Reflections on a Sniff

Sarenth and I will be presenting a class together at Convocation 2024 titled Sharing Spiritwork. We’ll be talking about the benefits, pitfalls, boundaries, and responsibilities of doing spiritwork with a partner.

My magical advice for today was the Parasite card from Quareia: The Magician’s Deck. I take this card seriously, especially since I’ve been a bit unbalanced recently. I decided to cleanse myself with natron, using the process I learned through Kemetic Orthodoxy. I have multiple methods for cleansing. My standard use for natron is to cleanse myself before certain rituals involving the Netjeru (Kemetic gods). However, I have found it to be useful when I want or need a deep cleanse in general. I asked Sarenth to double check me afterwards when he had the time.

When he took a break from video editing, Sarenth came upstairs and gave me a sniff. He described me as smelling white glove sterile. There was my smell and nothing else. He did say it was not the same as black salt. It was not that astringent. I was, as I had hoped, completely clean.

This little interaction reminded me how much I value having a partner who is also a spiritworker. He was able to validate that I was clean. He also had some interesting observations about the results of the method. We’ve discussed how he perceives the effects of natron before, but I might reignite the conversation later as to how it relates to other methods.

I definitely struggle with imposter syndrome when it comes to my spiritwork. Having a partner who is so tuned in can be both validating and intimidating. Our partnership is a two-way street. I have helped him cleanse in the past, whether through natron, a mugwort spray, or blowing on him. Normally it happens when he has done a lot of Work, is overly tired, or generally not feeling well. I use my breath a lot with Sarenth when it’s in-the-moment response. Most of the time, my response in these situations is intuitive. My conscious mind is involved in obtaining the consent, but it is not as fine-tuned into what exactly I’m doing. I’m hoping that establishing better communication with and between my souls will help improve how much nuance my conscious mind is able to pick up. In the meantime, Sarenth’s observations (and those of other spiritworker friends) really helps me connect the dots on why and how I do certain things in my spiritwork.

This was a bit rambly, as per usual. Thanks for reading.

A Check In

Almost three months have passed since I last posted a blog. Ideas for posts did not stop, but I had difficulty finding the energy and/or the confidence to write them. I want to say that I difficulty finding the time, but energy is actually the relevant factor. My sleep has never been very dependable. I’ve started working with some of my souls to more clearly communicate the need for everyone to come home and rest together when I really need rest. It’s a work in progress. I’m currently checking in daily with my hamr and hugr. I’m still looking through my collection for the right deck to use for my önd. There are more to work in addition to those three, but I want to build clear communication lines. My partner was kind enough to do a reading checking in on each of my souls using the heathen soul map version he was taught.

I have been reminded yet again by one of my friends and mentors, Cris Ashburn (web site, Patreon), that I start doing more work in my sleep when I do less during my waking hours. I’m very grateful for having a partner (Sarenth) who does spirit work and will also validate this. It is very easy to feel frustration at my own tiredness, especially when I am trying to get a decent amount to sleep. I sometimes forget that time asleep does not always mean time rested. It is a reminder to me as well that if I want to wait until I feel fully rested to do anything, I might not get anything done. It’s okay to be a bit tired, and it’s okay to take breaks during the day to do restful and rejuvenating activities.

Seidr work, both learning and doing, is currently the main focus of my practice. I’m hoping that prioritize my seidr work will help me give some necessary time to my sau learning and practice as well. I know putting energy and focus into the seidr will definitely help me along with ancestor work as well. I have talked over focusing on seidr right now with most of my spirits. There are a few conversations that still need to be had to make sure that I can maintain the relationships not directly connected to this part of the work.

I have really missed sharing on this blog. Hopefully I can conquer imposter syndrome a bit more often as the year changes over and post more regularly. Thank you for reading.