The Meomerswiell

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The Journey of Gilfi – Chapter XV

“What is said about that ash tree?” Jafnhar replied, “Yggdrasil is the greatest and most beautiful of all trees; its branches stretch across the entire universe and rise above the sky. It is supported by three roots, which extend far and wide; one of them reaches into the realm of the Aesir, the second toward the Hrimthursars, to the point where the abyss of Ginnung once lay; the third reaches Niflheim, where Nidhoggr gnaws at its tip, near the well of Hvergelmir. Beneath the root that touches the Hrimthursars lies the spring of Meomer; reason and wisdom are hidden there. Meomer is filled with knowledge, for he drinks from that well in the Giallar cup… The third root of the Yggdrasil ash tree reaches into the heavens and harbors a source of unique virtue, known as the Well of Urd; the gods gather there to hold their court…”

THE ROOT THAT TOUCHES THE WELL

The first time was at a country retreat where the circle of Initiates in Hermeticism decided to perform a ritual with an Ashaninka shaman in order to explore how to activate the “Leap” into this altered state of consciousness, where we connect with the subconscious, which, in our Hermetic language, is defined as the connection to our “Primordial Being.”

That time, my experience did not reveal much to me, as it centered around the multiple facets of myself. It was an uninterrupted vision lasting almost two hours until I expelled everything once the effect wore off. I couldn’t feel satisfied, as the objective was to induce ourselves and maintain some control over the experience, but the plant was stronger and led me where it wished, not allowing me to be lucid during the journey.

This second experience came with 14 years of experiences, lessons, knowledge, emotions, maturity, and heightened awareness; alongside a friend with whom I felt a good synchronicity, allowing me to trust the person who would conduct the ritual. This time it was not a shaman but a “facilitator,” as he had been offering the ritual for several years, though the preparation was “imported” from the interior of the country.

Trusting the people around me, who offered the potion and would support me in case of emergencies, I willingly and lovingly accepted to enter the circle and live a new experience.

1. Preliminary Acts

Several years had passed since I first drank it, and for the past five years, I had wished to undergo that experience, but there was a high demand for that service. Prices varied widely, and people emerged overnight as great Andean sorcerers or jungle shamans. It was impossible to trust anyone offering this without a greater purpose than making money, as such individuals neglect the preparatory acts for the potion, which could be deadly if not handled with care.

Many times, friends returning from abroad attended these rites, and many in Cusco, Madre de Dios, or Loreto came back frustrated or disappointed by the experience or the person offering the rite. Countless stories fueled my profound distrust, as I desired a complete and safe experience. That was until I met my friend.

She, thanks to the gods, despite being in a very self-taught spiritual-shamanic circle, has a very rational mind and has been able to choose and form her criteria within what is right. Her responses to my inquiries reassured me, as she provided the certainty that I could fully trust her good judgment. She mentioned that she often goes to a country center near the archaeological sanctuary of Pachacamac, where there is a young man (a year younger than me) who directs the rites and facilitates the experience. Thus, I contacted the person, who provided me with information about the diet to follow in the days leading up to the ritual and a questionnaire to determine if any conditions would limit my participation. In this regard, it is the responsibility of each aspirant to fill it out honestly, in order to avoid contraindications during the ingestion.

The rules are simple: no medications, and if one is undergoing treatment, one must specify what it is to determine if it interacts with the potion; no alcohol or sexual relations, and three days prior, one should only consume fibers and avoid red meat, spices, etc. On the day of the ritual, only fruit should be consumed for breakfast and lunch.

The reason for following these instructions is scientifically and medically grounded: meat takes three days to digest, so any elements that cause acidity will result in greater discomfort during the cleansing. Likewise, the potion, being fermented, will activate the liver, which would not tolerate a strong medication, potentially leading to hepatic consequences. Finally, the digestive system takes about three hours to digest what is consumed, so once the potion is ingested, it takes approximately 30 minutes to take effect, and after three hours, the body seeks to expel the potion, most commonly through vomiting and less frequently through diarrhea. This is a way to cleanse the body of everything no longer useful.

Science has determined that our emotions are linked to metabolism, so depending on its state, we will be more or less emotionally receptive, irritable, or calm.

Finally, having prepared physically for over a week due to scheduling issues, I also worked on my mental preparation. As a practitioner of Raja Yoga and Usui Ryoho and Tibetan Reiki, I activated my trance states consciously through samadhi with samsara and the alignment of my chakras via Reiki.

The purpose of this experience was to reach a lucid state of consciousness to guide the “Grandmother” to the point I desired. The methods, regardless of their origin and the philosophies supporting them, are effective regardless of whether you follow their philosophy; thus, understanding this has made it easier for me to connect with the “Astral Light” in other ways. However, the work of the “Grandmother” is not about exploring outside in the “Astral Light” but rather working within our subconscious, as “Beings of Light,” i.e., our Primordial Being/Ancestral Memory.

2. The Journey of Seax Gesith Rasgæl Hræfenwulf

I joined the group participating in the ritual and shared a taxi with the facilitator to connect with him and learn more about him, as it was my first time meeting him. The conversation was long, almost an hour, where I could trust that we shared the same criteria and that he conducted his work with simplicity and fairness. With that clarity, I felt more at ease and grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with the “Grandmother.”

During the journey, I reflected on the symbolism of our Gods and the experience I was about to have, recalling passages from the poetic Eddas.

Hávm 135

Veit ek, at ek hekk
vindga meiði á
nætr allar níu,
geiri undaðr
ok gefinn Óðni,
sjalfr sjalfum mér,
á þeim meiði,
er manngi veit,
hvers af rótum renn.

Við hleifi mik sældu
né við hornigi,
nýsta ek niðr,
nam ek upp rúnar,
æpandi nam,
fell ek aftr þaðan.

I know that I hung
on a tree swayed by the wind
for nine long nights,
wounded with a spear
and dedicated to Odin,
myself offered to myself,
on that tree of which no one
knows the origin of its roots.

I was not given bread,
nor to drink from a horn;
I looked downwards,
took the runes—
I took them with screams,
then I fell back down.

This particular passage, where symbolically Woden “hangs” from one of the branches of Yggdrasil without consuming alcohol or tasting food for nine days to gain the means of immortalizing knowledge through writing, was a revelation that came from the very tree whose root rests in the spring of Meomer. As I mentioned, due to scheduling issues, I had begun my fiber diet the Thursday before, so by the following Friday, exactly nine days had passed. That day, upon arriving at the ritual site, I asked the facilitator if we would have dinner, and he responded, “You cannot eat food or drink water at this moment,” as we were about to consume the potion, and our stomachs needed to be relaxed; the potion would quench our thirst and hunger.

As I awaited the preparation, I stretched and relaxed as much as possible, but my companion next to me asked why the facilitator recommended having some amulet, and I explained that during the “journey,” each person might need a symbol to recognize and return, so in my case, I had my Seax-Wica pendant to return to myself if I wandered off; I spoke a bit about my path as Seax-Wica and our philosophy until the moment arrived. It was a way for my last thoughts and feelings to be focused on the Gods, the tradition, and what it means, as I wished for this journey to reveal all topics related to it.

The moment to depart had arrived, the circle had been drawn, the fire had been lit, and the space had been consecrated with floral water, as had each participant. It was said, “Let no one leave the circle unless for a good reason.” Each person was called to receive the potion, and another reflection came to me.

Voluspá – stanza 29

Allt veit ek, Óðinn,
hvar þú auga falt,
í inum mæra
Mímisbrunni -;
Drekkr mjöð Mímir
morgun hverjan
af veði Valföðrs.
Vituð ér enn eða hvat?

29 I know where, Odin,
you hid your eye,
deep in the famous
well of Mímir -;
Mímir drinks mead
every morning
from the pledge paid by Valföðr (Odin).
Would you know more?

The facilitator and the co-facilitator drank the potion, just like the others; the scene was clear. The potion is known as Ayahuasca or the Rope of the Dead/Spirit, this connection resonated deeply with what I had read in the Havamal and Voluspá, the preparation of Ayahuasca root, Syrian Rue, and Chacruna. It is possible that if the myth of the spring of Meomer were a real symbol, it could describe a similar plant mixture from the Germanic-Nordic world, which has the same effects as Ayahuasca.

I was instructed to approach the facilitator who held the small bowl with the potion, which was thick; I leaned down, made the gesture to take my left eye and deposit it into the bowl. I aligned it at the level of the spiral of the fourth chakra and drank it in one gulp.

The facilitator began to sing, and everything resonated within me. My body swayed to the rhythm of the drum, like a serpent; I closed my eyes and clearly saw another place, objects, colors in full HD. I opened my eyes and felt as if hands with patterns appeared before me, serving as windows to see other things, I closed my eyes again. I felt grateful for the attentions as if someone were hugging me; I felt my jacket sticking to my body, felt the warm breath of someone beside me. I opened my eyes, there was no one next to me, I closed them again and began to see themes from my office, Excel sheets across the entire scene, the graphs and charts that I moved with my hands. But I knew that the “Grandmother” was pulling me elsewhere, so I forced myself to open my eyes to regain consciousness and then induce my trance to see beyond. The second leap was remembering a scene where my paternal grandmother, who had passed away a month ago, was singing a song and reminding me of myself at age eight, which stirred many emotions (even now, as I write, I recall and feel a sorrow), and realizing this, I did not want to get lost in that sense, as my objective was different. I apologized to my grandmother for not crying for her passing and for not doing so yet, assuring her that I would do it sincerely another time, but my journey had another goal.

On the fifth leap, I returned to that place and found the bowl where Meomer’s head rests. He looked at me and smiled; I offered him a little of the contents of his spring in my hand, and he drank; then I took the water from that spring, letting it flow between my fingers. It was not clear but somewhat murky and warm; the roots were clearly submerged in the spring, which was a thermal well, allowing that root to release its properties, flowing like a resin/honey into the spring. This was the famous mead that Meomer drank, acquiring his wisdom, the same that enabled him to awaken the foresight to see the future of his entire race. Understanding the mystery, I took the water from the spring again and anointed it on my head, face, and the rest of my body. I took another handful and decided to drink it, and I could enter the moment when everything made sense. Sensitized with Meomer, I placed his bowl as close to the spring as possible and used a piece of the root to create a bridge that would drip from the Giallar to his lips the liquid from the spring, for I did not know if anyone else would remember to collect it.

I opened my eyes again, felt better and fuller, arranged myself to close the circle, and proceeded to sleep until I was informed it was time to leave.

3. The Return

I left the tent where everything happened; the morning was warm, and I gathered with my friends to reach the car. On the way back, each person’s experience was different, and it was clear that the process is individual. The facilitator only provides the environment during this trance; each person will navigate it differently, as it is the Ayahuasca that does the work along with oneself. Experiences are rarely shared, as little can serve as a reference for what one person lives versus another; each individual processes things differently based on the level of emotional and experiential burden they carry.

All the attendees present were people of good heart and sound mind, which was fortunate as there were no problems for anyone.

Upon nearing my home, I decided to walk the eight blocks, but I felt so well that the gray day seemed quite pleasant. Once at home, I slept for about six hours, having another pleasant dream where I drove my car along the road from Colonia to Montevideo; yes! I dreamed of my stay in Uruguay, where everything was green, pastoral, and tranquil.

It was truly a very enjoyable experience that I hope to relive in a couple of months.

4. Final Words

Wicca in general does not promote the use of psychoactive plants due to the lack of oversight or guidance for those who might wish to use them. Any type of psychoactive substance can cause alterations in a person’s psyche or lead to addiction, which, if mishandled, can be destructive.

In certain covens of more organized Wiccan traditions, these plants are experimented with responsibly and with thorough guidance before initiating their use. Responsibility is paramount.

Seax-Wica does not promote the use of psychoactives; however, in my freedom, I consume them without generating addiction or dependence and without forcing or promoting this on others. The reasons I use them are part of very personal internal work.

Part of our tradition includes a discipline known as Herbology, Herbalism, Phytotherapy, or Lucnunga. It would not be unusual for some other Initiate in Seax-Wica to practice or consume them, provided it is done responsibly and within the aims of the tradition.

If you wish to experience Ayahuasca, keep in mind that for common individuals, the plant will guide you through your emotions and experiences.

Only Initiates can understand how to tame the effects of Ayahuasca to extract the essence of contacting their primordial being or existence itself. The purpose is defined by each individual, and no experience is repeated or identical to another.

One must understand the message they wish to convey, but be honest with yourself, as it is all that remains if you do not follow a specific path.

Do not treat Ayahuasca as if it were a commercial drug, as it is not, and misusing it could disrupt your psyche.

Neither the highest nor the lowest cost guarantees anything. Search patiently, and in time you will find a trustworthy person to support you in the experience. Do not go alone, especially not with those who have not taken it before. It is advisable to have someone nearby with experience, especially if it is your first time. The journeys within oneself can be intense, so it is essential to have someone to assist you if things go awry, as the effect lasts at least three hours and you will not find relief or be able to cut the effect regardless of how troubling the images may be.