An Outline for Faining and Húsel

In Anglo-Saxon terminology, "faining" is literally "celebrating the Gods", and "húsel" is "sharing foods with the Gods and folk".

I have provided an outline for each type of ritual, but I try to keep it real simple -- remember, I'm a "Low Magick/Low Church" kind of person.  I prefer my rituals to feel "cozy" rather than "stuffy" and while there should be some thought and consideration into how to honor the Gods properly, I feel that once it gets to be too much worry and effort, it's not worth it anymore.  In the Havamal it says "Better to give not at all than to give too much," and this is true.  We want to gift the Gods, not feel obligated in drudgery.



FAINING OUTLINE

1. Calling/Invocation

This is to speak to the God/s, to ask Them to be with you and accept your offering of celebration.  The words can be improvised, but should be spoken from the heart, and not too generic.  It's good to call a Deity by Their attributes (for example: "I call Frey, God of the World, Lord of the Alfar, Son of Njord, Brother of Freyja, He Who Gave His Sword for Love!"), and let Them know They are welcome in your stead.

2. Offering

Typically in my private fainings with my partner (whether at home, or at the ocean, or the woods, or other locations), we load a drink into the vessel, and ask the Deity to enjoy it with us.  That first drink goes directly to the Deity: if it's at home, it's in an offering bowl (usually called a blotbolli or geldbolla), if it's outdoors, into the ocean, or the ground... wherever appropriate.

The second drink is poured out and shared between us.  I pass the drink to my partner, who gives a round of thanks to the Deity, and may or may not ask for something from Them to drink into myself.  He drinks, and passes the drink back to me, and I also thank the Deity, and may or may not ask for Their blessing.  (I say "may not" because there are times when you should just honor a Deity in gratitude, you shouldn't ask for something every single time you come to Them.)

3. Libation

We bring the bowl outside, usually to the base of a tree, and pour, saying something similar to:

From the Gods to the Earth,
from the Earth to the Gods,
our blessings to (Deity), God/dess of (Domain).

This step may be omitted if you are already outside, in which case you will leave one more offering for the land-spirits, and leave wishing them well.



HUSEL

Generally if I am going to do a húsel, I will do it one of two ways.  If it's one of the cooler months, I'll make sure it's part of a big meal: nice big cut of meat -- pork or beef, although sometimes chicken is OK -- and I cook it with some steamed veggies and some kind of carb (potatoes, rice, pasta, or else a nice loaf of bread).  If it's very hot, as it often gets in Southern California, rather than cooking I will make a "cold meal", like a big salad with appropriate vegetables and dressing, with a loaf of bread, and some cheese slices.  The important thing is while you cook, charge the food with love, and give it the intent to bless those who eat it (your family, the Gods) with feelings of well-being.

Make sure you are able to save some room for dessert.

When you serve the food, give the first bits to the Vanir in a collective bowl.  State your intent of offering by drawing the appropriate rune over the bowl (such as Giefu), and say something to the effect of:

To Nerthus and Njord,
Frey, Freyja,
Idunna and Sif,
Ullr and Herne,
Gods of Water and Earth,
plant and beast,
who feed and nurture this World,
we give food back to You in gratitude
for the bounty we have,
and the knowledge that all we have
comes from You and is Yours.
A gift for a gift!

You'll want to make sure you give Them a drink, too, and preferably something you'd like to drink that isn't crap.  Sparkling cider is good, as is organic lemonade, or you can do wine (for the record, Manischewitz wine is excellent and it's not expensive)... something like that.

As you sit down to eat, grace should be said:

For this food we are eating,
we give thanks to the Vanir of Earth and Sea.
We bless the places it came from.
We bless the spirits of the beings it came from.
We bless those who made this food,
and we bless those who share it with us.
May this food nourish our bodies
as well as our hearts.

The Ing rune should be traced over the food, and consumed.  (Ing is most appropriate as it is the rune of sacrifice and implies that you are aware of the sacrifice involved in the getting and making of your food.)

Then after the meal is had, you will want to serve dessert and give the first two portions (they don't have to be large) out -- one to Frau Holda, one to your house-wight.  Your mileage may vary with the house-wight, mine tends to be fond of baked goods.  Holda would prefer that you put in the time and effort of making something yourself, even if it's cookies, but then again She will not begrudge thought going into something given in Her honor (especially if you're not much of a baker).  Gift Holda with the dessert, saying something like:

To Holda the Hausfrau,
as You make our lives sweet,
here is sweetness shared with You.
A gift for a gift!

As you eat the meal and the dessert, you will want to meditate on the Vanir.  They may not necessarily speak to you, but just being mindful of food and of the bounty of the Earth itself, enjoying the food, and feeling grateful for what you have, can be a powerful experience.

After the húsel is done, the one who did not do the cooking should help out by doing the dishes, that's only fair.  (Or if you cooked together, you can do dishes together.)  Spend the rest of the day in some kind of enjoyable activity.

(C) 2008 Sigrun Freyskona.