Solar Eclipse

So seldom seen by the sundry peoples,
a total eclipse of Terra’s sun
is an “awesome event,” in all the senses
of that phrase’s morphemes, former and modern.
Recently now, in a rare occurance
with the grandest style, the Great American
Solar Eclipse bisected the country;
from sea to sea the sun went dark.
We know the material and temporal science
of why it occurs, but what beyond
are the higher meanings of this hallowed sight
and its upward opening to the awe of Spirit?
A truth is told by a tale of the lore
of elder times when all was young:

Staves for Daily Use, Part 2

Continuing from last week, here are four more staves. Each is one stanza of ljóðaháttr as before. The Moon Stave deserves a few remarks, however. The beginning of it, like last week’s Sun Stave, is actually based on lines from the Eddic poem Alvíssmál. There, in stanza 16, Alvíss says that the sun is called Sól among men and Sunna among the gods. Those two names are well-known among Asatruar. However, in the parallel line from stanza 14, Alvíss says that the moon is called Máni among men and Mylinn among the gods. The name Máni is well-known among Asatruar, but Mylinn does not have much currency, and will probably strike many as odd, at least at first. The pattern in both staves, of course, is that of honoring the divine being named in the first line through the physical manifestation named in the second line.

Food Stave

For the might and main
through this meal I gain,
my thanks I give to the gods.
Let their blessings bring
to my being the strength
that enables worthy works.