Reflections on Nodens during the new moon.
(Image description: A photo of a person standing on the beach. The figure wears a dark-colored hoodie and faces away from the viewer. A long stretch of sand meets a dark blue ocean with an overcast sky.) Credit: Photo by – – on Unsplash
In my practice, I have been attempting to take note of the lunar phases and find a way to incorporate them. Overall, those tries haven’t been the most successful, for one reason or another. However, I was able to do something for this most recent new moon.
At the suggestion of a fellow polytheist, I figure this would be an appropriate time to spend with Him. Now, given that I’m still in the process of building a relationship with Him, I thought it would be best to do something small.
I chose to do a lectio divina session involving the prayer beads I have for Him. The new moon feels like a time for introspection, as the darkness has an almost standstill effect on time until the sun rises. I took about fifteen minutes to go through the steps involved.
As I didn’t want to become overly focused on how I used my time, I followed the general concept of sitting with the chaplet, running my fingers over the beads, and letting any images, words, or emotions come to mind.
I wasn’t expecting anything, but I was surprised by the fact that they did. The imagery I saw was of Nodens fighting what I can guess was a snake-legged giant. His opponent wasn’t visible, but there was the scene of His arm being cut off by a sword. I could see His pain at that traumatic moment and felt myself inwardly wincing at this. It would have transpired at some point in mythic time, but sympathy can still be directed toward a deity during a low point in their existence.
After being injured, what happened afterward wasn’t entirely clear beyond Nodens receiving His metal arm. There was a sense of His recuperation, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
The imagery played out fairly quickly, so I spent a good portion of the remaining time simply sitting with the prayer beads. The texture of the Celtic knots and clear beads felt symbolic of protection and His watery connections.
Oddly enough, I never saw Nodens’ face directly. I’ve tried to understand what His face looks like, but even with glimpses, I get the feeling He doesn’t want me to pin an exact image of what He should look like. However, that makes sense with the element He’s closest to. Water can hold a myriad of shapes, colors, and reflections in it, so why wouldn’t He be similar?
Toward the end of the meditation, I thanked Him for His time and told Him “bye for now”. I did my usual nightly prayers and burned His candle for Him as an offering.
Given that Nodens has no surviving myth as to how He lost His arm, it was both surprising and revealing to see how the loss of His arm happened. In Irish myth, Nuada lost His arm while fighting Sreng, and He had an arm created from silver and eventually another of actual flesh and bone.
There were various spiritual elements at work while meditating, with my compassion and sympathy felt for Nodens’ loss and during His recovery. Additionally, the scenes were quite dark, as I could only make out parts of the events. Some of it may come from how my mind works, while it could also have to do with the location at where He was in combat against the anguipeds. It gives the sense of how long He has been combating against chaotic forces and how His roles might’ve changed over time. As mentioned, I think Nodens doesn’t necessarily want me to get hung up on what He looks like, which makes sense. It can be easy to have a specific mental image of a deity, which only boxes them into something that fits with human expectations. They are much more than that.
All in all, it was a meaningful meditation, and I’m glad to have learned a bit more about Nodens and His story. What I saw may not be the only version how He earned His metal arm; with any mythical figure, there can be more than one version.
Over time, I want to add more devotional practices to the time I honor Nodens during the new moon, in a way that allows me to know and understand Him better.
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