Eiris sazun idisi
sazun hera duoder;
suma hapt heptidun,
suma heri lezidun,
suma clubodun
umbi cuoniouuidi:
insprinc haptbandun,
inuar uigandun.
* * *
Once the Idisi set forth,
to this place and that;
Some fastened fetters,
Some hindered the horde,
Some loosed the bonds
from the brave:
Leap forth from the fetters,
escape from the foes!
The Idea
I have seen many references and interpretations of the Second Mersburg Charm as an example of a healing charm or a form of sympathetic magic. It is, in fact, something I have used myself as a model when formulating other healing charms and it is also referenced in Braucherei training. I have not come across anywhere that delves into how anyone is currently using the First Mersburg Charm.
I had to read them again as I was doing some parallel research last month, and something really clicked with me. When I read the words I had seen before on so many occasions without reaction, they invoked visions of women cloaked in animal skins and feathers, then women in the dark sneaking among sleeping soldiers, I saw women in large groups marching, holding signs, and then I saw a vision of the coming election in which a woman, Kamala Harris, is running for President. I then came back to reality with an idea.
It should be no shock to anyone that I am worried about the upcoming election. Myself and many of my family members, colleagues, and closest friends are members of various minority groups that the Right Wing and MAGA followers would like to get rid of, permanently. But I am also a woman, and a Hex. This charm struck me with force and urgency. I recalled that I had recently re-read Lammas Night by Katherine Kurtz and it had an insistence to it that got me through the book in two days and informed some of the magic I have been doing lately. It was not lost on me that both then and now, we had Nazis at the core of the evil that was seeking to take over the country. It was also ironic that for all the steps forward we had taken since the World War that took Hitler down, one four year term, two impeachments, and 34 felony counts later, we are in the same boat, this time right in our own country, in our own communities.
This charm, this magic, calls to the Idisi, the Valkyries to some, but really, the women ancestors who went before us cloaked, sneaking through sleeping soldiers, marching, paving the way for a more equal and equitable future that honors all inhabitants of our world, not just the humans. They were visionaries, they were healers, peacekeepers, heroines, sisters, mothers…
WE ARE THE FUTURE IDISI! Women, yes, but also and specifically women of color, queer women, trans women, NBs, the minority voices that call out for justice and representation! I am doing work, and I invite you, women, men, NBs, however you label yourself, to do the same, inviting this energy into my magical practice from now until the election. I invoke its might to stand beside anyone who is seeking to keep fascism at bay yet again. I hope I can make a difference, if not now in my own lifetime, in the life of some young woman generations from now who calls out to the Idisi for courage.
Justice and The Undoer of Knots
Now that we have a challenge, let’s invite allies that will make up the action team. While you are welcome to use any entity or deity from any pantheon you wish of course, I want to introduce you to two of the deities that I will be inviting into my magical spaces between now and the election, Ziu and Zisa.
Ziu, or Tyr in the Norse pantheon, is well known in Heathenry as the upholder of justice. I’ve always thought of him as concerning himself more with laws of the universe and less so with laws of man, so why am I invoking him for help in man made laws of the election process? Because I believe there have been attempts to make voting harder for poor minorities, especially in swing states. Because the voices that need to be heard are beaten down and not lifted up. Because the imbalances that have been perpetuated by conservative racist and bigoted hate and Christian Nationalist rhetoric since 2016 are affecting much more than just humans, they caused damaging consequences to our climate and left irreparable scars on the earth. I believe if we have that kind of energy at the head of our country making decisions, that the ripple effect will be felt across the entire globe by more than just humans.
Zisa, wife of Ziu, is the Undoer of Knots and, while well known in Urglaawe and some other pockets of Heathenry, her status as a Deity is challenged by some Norse scholars. Regardless of others’ acceptance or not, she is one of our more prominent deities and many Urglaawer worship or work with her in some way. The Nuremberg Chronicle, written in medieval times, and referenced by Grimm, describes Zisa as the protector of the city of Augsburg where Swabians had gone to settle and Zisa drove away the Roman invaders. Later, when that area finally fell and The Church took over, her memory was preserved in the guise of Mary Undoer of Knots. It is the only depiction of Mary with a red wrap over her more common blue robes; red is the color of Zisa.
Her power lies in being a remover of obstacles, maker and undoer of knots. In this capacity, we can appeal to her for help in finding the most constructive routes through the red tape involved in many of life’s challenges. That doesn’t mean easy or fast, but if one puts in the effort, she may be more inclined to pull a string here and there to ease the way. Speaking of string, a red piece of string, twine, rope, or yarn is the perfect tool for doing some work with Zisa. One can practice sympathetic magic by writing a spell and tying or untying knots in the string.
Invoking Ziu as Upholder of Justice and His wife Zisa Undoer of Knots for help in the battle against what can be considered Social Giants like Facism, Racism, Misogyny, Christian Nationalism, and Bigotry is a powerful combination. Both are no nonsense and concise Deities. We may ask for assistance in easing the way for voter registration in areas where minority voters are being intimidated or flat out threatened. We can work to block gerrymandering, and we can appeal on behalf of those that have to deliver or count ballots. We can also petition to have the courts move faster and with less obvious bias. I again challenge you to invite this energy into your workings these next two months.
The Focus
With a purpose and an action team, our next step is to build a focal point to help with our intentions. This could look like a rune or a sigil, but my go to for something like this is to build a hex sign. When building the hex for a specific purpose, I start with the bottom layer and mark the boundaries of the circle while concentrating on the specifics of my intent in full. Then, as I add layer by layer, I concentrate on the energies I am trying to bring to the hex that match with the design. A jagged triangle edge can provide protection, rain drop swirls offer movement, and specific runes bring their own energies. The final layer “pins” all the layers, intention, and magic into the hex sign.
For the first layer, I draw the outer circle first and then I sketch the bigger parts of the design like the inner circle or star. I build the design with the runes or symbols I want to charge the hex with. The next layer is a thicker outline of all the finished designs. The third layer is where the color is added and the last layer is that little red dot to pin in the magic.
When thinking about my intentions for this or any project, I first make a list of what kinds of energy I want for the hex. In this case, I am looking for protection of those who are voting in areas where extremists are trying to prevent them and for those counting or delivering ballots in places where there have been threats of chaos, road clearing for those that live in areas where voting locations have been closed and they have to find a way to get to a further voting location, and clear sight for those still deciding and those that need to see through the dangerous rhetoric being used against many minority groups. With that energy in mind, I settled on three runes for the basic design.
The first rune is Schild. This rune translates to “shield” and is the rune associated with Ziu. This rune offers the power of protection and safety as well as vigilance. The next rune, Tuisko, bears the name of the son of Ziu and Zisa and it is the rune of right action and path clearing. It can also be used for community struggles for a cause. I can think of no greater cause than freedom from the control of facism and basic human rights for women and minority groups everywhere in our country. The last rune is Kerze which translates to “candle” and is associated with Zisa. It is the rune of controlled fire which can be harnessed and used for focus and fuel for our work.
I took these three runes and arranged them to make a few bindrunes or stacked runes. At this point, I may use them in the center or for sealing but we aren’t ready for that yet! I start placing the runes as components in the hex design. When they are all in place, I thicken up all the lines and then I am ready for the smaller designs and color.
I created a small circle area for a special design component. I wanted to add the raindrop symbol often found in traditional hex signs for two meanings; smooth flow and little resistance, and a blue wave. Speaking of blue, now is the time to think about colors for our hex design. I have the blue which symbolizes calm in the chaos and peace. I will add black for protection, brown for steadfastness and strength, and orange for success in endeavors. The process for coloring is just playing around them in different areas to see how they look together. I ended up using orange for the design in the middle to center success in endeavors with the brown for strength and steadfastness. I used the black as another layer of points for protection.
Once I am happy with the coloring of the hex, I create the last layer. This layer is in the design, but may not be visible because I create the hexes digitally. I will often tuck it under the visible layers, or in the case of this hex, shrink it to a very tiny size and put it in the middle. If I was painting the hex, It would go on with the clear coat before I coat the whole thing. I create a small red circle and either a rune or bindrune for the center to seal the work. This time, I used one of the bindrune designs I created when I first started the project. It was made with Kerze, Tuisko and Schild. It looked to me like someone lifting someone else up which would be a welcome change in our society today as a whole. It also created the runes Gewwe for creating partnerships and Haagel which is another protection rune with added transformational power. It also deals with powers that are out of control which really seems to be the root of our problem. It is the perfect rune to seal this hex.
The finished hex is already charged with the energy put in while creating each part but sometimes I will charge it further with intent. For this hex, I charged it while asking the Idise to help with protection and clearing the way for success. It is a perfect focus for meditation and spellwork. I am not going to tell you how to use this in any magic you may be doing, but I do welcome you to use it and share this hex far and wide so others may lend more energy to its cause. May we break forth from our fetters, may we escape our foes, may we create safety for our marginalized communities, and may we maintain our democracy.
Success for Democracy Hex
Mach’s immer besser!
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