Tag Archives: praxis

Devotion to Abel Blake

written in 2020, revised slightly for 2021

O spirit of Western Fairy,
Abel Blake
I speak of you.

May my words be heard
as I praise you,
capturing ineffectually
the entirety of you.

Accept this
fulfillment of my agreement with you

(and do not abandon
nor tear yourself away from my side).

Beloved among the best,
you reject all who would own you
and make suitors bend to your whim.
Your body as welcoming as a fire
filling a home in winter.
Your tongue as cruel
as the cold outside.

You spread your arms wide
and accept all
if provided proper coin.
You paint your feelings
upon your painted faces
a thousand hundred times
and none of us have seen enough.
Beneath the perfected smiles and sighs,
you remain

as angry as ever
as loathing
Hatred and regret clogging your throat
leaking out onto anyone your cloying heart
actually beats for.

Adored one,
beloved of Alynah Blake,
beloved of the best of the Blakes,
she who is strongest and swiftest
most powerful,
but before you she is powerless.
Your gold-yellow eyes and heavy words
She
the only suitor to unmask you
the only lover to hold you
as your thorny self.

Still,
you remain

as angry as ever
as loathing
Hatred and regret clogging your throat
leaking out onto anyone your cloying heart
actually beats for.

The regret you hold
like a muzzle between your teeth
cannot be swayed by sexual talent
your many forms and faces.
The despair wafts around you
as strong as alcohol scenting your skin.

You,
favored one,
favored by the Gods even as
They punish you one by one.
Piety and prayer scalding
burning your tongue
burning down your gut.

Unfavored favored one,
rumor-laden,
a bird in an ivory tower cage,
bars so strong not even
The King of Rabbits
The Dethrone of Men
The Bane of God
can break them.

When the storm arrives
when the steel knocks down your door

You remain

as angry as ever
as loathing
Hatred and regret clogging your throat
leaking out onto anyone
your cloying heart beats for.

Justice pulls apart the cage
and with eager arms
reaches for your soul kept even further in.
All your feelings
painted over a thousand hundred times
can hide nothing from Her.
She reaches
and She waits.

A hand held out
without deceit or deals
In a thousand years
in an eternity

She remains

as patient
as loving
Hatred and regret flowing out of you
leaking onto Her

(like acid
leaking out onto everyone
you have ever loved)

She holds you unflinchingly
until the worst of you has gone
with the tide
out from the shore.

You remain.

[All information above is in-process, as the Otherfaith is always under development. It should not be taken as solid canon or ‘law’. Please use the information to explore and experiment as feels appropriate.]

Prayers for Aster Aira, upon the Winter Solstice

I invoke first:
Ophelia, God of Rivers and Waters and Time.

I invoke second:
Abel Blake.
Temper your ancestral father’s flame.

I invoke again:
Ophelia,
God of Waters
of Duty
of, in darkest night, forgiveness.

I invoke now

Aster Aira
flame of flames
fire of fires

unholy child of Laethic conflagration.

Upon this, the night of your birth,
I honor you appropriately
in word and no more.

Eternal the incandescence of your body.
Endless the exclamation of your soul.

I honor this,
you,
your sacrifice.

Aster Aira is one of the children of the Laethic Firebird – the actual giant bird of flame that may be understood as the ‘purest’ (and also most foreign/alien/fairy) form of the Laetha. Althea Altair is one of the other children of the Laethic Firebird, but she has more positive aspects than Aster. Though they are both born from the same ‘father’ they are not, and do not consider themselves, siblings.

He may be called simply ‘Aster’; as with many Laethic spirits, he has a secondary name that clarifies him in prayer but may not be necessary during spiritual journeys.

Aster is the older brother to the snow spirit Neve Winter (a child of the Ophelia). Both he and Neve share their birth on the Winter Solstice, though they are said to be separated ‘by a year’ according to the Western fairy spirits. Neve may also be invoked or summoned or worked with in relation to Aster. Invoked together they can balance out each other’s intense energies (fire and ice, for Aster and Neve respectively). These siblings encompass every spectrum of sibling relations, from extreme dysfunction to peaceful relation. The Winter Solstice is a good point to work with their more beneficent (to humans) aspects.

(I tend to focus more upon Aster, as I am closer to him in energy and as I am an older sibling.)

Fire has a variety of meanings and interpretations among the spirits of the Other People. Aster tends to embody and represent the more negative and overwhelming aspects. He is effective at burning away and destroying. For this reason, he is best invoked with aids or ‘leashes’ to rein in him. He can, if left unchecked, become malevolent. I would not say he is inherently malevolent, nor does he seek to harm human practitioners, but he is very much a trickster. He will force practitioners and devotees to encounter their own shadows and faults, often in abrupt fashion. He has no tolerance for self-deception.

He can be incredibly useful for burning away lies and deception of all kinds. Any prayer, magic, or ritual requiring less-than-positive fire spirits can call upon him.

Though he is, technically, the ancestor to some of the Otherfaith spirits (Abel Blake, the Repudiated Blake, some Witch and sun spirits), he is not very effective when summoned as an ancestral or paternal spirit. Using his paternal bonds can help in calling him forth, but his rejections of familial bonds means he will not aid well in resolving family issues. Practitioners may find utility in his relation with his own parents – he is ultimately rejected by the Laetha (his birth parent) and adopted by the Ophelia.

Aster Aira, Neve Winter, and Casimir make up the ‘Verszou Triad’ (such as I call them), but Casimir is not best called upon during the Winter Solstice or month of December generally.

In my own personal practice, Aster has been with me for over a decade. He is one of my oldest spirit ‘friends’, along with Neve and Casimir. One would think that as I grew older and advanced in not only my (polytheist) devotional and magical practice that I would move on from them, but…I have not.

My recommendations above come from working with Aster for so long. But that does not mean that other practitioners should hold them as gospel. As I try to note at the end of every post here, you should adjust and tinker and alter the content I post to suit your own practice and experience. The spirits will be interacting with you, after all, and in posting these thoughts I simply hope to illuminate my own pitfalls and encounters.

Aster has, consistently, been an overwhelming entity in my life. Even at his most positive – and for a ‘destructive’ fire spirit, he can certainly be beneficial! – he is A Lot to deal with. In one of my most recent journeys that he helped chaperone I ended up with a dagger in my gut and emotions spewing out of me like vomit.

As best I can describe, the energetic feeling of him is like a warm mist around the shoulders. He hangs just behind your back; not threatening or scary, but there always, like a little whispering, niggling voice that bounces between being overly critical and tossing out horrendously ill-conceived ideas.

This overbearing aspect of him is why I suggest tempering him with the Ophelia, or Abel Blake (who, in the stories I have seen between them, is a very effective collar to Aster’s less-great impulses), or Neve. I would advise more toward the first two. Neve can be just as destructive and wily, just in a ‘cold’ form. When Aster and Neve get going together it can be absolute havoc.

Casimir, a spirit I associate with earth, mountains, and the stability of humanity (in a broad sense – think beyond generations and on a larger ‘human species’ level), can also be invoked to neutralize Aster’s energies. Aster will tend to become scarce for a while after invoking Casimir, though, so doing so should be a last resort if one desires to work with Aster.

the Ophelia, the Otherfaith God of Rivers and Time, is likely the best bet to temper Aster’s fire. She is his adoptive parent, both gentle yet firm with him, and Her watery aspects balance out his flame. That said, the Ophelia also has little tolerance for self-deception, hypocrisy, and lies; if you are working through such things with Aster I suspect She will be of little help.

Below are some other prayers for Aster Aira that I have written this year. Please use them, and the one above, as you see fit.

To Aster Aira, upon the date of his birth:

I call to Aster Aira,
son of the Firebird
embodiment of flame,
accursed one.

I call to Aster Aira
upon the day of your birth,
the mournful night
of light’s return.

I call to you:

Misfortune, to be burned away
our misfortunes bled into your blood
burned away within your body.

Consuming all poisons
all despairs
all injuries of man
until the sun is all that remains.

To Neve, to temper Aster, her brother of flame, unholy one:

Neve of the cold and ice,
daughter of Ophelia,
clad in snowfall.

Most remarkable among
the Western’s winter,
born properly a year following
your flaming brother.

Your castles of ice
and illusion
mark the worlds.

Bring blue fingers
to bear upon your brother
guiding him to redemption.

Solitary Autumn Equinox Rite

An Otherfaith ritual in celebration of the Autumn Equinox.

You can download a PDF version of this rite here. Please edit and adjust this ritual as you desire; it is intended merely as a starting point.

Timing

At or around the Autumn Equinox. This ritual can be performed any time after the Autumn Equinox until Halloween as well, with small adjustments made to the wording to reference the season rather than specifically the Equinox.

Tools:

Cleansing herbs/incense (if needed)
Main altar candle
Clarene candle
Incense, for all the Gods
Incense, for the Clarene
Censer
Liquid for libations (cider, beer, wine, juice, alcohol, and/or water)
Offering bowl (if performed indoors)
Bell
Anointing oil/water
Altar
Altar decorations, if desired
Prayer beads, if desired

Notes

This ritual is based on the ‘Mabon Solitary Ritual’ found in Mabon: Rituals, Recipes and Lore for the Autumn Equinox by Diana Rajchel. As she describes it, “[it] is one of simple gratitude and propitiation. In this ritual, you give offerings in the form of liquid, or libations, and by doing so you encourage a further relationship with deity and nature.” (Rajchel 159) Some of the prayers used in this ritual are directly from Rajchel’s ritual, but most are of my own original drafting.

This ritual can be performed indoors or outdoors. If done outdoors you can simply pour out your offering onto the ground. If performed indoors, pour the liquid into an offering bowl. After the ritual is completed you should pour out the libations somewhere outside.

The ideal directions to set up the altar and/or pour libations are North or West, as this ritual is focused on the Clarene. The ideal drink for the libations to the Clarene would be beer, cider, wine, or brandy. Other drinks can be chosen for the specific Gods and spirits you wish to praise. You may either pour out the entire bottle/drink at the end of the rite, keep it to offer in other rituals, or drink it yourself as desired. Different liquids may be offered if you so desire, but using one type of offering is fine. Water is perfectly acceptable as an offering liquid.

Ritual

Make sure you are clean (having showered or bathed in the past day) and are wearing clean clothing. A ritual cleansing shower or bath may be taken beforehand if desired.

If the space has not previously been purified, burn cleansing herbs or incense. Sweep the room clockwise three times

Four and Four Gods,
bless this room
that it might be fit for your rites and rituals.
Spirits of house and home,
bless this room
that it might be fit for your rites and rituals.
Spirits of place and presence,
bless this room
that it might be fit for your rites and rituals.
Gods and spirits, holy and unholy,
bless this space.

Sit before the altar and light the main candle. Mark forehead (and upper chest, if desired) with oil or water.

I am consecrated in the name of the Four Gods.

Ground and center.

Four and Four Gods,
above and below,
be with me tonight and give witness to my rite.

Ring bell thrice.

I pray tonight to the Four Gods and their many spirits.
I give libation to Them.
May They join me in this rite
and accept my offerings on this autumn equinox.

Invoke the Four+ Gods. You may use prayer beads or hold up your arms, bent at the elbows with palms upward, as you pray.

Holy Clarene, god of hearth and home, I call to you.
Holy Ophelia, god of waters and weeping, I call to you.
Holy Laetha, god of cinders and song, I call to you.
Holy Dierne, god of love and longing, I call to you.
Holy Laethelia, god of joy and jubilance, I call to you.
Holy Ophelene, god of wisdom and work, I call to you.
Holy Darren, god of decision and doubt, I call to you.
Holy Liathane, god of chaos and calamity, I call to you.

Take a sip from the drink container then hold it aloft for a moment before setting it back upon the altar.

This libation I consume,
sharing with the Gods and spirits
in the energy of the season.

Once the Gods have been invoked, light a candle and incense specifically for the Clarene. Pour a small libation into the bowl.

Holy Clarene,
Great God of the harvest,
God of slaughter,
God of farms and orchards and food –
you are stunning in your beauty,
overwhelming in your power.
The time of the harvest is your time.
We kill that we might eat.
We eat that we might live.
You are the cycle.
You are the scythe.
I behold your eternal glory.

Pour another small libation.

In gratitude, in love, I give thanks to you.[i]

Pour another small libation.

In grief, in sorrow, I give thanks to you.[ii]

Now you might give prayers to specific Gods, spirits, or people who have helped them in their lives. Pour a small libation out after each prayer.

Visualization

Close your eyes and sit comfortably. See a glowing portal between yourself and the altar. On the other side lay the Westernlands, the world of Western Fairy that the Clarene rules over. Imagine stepping through the portal. You step into a grassy clearing. Trees bedecked in orange and yellow leaves stand behind you, encircling the clearing; ahead of you stands one of the Clarene’s homes, a wooden cabin with smoke drifting from the chimney.

In the clearing stands the Clarene. A table laden with the gifts of the harvest – fruits, gourds, vegetables, meats, and more food than you can name – sits between you and the God.

Approach the table. You may either ask the Clarene to give you a gift from the table, of Her choosing, or you may choose a piece of food yourself. In either case, take the food you are offered. Remember what it looks like, if you can identify it, how to smells and feels. Keep it close to your chest.

Thank the Clarene, and make your way back through the portal to this world.

Remember to write down what food you received, as well as any meaning you might glean from it. What you were gifted represents the gift of the season specific in your life, what you can expect going forward. Write down any other details from the visualization as well: if there were any spirits with the Clarene, how She appeared to you, anything notable about the clearing or forest or house, what foods were on the table, etc. Note, as well, your emotional state and feelings during the meditation.

Give one last libation to the Clarene.

King of the Gods,
you who are the order and proper turn of the world,
I give thanks to you this harvest season.
Sustain me in the months ahead.
Bless me as the days darken.
Receive these offerings in the spirit they are given,
and remain, always, alongside me.
This I pray.

Bid farewell to the Four+ Gods. Clasp your hands together or use prayer beads while praying.

Holy Clarene, god of hearth and home, I thank you.
Holy Ophelia, god of waters and weeping, I thank you.
Holy Laetha, god of cinders and song, I thank you.
Holy Dierne, god of love and longing, I thank you.
Holy Laethelia, god of joy and jubilance, I thank you.
Holy Ophelene, god of wisdom and work, I thank you.
Holy Darren, god of decision and doubt, I thank you.
Holy Liathane, god of chaos and calamity, I thank you.

Extinguish the Clarene’s candle.

With love, I depart from you, Holy Ones.
I carry with me gratitude for the life on earth you have given.[iii]

Ring the bell thrice.

This rite is complete.

[i] “Mabon Solitary Ritual.” Mabon – Rituals, Recipes and Lore for the Autumn Equinox, by Diana Rajchel, Llewellyn Publications,U.s., 2015, pp. 158–167.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Ibid.

Weekly Devotion Commentary

Last week I posted up weekly devotions for the Four+ Gods. One goal I’m working on this year is worshiping the Gods more, and more intentionally. This means more prayers, more rituals, and more devotionals. More time spent on the Gods and spirits.

Currently, I am focusing on three devotional goals:

devotions for each of the Four+ Gods
opening and closing the week
full and new moons

The full and new moon devotions are less Otherfaith specific and tie more into broader Wiccan-ish Paganism. I have found that an increased devotion and ritual practice ripples throughout ones religious practices, and the Moon Goddess is important in many modern traditions. I don’t know that She has much place in Otherfaith practice, but She does in my own.

The Opening and Closing Week prayers I wrote seem to work fine. I actually like them a fair bit! Figuring out when to use them seems to be the trickier bit. Opening the Week aligns well with Monday and helps get my mind in order for the week ahead. Ending the week, however, is less clear.

Should I end it on Sundays? Then there isn’t really an end to the week at all, and the prayers don’t seem to serve any purpose. Perhaps, instead, Friday, when the weekend begins. This is complicated by ‘weekends’ that don’t always align with the weekend.

Should I use the prayer when taking a break from my devotions? But I don’t actually want to take a break from my devotions in general, at the very least not my morning and evening devotions.

I am still figuring out the placement for the ‘Closing of the Week’ prayer.

Devotions for the Gods

The prayers I used for the devotions were based on older ones, called the Praises, that I came up with years ago. I decided to use them while experimenting with the new devotionals I was working with.

Honestly, I didn’t like them much at all. They felt far too short during times when I wanted to really focus on a deity. When I wrapped them into my morning or nighttime prayers they just didn’t capture the essence of the God that I was trying to call to.

I realized that the naming of the Gods was rather important. An obvious step, but one I completely missed while drafting! I have now added in the specific name of the God I am calling upon, along with various epithets.

I didn’t have most of the offerings I suggested in the devotionals, so instead I would offer incense and prayers. This made me think of creating a variety of devotionals, from more to less intensive, that People could use. I also want to develop prayers/poetry for the devotionals that can easily vary in length.

Figuring out what color candle and what scent of incense to use has been an interesting journey that I’ve really only just begun. For the Clarene, as an example, lush or luxurious scents would be appropriate. Anything that reminds one of luxury and wealth. I foolishly didn’t mark down what incense I had given while doing the devotions and will do so in the future, to keep track of what I feel might work (and what didn’t work!).

Two stanzas may work better for the devotions I am looking to give. Once I’ve brainstormed some, I will share them.

First Draft of Weekly Devotions

In the hopes of developing more prayer, ritual, and poetry for the Four+ Gods and Their spirits, I wrote up some simple devotional ideas for the week. These include an opening and closing of the week observance, along with devotions for each of the Four/Four Gods. The prayers I have utilized for the deity devotions are based on older Otherfaith prayers that I compiled together last year.

I will be updating the prayers and instructions as I develop this practice. Feel free to use and adapt the content herein to your needs. (I did not follow these instructions to a tee, even.)

The Devotionals

Opening of the Week

Stand outside the shrine space. Using clean water, anoint forehead, chest, hands, and feet.

“May I be blessed.
As this week weaves on,
keep my mind on the gods
and keep my actions right with Them.
Please bless me.“

Devotional for the Clarene

To take place on a Monday, during the morning.

Light a candle of an appropriate color (black or gold). Offer incense of a suitable scent, along with a bread and milk offering.

“Esteemed God, I give these gifts to you.”

Settle into a prayerful position.

“Oh greatest God of the West –
She who lifts us to Her height,
who makes in us Her equal –
I praise you.”

Remove the offerings at dusk.

Devotional for the Ophelia

To take place on a Tuesday, during dusk.

Light a candle of the appropriate color (blue shades). Offer incense of a suitable scent, along with a water and flower offering.

“Esteemed God, I give these gifts to you.”

Settle into a prayerful position.

“Oh Beloved in Blue –
She who drowns us in Her waves,
who captures us with time –
I praise you.”

Remove offerings the next day.

Devotional for the Laetha

To take place on a Thursday, during the morning.

Light a candle of the appropriate color (red, yellow, or gold). Offer incense of a suitable scent.

“Esteemed god, I give this smoke to you.”

Settle into a prayerful position.

“Oh frightful fiery one –
He who scorches us bare,
who burns to touch another –
I praise you.”

Remove the candle immediately when done.

Devotional for the Dierne

To take place on a Friday, during the evening.

Light a candle of the appropriate color (black, white, or silver). Offer incense of a suitable scent, along with water and glitter.

“Esteemed God, I give these gifts to you.”

Settle into a prayerful position.

“Oh beloved God above all –
He who offers stars and light,
who teases with sweet song –
I praise you.”

Remove the offerings once the incense has finished.

Devotional for the Laethelia

To take place on a Saturday, at midday.

Light a candle of the appropriate color (pink, light blue, or yellow). Offer incense of a suitable scent, along with salt and water.

“Esteemed God, I give these gifts to you.”

Settle into a prayerful position.

“Oh deep water Girl-God –
She who gives balms,
who soothes every wound –
I praise you.”

Remove offerings at twilight.

Devotional for the Ophelene

To take place on a Wednesday, during the morning.

Light a candle of the appropriate color (purple or silver). Offer incense of a suitable scent, along with water.

“Esteemed God, I give these gifts to you.”

Settle into a prayerful position.

“Oh great God of steel –
She who lends aid,
who steers us right –
I praise you.”

Remove the offerings after your next meal.

Devotional for the Darren

To take place on a Wednesday, during the morning.

Light a candle of the appropriate color (black, red, or brown). Offer incense of a suitable scent, along with dirt or charcoal.

“Esteemed God, I give these gifts to you.”

Settle into a prayerful position.

“Oh Deer of burning stone –
He who smolders with stars,
who makes us humble before Him –
I praise you.”

Remove the offerings after the next meal.

Devotional for the Liathane

To take place on any day, during twilight.

Light a white candle. Offer incense and something broken.

“Unholy God, I give this to you.”

Settle into a prayerful position.

“Oh chaotic dragon of the world –
He who crushes hypocrisy and lies,
who frightens and reveals in turn –
I praise you.”

Remove the offerings immediately.

Closing the Week

Stand within the shrine space. Anoint the exitway with water.

“May this space remain blessed.
Even as my eyes turn elsewhere,
Even as the week ends,
may I remain right by You.”

January 15: Birth of Centry Rio

A hill is dotted in dark trees, the ground covered in snow. The sunset at the horizon burns orange in the clouds. — Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

Background Information

Centries are centaur spirits in the Otherfaith stories. Unlike other centaurs throughout folklore, Centries are not associated with revelry or wildness. In the Otherfaith, centaur spirits are tied most closely to the Clarene (God of Sovereignty) and Ophelene (God of Justice). The first centaur is created by the Clarene; She buries a horse’s heart in Her Orchard in the hopes it will sprout, only for gunpowder and blood to fall upon the field. From the soil is born Dallas, the leader of the Centries.

As more centaurs are born Dallas is tasked by the Clarene with protecting the Westernlands and hunting down evildoers. The creation of the Centries as a specific group of spirits is currently marked on July 15. They may appear with lion-halves, instead of equine forms, hinting at their ties to the Clarene.

Though they may serve as spirits of justice, Centries are primarily concerned with lawfulness and order. They are good to call on in cases when the law is already ‘one one’s side’. They may act as forces of retribution but more often carry out punishment as the law of the land requires.

In Otherfaith canon, all Centries are named after cities.

Spirit Information

Rio is associated primarily with fire. His equine form is often a palomino or sorrel. He appears wielding a bow and arrow or spear, both weapons tipped in gold. Like many fire spirits he has red hair. Rio is specifically tied to punishing perpetrators of sexual assault and abuse.

He frequently appears beside Dallas. He may be the second-in-command of the Centries, or they may have some other relation that ties them together. Rio is one of the less mature Centries and acts more brashly than his kin.

Unfortunately, even though this is his birth date on our calendar, we do not have an origin story for Rio. How he came to be in the West and to serve in the Centries is a story that remains to be told.

Otherfaith practitioners could dedicated bows and arrows to Rio, along with charms shaped like bows and spears. Horse charms or symbols are another good option to dedicate or give to Rio. Standard offerings of bread, water, and incense would work well for the spirit. Milk and honey may be too ‘rich’ for Centry spirits. Offerings of carrots, apples, or other ‘horse food’ should likely be avoided to prevent offense.

The best time to give offerings to Rio would likely be during daylight hours.

Prayer

Rio of the Centries,
Short of stature
Fiery in temperament
I praise you.

Rio of the Centries,
Enflamed in righteousness
Vicious in destruction
I praise you.

Rio of the Centries,
Stable of hand
And stable of eye
I praise you.