We will be honoring Those Who Came Before: Ancestors and Ancestral Wights.

The blot will be held at the Fews Ford picnic area of Eno River State Park. For directions to the Fews Ford part of Eno River Park, please scroll down.

The autumn and winter holiday season in all faiths is a time of tradition. Tradition is what continues to connect us to the threads of our past, and traditions are what carry that thread beyond ourselves. In light of this, and to set the tone for our blot honoring Those Who Came Before, we will be sharing stories of our traditions kept this time of year. Share a tradition you keep now as an individual, or those you share with family. Or, share a memory of traditions past that you would like to revive in current time.

Following our tradition stories, we will open with a hail to the gods, as they are also ancestral in many cases. Then, hailing the Ancestors and Ancestral Wights shall proceed an open round of individual blots to Ancestors personal to each of us.

For offerings, *non*-alcoholic beverages are appropriate (as the park is strictly alcohol-free), as are biodegradable offerings such as food. Spoken or sung poetry and song are also good.

If you have any questions about this blot, or about Idhavelli Hof, please contact redespeaker@idhavellihof.org

Take your preferred route to get to the intersection of Cole Mill Rd and Pleasant Green. Most likely, this will involve taking I85 to ext 170, then taking Hwy 70 west to the first stoplight, turning right at the light onto Pleasant Green, and then following Pleasant Green to the intersection with Cole Mill. At that intersection, turn onto Cole Mill in the direction of Eno River State Park (there are signs); if you came up Pleasant Green from 70, you would turn left. Follow Cole Mill Rd to the end, which is the Park entrance. After the Park entrance, stay on the Park road (do not take any turns) until the road takes you to a parking lot. In this area, you will see a bathroom building off the parking lot and an entrance into the woods that leads to both trails and picnic areas. We'll meet in the picnic areas.

Idhavelli Hof's September blot will start at 2:00pm. We will be honoring Freyr, Odin, and Thor in our own backyard: at the Fews Ford picnic area of Eno River State Park. *Please note* that this is the part of Eno River Park in *Orange* County - and that we have not held a blot here before - so be sure you know where you're going if you come. For directions, please see below.

There will be individual offerings for Freyr, Odin, and Thor to serve as the basis of the blot. Please bring something to offer to one or all three of the gods, or else to the Aesir as a whole. We will open with a hail to the gods; blot in turn to Freyr, Odin, and Thor; and hold an open round of offerings. Individuals are welcome to blot to Freyr, Odin, or Thor, as they choose - or all three; alternately, they may blot during the open round.

For offerings, *non*-alcoholic beverages are appropriate (as the park is strictly alcohol-free), as are biodegradable offerings such as food. Spoken or sung poetry and song are also good.

If you have any questions about this blot, or about Idhavelli Hof, please contact redespeaker@idhavellihof.org

DIRECTIONS: Eno River State Park, 6101 Cole Mill Rd, NC

We'll be holding the blot in the Reedy Creek section of Umstead State Park, between Durham and Raleigh. To get to the Reedy Creek section, take I40 to the exit for Harrison Avenue and then turn north into the park. (Important: do *not* enter Umstead from Hwy 70.)

Once in the park, we'll be gathering at the picnic tables near the Reedy Creek entrance, and will try to get one of the picnic shelters to ourselves, if possible.

Please feel free to bring water, milk, juice, or other *non*-alcoholic beverages to offer during the blot. The park is strictly alcohol-free.

Many people fear tricksters and the unexpected changes they bring into our lives. At the same time, these changes often improve our situations in the long run. This blot is about acknowledging the benefits of these changes and thanking the tricksters for the good things they have brought about.

We will be offering mead to Loki, the Norse Gods, and tricksters of all ilk. Feel free to bring anything you'd like to offer, as well as stories of how Loki (or some other trickster) has brought positive change into your life.

Please feel free to also bring snacks for after the blot.