10 simple steps to celebrating Álfablót!
Autumn is almost upon us! I hope you guys are as excited for it as I am. I have a whole bunch of fun little posts prepared concerning all things pagan and/or heathen that are of interest, this season. Álfablót is one of my personal favorites when it comes to harvest celebrations! It can pretty much be viewed as the culmination of the harvest season cycle. If, like me, you scatter offerings to the álfar and the Vanir across the summer, then this will most probably be your last harvest offering for the year (quite like Samhain, though the two are entirely different celebrations). Might as well make it count!
Depending on your beliefs and personal preferences, you may want to make your offerings to the álfar, your dísir, the landvættir or any other land spirit of your choosing for that matter, the Vanir, and even all of the above. What matters most is your gratitude! It’s the main point of this ultimate harvest offering: a last “thank you” to the deities and spirits who grant us prosperity of the land. The way I see it, however, gratitude comes in many, many shapes! For example, if you’re someone like me who likes to garden and grow your own veggies and herbs, you can express during Álfablót your gratitude for a plentiful summer, and ask for another good harvest for the next year. If you’re someone who works with a specific spirit (or spirits), you can choose to take a much more personal approach and personally thank them for their guidance throughout the year. This can also be done if you feel close to this or that Vanir deity!
The second most important aspect of the celebration to keep in mind for Álfablót is sacrifice! Scary word, I know. But it’s crucial to the very idea of blót. I’d go as far as to say that one is pretty much synonymous to the other. But it’s nothing to feel nervous about: sacrifice in the context of a mordern-day blót is really quite simple! A sacrifice is the offering of something that’s yours and which you willfully let go of in honor of this or that deity/spirit! This can be a piece of food, a drink, an object and the like. Either something you already own or something you bought for the occasion! During harvest season celebrations, my sacrifices usually consist of a few veggies or bundles of herbs harvested in my garden. It’s also possible for those who don’t garden to offer something similar, by offering seasonal products bought from local farmers! If such sacrifices are not in the cards for you, it’s also possible to save part of your dinner as an offering for the blót. It serves to represent your appreciation of the gifts of the earth! As you were given good food by the harvest spirits, you are also ready to give back to them in thanks!
But enough with the chatter, let’s jump straight to the practicalities! Once more, I’d like to say that these are all ideas and activities I personally enjoy engaging in for an Álfablót. So please feel free to custom any of these to your needs or just to use this sort of template as simple inspiration!
1. Before the sacrifice and the celebration, I usually like taking a moment to meditate on the upcoming event! I sit still and put on some music which reminds me of the season, or the Gods I will offer to. Then I close my eyes and take a quick moment to gather my thoughts concerning the blót: who am I honoring? What am I grateful to them for? What do I wish for in the upcoming seasons? Etc! It’ll clear your mind and put you in the autumn spirit for sure!
2. If you celebrate with friends or family, every one can contribute a meal or a piece of food, such as corn, soup, bread, a dessert, some beer, etc etc… Homemade and/or seasonal will further honor the gifts of the land! If you celebrate alone, why not try to prepare one such meal and save some of it for offering!
3. Before the sacrifice, put some music on, sip a drink, have some fun, get into the celebration spirit in honor of Álfheimr and of Freyr!
4. When the sun is close to setting, light a bonfire. If you don’t have access to a safe outside space in which to start a fire, lighting a hearth or a simple candle are also options.
5. Effigies or representations of the Gods/spirits honored (for example a statue, a phallic symbol, a picture or even just a symbolic object) may be anointed using your preferred method of cleansing, such as incense or ritual oil. The Gods and spirits can then be formally invited to join the celebration, for example, using an invocation.
6. In a group setting, everyone then recites something for the honored deities: something they’re grateful to them for, a prayer, a poem, a song, etc… The same can be done if you’re alone (with the option of reciting more than one of these, of course).
7. Offerings of harvested greens, flowers, written prayers and the like are cast into the fire one by one to be received by the Gods of harvest! I think I don’t need to mention how offerings of alcohol shouldn’t be cast into the fire, for obvious reasons. I usually prepare a ritual bowl and place it upon my hörgr so that libations may be poured in it instead!
8. Time to feast! A toast and a blessing are made in honor of the álfar before eating starts.
9. Seasonal foods I enjoy during Álfablót celebrations: meat pies, roasted veggies, squash, boar meat in honor of Yngvi-Freyr, spicy or creamy soups, craft beers, cold pasta salads, red and white wines, garlic buttered bread, anything pumpkin or apple, ginger flavored sodas or alcohols…
10. Bonus! If you’re a fan of journaling, it’d be fun to note down your impressions of the celebration and ideas for the next!
