Solitary Ritual for Healing of the Body
Solitary Ritual for Healing of the Body
This is adapted from the group ritual in Horn and Banner: Rituals for the Northern Tradition, for these days when we may be all alone in quarantine or self-quarantine. It can be done by someone who is ill for themselves, but ideally it should be done by someone else for the ill person. They do not have to be present with the ill person.
For this ritual, you will need the following items:
-Ten candles. One large green one, and nine smaller ones in the following colors: pink, light blue, medium blue, lavender, pale green, white, yellow, brown, and red. Wind a long necklace of beads around the large green candle.
-A cup of honey.
-A bottle of some herbal tincture made from many healing plants, or alternately a cup of herbal tea. If the problem is coronavirus, concentrate on respiratory herbs such as mullein, coltsfoot, horseradish, mint, lemon balm, Iceland moss, etc. and antivirals such as garlic, rosemary, elder, sage, etc.
-A lit recaning stick of dried healing herbs. (Recaning sticks are the Northern Tradition version of smudge sticks. You can make one out of any bunch of herbs, bundled and tied together and dried, or you can order them online.
-A pot of heating or cooling salve, such as a menthol or capsicum ointment.
-A bowl of nutritious food.
-A piece of white chalk.
-A piece of red yarn.
-An oil that is appropriate for massage.
-Three long strips of cloth in the colors of red, green, and blue.
The ritual is to be done either over the body of someone who needs healing, or over their mark-fetch. A mark-fetch is made like this: A clean sheet is taken to the place where the individual lies and is ideally placed under them, or if they are so ill that they cannot be moved (or are in some place like the ICU where it would make health care professionals upset to try to move them), it is placed on top of them. A line is drawn around the outline of their body with permanent marker. Then the sheet is rolled up and sent to the place where the healing ritual will be held.
If the individual has active COVID-19, they should do the drawing themselves if possible. If they can’t, and they are alone with no help, at the very least they should draw around their hands. (If they can’t even manage this, one would hope that they would have another human being to help them, because at that point they will be unable to care for themselves and should be hospitalized.) Then the sheet should be put immediately into the laundry and washed in hot water – permanent markers usually still leave at least a faint mark after that treatment. Washing it will not take away the intent, and will keep others safe.
It is also possible to do this rite without a mark-fetch that has touched them at all, although it will not be as strong.
A mark-fetch should never be made without the conscious, clear permission of the person involved. While it may seem unfair to refrain from doing this rite on someone who is no longer conscious and cannot give their consent, it is part of the pain of the healer’s job that we cannot force healing on anyone. It may be worth it to ask everyone you know if they would want this ritual done for them should they become unable to make their wishes known. You could also send and collect mark-fetches for them before they become ill, if you can promise this is the only use they would ever be put to.
Lay the sheet out on the floor or a table. Light the large green candle, removing the necklace and placing it in the center of the mark-fetch. Speak the following prayer:
Hail Mengloth!
By this lineage of healers that lies in our wake,
By a thousand years of their wisdom and skill,
I bless you with healing both old and new.
May you be healed of all that tears at you,
May you be healed of all that plagues you,
May you be healed of all that devours you,
May you be healed to love and work another year.
May the thousand poisons and pestilences
Pass away from you into the earth,
Into the air, into the fire, into the void,
And may all be well with you once more.
Through my hands and into yours!
Take a moment of silence to put your intent into the mark-fetch, and through it into the ill person. Then light the light blue candle, and say:
Hail Hlifthrasa!
May your breath come easily into your body,
May the wings of birds beat in your breast
And not cease to pump, nor flutter to a standstill.
May your breath flow throughout your flesh
And bring healing wherever it passes.
I bless your every breath, and sing it smooth,
And may your inner sky be clear
Day and night, from each day forthwith.
Light the recaning stick and blow the smoke onto the mark-fetch. Then light the yellow candle, and say:
Hail Bjort!
May that which has too much heat be cooled;
May that which is too cold be warmed.
May all fevers kill what is needed
Without damage, and then retreat.
May the Sun shine into you,
And may you find the energy
To move your body, to sweat, to laugh,
To find wholeness in the swing and sway
And the dancing of the flesh.
Smear some of the cooling/heating salve onto the mark-fetch, in the chest area. Then light the brown candle, and say:
Hail Aurboda!
May healing medicines be found to help you
From all the apothecaries in the world.
May your medicines be strong and effective
And do you no ill in the process,
And if ill must be done, let it be obvious
And pass quickly from your flesh.
May they enter you with goodwill
And may only good come of them.
Dip a finger in the herbal tincture or tea, and wipe some onto the mark-fetch, in the mouth area. Then light the white candle, and say:
Hail Bleik!
May all the rivers within you
Run clean and clear of all filth.
May the Well of Midgard wash you clean
And no poisons stay within your flesh.
May you be purified by the sacred well,
May you be purified by the sacred fire,
May you be purified by the sacred breath,
May you be purified by all the rains of Spirit.
Draw a spiral with the white chalk onto the mark-fetch, anywhere. Then light the lavender candle, and say:
Hail Blith!
May the weather in the Valley of Apples
Be fair and fine; may no dark clouds dog you,
Nor depression weigh on your shoulders,
Nor anything distorted become
In the mirror glass of your mind,
And may that mirror be yours to guide.
May your thoughts and moods be clear and clean,
And as sweet as honey in the hive.
Daub a little of the honey onto the mark-fetch, in the head area. Then light the light green candle, and say:
Hail Frith!
May you be nourished by all that you eat,
And may the Sea of Dragons within you
Devour all you take in, and take from it
All that is good and fine.
May all the wells and springs work together,
May organ dance with organ,
And nothing be thrown out of balance
And so unbalance its neighbors.
Dip a finger into the nourishing food and smear it on the mark-fetch, on the belly area. Then light the medium-blue candle, and say:
Hail Thjodvara!
May your bones be strong as the oak
And your muscles like the herd of cattle
That will not be stopped in their flight.
May you be sturdy and rooted
And graceful in your movement,
And may your trunk and limbs,
Your roots and branches,
Heal quickly from every bruise and strain.
Dip a finger in the massage oil and rub it across the mark-fetch, in the arm and leg area.. Then light the pink candle and say:
Hail Hlif!
May the coils in your bloodline
That grew you into who you are today
Not interfere with your healing.
May all the knots and tangled passed down to you
By the many errors of your ancestors
Stand aside from your road
And allow you to find your way home
Without ensnarling you in their tendrils.
Ancestors, give the great gifts of your blood
And hold back the evil ones for now.
Lay the red yarn on the mark-fetch. Then light the red candle and say:
O Eir, bless this one!
By the sacred fire that burns within us,
May flesh and bone and mind be healed.
Take that fire within you
And let it make itself a home.
Lay the red strip of cloth across the mark-fetch, and say:
O Eir, bless this one!
By the sacred well of many waters,
May flesh and bone be healed.
Take those waters within you
And let them make themselves a home.
Lay the blue strip of cloth across the mark-fetch, and say:
O Eir, bless this one!
By the sacred earth beneath our feet,
May flesh and bone be healed.
Take that good green energy within you
And let it make itself a home.
Lay the green strip of cloth across the mark-fetch, and say:
O Mengloth, bless this one!
May you be free of all pain,
May you be free of all torment,
May you be free of all infirmity.
We pray to the heights of Lyfjaberg
That you shall rise, well and blessed,
From your bed to face the world.
Give your own silent prayer for their health. The rite is over. If you want to know more about the goddesses invoked in this ritual, here is the link to Their shrines.