God Of Thunder

God of Thunder🌩️

If I were a jewelry maker, and my specialty was jewelry made of God symbols, anything from the Norse pantheon would probably be my favorite thing to make. When it comes to symbols, their specific ornamentation style would be the easiest to do I would suspect. Yeah, there may be a bit of intricate knotwork, but with most of it being straight lines and hard corners, the designs really lend themselves to line art. The point is, it makes drawing symbols really easy and clean. 

In Norse culture, the most popular, and arguably the most powerful, symbol would be Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the hammer, and primary weapon, of Thor, the god of thunder. Everyone knows Thor. Maybe you’re really into paganism, or maybe you’re a comic fan, or maybe you’ve just been alive for the last ten years, but everyone has heard of Thor. His symbol is just the drawn version of Mjolnir, which sort of looks like a cross or an anchor depending on which way is up. It is nearly indistinguishable from the God himself, as he is thunder, and lightning is created when he hits his hammer against something. In most instances, the image of Mjolnir is engraved with a triquetra, which is three vesica piscis overlapping each other. This represents three of the nine realms (Asgard, Midgard, and Utgard) which are guarded by Thor. 

With Thor being essentially the main god that the Norse people worshipped, he covered a lot of ground. He was the god of the storm, but also protection from that storm, so Mjolnir was used as an amulet or necklace as protection from negativity or danger. Thor was also the agriculture god, and subsequently, a bit of a fertility god. Mjolnir amulets were used to bless births and funerals, but mostly weddings because it was a symbol of strength for the couple and a blessing of many children. Generally speaking, it’s a real shame that it’s being co-opted by NeoNazis.

Fleur de lis ⚜️

Maybe my upbringing put me closer to a lot of secret occult motifs than I realized, because I’m also very familiar with a symbol called the Fleur-de-lis. It was on LITERALLY EVERYTHING in Louisiana. Of course, we knew it because of Louisiana’s deep French history. It’s a symbol of French royalty, and the French kings and queens put their emblem on everything they owned, including territories in the New World. Digging a little deeper, you learn that it also included slaves that were owned in the French territories. Slaves were marked on their cheeks by the fleur-de-lis, which makes it a wee bit of a painful symbol for them. Understandably. 

The stylized lily, just like the majority of European culture, was stolen from pagans, and reincorporated by the Catholic Church. It is a modification of the Gaulish lily, which was originally a symbolic representation of the Virgin Juno. Some pagans used it to represent the triple goddess due to the three “leaves”. It’s probably due to the virginal, feminine aspects so ingrained in the fleur-de-lis symbol that also attributed itself to figures like Mary and Mary Magdalene, and then eventually French royalty.

Lammas🌾

In the Northern Hemisphere, Lammas is on August 1st. In the Southern Hemisphere, Lammas is on February 2nd.

With Lammas, aka Lughnasad, falling at the end of Summer, and marking the first harvest, the most common themes for the holidays around it are family, crops, enjoying the last of the heat, and staying well for the coming cold. August 1st is not only Lammas, but we also observe it as Mead Day, National Play Outside Day, Sandcastle Day, and National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. August is National Back to School Month, and there are a number of little celebrations that honor family, including Respect for Parents day and American Family Day. It is also National Sister’s Day, with National Brother’s day only a few days later. This is perfect timing because in India, the Hindu religion is going through the Raksha Bandhan festival, which is literally where they celebrate brotherly bonds. Looking outside of just that specific day, you can see how it falls during Air Conditioning Appreciation Week, Simplify Your Life Week, International Tree Climbing Week, National Farmer’s Market Week, National Parks Month, Family Meals Month, and National Wellness Month.

The Summer will be coming to an end, and the crops that were planted in the Spring are ready for a first harvest. Lammas is a fire festival meant to honor the corn and grain that are beginning to be collected. It’s a time to make bread, and store the leftovers for the coming winter. The God, called Lugh in Celtic traditions, now sacrifices himself for the good of the crops, and the survival of his followers through the harsh days ahead. The Goddess, now called the Grain Mother, watches her lover die, but is also pregnant with the new Sun God. This cycle of rebirth is mirrored in the seedlings stored in the ground through winter to come back in Spring. Enjoy the last few days of warmth. 

The nice thing about Lammas is that it is simple and uncomplicated. Since it is a harvest festival, you should be using the harvest in your decorating. The most important crop right now is wheat, so it should be just scattered around your whole house. Put the stalks in vases, or tie them together to make a pentagram. Corn is also plentiful at this time, and makes perfect corn dollies for altars. Grains are really important now and it’s perfect for making breads. Of course, we are also harvesting other fruits, veggies, and herbs, and it is more than appropriate to incorporate those elements. In honor of the sun, bring in Sunflowers, and don’t forget to drink lots of beer. 

Trinities

When I was younger, all of the women in my family, myself included, were obsessed with the show Charmed on the WB. Witches, demons, spells, magical creatures. Who didn’t love it? That’s when I was introduced to the Triquetra. It’s famously emblazoned on the cover of their “Book of Shadows”. What I didn’t realize was how aggressively Irish it is. And I mean that in the best possible way. I guess it’s because the Halliwells didn’t seem all that Irish, I just assumed that it was a more universal symbol. 

Now, don’t misunderstand. Thanks to doing the research, I know that the triquetra has been found in multiple cultures, but it is most important to the ancient Celts. Due to the fact that most ancient cultures didn’t really record much of their lives, the actual age of the symbol is dubious, but it’s definitely Iron Age old. It’s been found all over the northern half of Europe on runestones and Germanic coins, and even on Persian pottery and coins from Lycia. Lots of areas of post-Roman occupation. The triquetra is a celtic knot, which just means that it’s drawn in one line, with no beginning or end. It’s also known as the Trinity knot, Celtic triangle, or Celtic trinity. 

Now the Celts, like many cultures, believed that 3 was an important, natural number. For them; it was earth, sea, and sky. When it was co-opted by the Christians, it was their Father, Son, Holy Spirit. For Pagans, it was air, water, earth, or life, death, rebirth, or even maiden, mother, crone. However, it’s really a symbol to identify with any 3 part concept. The triquetra could also be a representative for marriage - love, honor, protect, family- father, mother, child, or time - past, present, future. 

Essentially, the Irish came up with a symbol that could be used by any culture, because they all understand the solidity of 3. In pop culture, we’ve seen it used not only on Charmed, but in Marvel properties, like on Thor’s hammer. People use them to decorate wedding rings, and get them as tattoos. At this point, the triquetra isn’t really a pagan symbol, but a universal one. I look at it and see balance. Not duality, but balance. I see the triple moon, the maiden, mother, crone. I see time balanced in nature. I respect it.

"Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile." — John Howard Bryant

Imbolc 🕯️

In the Northern Hemisphere, Imbolc is February 2nd. In the Southern Hemisphere, Imbolc is August 1st.

In all honesty, Imbolc is one of the sabbats that never grabbed my attention. Yeah, I had heard of it, and knew when it was, but I was never quite drawn to it. As it turns out, there are a few different celebrations that happen around that time that I also wasn’t quite familiar with before. Imbolc is a mostly Celtic-based sabbat, and goes by the name of St. Brigid’s Day in Northern Europe. The Christian’s are celebrating Candlemas, which honors the purification of the Virgin Mary, and the presentation of Jesus. Over in China, they are taking the whole week for the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival where they build giant, intricate snow castles. And, as everyone knows, February 2nd is Groundhog Day for the American masses. For the most part, all the celebrations going on at this time honor the same principles in nature.

We are at the halfway point of Winter, and as we look forward to Spring and the awakening of the Earth, we celebrate Imbolc to remind us of that hope. The God, having just been born, is growing up into a young man ready to plant seeds. The Goddess has been resting, and as light returns to the world, she begins to wake up bringing the beginning of Spring with her. It’s all in direct relation to the goings on in the natural world. Snow is beginning to melt, and green grass is peeking out. Seeds that fell in the fall, and were covered by Winter, are finally getting warmth from the sun, and will be sprouting.

The theme, as always, is this time in Nature. Decorate with white, for the snow, red, for the sun, and a little green, for the new growth. You could even incorporate a little bit of a pastel color palette to remind yourself of what isn’t too far in the future. Candles are NEVER a bad idea, especially when honoring the returning of the sun. If new flowers are starting to sprout outside, then it would be nice to use flower bulbs like daffodils and snowdrops. To go a more traditional Celtic route to honor Brigid, use her things that represent her like, Brigid’s crown, anvils, and knotwork. All you have to do is keep in mind that Winter doesn’t last forever, and will be over soon. Warm days will be here again.