Midwinter Blót 2024
My name is Laurence Hardy, I’m a creative professional and a seeker of wisdom from the Pacific Northwest and this is where I document my experiences. CLICK BELOW to join my mailing list to get notified when future articles are released.
Thoughts on the midwinter sacrifice.
Midwinter is a time to rekindle hope. Things often seem the darkest in the middle of the cold, dead season. I’ve been carrying a darkness within me ever since I witnessed my father die. I have been present at the bedside of many relatives as they passed on over the years, but this was the first time I witnessed a soul leaving the body. It was haunting.
My father: Charles
Charles Stuart Hardy III died on a Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 3:08 PM in his home in Choctaw Oklahoma. He was a deeply complicated man, he kept to himself and lead a quiet life. He was born in 1961 to parents, Charles and Harriet Patricia in Minnesota. Charles served for 25 years in the United States Air Force and achieved the rank of Senior Master Sergeant before retiring.
As I approached the sacred space, the weight of this recent loss pressed upon me like the icy breath of winter. I met my brothers among the towering oaks. This midwinter sacrifice was treacherous, the usual conversations about ritual intentions and future plans were absent. Instead, we spoke of severely practical matters: how to burn wood in wet conditions, the -6° windchill, and how to butcher the goat fast enough so it didn’t freeze.
Despite the dangerous road conditions and the frigid weather, we made the journey safely and honored our God. I am very proud of my brothers, they showed reliability and resilience. When others would have turned back they forged on.
Our priest gave his invocation and we slaughtered the goat as an offering to Thor. Upon its death a wind from the east moved through our group from behind the godpole we built in his honor, a trumpeting acknowledgment from the unseen mover of this realm.
It became clear to us that the year ahead would bring trials that test the very core of our being. These challenges, like to the harsh winds that whistled through the oaks, will demand our attention to the present moment. In the face of these tests from the gods we have a choice: fight or perish.
Winter is death and midwinter is our call upon the gods for the strength and power to overcome death. Blessings to all who sacrificed with me in that snowy forest.
My name is Laurence Hardy, I’m a creative professional and a seeker of wisdom from the Pacific Northwest and this is where I document my experiences. CLICK BELOW to join my mailing list to get notified when future articles are released.