“Persevering Like Idun” – A Skald’s Life -Self Virtues

July 26, 2019July 26, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Frigg and Freya’s Day

Journal Entry:

Idun is the goddess of spring and renewal and my choice to represent Perseverance this week. The reason is the whole notion of spring coming out of winter every year is very much a story of life continuing to persevere. It rises out of death to live again and there is renewal. Renewal being an example fo perseverance.

Idun also keeps the golden apples of immortality for the gods. She was kidnapped once and this caused the gods to age, she endured imprisonment until Loki rescued her. She depicted as a beautiful woman and in its own way perseverance is very beautiful.

For myself, I can see how my continued getting up has preserved me and renewed me. But looking at Idun I can see it has the quality of making things new and stronger.

Discipline:

“Discipline is the willingness to be hard on oneself first and then if needed help with the development with others, so that greater purposes may be achieved.”

Principle: Apply discipline to every aspect of life that it can be applied.

Goal: To Be following a full Paleo Diet by March 31, 2020.

Bucket List: Do a rebellious act on April Fools Day, April 1st, 2020.

One thing needs to be said about my rebellious act. There is another bucket list of a sort that I have that is unwritten. Experiences I have denied myself because of my former faith and that is a lot of what this rebellious act is about. Making sure I live a little.

Perseverance:

“Perseverance is the ability to stand up and return from defeat and failure”

Principle: Keep getting up after every defeat or failure.

Goal: To engage in an exercise program that involves weightlifting, hiking/walking, and stretching/ yoga an average of three days a week from April 1st, 2019 to March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: To get at least one tattoo by March 18th, 2020.

Things going pretty smoothly here. No worries at present.

Fidelity:

“Fidelity is the will to be loyal to one’s Gods and Goddesses, to one’s Folk, to one’s self, and loyalty to one’s friends was as valued as highly as loyalty to one’s family.”

Principle: Be loyal to those who have been loyal to me.

Goal: ~~Celebrate my wife and I’s 30th anniversary (June 10th, 2019) with a mini-vacation~~ (achieved)

Bucket List: Discover all the countries of origin from my genetics and visit them all by March 18th, 2029.

As I become more pagan in my mindset, heritage becomes far more important. Knowing where I came from is pretty deep for me. It weighs more on my mind all the time.

Higher Virtue – Wisdom:

I am starting to draw a lot of wisdom from the stories in Norse Mythology. I can see why these stories endured and were told by them. The values of the Norse/Germanic people can be plainly seen in them.

Rest Day Routine:

Morning Routine
Wife: Communication / Cuddle Time
Blogging – Organize, revise, write a new post for the next day, 15 min. work on fiction.
Walking – 1 hour.
Cleaning – varies but one room of the apartment at least.
Reading – half an hour for enjoyment.

My son and I have started a kind of two-person book club and we will be starting to read a book together. It is a natural fit in my reading slot here.

Goals and Bucket List Items Achieved (Since Summer 2018):

Goals Achieved: 3

Graduated College with a BS in Political Science and minors in Economics and International Business – December 2018
Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship by May 2019 – May 2019
Celebrate my wife and I’s 30th anniversary (June 10th, 2019) with a mini-vacation – June 2019

Bucket List Items Achieved: 0

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Industrious Like Volundr” – A Skald’s Life – Business Virtues

July 24, 2019July 24, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Wooden’s (Odin’s) Day

Journal Entry:

The Norse God of Smiths is a logical choice for Industriousness. Known to the English as Wayland, this god was very popular with the entire northern European culture of old. As smith god, he is credited with the forging of at least fourteen swords in the various literature and is known for his skill and industry. He serves as a good example fo something to strive for as he is known for his focus, skill, and efficiency in working.

For myself, I strive to be a hard worker and enjoy the work I am doing. My jobs over the years have not always been to my liking but work at least gives the purpose of making a life for yourself by providing the financial means to do so. Volndr’s reputation though was a man who was committed to this but also he did what he loved to do – he truly was the smith of his own fortune.

Self-Reliance:

“Self-Reliance is the spirit of independence, which is achieved not only for the individual but also for the family, clan, tribe, and nation.”

Principle: To achieve and maintain personal independence and advocate for independence in my family, state and nation.

Goal: Find a new, better paying job by September 2019.

Bucket List: To own and run my own successful business or company by March 2029.

The job hunt continues. The long term game plan is still to own my own shit. Hard to get fired if you run the place.

Industriousness:

“Industriousness is the willingness to work hard, always striving for efficiency, as a joyous activity in itself”

Principle: Work with the enjoyment of work itself.

Goal: ~~Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship by May 2019 – May 2019~~ (achieved)

Bucket List: Write A Novel and Get it Published by March 2022.

The philosophical mindset is there. I enjoy working for its own sake, but I am also thinking I need to apply this to the discipline of writing. To enjoy the writing process as work rather than a hobby, I might be able to turn it into something that provides as well.

Hospitality:

“Hospitality is the willingness to share what one has with one’s fellows, especially when they are far from home.”

Principle: To share out of my abundance to help people where I can with their life’s journey.

Goal: By March 31st of 2020, to be the leader/participant in a group of some kind.

Bucket List: To own my own home by March 2024.

I miss the guys that used to meet in my shop for game night. Looking back on it, those times were some of the best. I think I might need this again wherever I may land as far as a career and place of employment.

Higher Virtue – Justice:

Justice is about each action with other people being right and fair. The hard part of justice, the work of it, is to be just when the other person is not in return. That said, once you have experienced injustice back at you, you don’t have to deal with that person again, if you don’t have to do so. Some relationships are just failed projects and need to be discarded as such.

Work Day Routine:

Morning Routine
Wife: Communication / Cuddle Time
Blogging – Organize, revise, write a new post for the next day, 15 min. work on fiction.
Weightlifting: Gym time – 1 hour after work.
Writing: Half-Hour on top of the blogging routine each day. Alternate between Non-Fiction Book and Novel.
Language Study: A half-hour on Latin
Personal Business: record financial transactions, savings plan actions, budgeting, appointments, other actions, etc.
Check Communications and Email after 2 pm but before 4 pm.
Nutrition: Daily Carb Count – 2

Made the change so writing is every day for a half-hour. I mean I am blogging already might as well keep going for another half- hour.

Still walking,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Courage Like Freya” – A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues

July 22, 2019July 22, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Moon’s Day.

Journal Entry:

I have already talked about the god of justice and courageous valor a couple weeks ago with Tyr. So with hi crossed off the list who to go with? Freya is the next obvious choice. 1) She is one of the choosers of the slain for her hall. Hall the fallen warriors go to her and the other half to Odin’s Valhalla. 2) She is the goddess of love and war. 3) I think she represents courage in a broad sense, not just of the battle nature, but that bold confidence in dealing with relationships as difficult as love.

For me, this foundational example of taking the courageous risk to love and form new friendships is the challenge. Freya calls one to take that risk despite past hurts and dangers. To understnad, it takes courage to form new friendships and love is her heart. Not only the war courage but the loving courage too. Confidence and pose no matter what is what Freya’s example teaches.

Honor:

“Honor is the feeling of inner value and worth from which one knows that one is noble of being, and the desire to show respect for this quality when it is found in the world”

Principle – To possess a feeling of inner value about myself and my future with a desire to find the same in others.

Goal: Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).

Bucket List: Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by March 2024.

Today’s post is 295 consecutive days of posting for The Grey Wayfarer. Getting close to passing the 300-day mark and ten straight months. Getting close now so need to stay focused and prepared.

Courage:

“Courage is the bravery to do what is right always.”

Principle – Act with Courage at the right time.

Goal: Cross one thing off bucket list every year. Deadline March 31st.

Bucket List: Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation by March 2029.

Just a not on a lot of my goals here as what some of them hinge on is a new job. Mostly a better-paying one. But I also see in my goals and bucket list items that this job needs to lead to a career that I enjoy. I have some life left to live and some bucket list items to cross off that depend on that too.

Truth:

“Truth is the willingness to be honest and to say what one knows to be true and right. It is often better to not say anything at all if one cannot be honest.”

Principle – To Be Honest, and Speak Truth to Myself and Others. To Be Silent in the presence of Fools.

Goal: To Write a Non-Fiction Book by March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: Learn Latin by March 31st, 2021 to the point I can take a test and show my self proficient.

Two things I need to get better at are studying Latin and writing. Period. That’s the Truth.

Higher Virtue: Love:

I have a conflict of love right now. Self-love vs. self-sacrifice is a big issue for me. I have done a lot of the latter in my life and very little of the former. Time switch that up for a while.

Morning Routine:

Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), Principles, Goals and Bucket List
Meditation – 3 min.
Check Communications and Email.
Paper Journal: Create Daily Log and To Do List.
Stretching / Yoga
Breakfast, Medications, and Supplements.
Shower and Personal Hygiene
Get Dressed for the Day

Slipped a little on this one this week. But for the most part, the important things are intact.

I remain.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Early Pagan Culture – Asatru (Part 2)” – The Pagan Pulpit

July 21, 2019July 21, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sun’s Day

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.

We also don’t take an offering here. We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it. Let’s be honest, offerings are not given to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it. Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: “Ancestors” – Lila Lilly

youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWcMO8020X4&w=1072&h=603%5D

Meditation:

People’s time has value. Learn to respect that and you will go a long way to understanding how to properly influence people without manipulation or coercion. Also by making people respect your time you will go a long way to learning to respect yourself.

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

My focus as I read the book in this first section on Asatru’s ‘history’ was to note at what spiritual concepts were being developed. As the people migrated but as agriculture also became more prominent. People began to settle but some continued to move around and engage in trade. Governments began to form as a way to deal with human interactions and threats. In all of this spirituality and religion began to develop.

In all of this certain spiritual concepts and ideas were started and began:

The hearth or fire becomes sacred both to spirituality and religion at this time. The fire was life and progress but also dangerous so it had that mysterious quality to our ancestors that they began to see as spiritual. Home and hearth develop at this time as more than just nice feelings but as the center of belief in the gods.
Various pantheons began to spring up all over Northern Europe and the idea of being spiritually inspired becomes common. It is the nature of many of the words that mean inspire that also correspond to the god Odin as his name and the root of ‘inspire’ are the same.
The number three becomes sacred.
There is some evidence that by the bronze age, a trained priesthood existed.
Magic as a concept begins and is practiced.

In the Norse lands, you begin to see the development of rituals involving ships, wagons, phallic men with weapons. There is a golden-haired goddess. You see carved representations and pictures that probably represent the earliest forms of Odin, Thor and Freya worship. Marriage rituals are started here.

The point of all this is to point out that Norse ancestors were developing a fairly sophisticated form of religion and spirituality long before Christ and Christianity. Long before any of the invasions by the Abrahamic religions. The people that would become the Vikings, were very much about the hearth, home, fertility, and being courageous in battle. What we need to understand is that no one was forced into this, it is simply what happened as these people looked at the world around them and tried to find answers to the things they didn’t understand.

Pagans respect each individual own spiritual walk. They don’t impose their views on others because that is not how their religion developed. Each person participated as much as they wished in the way they wished. You actually see this very early on. It is a deep understanding of these ancestors that Asatru takes as its roots.

Parting Thought:

What you are is apparent to everyone. Live your life and the accolades will come to you as you deserve them and who you are will be apparent. No need to brag about it. Those that do are often lying.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

Disciplined Like Snotra – A Skald’s Life – Self Virtues

July 19, 2019July 19, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Frigg and Freya’s Day

Journal Entry:

Snotra is one of the handmaidens of Odin’s wife Frigg. She is herself the goddess of prudence or wisdom and self-control. One of the joys of learning of this goddess in Norse mythology is that it confirms that self-control or discipline is coupled with wisdom in Norse thought. This is very much in line with my own thinking on the subject and it has been a nice confirmation.

I don’t know to many people who were dumb luck successful. Those that are often don’t know what to do with their success and squander it. It is the disciplines and wise that take the slow measured success and once they have it are able to maintain it. Snotra and her sphere are a constant reminder of that simple fact.

Discipline:

“Discipline is the willingness to be hard on oneself first and then if needed help with the development with others, so that greater purposes may be achieved.”

Principle: Apply discipline to every aspect of life that it can be applied.

Goal: To Be following a full Paleo Diet by March 31, 2020.

Bucket List: Do a rebellious act on April Fools Day, April 1st, 2020.

I need to be harder on myself these days. That way life later won’t kick me so hard or at all.

Perseverance:

“Perseverance is the ability to stand up and return from defeat and failure”

Principle: Keep getting up after every defeat or failure.

Goal: To engage in an exercise program that involves weightlifting, hiking/walking, and stretching/ yoga an average of three days a week from April 1st, 2019 to March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: To get at least one tattoo by March 18th, 2020.

Tattoos are on my mind a lot as my connection to the idea of documenting my journey in life. Of reflecting who I have been, who I am and who I would like to be. This concept dominates my mind every time I think of getting one and it has started burning in my mind more and more. If only my bank account was a little more fluid to allow this part of my journey to start.

Fidelity:

“Fidelity is the will to be loyal to one’s Gods and Goddesses, to one’s Folk, to one’s self, and loyalty to one’s friends was as valued as highly as loyalty to one’s family.”

Principle: Be loyal to those who have been loyal to me.

Goal: ~~Celebrate my wife and I’s 30th anniversary (June 10th, 2019) with a mini-vacation~~ (achieved)

Bucket List: Discover all the countries of origin from my genetics and visit them all by March 18th, 2029.

Heritage and ancestry are important and I need to seek out my own. If I can be loyal to anything it is the memory of those who have gone on before.

Higher Virtue – Wisdom:

I find it difficult to be wise these days. Last year at this time I was not very wise but I felt better than I had in a long time. The foolishness of love was more desirable to me than wisdom and it has its charms and wonders. I don’t regret that part of it. I do regret that I wasn’t wise enough to see the trap that was being set for me while I was under its spell, however. Never again. Stay disciplined. Stay wise.

Rest Day Routine:

Morning Routine
Wife: Communication / Cuddle Time
Blogging – Organize, revise, write a new post for the next day, 15 min. work on fiction.
Walking – 1 hour.
Cleaning – varies but one room of the apartment at least.
Reading – half an hour for enjoyment.

Yes. I think I will make writing an everyday thing. It needs to be right there with blogging as it keeps all the writing I need to do every day right together. I will make the change officially at the beginning of the week.

Goals and Bucket List Items Achieved (Since Summer 2018):

Goals Achieved: 3

Graduated College with a BS in Political Science and minors in Economics and International Business – December 2018
Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship by May 2019 – May 2019
Celebrate my wife and I’s 30th anniversary (June 10th, 2019) with a mini-vacation – June 2019

Bucket List Items Achieved: 0

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

The Family ‘Pagan’? – Odin’s Eye – Paganism

July 18, 2019July 18, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Thor’s Day.

Discussion:

Them: “So you’re a pagan?”

Me: “Sort of, I have pagan tendencies”

Them: “Pagan tendencies?”

Me: “Yeah, I believe the pagan spiritual concepts are pretty interesting, but I am not much into religion anymore, so I am not into that part of it.”

I know this conversation because I have had it a couple times. To say you are spiritual but think all religion is made up is a hard thing for people to grasp. I mean I have my rituals of meditation on the Nine Noble Virtues and my ritual of putting on my pendant for the day but that is pretty much it. Mostly I look at paganism spiritual concepts as a way to address the possibility of spiritual reality. In truth, I lean toward the deist side of things with an unknowable divine creator(s). The paganism simply allows me to reach out with my own sense of love and spirituality and address the question of what that divine creator or creators might be.

The issue of course for my family is that they are mostly Christian with a few exceptions. Mostly though I think they have trouble dealing with their long-time husband, father, and grandfather, who used to be a devout Chrisitan, who now doesn’t even go to church or even pray anymore. n short I have a far easier time adjusting to them than they do to me.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

“To see the truth, change one eye for another”

Faith:

My faith these days is more about lining up my spiritual philosophy of the Nine Noble Virtues with real life. Living virtuously means more to me than the whole mythology of choice thing. I like the Norse myths but the idea that any of those gods actually exist is the real of fantasy and no better or worse than any other mythology out there. For me, Norse mythology is closer to my ancestral roots and resonates with me more. But I ain’t praying to Odin or Thor. If there is any concept I like it is that we don’t pray to them. If there is a divine power of some sort, I would rather have this attitude of standing with them rather than bowing before them.

The reality of my faith is that if there is a god or not is irrelevant to it. If there is my pursuit of virtue should be honored. If there isn’t living by virtue in this world has its own rewards. Either way, this is the reality f choice when it comes to faith.

Religion:

My pagan religious aspects are few:

I meditate on the Nine Noble Virtues every morning along with my goals.
I put my pendant around my neck for the day after taking my shower. Mostly this marks the end of my morning routine.
I try to view all of life as a large spiritual lesson.
I celebrate holidays with my family and do it more with a pagan mindset, which is very easy as Christians have stolen most of the symbols for their holidays from the pagans.

I suppose you could add that I study pagan spirituality and religious practice as like reading about the Norse myths. I suppose if I were to ever join a Brethren it would be more for companionship and common interest. Not really all that different than most people in the church.

Theology:

Human beings are emotional, physical and rational. My theology simply adds spiritual to the mix as a way of tying that all together. There is a unified cohesion to things when you add the spiritual to me. That’s pretty much it.

Spirituality:

That spirituality is what gives me my pagan tendencies as I follow the basics of looking at life through a spiritual eye from time to time. Paganism is very much a matter of individual spiritual taste and I embrace that. mY pagan tendencies fit me and who I am and that is pretty much Ok with every pagan I know.

Conclusion:

I guess i am content to be the family ‘pagan’ for now. I don’t have too many problems with it. So far things are simply awkward when people want to talk about church and Jesus and I don’t really live in that context anymore. Nor do I wish to ever again.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Self-Reliant Like Freyr” – A Skald’s Life – Business Virtues

July 17, 2019July 17, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Wooden’s (Odin’s) Day

Journal Entry:

For those that know Norse Mythology, why I pick Freyr, the Norse God who is venerated by all and one of the chief gods, is no surprise. The god of the Vanir and the god of fertility (agricultural and personal), harvests, wealth, and peace. Everything one needs to be self-reliant is right there in everything his sphere touches. Heritage, Harvest, Hearth, and Home. The kind of small steading a Viking wanted where he could do all things for himself with only himself as his master. Freyr is the symbol of that to a large degree.

Self-reliance depends on one’s determination to be self-sufficient and work hard to both gain it and maintain it. Something I work hard to do these days. I want to have that place in the world that I maintain by myself. The stories of Freyr provide some inspiration for that.

Self-Reliance:

“Self-Reliance is the spirit of independence, which is achieved not only for the individual but also for the family, clan, tribe, and nation.”

Principle: To achieve and maintain personal independence and advocate for independence in my family, state and nation.

Goal: Find a new, better paying job by September 2019.

Bucket List: To own and run my own successful business or company by March 2029.

At the heart of it all is the desire for freedom where no one interferes. Independence. To get that I need the job and ultimately to be my own boss.

Industriousness:

“Industriousness is the willingness to work hard, always striving for efficiency, as a joyous activity in itself”

Principle: Work with the enjoyment of work itself.

Goal: ~~Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship by May 2019 – May 2019~~ (achieved)

Bucket List: Write A Novel and Get it Published by March 2022.

I want work that I enjoy. I enjoy working in general, I just want to be doing something that I consider a career that is fulfilling and not just the work for work’s sake. Writing offers one such avenue as I love doing it, I just want to be more disciplined at doing it regularly.

Hospitality:

“Hospitality is the willingness to share what one has with one’s fellows, especially when they are far from home.”

Principle: To share out of my abundance to help people where I can with their life’s journey.

Goal: By March 31st of 2020, to be the leader/participant in a group of some kind.

Bucket List: To own my own home by March 2024.

What I would like is a group where I am developing some new friendships. When I was in the church a created a small group where people shared their struggles with life and faith and it was good for me and many others. Now that I am a heathen I guess I need to find the equivalent.

Higher Virtue – Justice:

I still desire justice for a lot of things, but at the same time, I ain’t looking for a fight. So I move on trying to be as just as I can with others. My issue is trust and I don’t trust anyone right now. The product of trusting a couple people a year ago and having them fuck me over. It creates problems in personal relationships right now and I am fighting through it because justice involves trusting a person until they prove otherwise. That is difficult for me right now.

Work Day Routine:

Morning Routine
Wife: Communication / Cuddle Time
Blogging – Organize, revise, write a new post for the next day, 15 min. work on fiction.
Weightlifting: Gym time – 1 hour after work.
Writing: One Hour on top of the blogging routine each day. Alternate between Non-Fiction Book and Novel.
Language Study: A half-hour on Latin
Personal Business: record financial transactions, savings plan actions, budgeting, appointments, other actions, etc.
Check Communications and Email after 2 pm but before 4 pm.
Nutrition: Daily Carb Count – 2

I may have writing an everyday thing too right under blogging and reduce it to a half-hour.

Still walking,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Honor Like Balder” – A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues.

July 15, 2019July 15, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Moon’s Day.

Journal Entry:

Over the next three weeks, I am going to take each virtue and attach it to a god or goddess of the Norse mythology as a way of illustrating it. I will not use Odin, Tyr or Thor as I already have used them. Today I am looking at Honor and the god Balder.

The Norse God Balder is a tragic tale. Beloved by everyone, Balder is ultimately killed despite the foresight of his mother Frigg seeing his death. Balder is mourned by everyone and had it not been for Loki’s interference, he would have not found himself in Helheim.

Balder is not the strongest of the gods, far from it, but he is the most honored while he lived. I large part this is because he is simply honorable. Balder simply lives in such an honorable way everyone honors him. He is a reminder though that not everyone respects honor. Some people are quite jealous of it.

For me, this story is a goal of sorts. To be like balder and be honored simply for being honorable. It is a worthy goal.

Honor:

“Honor is the feeling of inner value and worth from which one knows that one is noble of being, and the desire to show respect for this quality when it is found in the world”

Principle – To possess a feeling of inner value about myself and my future with a desire to find the same in others.

Goal: Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).

Bucket List: Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by March 2024.

I want to have an inner feeling of value right now and the problem is I feel I am in the wrong place doing the wrong thing. That makes it difficult even though honor has nothing to do with either, for me they are a distraction from focusing on honor. I am distracted these days.

Courage:

“Courage is the bravery to do what is right always.”

Principle – Act with Courage at the right time.

Goal: Cross one thing off bucket list every year. Deadline March 31st.

Bucket List: Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation by March 2029.

Ik now the brave thing to do. I just don’t know how others are going to react. People are going to have to adjust but then again I don’t like putting people in positions that are uncomfortable. I also have no desire to do something that forces another person to do something they do not want to do. For myself, I think it is the right thing at the right time for a major change.

Truth:

“Truth is the willingness to be honest and to say what one knows to be true and right. It is often better to not say anything at all if one cannot be honest.”

Principle – To Be Honest, and Speak Truth to Myself and Others. To Be Silent in the presence of Fools.

Goal: To Write a Non-Fiction Book by March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: Learn Latin by March 31st, 2021 to the point I can take a test and show my self proficient.

I don’t talk much, see my principle for why.

Higher Virtue: Love:

Love is a key factor, The issue as always is mutual happiness. There cannot come a point where to make someone else happy you are miserable. I never want to be there again.

Morning Routine:

Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), Principles, Goals and Bucket List
Meditation – 3 min.
Check Communications and Email.
Paper Journal: Create Daily Log and To Do List.
Stretching / Yoga
Breakfast, Medications, and Supplements.
Shower and Personal Hygiene
Get Dressed for the Day

Solid. The most enjoyable part of the day.

I remain.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“The First Heathens – Asatru (Part 1)” – The Pagan Pulpit

July 14, 2019July 14, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sun’s Day

Announcements:

Theme Song: ‘Tròdlabùndin (Spellbound)’ – Eivør Pálsdóttir

This is as mysterious and beautiful as a beautiful naked woman in the moonlight.

Translation: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/tr%C3%B8llabundin-spellbound.html

Meditation:

Text:

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

It is hard to say when the first pagans reached out with their inherent spirituality to try to understand the spiritual world around them. It is known that in roughly 9000 BC as the Ice Age was receding, the first peoples walked into Scandinavia. Basically a hunter and gatherer culture. They revered the nature that was around them and respected it for the wild and untamed thing it was. In discussions on the belief of Giants, the idea that the giants were big monstrosities is debated. What is not debated is that they represented powerful forces of nature – Storm, Hills, Fire, Ice, etc. It is clear these early people respected them – and feared them.

Resources were abundant so hunting, and fishing and gathering continued for some time before agriculture set in. Ancestor worship started in the whole of the Germanic areas of the world. Respect for those who had paved the way and also spirits of nature were worshiped depending on where people were. As they became more sedentary with agriculture, long term relationships with nature spirits developed and more formal worship practices developed as people had more time because of agriculture.

It is this dual purpose in paganism that you see throughout all of them. Respect for the power of the forces of nature on the one hand and yet respect also for the legacy of ancestors who learned to tame those forces and bend them ever so slightly for the will of man. It is this last part that leads I think to the creation of the gods and goddesses. Reveared ancestors go from local hero to legend to diety. It makes me wonder sometimes who the real Odin was.

For myself, I can respect the lessons here. Up here in the north, if you don’t respect the power of a blizzard, they will find your corpse frozen in the morning. Every year, I am reminded of the power of nature in the southern states as Hurricane season hits. At the same time, I can respect the foundation of the past and build on it knowing that men and women of old carved out human existence with their bare hands and have handed their legacy to me at this time. Someday I will hand it off to the future. In both cases, one cannot be anything but humbled.

Parting Thought:

Truth is a difficult concept for some. I don’t hang around them.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Adjustments” – A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues

July 8, 2019July 8, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Moon’s Day.

Journal Entry:

Starting next week I want to do what I did last week by taking each virtue and one of the Norse Pantheon to reflect that virtue and discuss more deeply the Virtue, its Principle, and the attached goal and bucket list item. I think this would be an interesting way to look at it for a period of three weeks.

For today though, and the rest of his week, I need to talk about a few things and mostly when it comes to the stuff below my journal entry it is a matter of adjustment. Fine tuning things as I go into the July through September quarter of the year. I think these things are going to go much better as my philosophy of life and spiritual viewpoint are starting to be clearer. More solid.

Now, if I can just come up with a long term plan to deal with The Grey and all the triggers I have been running into these days, I might be a lot better off. I still have seven of my nine goals for the year still on my plate and nine months to get them done. Grey or No Grey, I need to move forward with my life.

Honor:

“Honor is the feeling of inner value and worth from which one knows that one is noble of being, and the desire to show respect for this quality when it is found in the world”

Principle – To possess a feeling of inner value about myself and my future with a desire to find the same in others.

Goal: Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).

Bucket List: Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by March 2024.

This is day 281 of this blog in a row. I started it on October 1st, 2018. To put this in perspective I have 84 days to go, less than three months and I will achieve the goal here. It isn’t that far to go.

I want a job with enough disposable income to get my hiking gear and start gearing up to my hike in the UP during a vacation or something before 2024. A lot of my bucket list goals depend on something changing as far as my employment. I need to focus on that from now until the end of September. Hopefully, something will come up sooner than that.

Courage:

“Courage is the bravery to do what is right always.”

Principle – Act with Courage at the right time.

Goal: Cross one thing off bucket list every year. Deadline March 31st.

Bucket List: Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation by March 2029.

The bucket list is designed to be more long-term than the goals but one of the goals is to get one thing off that list each year. That way progress on my bucket list is ongoing. I am thinking the tattoo will be first.

There is only one major city in the world I have liked in my life when I was in it and that was Budapest, Hungary. I want to go back. So many of my bucket list items involve travel. Hmm. Wayfarer and travel, I wonder if there is a connection?

Truth:

“Truth is the willingness to be honest and to say what one knows to be true and right. It is often better to not say anything at all if one cannot be honest.”

Principle – To Be Honest, and Speak Truth to Myself and Others. To Be Silent in the presence of Fools.

Goal: To Write a Non-Fiction Book by March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: Learn Latin by March 31st, 2021 to the point I can take a test and show my self proficient.

I know what I am going to write and I know what the outline is because as a Chrisitan I used that outline several times. Just now I am going at that same outline as a skeptic. The only thing I wrestle with regarding this book is so many of my friends and family are Christians and I know the contents of this book will upset them.

Latin in a couple years, the only thing is I feel sometimes a modern language might make me more employable, but I like the romance of learning Latin. Who knows maybe I will get this done quickly and move on to a Modern language after that.

Higher Virtue: Love:

It has been one of those weeks where the virtue of Love and I have had our struggles. I am trying to figure out love these days more and more. I am not having a lot of luck. It is as a struggle because love has been both the best thing for me at times and also the worst. It has to be one of the most dangerous things ever, if not properly handled.

Morning Routine:

Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), Principles, Goals and Bucket List
Meditation – 3 min.
Check Communications and Email.
Paper Journal: Create Daily Log and To Do List.
Stretching / Yoga
Breakfast, Medications, and Supplements.
Shower and Personal Hygiene
Get Dressed for the Day

Still a solid thing and now I do this routine a little less pressed for time by putting the blog post each day at 4 pm.

I remain.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

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