No I am not an Atheist or Agnostic. Why is it people think if you are not Christian you are Atheist? I thought my blog was rather clear as to my beliefs. Atheism is a lack of belief in ANY god. Agnostic would be believing that there is a greater force that has yet to be proven. I am Odinist/Asatru, I believe in the gods of our ancestors. That is not Atheism or Agnosticism. I will even go as far as to say I believe the Christian/Jewish/Islamic god is a real god. Jesus I’m a little shaky on. I don’t feel he was anything other than a cult leader. I am having a hard time believing that the Old Testament god woke up all of the sudden and said “Hey, I need this dude Jesus to explain how I have changed this last couple of years. I am a nice guy now” Just doesn’t cut it with me. Most churches today, as I see it, no longer worship that original god. They have become Jesus worshipers. They now worship a man who claims to speak for god (or God speaks through him) and basically changes everything that the original god taught. I’m guessing big God #1 lost the ability to communicate his wishes after Jesus was born.
I believe in the gods I do because I feel connected to them. It feels natural, it always has. I believe in the values of my gods. I do not believe in the values of the Christian god, that does not mean I don’t believe in that god. I chose not to follow the Christian god because his teachings are not sound. That’s it, end of story.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Happy Midsummer!
Just got back from my neighbor's house after a pretty good midsummer party! Did the bbq thing and then held a little ritual. Was a great night, at least after it rained. But that was all good. It added a nice clean smell to the air.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
What day is it?
Most people are ignorant of just how much our gods have given to their every day life. If you take the time to look, they are all around you and you may not even know it. How strong the beliefs must of been before the forced conversion to Christianity. Until some very basic things change I can point you to many things that keep our gods alive in everyday life. Our beliefs are being reborn and they grow stronger every day. The Christian faith has failed it’s people and after 2000 years they are starting to realize it.
So, where to start? How about the days of the week. All but two are named in honor of our gods, the two being Saturday and Sunday. Those two actually get their names from Roman gods. So like it or not, most Christians honor their God on the day named after the Sun. That should come as no surprise as many believe the whole Jesus myth descended from Sun worshiping. Sunday’s roots can actually be traced back to early Egypt. Sun worshiping is thought to be the earliest form of deification. Saturday comes from the Roman god Saturn. Our Scandinavian ancestors actually called it “Löverdag” which comes from the Icelandic word laugr (Bath). So Saturday was literally “bath-day” and yes, that is exactly what that meant. Hey, at least they took baths. Remember up until the 1800’s many people thought baths spread disease lol!
What about the rest of the week you ask, lets have a look:
Monday - From the Germanic god of the moon “Mani” On a side note, the Quakers seem to be the only Christian cult to recognize the Heathen origins of the days. To them Monday is known as the “second day” You have to give them props for being true to their faith. (My family descends from Quakers, we must be a stubborn bunch)
Tuesday - Named after my patron god Tyr. He is the god of justice and once ruler of Aesir who stepped aside to let Odin lead. Tyr was the feeder of Fenris, no other god was brave enough to feed Loki’s son. The gods soon were afraid of Fenris, a giant wolf, after Odin learned he would be the downfall of the Aesir. To trick Fenris into letting himself be tied up (a test of strength) Tyr offered to put his arm in the wolf’s mouth. After Fenris was tricked he bit off Tyr’s arm. This was Tyr’s sacrifice for the safety of his brothers. Lots of dichotomy here, sacrifice for one yet betrays Fenris. Would Fenris have ever grown so hostile towards the Aesir had this never occurred? In the end Odin’s vision comes true.
Wednesday – Named after the Germanic god Woden, or Odin. Leader of the Aesir. It literally means “Woden’s Day”
Thursday – Named after the Norse god Thor. As above, literally means “Day of Thor”
Friday - Here is one for the ladies! The first day named after a goddess. The goddess Freyja, “Day of Freyja” Freyja is the goddess of beauty, fertility, and war. Gotta love that ;-)
Well that covers the days of the week, in the future I will go over various holidays. You may be surprised at the origins of Easter, May day, or how about why December 25th is so important? I’ll give you a clue, it’s not the day Jesus slides down the chimney and lights the menorah.
So, where to start? How about the days of the week. All but two are named in honor of our gods, the two being Saturday and Sunday. Those two actually get their names from Roman gods. So like it or not, most Christians honor their God on the day named after the Sun. That should come as no surprise as many believe the whole Jesus myth descended from Sun worshiping. Sunday’s roots can actually be traced back to early Egypt. Sun worshiping is thought to be the earliest form of deification. Saturday comes from the Roman god Saturn. Our Scandinavian ancestors actually called it “Löverdag” which comes from the Icelandic word laugr (Bath). So Saturday was literally “bath-day” and yes, that is exactly what that meant. Hey, at least they took baths. Remember up until the 1800’s many people thought baths spread disease lol!
What about the rest of the week you ask, lets have a look:
Monday - From the Germanic god of the moon “Mani” On a side note, the Quakers seem to be the only Christian cult to recognize the Heathen origins of the days. To them Monday is known as the “second day” You have to give them props for being true to their faith. (My family descends from Quakers, we must be a stubborn bunch)
Tuesday - Named after my patron god Tyr. He is the god of justice and once ruler of Aesir who stepped aside to let Odin lead. Tyr was the feeder of Fenris, no other god was brave enough to feed Loki’s son. The gods soon were afraid of Fenris, a giant wolf, after Odin learned he would be the downfall of the Aesir. To trick Fenris into letting himself be tied up (a test of strength) Tyr offered to put his arm in the wolf’s mouth. After Fenris was tricked he bit off Tyr’s arm. This was Tyr’s sacrifice for the safety of his brothers. Lots of dichotomy here, sacrifice for one yet betrays Fenris. Would Fenris have ever grown so hostile towards the Aesir had this never occurred? In the end Odin’s vision comes true.
Wednesday – Named after the Germanic god Woden, or Odin. Leader of the Aesir. It literally means “Woden’s Day”
Thursday – Named after the Norse god Thor. As above, literally means “Day of Thor”
Friday - Here is one for the ladies! The first day named after a goddess. The goddess Freyja, “Day of Freyja” Freyja is the goddess of beauty, fertility, and war. Gotta love that ;-)
Well that covers the days of the week, in the future I will go over various holidays. You may be surprised at the origins of Easter, May day, or how about why December 25th is so important? I’ll give you a clue, it’s not the day Jesus slides down the chimney and lights the menorah.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Ritual items
Lets see, a walk inside my worship rituals. Well, worship is kind of a misnomer. It’s more like a communion with the gods. My prayer times are not at set times, I just do it when I feel it. Our religion is still pretty wide spread and even when it was well followed tended to be kept within tribal boundaries. Many of us practice alone. I like to share my beliefs with others (notice blog) but am a very private person. I have no problem communing in solitude. Some have gathered into family groups called Hearths or Kindreds but many chose to be alone. So lacking a formal place to hold rituals, or blots as we call them, we make our own place.
Here is just a quick overview of the items I use in ritual. First is the blot bowl. Mine is a hand made copper bowl from the copperguild. I use it for offerings. Pretty much anything that goes into the bowl is meant for the gods or those who have passed on.
Next is my troth ring made for me by a follower who is also a fine blacksmith. It has some runes around it that are personal to me. Troth rings are the objects that modern day wedding rings descend from. They are made to swear oaths on, or make promises between parties. When I see it I am reminded of my oaths.
The alter and horn. The horn represents the well of the norns. It is used for the mead/ale toast and offering. My horn is well loved. Lots of ale has flowed through that thing, it’s a fine horn. The alter is purely optional. It really is the centerpiece of my holy place. It helps me focus and gets me into the right mindset. It has various symbols burned on it that represent various gods. The runes have some inspirational quotes.
Last would be my runes. I made these myself, blessed with my sweat. They were made from a live branch from a tree in my yard and the runes burned on. Sealed with some lemon oil and kept safe in a luxurious Captain Morgan’s private stock bag ;-) I can really feel the strength in these. I don’t use them often, but when I do they never fail.
That’s about it for the set up. Later I will post some of the routines I go through and how all this stuff is used in a ritual.
"Heilir Æsir, heilar Ásynjar
heil sjá hin fjölnyta fold
mál ok manvit gefið okr mærum tveim
ok læknishendr meðan lifum!"
Here is just a quick overview of the items I use in ritual. First is the blot bowl. Mine is a hand made copper bowl from the copperguild. I use it for offerings. Pretty much anything that goes into the bowl is meant for the gods or those who have passed on.
Next is my troth ring made for me by a follower who is also a fine blacksmith. It has some runes around it that are personal to me. Troth rings are the objects that modern day wedding rings descend from. They are made to swear oaths on, or make promises between parties. When I see it I am reminded of my oaths.
The alter and horn. The horn represents the well of the norns. It is used for the mead/ale toast and offering. My horn is well loved. Lots of ale has flowed through that thing, it’s a fine horn. The alter is purely optional. It really is the centerpiece of my holy place. It helps me focus and gets me into the right mindset. It has various symbols burned on it that represent various gods. The runes have some inspirational quotes.
Last would be my runes. I made these myself, blessed with my sweat. They were made from a live branch from a tree in my yard and the runes burned on. Sealed with some lemon oil and kept safe in a luxurious Captain Morgan’s private stock bag ;-) I can really feel the strength in these. I don’t use them often, but when I do they never fail.
That’s about it for the set up. Later I will post some of the routines I go through and how all this stuff is used in a ritual.
"Heilir Æsir, heilar Ásynjar
heil sjá hin fjölnyta fold
mál ok manvit gefið okr mærum tveim
ok læknishendr meðan lifum!"
Sunday, June 3, 2007
The Lawn Fete incident.
Ok, for those who don't know(I didn't). A Lawn Fete(although it sounds heathen as all get out!) is something some churches do to raise money. It's kind of a small fair. They have games, food, rides for the kids, etc... My wife has some friends at a Catholic church in town and wanted to go because my little girl loves the rides. I went and did the family thing. Even when I went to church I found things like this to be kind of cultish. It's not like a normal fair with everyone just having a good time. Sure a few people are just as clueless as could be, just there because it's something to do on a Friday night. But for most, god is what it's all about. You throw down your quarter to take a chance on the cake wheel only to get the "Haven't seen you in church before" and they are none to pleasant with a "nor will ya" reply. I am on good behavior though, my wife works with some of these people. Most of the ones she knows are aware of my beliefs. In fact one of them got to hear all about them, she runs the shop where I made my plate. She seemed quite into my views after asking about the plate, or she at least faked it very well.
Anyway, there was a prayer jar up by the food for a young boy with cancer. These are things where you write out a little prayer and put it into the jar then it goes to the boy. I read the letters and was saddened by all of the Jesus will fix you, god will fix you, etc.. like the poor little guy was helpless in this. His life hung in the hand of the same guy who gave him the cancer in the first place right? Seems kind of cruel. So I filled out a prayer card "May Thor grant you his strength to battle this illness" then on the back I signed my name and wrote a little rune charm for strength and wholeness.
I hope it will give him the lift he needs to dig down and battle this illness. The gods will help him battle within himself. They can't do it for him, but they will help. That is unless some good doing Christian censors it before he gets a chance to read it. I have faith it will sneak through however.
Hailsa Will, the battle is yours to win!
Anyway, there was a prayer jar up by the food for a young boy with cancer. These are things where you write out a little prayer and put it into the jar then it goes to the boy. I read the letters and was saddened by all of the Jesus will fix you, god will fix you, etc.. like the poor little guy was helpless in this. His life hung in the hand of the same guy who gave him the cancer in the first place right? Seems kind of cruel. So I filled out a prayer card "May Thor grant you his strength to battle this illness" then on the back I signed my name and wrote a little rune charm for strength and wholeness.
I hope it will give him the lift he needs to dig down and battle this illness. The gods will help him battle within himself. They can't do it for him, but they will help. That is unless some good doing Christian censors it before he gets a chance to read it. I have faith it will sneak through however.
Hailsa Will, the battle is yours to win!
New toy.
Ok, before I start let me tell you how asinine our society is. I feel it is every mans god/gods given right, no DUTY to defend himself or his family. Our religion in fact states that. We are not a flock of passive sheep, anyone who tells you that will have to ignore all of human history. Now I in no way look like a victim. I am 5'11" - 6' and usually hang around 250 pounds of muscle. I would most likely dwarf my viking ancestors. I took Karate as a youth and later JuJitsu in the military. I'm sure if the government had anything to say about me, It would be against the law to walk out of the house with me. Sound crazy? Well, I have a cool new cane to walk with. I had it custom made by a guy in South Africa.
The thing is, If I carry it in public the government feels it is the same thing as packing a gun in my belt.
I don't feel anyone should be restricted from having an edged weapon in public. For one, hand to hand combat when needed is not the same thing as popping someone with a gun. Any coward can shoot someone. With an edged weapon you actually have to violate someone's personal space. I'm not sure when it became the government's right to tell me what I can and can't use for self defense. It's cowards who wrote these laws. People who couldn't stomach a hand to hand fight so they try to keep anyone from having the ability to inflict lethal force. This is the problem with society today. It has become a "protect me" society when it should be a "protect yourself" society.
Anyway, be careful if you think you can take on a big man because he is limping around on a cane. You could quickly lose your ability to hold your liquor, literally. ;-)
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