Entschtanning Ritual Program

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Entschtanning 1: Nature's Predictors and Groundhog Day

This was originally (last night... lol) as part of a Pennsylvania Dutch History lesson for student study as the Entschtanning begins at sunset tonight (1. Hanning, 2021), but it is a good introduction to the origins or Groundhog Day and this most complicated of Urglaawe observances gets underway.

Entschtanning: The Emergence from Winter's Grasp

Entschtanning is a Pennsylvania Dutch word that means "emergence." It is also the name of a major Urglaawe observance that brings together several Pennsylvania Dutch (Deitsch) cultural events and practices over a twelve-night/day period. The observance begins at sunset on February 1 with Grundsaudaag, better known in wider American culture as Groundhog Day.

Today's lesson consists of a bit of history about Groundhog Day, which today many people view as silly, but, 1,000 years ago, the technology of analyzing weather patterns did not exist, and cultures around the world relied on the natural world around them to provide clues about the future weather.

Many Predictors in Nature

Among the Germanic tribes, weather was often predicted based on when trees would bud in the spring, when they would yellow in the fall, and quite a few other aspects of plants' color and health. 

They did not limit their weather forecasting to just plants, though. Animal behavior or appearance, including that of insects, was also considered to be a way of finding clues about the near future's conditions. Some of these traditions with insects are still commonly found in Pennsylvania, particularly with the woolly bear caterpillar (which eventually becomes the Isabella tiger moth) actually has a pretty good track record (over 80% accuracy, according to one scientific study) of weather prediction that comes from the stripe in the middle of its body. 

Woolly bears have thirteen segments on their bodies. Each section can appear in either a rusty color or in black. Often it is black at both ends and rusty in the middle. The more rusty a woolly bear appears, the milder the winter will be, or so the saying goes. The more black on a woolly bear, the harsher the winter will be. The winter of 2020-2021 was predicted in the fall by many people to be mild in the beginning and harsh in the middle. So far, that is playing out.

And then along comes the Groundhog

The groundhog holds a special place in American folklore that actually stems from serious practices of the Pennsylvania Dutch. These "superstitions" are rooted in ancient Heathen belief from the time before Christianity took over as the dominant faith of Europe. Ironically, though, in Europe, the animal that was being tracked for this specific weather-predicting function was not a groundhog. It was a European badger (and prior to that, it was a bear). 

The German belief was that, if a badger were to awaken on February 2 and were to see its shadow, it would return to its den, thus meaning six more weeks of winter. This is the same lore that came along with the settlers from Germany who became the Pennsylvania Dutch. However, when the settlers arrived here, they found no badgers. Instead, they quickly observed that around this time of year, groundhogs do begin to emerge from their dens. Therefore, it was easy to transfer the folklore from the badger to the groundhog.

That all sounds sort of simple, correct? Well, yes and no. There is a major missing piece of the puzzle of how this holiday survived the move from Germany to Pennsylvania, and that is the piece that is deeply rooted in the ancient Germanic religion.

Many cultures around the world use a "World Tree" as a metaphor for the universe or for all of existence. In Norse/Viking lore (which is also Germanic),their metaphor included a squirrel named Ratatoskr, who would run up and down the tree, delivering news from one realm to the next. 

While we have a Tree of Life (Lewesbaam) in the Pennsylvania Dutch culture and in Urglaawe, our forebears saw similar imagery in other contexts as well, including the very land which they farmed. Our rodent's story is not about running up and down the tree. Instead, the imagery relates to the ground.
Groundhog burrows are often complex, with different rooms and multiple openings, all of which are used as allegories to the other realms of existence. The forebears thus set an analogy between the burrow and the Nine Worlds.

Thus, the Groundhog is the otherworldly messenger. The Groundhog brings news and predictions from all of the visited realms. For an agricultural people, the short-term weather is naturally something that the people would like to know. The big question for ancient Germanic farmers was, "When can we plant?" which is probably why that particular feature was passed on to the wider American culture.

Cultural Importance to the Pennsylvania Dutch: Traditionalism vs. Commercialism

Within the Deitsch culture, Groundhog Day is still a big deal. There are 23 "Groundhog Lodges" that hold a dinner on February 2 every year. The use of the Pennsylvania Dutch language is a feature of that night, and use of English costs one dime for each English word used (this is actually not taken seriously; it is a way to raise money to keep the lodges going. Many predictions other than weather are also discussed, some are done in humor. Many songs, plays, and stories that are in Pennsylvania Dutch make their debut at these Groundhog Lodge dinners. Thus, Groundhog Day is also a day of the celebration of the Pennsylvania Dutch culture. 

There is also a huge event on February 2 every year at a place called Gobbler's Knob in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This event is what most people think of when they think of Groundhog Day. A poor, captive (though well treated) groundhog named "Punxsutawney Phil" is put before cameras and flashing lights and becomes the "official" Groundhog Day event. While this big, commercial event is indeed featuring some of the Groundhog Day features, it is also losing some of the most important features of the day: the relationship between humans and animals and the close daily interaction with nature.  

Some farmers and many people who hold to the old ways continue to observe the behavior of groundhogs and other animals at this time to make other determinations as well.

One traditional practitioner of the old ways told me that the depth of --and the slope to-- the first room in a groundhog burrow can serve as an indicator of wet or dry weather. If the first room is fairly close to the surface or is of a fairly steep slope, then the weather will be mostly dry. If the slope is not steep or if the room is higher than its entrance from the burrow, then one should expect wet weather. There are other behaviors that are examined as well.

Most historians will grant that Groundhog Day has its roots in Heathen-era German practices, but the origins stretch back likely even further. Predicting weather or other things that can impact crops is a practice that transcends cultures, and observing the behavior of animals is an important tool in the forebears’ kit. It was certainly not the only tool; lunar phases, historic weather patterns, river depths, etc., all were (and are) considered as well.

Again, All Superstition?

Actually, no, it is not all superstition, particularly when it comes to the behavior of the groundhogs when they first emerge from hibernation. 

Remember that the events in Punxsutawney are not organic. We’re not watching the behavior of a groundhog in the wild. Thus, what may seem to be a silly observance with frequent inaccuracies is not the whole of the story. The annual events in Punxsutawney (and other places) certainly helped to keep the essence of the lore alive, but the true significance of Groundhog Day is masked by the commercial pomp and circumstance of the day. My personal experience is anecdotal, but it matches the experiences of many other people who observe groundhogs in the wild: the accuracy rate in the wild is far, far higher than in the staged media spectacle in Punxsutawney.

Groundhog Day is actually a visceral observance. It comes from a time when people had few reliable means of knowing when they could plant, and they relied upon their relationship with nature and with the animals to make determinations about the consumption of remaining food stores and to plan for the planting.
 
Thus, this week we Pennsylvania Dutch shall honor the Groundhog and remember our interdependence with the animal kingdom around us.

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.

New Issue! Hollerbeer Hof 49 - Winter 2021 is available

The latest issue of Hollerbeer Hof is available here! You can also find links to the current issue and past issues in the side bar. In this issue we discuss star lore associated with Zisa and Ziu, The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, and Introspection and the Core Values at Yuulzeit. Happy Reading!

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

Holle's Haven Podcast: Yuul Episode

 

 A new episode of Holle's Haven Podcast is available. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and at https://holleshaven.com/

Hallicher Yuul!

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?