Wane Wyrds

Since it will be Lammas in a few days, It got me thinking about the Wheel of the Year. Any pagan is probably familiar with the Wheel of the Year, which is basically a represen tation of the yearly calendar and the main pagan festivals or holidays. It most usually appears as something like this: But what about heathen holidays? Most of the Wheel of the Year is based upon other European pagan cultures, such as the Celts, rather than the Norse cultures. So do heathens follow the Wheel of the Year? Well, in my experience, some do. Some who come to heathenry from other pagan traditions or from Wicca itself are simply most comfortable with the symbolism and set up of the traditional wheel of the Year calender. Personally, I see nothing wrong with that. I think one of the main reasons that the Wheel of the Year is so popular among pagans is that it is relevant to any earth based tradition. It reflects what we see in the cycles of the year. Also, many popular pagan traditions can claim some i...

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So, due to some circumstances in my personal life I won't go into, I have been thinking a lot lately about the sacrifices we all make for the future, and the cost of having a truly beautiful thing. Now of course I am not talking about the physical realm, or material possessions. Rather I am talking about emotional gifts and treasures, things without substance. We hear so often that "the best things in life are free" or other such sentiments. Now I would agree when one puts that in the context of free=no monetary reimbursement. But is it true on a deeper level. Things like love, friendship, fulfillment, happiness even...are these things really free? And should they be? Part of the reason my heathen/pagan faith appealed to me in the first place was the absence of this ideal set. I simply can't find any relevance in the mainstream Christian ideas of worth and sacrifice. I cannot see the reality in a faith that tells me that simply believe in this one thing, i.e. christ a...

Sometimes it is hard to find different widespread pagan and heathen information, blogs, and websites on the web. That is why I am always on the lookout for new web portals and sites that provide listings for them to be found in one convenient place. I also am overjoyed when I find those that are actually up to date and don't contain alot of random links to blogs or websites that are no longer used or even exist. Just yesterday I came across the Fluid Druid Web portal for pagans and heathens. I have been checking out much of the links and have yet to find any that are old and incomplete. I actually got in touch with the administrator and had my own site added, because the links there are all good solid websites and there is a literal wealth of information to be had, all current and easily accessible. Since there is not currently a button or gadget I can add, I have added the link to the sidebar so anyone can access the site from my blog, and will also add the link here in this post....

I always pay close attention to the animals which are commonly associated with a particular deity when studying mythology. Perhaps it my own deep connection with the earth element or a bit of comparative inquiry, but I like to look at how a particular animal is viewed and its symbolism within various cultures to get a sense of what the possible implications may be for the particular deity it is associated with. To me it is simply like looking for the small pieces of a puzzle which when combined can give one a richer understanding of the deity in question. Doing so for my own Gods is of particular importance to me. Being there is so little left of Vanic oriented lore or historical evidence, I feel that one of my responsibilities as a follower is to find out, i.e., piece together as much meaning and understanding about them as is possible, even if the methods of discovery are at times eclectic. Anyway, my personal thoughts on symbolism and mythology aside, I wanted to examine just one cu...

Since there is a massive heat wave and drought going on around here and most other places in this part of the world, I decided to post one of my favorite recipes, which I made this morning and enjoyed as part of breakfast. I love pumpkin, but outside of traditional American pumpkin pie, I confess I don't have pumpkin more than a couple times a year. I decided not long ago to find more ways to incorporate it into our family diet, and this was one of the first recipes I tried out. The pumpkin lends a little magick to this recipe in its traditional association to the earth, the sun, and the harvest. I feel that this makes it a good vegetable to associate with my own Gods, the Vanir. Not only is it a delicious summertime treat, but also a reminder that fall is just around the corner, the harvest is well on its way, and the oppression of the summer heat will soon give way to the cooling breezes of the fall. It reminds me of the cyclical nature of the seasons and of life itself. Frey...

I was having a conversation with a close friend of mine the other day, and it got me thinking about the price we pay for certain abilities. This person was raised Catholic in the very traditional sense, but now in their adulthood profess a very secular view of religion. In the most commonest sense, they profess a tendency more toward a general spirituality rather than religious belief. Indeed by my own view, I would describe it as a sort of religious apathy. In their own words they "simply forget about all that, and get on with their life." It is a mindset that most of us have experienced at some point in our lives, and which many in this day and age pursue for a lifetime. Personally this does not bother me, whether spiritual, religious, apathetic, atheist, that is a for the individual to choose, and there are good people among them all. I make no judgement of character based on those things, indeed I think those who do so are foolish, but back to the point. Sometimes, outs...

I was reading about the Vanic God Kvasir, whose blood created the Mead of Poetry, and came across something that struck me. In the Skaldskarparmal, the story goes that Kvasir, the wisest of the Vanir, was invited to the home of the dwarfs Fjalar and Galar, supposedly for a private interview. When Kvasir arrived the two dwarfs killed him and placed his blood in three containers, two cauldrons and a kettle. This blood was eventually mixed with honey to create the Mead of Poetry, or Poetic Inspiration, which Odin eventually acquired. Now there is a general agreement by scholars that this story, and the creation of Kvasir from the spittle of both the Aesir and Vanir, is a metaphor for ancient practices of brewing as well as peacemaking practices involving the sharing of mead or beer. I think that is probably likely myself, but I was also struck by a particular bit of information in the story itself, and that is what I want to discuss here. The Wikipedia article on Kvasir states that when t...

So this is a rant. I don't expect others to agree with me, or even like some of my opinions. That's the disclaimer...lol. I am about sick of this new trend I have noticed within Asatru and Odinism or whatever you call it, to try and make Odin the end all and be all of the Northern pagan mythology. It seems like everyday I am confronted with something or another essay or personal opinion attempting to convince me that Odin is the most important or most powerful of all the Gods. I can understand this perspective, if one is an Odinist, naturally Odin himself is going to be your focus. Go for it, that's your personal faith, it's not my place to say what is right or wrong for another. If you are Asatru, I can understand your focus on Odin to a lesser extent. This is not what bothers me. A person's personal deity or patron, that is fine and IMO, healthy even. What irritates me is that it seems like many of those dedicated to Odin are dead set on negating the lore of any o...

Image by Thalia Took, all rights are the artists Translation of Tacitus' Germania , passage from Chp. 40. A. R. Birley translation: By contrast, the Langobardi are distinguished by being few in number. Surrounded by many might peoples they have protected themselves not by submissiveness but by battle and boldness. Next to them come the Ruedigni, Aviones, Anglii, Varini, Eudoses, Suarines, and Huitones, protected by river and forests. There is nothing especially noteworthy about these states individually, but they are distinguished by a common worship of Nerthus, that is, Mother Earth, and believes that she intervenes in human affairs and rides through their peoples. There is a sacred grove on an island in the Ocean, in which there is a consecrated chariot, draped with cloth, where the priest alone may touch. He perceives the presence of the goddess in the innermost shrine and with great reverence escorts her in her chariot, which is drawn by female cattle. There are ...