So my story with Kari is interesting. I actually found Him while working on my genealogy. He was a king of Kvenland in the Scandinavia area around the time of the first century AD. The only real mention of Him is a blood line/ genealogical record of His family found in the Orkney (Scotland) Sagas. If you can trace your ancestry back to the first Normans (William the Conqueror or Rollo for example) then Kari is also in your line further back.
I didn’t really pay the discovery much attention at first. It was just another ancestor, in a long like of ancestors, that I have discovered over the years. The name kept scratching in the back of my mind though, and an energy was growing around me that I just couldn’t place. So a few years ago I decided to dig deeper. Since there was no stories or no records besides a family line, I would have to take a different approach, and luckily for me The Morrigan had already showed me the tools for this.
Using a combination of divination and oracle skills I began the journey of discovering who Kari really was. Since there were no outside “checks” I had to create them as we went. Asking the same question over several days to see if I would get the same consistent answer. Having Him tell me His stories several times, with cards – visions – trance. I would verify anything I received through channeling/ trance with conversations through tarot. It was a long a tedious process but one that had to be done to satisfy my logical sided mind. Kari was also kind and patient through the process. He understood and I also think He was just happy to be remembered. This whole process was also a key to building strong bonds with Him.
He shared His stories, His core energies and domains, what He holds sacred, and so forth. Getting to know a Deity/ Guide, from Them, is much like getting to know anyone else. It takes time and a building of trust between you. In my experience though, it is well worth all of it.
There is a lot of depth when it comes to Kari. Like The Morrigan, Kari is just the oldest name I have, but His energy is much older – He is a Primal Deity, like The Morrigan. Air/ Wind is His primary element, but Voice is His main lesson, for Air is the Voice. (And as I wrote this – a bald eagle came into our valley and started washing himself in the creek…. But we’ll get to that association later)
The Air Fuels the Fire – Voice fuels Actions.
It’s not surprising Kari does a lot of work in Runes – but more so for the goal of Galdr than written. For those who do not know, Galdr is the act of signing the Runes. In my experience, the way He taught me, it starts with a journey of learning the Rune from Him, His stories and interpretations of each and the magic He sees in each. Then creating bind runes (combining different runes for a specific purpose) and then signing the bind Rune for magical purpose instead of just writing them. The power lays in the Voice. Thus the power of the Runes with Kari lays in Galdr.
Through my journey with The Morrigan I developed my foundations and discovered my authentic self. Through Kari I learned how to use my Voice. How to use it to protect my foundations and self. How to use it to create change in the world around me. How to use Voice to inspire and move people in new directions and to discover new perspectives. Using Voice in guard, to battle, and to bring peace through bringing understanding to both sides.
His lesson are in the deer, especially reindeer. The shape of their feet change in order to adapt to the changing landscape of ice to swampy muds – the ability to adapt to your surroundings as they are. They have a special system in their respiratory system – that warms the frozen air before it gets to their lungs – again, breath and voice. They only see in ultra violet light – seeing more than what is visible to us (the Unseen world).
His lesson are also in the Hawk, Eagle, and Owl – I told you we would get there. Strength, Protection, Wisdom, Authority, Long sight / seeing the larger picture, and so forth.
I spent over a year bonding with Kari, learning His history, His lessons, His stories, and His perspectives. Then I spent a year helping another do the same. Our journeys were different because our paths are different, but the core, the stories, His energy and approach remained the same, because that is Him. For Her, He was her foundation builder like The Morrigan was for me. The approach of the lessons were different but the lessons themselves remained the same. It gave this person exactly what she needed, but it also gave me another confirmation of all I experienced with Kari. It doesn’t matter how spiritual I am, I also have a very science minded side to me as well and both must be balanced. That does not mean I can explain the “hows” or “whys” the spiritual aspects work, but it helped me to build trust in all that I experienced but could not physically prove to others. It helped to solidify my trust and faith in my Guides and myself.
Around Winter Solstice, this friend dedicated to Kari and He went silent for me. It seemed clear early on that my goal wasn’t to be His but to share Him with others. Power of Voice bringing Him back to the world. It was sad but Guides come and go at different times for various reasons. I honestly did not expect Him to come back and I was heading into new lessons and changes at that time as well. Little did I realize that the silence wasn’t leaving, it was because I needed to go through a time of tower in order to understand where we would go next. Something I could not learn through Him or with Him present.
As soon as I had reconciled the turmoil – Kari has stepped back in and has taken a seat right next to The Morrigan. Two Primals – The Water and the Fire – The Earth and the Air – a balance between the duality of masculine and feminine. I can’t say I am really surprised either. I find that most of my time spent in the labyrinth of learning comes from me. Needing to go deeper, needing different faces to point me to things I had not and would not look at if I kept my course. That is how my journey always seems to go. How long I spend in the labyrinth is up to me, up to my stubbornness or short shortsightedness. These aren’t bad things to me because they require me to dig deeper, experiment more, and develop my skills fully. It really is a matter of perspective on if we choose to see the darkness in a situation or to find it’s light. Both exist, it’s a choice as to which one we live in.
I am welcoming Kari back with open arms, and so is The Morrigan. It is also interesting timing with the Sun, The Fire, The Light becoming a large focus in my practice. Blending it with my Moon, my darkness, my internal self, my foundations of self. Dualities ever present and becoming a core of me just as Transformation is. This journey isn’t new, it is just a new depth we are diving into.
Welcome back Kari.