On a calm and chilly Tuesday evening just before 7:00 p.m., a few people wait outside Reno Magick on S. Wells, making casual chit chat before tonight’s host Devon opens the door and ushers them into the temple, adjacent to the shop.
Devon is dressed in all black with long black hair, a friendly disposition and a big book of ancient stories from the Norse tradition.
Old Norse culture encompasses both Viking and the medieval cultures of Iceland and Norway, as well as lesser known North Atlantic islands and parts of England, Ireland and Scotland.
“I've just been kind of doing one or two stories each time for these and I kind of at the end of each story, just want to hear what other people think, what they kind of took from that,” Devon says. “Honestly, each time I read these stories, something new pops up.”
Devon is the leader of the Norse temple, and aside from hosting the Storyweaving hour here he holds a Blót (which is an exchange in which you sacrifice to the gods in order to get something back in return) every other Wednesday in the space, minus the human sacrifice of the ancient tradition.
Following Devon’s lead, each person shared their name and a short introduction about themselves. One woman explained that she brought her son to expose him to new religions, traditions and ideas about spirituality.
“So I'm the owner of both the store and the temple and one of the things we promote here is not so much about religion, so spirituality, because all humans are spirits, period,” Misty Reiknights explained. “So for us it's about training yourself to listen to your own spirits, because we all came with a posse, whether it be. Ancestors, whether it be deity, whether it be our guides.”
Devon’s animated readings of ancient tales of gods, warriors, and ice giants is certainly entertaining, but the thoughtful group discussion after each one makes the evening personal.
Each of the epic and sometimes risqué parables of the Norse tradition contain lessons which can mean something different to everyone.
The Norse Storyweaving Hour offers both a quiet moment for introspection and a nice way to connect with new people in a relaxed and welcoming environment, filled with beautiful works that comprise a wall of altars, honoring traditions that span the globe and human history.