19 Oct 2009 15 Comments

Odin goes Hollywood?

Greetings from Elaya, where lwood and I have spent the past weekend running a workshop on oracular skills for a very talented group of Los Angeles pagans. We had 24 talented people attending, about half of them heathen and most of the others Celtic Reconstructionists and/or ADF. They were also made of sturdy stuff: the weather had turned hot again and the venue–the Max Kade Institute for Austrian, German, and Swiss Studies– had no air conditioning. So we invented a new variation, “sauna seidh”. Despite the global warming, everyone did really well, and I think there’s a good chance they’ll be able to organize one or more groups that can do oracular ceremonies at Southern California events.

(photo: Group photo from the workshop)

But about Odin… As we went around the circle making introductions, it became apparent that a surprising number (including some of the Celts) had been recruited, or at least bugged and bothered, by Odin. So we heard a lot about him, and spent some time wondering why he has become so pushy in recent years. Our hosts during the workshop were Meredith MacDonald of the ADF (ardgruntler), and Lorna, who runs the Cauldron Kitty metaphysical store in the Silver Lake area of L.A.. They live at the edge of Burbank, where most of the movie studios are located these days. This may be why, when we decided to do some trancework with Odin, he pointed out that one of his names is Svafnir, Bringer of Dreams, and Hollywood is the place where dreams are created for the world. So if a group of people skilled in visualization establish an energy connection with the power centers of the entertainment world and project visions of a world in which we do the things that will prevent catastrophic climate change (my current definition of Ragnarök), more of those images may creep into the films being made. Whether or not it works, surely it’s a worthy goal.

(photo: Elizabeth Rose in a Hollywood High Seat, Mme. Tussaud’s Hollywood)

So today, when we drove from Burbank to visit Madame Tussaud’s in Hollywood, where ardgruntler works, we were thinking about the idea and wondering whether it was any good. At the first turn, we passed the AFTRA/SAG (TV and Screen actors) Credit Union and noticed that its logo is a slightly adapted Valknut:

At the second turn we passed the Valhalla Motion Pictures offices. When we turned toward Hollywood Blvd., we passed Odin Street as we passed the entrance to the Hollywood Bowl.

Chance? or omens? (an omen being a chance occurrence that circumstances give meaning).

(photo: Lorrie with John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit)

Either way, it’s kinda fun to imagine Odin strolling down Hollywood Boulevard, wearing dark jeans and a grey sport coat over a deep blue silk shirt (the current male uniform for the movers and shakers), and a pair of iridescent reflecting blue sunglasses. He pauses and looks at you–

“Heya. They call me Svafnir.” he says, sounding rather like Ingmar Bergman. “I have put together productions all over the world. I am now directing an epic with a cast of millions. It will have love, battle, terror, beauty. This will be a big one, the biggest thing this town has ever seen. I am looking for people to play warriors who fight to save their world.

“Interested?”

by dpaxson in Uncategorized