relationship to the world around us differs (see Night 6). It is difficult to wrap one’s head around the idea that there may be multiple “truths” or that our deities have individual personalities that may lead them even into conflict with each other. 

And, at the risk of offending some readers of this post, the “lore” is not Gospel, and to treat the myths as such can lead one to become, for want of a better phrase, a “Christian dry drunk.” The baggage of orthodoxy remains even though the trappings of the religion have changed. Germanic Heathenry has never (at least within the period in which history has been written down) been monolithic. Different tribes knew different deities in different ways… and that is wonderful!

Ditching the mindset of Christianity is critical. We are not “fallen.” We do not need an intercessor to remove the stain of sin. We have the ability and responsibility to improve ourselves, yes, but we do so to create a better future for ourselves and for our descendants, not because we have a bill to pay from the past. 

During Lichderfescht, we embrace this ability and this duty to bring enlightenment into ourselves, our communities, and our world. 

This ends the musings of the Entschtanning season. The next Urglaawe observance is Grumbieredaag (“Potato Day”) on March 17, which is the first planting of the season.

Hail to those who have gone before and the wisdom they left us!

Hail to those yet to come. May we be worthy of their honor!

___________

Yoder, Don. Groundhog Day. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN: 0-8117-0029-1.

Entschtanning 11: Fettkuche, Embers, Greasing of the Tools

If you live in the Deitscherei or in any Deitsch colony, there's a very good chance that you have come across the Fastnachtskuche (usually called just Fastnacht) on Shrove (Fat) Tuesday. This is a widespread tradition that continues vibrantly into the current era.

If you ask the average consumers what the purpose of these deep-fried, lard and potato doughnuts is, they will likely tell you that they are made to consume the fat in the house before Lent begins. However, there are elements of the Fastnachtskuche story that reveal connections to older practices.

In Beliefs and Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans, Deitsch historian Edwin Miller Fogel, Ph.D., cites quite a few living Deitsch traditions and links them to pre-Christian practices or to the old German deities. Many of these include traditional cattle-driving and wedding days (Tuesday (Ziu) and Thursday (Dunner) still observed among many Plain sectarians, ironically, although the sectarians almost certainly are unaware of the origin of the custom (11)), and also sacrificial practices. 

Fogel cites (15) the tradition of taking embers from a central fire to which everyone in a community has contributed something. This is connected to the Haerdbutzerei that we discussed on Night 3. Embers from the fire are taken out to the orchards and made to smoke in order to bless the trees. Herds were driven through the cooled embers of the main fire, and charcoal from the fire was fed to the pigs. Some of what Fogel cites are actually practiced at Wonnenacht (Walpurgisnacht), namely people walking among embers, too. However, despite some discrepancies found between Fogel's text and the reports of practitioners from our ongoing interviews, Fogel's information is valuable.

Fogel describes Shrove Tuesday as taking over some of the festivals that honor Dunner and refers specifically (12-13) to "Easter cakes" in honor of Ostara (whom we know as Oschdra). This presents a discrepancy in terms of the timing and the significance of the Fettkuche, but the premise of the cakes being of pre-Christian origin fits with the beliefs of numerous Hexerei and Braucherei practitioners. Most tied the Fettkuche more to Groundhog Day and Fasching than to the Spring Equinox or Easter. The Hearth Lady or Hearth Goddess (Freid) was the "helpful entity" with whom the Fettkuche were associated, and they were said to represent pregnancy and the emergence or manifestation of new life. This is the context in which Urglaawe utilizes these cakes. Typically, but not restrictively, we consume them on the last Friday of Entschtanning.

Fettkuche are typically dipped and eaten nowadays in molasses or Turkey Syrup, but trees that run sap in February also have traditionally provided some flavor to the doughnut.

There is one additional aspect to the Fettkuche that shows a possible link to Charming of the Plow traditions elsewhere in Europe. Even today in the Deitscherei, the grease from the preparation of Fettkuche is collected and used on tools in a ritual we call the Waerkzeichfettung (Greasing of the Tools). Any tools may be ritually greased to ensure prosperity, but it is specifically gardening and plowing tools that are featured in our folklore. For Urglaawer, this once again brings Freid to mind. 

There are many recipes under search terms Fettkuche and Fastnacht. Some folks within our community make the doughnuts as part of their offerings to Freid prior to our group Entschtanning ritual. Many supermarkets throughout the Deitscherei and even well into the Philadelphia suburbs have the doughnuts available beginning early in February. 

Here is one recipe:  https://www.savoringthegood.com/fastnachts/

Hail to Freid!

May the coming Spring bring prosperity!

-------

Fogel, Edwin Miller, Ph.D. Beliefs and Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans. Millersville, PA: Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, 1995.