My journey to expereince Jord

In my mind I’d always made a lazy connection between Jord- Earth and “Mother Earth”.

Modern life means when I think of the word “Earth” I think of our planet, the globe, and the Gia theory- all linking into this idea of a Mother archetype.

It didn’t take me long to work out that the “Mother Earth” archetype isn’t really fitting for Jord. That role is already well met by Frigg and Hel (who holds the souls after death and before birth). And as I tentatively reached out to experience Jord the feeling I got was wild and primal, not nurturing and caring. So I let that connection slip away.

Next I thought about “earth” and my mind explored the importance between mankind and the land lived upon. The fertility of the land, and how we may think of our food coming from a shop- but in reality at some point most of it it has come from the earth.

My connections were changing- Jord is earth, but she is land, soil, rock, rather than a spinning globe or Mother archetype.

So I was a little apprehensive to meet her- I had began to grasp just how primal Jord is. I led my group to their tree’s (axis mundi) as I usually do using drum and voice, then deep into the earth. Here I left everyone to find their own path as I moved to gong and deepened my connection.

I journeyed deeper (as most did) and found myself in a small homestead that seemed to have a “Little House on the Prairie” feel- though is was surrounded by woodland on three sides. I knocked and was invited in. A woman was there- brewing herbal drinks, softly humming, with basket of vegetables on the table. I sat down and we started to gently chat about life. I had a few questions- and she answered wisely. I sank back into my chair thinking how lovely this was- until I saw in the shadows a man smoking a pipe.

Odin. And this gentle, wise scene didn’t feel like Jord.

“So, you’d be Frigg then?” She looked over to Odin- I told him you’d spot him there, but he just couldn’t keep away. She nodded to the door.

I walked outside. The vegetable patch was a riot of colour, trees reached up to the sky and the air was so beautiful. I knelt down and put my hands on the earth- this is where I would find Jord. The earth heaved, moved, shifted. The soil beneath me was Jord and I fell deep into the land.

I am lost for words to really describe what I experienced. I lost all sense of my self, I was in the earth, I was the earth. My body and consciousness lost in the darkness of this vibrant energy. All was life, and I was a part of it, no longer singular. Part of jord.

I felt very much at peace, as if all mundane life problems were now in context. And I stayed, breathing within the earth. The peace was blissful, I had no thought of leaving.

Until a hand gripped mine, pulling me by the wrist up, up, up. The sunlight was too bright, and my mouth was full of soil which was now choking me. After a firm slap on the back I opened my eyes to see Odin. “I knew you would need a hand out of there”.

We walked together back, back, back, to the cave. We passed the gates of Hel and I was surprised that we had travelled so deep.

I was glad to return to the cave. Frey was sat against the wall of the cave waiting for me. He was amused at how surprised I was at my journey. It took a lot of effort to pause the gonging, and move to drum to call the others in the group back. As I hit the gong over and over again I could feel my body moving- but see the cave, and Frey’s face so clearly I did not want to stop. But in time I did. Picking up my drum, speaking, feeling the resistance from the others in the group who also did not want to come back.

The feel from the group was that Jord is primal, old, deep, more than any words could quite do justice.