A vision, maybe?

[Heartsong]

Hello all!

I'd like to run something by you all, in hopes that perhaps one of you could point me in a new direction.

I've been practicing Wicca for a relatively short amount of time and I don't live in an area of the US where information is readily available on the subjects I need, so I can't say that I have a great deal of knowledge when it comes to all things witchy, aside from the meager books I've managed to sneak into my home. I've begun regularly meditating, and in particular, I've been asking for guidance in regards to what god/dess, if any, would perhaps be my patron. The idea intrigues me and I thought it could potentially be a good exercise to strengthen my focus and visualization skills (my mind is like a magpie, I swear!).

Just this evening, as I was attempting to clear my mind, a...vision, or very, very clear and vivid image came before my mind's eye. I saw a large tree surrounded by concrete and people walking past it rapidly. The tree itself was massive, with a thick, dark trunk and deeply green leaves that stretched high over my head. At the foot of this tree was another, smaller one,a nd it was curiously shaped. It looked to me like a runic P, a lot like this:

|>

Standing next to this smaller tree was a man with thick black hair, that fell straight to his shoulders. He appeared to be middle aged, slender, but well built. He had a black goatee and dark eyes, and wore a black coat, black shirt and black trousers. There was also a gold hoop in his left ear. He looked at me solemnly for a long moment, and then turned on his heel, walking away from me.

When I opened my eyes, It was like a fog was clearing in front of them. I'm not sure what to make of this, if anything, and I would greatly appreciate some guidance/suggestions/ or advice. Was this a clue, perhaps, a glimpse of my patron? Was it a sign of something else? Was it anything? Please let me know your thoughts!

Thank you!
~Heartsong~

[Xiao Rong]

That's really interesting! I can tell you that the symbol you described :joyrune: is Wunjo or Wynn in the Elder Futhark, which means joy and success. I'm no expert in Nordic mythology but Odin is frequently associated with runes and trees (having been hung nine days and nights from the World Tree to obtain the secret of the runes). He's generally portrayed as an old man, but there is also a lot of the shaman / trickster aspect in him, which could be what you're seeing. Regardless, Wunjo is a highly positive omen of good fortune : ) Hope that helps!

[Heartsong]

That does, thank you! I had wondered if the smaller tree I had seen was a rune, but I was uncertain. Knowing that it is an actual rune shape or symbol, that makes me very curious about both Wunjo and runes. Ah, research, my favorite thing!

It's also nice to think that I may have some positive energies in my future. Thank you, Xiao! ^_^

I'm no expert on Nordic mythology either, so is there anyone reading this post that could tell me more about Odin or the significance of possibly seeing him in my meditations? Or does anyone think that there's a different interpretation possible for what I saw?

[Heartsong]

Just an update on my meditations. I'm still seeing the same dark-haired, tall man, but when I attempt to follow him after he walks away, a wall of mist blocks me. In my last meditation, I touched the smaller tree and discovered it was a fir tree. According to what I've read, it often represents long sight, or the ability to see beyond the surface, and clear vision. I find this to be intriguing if it truly is Odin that I am seeing, considering the lore around him. Any thoughts?

[SnowCat]

Ask him his name. Sometimes the simple thing is the right thing.

Frosty

[Heartsong]

This is true. I should have thought of that to begin with. *rubs the back of her neck sheepishly*

Thank you!

[Holdasown]

Did the man have both eyes? If he did it could be Ullr. Ullr is the bow man is associated with hunting and prosperity. He goes by Wulþuz in German and that is pretty close to Wunjo rune. He also is second in command of Asgard if anything happens to Odin. He is Sif's son and Thor's step-son. He lives in the Yew forest and carries a Yew bow. Yew gives off a poisonous gas that is often associated with visions. Your description reminded me of this picture of him. http://krasskova.weebly.com/uploads/8/4 ... 7_orig.jpg

[Heartsong]

That looks a lot like him, with fuller hair and a little younger! And he did have both eyes, yes, very dark, but I'm not sure of the color. I haven't had a chance to ask him who he is yet, but I get the feeling that he isn't going to just tell me. <.<;

So far, my interactions with him have been cryptic. I appreciate the picture link, Holdasown, that was a striking similiarity! And I am on a hunt, aren't I, in a manner of speaking?

Out of insatiable curiousity, does anyone happen to know where I can find good information on descriptions of the gods or more pictures that I could take a look at? His appearance is sticking in my mind and I can't help but think there's a clue in that somewhere. I may be wrong,though.

And I *will* ask him who he is at the next opportune moment. If he answers, I'll definitely post it here. Thank you everyone for your suggestions, I appreciate them, and please keep them coming!

[SnowCat]

His appearance sticking in your mind is a hint that he's giving you.

Frosty

[Heartsong]

I'm going to agree with you, SnowCat, because I really think so as well.

Another update, and I would really appreciate some thoughts on this one, because I got chills up and down my spine!

So, I have been practicing my tarot reading skills with the lovely Wild Woods Deck I bought a few weeks ago (it called my name from the shelves, I swear!) and I've been mainly performing self-readings, again, for the practice. At first, I used a bow spread, and something seemed off about it, so I shifted to a World Tree spread using the same cards. I was focusing on finding clues to both the man in my meditations and my patron deity. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with these spreads, a Bow Spread only uses seven cards, while the World Tree Spread uses eight.

So, once I had shifted my cards, keeping them in the correct order I had drawn them numerically, I reached for the final card, which I hadn't seen yet, naturally. Frankly, I started to tear up.

I had drawn the World Tree.

I did the reading, which had quite a bit to say about journeys (alot like Xiao's rune reading she did for me on a book I want to write. It was awesome, by the way, I absolutely recommend going to her for readings!! ). What is pertinent here is that, while the World Tree card doesn't necessarily have anything to do with any deity, according to what I've read, I can't help but think it's a strong indicator that Odin was the man that appeared to me. Granted, his appearance was not how I would've pictured him, so that throws me a bit, (he had two eyes, after all!) but...

Well, I would love to hear y'all's thoughts on it, pretty please?

Thank you!

~Heartsong

[SnowCat]

Was the hanging man in your spread?

Frosty

[Kassandra]

...a man with thick black hair, that fell straight to his shoulders. He appeared to be middle aged, slender, but well built. He had a black goatee and dark eyes, and wore a black coat, black shirt and black trousers. There was also a gold hoop in his left ear.

Sounds to me like the infamous "Black Man of the Crossroads" from the hoodoo tradition (African American magical practices mixed with European and Native American practices and beliefs). He is a trickster spirit. Christians, of course, sifted him through their "evil/good" simplistic sieve of a world view and assigned him to be "the devil" (as they did Pan of the Greek tradition, Loki of the Norse tradition, and The Horned God of Celtic tradition --who are all tricksters in their own right, as well).

And that assignation kinda' of stuck to this day, even amongst hoodoo practitioners themselves (some at least, not all). But, that wasn't the original identity of the character as he was known in Africa. There, he was respected as a bestower of wisdom and knowledge, a partner in one's spiritual growth. Here, he's been bastardized into being a "devil" who people "sell their souls" to for payment (classic Judeo/Christian thinking), and who will then in return teach some ego-based, frivolous thing or two, like a spiritual vending machine. In the end, how he's viewed is up to the individual at this point, I guess.

He looked at me solemnly for a long moment, and then turned on his heel, walking away from me.

Haha, a typical trickster move ...catch your interest, then take off.


Well, since you've been striving to grow spiritually lately (undertaking a meditation practice, etc. --good for you on that, by the way!), maybe he symbolizes growing awareness, new skills you are going to learn soon, new initiations, etc., and perhaps you will even teach what you've learned to others one day. But be advised and know what you're getting into: trickster spirits, while they are excellent teachers, tend to be rather "high maintenance," requiring a lot of attention and focused devotion. They always keep their word to you, but you'd better make sure you do the same, to the letter. If you have the time, energy and patience for that kind of relationship with a spirit (which I don't, personally), then cool, see what he has to say ...but it'll cost ya' somehow.

Gothic Crossroads Man in Black.jpg (74.2 KiB) Viewed 2228 times

A goth clothing company advertisement playing on the "Black
Man of the Crossroads" theme.



Here are some descriptions of him by others:

"First and foremost, the phrase, 'The Black Man At The Crossroads', does not refer to the color of his skin, though the spirit could choose to appear as an African-American if he so chooses. Instead, the phrase concerns the manner of his dress. When in human form, The Black Man wears black clothing. As to his appearance, The Black Man is said to appear in any number of forms, though usually black-colored animals like cats, dogs, snakes, roosters, and other birds are most common. Depending on the ritual, The Black Man may appear in a different form each evening, as most rituals used to evoke a meeting with him require traveling to the crossroads on consecutive nights. On the last night, The Black Man will appear in human form. (source: http://mysecrethoodoo.blogspot.com/2012 ... roads.html )

"...the crossroads spirit is not Satan. Nor is he evil, harmful, deceptive, or cruel in the sense that the Judeo-Christian devil is. He is a revered spiritual entity from a polytheistic religious system. No 'black arts' in the medieval European sense are needed to call upon him or gain his favour. He is a teacher and guide, the opener of the way." (source: http://www.luckymojo.com/crossroads.html )

"...the man encountered at the crossroads is black - as in the color black - not of African descent. This can be interpreted to be dressed completely in black, or that his skin is all black in color, etc." (source: http://conjuredoctor.blogspot.com/2009/ ... itual.html )

"In the Crossroads ritual the bargain that is usually made is to learn a skill such as to play a musical instrument superbly, throw dice, sing, public speaking or preaching, and most popular to win in any kind of gambling. During the ritual, whatever object is wished to be mastered...[is] brought to the Crossroads at midnight...The black man (not dark-skinned, but completely coal black) will ask to borrow the object...He will then demonstrate how to properly use the item. When it is returned, the bearer will then be gifted with almost supernatural powers when it comes to the object..." (source: http://users.wirefire.com/magick/new_page_12.htm )






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[Heartsong]

SnowCat, the hanging man was not in my spread, at least not that I could see. Why do you ask?

Kassandra, I hadn't thought of the black man before you mentioned him, and that image looks a lot like him, eerily so, I'll add. It's certainly a possibility, and I think it's also a possibility that such a trickster could be diverting my attention to Odin or perhaps even away, considering how little the man looks like Odin's traditional appearance.

Argh, it makes my head ache. I'll just have to confront him properly when I get a chance. Thank you for these awesome responses!

[Heartsong]

So, last night I attempted to ask the man who he was. The man in black was there, as usual, but this time it seemed like it was two different men kind of switching back and forth rapidly, because his expression flickered, like static, it felt like I was looking at someone peeking out behind a disguise. What I then recieved was a jumble of images that make absolutely no sense to me. I saw a crack form in the concrete surrounding the big tree and it snaked all the way up the trunk of the tree, but the tree didn't come apart. The smaller tree was shaken, but it was unharmed. I saw snow falling and a large white, horned owl with gold eyes. There was an older man with long white hair, trudging through a woodland covered in snow and a big white bear walking beside him. A blizzard was around them and I could see that the older man was very muscular, his arms were bare, and he had a gold armband (I seriously wonder if this is another facet of the black-haired man, the gold earing now appearing as a different piece of jewelry).

And I'm still researching everything I can get my hands on to figure out who this person is. I think there also may be a lesson here about appearances being conveyed to me.

Any thoughts? I really hate to assume anything.

[Vervain]

It is true that if the tree was shaped like a P like you said, then it is wunjo. This may be the fault of the font, but the way you wrote it out it looked more like thurisaz to me, and someone not familiar with runes might see a P shape and ignore the top.
:thornrune:
I know I'm going out on a limb here, but if it was thurisaz, meaning "thorn" or "giants" and attributed to the God Thor, that also tells you a lot. I recommend you do your own research if you feel it was Thurisaz.

Other than that I have no input to offer.