This month, I read Taking Up The Runes by Diana L. Paxson! Overall, I found it to be informative and interesting. It's definitely a must-have for any Heathen library. Taking Up The Runes makes a fantastic reference book, with each chapter covering a different pair of runes. I also thought it was a pleasure to read. Paxson's writing style is descriptive and captivating.
Most of the book's value can be found in Part One, which introduces each rune and it's possible meanings. Paxson cites other runic experts frequently, so you get to see each rune from different points of veiw. Part Two is mostly vaguely Wicca-inspired rituals, though there are some very pretty songs and poems. The most useful part of the book's second half is the Pronunciation Guide starting on page 410.
Overall, I would recommend this book. I purchased a used copy through Amazon.com for about $10. You can get the kindle version for $15.99, or buy a new paperback for $17.81.
Friday, March 31, 2017
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
February Book Review: A Practical Heathen's Guide To Asatru by Patricia M. Lafayllve
This month I'm reading and reviewing a book often recommended for newcomers to Heathenry, Patricia M. Lafayllve's A Practical Heathen's Guide To Asatru. I read this book for the first time in 2015, shortly after I decided I wanted to learn more about Asatru.
As a newbie, I found it to be very helpful. I haven't read a better newbie guide anywhere. Part One was particularly useful to me, especially chapters seven through nine. The book is worth buying for those chapters alone. Lafayllve does a fantastic job of "dumbing down" complicated concepts for the beginner. If you're having trouble understanding the basics, A Practical Heathen's Guide can help.
While Part One explains the "why" of Heathenry, Part Two attempts to explain the "how". Lafayllve seems to use a format for her blots and rituals that is very similar to (perhaps inspired by) Wiccan rituals. Compared to the blots that I've attended in person, Lafayllve's tend to be longer and more complicated. In particular, she uses certain Wiccan practices during her rituals such as Calling The Corners, which feels out of place to me. I don't put much stock in the hammer sign, either, which she uses to consecrate. However, she does include some pretty prayers, so take from it what you will.
I have come back to this book occasionally for ideas on how to celebrate holidays and inspiration on writing my own rituals, but as I've gotten a more solid understanding of Heathenry I haven't needed it as much. I would recommend buying this as an ebook. Those who already have a good foundation probably won't find this book useful, but it's a solid introduction for newbies. Though I would take Part Two with a grain of salt.
If you'd like to purchase this book, you can find it here! I purchased the Kindle version for $9.99.
This year I will be reading and reviewing one Heathenry-related book per month. If you'd like to recommend a book, let me know in the comments! If you read A Practical Heathen's Guide To Asatru, let me know what you think of it!
As a newbie, I found it to be very helpful. I haven't read a better newbie guide anywhere. Part One was particularly useful to me, especially chapters seven through nine. The book is worth buying for those chapters alone. Lafayllve does a fantastic job of "dumbing down" complicated concepts for the beginner. If you're having trouble understanding the basics, A Practical Heathen's Guide can help.
While Part One explains the "why" of Heathenry, Part Two attempts to explain the "how". Lafayllve seems to use a format for her blots and rituals that is very similar to (perhaps inspired by) Wiccan rituals. Compared to the blots that I've attended in person, Lafayllve's tend to be longer and more complicated. In particular, she uses certain Wiccan practices during her rituals such as Calling The Corners, which feels out of place to me. I don't put much stock in the hammer sign, either, which she uses to consecrate. However, she does include some pretty prayers, so take from it what you will.
I have come back to this book occasionally for ideas on how to celebrate holidays and inspiration on writing my own rituals, but as I've gotten a more solid understanding of Heathenry I haven't needed it as much. I would recommend buying this as an ebook. Those who already have a good foundation probably won't find this book useful, but it's a solid introduction for newbies. Though I would take Part Two with a grain of salt.
If you'd like to purchase this book, you can find it here! I purchased the Kindle version for $9.99.
This year I will be reading and reviewing one Heathenry-related book per month. If you'd like to recommend a book, let me know in the comments! If you read A Practical Heathen's Guide To Asatru, let me know what you think of it!
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Ready For Spring
I can really appreciate the beauty of winter time. We're in the Hungry Gap now, and living in a rural area away from the conveniences of city life, I can feel it. The produce section at our grocery store is lean, picked over, and over priced. Most of our fruits and veggies this time of year are frozen. We've had a lot of potatoes, mushrooms, and onions. My wife doesn't mind having pot roast twice a week... but I'm starting to get a little weary. Yesterday was the first sunny day in what felt like months. I snapped a quick selfie on my one-block walk to work.
[Photo features a close up of a woman with dark brown curly hair, glasses, and a dark green coat. She has a black and white scarf wrapped around her neck. She is wearing lipstick and silvery blue eye makeup. She is smiling with her mouth closed. Behind her, a bit of pavement peeks out from beneath a blanket of snow. There is snow falling in her hair.]
I cannot wait until spring. My mother-in-law gave us an awesome wagon for Yule so it will be much easier to go shopping without a car. And now that my wife is working at the gas station, we get a paycheck every Friday. Last summer we could never seem to get to the Farmer's Market to get groceries because it's only open Saturday mornings until noon, and we got paid Saturday mornings at 11am (so by the time we got our checks picked up and cashed, there was never time to walk down there).... I'm glad that this year will be different.
We're planning our garden for this year. Pretty fitting considering that Charming of the Plow is this week. So far we've decided on strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, bell peppers, green onions, and basil. We'd like to either grow or locally source 50% of our food this year. It seems strange to think about spring when there's 4 feet of snow in my yard, but I think it's going to be warm again before we know it.
I cannot wait until spring. My mother-in-law gave us an awesome wagon for Yule so it will be much easier to go shopping without a car. And now that my wife is working at the gas station, we get a paycheck every Friday. Last summer we could never seem to get to the Farmer's Market to get groceries because it's only open Saturday mornings until noon, and we got paid Saturday mornings at 11am (so by the time we got our checks picked up and cashed, there was never time to walk down there).... I'm glad that this year will be different.
We're planning our garden for this year. Pretty fitting considering that Charming of the Plow is this week. So far we've decided on strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, bell peppers, green onions, and basil. We'd like to either grow or locally source 50% of our food this year. It seems strange to think about spring when there's 4 feet of snow in my yard, but I think it's going to be warm again before we know it.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
January Book Review: Sheathenry by Alvilldr in fagra
Sheathenry Volume I: Ritual Practices of Modern Heathen Women is a book that came out pretty recently. It's written by Alvilldr in fagra, alternating between first person stories from the author and excerpts from interviews with 20 or so Heathen women (and one gender-neutral person). At just over 200 pages, the book is just long enough to be satisfying.
I purchased this book in paperback from lulu.com for $14.99. Using a coupon code for a discount, my purchase came out to about $12, shipping included. Overall, I would say that this book is definitely worth the purchase. The quality of the book itself is good. I didn't notice any spelling errors or the formatting problems that are common in self-published books. IT has obviously been produced with care. I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, but this book makes no pretense of being beginner friendly - it assumes that the reader comes to the table with a working knowledge of Heathenry.
One of the best things about Sheathenry is it's diversity. The author made a big effort to interview a wide variety of individuals, and it shows. When discussing the various topics, the author always presents multiple viewpoints, demonstrating both the similarities and the variations between different practices. The takeaway seems to be that there is no wrong way to be a heathen woman, or at least, that there are many right ways to be a Heathen woman. The author never pushes her own opinions on the reader, and she never endorses one point of view over another. Additionally, as a lesbian woman, it's fantastic to see a book featuring people on the LGBTQ spectrum. While the number of LGBTQ Heathens is certainly growing, it's still uncommon to see us represented in Heathen media.
Another thing I liked about Sheathenry was the distinct lack of scholarly research and pandering to academia. It's very readable and accessible to the average person. While I have read and loved the standard Heathen reading list, a huge drawback to most Heathen books is that for the average joe, they tend to be difficult to read and understand. Heathenry and Asatru have been referred to as "the religion with homework" for years, but it's nice to see a departure from that mindset. After all, we can't all be scholars. I think perhaps it's better sometimes to focus on what modern heathens are actually doing rather than rehashing the same old discussions about ethics and worldview.
I would recommend this book for anyone with a basic understanding of Heathenry. It's an asset to any Heathen's library, regardless of gender. I would definitely buy this book again, and when Volume 2 comes out, I'll be first in line to purchase it!
If you'd like to read Sheathenry, you can purchase the paperback or the ebook here!
This year I will be reading and reviewing one Heathenry-related book per month. If you'd like to recommend a book, let me know in the comments! If you read Sheathenry, let me know what you think of it!
I purchased this book in paperback from lulu.com for $14.99. Using a coupon code for a discount, my purchase came out to about $12, shipping included. Overall, I would say that this book is definitely worth the purchase. The quality of the book itself is good. I didn't notice any spelling errors or the formatting problems that are common in self-published books. IT has obviously been produced with care. I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, but this book makes no pretense of being beginner friendly - it assumes that the reader comes to the table with a working knowledge of Heathenry.
One of the best things about Sheathenry is it's diversity. The author made a big effort to interview a wide variety of individuals, and it shows. When discussing the various topics, the author always presents multiple viewpoints, demonstrating both the similarities and the variations between different practices. The takeaway seems to be that there is no wrong way to be a heathen woman, or at least, that there are many right ways to be a Heathen woman. The author never pushes her own opinions on the reader, and she never endorses one point of view over another. Additionally, as a lesbian woman, it's fantastic to see a book featuring people on the LGBTQ spectrum. While the number of LGBTQ Heathens is certainly growing, it's still uncommon to see us represented in Heathen media.
Another thing I liked about Sheathenry was the distinct lack of scholarly research and pandering to academia. It's very readable and accessible to the average person. While I have read and loved the standard Heathen reading list, a huge drawback to most Heathen books is that for the average joe, they tend to be difficult to read and understand. Heathenry and Asatru have been referred to as "the religion with homework" for years, but it's nice to see a departure from that mindset. After all, we can't all be scholars. I think perhaps it's better sometimes to focus on what modern heathens are actually doing rather than rehashing the same old discussions about ethics and worldview.
I would recommend this book for anyone with a basic understanding of Heathenry. It's an asset to any Heathen's library, regardless of gender. I would definitely buy this book again, and when Volume 2 comes out, I'll be first in line to purchase it!
If you'd like to read Sheathenry, you can purchase the paperback or the ebook here!
This year I will be reading and reviewing one Heathenry-related book per month. If you'd like to recommend a book, let me know in the comments! If you read Sheathenry, let me know what you think of it!
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Disgusted
By now, many of you have seen the AFA's recent post on Facebook about "the values of our ancestors and our folk". Personally, I'm disgusted by it, and I want to speak out loudly and publicly against this kind of rhetoric in my community. I am a married lesbian woman in an interracial relationship. I firmly believe that my biggest responsibility as a heathen is to protect and provide for my tribe, to make my tribe stronger and better, and everything I do should align with that.
Being a lesbian doesn't stop me from doing that. Being married to a half Mexican-American, half white woman doesn't stop me from doing that. In fact, being true to myself makes me happier and stronger and more secure! Aren't freedom and honesty supposed to be important values for all heathens? The love I have for my wife is something to be proud of, not something to be hidden away. My marriage is a boon to my tribe, not a weakness. And our future children, regardless of the color of their skin, will be no less heathen than the children of the AFA. Whiteness and straightness and gender comformity are not prerequisites of being heathen and racism has no place in this religion. How can you say that gender is a gift from the gods when the gods themselves have been known to bend gender every once in a while? It's ridiculous! This anti-LGBT and racist rhetoric comes from Christian baggage and ignorance, not from "the holy powers and from our ancestors". To say that this abhorrent ideology comes from our gods is an insult. I've read nothing in the lore that suggests only white, straight, gender-conforming people can be heathen and there's plenty to suggest that everyone is welcome here. Diversity and inclusiveness is our strength. I have seen too many people agreeing with the AFA, and too many people staying silent on this. I cannot be silent about this. I hope that others in the Heathen community will stand with me and speak out against this ideology.
Here is the text of the AFA's statement:
"Today we are bombarded with confusion and messages contrary to the values of our ancestors and our folk. The AFA would like to make it clear that we believe gender is not a social construct, it is a beautiful gift from the holy powers and from our ancestors. The AFA celebrates our feminine ladies, our masculine gentlemen and, above all, our beautiful white children. The children of the folk are our shining future and the legacy of all those men and women of our people back to the beginning. Hail the AFA families, now and always!
Matt Flavel
Alsherjargothi, AFA"
Being a lesbian doesn't stop me from doing that. Being married to a half Mexican-American, half white woman doesn't stop me from doing that. In fact, being true to myself makes me happier and stronger and more secure! Aren't freedom and honesty supposed to be important values for all heathens? The love I have for my wife is something to be proud of, not something to be hidden away. My marriage is a boon to my tribe, not a weakness. And our future children, regardless of the color of their skin, will be no less heathen than the children of the AFA. Whiteness and straightness and gender comformity are not prerequisites of being heathen and racism has no place in this religion. How can you say that gender is a gift from the gods when the gods themselves have been known to bend gender every once in a while? It's ridiculous! This anti-LGBT and racist rhetoric comes from Christian baggage and ignorance, not from "the holy powers and from our ancestors". To say that this abhorrent ideology comes from our gods is an insult. I've read nothing in the lore that suggests only white, straight, gender-conforming people can be heathen and there's plenty to suggest that everyone is welcome here. Diversity and inclusiveness is our strength. I have seen too many people agreeing with the AFA, and too many people staying silent on this. I cannot be silent about this. I hope that others in the Heathen community will stand with me and speak out against this ideology.
Here is the text of the AFA's statement:
"Today we are bombarded with confusion and messages contrary to the values of our ancestors and our folk. The AFA would like to make it clear that we believe gender is not a social construct, it is a beautiful gift from the holy powers and from our ancestors. The AFA celebrates our feminine ladies, our masculine gentlemen and, above all, our beautiful white children. The children of the folk are our shining future and the legacy of all those men and women of our people back to the beginning. Hail the AFA families, now and always!
Matt Flavel
Alsherjargothi, AFA"
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
A Brief Update On My Life
It's been a while. I've been through a lot over the last 7 months and a lot has changed. So here's a little update for you guys!
I got married! My wife Alishia and I made our wedding oaths on March 16th, 2016 in a small outdoor heathen ceremony, officiated by a dear friend. We had less than 15 people there, which was absolutely amazing. Very low-stress.
We moved back to my hometown, a tiny town in rural Michigan (like seriously, there's 1300 people in the whole town and this is one of the bigger towns in our county). We're living in a much better situation now, a safer and more stable situation, so I think this was a really good choice for us.
My health has been..... complicated. I had medicaid and was seeing an amazing GP who strongly suspected that my stomach problems (which I was briefly hospitalized for in April) are caused by gastroparesis, a complication of my hypermobile joint syndrome. Basically, what was happening was my stomach was not contracting enough/correctly and so food was just getting trapped in my stomach and fermenting instead of moving through my digestive system. This explains my chronic nausea, abdominal pain, sulphur burps, and specifically it explains why my pain was occasionally so severe even though my ultrasounds and scans were coming back normal. She put me on Reglan, a medication that treats GERD and Gastroparesis, and it was like a miracle drug for me. After almost 3 weeks of literally crippling stomach pain and nausea that was so bad I had to be put on opiates and anti-anxiety meds, in addition to zofran (which had to be the dissolving kind because I kept puking the zofran back up), my symptoms evaporated within 48 hours of starting it. I've been able to stay on a solid diet since then, which is really good.
I also started seeing a physical therapist for my ankles, which are my most unstable joints. I've sprained/strained my left ankle over 30 times since I was 13 (including 3 third degree sprains), my right ankle has been sprained or strained more than 10 times. They "give out" on me regularly, which greatly compromises my mobility. So I've learned some really useful exercises for my ankles, and learned the exact degree of hypermobility (which is astonishing).
My asthma and allergies have improved a lot. I'm back on advair, and we've also added zyrtec and a nasal spray to my regimen. I now have "mild intermittent asthma" instead of "severe/acute asthma" and my chronic bronchitis has gone away, as it usually does during the summer. I still have chronic sinusitis. My allergies have been worse since moving, as there's a lot of dust in this house and a whole different set of pollens and trees that my body is no longer accustomed to.
Unfortunately though, due to a paperwork error my medicaid was retracted right before we moved. Now that I'm settled in to the new place, I'm going to have to reapply so I can resume medical treatment. Of course, that will mean the painstaking process of finding new doctors.... one of my least favorite activities. Ugh. Wish me luck, and a caseworker who actually responds to their emails.
I got married! My wife Alishia and I made our wedding oaths on March 16th, 2016 in a small outdoor heathen ceremony, officiated by a dear friend. We had less than 15 people there, which was absolutely amazing. Very low-stress.
We moved back to my hometown, a tiny town in rural Michigan (like seriously, there's 1300 people in the whole town and this is one of the bigger towns in our county). We're living in a much better situation now, a safer and more stable situation, so I think this was a really good choice for us.
My health has been..... complicated. I had medicaid and was seeing an amazing GP who strongly suspected that my stomach problems (which I was briefly hospitalized for in April) are caused by gastroparesis, a complication of my hypermobile joint syndrome. Basically, what was happening was my stomach was not contracting enough/correctly and so food was just getting trapped in my stomach and fermenting instead of moving through my digestive system. This explains my chronic nausea, abdominal pain, sulphur burps, and specifically it explains why my pain was occasionally so severe even though my ultrasounds and scans were coming back normal. She put me on Reglan, a medication that treats GERD and Gastroparesis, and it was like a miracle drug for me. After almost 3 weeks of literally crippling stomach pain and nausea that was so bad I had to be put on opiates and anti-anxiety meds, in addition to zofran (which had to be the dissolving kind because I kept puking the zofran back up), my symptoms evaporated within 48 hours of starting it. I've been able to stay on a solid diet since then, which is really good.
I also started seeing a physical therapist for my ankles, which are my most unstable joints. I've sprained/strained my left ankle over 30 times since I was 13 (including 3 third degree sprains), my right ankle has been sprained or strained more than 10 times. They "give out" on me regularly, which greatly compromises my mobility. So I've learned some really useful exercises for my ankles, and learned the exact degree of hypermobility (which is astonishing).
My asthma and allergies have improved a lot. I'm back on advair, and we've also added zyrtec and a nasal spray to my regimen. I now have "mild intermittent asthma" instead of "severe/acute asthma" and my chronic bronchitis has gone away, as it usually does during the summer. I still have chronic sinusitis. My allergies have been worse since moving, as there's a lot of dust in this house and a whole different set of pollens and trees that my body is no longer accustomed to.
Unfortunately though, due to a paperwork error my medicaid was retracted right before we moved. Now that I'm settled in to the new place, I'm going to have to reapply so I can resume medical treatment. Of course, that will mean the painstaking process of finding new doctors.... one of my least favorite activities. Ugh. Wish me luck, and a caseworker who actually responds to their emails.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Face To Face: Why Apathy Regarding Heathen Gatherings Hurts All Of Us
As some of you are aware, I am a volunteer administrator for a statewide heathen organization that meets 4 times a year. I love doing it. I love being able to serve my community. As a disabled woman, I am often unable to participate easily in volunteer efforts that have a real life impact, but this is one area where I can make a difference. But right now, I am frustrated.
Why? Because of the apathy I've come face to face with.
When I volunteered for this position, I was aware that it wasn't going to be particularly easy. Someone asked me if I was prepared to herd cats - I laughed. But it really is like herding cats. Getting others to participate has been my biggest challenge, without a doubt.
My organization has just under 30 members, 3 of which have joined in the last week. Our Yule event is tomorrow, but only 12 people will be attending. Out of those, only 9 are full members, and one is a junior member. It's not an event with a huge commitment, just a dinner and sumbel at a public restaurant. But most of the people who couldn't make it "couldn't get it off work", despite knowing about it three months in advance. It's a long drive for most of us, but there were offers to carpool and nobody asked for gas money. Others cited financial reasons, which is certainly understandable. But I'm having a hard time financially, too - to afford the gas and beer money I had to sell books because we had an unexpected drop in income. Why couldn't these people carpool and spend $10 on a bowl of soup and a beer? Or even forgo the beer and food altogether for a simple glass of water?
But for the majority of the people who can't make it (and several people didn't even respond to the invitation), I believe that work commitments or finances is not the issue here. The root of the problem is apathy. Why drive an hour to meet face to face when you can just chat on Facebook? Why make the effort to get out there if you can just sit at home and read one of dozens of blogs about Asatru? Why not just wait until there's an event near you?
I'll tell you why: because if you don't get out here and get involved, there will never be an event near you.
Asatru is a tiny religion, compared to Christianity or Islam, or even Wicca. We have no public churches, no billion dollar foundations or religious colleges exclusively for heathens. Several of the largest Asatru organizations in America have either collapsed or become known as cesspools of racism. Our media coverage almost entirely consists of racists and gangs. Anyone who bothers to study Asatru in depth soon realizes that these people are a small yet vocal minority, but I wonder how many potential heathens are turned away because of this reputation, if they ever find out about us at all. Online communities outnumber offline ones, and as much as I love and value the internet as a resource, this is not a good thing for heathenry.
My point is that, you and me, the Chiefs and Steerswomen, the Gothis and Gythias, the online scholars and podcast hosts and blog authors - we are the future of heathenry. Our community is so small, that all of us have the potential to become influential within this small sphere. This is an incredible time to live in, because we have this amazing opportunity to change and mold heathenry however we like. Our community is small, but I do believe that it is growing. And yet, I still face this brick wall of apathy. It is our biggest obstacle. When I talk to other heathens, they lament that they can't find community, that they can't find a kindred or a tribe, but strangely they're not willing to go out and build the community they so fervently claim to seek. They hem and haw and make excuses - it's so far, I'm poor, I'm not a leader, I don't know enough about Asatru. They sigh and cry about how hard it is to be a solitary heathen.
But when their leaders ask them to support heathen businesses, to donate to their fundraisers, to attend events, they do nothing.
Maybe it has to do with the overculture. We live in a society that breeds followers and encourages people to stay home, watch Netflix, don't go protest, your vote doesn't matter, don't bother participating in local elections or shopping at small businesses or buying local.
Fuck that.
That's not a heathen worldview. We should be passionate, we should be active, we should be creative and productive and industrious! We should form more statewide organizations, more kindreds, we should build our churches. We should build our communities. We should write books and make art and make podcasts and blogs and host pubmots and we should show up at Pagan Pride. We should use the internet as a tool to find each other, to meet each other face to face, to learn about Asatru and to research our ancestors and to build a large and vibrant and diverse community. Our kindreds should be visible and active in the greater communities. We should make a difference.
There aren't that many of us. Nobody else is going to build your community for you. We have to do it ourselves.
Fuck apathy.
Why? Because of the apathy I've come face to face with.
When I volunteered for this position, I was aware that it wasn't going to be particularly easy. Someone asked me if I was prepared to herd cats - I laughed. But it really is like herding cats. Getting others to participate has been my biggest challenge, without a doubt.
My organization has just under 30 members, 3 of which have joined in the last week. Our Yule event is tomorrow, but only 12 people will be attending. Out of those, only 9 are full members, and one is a junior member. It's not an event with a huge commitment, just a dinner and sumbel at a public restaurant. But most of the people who couldn't make it "couldn't get it off work", despite knowing about it three months in advance. It's a long drive for most of us, but there were offers to carpool and nobody asked for gas money. Others cited financial reasons, which is certainly understandable. But I'm having a hard time financially, too - to afford the gas and beer money I had to sell books because we had an unexpected drop in income. Why couldn't these people carpool and spend $10 on a bowl of soup and a beer? Or even forgo the beer and food altogether for a simple glass of water?
But for the majority of the people who can't make it (and several people didn't even respond to the invitation), I believe that work commitments or finances is not the issue here. The root of the problem is apathy. Why drive an hour to meet face to face when you can just chat on Facebook? Why make the effort to get out there if you can just sit at home and read one of dozens of blogs about Asatru? Why not just wait until there's an event near you?
I'll tell you why: because if you don't get out here and get involved, there will never be an event near you.
Asatru is a tiny religion, compared to Christianity or Islam, or even Wicca. We have no public churches, no billion dollar foundations or religious colleges exclusively for heathens. Several of the largest Asatru organizations in America have either collapsed or become known as cesspools of racism. Our media coverage almost entirely consists of racists and gangs. Anyone who bothers to study Asatru in depth soon realizes that these people are a small yet vocal minority, but I wonder how many potential heathens are turned away because of this reputation, if they ever find out about us at all. Online communities outnumber offline ones, and as much as I love and value the internet as a resource, this is not a good thing for heathenry.
My point is that, you and me, the Chiefs and Steerswomen, the Gothis and Gythias, the online scholars and podcast hosts and blog authors - we are the future of heathenry. Our community is so small, that all of us have the potential to become influential within this small sphere. This is an incredible time to live in, because we have this amazing opportunity to change and mold heathenry however we like. Our community is small, but I do believe that it is growing. And yet, I still face this brick wall of apathy. It is our biggest obstacle. When I talk to other heathens, they lament that they can't find community, that they can't find a kindred or a tribe, but strangely they're not willing to go out and build the community they so fervently claim to seek. They hem and haw and make excuses - it's so far, I'm poor, I'm not a leader, I don't know enough about Asatru. They sigh and cry about how hard it is to be a solitary heathen.
But when their leaders ask them to support heathen businesses, to donate to their fundraisers, to attend events, they do nothing.
Maybe it has to do with the overculture. We live in a society that breeds followers and encourages people to stay home, watch Netflix, don't go protest, your vote doesn't matter, don't bother participating in local elections or shopping at small businesses or buying local.
Fuck that.
That's not a heathen worldview. We should be passionate, we should be active, we should be creative and productive and industrious! We should form more statewide organizations, more kindreds, we should build our churches. We should build our communities. We should write books and make art and make podcasts and blogs and host pubmots and we should show up at Pagan Pride. We should use the internet as a tool to find each other, to meet each other face to face, to learn about Asatru and to research our ancestors and to build a large and vibrant and diverse community. Our kindreds should be visible and active in the greater communities. We should make a difference.
There aren't that many of us. Nobody else is going to build your community for you. We have to do it ourselves.
Fuck apathy.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Not All Pagans Are Wiccans
This picture is nice..... But factually incorrect. Pagan is not the same as "not christian, jewish, or muslim", and by the way, Islam is the religion, the followers of Islam are muslim. Muslim is not the name of their religion. Paganism is a blanket term for the pre-Christian religions of Europe, and includes modern reconstructions of those religions, such as Asatru and Druidism. Paganism is commonly used in modern times to refer to Neopaganism as well. Neopaganism includes many nature-based religions created within the last century, most of which are based at least in part on Pagan religions and may believe in polytheism, pantheism, and/or animism. This includes Wicca, Eclecticism, Witchcraft, Shamanism, and some people also include recon religions as being neopagan.
Pagans are NOT often solitary practitioners. This is a very Wicca-centric image as a whole, but "solitary practice" is very much an Eclectic Wiccan thing. For example, almost all Asatruars and heathens are either part of a kindred/theod/tribe, or actively looking for one. In Heathenry, and several other traditions, belonging to a group or community is heavily encouraged. Actually, many Wiccans who belong to a specific tradition are part of covens and circles. It is acceptable to be a solitary practitioner in most pagan religions, if you have to, but most traditions encourage being involved with your pagan community.
"As long as your faith harms no one and nothing..." is a great sentiment. It is also a Wiccan sentiment, and not all Pagans believe in "An it harm done, do what ye will". Once again, using Heathenry as an example, heathens often believe that "what is good for the tribe is good, what is bad for the tribe is bad". This means that, for example, if someone was threatening your kin and the only way to keep your kin safe was to harm or kill the person threatening you, then it is perfectly acceptable to do so. In fact, it would be dishonorable NOT to protect your kin, in any situation. It's also perfectly acceptable to butcher a feast animal in the name of the gods, though this is not often done in modern times.
So, here's your daily reminder that NOT ALL PAGANS ARE WICCANS OR ECLECTICS, AND WE SHOULDN'T ASSUME SO! Sorry for the wall of text. Feel free to discuss this in the comments!
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Freyfaxi Celebration & A New Doctor
Last weekend I was away to Heathen Michigan's Freyfaxi Celebration! It was great. I met a bunch of people I've been chatting with online, traded a woman a painting for three dozen eggs, and shivered in a tent with my fiancee in a thunderstorm!
My fiancee decided two days in that she wants to become a heathen, too. I'm so happy! While I would support any decision she makes in regards to religion, it does make things easier if we're walking the same path.
I also discovered a new found respect for my ancestors. Logically, I knew that my oldest ancestors didn't have the same modern conveniences we have now, but even cooking food over a campfire is a difficult process! And I didn't even have to kill and butcher my food! But campfire chicken and potatoes are so very delicious.
We stayed an extra day because I had a doctor's appointment in Lansing on monday, so it didn't make much sense to drive all the way home only to drive back the next morning. We ended up being the only people in the campground on sunday night! It was a little creepy, and I was slightly afraid of being attacked by coyotes, but there's nothing more fun than walking around your heavily-wooded campsite totally naked while trying to wash up.
So I met the new doctor, and I'm pretty sure I don't like her. But she is starting me on Lyrica, which we should be picking up today, and she also convinced my fiancee to start buying me more fruits and vegetables. All in all, it was a successful weekend, and I'm very tired now, but happy.
[description: photograph of 19 people, ranging in age from children to an old man, who mostly appear to be fair-skinned or white, dressed casually for late summer weather, standing on the side of a road in front of a forest]
My fiancee decided two days in that she wants to become a heathen, too. I'm so happy! While I would support any decision she makes in regards to religion, it does make things easier if we're walking the same path.
I also discovered a new found respect for my ancestors. Logically, I knew that my oldest ancestors didn't have the same modern conveniences we have now, but even cooking food over a campfire is a difficult process! And I didn't even have to kill and butcher my food! But campfire chicken and potatoes are so very delicious.
We stayed an extra day because I had a doctor's appointment in Lansing on monday, so it didn't make much sense to drive all the way home only to drive back the next morning. We ended up being the only people in the campground on sunday night! It was a little creepy, and I was slightly afraid of being attacked by coyotes, but there's nothing more fun than walking around your heavily-wooded campsite totally naked while trying to wash up.
So I met the new doctor, and I'm pretty sure I don't like her. But she is starting me on Lyrica, which we should be picking up today, and she also convinced my fiancee to start buying me more fruits and vegetables. All in all, it was a successful weekend, and I'm very tired now, but happy.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Resources For New Heathens
Someone on a facebook group I admin for, Pagan Nerdfighters, asked me for some resources for people interested in Heathenry! So I decided to compile a list of resources that have been useful to me so far. Keep in mind that I'm a beginner myself, so.... take this with a grain of salt. This is simply what I've found useful, as a beginner.
Books:
A Practical Heathen's Guide To Asatru by Patricia M. Lafayllve - This is a decent beginner book. You can buy the kindle version for $9.99, and it's a very basic Heathen 101 book. It has really helped me get a solid foundation, and I recommend it to any heathen who is just starting out, especially if you're coming from Wicca or Paganism and are used to having books that clearly cover the basics. You should probably start with this book.
Edit: Check out my full review on this book HERE!
The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern Myths by Padraic Colum - I believe this book is written for children, but it's a fantastic collection of Norse myths that can be enjoyed at any age. This is especially useful for people who are mostly unfamiliar with the gods of the North, or who need a refresher course. You can download this for free on amazon or the heathen gods website.
Culture of the Teutons by Vilhelm Grönbech - This is certainly the type of book that needs to be chewed and digested thoroughly. I don't admire the author's writing style, but it has a lot of valuable information. This is another one you can get for free on the heathen gods website.
I also recommend reading the Sagas and the Eddas. I haven't quite finished them yet, but they've been invaluable to me in developing a heathen worldview.
Other people have recommended to me We Are Our Deeds and Our Troth Volumes 1 and 2, though they are more pricey so I haven't had a chance to read them yet.
Websites:
www.heathengods.com - This website is maintained by Jotun's Bane Kindred. While I don't particularly like them, this website is an amazing and invaluable resource for heathens everywhere. There are literally hundreds of books available for free download or purchase and the main website has a ton of information about Heathenry.
www.reddit.com/r/asatru - This is a wonderful online community for heathens, and the sidebar also has a lot of great information.
https://oregonheathen.wordpress.com/ - a blog by Josh White, one of the people who does the HeathenTalk podcast. I really enjoyed his recent post on frith.
http://www.asatrublog.com/ - a blog by Aleglad, who is another highly respected member of the online Asatru community. I very much recommend reading over his posts on Converting To Asatru and The Basics series.
https://heathenroundtable.wordpress.com/ - This blog posts a discussion topic every month and then links to all the replies. This is a great way to get a lot of different opinions on certain topics. I'm not sure if they're still active, because they haven't posted topics for August or September.
Podcasts:
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/heathen-talk-podcast - Heathen Talk is my favorite podcast! It's run by Lauren, Thorin, and Josh, who are all highly respected heathens and redditors. They often have guests and highly intelligent and well-informed discussions. Their episode N00bcast is specifically for new heathens. They livestream every Wednesday on youtube.
http://www.infinitebeliefs.com/podcast/episode-02-kevin-aka-aleglad-heathenryasatru/ - Infinite Beliefs had Aleglad on as a guest for this episode, and it was wonderful.
A note on tumblr and facebook - While these websites can be great resources, and you'll find several pages and groups and blogs about Asatru, there's a lot of crap you'll have to wade through to get to any useful information. There is a lot of disdain in the heathen community for these groups, and for good reason. There is a lot of misinformation being perpetuated and UPGs being taken as fact, and a metric ton of Christian and Eclectic baggage. If you choose to be involved in those spaces, I recommend taking everything with a grain of salt and to be aware of bullshit.
Books:
A Practical Heathen's Guide To Asatru by Patricia M. Lafayllve - This is a decent beginner book. You can buy the kindle version for $9.99, and it's a very basic Heathen 101 book. It has really helped me get a solid foundation, and I recommend it to any heathen who is just starting out, especially if you're coming from Wicca or Paganism and are used to having books that clearly cover the basics. You should probably start with this book.
Edit: Check out my full review on this book HERE!
The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern Myths by Padraic Colum - I believe this book is written for children, but it's a fantastic collection of Norse myths that can be enjoyed at any age. This is especially useful for people who are mostly unfamiliar with the gods of the North, or who need a refresher course. You can download this for free on amazon or the heathen gods website.
Culture of the Teutons by Vilhelm Grönbech - This is certainly the type of book that needs to be chewed and digested thoroughly. I don't admire the author's writing style, but it has a lot of valuable information. This is another one you can get for free on the heathen gods website.
I also recommend reading the Sagas and the Eddas. I haven't quite finished them yet, but they've been invaluable to me in developing a heathen worldview.
Other people have recommended to me We Are Our Deeds and Our Troth Volumes 1 and 2, though they are more pricey so I haven't had a chance to read them yet.
Websites:
www.heathengods.com - This website is maintained by Jotun's Bane Kindred. While I don't particularly like them, this website is an amazing and invaluable resource for heathens everywhere. There are literally hundreds of books available for free download or purchase and the main website has a ton of information about Heathenry.
www.reddit.com/r/asatru - This is a wonderful online community for heathens, and the sidebar also has a lot of great information.
https://oregonheathen.wordpress.com/ - a blog by Josh White, one of the people who does the HeathenTalk podcast. I really enjoyed his recent post on frith.
http://www.asatrublog.com/ - a blog by Aleglad, who is another highly respected member of the online Asatru community. I very much recommend reading over his posts on Converting To Asatru and The Basics series.
https://heathenroundtable.wordpress.com/ - This blog posts a discussion topic every month and then links to all the replies. This is a great way to get a lot of different opinions on certain topics. I'm not sure if they're still active, because they haven't posted topics for August or September.
Podcasts:
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/heathen-talk-podcast - Heathen Talk is my favorite podcast! It's run by Lauren, Thorin, and Josh, who are all highly respected heathens and redditors. They often have guests and highly intelligent and well-informed discussions. Their episode N00bcast is specifically for new heathens. They livestream every Wednesday on youtube.
http://www.infinitebeliefs.com/podcast/episode-02-kevin-aka-aleglad-heathenryasatru/ - Infinite Beliefs had Aleglad on as a guest for this episode, and it was wonderful.
A note on tumblr and facebook - While these websites can be great resources, and you'll find several pages and groups and blogs about Asatru, there's a lot of crap you'll have to wade through to get to any useful information. There is a lot of disdain in the heathen community for these groups, and for good reason. There is a lot of misinformation being perpetuated and UPGs being taken as fact, and a metric ton of Christian and Eclectic baggage. If you choose to be involved in those spaces, I recommend taking everything with a grain of salt and to be aware of bullshit.
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