The Nine Noble Virtues: Discipline
Last week I said I was going to focus on discipline (one of the Nine Noble Virtues (NNV) of Heathenry) for the month of April, and as I’ve got a lot of changes coming up on the horizon, I think it’s going to be a really good one to start with. Discipline is a challenging...
Heroes and Magic and Gods, Oh my! Recommended Readings on Heathenry
Last week in the comments a reader asked for reading suggestions for those interested in learning more about Heathenry. I realized I had a lot to say about this topic, so I made a post out of it. Please know I am not a scholar and while I have been a Pagan for a long time...
Forgiveness May be a Virtue Among Pagans But It Is Not a Pagan Edict
I have pondered forgiveness from a Pagan perspective for several years because holding a grudge is a family trait I have to resist. I started thinking about it again last week when I outed myself as leaving an oath unfulfilled.* I find myself in a position of having to either set things right or make...
The Power of an Oath
I consider myself a newbie to Heathenry and am trying to learn from others as I move towards Heathen practice. One way I learn from others is from email lists where like minded people (or sometimes unlike minded people) share experiences, knowledge and personal beliefs about a topic. The topic of oaths recently emerged on...
Oh, Behave! – Wyrd, Frith, and the Social Contract
One of the most common defenses people give for religion is that it brings order to society. People look to their faith to tell them how to be good people, and because of their fear of God, Hell, or even the punishing power of priests, people choose to behave...
Autumnal Equinox Resolutions
I hope you and yours had a lovely equinox! Last autumnal equinox, what we Heathens call Winter Finding, I wrote about letting go of the old to make room for the new, and I thought I’d hold myself accountable by letting you know how I did. Last year I said I’d let go of… …the...
Defining a Heathen
As a writer, specificity in the meaning of the words we use is important to me. I think a lot of miscommunication happens because people have a different idea of what a word means, which can lead to misunderstanding and even arguments. We should know what we mean when we use a word, and our...
Freyfaxi or Hlæfæst and Honoring Freyr
The month of August has a Heathen holiday called either Freyfaxi, Hlæfmæsse [say laugh-mass but stick an ‘h’ on the beginning: hlaf-mass; it means loaf-mass], or Hlæfæst [say hlaf-fast; it means loaf-feast] which celebrates the beginning of the harvest... In Heathenry, we dedicate this holiday to Freyr, one of the highest gods of the North...
My Plans for Summer Solstice Ritual
Next Tuesday is the Summer Solstice and I am planning a ritual, or as Heathens call it, a blót (pronounced bloat). This will not be my first ritual (not by a long shot), but it will be the first blót have planned on my own. Jax usually takes care of the planning and the direction...
Frith in the Modern World
Frith is an obsolete English word meaning “peace; freedom from molestation, protection; safety, security”. – Wikipedia Frith is not obsolete to Heathens. We sign our emails, “In frith,†we wish it to each other when we part, and it’s a common blessing on the holidays. It was one of the first unfamiliar concepts I encountered...
Oh Thor, Mighty God of Thunder!
For a Heathen, I’m not a huge fan of Thor.* He’s always struck me a little too much like the stereotypical jock of Asgard. You know, that pretty boy who swings first and asks questions later. The one who’s defending the status quo with his big muscles and no thought about why (Jotunn bad; Thor...
The Right-Brained Viking
Not to brag on myself (okay, I’m bragging!), but I have many good qualities. I’m usually kind. I’m typically easy-going and great at forgiveness (well, for crimes against me anyway; I’m less great at forgiveness for crimes against my loved ones). And I think I’m pretty open-minded (sometimes I see so many sides of an...
