Makes me think of what a Time Lord regenerates in the science fiction series … Doctor Who.

Life began coming into focus a few months ago with bits and pieces finally falling into place … Osprey and Wolf being my primary guiding spirits … talisman coming to me.

Getting a glimpse beyond this realm.

Then a couple months ago, the lives of myself and family upended as we let go of our home of 20 years in favor of a better place.

During that time, everything that I was and that had come to me … disappeared.

Yes, I still carry the Nordlys Pipe and have the various spiritual items that are part of my spiritual path … but the path itself seemed to wash away beneath my feet as what I thought I knew … just … faded for a time.

Now, we are settled into our new home, and my altar space has been again established.

And even so, when I walk in the woods just down the hill from this place, I find I’m charting new pathways of feeling and thought … stronger than before … different from before.

Subtle in some ways … more so in others.

It’s like my perspective has shifted and my vantage point as different as it is with the mountains I see from my window now.

Same mountains as before, but the angle has changed.

So …. I’m learning and actually feeling more confident than before.

More trusting in the path Spirit is revealing before me.

The post Life upended appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.

Máni or Luna? … Which name to call the moon when addressing its spirit during prayer?

This is a question that has been in my thoughts off and on for a time now.

Although I’ve grown fairly comfortable with the Norse god’s name, Máni, I still catch myself looking up to speak to it’s spirit and saying … “Luna.”

Is that wrong?

I do not believe so as … take myself for instance.

Some will look at me and call me Mike while others (my mother and sister) call me “Michael.”

And then there are those online who have known me as Hauk and Pathfinder and others years back who knew me as “Standing Wolf.”

I even had a co-worker who called me “Tripp Tripp.”

All of those are me and so are my names.

Each one holds a power of recognition between the person who spoke it and myself as they said it … and I acknowledged it.

It’s the same with the Moon (Máni or Luna), the Sun (Sol), or the Earth (Mother Earth, Jörd or Danu).

Can be said of a great many things.

Just because one person calls something by one name does not necessarily mean they are wrong … especially if the other person, spirit or entity acknowledges and accepts it.

So regardless of if I choose to address the moon as Máni or Luna is beside the point as it’s what exists between me and that spirit.

The post Máni or Luna? appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.

For too long, I feel like I’ve been stumbling around in the dark … hobbling pieces of this and that together in a fashion that doesn’t even full make sense to me.

It always leaves me questioning …. Who is the Great Spirit? … Who is Father Sky?

What is this god’s relations to this goddess? … Who is the god or goddess of the moon? What about the sun?

Then throw in the fact that ways to pray with a prayer and sacred Pipe were shared with me a few decades ago … serving as the foundation of how I pray and conduct ceremony.

THEN … There is Nordlys … The spirit of the sacred Pipe I carry.

So after all this time, I’ve decided to FINALLY define my practice.

I’m going to give it shape and definition (as much as is possible considering we’re dealing with things that are often beyond our comprehension) … and figure out the way I go about things spiritually AND how the Pipe wishes it to be done.

This path WILL be a blend of Albion (Gaelic/Pict), Norse and indigenous / animist with a North Sea / European perspective.

Or maybe I should say the perspective of those descended from such and of whom are now leaving in North American where the First Peoples of this land have had their fingers on the pulse of this land for eons.

Now, I can already hear voices out there screaming that one cannot blend the spirits and gods of one pantheon with those of another … or those of a different location.

Ok, let’s look at this logically.

Many of the Gaelic gods are of the Tuatha Dé Danann which made their first appearance in Ireland …

When the Fir Bolg ruled Ireland their King, Eochaid mac Eirc, had a dream foretelling him about the arrival of a group of ships. Led by King Nuada a fleet of 300 ships of the Tuatha Dé Danann arrived in Ireland

Your Irish Culture

They eventually made their way across to Wales / Scotland and the rest of Great Britian.

Now slip across the North Sea towards the east where you have Odin and the rest of the Norse gods.

Viking raiders and settlers invaded / settled various points in the British Isles meaning THEY were not just exposed to the Gaelic (and Celtic) gods, but likewise brought they belief in the Norse pantheon with them.

Fast forward to the new world (North America) where English (and other European countries) settled … that’s how my ancestors arrived in this land which leads to my family and me.

Now, North America was already home to many native tribes who had been here for eons … with their own spirits, their own beliefs and their own way of doing things.

And I was lucky enough to have tribal elders who were nice enough to share some of that wisdom with me. … at least enough that it gave me a foundation and set my feet on the path.

The tribes that were already here? …. Their culture is their culture.

Now, my ancestors also had ties to the natural world … but those ties have been in some cases all but erased and in other cases washed over by Christianity that sought to erase all of them (From North America to those that were Gaelic, Norse and all the others.

If you look back above, you will see where these pantheons have already been exposed to one another and through time and humans being humans … they’ve already at times blended.

Yet there are definite differences just as there are definite similarities.

This is NOT to say that one can necessarily be planted on top of the other.

Of the Norse, what is known about this pantheon is more detailed than many of the others.

Of the Gaelic, we know bits and pieces just as we know those who worship these gods (as is the case with those who worship the Norse) have felt their presence and had moments … and encounters with them enough to believe they exist.

However, the Gaelic seems more pieced together than the Norse.

Now, I’ve had encounters personally with some of the Norse deities AND some of the Gaelic … just as I have with animal spirits, so I believe in all three.

I’m choosing to see it this way.

For decades, I’ve believed in the vastness of creation … that the Norse gods exist … the Gaelic … the Roman … the Greek … all have room to exist without stepping on the toes of the followers of the others.

So for me, I see the Norse pantheon existing just as I see the Tuatha Dé Danann and other Gaelic gods existing.

How do I explain this? …. I except there are things I’m not meant to understand, however, in this case … I see the Tuatha Dé Danann as being simply another tribe … not unlike how in Norse mythology you have the Aesir and the Vanir.

I choose to believe there are more than the nine realms known by the Norse people.

And with both believing in a central World Tree that existence revolves around … the additional unknown realms are offshoots of the great tree just as are the original nine known realms.

That’s an example … a lot still to work out, but I feel in my heart and soul this will work.

It will mix, yes … but also maintain their original stories and separate histories … but blend just as our blood and dna has mixed and blended over the years.

And then mix in the fact that we exist in a different land where the spirits of THIS land have known before colonization only the ways of the First Peoples of this land.

So that’s the foundation.

I’ll share as it develops.

The post Defining a spiritual practice for myself appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.

I’ve been running with the shield design with the Viking ship on it for quite some time.

And that design has slowly evolved over the years … the addition of the hawk / owl in flight, the sun wheel, the Coyote/Wolf … even the colors.

But with this website and even more the changes in the course of my path, it felt right to switch the ship to a henge, adding an Ogham rune and even the words / quotes.

The changes have to do with the acceptance that my path is not just Norse with a slight sprinkling of Celtic / Gaelic … but Norse and Albion (old British Isles) equally or the scales shifting slightly more towards the Albion.

Why the name Albion instead of Celtic or Gaelic?

Albion is one of the oldest known names for the British Isles and my heritage is from those Isles as a whole.

And not just heritage … my spiritual ties are too those lands and … I’m not sure what I’ve been so resistant to it for all these years.

There was a time decades back that an old girlfriend spoke without thought to me in Gaelic.

It just slipped out as she was speaking as she had been taught the language by her grandmother who was passing it down from one generation to another.

When I heard those words, it was like a lightning strike — one that even now I can still hear the ringing of the words in my soul and the energy of that moment as if it just happened.

And then there was during a recent Pipe ceremony held at the fire where I just began talking to the old ones of the ancient tribes that date back as far as Stonehenge and before.

The ones that created many of the henges originally and that existed in a time when a land bridge still physically connected the British Isles to the lands of Scandinavia.

In the moment … THE moment that I began speaking to them … the flames of the fire went from a low quite burn to an intense roar the stretched high.

So, I know it’s not just about the Gaelic and Celtic who were there and followed, but the tribes that were more with the earth … the ones who existed in the times before that are connecting as well.

Moving on, the Ogham rune is “Nuin,” which represents the Ash tree which represents transformation.

This rune has been with me for well over a year now.

The words or quotes that changed.

Top is now … “Exploring the Ancient Pathways.”

Bottom is now … “There is more than one way to get to where we need to go.”

Both better reflect my journey as it is today.

The post Updating the Shield appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.

A hummingbird seeks out nectar in a Mimosa tree in Staunton, Va., on July 22, 2023.

(Photo by Hauk — Pathfinder / aka. Mike Tripp)

Every year, I look forward to the arrival of the hummingbirds as they have always flown across the space of the Whispering Grove as they would chase one another from one nectar source to another.

But this year, they did not show as expected to the point that it had me worried.

Now the logical reason is that the neighbors cut their bush that flowers with blossoms they love … cut it WAY back.

On our end, we had to remove our two butterfly bushes.

And out other bushes …. a wind storm blew the blossoms off before they could finish blooming.

Those are the logical reasons one can keep telling one’s self, yet I always looked over to the Mimosa (Persian Silk) tree as THAT was always their favorite.

No joy.

And when I say joy, I have double meaning as hummingbird represents joy.

Not seeing them, made me wonder what was wrong with life that they were steering around us?

Now factor in certain realizations I’d come to and certain new changes I chose to make to my personal spiritual path.

They marked a change in my entire worldview, which I hope to explore more here on this site in the coming weeks.

After these decisions and these steps were made, almost immediately the hummingbirds … joy … returned to the Grove.

Now when I walk outside in the evenings to sit in reflection, I hear and see them as they flitter across the grove as they’ve always done.

The post Seeing “Joy” again … appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.

From Left to Right …

• Ngetal (Reed) : Direction, purpose and responsibility. Ordering chaos and ancestral skills.
• Laguz : Represents Water. It symbolizes intuition, emotions, flow, renewal, dreams, hopes & fears.
• Quert (Apple) : Wholeness, love, attraction, vitality. Youthful energy that is strongly linked to the Otherworld and Fairie realms.
• Mannaz : Represents Humanity. It symbolizes Individuality, Friendship, Society Cooperation, Help.
  • Reversed more detailed … “The meaning of the inverted Mannaz rune. The most common meaning of the inverted Mannaz rune is an internal conflict that interferes with the resolution of the question that the person is asking about. When the symbol comes back, you need to pay attention, not to the behavior of the people around you, but to turn inward, to penetrate your soul: maybe there are fears, complexes, experiences, phobias that prevent you from moving on? Only the person himself can cope with his internal conflicts; you should not count on the help of others in such a situation.” ~ Source is Runeworld.com

For point of reference, I have two sets of Runes that I keep with me within my personal medicine bundle … an Elder Futhark crafted from Coyote bones & an Ogham set crafted from reindeer antlar.

Originally, I kept them second, but then I realized they represent to halves of my spiritual heritage and so felt led to blend them together into the same bag.

On this occasion, I had just made the decision to talk up the mantle of “Hauk the Wolfseye” … which is a long story in itself … followed by migrating to this website.

Began with “NorthernMoonseye.com” which never felt quite right and shifted to “Hauk–Kaiwolf.com” … Hauk being a name I have carried for some years now and Kaiwolf which is my spelling for a Coywolf that runs with me and even protects the Pipe I carry.

That website was meant to allow me to blend together my spiritual, photography and Star Trek Online fan-fiction websites / blogs … but after I launched it … I realized the three didn’t quite fit together in that form even though all three are a part of who I am.

I launched that site website to draw together the separated pieces of myself … but it was still off slightly.

Then came Hauk the Wolfseye.

Whereas Hauk — Kaiwolf was part of my name with the fact I saw Coywolf within me, Wolfseye is another name I’ve carried or had just as long as Hauk.

When I first picked up Wolfseye years ago, it was because it held two things within it that I wanted to work towards being …. I wanted to be worthy of the Wolf’s spirit as well as have the eye of the wolf … as a photographer and journalist … as a visual storyteller.

Following a recent Pipe ceremony, Hauk the Wolfseye … or Hauk Wolfseye … range through me like a bell.

But I had to make the choice myself to choose to walk with it.

Just as picking up Hauk had been a personal choice I had to make, so was deciding it was time to return to my roots and passionate love of being a visual storyteller and artist.

It’s who I am, and the moment I picked it up was the moment I realized it was time to separate the websites again (to best tell the three stories) but also to link them together via weblinks now displayed to the right-side top of each site’s page.

Separate stories woven together.

I also was making a commitment to all three journeys and all three parts of myself.

I’ve even got my personal handwritten journal back out and going as well as have made steps to walk forward with the visual storytelling again.

The runes were cast after I’d made these decisions … and … seem to support this.

As for Mannaz reversed, that reversed rune tells me that this was and is a decision I had to make alone.

No one could help me make it. No one could assist me in making it.

I had to be the one to make it and do so for myself and my walk alone.

This is a choice I gladly make as I look forward to seeing where this road leads … as a visual storyteller and Pipe carrier both.

— Hauk the Wolfseye

aka. Mike Tripp

The post Rune cast favorable for the new site, new path? appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.

Sunflowers grow in a field alongside a country lane on a farm outside of Charlottesville, Va., on July 23, 2023.

(Photos by Mike Tripp / F8 Explorer … aka. Hauk — Pathfinder)

For the past several days, I have been drawn to Sunflowers or maybe it better to say that I’ll be traveling, turn a corner … and there they are staring at me.

They seem to have something to say so I went and checked to see what meaning I could find that speaks to me.

What does sunflower symbolize spiritually?

“For many Native American tribes, sunflowers symbolize the circle of life and the interconnectedness of all living things.

The sunflower’s large central disk, filled with spiraling seeds, represents the cycle of life and death, while its petals radiate outward like the sun’s rays, symbolizing vitality and growth. …

… Sunflowers teach us valuable lessons about the importance of personal growth, adaptability, and staying true to our unique paths. Here are a few takeaways from these radiant flowers:“

WitchySpiritualStuff.com

~ Hauk — Pathfinder

aka. Mike Tripp

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I held a Pipe ceremony to lift prayers of healing at the request of another.

And during that ceremony, I saw that it was time truly own my path and commit myself to it.

Three decades ago, I first prayed with a Pipe at a full moon gathering I had been invited to participate in.

That ceremony began a long journey that led to today.

Back then, I approached it all with respect … but with the mentality of a white person that truly had a LOT to learn.

You know, the mindset … “I’m appreciating this” … “This is cool!” … “This is how I want to pray …”

Was lucky that my original teachers saw something in my that looking back … I’m not sure how they saw anything in me.

Both were members of the Bear Tribe Medicine Society (wish I could remember the Peoples they themselves originated from) and chose to take me under their wing … teaching me the fundamentals (and that word feels so cold to say it that way) of how to offer up prayers with a prayer Pipe.

Others crossed my path from other tribes, choosing to likewise share wisdom that continued to guide me.

Longstory short, the more I learned … the more I realized that it was not of my heritage which in turn fueled imposter syndrome which put me into a spiritual spin as I had to figure out where to go from there.

The catch … That prayer Pipe had a spirit as all these Pipes do and that Spirit chose to work with me … helping my through hard moments in my life.

It felt real and it felt right.

But because I’ve not an ounce of American first peoples’ blood in me, I considered myself not worthy.

Thanks to a man who considered himself a “Druid of Turtle Island,” found my way to nature-based spiritual paths that were of my heritage … ending up with me walking the old Norse path with Odin, Thor, Freyja and the other gods.

Let go of the prayer Pipe, passing it on to someone who walked not just a Norse path but who had tribal connections here in the Americas.

The Pipe seemed content with this.

And then when I was content to walk the Norse path … a sacred Pipe being carved from black pipestone reached out, grabbed me by the shoulders and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Fast forward back to the healing prayer a few weeks ago.

I already knew what I was walking into when I relented and agreed to carry this Pipe — one that seems tied to the “Peoples of the Northern Sky” and their decedents.

Or such is the feeling so far.

Yet it was not until this particular prayer ceremony that I felt the full weight of what this commitment needed to be and how far I have to go.

And I understood as I said yes in this ceremony that I was agreeing to put anything else aside as needed, required or whatever to do as this Pipe and spirit require.

Let’s say that since that moment, my spiritual world turned upside down (again) as my entire worldview shifted.

On top of that, it’s not just Norse calling out to me but Gaelic and what feels more ancient than both of those … something more … I can’t yet describe it.

Since I’ve walked with this Pipe (well past a year and maybe almost two now), I’ve seen and felt things I simply cannot describe. So much so that it took my faith a few levels deeper.

Back to this website.

My worldview has shifted to a point it’s kind of like how your have bad eyesight and you could see, but not like when you first put on that pair of new glasses.

And right now, I’m at a place where I’m sorting it all out and prepping for the next phase in life with all this.

Where it goes, I guess we’ll find out together?

The post Shifting worldviews appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.

A couple months back during a solo Pipe ceremony, I asked the universe to show me a concrete sign of what the spirit animals that move through the world with me are.

** Note I said “spirit animals” and not the one that is my fylgia, which is the power animal or totem that is always with you, all your life. More on that one in a bit! **

I’ve reached a point in my life where I want to be sure of things and make sure I get this walk right.

It’s too easy to get lost in your head and convince yourself of this or that being the truth or fact.

The next day, I was out running a delivery route for Amazon (something I do in conjunction with my freelance photography).

Rolled up on one delivery location and saw a giant osprey painted on the side of a building.

Painted on the side of another building was a giant great-horned owl.

I’ve often felt connections with both and have looked to both for guidance.

This was like being hit in the face with … “You asked for a concrete answer … How is this?”

It left little doubt.

Then when I arrived at a college to photograph a football game, saw a friend in the parking lot and went over to say hello.

He reached into his truck and gave me an Osprey feather … no knowledge of my connections with this bird, only that he thought I would enjoy the gift.

Little doubt became no doubt.

Flash-forward a few weeks, I thought to myself … “If the coyote is a spirit guide for me, why have I never encountered a living one in the wild?”

And wouldn’t you know it? … Inside of a day, I was traveling down the interstate with my family when a Coyote stood beside the road … front paws on the guardrail with his body raised up and chest puffed out.

These things humbled me, reinforcing the power of Spirit.

It did not need to answer my questions but chose to do so for which I’m grateful.

Now, I originally wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, but last night there was a new development as there were still certain things rolling around in my sense of self that left some unsurity with just how the Osprey, Owl and Coyote fit into my life.

Toss in that I’d been learning more on my Fylgia and wasn’t quite sure WHICH filled that roll.

After speaking with an online friend that’s part of a pagan discord community I’m currently spending time at, they spoke on their experiences with a video meditation another member of that community had put out that was designed to help a person find out who their spiritual guide for life actually is.

Keep in mind you can have spirit guides come and spirit guides leave over the course of your life, but the fylgia stays with you … from birth onward.

So, I decided to give this meditation a try last night.

Nordlys (the Pipe I carry) is kept on a shelf within my alter space that’s fashioned from an old antique “meat safe” that was in my parents’ home for decades.

I positioned myself in front of it with the upper cabinet doors open and the candles burning.

Had also burned a mixture of cedar, pine and lavender in preparation.

The Pipe rests with stone bowl separated from its stem, both on top of a section of coyote (the spirit animals that guard it actually) hide under with a full hide (also the Pipe bag for it when it goes out into the world) draped over both to keep Nordlys protected.

Now when I pray, often I’ll remove the coyote from on top and drape it over the left cabinet door, which I did in this case.

For this meditation, held my staff (made of iron) in both hands in front of me.

When I reached the world tree, the coyote was there with something that looked like stars in the fur of his face.

The stars circled around front of its ears and went down around the outside of the eyes and down along its muzzle to frame the face.

The owl was also present, nestled in the branches of the World Tree.

With their gaze on me, was led to reached out and take the pieces of the Pipe and join them together … something that only happens when the Pipe is going to be smoked.

Keep in mind that this is Spirit guiding.

Joined, held the Pipe with bowl in left hand and stem over left shoulder. Staff now held by my right hand.

Nordlys seemed to come alive … fluid in nature.

It lit with the glow of a star … and fire burned within.

The staff pulsed with energy and life as well.

Then I realized the Coyote had settled in on my left side …. realized this when I realized my fingers were moving through the fur of its upper back.

I can still feel the fur between my fingers and the muscles along its back and neck.

The owl …. fingers of my other hand ran across the soft feathers across back and wing.

If you’ve ever felt an owl feather … It’s unlike anything else as they are designed for silent controlled fast flight.

I could feel this beyond touch …. feel it in my spirit.

The Coyote padded along the path beside the hand holding the Pipe. Owl flew along the side holding the staff.

This as we walked to the base of Yggdrasil.

Now, we didn’t go anywhere but spent the moments exploring the curves and indentations of the World Tree’s trunk and branches. Becoming lost in its leaves.

That’s when the meditation started to call us back.

As the meditation ended, I didn’t even think … I was loading the Pipe using a prayer I’d recently written and smoked it in honor of the Coyote and Owl spirits that are always with me … The two halves of myself.

Both are my fylgia. Two halves of spirit with a blended path.

Owl represents the path of my own ancient ancestors while the Coyote is bound to me through the Nordlys (the Pipe) as I felt strongly that my journey right now in this place and time has been woven into the fabric of my Wyrd since long before I was born.

OHHH … Before I saw them originally at the beginning of the meditation when told us to reach out to our ancestors? … I head chanting like you might hear among Cherokee, Lakota or any of the first peoples of this land … Only I knew it was none of them.

This stretched out from a People so far back in time tribal names are lost to time itself. And I had the sense of they originated from somewhere in ancient Europe.

The Pipe billowed smoke more than I’ve ever seen, and as I was finishing … I saw and felt the Osprey.

Could see it flying through the forest in front of me … weaving in and out of the trees marking the path I was to follow … to keep me from getting lost.

Now THAT is something I can’t wrap my head around right now.

I am no more than anyone else walking the path, yet for some reason this Pipe bound me to it possibly even before I was born.

But then what is time to such Spirits?

An additional note I remembered later …

When I was exploring the trunk of Yggdrasil, I saw various faces … one wearing what looked like a large raven’s skull.

Another was at Mimir’s well. … An old man with a hardened face and such an intense gaze that I couldn’t break contact with his gaze.

It might have been Odin, but I’m not quite sure.

Although in that moment I did ponder the possibility it was Odin looking at me through his eye that he left in Mimir’s well.

So … The Owl and Coyote are both my fylgia reflecting both sides of my being.

The Osprey is guiding me (quite possibly of or from the Pipe itself) through the forest and along the path I need to follow.

The post When I asked for concrete signs regarding my animal spirit guides … appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.

A man may seem wise
if he pokes fun at another
when the other man is away.
But the man who talks
behind another man’s back
is a fool, even if his listeners laugh.

— Stanza 31 from the Havamal

In this current age of social media, these words seem to have extra meaning.As talking about someone on social media is akin to speaking to them when their back is turned, and the speaker’s face cannot be seen. Hiding behind a keyboard allows some people to feel powerful, speaking words they would never say directly to the person … and that’s wrong. If it is something you want to say about a person, you should be able to say it TO that person. Hiding behind a keyboard or whispering to one’s friends when the subject is not around, is akin to bullying which is a HUGE problem in today’s society. It is something that needs to change. And if we catch ourselves doing this, we need to hit the pause button and reconsider. It can be an easy trap to fall into. So be aware. And if you catch someone doing this, ask yourself what Tyr would do as he is about justice … walking the right path, doing the right thing. Standing up for what is right. But when you stand up to this, make sure you yourself are doing it for the right reasons, in the right manner, and not just perpetuating the problem. And in an age with such division and politics, it can be a VERY easy trap to fall into as I admit I’ve fallen into it myself a few times. The question is … What will we do going forward?

The post Today’s Reading: “… who talks behind another man’s back …” appeared first on Hauk — Pathfinder.