PYHIINVAELLUS JATKUU
Shivratri, Khajuraho, Intia 2013. © Justine Murphy / Prasad.fi
Pyhiinvaellus-kirjastani on tulossa äänikirja-versio. Ennakkotiedoista poiketen äänikirja ei ilmesty Helsingin Kirjamessujen aikaan.
Ananda-lehteen Matti Rautaniemen kirjoittama juttu Uusi tapa katsoa maailmaa löytyy nyt tältä sivustolta, Media-linkin alta.
Pyhiinvaelluksesta ilmestyi vastikään myös uusi, syväluotaava arvio nimikkeellä Pyhiinvaellus pakanuuteen; voit lukea arvion Media-linkin alta tai käymällä blogin sivuilla: Purppurarinteiden ratsastaja.
Pyhiinvaelluksesta on tulossa myös tulevaisuudessa laajennettu versio englanniksi, jossa on mukana uusia kappaleita.
AUTUMN EQUINOX AND RETURNING HOME
After a month-long pilgrimage of Europa, wandering and visiting sacred sites, me and my partner are back home in our northern land, in the forest by the sea.
Our longing to find ways to connect to the forgotten gods, ancestors and spirits of these lands led us to many sacred sites, crossing-over places and places of power. We visited many sites well-known and more obscure, ancient and modern, our travels leading us through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
We partook in the folk-festival Mėnuo Juodaragis ("Black Horned Moon"). Exploring sites connected to the Romuva (native Baltic faith) movement in Lithuania and Latvia, we also participated in some of their ceremonies by a great oak and sacred fire.
We visited sites such as the grave-hill of pagan king Gediminas overlooking Vilnius, the ancient mounds at Kernave, as well as the Žemaičių Alka near Sventoji, a "paleoastronomic observatory" on a hill by the sea, featuring wooden columns connected to the various names of the gods and goddesses of the Baltic peoples.
On the Curonian Spit we immersed ourselves in the magic of Raganų Kalnas, the "Hill of Witches" in a forest full of numerous wooden statues with motifs from Lithuanian folklore and pagan tradition, dominantly of old gods, forest-devils, mermaids and other such creatures.
Realizing that sensual delight is an approach to the divine, we made oblations at the temples of Eros.
In Germany we visited the ancient rocks of the sun, the Externsteine, with its pagan altar on top of the peak, funerary crypt, meditation chambers and statue featuring the cross over a bent Irminsul, the ancient anglo-saxon world pillar (signifying the coming of christianity and the receding paganism).
Around Wewelsburg village, we found runes and secret signs everywhere, on the tudor-style houses, buildings and furniture. We explored the darker esoteric undercurrents of history that still haunt Germany and the world beyond today, namely the North Tower of the Wewelsburg castle including the hall and vault ritual chamber with utterly strange acoustics.
In the same vein, we visited the grave of a misguided runic mystic, Karl-Maria Wiligut, as if purposefully hidden in shrouds of greenery in an otherwise pristinely maintained graveyard. His grave said Unser Leben geht dahin wie ein geschwäts, "Our Life passes away like idle chatter".
These undercurrents of history also relate to a project I am involved in about a little-known Finnish figure called Yrjö von Grönhagen, who happened to literally walk into the esoteric circles of the Ahnenerbe, Himmler and Wiligut. They also tell about where pilgrimages can lead a naive, idealistic wanderer if he looses his sense of balance and clarity.
In Bremen we visited the architecturally surreal Haus Atlantis, with is futuristic staircase and hall. The outside of Haus Atlantis used to hold a massive statue called Lebensbaum (Tree of Life) by Bernhard Hoetger, which featured Odin hanging on a world-tree surrounded by sun disks and runes; the statue was unfortunately destroyed by bombings in 1944 (a picture of the statue appears on the cover of the Allerseelen album Sturmlieder). However, this act of self-sacrifice and initiation undertaken by Odin in order to receive the wisdom of the secrets (runes), hanging wounded by a spear on a wind-swept world-tree "of which no man knows from where its roots run", is still very much alive.
In the countryside of Roskilde, we walked with our friends, rare western Naga Sannyasis, on top of grave mounds for pagan kings and ancient rows of stones made in the form of a boat, to possibly function as some sort of gate between this world and the other worlds. As we did so, we wandered what is left with us of the ancient world of those who were here before us. We kneeled at the holy spring of Sanct Hans, the water of which traditionally has healing properties. We lifted our gaze, and saw an impressive statue of triumphant Thor riding his chariot above Copenhagen.
On our last leg of the journey, we visited the pagan mounds at Old Uppsala, dedicated to Odin, Tor and Frey. We ascended to the top of each mound in succession, as the wind and rain roared with increasing might. And there, on the mound of Frey, Lord of weather and rain, we lifted our final horn-libations and shouted our last invocations to the winds with water running down our faces. And as we descended down from the mound, the rain ended, and all was still.
During our journeys, we kept seeing recurring signs and symbols, runes, tridents, sun-corsses and sigils like landmarks of a sacred terrain or sunrays shining forth from the heart of Europa. In old places of power, that are perhaps obscure but still not beyond reach, we kept coming in contact with something strong and sacred. Pilgrimage does not necessarily imply going to far-off lands; more importantly, one should seek the soil one is rooted in.
We also kept seeing the signs of Ragnarök, the twilight of the gods, "an axe-age, a sword age, when no man will have mercy on another." In Indian tradition, this is called the Kali Yuga, a time of degeneration and disintegration of human civilization. The men of Kali Yuga seek only money, and everything is for sale, including water, pre-made food, and even the teachings and sacraments. Religiously, the Kali Yuga is defined by mutually exclusive monotheistic religions, and the intolerance, oppression, and terrorism they unleash upon the world.
In all our travels, we tried to connect and communicate with the spirit of the places in a way that would be beyond mere "looking". We approached them as one approaches the holy: we raised horns, poured libations, lit incense, offered flowers and spoke sincere words of intent.
We learned that the gods may not be dead after all, although their statues are few and far between, their names mostly forgotten and even more rarely invoked, and their places of power -mountains, hilltops, caves, forests, riverbanks- now house churches or monuments of a monotheist, totalitarian faith or otherwise lie in obscurity. The gods live on, in us. They lie in a slumber and whisper to us if we dare to listen. And when we call upon them, they awaken.
According to the Indian tradition of pilgrimage, wanderers are beloved by Shiva, and the feeding of wanderers is considered a duty and a merit. Our horn was shared by many mouths. A sincere Thank You is in order to all who we crossed paths with under good signs, and especially those who housed, honored and fed us during our travels. “One never reaches home, but where paths that have an affinity for each other intersect, the whole world looks like home, for a time.” - H.H.
And so it is on this Autumnal Equinox that we return to the seashore on which we began our journey. We reflect over all that we have experienced and been gifted with, and it is these lights and seeds growing inside us that will carry us through the dark.
We wish bright Autumnal Equinox to all!
Note: more in-depth travelogues will be posted in the future. A book is also in the works, featuring writings and photography relating to these and other journeys.
RADIO WYRD 1-vuotisjuhlalähetys!
Radio Wyrdin 6. lähetys nyt linjoilla!
Tässä kuudennessa, kesäisessä lähetyksessä juhlistetaan Radio Wyrdin yksivuotissyntymäpäiviä. Podcastin miehistö on paennut kaupungista jonnekin maaseudulle, ja katsoo nyt kohtalon kaivoon, heijastellen mennyttä, nykyistä ja tulevaa. Ja kuten on perinne, juomasarvi nousee!
THE TRINITY OF KNOWLEDGE
Many years ago, a wise old man spoke to me about how all things in nature are marked. Instead of looking at what things mean and represent on an abstract and symbolic level, we should seek out marks, which are in the things themselves. He called this "reading the book of the world".
All things in nature do seem to be marked in specific and sometimes strangely profound ways.
In traditional folk medicine, plants are often viewed as being marked with subtle signs and resemblances in their shapes, colors and other properties, which can reveal something essential about their nature and usage.
The Ginseng plant, which looks like a human being, is a widely known adaptogen and all-around human tonic. Equally, the walnut, which resembles a human brain, has been discovered to aid brainfunction. Other plants that have a protective nature, such as the stinging nettle, have been found to improve the immune system.
These marks can also act as warning signs, in the form of specific patterns and bright colors often found in reptiles and insects. The northernmost snake in the world and the only poisonous species in Finland, Kyy (the adder) has distinct, sharp saw-like patterns on its back, whereas the non-poisonous snakes are more plain in color.
Same is true of human beings in many ways. Often meeting with a person face-to-face will reveal more about them than any number of their words ever could divorced from their speaker. The body is a temple of the ideals that dwell within. The body has its own language that seldom lies. And the human face is often marked with patterns of life lived, its tragedies and victories written all over it. "As within, so without".
And we as human beings are treefold like trees, with our roots hidden in the murky underworlds, our spines vertical as trunks, and our branches reaching skyward for the sun, the stars and beyond.
In all of nature there are reoccurring patterns and ratios, and the balance of these patterns and ratios is often what we perceive as harmony and beauty. This harmony and beauty we recognize as something timeless, both in raw nature and in our own creations that express these very same ratios.
Beyond abstractions and symbolic constructions, all of life can be "read" by its marks. To find and reinforce the connections and subtle nuances that speak of a larger whole is central to many traditional paths of knowledge and wisdom. In the West, this is the tradition of magic, hermeticism, alchemy, et al. In the East, this is yoga, ayurveda, chinese medicine and many other traditions.
A few days ago, my partner and I were collecting Mugwort (Artemisia Vulgaris), a plant I have had a special relationship with for a long time. It is a classical magical plant hidden in plain sight, used for its dream-enhancing qualities. Its leaves are trident, algiz-rune like in shape. Indeed, it is known as the "Trident of old Shiva" in Nepal. I ingested the mugwort plant every monday for a year in tincture form that I had prepared. While doing so I kept a dreamdiary, as the spirit of the plant was clearly acting as a guide for me in vivid, remarkably acute and often darkly violent dreams. As part of a musical group, we recorded an entire album guided by the plant and put a dried stamp of its shape on the cover. When I first met my partner, I discovered that she had been listening to this very record for three years every day, using it for her morning practice and yoga lessons.
What all this tells us about is that life and nature are interconnected as they spring from the same source. As all life is brewed literally in the same cauldron, things are subtly connected and resemble each other. Finding and reinforcing these resemblances, correspondences and connections, we come to learn more deeply about the trinity that is the world world within (subject), the world outside us (object), and ultimately the realization that these two are not separated but a union reflecting each other.
FROM SECRET SOURCE I WRUNG THESE WORDS
SAIN SANAT SALASTA ILMI
FROM SECRET SOURCE I WRUNG THESE WORDS
Website is now online. On these pages I will keep a tri-lingual journal on my writings, travels and other current works.
Suitable to the occasion, pictured here is the hidden in plain sight, upside down, pentagram-on-forehead face visible in a Kalevala-themed statue in central Helsinki from the year 1901. It portrays Antero Vipunen, the ancient giant and keeper of secrets and spells, whom the storyteller-shaman Väinämöinen turns to for knowledge. It is from Antero Vipunen that Väinämöinen "snatches the secrets", much like Odin takes the runes ("secrets") while hanging on the world tree. Then Väinämöinen sings: "Sain Sanat Salasta Ilmi!" ("From Secret Source I Wrung these Words!")
THE FENRIS WOLF NO.6
On Monday the new issue (#6) of The Fenris Wolf book anthology arrived. It features my article The River of Story, along with a plethora of other interesting writings by the likes of Robert Taylor, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Freya Aswynn, Sri Gurudev Mahendranath, et al, edited by Carl Abrahamsson and with brilliant cover artwork by Fredrik Söderberg. Order your copy now from www.edda.se - Americans/Canadians order via www.jdholmes.com
On Monday it also happened to be Guru Purnima, the traditional Indian full moon festival of honouring teachers, mentors and gurus. Coincidentally, in my article in said book I deal partially with the lack of such figures in the West:
"This brings up a central problem we face in the West. We mostly lack our own gurus- that is, teachers and guides with a voice of authority and the power reflecting an ancient, unbroken tradition. Our traditions have been severed, and the access we seldom gain to them is by highly suspicious entities, whether modern or claiming ancient lineages. We are also told that our own spiritual and magical traditions are irrelevant and outdated. Instead we are offered a range of religions, ideologies and creeds from which we can pick and choose whatever might interest us on an ideal, aesthetic, but ultimately surface-level. As we lack context and handles, we stumble along in a jungle of abstract ideas written in dark chambers by pale intellectuals and lifeless scholars, surrounding ourselves with dry academia, baseless new age books, countless feel-good courses and self-help guides, mostly of thoroughly modern origin. We seek for authenticity, fiddle around with this or that esoteric discipline, dabble in dark shit, and sometimes plunge headlong into the abyss with perhaps no one there to catch us. When we resurface from the other worlds, sometimes instead of gifts to bring back with us, we carry psychic scars and holes in souls - not to mention massively inflated egos.
Let it be re-stated: what yogis and babas are is a living link in a ancient line of knowledge, of wisdom not confined to a book or creed, but spoken and sung through countless mouths since time immemorial. Yogis are the guardians of this line, which in India is called Sanātan Dharma, the eternal tradition and the laws of nature and the cosmos. What yogis do is act as conduits of magic, the blessings of nature, rooted in this ancient tradition of knowledge, for the people that seek and come to them. Ideally at least, they bring happiness, prosperity and wisdom into peoples lives. They are also the great storytellers, reflecting the story told again and again in myth and legend and long before these were written down. They tell of the quest of the hero - that is, the journey of the true human being."
ANANDA
Uusimmassa Ananda-joogalehdessä (2/2013) on Matti Rautaniemen kirjoittama juttu minusta Pyhiinvaellus-kirjani tiimoilta, "Uusi tapa katsoa maailmaa", sekä arvio kirjasta. Lehti löytyy Akateemisesta kirjakaupasta, useista joogakaupoista, sekä suoraan lehden sivuilta www.anandalehti.fi
Mielenkiintoinen yksityiskohta on että lehden "9 kysymystä"-palstalla vastauksestani kysymykseen siitä "mikä tekee minut iloiseksi" oli toimituksessa poistettu viimeinen lause, joka oli "Ruoka ja viini ystävien seurassa, nauraminen ja hyvä seksi." Kertooko tämä sitten lehden tilanpuutteesta vaiko juuri siitä länsimaisessa joogamaailmassa vallitsevasta sievistelystä josta kirjassani kerron, se jääköön arvailun varaan. Ironiaa löytyy, kun ottaa huomioon että lehden nimi "Ananda" tarkoittaa "iloa".