Another Hylia Devotee

These gates from Skyward Sword are pretty interesting in terms of potential in-game lore, with plenty of elements to theorize with. Obviously, the gates are very visually interesting, they bear the symbols of the goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore, as well as the Triforce in its center. The depiction of the Triforce with rays coming out of it is reminiscent to the Door of Time in Ocarina of Time, too. Though shaped like a gear, it is interesting to me that it bears twelve cogs, perhaps reminiscent of the numbers on a clock, or months of the year? There are also markings that seem to vaguely resemble the text on the front of a certain special book from A Link to the Past... I digress. Let's talk about using these gates in magical practice.

The first thing that comes to mind is, well, time. Perhaps using this as a focal point when meditating during inner work would help you "go back," so to speak, to discover or confront things that happened in your past that impacts you today. Or perhaps to remember something you feel you've forgotten, or to meet and comfort your child self. You might try banishing someone or something to be only in your past by using the Gate of Time... For me, symbolism in magic is pretty important, but your experiences could differ completely. Maybe you are more inclined to use the Gate as a symbol.

The gate is at least visually connected to the goddesses, as discussed previously. Not only are their symbols on it, but the gates we see are activated by Hylia's power, first by Zelda in Lanayru and then by Link with the empowered goddess sword (tempered in Sacred Flames associated with the Three Golden Goddesses) in the Sealed Temple. In this way, it is sort of a symbol of these four goddesses' cooperation, but also of the journeys taken by Link and Zelda in the events of Skyward Sword. The Gate of Time in the Sealed temple is the means by which the Hero of Skies is, at last, able to reunite with the Spirit Maiden. It is instrumental in him fulfilling his destiny--in this way, the gate is a symbol not only of Time and the Goddess Hylia herself, but perhaps also of Fate.

While it would be pretty amazing to have a life-size mural or a sculpture of a Gate, most of us would probably have an easier time using visualization or drawing out the symbols to utilize the Gate of Time in our practice. If you have access to a printer, you may be able to print and cut out a small Gate for your uses.

Good [insert current time of day/night],

Let me tell you about the Ribbon Days.

So, the way my personal calendar works is festivals are a single day, feasts last for 3 days and any holiday with the word “day” in it is more than that.

So, the Ribbon Days are a 7 day holiday/holy period dedicated to humans/living things ability to connect to and love other/things.

It takes place from February 8th-14th.

Good [insert current time of day/night],

Let me tell you about the Feast of Farore.

So, the way my personal calendar works is festivals are a single day, feasts last for 3 days and any holiday with the word “day” in it is more than that.

So, the Feast of Farore is a 3 day holiday/holy period dedicated to Lady Farore, Keeper of Courage, Bringer of Life, Protector of Children, Sister of Din, Sister of Nayru, Gifter of the Triforce.

It takes place from March 20-22.

Possible long post, so it’s under the cut! ♥️

Sadly, despite being a pretty religion focused game there is not a lot of options to actually show devotion. Here are a few ways I bond with the Hyrulean spirits while playing!

*Always crouch before praying at the altar. I generally crouch, pray, leave offerings in that order so I don't accidentally pick up offerings. It's a small show of respect!

Various offerings at Hylia statues|Silent Princess' on Zelda's pedestal

*Leave offerings at goddess statues. Once you max out your hearts and stamina the statues don't get as much attention. Other great offering locations: Satori Mountain, The Leviathan Skeletons/Dark Skeletons, Temple of Time ground +Sky

*Cleanse yourself in springs, pools found in shrines, also great fairy pools. The Sacred Springs are a top choice but I also go to the depths at the Secret Spring of Revival. This can be a little bit more eloquently done in totk than botw, but jumping in none the less is good enough.

*Clothing is important! Hyrule is known for incredible fashion and lots of symbolism in their clothing. be intentional with the ingredients you use to dye your outfits. I dye my white outfits for the depths with silent princess to purify the clothes and to protect me in the depths (not an actual buff). I dye my sheikah outfit purple with muddlebuds to magically imbue their confusing properties with my sneaky outfit. etc I like to match the vibes of where I'm going with my outfits.

Red hair for Dinraal, Purple for Sheikah/Hylia, White for Nadyra/Satori combo *Disarm in public spaces. It makes it a bit more authentic feeling when you aren't sitting in the middle of town strapped to the teeth. I usually only keep my bow equipped. *Have some areas be no hunting zones such as forests around the Temples of Time or other sacred areas. Or do the opposite and pick specific sites for animal or monster sacrifice

*Spend time with the dragons. In botw you can leave offerings at their spawn sites, make pilgrimages to see them come up and go down. in totk you can ride on them and use that as bonding time. It's a good time to meditate and listen to the music. When I am farming for dragon parts or need a dragon to appear, I usually go to their spring and leave an offering.

Me needing Naydra fangs for armor *Feed the animals! horses, sheep, goats, dogs, even stalhorse will eat apples or meat if you hold or drop the food. Dondons as well can be fed luminous stones, which are known to have connection to spirits. *Use Shrine cutscenes as moment to recenter and meditate for a moment (aka don't skip the cutscene). I usually skip the cutscenes but sometimes I use the moments to realign myself especially if the shrine was really frustrating. *Make your house into a shrine! With the gallery options you are able to post pictures on the wall. Usually I have pictures of the dragons or goddess statues, Sonia's grave, or geoglyphs. And you can change it anytime!

Correspondences: Courage, Strength, Resilience, Endurance, Perseverance, Confidence, Friendship, Willpower, Focus, Banishing, Overcoming (obstacles/foes), Victory, Protection, Movement, Growth, Change, Light, Dark, Psychic Powers, Money, Luck, Skill, Knowledge, & Energy

Herbs/Plants: Mugwort, Bay, Cinnamon, Sweetgrass, Saffron, & Thistle

Crystals: Amber, Aventurine, Pyrite, Garnet, Sapphire, Opal, Topaz, & Ruby

Element: Spirit

Celestial Body: Moon

Numbers: 1, 3, & 13

Scents: Earthy, Salty, & Musky

Candles: Yellow, Green, White, Black, & Blue

Magic Types: Spirit Work, Prosperity, Luck, Psychic Development, Growth, Change, Banishing, Protection, Warding, Focus, Strength, Power, Courage, Willpower, Overcoming (obstacles/foes), Victory, Protection, Movement, Knowledge, Forgetting, Letting Go, & Energy

Learn his story & history

Honor his family & friends

Honor yourself

Believe in yourself & never give up

Fight for what you believe in

Help those in need

Cherish your friends & found family

Work with water (mundanely or magically)

Share your interests & hobbies with him

Create art in his honor

Play Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity, and/or Tears of the Kingdom

Visit the ocean, a lake, or a river

Volunteer to clean up around a body of water

Donate to an aquatic charity

Give yourself grace when you make mistakes

Wear red, blue, or yellow

Learn more about sharks & other aquatic creatures

Collect shark teeth

Eat or share fish with him

Learn her story & history

Honor her sacrifice

Honor her family & friends

Take care of yourself (physically, mentally, etc)

Care for your friends & loved ones

Cherish those you hold dear

Give yourself grace when you make mistakes

Believe in yourself

Advocate for others and yourself

Work with water (mundanely or magically)

Share your interests & hobbies with her

Create art in her honor

Play Breath of the Wild and/or Age of Calamity

Visit the ocean, a lake, or a river

Volunteer to clean up around a body of water

Donate to an aquatic charity

Tend to your wounds (physical or mental/emotional)

Fight for what you believe in

Wear red, blue, or yellow

Dedicate jewelry or accessories to her

Learn more about aquatic creatures

Practice spirit work

Eat or share fish with her

✨Yeto’s Superb Soup✨

I had posted a recipe in the comments last year, but I decided to make a better version

Ingredients:

one 2lb kabocha (you can use an equal-sized pie pumpkin, but in my opinion kabocha has a much butterier texture and nuttier flavor. Also the yeti uses kabocha in the game so it gets points for accuracy)

1-3 carrots (last year the store had the fattest carrot I had ever seen. This year I needed 3 carrots to match that volume. Listen to your heart)

2-3 celery stalks (equal to the amount of carrot)

1/2 white onion

6 garlic cloves

(optional) 2 habanero peppers

mirin/cooking wine

1 box of fish stock (if you want it vegetarian, use kelp dashi stock)

1 box of vegetable stock

4oz goat cheese. I’ve tried making this with cream cheese and feta, but the flavor really doesn’t land right without the goat cheese.

1 cup? (<- it was eyeballed) heavy cream

.7lb filet of salmon

??tbsp olive oil

6 tbsp butter

a few pinches of flour

thyme, paprika, nutmeg, red pepper flakes salt & pepper

(optional) gronions to garnish

Step 1) Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C. Slice and deseed kabocha

Step 2) coat the pumpkin in a thin layer of olive oil. Season with thyme (I like dried thyme but fresh is better!), ground nutmeg, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper.

Bake for 30-50 minutes until it’s soft enough to scoop off the rind with a spoon. Thinner kabocha might only take 30 minutes, and thicker kabocha (like below) or a cake pumpkin may take 40+ minutes.

note: if your kabocha/pumpkin is especially thick, your soup may end up tasting sweeter. If you want it more umami, use less of your chosen gourd or maybe add a splash of soy sauce to the broth? Haven’t tried that but it’d probably work

Step 3) Prep all your other veggies while you’re waiting for the pumpkin to bake. Dice the onion and set it aside. Chop the celery & carrots into Chunks and mince the garlique

Step 4) Wait until the timer for the pumpkin has 20 minutes or less left. Heat up your pot/dutch oven on high/med-high heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter, and add the onions. After about 6 minutes, add the garlic. After another few minutes, sprinkle flour and stir, and keep frying until it browns.

Step 5) Add the rest of the butter, the rest of the veggies, and stir. Deglaze the pan with a splash of mirin/cooking wine.

If you timed it right, the pumpkin should be about done. Using a spoon, scoop the rind off the pumpkin. While you do that, periodically check on the veggies, adding another sprinkle of flour and a some of the fish stock as it gets dry. It’ll create a sort of paste and the onions will be pretty browned at this point.

Step 6) Chop the pumpkin & add it to the pot. Add the rest of the stock. If you’re using habanero, slice it and add it now. Add any other seasonings (it may need more salt) to taste. Once the soup boils, turn the heat to low and cover.

Personally, I prefer soups with Chunks in them + I think it’s more authentic to what the yeti made, but if you REALLY feel compelled to blend your soup, do it now.

Step 7) While the soup is heating up, get out a frying pan and add a tablespoon or two of some olive oil/butter on med-high heat. Add the salmon filet to the pan (scale side down) and just let it sit there. Don’t touch it. When it turns opaque halfway up, flip it until it’s fully cooked.

Once it’s cooked, remove it from the pan, remove the skin, and shred it into bite size pieces. If your salmon was really thick like mine was, and some parts of it are still pink, then toss the pink parts back in the pan to let them cook a little longer.

Add the salmon to the soup.

Step 8) Once the soup has been simmering for a few minutes and you’re too impatient to keep waiting, remove it from heat, add the goat cheese & heavy cream, garnish with gronions or whatever herb of choice, and enjoy!

In the game, this soup restores eight hearts, and it truly does feel that replenishing. This soup could cure any disease.

Correspondences: Healing, Health, Friendship, Love, Protection, Cleansing, Purification, Manifestation, Power, Growth, Change, Courage, Strength, Grace, Glamour, Energy, Feelings, Movement, Motivation, Empathy, Calming (anxiety/fear), Releasing, Freedom, & Death

Herbs/Plants: Lavender, Chamomile, Crocus, Coltsfoot, Sea Anemone, Coral, Chickweed, & Hemlock

Crystals: Chrysoprase, Aquamarine, Turquoise, Pearl, Abalone Shell, Lapis Lazuli, & Moonstone

Element: Water

Planets: Mercury & Venus

Numbers: 1, 2, & 3

Scents: Salty Sweet, Ocean Breeze, & Crisp Air

Candles: Teal, Red, and Gold/Yellow 

Magic Types: Water, Healing, Protection, Love, Glamour, Strength, Change/Transformation, Growth, Energy, Empathy, Movement, Motivation, Moving Forward, Intuition, Calming, Courage, Spirit/Death Work, Freedom (from bonds/chains), & Releasing (negativity/whatever weighs you down)

Lady of Light

Goddess of Time

I come to you seeking refuge.

You know my pain

My insecurities

My struggles.

I ask that you reside with us

Healing our hearts

Guiding us on our paths.

Ignore the fact that the Sheikah Monks are dead, lol

In the last part, I discussed some of the basics of the Dan Tian and their counterparts in my system, as well as how the energies they govern can relate to the Golden Goddesses. Today I would like to begin by finally getting into a basic yet important practice called the Microcosmic Orbit.

In this image, we see a basic representation of the flow of energies during this technique. The red arrow denotes hot or fire energy that rises from the Gate of Power as we inhale. The blue arrow denotes cool or water energy that descends from the Gate of Wisdom, through the Gate of Courage, and into the Gate of Power.

Hold attention on the Gate of Power. As you inhale you should gently pull Force from that location, up along the back. Essential Force will activate the Gate of Courage and mix with Life force. Essential and Life Forces will rise into the Gate of Wisdom to be purified by the Light Force. Hold the inhalation for a few seconds and slowly exhale. As the Force flows down the front of the body, the Force will be of a more water nature. This water nature of the front channel will balance the flame of the rear channel and balance these energies in the body.

This is generally done in an informal or even full ritual setting with incense but it can be done at other times as well so long as you can practice without interruption. Be forewarned that you may get hot and begin sweating. This is a common effect of circulating Force and getting used to it. This will be done as a cycle of breathing for a duration of time. 5-10 minutes is a great starting place. When this time is done, utilize the Anchoring Force technique to settle the energies. Leaving them excited for too long can lead to agitation and exhaustion. Link to Anchoring Force:

In part 1, I discussed the basics of the concepts of Jing, Chi, and Shen and how the models of how they work vary slightly from tradition to tradition. I recently watched a video by eclectic spiritualist and Taoist sorcerer Benebell Wen where she gave instruction on a simple yet vital practice for inner alchemy called the Microcosmic Orbit, wherein you imagine your body is a universe of energy coursing through energy centers and along meridians.

In her instruction, Jing is associated with the Lower Dan Tian, Chi with the middle Dan Tian, and Shen with the Upper Dan Tian. I like this model because it is similar to how my own model aligns these energies and energy centers.

Art by Lei-lee-meister on DeviantArt

In my own model, I call the Lower Dan Tian the Gate of Power. The Middle Dan Tian the Gate of Courage. The Upper Dan Tian the Gate of Wisdom. If we look at the model I facor for the associations of Jing, Chi, and Shen, I think it fits even more.

Lady Din, whose powerful flaming arms formed the foundation of the world being associated with the foundational essence of Jing makes perfect sense.

Lady Farore, who breathed life into the world, fits well with the vitality of Chi which is often associated with the breath.

Lady Nayru, who created the very laws of nature and who is known for her love, connects readily to the treasure of Shen which is associated with spiritual awareness.

I’ve been considering what to call these terms in my own system in a way that ties them more to Hyrule and I’m currently thinking the following:

Jing: Essential Force

Chi: Life Force

Art by Jasqreate on DeviantArt

It’s no secret that Eastern thought has been a foundational inspiration for much of my own thought and faith. Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto all heavily inform my own spiritual practices as I focus on meditation and energy cultivation. As I learn more about these beliefs and techniques, they further inform and improve my own.

Today, I wanted to discuss in a little more depth some of the basics of Taoist Inner Alchemy and how it informs my Hyrulean Force Cultivation.

In Inner Alchemy, we have what are called the Three Treasures. Jing, Chi, and Shen. Jing is the vital essence we are born with and governs our longevity. Chi is the life force that we create and circulate through our bodies that governs our vitality. Shen is our connection to the divine and governs our own inner spiritual awareness.

This visual hopefully helps to illustrate my explanation. The body transforms Jing into Chi as we live. Our essence fuels our daily activity and we age over time. That Chi flow influences our Shen and can be transformed into Shen.

There seem to be slightly varying opinions on which energy centers govern each of the Three Treasures, but I believe it’s all fairly similar. Some say the seat of the Jing is the Root or the Perineum. Some associate the Jing with the lower Dan Tian. Some associate the Chi with the Lower Dan Tian and others associate it with the Middle Dan Tian. Some associate Shen with both Middle and Upper Dan Tian but others only associate it with the Upper.

Lately, life has been getting in the way of spiritual practice quite a bit. Family obligations, trying to do house work while navigating my ADHD, trying to exercise and get healthy while my body tries to fall apart—anyway!

I’ve been working towards getting back in the swing of things with practice. I won’t always have time to sit and do a full meditation or ritual. I don’t want that lack of time and energy to stay in the way of my relationship with Lady Hylia, so I try to say brief prayers to her in my heart whenever I think of it.

I was thinking on things as I was walking my dog tonight and began to grow anxious as I often do when walking outside at night so close to the woods. I came up with just a quick prayer of protection and a prayer for personal growth.

Protection:

Goddess Din, protect my body

Goddess Farore, protect my heart

Goddess Nayru, protect my mind

Goddess Hylia, bathe me with your light and hold me safe in your arms. Protect me, protect my family, protect my home

Growth:

Goddess Din, grant me the power to do what I must

Goddess Farore, grant me courage to take action when the time comes.

Goddess Nayru, grant me the wisdom to know what to do and when the time is right.

Goddess Hylia, help me to balance and embody these traits so I may rise up and walk with you in this life

Of course these prayers are centered on Lady Hylia since she is my primary deity, but I try to include the Golden Goddesses as well. They are also worthy of veneration and I know there are other folks out there who center their faiths around one or more of the Golden Goddesses.

I hope these may be of any help! Feel free to adapt them in whatever way will help you.

May the Goddess Smile Upon You

Everyone seems to be going through it recently, especially myself, so I wrote these prayers to recite when I need comfort and the strength to keep going. I hope others find them helpful. May the goddesses smile upon you! 💕

Prayer to the goddess Hylia

I pray to Hylia, her grace, the goddess of light and protectress of the Triforce,

And I ask that you hear me now and aid me in my time of need.

Fair goddess with white wings, deliver me and my world from suffering,

Guide me through the dark with your divine light,

Bless me with the will to face the darkness and emerge victorious.

May I, like your Chosen Hero, never waiver in the face of struggle,

But weather these storms with bravery and a will to protect those who need it.

May you, the goddess, smile upon me in my moments of despair,

And grant me your blessing so that I may continue on despite all.

Praise be to the white goddess Hylia, protector of Hyrule and those who call upon you.

Prayer to the Three Golden Goddesses (Din, Nayru and Farore)

I pray to the three Golden Goddesses of Hyrule, divine creators of the Triforce,

And I ask that you each heed my call in this hour of need!

By Din’s fire, may I have the power to enact justice and change in this world,

By Nayru’s love, may I have the wisdom to see these challenges and persevere regardless,

By Farore’s wind, may I have the courage to care for my neighbors and face the trials ahead of me.

I ask for these blessings from each of you, O divine goddesses of Hyrule,

And in return I will enact your will upon this land, embodying each of your lessons

And spreading your good names across the Earth.

Praise be to the three Golden Goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore;

May you smile upon me and my land in this desperate hour