#Heathenry50: Why Heathenry?

Why Heathenry?

The first topic of the #Heathenry50 Challenge is to ask the question and explore – “Why Heathenry?”  With the myriad ways one can express spirituality and religion, what is it about heathenry (heathenism, heidhrinn) that connects with me?

The road to where I am is not unlike many others. I was raised in the United States during what I thought was the end of an era dominated by Christianity (now it appears there is a movement within the government to implement a state religion of a certain variety of Christian “values” – tossing out the separation of church and state once again). I was raised in a Christian culture, Latter Day Saints (LDS), which was actually not too bad as a child. The importance of family, helping others, and spiritual/religious practices were all good things to learn.

Bronze Age Imagination

At the awakening age of 10 years, I met some kids at school who introduced me to the wonderful world of comic books. I had already been a fan of science fiction and fantasy books and television (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Space 1999, Star Trek, etc. were all favorites), but this medium opened up a new world of imagination and characters that I fell in love with. And I have not abandoned these characters now 40 years later – they are still fond in my memory and I love to revisit those stories.  This era of comics (roughly 1968-1985) is known as the “Bronze Age” in the comics-world and it is my favorite era.

Among those characters were several who kept my mind open to possibilities. Wonder Woman, Thor, Hercules, and Superman (among others) all had mythologies associated with them that were a part of their everyday lives. Granted, Thor and Hercules were themselves gods; but they were still associated with the pantheons that existed along with them.

I loved reading about Thor being sent to Earth to teach him a lesson of humility by Odin. How Princess Diana (Wonder Woman), always sought the guidance of the Greek Gods and Goddesses for wisdom, strength, and advice. Although I know now that these are not the exact representations of the deities that were worshipped in our world, these characters still represented the basics of who They are and kept Them alive to readers in a way that allows that spark of interest and faith.

The interaction with the Gods by Wonder Woman and others always kept that door in mind from being completely closed, locked and sealed from the possibility that the Gods were still alive and wanting to connect with humans. Although it was another 18 years or so before I fully explored that possibility, it was still always there in some way.

The Gods Move in Subtle Ways

Forward over the years of full Christian immersion (including a period of King James only conservatism) to a point in life where spiritual choices were being made.

These choices led to dropping Christianity and pursuing a more animistic approach to life. My philosophy/theology simplified to the following:

• I believed that those who went before me were important and deserved to be remembered, talked to, and appreciated for where I am now.
• I believed that there are spirits in nature and we need to honor, respect and cohabitate with them.
• Finally, I still believed the Gods exist, live, and want to interact again with humans.  My question was – whom do I connect to and how?

Looking for people to connect with who had similar questions, I found a group of witches and began doing things in tangible ways again (ritual). In 2006, I found Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) at Pantheacon (a west coast pagan convention).  Since I was involved with the local Irish community, I began learning about the Irish Gods and opening relationships with Them.  What a joy to have those doors that were kept ajar by my childhood heroes and their connections to the Gods flung wide open!

Through ADF, I learned a lot about ritual, study, knowing the Gods and developing relationships and practices that work for me today. Although ADF is known as a “Druid” organization, it is not limited to Celtic spirituality. ADF is an inclusive organization that focuses practices on Indo-European spirituality. Among the members is a very large heathen group which includes Norse, Anglo-Saxon, Vanic, continental Germanic, and other practices of the northern regions and pantheons.

But . .  . Why Heathenry?

Indeed, why Heathenry? One would think that with the connection and immersion of Irish culture (I do have Irish ancestors), why would I spiritually migrate? As noted above, the Gods move in subtle ways. Although I do have some Irish ancestry, most of my ancestors are Dutch and Danish.

It was during a time of meditation that Brigid took me by the “hand” and said we were going for a walk. Before I knew it, I was standing before Freya and Odin. Brigid gently nudged me forward towards Freya saying to me that They (the Irish) had fostered me until I was ready to be passed on. From that point forward, the relationships have grown and become strong.

For me, relating to nature spirits, ancestors, and the Gods of the Northern lands connects with me on many levels. I found early in my journey that the Vanir were very interested in a friendship and we connected quite well.

I also appreciate the cosmology within the stories, the variety of personalities of the Gods and Goddesses, as well as the interest in working with and remembering the ancestors (be they blood, historical, or chosen influence) and nature spirits (wights).

These are all key to my practice and it is wonderful to find this within the various practices under the umbrella of heathenry. There are many ways to learn about Heathenry and the wonderful practices within it: Anglo-Saxon, Asatrú, Continental German, Heidhrinn, Icelandic, Norse, Norse Paganism, Rokkatrú, Vanatrú and possibly others. I will post some recommendations that I have found helpful shortly.

Important note! One does NOT need to be of a certain heritage to get to know any pantheon. I absolutely deny that premise used by racists to justify excluding people of color from any Heathen, Celtic, or other path! The Gods will connect with whom they choose to regardless of heritage, skin color, gender, identity etc.

 

Artwork for Norse Witch by Connla Freyjason.

 

Ostara Celebrations

 

Searching for the Goddess Ostara

With the Spring Equinox coming up, many religions have special ways to honor the Gods and Goddesses of their paths. In Heathenry (and most of general pagan practices), the equinox is devoted to a goddess named Ostara or Eostre. There is no historical evidence, however it is claimed that she was worshipped and honored in Germanic lands. The traditions of hares, eggs, and associated festivals have been widely attributed to her.

But were these traditions really held in her honor? Was she indeed a Goddess venerated across the continent and carried over seas to other lands? The truth is we do not know for certain if there actually was a Goddess of Northern Europe named Ostara and worshipped as goddess of the coming spring.

Was a Germanic goddess Eostre or Ostara ever honored in the old days? Are Easter and the German ‘Ostern’ named after her? Does the widespread Easter lore have roots in ancient pagan rituals?
The answers to these questions are disputed among both laymen and scholars. Often it can be hard to distinguish between faith and facts. Therefore, the available sources have been brought together in this book and offered with explanatory notes. However, it is left to the reader to consider whether in Germany a goddess Ostara, Eostar or Ostera was worshiped as was Eostre in England. – from the description to Eostre Ostara Eostar by GardenStone. – www.boudicca.de

In his book, Eostre Ostara Eostar: Facts, assumptions, conjectures, speculations, guesses and nonsense, GardentStone provides a wealth of texts and information that have been used to support the arguments in favor of Eostre, the Goddess.  He refrains from drawing a conclusion about the topic – neither affirming nor denying the veracity of the claims made by supporters from the 16^th century to modern writings.

In fact, GardenStone sets the expectations for the book in the preface to the work, “In this book, the author does not declare himself against or in favor of the goddess Ostara, Eostre, or Eostar,” he writes. “Only the results of historical, mythological, folkloric, literary and linguistic research concerning Eostre/Ostara/Eostar (written that way or some other spelling) are presented here.”

Earliest Mentions of the Goddess

He begins with the most notable and earliest attestations of Ostara as goddess by the 8^th century English monk, the Venerable Bede. Bede drew a conclusion that the English month, Eosturmonath (approximately April) was so named in honor of a goddess previously worshipped. Bede has since been the consistent source of the Ostara-is-goddess theory throughout the centuries.

Bede was cited in the 19^th century by Jacob Grimm as the source for his writing about the goddess on the continent in his book Deutsche Mythologie. Modern writings about the sabbat, which was reconstructed as part of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year by founder Gerald Gardner in the early 20^th century, use Grimm and Bede as the primary resources to support the theory.

GardenStone, however, draws no such conclusions with his work. He has diligently located many resources from pamphlets, papers, books and texts that have varying references the names or roots of the names used for the goddess.  He has systematically arranged the data in a coherent manner that flows in a logical order in three sections: standard sources and etymology, Ostara on the Continent, and common traditions and folklore. Within each section, he provides the conclusions drawn at the time of the writing and which source did or may have influenced the authors.

Much has been written since the 17^th century about the topic using the academic strengths of the times.  A lot of emphasis to fill the gaps of actual resources was placed on conclusions drawn from place names and comparisons to other cultural practices, similar root names and parallel deities.

GardenStone makes a keen observation by pointing out that although we do not have extant sources today, it does not necessarily mean that Bede and others also did not have resources to draw their conclusions upon. Fires, wars, and other disasters occurred and documented which could have destroyed many texts leaving only the writings about the topics preserved.

He concludes the book by restating that although we do not have actual evidence of worship of Ostara/Eostre as a goddess in pre-christian times, “…that a Heathen acceptance of Ostara depending solely upon historical evidence or scientific results is unnecessary. Since no God or Goddess is actually provable in these ways, we must rely upon our faith in Them.” – GardenStone

Just the Facts…

GardenStone is of Dutch origin now living in Germany. His research about historic Germanic peoples is a passion that has yielded many books on Heathen topics.  This book is 100 pages and is translated from its original German text.  Although some will notice some minor differences in structure and punctuation, the book is easy to read and follow and these will not impede or detract from the usefulness of the book.

Many of his works on Germanic deities and topics are available in Dutch as well as English (translated from German).  The English texts are available in the U.S. via Amazon through print on demand services as well as from his personal website in Germany.

I recommend, however, to order the books directly from GardenStone’s website, www.boudicca.de. Taking into account the exchange rate and very modest shipping charges, readers will not be paying much more than if they purchase from Amazon. As an added bonus, books ordered directly are signed by the author himself.  An added bonus is that some of the books may have colored plates (such as in Gods of the Germanic Peoples volumes 1 and 2) which are not available in color when ordered from Amazon (being printed only in black and white).

What now?

I enjoyed the book very much. It has provoked me to look at Ostara and evaluate my relationship to Her. On what basis do I explain Her to others now? How will I adjust how I relate to Her and choose to connect with Her? How will this affect public displays and rituals? It is possible (perhaps likely) that she was worshipped as Bede wrote. But with the absence of any other extant evidence – how do we move forward?

For the past several hundred years, a Goddess of Spring has made herself known to many in various lands, cultures and traditions. She has come to be known to us today as Ostara – or Eostre. Whether that was Her name before – we cannot be certain. But we know Her this way now.

The gnosis of millions over times has revealed who She is to us now. How She may have been worshipped in pre-christian times may not be as relevant to us now. What matters is how do we connect and relate to Her now? What is She saying to followers? How does She reveal Herself to them now? Does She enjoy colored eggs, rabbits, chocolate and family feasts? Does she dress in pastels and warms the earth for sprouting plants and blooming flowers? Does she whisper glad tidings in your ears? These are questions for each person to ask and await Her answer.

Ostara –  by Jan Tjeerd

Winter’s darkness gives way to Sunna’s lengthening journey. Warming days heat the earth, awakening the seeds within. Frey Visits and Thor blesses the fields as the sprouts emerge from their slumber. 

Ostara brings the turning time to welcome the change and gladden our hearts. She shimmers with the colors of the flowers that reach for the shining sun. Honor her this tide with colorful eggs, beautiful songs, and bright remembrances.

Hail to Ostara, Goddess of the Spring – renewing our hearts with love, hope and joy. 

Ostara artwork created by Connla Freyjason. Find artwork by Connla on Iaconography.

Eostre Ostara Eostar by GardenStone can be ordered in German and English as well as other books) from his own site or Amazon.    This is a paperback book of 122 pages. ISBN-10: 3738655778 ISBN-13: 978-9798655773

The Heathenry 50 Challenge

Blog component to Gifts of the Wyrd

As I pass the two-year anniversary of the Gifts of the Wyrd podcast, I am very grateful for the wonderful from all who listen join me on the podcast.  It is indeed an honor and joy to be able to have such a wonderful way and opportunity to share our gnosis and experience with our practices and relationships to the Gods, Ancestors, Wights, and other Beings.

What I intend to do is to join the #Heathenry50 to start the process and get into a habit of writing pieces on a regular basis.  These are just my experiences in my practice. They may resonate with the experiences of others, the will not with everyone. That’s ok.  That is what vibrant, living relationships with our Gods, Ancestors, local nature wights, and people around us are all about.

What is the Heathenry 50 Challenge?

That is a good question! It can mean many things but it is a writing project begun by an Anglo-Saxon Druid. The challenge is to write 50 blog posts, one a week for a year. The challenge has 50 topics lined up as a starting point for thoughts, studies, gnosis and experiences about the subject.

I saw him post something about it, likely on a common Facebook group, and decided to join him and use this as the impetus to expanding the content and adding a writing component of inclusive, modern Heathen practices and topics.

I want to thank Matty for announcing the project and inviting other heathens to take part. His blog site is at Meade and Mistletoe where you can read more about why he started the challenge and what he is learning. To share on social media, we will be using the hashtag #Heathenry50.

Why Heathenry 50?

For me, this seemed like a challenge that I would have a difficult time to defend not taking up.  With the interest in doing some writing as a blog, this provided me with 50 topics out the gate. And I can do it along with at least one other person.

I write and edit for my day job, so sometimes the last thing I want to do is add more writing to the day. This gives me a head start on what to write about. Now I just need to compile my thoughts about the topic and how I implement ritual, meditation, magic, and other practices. This will assuredly give me reason to read more books (something I love to do).

There are some really good topics coming up and I look forward to exploring them, exploring how and why they are a part of my practice and learning some new things. Not only in my own research, but in the reading of blog posts after I write mine.

The biggest challenge? Being consistent with a weekly write-up.  But I will do my best to make it happen.

Gratitudes

Thank you, readers and listeners of the podcast. We are in the 21^st century on a journey together. We are long separated from a continuous practice and have a heavy background and societal influence from a dominating religion that suppressed relationships and interaction with the Gods and Goddesses of many cultures for a long time.  As Heimdallr’s children awaken to the calling of the Northern Gods (or Others) we restore those relationships to humanity while building a ritual and relational practices that work for us today.

I have been encouraged by many people and thank them all for their many ways of getting me out of my headspace and into action. Among them are two who came into my circle via Facebook. Tonya Threet and Connla Freyason.  Tonya’s album Võluspá has really brought that piece alive for me in a great way. Connla, from Iaconography, has become a really great friend – even though we have yet to meet in person.  He has reminded me not to be too hard on myself and to not listen to the negative feedback that likes to crop in and demoralize our efforts.

Connla’s artwork and upcoming book, Norse Witch, are great connections from the past to the modern spirit.

I am grateful to my mother for teaching me to be kind, giving, fair, and open minded.  And I thank my soon-to-be husband for his constant support and love.  He is a grounding influence that helps keep this airy Aquarian from bouncing like a ping pong ball on a concrete surface.

Let’s Get Started….

And with that, I end the introduction to the challenge and will get started on the first topic and get it posted soon.

Völuspá CD: The Story of the World in Music

Völuspá in Amsterdam with Jan Tjeerd

Heathen musician Tonya Threet has completed her album dedicated entirely to the Nordic creation story found in the Poetic Edda. This is the completion of several years of meditating on the Völuspá, connecting with Gullveig and Odin, composing the music and determining the tracks, and finally hours upon hours in the recording studio and post production.

The album opens with stanzas one and two as Threet’s haunting vocals set the tone of the album as a spiritual journey of the Völva (Seeres). The album contains all of the stanzas of the poem from the Henry Bellows translation and can be followed through the course of the album.  Her vocals are clean and easy to understand which would make it easy to help memorize the text if one was inclined to do so.

Each track has its own “sound” to tell the complete story. She uses different instrumentation, cadence, and effects to empower the stanzas selected for each piece. Each track flows seamlessly into the next drawing the listener along with the story. One can envision at many times being surrounded by swirling mist as the Völva’s words “would you know yet more?”

The pace and power are kept all the way through the 28 tracks of all 66 stanzas from the creation of the Gods, the giants, the world and humans, the war between the Aesir and Vanir, the death of Baldr, Ragnarok and finally the rebirth of the world anew.

The album cover shows a stunning image of Gullveig standing before a majestic rune wheel surrounded by flames. Released just last fall, the album is already inspiring listeners around the world.

Threet’s commitment to the text and the Gods is clearly evident in the time and work she has done to honor Them with this amazing work. The completion of this project has inspired her to continue to compose additional works to the Gods and Goddesses and other Heathen topics. It is great to have music produced by, for and about Heathenry. Listen to samples on Soundcloud .

UPDATE November 2020: Völuspá by Tonya Threet,  was released on Valkyrie Rise Records in 2017. It is no longer available from the artist. Here are short releases on YouTube with portions of the album and  video with Tonya’s  vocals.

Find Tonya’s page on Facebook.

Viking Oracle Review

Viking Oracle –  Review by Jan Tjeerd

The Viking Oracle by Stacey DeMarco with art by Jimmy Manton was published by Blue Angel Publishing in February 2017.  Many folks who are interested in divination using Rune cards and Viking themed oracle decks may be interested in the deck for the images connected to the Elder Futhark or as an oracle deck connected to the Gods and Goddess of the North and inspired by Viking-era history.

Based on the description of the deck by Blue Angel Publishing, one would think this could be a suitable deck (even with the mention of the “25 Nordic runes” which we will address later).

 “Combining the symbolism and divinatory significance of the 25 Nordic runes with a further 20 Viking-themed cards, the Viking Oracle is a powerful and comprehensive tool for insight and guidance from the Norse tradition. This deck offers a portal back through time into the intriguing culture of ancient Viking society―moving beyond stereotypes of warriors and raiders and delving into the extraordinary Norse mythos and the intricate and powerful belief systems of this ancient people. You’re invited to work with a range of card spreads and striking Norse imagery to deepen your connection with the fascinating world of the Vikings.” – From Blue Angel Publishing’s website (1).

Given that, there are some pros and cons to this deck and system. Prior to getting right to the artwork and meanings, Let’s cover some items that are easy to address and set aside.

The Layout of the Deck

There are 12 female, 11 male, 14 objects, and eight rune designs that make up the artwork for the deck. The artwork is done by Jimmy Manton who has worked with DeMarco on other decks such as the Halloween Oracle, Gods & Titans and Goddesses and Sirens as well as on other projects. It is bold, colorful, and creative.

My first reaction was formed by reading the promotional text and seeing just a couple of the cards when this appeared for pre-order on Amazon late in 2016 was to set it aside to maybe consider it at a later date.  I was not very impressed.  Mostly because of the “25 Nordic runes” comment. This meant that they include the “blank” rune as one of the runes of the Elder Futhark. However, I thought it might be worth using the rune cards as an option for readings and  was how they would include the Gods and Goddesses.

I think the biggest issue with this deck is a lot of missed opportunity as a whole, but the runes in particular. Beginning with the artwork, a lot was wasted with the posed figures in winged helmets and bulging biceps.  The box stated it wanted to move beyond stereotypes, yet all of the figures are nothing but stereotypes. These images basically appear to be mannequins for the costumes.

“Viking” Imagery

The clothing is certainly not of the Viking era. While beautiful gowns, cloaks, and armor adorn the figures, they seem to be a mix of Celtic, Greek and Roman styles that make for nice fantasy dress up, but do not represent the era the deck is supposed to reflect. I showed examples to a member of a living history group who confirmed these do not represent Viking era styles. One would expect that a deck extolling the “wisdom of the ancient Norse” in a “Viking” oracle, the clothing would be true to the period.

Another note is the excessive use of winged headdresses and helmets. It really seemed that these were drawn for day tripping Viking festival patrons rather than those seriously working with the runes and divination tools.

The Runes

Among the rune portion of the deck, the major issue here is Demarco does not make any effort to connect the art to the meaning of the card. For example figures drawn are generic male and female that do not relate to the rune. Even on the runes that actually ARE connected to a God or Goddess (such as Tiwaz for Tyr, Ingwaz for Freyr Ing) they opted to use an image of the rune.

Given that the rune was provided at the bottom of the card with the name written out, this was very disappointing that the images were not connected to the  runes better. The deck also included the “blank” rune as part of the runes. However, this is easily corrected by just shifting this card to the oracle side of the deck.

The Oracle Cards

But the problems continue with the images for the oracle portion of the deck. Many of the cards specifically name a God or Goddess for the divination. Yet the image bears little resemblance or seem to include any of the things we know about Them from the lore (such as Brinsgamen, the cat-drawn chariot or falcon feathered cloak for Freya, the depiction of Hel as half decaying/half beautiful, etc are not included).

Descriptions of the Cards

Regarding the text in the book about the runes and the oracle section, there is a lot better resources out there to reference for the runes and to create conclusions for the oracle cards. The author includes a poem for each of the runes  but they are not from the rune poems we are aware of (I assume the poems are her own as she did not credit any other author).

DeMarco includes meanings for each rune and expands on the meaning she provides, which are basically alright. Without a bibliography, it is not easy to determine where her meanings are sourced from.  However, it does seem she possibly draws from Ralph Blum’s oracle.

The stories associated with the Gods and the era of the people in the Age are generically OK – they seem to be more tales of what the author recalls were told her some years past rather than researching better sources and coming up with a divinatory connection to the subject of the card.

Conclusion

This really leaves the Viking Oracle to have not accomplished what it states it set out to do. The deck may not be entirely valueless, however, for those who may have already purchased it.  I suggest that if someone has purchased this and wants to try to find a use for it, just set aside (or discard) the book that accompanied the cards and go with what you already know, or read up on the subject of the card to create a meaning for it (as well as to draw the eight and ninth world on the Nine Worlds card which appears to have only seven of them).

Although the deck did not meet with the uses I can recommend, the cards may still be an inspiration to some and not a total loss.  To make the best use of this deck, set aside the accompanying book.  Approach learning the deck in two sections, the runes and the oracle.  Obtain a better source of rune knowledge such as  Katie Gerrard’s Odins Gateways (a good beginning rune resource) or Diana Paxson’s Taking Up the Runes. 

Shift the blank 25th card (called the blank or the “void”) to the oracle portion of the deck and make some associations based on information found in resources through the stories of the tradition.

However, for any who have not purchased the deck and may have them on a wish list to obtain later as rune cards or a viking-era themed oracle, do a little more viewing of the images to see if they resonate with you.  There are a some better rune decks already available.

If you are interested in a more detailed description, check out the audio or video podcast on episode 11 (audio) and the Gifts of the Wyrd  YouTube channel (video).

 

1. Blue Angel(r) Publishing. Website: http://www.blueangelonline.com/viking_oracle.html accessed September 11, 2017