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!

[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.

Garage Sailing

I met another heathen today!

Someone I've been talking to on facebook was having a garage sale, conveniently enough for me, the same day I had plans to visit my pregnant best friend, who's staying about 15 minutes away from his house! So I decided to stop by. Unfortunately, I think I came off a bit shy and I didn't talk too much, but I might be joining a DnD game they host! Hahahahaha.

I also picked up a rice cooker, the Lord of the Rings box set (books, of course), and a metal bowl and a pair of metal incense burners. All for $10!

So lots of exciting news for me! I'm also getting ready for the Freyfaxi camping trip and potluck and public blot I'll be attending. So nervous, yet so excited. This month is gonna be all full of heathen-y goodness. Plus I'll be seeing my internal medicine specialist for the first time, so that'll be a huge plus as well.

My Decision To Convert To Heathenry

One of the things I want to talk about on this blog is religion (and how religion ties into disability, feminism, and other aspects of my life). So I want to start off talking about my religious background, and why I decided to convert.

I was born, baptized, and raised Catholic. As a young child, my parents were very devout. We went to mass every Sunday, and every major holiday. I took communion. There were no other options open to me as a child. And for a long time, I never even questioned it. I assumed it felt wrong because I was a sinner and a bad person, not because the religion was wrong for me.

As time went on and my parents divorced, they became less and less religious, until they no longer attended church at all. While I was much relieved, I also felt like something was missing in my life. So as a teenager, I researched many different religions. Eventually I found Wicca and Paganism, and so until this year, I identified as an eclectic Pagan. And I loved it for a long time. It was a much better fit than Christianity. But it was still off. There wasn't enough structure, and the community was so sprawling, yet I didn't really connect with the other Pagans in my area. Maybe it's Christian baggage, but I really desire group worship. I didn't like celebrating the Sabbats alone.

For the last year, I've been really interested in the Northern Gods and Heathenry. And the more I've learned about it, the more I've grown to like it. The community is smaller, but it's so closely knit. To my great surprise, there are actually a ton of heathens in my area! In fact, I've already made plans to go to a 3-day camping Freyfaxi celebration that is open to the heathen public, less than two hours away from my home.

In addition to that, I'm really attracted to the heathen worldview. It's so different than the Christian-centric western worldview I grew up with and am used to, but it seems so much more authentic to me. I love how centered around family and ancestors it is. I love the structure of it. I think that Heathenry can help me become the person I want to be. On the downside, I will have to do soooo much studying. They are not exaggerating when they call it "the religion with homework". But I am a scholarly person, and I've been enjoying it so far. I don't have a lot of money to spend on books right now, but so far I've been able to find lots of free PDFs, so we'll see how well that goes.

Right now, I'm just focusing on getting a really solid foundation. I can worry about the rest another day.

If you enjoyed this blog post, comment below with your thoughts about heathenry, share this post on facebook and twitter, and keep checking back for new posts every day!