In addition to working with the spirits of the ancestors and the Disir on Mondays, I have decided to dedicate Mondays to the Norse Goddess Eir. Eir is the Goddess of Healing and is mentioned in the Prose Edda as one of the most powerful of the Asynjor (female Aesir). She is known as a handmaiden of the Goddess Frigga and is also counted among the Valkyrjor which means she is connected to Odin as well. Unlike the other Valkyries, Eir decides who gets to live. Her home is a hill known as Lyfjaberg.
So today’s post is dedicated to connecting with Eir and learning how to work with her. Since there is very little attested source material (none on how to do healing work with her), I decided to divine my way forward on this path. The first operation was to find out if she and I are actually a good match for doing healing work together. Comparing and contrasting felt like the way forward so I went with the Intuitive Two Choices Tarot Spread.
Should I Work with Eir?
The cards to the left represent choosing to work with Eir (The Sun, 9 of Cups, The Tower). To the right, we have the cards representing working with the Angels (especially Archangel Raphael) for healing. The cards at the bottom of the spread show me why I’m facing this decision now. This is about me overthinking this change of paths. Big changes are afoot but the 9 of Pentacles reminds me that I’m in a good position to build on what I have already learned.
For the card at the top, I chose to modify the original Two Choices Tarot spread slightly and went with a card from the Angels and Ancestors Orale rather than a Major Arcana card. The Lady showing up here is a strong sign that working with the Goddess is a very good idea indeed, and so are the cards to the left, for Eir. The Sun is, IMHO, the strongest ‘Yes!’ in the Tarot deck.
The cards for working with the Angels aren’t bad either. I know them well (Queen of Swords) and we are old friends (6 of Cups). Working with them in the past has been beneficial and will continue to be helpful in the future. I do not have to abandon the Angels to work with Eir.
Sparrrows for Eir?
Working with Eir will bring me some Tower experiences. Staying humble and adaptable all the way through is a must. I think that is why sparrow showed up in my dream last night. I could be wrong but I feel sparrow is strongly connected with Eir and my quest to connect with/learn from her.
As far as I can tell, there are no attested animal signs connected with Eir. I’m hoping this is my dream consciousness connecting me with universal consciousness to channel this information through. Time will tell…
The Goddess Eir Tarot Spread
- The main benefit of working with Eir
2. Main challenge to working with Eir
3. What I must do if I wish to work with Eir
4. Subconscious influence that could affect my work with Eir
5. How Eir’s energy will influence my own energy
6. The healing modality Eir wants me to use
Goddess Eir Tarot Spread Sample Reading with the Runic Tarot
- The main benefit of working with Eir – Ace of Pentacles: It’s a new beginning and a good investment in terms of my healing journey. The two runes (Fehu and Berkana) on this card in the Runic Tarot are excellent healing runes. Together, they also form a path into the female Northern mysteries. Fehu is connected with Freya and Berkana with Frigg. Interestingly, as handmaiden of Frigg and as a Valkyrie, Eir is connected to both Freya and Frigg (who may well be the same Goddess). Also, I feel that the angelic realm rejoices too, with this card repeating from the previous reading. I can count on their support as I connect with the gods of my ancestors. There are no ‘demons’ here! To refer to the Old Gods as demons is how the church scared my ancestors away from working with their gods.
2. Main challenge to working with Eir – 9 of Cups: Get out of my head and into my heart. The energy of this card is a very good match for my sparrow dream, where the sparrow was sitting on top of my chest, over my heart. In the Runic Tarot 9 of Cups, we see a Valkyrie serving mead to warriors in Valhalla. Again, the message is one of humbling myself and focusing on joyful, compassionate service.
I pledge compassionate service, patience and focus when working with the Norse Goddess Eir
3. What I must do if I wish to work with Eir – 7 of Shields/Pentacles: I must cultivate patience and stay focussed.
4. Subconscious influence that could affect my work with Eir – 8 of Cups: I sometimes have a tendency to veer out of my own lane, out of boredom. I also have a tendency to flit between one shiny subject and the next on my quest for knowledge… And yeah, like Ratatoskr (the squirrel going up and down Yggdrasil), I can be drawn to gossip. All the more important to heed the guidance in the previous card!
5. How Eir’s energy will influence my own energy – Queen of Wands: Working with Eir will make me feel more at home in the female mysteries of the Northern tradition. There is a warmth and tenderness there that I’m starting to discern and that I’m incredibly drawn to.
6. The healing modality Eir wants me to use – Ace of Swords: She wishes me to use prayers, galdr, spells, incantations, and tree magick. Oh yeah, that leaf at the bottom of the card didn’t go unnoticed!
Try the Goddess EIR Healing Tarot Spread!