Weekly Offering #3

This marks three weeks since I've fully practice Heathenism. Even though I'm not part of the wider Heathen community, and do a more down to earth kind of practice, I do consider myself a Heathen. I gave offerings to the Ancestors, Land Spirits, and Gods. No one was out today, which meant that I could pour my offerings and not worry about someone getting offended. On another note: I decided to wait until next month to buy my Thor's Hammer, or even August.

I'm buying things for the Litha and Lammas, which includes candles, an altar cloth, and incense from a store called Hex. It seems so strange that the next two Sabbaths, one when the sun is at it's height, and the other is the first Harvest Festival. This year is going by way too quickly.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!! HAIL FRIGGA!!!! HAIL FREYA!!!! HAIL LOKI!!!!

My Beltane Sucked!

My Beltane officially sucked, and this is why. It was so damn hot that I couldn't think, and then I found out that my lighter was empty. So no candle or incense burner, no nothing. What really also made it suck was the fact that I was seeing video's of people doing Beltane rituals and they could light candles and incense. That made me so mad.

I know that Beltane is a fire festival but did it have to feel like I was in a fire myself. I don't really understand what the thing is with the earth but it really ruined my Beltane. I'm hoping that my Midsummer will be better but I really doubt it. I'm probably going to have to take a break from Sabbath's until it gets cool again. Groan, I'm really hated this.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!! HAIL FRIGGA!!!! HAIL FREYA!!!! HAIL LOKI!!!!

Happy Walburga Day (Day 2)

Today is the second day of Walburga known as May Day, or Beltane. I bought a journal to keep with me if I want to write something down and I'm going to admit that I'm very happy to have it. Tonight I'm going to do a ritual in honor of Odin and I'm really excited about being able to do that. I hope that all of you have a good one and let me know how your Beltane plans went.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!! HAIL FRIGGA!!!! HAIL LOKI!!!!

Happy Walburga Day (Day 1)

Today is Walburga Day, named after the Christian Saint. Of course modern Heathens have stated that she's a Goddess. I think that this is a example of the old ways merging with the new, as there have been women named after pagan goddess and these women were made into Saints. It's not their fault, though I think that some might disagree. The reason that this is a two day event is that today its somber and foreboding, while tomorrow is more connected to fertility, fun, sexuality, and so on.

I don't prescribe to this at all. Why should the last day of April be somber and foreboding? Do we really have to listen to the AFA on this? No, we don't! I think that we should be joyous and filled with good cheer when it comes to this day. We should thank the gods, and Walburga, for all the good things that we have. Personally that's just my view point, others may not agree.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!! HAIL FRIGGA!!!! HAIL LOKI!!!!

Understanding The Saga's: Voluspo (Section 1)

As promised I've decided to tackle the Saga's and I'm starting with the Voluspo. I don't know how long this project is going to take, but I'm determined to understand it more. So once a week I'm going to be adding a section and trying to figure out what the section means. Here's this week's section.

Hearing I ask from the holy races,
From Heimdall's sons, both high and low;
Thou wilt, Valfather, that well I relate
Old tales I remember of men long ago.

Okay, so what does the wise woman mean by this? Looking at it I believe that she's saying that she remembers all the tales, that she hears them, and that she understands what is to come. She's stating that she's before the gods and thus she knows about how things were. I also think that this opening section is meant to grab Odin's attention.

So I'm hoping that during the week someone comes and explains what they think the section means and how does it set things up for the rest of the tale.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!! HAIL LOKI!!!! HAIL FRIGGA!!!!

How Heathens Treat Each Other

Two days ago, though I only caught it yesterday, one of my favorite Youtubers, PriestessofAthena, talked about how Heathens treat each other. She was showing off her Frigga statue and she put this rant in because it had been bubbling up for sometime. She made several good points and I would like to cover them in this blog post.

She talked about how a lot of Heathens don't like those that worship Loki. Now I've worshiped him before and I've had no problems. Loki reminds me so much of a protector of those that are on the fringe of society. Worshiping Loki doesn't mean that your a bad Heathen and you shouldn't be treated like your dumb, or fluffy, because you choose to worship Loki. She mentioned that this attitude is not present in Northern European Heathenism because they care more about the gods then about data.

They care more about the virtues then what others are doing. Which makes me wonder why is it that they don't care about who worships Loki, but the American Heathens do. Heathenism wasn't a one world religion, but, as she put it, everyone had their own flavor of practicing. I'm a Heathen and I practice however I want. I don't need to gain approval from anyone, nor do I need it.

We also have lost a ton of info about religious practices of the Norse and most likely Loki might of been practiced. To label something New Age, when you don't have the right to, turns people away. Everyone has the right to worship the Norse gods as they see fit and they don't need permission from anyone to do that. Another thing that gets me, and she didn't cover this, was the slamming of Heathen authors. Just because they don't do how the majority of modern Heathens do, doesn't mean that you have the right to slam what their doing.

It takes a lot of guts to write a book and hope that it gets punished. The modern Heathen movement has turned into some form of a very bad joke, and I have yet to get the punchline. If we're suppose to survive then we need to shut up and stop controlling how others practice. So I'm taking a stand against this form of hate and argument and I'm practicing how I want.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!! HAIL FRIGGA!!!! HAIL LOKI!!!!

Not Following The Crowd

This is my last blog post of the day and I maybe back tomorrow. I don't really know. I had been reading another person's blog about being given 'flak' because she, or he, viewed the Saga's as important parts of our faith. He, or she, viewed them as sacred as the Christians view the Bible. I'm going to agree with this. The Saga's are our bible, they are stories that show us how to live and how to live the lives that we're suppose to live. We read them, not because we have to, but because we want to. Christians take pure joy in being able to open their bibles and read the word of G-d.

Why can't we take joy in reading our books, the holy books that make us Heathen, and not take flak for it. Why do we have to just say, 'oh well they are heavily Christianized so lets read it but not take much stock into it.' Does this defeat the purpose as to why they were preserved? What was the point in preserving them if we are going to treat them as though are just another book of many? I will admit that we don't have a lot of sources but the ones that we do have we must cherish.

We must take them out and read a bit of them, savoring the words and figure out the meanings behind them. If that makes us not part of the crowd, then so be it. I'm not here to prove myself to anyone. I'm a Heathen, not a follower of whatever you believe is important. If I want to honor Loki one day then that's my right. I don't follow the crowds, even though I'm a Heathen. I don't join any groups or care what others practice.

Just like this persons I'm a Independent Heathen and I'm taking nothing from no one. If I want to have views that my mother instilled into me, values that make me unpopular, then that's my right. See this is the problem that I had when I started this path. I was so worried about being apart of the crowd that I forgot that I'm my own person. So that's what I will be, a independent Heathen. Don't like how I practice, go and cry somewhere else. I don't take nothing from no one.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

Understanding the Saga's

I don't really have any books that cover the Saga except The Poetic Edda's: The Mythological Poem's and that's on my Kindle App. I'm planning on buying it in physical book next month but that's not the reason for this post. For nearly a year I've been practicing this faith on and off and now that I really feel that this is my path, I feel connected to the gods, I feel that it's time to try and understand the Saga's.

Understanding them can be hard, as they are worded very differently than other stories out there. They are worded in such a way that you have to think about what the section of the poem means. So what I'm going to be doing, starting next week (Monday) is I'm going to post one poem section onto my blog and then post the same poem section on a Heathen Facebook group and see if what I get from the poem is the same as what they say.

It should be very interesting to say the least.

This is going to take a very long time but from what I'm getting is understanding what our ancestors believed and listened to is worth the time and effort. This is a religion with homework for a reason, and how can you say that your a Heathen if you back down just because the whole thing isn't fun. I think understanding the Saga's is going to be a blast.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

Weekly Offering #2

Today I did my weekly offering to the ancestors, the land spirits, and the gods. I did this offering with a lot more confidence than before. I feel that, maybe, the faith is giving my the nerve to do these rituals outside. The weather has gotten better, but it's going to be a couple of weeks before I really can tell the difference. Hopefully by the fifth weekly offering it will be warm enough.

I'm buying my mead next Friday and I'm hoping to have it in by time I go through my self-initiation, declaring myself a Heathen. On another note: following the gods has put a smile on my face and I really feel that I've figured out what I was doing wrong with my path. Since I'm not so focused on my altar and how pretty I can make it, then I feel as though I'm more focused on what's important.

Can't wait for the week coming up when I celebrate Walburga.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

Happy Full Moon For April

Tonight is the Full Moon, in which we greet Mani. This is the first Full Moon that I'm celebrating since really coming back into the faith after finally getting things in order that had been taking forever to resolve. This is one of the bad things about moving, you don't really have everything together even though months may of passed. I also had to think about if I really wanted to come back to Heathenism and in the end I decided that I would continue.

So raise your horns and greet Mani and I hope that you all have a good time.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

Starting Your Spiritual Practice

I probably should of put this first, below the others, but I decided to put it here. In the time that I have been a Heathen, I never asked this important question: When do I do offerings? This should be a very important question to those that are new to this path, but I never asked it. Was I being lazy, no. I just didn't know to ask this question. Well, now that I've learned I can give this advise to others.

When you start your Heathen practice, don't worry about altars or even wearing a Thor's Hammer. Why, because none of that stuff matters unless your dedicated to the path. I'm talking about wearing Thor's hammer and not the altar. I've talked about altars twice and so I believe that's been taken care of. Thor's hammer is a symbol of Astaru, a symbol that those that take this religion seriously wear.

Hel, I'm not wearing mine until, one: I get one, and, two: I've finished my year of learning as much as I can with as little money as I have. Until then my neck is naked. Another thing that I would advise those to do is, and this is from Heathens that I've talked to, is greet the sun in the morning and the moon at night. Doing this connects you to those deities. Do a weekly daily practice and use whatever you have. If you don't have the money for a drinking horn then that's fine. Your not going to go to Hel for not having a drinking horn.

Also read. Read until you get sick of reading. When I was going through my first several months I didn't have Norse books on myth, or even the book that I had bought while living up in Mass. I didn't have access to the net, so I couldn't read the books that were free. Don't worry about joining any groups, be your own group. Facebook is a great place to join up with other Heathens and listen to them. Ask questions, they do have newcomer groups, and soak it all in.

Once again, don't worry about the altar or wearing Thor's hammer. Just focus on learning and growing as a Heathen. I'm so glad that I do have my friends on Facebook. They are my own Kindred, and I just love them.

HAIL ODIN!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

Following A Heathen Practice Without The Altar

I wanted to blog again about something that is on my mind. Living your path, and faith, without an altar. Two weeks ago my mother wanted me to take my Egyptian altar, which was more like a collection of Egyptian trinkets. So I did what she told me and I thought over what she said. I later on went on Facebook and a woman asked why someone that was new to Asatru needed an altar.

I came to the conclusion that an altar is not needed and so I didn't feel upset that I couldn't have one. Not only am I respected the religious beliefs of my mother but I'm also not focused on things that are unimportant. So it's been nearly a week since I took down my altar and I've found that I'm far more focused on my path and not so interested in getting things. I am going to buy a horn and a Thor's hammer but nothing in my room will let anyone to think that I'm Heathen, and I happen to like it that way.

You really don't need an altar to be a spiritual person, you just need your heart and soul. The gods are out there, and within, and they really don't care about things like an altar.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

The 'White Christ,' What It Means, and Heathen Thoughts

I heard this term last year when I had bought a copy of 'The Folk,' which is a really great documentary. I began to wonder what this term meant, and I later on found out that they were talking about the solders that came and forcefully converted the Norse to Christianity. It seems strange that one group felt the need to control another. When my mother heard the term, 'White Christ,' she was very upset that he was turning his back on Christianity.

I didn't hear her complain about it but I know the whole thing upset her. She's one of those people that think that Christianity is the only religion that can make anyone happy. Heck, she's a firm believer in Jews for Jesus, which is a group of people that try and convert Jews to Christianity, thus denying them the automatic citizenship that comes with being a Jew. To see that my mother actively supporting this group is horrible. Leave the Jews alone!

Sometimes I wonder what the whole point of a small group of double talking supporters of the State of Israel is trying to do. What I mean by double talking is claiming that Israel is for the Jews but trying to convert them to Christianity. Christians have this mentality of 'my way is the only way' and personally I'm getting sick and tried of it. So has the White Christ done anything good, HEL NO! I don't know anything about what the Jewish Christ has done because I sure don't see him anywhere.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

Not Having An Altar

Last night I was thinking about how I felt when I took my altar down that was dedicated to Odin. Two days ago a woman on Facebook asked why someone that's new to Asatru would have an altar. I thought that sounded like a fair question and so I asked myself that question. The answer was that I didn't know enough about Astaru to have an altar. And while I think that having an altar is great, someone told me that you don't need it.

The reason that it's believed that you don't need it is because all your rituals are done outside, in nature. The gods are outside, not inside. Now what if your stuck inside because of the weather? If it's raining then I have the answer. You pour your libation to the ancestors, the spirits of the land, and the gods into a bowl and then pour the bowl outside. I also think that people are so concerned about their altar that they don't think about the religion.

Once again I think having an altar is great, but I've found that, since I'm not focused on how good my altar looks, I can focus on my religion and learning about the gods and their place in my life. Your not worried about getting things but, instead, enjoying the things that you have. Also not having an altar, especially if you happen to live in a house that your parents don't approve of paganism, keeps you from having to worry about a black lash from them. You can keep your mind focused on learning about your religion and not have to worry about being discovered.

So while people might think that I'm against pubic displays of religion in your room or home. Not having an altar works well for me and puts what's important into perspective.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

Happy Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, which I find a celebration that's really connected to those that care about the earth. A couple of years ago, back when I was up in Mass, a woman gave me money because I was picking up cans. That was a weird experience and one that I will never forget. So this year, I'm working on not littering and thanking the Goddess Jord, Goddess of the Earth. I will pour a offering to her and ask her to help my crops grow.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!

Weekly Offerings #1

One of the things that I failed to do nearly four months ago was give weekly offerings to the ancestors, land spirits, and gods. The reason for this is that I didn't fully understand the need to do this. I had this belief that you prayed to the gods and asked them to give you things like strength, wisdom, courage, and other things. I think that this steams from my time in Wicca. Wiccans believe in asking the gods for things, doing spells and the such.

Getting this advice to do a weekly offering to the ancestors, land spirits, and gods sounds like something that I can imagine my ancestors doing. It was explained that doing this forges a relationship with your past, with the land spirits, and most importantly with the gods. Living in the Bible belt and living in a black neighborhood I was actually very nervous about doing this. I found that giving tea is a good substitute to alcohol, which I don't have.

So I poured my glass and added the sugar. Adding it, instead of having it already there, makes you work to get the sweetness that you want. Working for it makes the drink, in my opinion, suitable to the gods. I ended up having to delay it while I waited for three black men to leave. They were outside, on the side of the road, talking and I'm not exactly sure how they would of taken hearing the name of gods that they might think are connected to a group of people that would wish them harm.

Once they were gone I came back downstairs and went outside. Boy, it's freaking cold outside! I blessed the drink by doing the sign of Thor's hammer and then I called upon the name of my ancestors and poured some of it on the ground. I then called upon the land spirits, thanking them for being apart of this land, and poured the drink on the ground. I then called upon the gods. Odin for wisdom, Thor for strength, Freya for love, Hamell for protection, and tyr for courage. I'm going to need plenty of tyr over the next couple of months as I'm going to be wearing Thor's hammer out in the open.

I really enjoyed the whole experience and I just loved connecting to the ancestors, the land spirits, and the gods. I felt as though I was reconnecting to the web that I had left behind when I took my break. So glad to be back and I can't wait to get Thor's hammer and wear it.

HAIL ODIN!!!! HAIL THOR!!!!  

First Post

I would like to say that I'm very happy to be here, blogging, sharing my experiences with Odin and the other gods and goddess of the Norse faith. I'm 33-years-old, and a follower of Odin, the King of the Norse gods, Frigg, Thor, and Loki. The reason for this blog is that I wanted to talk about my faith and I wanted to talk about how I practice it. Several years back, coming out of Wicca, I wanted to find something that fit me. I loved the whole 'coming home' feeling that I had gotten in Wicca but I was having trouble finding it outside Wicca.

I felt lost and I practiced other paths that interested me. Then I found Heathenism, or Asatru. Having ancestors from Germany really made me feel that maybe this was the path for me. It has taken me time to get over the complex minds of a lot of heathens and now they view things and the nature of the gods. I have had people talk badly about authors that they believe were not really Heathen and I've even had people say that some out there are Fluffy Bunnies.

I've found Loki and Odin. Odin feels to me to be a big protector, someone that I can go to for bits of advice, and Loki feels like the kind of god that protects those that have ever been bullied for not having the right kind of clothes, having a ton of money, and are just plain different. I still don't understand when your suppose to pray to the gods, when do you ask the gods for help, and when do you not? What offerings to you hand the gods, or do you give them what you have? I'm still such a newbie at Heathenism and I feel that I will never fully understand it so I'm just feeling around, reading, and seeing what helps me out.

I don't believe in working with the gods, but honoring them, honoring the past, and honoring the future.