#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.

 

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.