#Hel deity work

[lokisapreentice]

I spent a few months without coming in here and in the meantime Hel appeared in my life. Her presence is so strong and powerful and yet so good. It wasn't long ago that this happened, what I feel is that Loki appeared to me at a time when I needed to find the courage to make big changes in my life. But Hel is with me so I can deal with the issues within me, including grief.

[broomsick]

She is the one who stands with Her arms open,

Ready to welcome those who have walked across the Gjöll bridge.

She is not one to be tricked,

For Her holy name is renowned through the nine worlds,

All of which know of Her power:

She cradles the souls of those who come to rest with the Gods,

And She does not discriminate the peasant from the king,

Nor the humble from the noble.

To Her we send songs of praise.

Onto Her I entrust my life.

Beside Her does the Luminous One sit.

Upon Her is a crown made of ash.

Artist

[bolszaja-miedwedica]

Hel among the dead

take care of our ancestors

take care of us

may death caress us gently and never be violent towards the ones who worship you

[the-mortuary-witch]

Lady Hel’s aesthetic

[witchofspirits]

November 2nd is All Souls' Day and of course as a death witch/spirit worker I'm going to the cemetery.

Here's what you can do to celebrate this holiday and honor the dead:

Visit your local cemetery, and before entering, ask for permission to do so. Whether that be to a guardian (gargoyle, gates, christ, etc) or the spirits themselves.

Clean the grave of a deceased loved one or someone else's that looks like no one has visited them in a while. Trust me, they'll appreciate it, even if they don't know you.

Leave offerings to the guardian statue of the cemetery for their hospitality or to a loved one to show that you still keep them close to your heart

Put up a photo of a deceased loved one or pet on your altar or create an altar for them

Light a white candle for someone who passed (whether you knew them directly or not)

Honor the death deities you work with or that are from your pantheon (Hades, Anubis, Hel, Santa Muerte, etc)

Things to keep in mind:

Don't invite a random spirit to follow you back home, you don't know who or what can go with you.

Always protect yourself when interacting with spirits, energies, and entities. This includes when entering a graveyard/cemetery. You can do so by carrying a crystal, putting up a ward, protection shield, or creating a sigil or protection charm (ring, necklace, charm bag, etc). This must always be on you.

Be respectful to the dead!!!!! How would you feel if someone comes into your space taunting you or stepping on you? If you want to speak to them, do so kindly and calmly, hold a conversation instead of yelling, "If you're here, punch me in the face!" That's taunting and it's not nice.

Don't step on grave areas. If you accidentally do so, make sure to apologize. It's also recommended to say "excuse me" if you need to walk through a tight space where it's difficult to move forward without stepping on them.

Avoid direct pictures of grave stones. I know some people do it because "aesthetic", but I personally think it's rude. It's like shoving a camera in someone's face who didn't give consent to take a picture with you. If you want to do cool photography, you can do that without invading their space or showing their names.

[visiongoddess]

Norse Deity Jars Info

I put together some info on different Norse deities. you would take whatever herbs/crystals and put them in a jar of your choice, holding the intention that it is for them.

[zanywitchchaos]

Digital offering for Hel 💀💗

[whereserpentswalk]

Devotional art of the goddess Hel.

[valfreyarbor]

Hello! You left a comment on my post about deities related to death, and after seeing it, it feels a lot like my situation at the moment. So, if you don't mind of course, would you like to explain perhaps part of your practice or how these deities have helped you become calmer with this topic, presumably? You obviously don't have to do anything outside of your comfort zone ^^

Oh my goodness gracious a real person in the world who’s interested in my spirituality?!? Somebody pinch me. And warning this is gonna be long, so if you don’t wanna read it all there’s a TLDR at the bottom.

To talk about my relationship with Hel, I should start with how I got into paganism in the first place. On my 20th birthday I started having multiple panic attacks a day about my mortality, non-existence, dying, the whole process, etc. I tried talk therapy, exercising, researching the latest life-extending healthcare and body preservation options.

THEN I finally started taking anti-depressants, and that got the multiple a day down to daily/every other day. But something was still missing, because it felt like just a numb acceptance of everything.

My husband (boyfriend at the time) was really big into developing your own spirituality and finding your own path outside of institutions, and inspired by him I decided to read into neopaganism/wicca/the goddess movement+hypothesis. One night after reading through all sorts of theories as to who this multi-syncretic goddess figure could be, I decided to stop reading and start meditating about it.

I lit a candle and started to whisper these goddess names softly. Hekate, Inanna, Morrigan…and something was different about Freyja. Thought at the time she was the deity I knew least about from a pantheon I felt no connection to, my entire body got goosebumps and the candle infront of me flickered beyond it’s normal pattern. Finally, the taste of a spiritual experience.

Reading about her after that experience was really engaging and enlightening, and I was so comforted to read about folkvangr. It seemed like this heavenly field of an afterlife that I could be swept up into and away from…whatever else there was to death in Norse paganism. And to know what I felt like Freyja was “saving” me from, I started to read not only about the goddess Hel as we understood her from a historical side, but also from a neopagan perspective to see what others thought of her and her realm. Highly recommend Ocean Keltoi’s video about her, because it opened my mind to showing her respect in the same way you might any other grim reaper figure, but with much more kindness and understanding to the downtrodden. I mean, the myths say she herself was put into the position of guarding for this realm because her and her siblings were being punished for the crime of being born. A deity with a myth like that sounds like she’d be understanding of what it’s like to be “cast out” of anywhere, and leaving the realm of the living is the ultimate “cast out” we all face.

So I started to pray for every dead bug, roadkill carcass, and cemetery I passed by. And it was a really simple call: “Hel hold them.” And a couple months after that, was when I first encountered her.

I was packing up from an AirBnB stay and I stopped to notice a bug in the hallway. It was buzzing around in a circle on the cold cement ground, and when I looked up and away, I saw her for just a second:

She was quietly standing beside the bug covered in a long, black cloak that obscured the walls around her. Underneath the hood I could see that her face was not exactly split in half like popular depictions, but it exhibited two characteristics at the same time. Soft and aged? Dark and sunken in as well as…lightened? Pale wrinkled skin that was supple around her cheeks and gaunt/shadowy by her eyes and neck. It was like she could have been 19 or 109 at the same time, but again I only saw it for a second before the vision disappeared. It very well could have been a trick of my eyes and brain, and I won’t deny that. But if there really was something behind it…then I know what I saw. And thinking now on it I treat this as an important lesson for the foundation of my faith in her: she’s there with everyone who passes. Even the bugs. No one ever faces their “casting out” from the living realm truly alone.

A couple months after that I had a dream that I was walking in a barren wasteland with tattered clothes, and in my arms I was carrying a dead black puppy. And normally I’m quite put off by dead bodies, quickly saying my prayer and driving/walking on after. But this dog….i looked at it and I just felt so much sorrow, but also love. Deep, unconditional and unbound love. I stroked his fur gently, kissed his head and cradled him until I found a soft spot on the ground to rest him. I was crying in the dream but not from fear, from the overwhelming serenity of this specific grief. A goodbye with true closure. I woke up crying from that dream.

A month after that, I had another dream of two puppies playing, this time one black and one white. I was accompanied by an old man in a wide hat, carrying a staff. He explicitly told me that what I was watching is a metaphor for the relationship between Hel and Baldur, and that they became playful friends after she welcomed him into his domain. I woke up from that dream not crying, but just…amazed. That confirmed to me that I was being called to a specific pantheon to use in order to identify these new energies I felt and understood.

And I guess as a last note: I was an atheist from ages 10-21. Even when I was calling out names and I felt the goosebumps, I wasn’t entirely sure of what I was experiencing. And maybe these dreams aren’t coming from anything other than my brain. But the serenity, the peace, the acceptance that I feel radiating from me when I wake up from these dreams have healed me more than anything else I’ve ever tried. I only listed a couple here but there’s more.

So TLDR: Start praying for roadkill, keep a dream journal and thank you for asking me anything at all! Best of luck with your journey trying to figure this all out too, it isn’t easy ✨🖤✨

[eclecticpagann]

𝕆𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹𝕠𝕨𝕝𝕤

Today, while discussing my goddesses and practices with my best friend, I was inspired by her decision to follow a path of devotion to the Celtic goddess of war, death, and fate, Morrigan. Her enthusiasm motivated me to finally take action and make a devotional offering to my goddesses, after a long period of personal healing.

Usually, I place offerings for Aphrodite directly on her altar. However, I haven’t been able to create a proper altar for Hel*, so I decided on an alternative approach: offering bowls.

So, without further ado, I present my offering bowls! I’ll be color-coding sections to help you easily find the important information through my ramblings.

[Content Warning: Mentions of real animal bones, blood.]

Let’s start with Hel’s offering bowl. In my digital journal, I mentioned/found that it’s best to leave food offerings until they are completely rotted away. Once that happens, all non-perishable items will be thoroughly washed and returned to Hel for devotional purposes. Any perishable remnants will be buried and returned to the earth.

What’s Inside Hel’s Offering Bowl?

Let’s begin with the more unusual items:

- Animal bones and a small vial of my own dried blood.

This might sound intense, but everything was ethically collected. The dried blood comes from a series of stress nosebleeds I had during a difficult time in my life. Offering blood to Hel is said to be a way for her to accept your pain and sorrow, so it felt fitting to include this little bottle of ground dried blood. The small animal bones are from a poultry dinner I had years ago. Initially, I saved them for work with another deity, but it turns out Hel was the one calling to me.

Now, for the rest of the offerings: In the bowl, there’s a Viking apple from my local orchard, honoring "Hel’s Orchard." There are also chunks of black obsidian and rainbow moonstone. Along with these, I’ve included crushed dried rose petals, dried yarrow buds, and dried rosebuds. To complete the offering, I added a black chime candle and a stick of myrrh incense.

Next is Aphrodite’s Offering Bowl.

For her, I’ll be removing the apple at the first sign of rot or decay—I like to keep her offerings as neat and beautiful as she is.

What’s Inside Aphrodite’s Offering Bowl?

Not to quote a popular meme, but compared to Hel’s bowl, Aphrodite’s is very mindful and demure.

Her bowl contains crushed dried rose petals and dried rosebuds, complemented by a scoop of crushed basil and a few sticks of cinnamon. There is a small collection of shells, including an “aura” shell*. Alongside the shells, I placed a chunk of rose quartz, a heart-shaped rose quartz, and a piece of angel aura quartz.

She was also given a Viking apple from my local orchard, as the apple is one of Aphrodite’s sacred fruits. To finish, I included a pink chime candle and a stick of myrrh incense.

Closing Thoughts

I found so much joy in creating these offering bowls, and I encourage you to try making one for your own deity—I’m sure they would appreciate it.

One last note: While assembling these bowls, I noticed a good few similarities in the offerings for both goddesses, which I found fascinating! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading through this, and thank you for taking the time to read my little post about the goddesses I am devoted to.

* For now, I have a mini or travel-sized altar for Hel in an old mint tin until I can create a proper altar.

* When I refer to “aura,” I'm talking about a treatment used on quartz, where platinum and silver are bonded with pure quartz to create “angel aura quartz,” which has a similar effect.

[tuntu2340]

Digital offering for Hela!! 🥰🤗🌸🍄

[tears-of-amber]

I’m here to say one thing today. Just one. The goddess Hel deserves more hype. She is amazing and absolutely beautiful. I’ve experienced firsthand her enduring patience, and through her rule over the dead she has given me a unique and priceless view on the value of living life to its fullest. Hail Hel!

-Velvet Rose

[broomsick]

Everyday ways to honor Hel + things to put on Her altar

(Or, today’s quick heathen notes!)

Everyday devotions to Hel

Meditating on the life around you, and its impermanency

Try to face your fears

Visit loved ones’ graves from time to time! Maybe leave flowers, talk to them, or clean their graves.

Quick prayer to ask for Hel to take care of your deceased loved ones

Write a letter to an ancestor or deceased hero/idol, and burn it

Work on understanding and accepting your emotions, positive and negative

Black is a color that’s often associated with the concept of death. Every once in a while, you can choose to dress completely or mostly black, as a way to keep Hel in mind during the day so as to honor her

Fermentation is part of the cycle of life. Enjoy, or even offer her fermented foods! 

As it’s the case for many other gods, volunteering makes for a great devotional gesture to Hel. Donating blood, helping to clean graveyards, and lending a hand at the hospital are examples of devotionals activities to engage in for Hel.

Altar ideas!

Flowers in general, but especially roses. I usually offer her one live flower, and one that’s wilted, as a symbol of the transition between life and death which Hel represents. Rose thorns also make for a good offering.

Black crystals like jet, obsidian, and onyx make great altar decorations.

Fungi (as long as it’s safe to manipulate, of course!)

Decorative skulls, ethically-sourced. It doesn’t matter what the skull is made of: it can be made of plastic, or it could even be a simple printed picture. What matters is what it symbolises, so don’t worry if you aren’t able to procure a three-dimensional skull! Representations of bones or skeletons are also appropriate ideas.

Ivy, yew, blackthorn and elder are popular plants/herbs to offer her!

Bread, especially black, or dark.

In my experience, Hel appreciates tea! Feel free to try it out. 

Chocolate, especially dark.

The runes Hagalaz and Raido, symbols of change and journeys, respectively.

Mirrors (also a habit of mine, but not SPG)

Any food that’s rotting. Sounds pretty weird, but works! If you’re not going to eat that brown banana or that weirdly soft apple, why not cleanse and offer it!

[bolszaja-miedwedica]

so like does anyone else understands Baldur's death as in Loki gifted a husband to his daughter? because he's like,,, hella happy about me understanding it like this

[the-mortuary-witch]

HEL

WHO IS SHE?

Hel, also called Hella and Hela, is the name used to refer to the Goddess of the Underworld in Norse mythology. She is the daughter of Loki and the Goddess of death, disease, decay, and destruction. Hel is a mysterious, otherworldly deity who presides over the realm of the dead. According to the lore, her followers would be taken to her afterlife after death, where they would face their eternal fate. Though her domain is dark and seemingly frightening, Hel is a powerful and important deity in Norse mythology and has strong ties to the otherworld and the afterlife.

BASIC INFO:

Appearance: in Norse mythology, Hel is described as a very pale but beautiful woman, often with dark, pale hair. She is sometimes depicted as being very thin and gaunt, with a corpse-like appearance. She is also described as often being very sorrowful and sad, and she is known to be a rather ominous and sinister figure. She is often depicted wearing dark, gothic-style clothing and bearing a variety of symbols associated with death and the Underworld.

Personality: Hel is often described as being very sorrowful and solemn. She is often depicted as being a rather quiet and melancholy figure, lacking in the warmth and friendliness that is attributed to the other Norse goddesses. She is generally regarded as being a somewhat sinister and oppressive presence, and she is often seen as having a much darker and more brooding nature than her sisters.

Symbols: ankh, wolves, bones and skulls, ravens, corpse, scythe, fire, spiral, broom, rake, and Hagalaz Rune

Goddess of: death and the afterlife

Culture: Norse

Plants and trees: beech, alder, elm, ivy, juniper, willow, yew, nightshade, belladonna, datura, nettle, wormwood, elder, hellebore, mistletoe, and blackberries

Crystals: obsidian, amethyst, black onyx, bloodstone, jet, and black tourmaline

Animals: rats, wolves, hellhounds, black mare, dogs, crows, and serpents

Incense: myrrh, dragon’s blood, frankincense, and patchouli

Colours: dark green, black, dark blue, red, white, and dark purple

Numbers: 9 and 13

Zodiac: Scorpio

Tarot: Death, The Tower, and Suit of Swords

Planet: Pluto

Days: Monday, Halloween, Yule, Samhain, Helrbjörg, and Allhallowtide

Parents: Loki and Angrboða

Siblings: Fenrir, Jörmungandr, Váli, Narfi, and Sleipnir (Odin’s horse)

Partner: N/A

Children: N/A

MISC:

• Wolves: which are often seen as the guardians of the underworld.

• Ravens and crows: associated with the realm of the dead.

• Pluto: the planet associated with death and rebirth.

• Moon: is the celestial object associated with death, madness, and witchcraft.

• The wolf Gnaa, whose name translates to "the one of the deep" and is the guardian of the underworld.

• Helhest: a mystical three-legged horse that can run across the sky and the sea, carrying souls to the World of Death.

• The black dog Cegrim: which is said to guide souls to the land of Hel.

• The Norns: who are the three Goddesses who spin the fate of each individual soul.

FACTS ABOUT HEL:

• Holds a biconical horn, called a drink horn, which she uses to drain the souls from dead mortals.

• She is the daughter of Loki and Angrboda.

• Garmr (sometimes also called Garm) is the dog or hound that is considered to be Hel's guardian and protector in Norse mythology. Garm is a demonic and monstrous creature, with the size and strength of a bear, the aggression and cunning of a wolf, and the ferocity and loyalty of a dog. Garm is also immortal and has the unique ability to never sleep or rest, which makes him an incomparable guardian and companion to Hel.

• Bears the nickname Goddess of the Dead.

• She resides in a giant estate called Helheim.

HOW TO INVOKE HEL:

To respectfully work with Hel, set up a sacred space dedicated to her and keep it organized and clean. Honour her symbols of death and rebirth with your attire, decorations, and rituals and rituals. Use colours associated with death and rebirth (black, dark purple, and dark green) in decorations and rituals. Light candles and incense during rituals and dispose of them responsibly.

PRAYER FOR HEL:

"Hail Hel, Lady of the Underworld. I come to you seeking your guidance and protection. Please bless me with your wisdom and help me to walk the path of death and rebirth. Guide me into the realms of darkness, so I may emerge stronger and more enlightened.” 

"Now that I have honoured you and asked for your guidance, I offer this as a humble offering in your name. Accept my gratitude and blessings, and may our paths cross again in the future. Hail to you, Lady of the Underworld, I bid you farewell for now. Hail Hel.”

SIGNS THAT HEL IS CALLING YOU:

• Feeling a sense of pull or attraction to her energy and teachings.

• Experiencing synchronicity or signs that point to her presence.

• You have dreams or visions about her.

• You hear/see her name on the TV, radio, online, in books, etc.

• You recently had a family member pass away

• You’re currently working on healing from religious trauma, specifically fears of death and Hell

• The Death card continually pops up in a reading

• Hagalaz rune is calling to you and showing up everywhere

• Hel’s animals are coming to you as a sign: dog, wolf, or horse

• An increased sense of devotion and reverence towards her.

• Feel drawn to her symbols or representations, such as skulls, bones, and Gothic imagery.

• Something in your life triggers an intense emotional or mental reaction where you feel a strong urge or desire to work with her and embrace her teachings.

• Experiencing a strong sense of passion, dedication, or devotion towards her.

OFFERINGS:

• Money

• Jewelry with dark or gothic themes, as she is often depicted wearing such items in artwork.

• Precious stones

• Weaponry.

• Alcohol or other intoxicating substances.

• Herbs.

• Food or drinks: tea, soup, meat, honey, bread, milk, fruit, and other delicacies.

• Mold.

• Items that represent the cycle of life and death: such as bones, skulls, jewelry with a skeleton theme, and plants associated with death and rebirth.

• Fire or candles: associated with the realm of the dead.

• Music and instruments: she was said to be a talented musician and musician herself.

• Dried flowers.

• Blood.

DEVOTIONAL ACTS:

• Keep a journal, record your thoughts and feelings about her.

• Create an altar or sacred space for her.

• Read or study books on Norse mythology and the goddess Hel.

• Pray to her and ask for her guidance and protection.

• Mindfully clean the graves of deceased loved ones. Talk to them when you visit. If you can’t visit your loved one’s graves, you can write to them and burn it. Watch the letter burn and think that the fire and smoke is delivering the message to them.

• Keep a small altar to honor your beloved who have passed and tend to it. Do not forget their names.

• Honour and embrace all of your emotions. This includes your negative emotions such as anger, jealousy, pain, etc. Accepting and acknowledging these emotions helps process them better and thus help you be a better person. Denying them allows them to fester.

• Do shadow work especially during Sundays.

• Do spirit work. Be cautious when you this and properly protect yourself and dismiss the spirit soon after.

• Do ancestral work and establish ancestral healing starting with you. This helps heal the ones who have come before you.

• Take time to sit in silence and watch the world move around you. You can do this in a symbolic way by leaving fruit like an apple outside and watch it rot.

• Meditate and learn the value of taking a pause in this fast-paced world.

• Accept change and adapt to it.

• Learn to appreciate the sudden changes or slight inconveniences in life. See the positive side of it.

• Learn the value of patience.

• Live your life as if it was your last (mindfully).

• Volunteer in cleaning cemeteries or in your local mortuary

• Keep a garden and care for it. (Some SDAs say she likes roses but she could ask you to care for other plants)

• Visit or volunteer in hospital work especially for the critically ill. Bring joy into their life even for a short while. You don’t know how much time they have left.

• Dress in neutral and dark colours.

• Dedicate a playlist for her.

• Collect animal bones. Clean then and breathe life into them (do so ethically, killing animals for bones is a blatant disrespect for Hel, the animal and the law).

• Adopt unwanted animals (the ones who are critically ill or are of old age) and give them the best life before they pass

• Carry an organ donor or a blood donor card.

• Enjoy fermented food and drinks such as wine and mead. Do not forget to toast to her name.

[lovelylavender999]

It's not much. My alter and offer (myrrh incense) for Lady Hel 😊🖤