Dealing with Earth Elementals

Laeviss once gave a copy of his paper on the Creation of Rings to an elder spiritwalker (the Critic), out of curiosity to see if the elder would either verify the rite he described therein or deny its validity. After awhile, the Critic came back and said he'd had somewhat of a conversation with the Dwarves himself.
"How did it go?" Laeviss wondered.
Well, it went swimmingly, as normal conversations go, until the Critic mentioned being interested in something about a rite for making kings. After that, he had to perform the psychic equivalent of beating his conversational partners over the head with a very large stick in order to get them to retract their teeth. They were overly eager to be of service, he said, and requested blood.
Well, how about that? That shouldn't be of any surprise to anyone reading the lore. Loki's supposed to pay for this stuff with his head, after all. He'd lose all of his blood that way, and wouldn't the Dwarves be pleased with that?
So, how come Balder ended up dying, instead of Loki?
Good question, and Laeviss is glad you asked.
There are some very interesting side effects to working this sort of magic with another person for any length of time. Laeviss has performed this ritual at least twice, preserved in memories from past existences. Here are a couple of questions regarding this issue.

Q: What happens if the client and the shaman are prevented from completing the ritual? 

A: Laeviss says that the Loki-type shaman arrives on Earth with a personality that is, of necessity, focused and direct (if viewed in a positive light) and obsessive and compulsive (if viewed in a negative light.) The shaman cannot turn off the compulsion to perform the prime directive, it is in his programming, as it were, and he is simply doing what comes naturally to him, and what he most has an interest in doing. If the shaman is prevented from continuing the rite once it has begun, he will eventually be drowning in an overwhelming sea of love and desire and the only way to turn the more negative aspects of this off aside from continuing the ritual is to disable his own emotive drivers. There are ways to do this, but Laeviss tells me emphatically that they are very unpleasant and unhealthy and he very strongly advises staying away from them. Entertaining them usually results in the self-destruction of the shaman. The Client, if prevented from his engagement with the shaman, will be overcome, as well, and will soon exhibit varied symptoms of insanity. Laeviss says that he was once prevented by the Client (on moral grounds) from continuing with the ritual once it had already begun, and that he was eventually driven to shut down his own emotive drivers by the most expedient way possible for him. The Client, meanwhile, had become emotionally unstable. Eventually, Laeviss says that the Client sought him out and told him three things: "Don't die, I can't live without you" "I will go to hell for you" and "I'll never deny you (our physical, spiritual and emotional contact) again, as long as you stop." Laeviss says that the lure of the substance he had been using was not anywhere near as compelling to him as the lure of the bone the Client held out to him, so he agreed to be a good dog.

Q: It sounds from this like the shaman is obsessed with sex.

A: Laeviss insists that the shaman is obsessed with his relationship with the Client, not with sex, and that the sexual activity is an expression of the deep connection he feels with the Client, and the profound love that exists between them. Laeviss says he has reason to believe that the Client is nearly as obsessed with the shaman, but Odin is a man of complex nature and diverse interests and Laeviss insists that Loki's nature is quite simple, so in his simple-minded devotion he might have gotten this part wrong. But he's pretty sure, yes, he is.




Laeviss talks about the ending of the ritual of the Ring of Increase, and how Loki's death was avoided:

Laeviss says that, in accordance with his oath to Brokk, Loki pre-arranged his own death by ritual sacrifice, and that Heimdall was supposed to perform this for Odin, in order to spare Odin from such a task. At the appointed time, however, Odin intervened and stepped into the role of sacrificer. After Heimdall had hallowed Loki's person, as was the custom, Odin waited while Loki went into a trance in order to contact the Earth Elementals. It should be said here that Odin had previously (several years into the rite) ordered Loki to inquire whether or not his head could be ransomed from Brokk, and what the price might be. Brokk had answered, "There is but one price, and that price is blood. You will pay according to your oath." At the time appointed for the sacrifice, when Loki went into a trance and contacted the Earth Elementals, Odin ordered Loki to tell Brokk that Brokk could have Loki's head, but that Loki's neck and all of the rest of him belonged to Odin, and was not to be damaged. (Laeviss adds that this statement was merely poetic license on the part of Odin, Odin did not actually own Loki, although Loki had freely given himself in service to Odin. The dwarves seemed satisfied with Odin's pronouncement, however.) Laeviss comments that Brokk and his brother, Sindri, did not appear to be surprised much at this sudden turn of events. The Dwarves merely conversed between themselves a bit, and then Brokk told Loki that since Odin owned Loki, and had thus ordered it so, Loki was free of his oath, but that Odin now owed the price of the Ring. Brokk then magically sewed Loki's lips shut so that Loki could not tell the Aesir who the Dwarves had decided to take in Loki's stead. (Laeviss guesses that they didn't want Odin to figure out a way to weasel out of it.) But Brokk warned Loki that if their choice (Balder) was not sacrificed or if he went unwillingly to his death, the ring Draupnir would be cursed like Andvari's ring, and all that Odin had achieved with it would have been for naught. Loki then had a hard choice: Name Balder as the sacrifice, or completely fail in his prime directive, and cause the ruination of Odin, whom he deeply loves.

Q: Why did the Dwarves choose Balder as the sacrifice after Loki was denied them?

A: The Dwarves had strict criteria for the sacrifice. It had to be Odin's man, and it had to be one that was of suitable value, and one that Odin would miss. The Dwarves also probably chose one that they believed might be willing to die for Odin. Remember, the Earth Elementals have a vested interest in the potential results following the creation of Rings of Power.
(As others have pointed out, a nifty side effect of this is that placing Balder in Hel actually keeps Balder safe, so that he can reseed the new Earth after Ragnarok.)

Odin's Brothers

Laeviss talks about Villi and Ve:
 Laeviss says that these two brothers of Odin are both hawks, and that Odin is an eagle. Odin never goes anywhere without his two brothers, if they are not present physically he carries them metaphysically as a bi-colored hawk perched between his eyes. One of the brother-hawks is black, and the other is white, and Laeviss says that sometimes the one you might think is the black hawk is actually the white one, and vice versa. They can actually resemble, Laeviss says, the yin-yang symbol in that each of the hawks is capable of being either black or white or both, as needed. In the Poetic Edda, it is said that when Odin, Villi and Ve together created the first humans out of trees, "Soul they had not, sense they had not, heat nor motion, nor goodly hue; soul gave Odin, sense gave Hoenir, heat gave Lothur and goodly hue." Laeviss says that Odin provided the breath, soul, and voice of humankind, Hoenir provided the intelligence, direction and force of will, and Lothur provided the blood/heat of desire (or passion, if you will), form and color. Laeviss can tell you that the name Lothur has multiple meanings, one of them is hluod-her "soldier of fame" but also hlaut-her "soldier of sacrificial blood." Odin and Loki were very fond of using words and names the sounds or symbols of which had double or even multiple meanings. Though Odin was the more famous  by far, Lothur was an army unto himself, says Laeviss, and his client the beneficiary of very powerful magic.

Questions for Laeviss

Q: How did you contract with the Elementals for the Ritual?

A: Laeviss says he sought them out once purposefully during trance work to contract for the ritual, and then in another time the Elementals contacted him during trance work to see if his actions were intended to produce the effects of the ritual.

Q: So the ritual can begin on its own in accordance with your actions?

A: Laeviss says yes. He says that magic flows like water or like energy along spiritual channels, which are like conduits for fluids or a like a channel on the TV. Magic likes to flow along well-worn pathways, much like rivers. Even though the stream bed may be dry at the time, when the rains come the water will follow the path of least resistance. So if you push the right buttons on the remote control, so to speak, you access the program and it starts running seemingly of its own accord. But the Elementals will still verify the particulars in any case before allowing the rite to continue. Laeviss says that conscious knowledge of the purpose of the ritual is not always necessary, although unconscious knowledge is, and this will manifest as some sort of symbolism in the lives of the wizard and his Client. Both the wizard and the Client are born into the material world on Earth with a "prime directive" from the Goddess to achieve this Ring. Laeviss says that the Client will be born on Earth feeling compelled to seek out the companionship of the wizard, and the wizard will always arrive upon Earth with the directive from the Goddess to perform this ritual for the Client, and that it is the primary purpose for his life. He will feel overwhelming compulsion to perform this for the Client, and the rite will seem both reverential and natural to both himself and the Client, though the morals of the society in which they find themselves may not agree at the time. There may be times when conscious knowledge of the purpose behind this rite is not beneficial. Laeviss adds that both Loki and Odin consciously sought to produce the Ring.

Q: Does this mean that only those who have the "prime directive" from the Goddess are allowed to achieve this particular Ring?

A: Laeviss comments that, although it's far easier and takes much less time to create lesser Rings, he believes that it might be possible for anyone to try it, though the normal rules would still apply. (The client would have to be someone the Earth Elementals understand to be of worth, the wizard has to be able to communicate with the Earth Elementals, both participants should desire the physical and spiritual process that leads to the Ring, etc.) Laeviss also adds that the Goddess has revealed new instructions to the beings of Earth, including the words "Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice." (Note: There are various versions of the Charge of the Goddess, adapted from Doreen Valiente. This is what Laeviss is referring to.) The wizard should persistently and firmly remind the Earth Elementals of this new charge when they request he make a contractual vow to them. Make sure they will accept an alternate form of payment (they also like music, dance and ritual, anything that raises energy) than has been usual in the past, and don't make any vow that would harm either yourself or any other living being.

Urth Wyrm Instructions

Q: Is the Ring produced an actual, physical ring?

A: Laeviss says it is not necessarily a physical ring, it is merely called that for purposes of identification. A ring is a pretty good focus for the sort of energies raised, and is a physical object that is easy to keep under one's personal control. Laeviss does add that any sort of physical object could be used as a focus and charged with the energy, but that the energy belongs to the client and can't be "stolen" in any physical sense. It can, on rare occasions, be bestowed upon an heir (such as Andvari's ring was,) but this never happened to Loki's client.

Q: What are the specifics of the ritual?

A: Laeviss suggests being alone with the client, for a start. The client and the trance worker (we'll call him a wizard) should both desire to engage in the necessary behavior. The wizard also has to have the ability to connect psychically with the Earth Elementals in order to channel the energy, so a certain amount of talent in trancework is necessary. The Earth Elementals have the ability to store vast amounts of energy and use it to manifest things, in fact, they are the architects of all physical reality. That is their purpose. Once the wizard is alone with the client, and connected with the Earth Elementals, the wizard acts as a vessel for the client's energy. The shaman can receive the client's energy into himself in one of two obvious ways (insert tab into slot A or slot B), or a couple of other less obvious ways. The most usual way is by the back door (though Laeviss points out that the other obvious way works just as well, and some clients do prefer this. Laeviss also advises that both methods require that the shaman be "humble before his lord.") He says keep in mind that sacred priests of this nature have always been referred to as "Dogs of the Goddess." The client is always "top dog." Laeviss suggests consulting proper instruction manuals if you have no experience in this method, as the wizard can be rather severely damaged if it is done incorrectly.

IMPORTANT: Laeviss says to emphasize that there is no masochism involved on the part of the wizard, and certainly no sadism on the part of the client. There is a power inherent in the activity which belongs to the wizard and is shared with the client, but it is the power associated with the free and generous giving of a worthy gift, straight from the heart and soul. It is innocent of any taint of dualistic domineering that can be found in many (unhealthy) relationships.

Laeviss also adds that he wants to emphasize another magickal precept important to this ritual, that of "acting in accordance." The Client should always conduct himself in a manner befitting an honorable king (or whatever profession the client might aspire to.) The client should also do all that is humanly possible to achieve the goal in the physical realm. This means work. The Earth Elementals merely take the energy raised, store it and augment it (again, increase and magnify) and they can also make certain things easier to achieve in some ways, but the client adds his own talent, determination and hard work. Laeviss says, "If all the client does is sit on his ass, he can ride the wizard's ass all he wants, and it won't amount to a hill of beans."