It is important to remember that your relationship to the gods is a conversation. In any conversation, it does no good for one person to always speak and never listen. Gothheyrani must listen for the messages of the gods so they may live in harmony with them.

The easiest way to hear the gods is to be still. It is a good daily practice to find a play outdoors or by an clear window, calm your mind, focus your breath and hear the unspoken words of the gods.

Breath deeply and deliberately, let your heart find stillness. Observe the world before you; the air, the earth, the animals, the plants. Open your heart to the gods and let them place their words in your chest.

There is no right or wrong way to find stillness. Some will enter an almost meditative state, others will quietly concentrate on leaves in the breeze, still others might quietly reaffirm their oaths.

The gods have many ways to speak with us. Some are lucky enough to meet the gods, we tell stories of these encounters. Others feel the divine whisper; the unconscious pull and presence of the gods in their thoughts and emotions. For many the gods speak through the world around them.

Sometimes these messages are through events and coincidence, things that happen at unexpected moments or exactly the right times. Messages of synchronicity given to make us realize what we might not have otherwise seen.

A common method the gods use is theriophorises - the use of animals to deliver messages. Birds are a very powerful and common messenger among the gods - with the species and behavior of the bird giving great clues regarding the messages of the gods. Other animals are also powerful, though less common messengers.

Attuning yourself to the gods is the best way to recieve their messages. Spend time in reflection of the world around you, your place within it, what you hope for, and what your personal goth may want for you and from you.

There are some who approach this attunement in meditation in a quiet place, this is well-loved by many gods. Others will find attunement by being in nature, alone or in small group - indeed, some find it during physical activities such as climbing, hunting, or even floating quietly in a lake.

There are others who find their best attunement with careful attention and preparation to their sleep. They ritualize the end of their day in order to commune with the gods in the liminal fields of their dreams.

For those who are able, worship and kinship can take place as their Ve - their temple. For those who do not have a temple, or even for those who do, it is helpful to consecrate places of practice to help bring focus to your spiritual journey.

When selecting these places, it is important to make sure you are welcome to these areas, make no trespass or transgression. Maintain your welcome, also. Do not undertake practices, displays, or rituals which are unwanted.

It is also good to find places that bring some peace and solitude so that you might properly commune. It is good to choose the highest point for your first site, but the second, third, or even fourth highest point might be more suitable in accessibility or atmosphere.

It is good to call upon the gods to visit a place where you wish to consecrate. Draw their symbol upon the ground, either in loose soil, chalk, or simply by tracing it with intention. Invite them to visit that space with you, to walk with you and know it. If you are uncomfortable or unsure of which god you should call to a space, you may always call to your personal goth.

You may use any invocation but this is a common one that you may find useful:

By oath and kinship, I call all Gods of the Nine Realms to stand witness. May this land be hallowed, this boundary made sacred, each site tied into the web of the Nine. I pledge my honor, and hold fast my covenant.

The highest place. The area you name for Asgard should be a summit, a ridgeline, or a hilltop. This is Othin’s domain and the place that watches over all other areas.

Othin, Ve, or Frigg are all acceptable gods to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: (named god), I call you to this high place. Bless this summit as a beacon of wisdom and light. Let your watchful presence shape our eyes and our purpose.

An offering of a feather would not be uncommon as a way to bind this invocation. You may also offer an oath to let this ground be a place of wisdom and vision.

The garden. The area you name for Vanaheim should be a garden or a field; it is especially good if you can find a meadow within a forest glade

Freya, Freyr, and Njorthr are all acceptable gods to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: (named god), come to this glade of life. Breathe green growth, fertility, and balance here. Let this grove echo your nurturing song.

An offering of a seed would not be uncommon as a way to bind this invocation. You may also offer an oath to let this ground promote hope and renewal.

The human world. The area you name for Midgard should be a place of human activity; a crossroads, a square or a meeting place.

Thor and Sif are acceptable gods to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: (named god), come to this crossroad of community. Shelter our gathering, strengthen our bonds. Let this meeting-place hold peace and cooperation.

An offering of bread, wine, or ale would not be uncommon as a way to bind this invocation. You may also offer an oath to let this ground stand for kinship and justice.

The world of mists. The area you name for Alfheim should be a low place of waters and woods; a small forest spring, a swampy area, or a hidden creek.

Hoenir, Saga, and Ve are acceptable gods to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: (named god), call your wisdom into mist and shadow. Let this hollow be open to dreams, visions, and the subtle voice between worlds.

An offering of a glass bead or purified water would not be uncommon as a way to bind this invocation. You may also offer an oath to let this ground stand for mystery and revelation.

The world of stone. The area you name for Svartlfaheim should be a place of stone or darkness. A quarry, a large rock, or a cave mouth.

Forseti, Bragi, and Brimir are acceptable gods to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: (named god), call your careful craft to stone and root. Let this rock speak with justice, let work be worthy and lawful.

An offering of some metalwork or jewelry would not be uncommon as a way to bind this invocation. You may also offer an oath to let this ground stand for justice and skill.

The world of giants. The area you name for Jotunheim should be a place of cold wilderness. A rocky slope, a barren field, a place without comfort.

Thor, Tyr, and Heimdallr are acceptable gods to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: (named god), stand guard at this wilderness boundary. Shield us against chaos and hold order at the edge. Let this place witness the struggle of wild and domesticated.

An offering of flint, raw iron, or driftwood would not be uncommon as a way to bind this invocation. You may also offer an oath to keep this boundary strong.

The world of the dead. The area you name for Helheim should be a place of the dead. An old burial ground, cemetery, or mausoleum.

Hel is the only acceptable god to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: Hel — ruler of the realm of the dead — come to this sacred mound. Honor ancestors, watch over rest, let peace dwell here. Let memory and transition be honored.

An offering of quiet lament is the best way to bind this invocation. You may also offer an oath to make this place a sanctuary for departed kin.

The world of Fire. The area you name for Mulspelheim should be a place of fire or destruction. An industrial area, a large hearth or forge, a piece of nature destroyed by asphalt or gravel.

Syn and Tyr are acceptable gods to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: (named god), protect against destruction coerced by unfairness; let this place carry transformation, not ruin. Though fire tempers steel, let it not burn honor.

An offering of charcoal (unlit) would not be uncommon as a way to bind this invocation. You may also offer an oath to let this ground transform without tyranny.

The world of ice. The area you name for Niflheim should be a place of decay and hoplessness. A bog, a dead lake, a wind-swept tundra.

Mani and Hermothr are acceptable gods to call upon to consecrate this land.

A common invocation would be: (named god), guide through mist, light the path through cold and shadow. Let this place be hallowed, a threshold for memory and passage.

This invocation is often done in the light of the moon, watching the moon through a reflective surface. You may also offer an oath to let this ground stand as a beacon in the mist.

In addition to these sites, you may also choose to consecrate two addition areas. An Othin Tree and a Well of Memory.

For the Othin Tree, it is best to choose a large and very old tree. It is used to mark Othin’s day and to ask the all-father for guidance. Othin is the god who should be invoked for this consecration.

To consecrate this tree, a common invocation would be: Othin, who hung nine nights upon the winds, I call you to this tree. Let it stand as the axis of vision, where the seeker sacrifices ignorance for sight. Guide our instinct; grant understanding. Through root and crown, let wisdom flow.

No offering is necessary to seal this invocation.

For the Well of Memory, a reflective pool or pond is ideal - one that persists through all seasons. For this consecration, Mimir, Frigg, and Saga should be invoked.

Mimir of the deep knowing, Frigg who guards what is hidden, and Saga who remembers all tales — come to this well. Let its waters hold our oaths and reflect our truths. Grant clarity to those who kneel, and remembrance to those who listen.

Mead or clear water should then be poured into the pool to consecrate the site.