“Fate and Nine Worlds” (Asatru – Part 24) – The Pagan Pulpit

January 12, 2020January 12, 2020 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, goddesses, or whatever powers that be (if any) 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: “Iceland Viking Battle Song”

Meditation:

Text:

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

Sermon:

Of course, the centerpiece of any religion is ultimately its cosmology. Where did we come from? How did we get here? Who are we in the universe? What happens after we die/ how will the world end? These questions are in part what the religion clings to as they seem to be questions with no way to have a definite answer. Asatru is no exception.

The Nine worlds are probably well known to most followers of Asatru and anyone who has even a passing interest in Norse mythology is the idea of the nine worlds and their interaction with each other tat dominates cosmology. Midgard is the realm of earth. Asgard the realm of the gods. And with seven others there is no simplicity here and that makes sense. All the nine worlds are part of the Yggdrasill the world tree.

There’s a concept of fate to the Asatru way but not in the way you think at first. One’s day fo death is fated but how and in what ay one dies is up to the person. One cannot know that day so one must live bravely knowing each day could be that day. This makes vk=ikings tend to live on the edge and push life to its fullest knowing one cannot determine the day of one’s death but one can determine how one lives so one might have a good death. I suppose this is a practical cosmology in this sense. The philosophy being live fully and bravely at all times.

One’s ultimate fate is then determined by how one died. Common death often earned Helheim with its queen Hella, but for the brave who died in battle – Valhalla. There are of course many other options for all the other deaths. But these are probably the two most well known. One could say that how one dies has a great bearing where one will spend the next phase of one’s life until Ragnarok.

I suppose for an atheist such as myself, the lesson is one of living life fully as one can not know when one is going to die so making a memorable end would be worth something to those that love me. This s one area of Asatru where I think the cosmology is interesting but the real world is little like the world of Yggdrasill.

Parting Thought:

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Redefining Fidelity” – A Skald’s Life – Self Virtues

November 23, 2019November 23, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sif’s Day.

Journal Entry:

When you have had an affair wrestling with fidelity is an issue. You might say it has become a ‘what went wrong” issue for me. But that is not all that factors into this. There are a lot of practical concerns not least of which is as an atheist the basis for marriage has to be practical and also involve spiritual issues from that standpoint.

Are we compatible? Are we good for each other? Etc. Feelings of love aside there is the simple question of ‘what is the purpose of marriage, or any other relationship for that matter if there is no god to answer to?’ When the vows you took have no basis to you anymore why do you have to be faithful and should you? It is a discussion my therapist and I are starting to have.

But fidelity is bigger than marriage and my largest problem with my definition of the virtue of fidelity is that it is taken from Asatru which assumes the existence of gods to be loyal to. It has probably needed a rewrite for some months because of this. Mostly this idea of gods needs to be addressed but there is also the issue of friends and being loyal to myself.

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 30th, 2020 – Beltane.

I really have no problem with this definition of discipline. One might quibble about the ideas involving others in light of my new understanding of self-reliance, but leadership does require good discipline of the group you lead to be an effective leader.

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.

No problems.

Fidelity:

“Fidelity is the will to be loyal to one’s moral philosophy, to one’s family, one’s friends, and most important to one’s self, and loyalty to one’s friends is 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.

Changed gods and goddesses to moral philosophy
Added freinds officially to the list of groups to be loyal to
Emphasized loyalty to self.
I moved things to the present tense instead of the past tense.

Higher Virtue – Wisdom:

Wisdom is found in consistency. As a writer, I dislike plot holes, dangling side plots, etc. In a same vein, I don’t like inconsistency in one’s viewpoint. Hypocrisy might have an excuse in someone who believes that simply by believing in atonement their hypocrisies are forgiven and thus justified. There is no such idea in atheism. You better have some level of pride to be an atheist and this means to have honor and being ashamed when you fail.

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.
Cleaning – varies but one room of the apartment at least.
Reading – 1/7th of a book
Writing – 3000 Words

Solid, it’s just when I have days off I tend to get lazy about things.

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

Goals Achieved: 5

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
Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).
By March 31st of 2020, to be the leader/participant in a group of some kind.

Bucket List Items Achieved: 0

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Being a Friend of the Gods” (Asatru – Part 19) – The Pagan Pulpit

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

Happy Sol’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.

Theme Song: “A Sacrifice for the Gods” – Chulainn Music

Mediation:

Text:

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

Sermon:

The are many other Norse gods I could have continued with but I will leave the issue of which god or goddess someone venerates and why to the actual followers of Asatru as that is not my purpose in this series. The main point from a pantheon of deities is that you can find one or several that you can consider yourself friends with. Being a friend of the gods is the main concept here not fawning worship and abject humiliation. This is an important concept to repeat at this point because it affects the idea of what sacrifice and worship are, as compared to other religions.

It is this being a friend based on admiration and respect that differs Asatru and many other pagan forms from most of what people normally consider worship. There is no bending the knee in supplication to the gods. There is no begging and pleading in prayer. Rather there is an asking to be empowered by them to achieve what one wants for themselves. There is no sin, so there is no need for forgiveness but rather a simple need to be better than one was yesterday.

You might look at this way that the Asatru virtues of Fidelity and Self-Reliance are very much a part of this concept. it is about the loyalty of friendship but at the same time painting balance with that by a desire to be independent and self-reliant. The gods are friends not objects of fawning worship. This is expressed in the idea that a person who follows Thor is not a worshiper of thor, but a ‘friend of Thor.”

If was a member of Asatru, I would be considered first and foremost a “Friend of Odin” but I have to admit I admire the sexy independence of Freya as well. Which would put me in good standing in either hall I would find myself in if I died in battle. I could nod my head to the others but it is these two I would want to be friends with even though there are dangers associated with being a friend of either of them.

Theologically speaking, it seems to me that any god that needs lordship to be a god is no god at all. The god of the bible, for instance, is jealous and demands worship thus indicating his insecurities. The Norse gods by contrast simply are portrayed as being of power that one can be friends with. This indicates they are quite secure in themselves and need no such blind devotion. If I still believed in any god, this is the kind of god I think I would rather have been true – one that isn’t an insecure prick but simple one that offers friendship. Kind of reminds me of this prayer in a movie

Parting Thought:

No Gods, No Masters

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Pagan Holidays: Winternights / Halloween/Samhain – Part 2” – Odin’s Eye

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Discussion:

I am going to talk about modern Halloween and why it is now my favorite holiday. Mostly it is because for a long time I was told as a Christian that it was satanic or full of witchcraft. It is a Wiccan holiday in its original form but also pretty basically pagan as well. Much fo what we see is hold over symbols from a bygone age that survive in large part because it is a fun holiday.

In the United States, the retail business has realized something – it is the second most money grossing holiday of the year. Literally, second only to Christmas now. Easter has fallen to third and Valentine’s fourth. It has become more than a holiday for kids trick or treating. Adults here have very adult Halloween parties without the kids. I mean you are dressed up as something else and often people cannot tell who you are if you do it right. Add alcohol, candy, and sensuality and you get the modern American US Halloween.

Most 0f the pagan roots of this holiday are lost and that is probably, on the one hand, Ok and on the other hand. something for those of us that like to dig deeper is missing.

Oh, yeah I am using the pin-up girls again for this one. This time though vintage classic ones that I love. It’s not very politically correct, but 1) it’s Halloween and 2) I don’t give a fuck what the language-thought nazis say.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

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

Faith:

I am going to deal with the more Wiccan holiday of Samhain in this one that is now modern Halloween. This is actually the biggest festival of the Wiccan calendar and thus most celebrated. It’s opposite number and Spring festival is Beltane. You might say these two festivals bookend Summer and Winter. A festival of the dead, spirits and thus full of the familiar phrase – trick or treat. This reflects their appeasement of those prankster spirits and thus have them pass over your place. The Jack-o-Lanterns and many other customs reflect this.

I don’t believe in the supernatural but I find the whole holiday interesting because it is such a quilt work of different pagan traditions that it is fun to guess where which tradition came from and how it came to be. I have faith this is a fun and interesting holiday.

Meditation:

Like Beltaine, I feel that this holiday reflects the very human need to blow off steam. We can’t be good all the time and sometimes you just need to go and be a little naughty and mischevious. Beltane is perfect for this and Halloween even more so. My meditations on human nature simply lead me to think that people need to stop being so good for a couple days a year and Halloween is one of those days.

Theology:

Growing up this was Satan’s holiday. We didn’t participate or were told not to. my father this was bullshit, Chrisitan though he was. He was the one that told me that there is a great deal of difference between what something was and what it is. He felt what Halloween is now was more about having a good time and in some respect connecting with your neighbors.

Of course, the average Wiccan doesn’t believe in or worship Satan any more than they do the Chrisitan god. But people have a way of trying to make you inferior for a stupid reason like they don’t do holidays like this while you do; so you are morally less than them. Got sick of this shitty theology long before I left Christianity.

Spirituality:

I do find the idea of appeasing the spirits to be an interesting spiritual concept in paganism. The one area of Norse mythology that is rich but extremely complicated so I don’t address it is the whole issue of earth spirits, elves, and dark elves. It would be a fascinating study and probably relates to Winternights and Halloween a lot. I just look at it with awe as to how complicated it seems.

For myself, the connection with the past, the spending time with people as a community celebrating something is enough. It is these connections and having fun with them that denote my ‘spirituality’.

Conclusion:

Why do I like this holiday so much? Because of all the holidays in the US calendar, it has nothing to do with God, Christianity, Patriotism, or anything like them. It remains truly pagan despite Christianity making November 1st All Saints Day. Halloween gives November 1st the middle finger and that just makes me smile.

I also like the grey side to Halloween – the naughty side to it. It gives new meaning to the words – ‘trick or treats?’ and that is very Ok with me. Just remember sometimes the answer to that question is – yes.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Pagan Holidays: Winternights / Halloween – Part 1” – Odin’s Eye

October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Discussion:

Last year I had very little time to discuss my favorite holiday – Halloween but also I was just developing in my understanding of pagan holidays and what they meant to me. At this point, with The Grey Wayfarer heading into its second year, I think and feel it is time to look at what we are celebrating at this time of year and have a little fun.

In pagan terms, Halloween translates to Winternights for the Norse Tradition. Winternights runs from October 29th to November 2nd so there is more to it than a single day although the Winternights Festival is October 31st. Winter begins officially for pagans on this day and the Wild Hunt is said to be released. It is at this point all the darker beings and spiritual forces are venerated or perhaps it is best said – appeased from the Norns to Hel the goddess of the dead.

This is after all about honoring the dead from the past year and harvest which is basically the beginning gathering dead plants and butchering animals that won’t last the winter in preparation for winter.

There is a custom I find interesting in regards to harvest and the Norse religion. Leaving the last bits of the harvest – the ‘last sheaf’ as it were – for Odin. The god of the dead and all-father gets part fo the harvest to signal its end as he is the one said to lead the Wild Hunt. The point being that roads and fields no longer belong to humans but to The Hunt.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

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

Faith:

When I look at winternights from a faith perspective, it is not so much a celebration of all the spiritual forces for me but of the finality of life as being part of life itself. Everything comes to an end. The Hunt becomes symbolic of how the winter washes the leftovers away and begins life anew in the Spring. Nature is a wonderful force of life, death, and renewal and we need to have some awe and wonder about that.

Meditation:

I have been asked what meaning in life that an atheist can possibly have. It is a good question as many people think without life after death life doesn’t mean much. I would say then they haven’t really defined for themselves or discovered the meaning of their life. As an atheist, I define my own meaning and that is what scares people. People who think others should be controlled would not like this as they use either religion or politics to do so. For me meaning has been found in my times of meditation as I build my life myself. People who understand this level of liberty are truly free.

Theology:

Theology’s only use for me these days is to point out flaws in theology. It is a fun exercise to be a theologian who is effectively an atheist. In a sense, I start theologically now from zero and people need to show me how and why I should add to that. The issue for winternights is that I look at its celebration as recovering a lost heritage not some reference to gods or goddesses in any other way than that.

Spirituality:

Holloween offers me a chance to be in connection with my fellow weirdos as far as the general spirit of the holiday. I don’t have much money, so a costume is out but I think that my own addition to the creative spirit of this holiday will be to carve a pumpkin or two. Someday, I want to join this and other celebrations with a full heart and effort. But I feel some major change is needed both in the realms of practicality and in mind and heart.

Conclusion:

This opening part has been about the holiday. The next two will be some of my personal thoughts as we get closer to it and the final part will drop the day before Halloween itself. You might even get a few personal pictures as we head toward and through winternights.

One final note: you have probably noticed all the wonderful pin-ups in this post. I love pin-up girls as an art form plus they are sexy as hell, and Halloween has a lot of them. This week all of them come from one of my favorite artists – Matt Dixon. I prefer the more vintage classic artists, but Dixon has his own style that is edgy and I like that.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Evolving Spirituality” – Odin’s Eye

October 9, 2019October 10, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Discussion:

I have found a great deal of fascination in defining spirituality in terms of evolutionary development. I feel that religion is in many ways a codified attempt to explain where people were at certain times in their understanding of spiritual evolution. The problem is that religion has a tendency to anchor us to that moment. We don’t move on from there once someone says: “This is spiritual Truth” with a capital T.

We should recognize that these moments of spiritual understanding are not capitalized but are a moment of truth at is both evolving and fleeting because there is other truth with a small t to discover and the truth we are at that moment is just the next part fo the path that leads to other truth.

Spiritual evolution demands that we explore the truth and keep moving from one part of it to the next. This is something that I am learning right now and I am hoping my time stagnated in Christianity hasn’t robbed me of my chance to be a better person. Is the next step for human evolution to take our growing and developing consciousness to the next level?

Time to Look Through the Eye:

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

Faith:

I am effectively an agnostic/atheist that explores spirituality because I think that inside spirituality, and to a lesser extent religion, is that spark of genius that given enough time might lead to human beings evolving to another level of consciousness. My start in this began with Asatru but much of what I do in meditation is straight-up psychology and neurologically proven stuff. Religion and spirituality do tap into something that neurologically works and I have assurance, not faith, that this is true. Much of what we know scientifically now is someone looking at what humans spiritually thought once upon a time and then science going and investigating if it was true. In this, they discovered some faith was bogus and other faith had the spark of truth that led to a greater understanding.

Meditation:

My meditation times have been taken up mostly with virtue and thinking on this concept of my own personal spiritual evolution. I feel very free of shackles right now when it comes to spiritual things. myu definition of spirituality is more about human consciousness and the idea right now is to explore my own consciousness with restrictions. I guess that is why I view my exploration of paganism as part of that because paganism acknowledges that each person is unique in their spiritual capacity and understanding of the world around them and they are not trying to proselytize anyone.

Theology:

Right now, theology is not something I can use that much as someone who has no effective belief in god. From an evolving consciousness point of view, I also am not looking to an imaginary friend to help me, but rather if there is any ‘god’; to be found it is this thing inside my head that makes decisions, engages the world around me and stretches out in relationships to others.

Spirituality:

My spirituality as defined as an exploration of my own consciousness and in bringing to myself a new understanding of who I am and that part of me that I still am learning about. I want to stay truly with understanding myself and why I do what I do.

Conclusion:

I don’t know what truths I will discover but this journey as The Grey Wayfarer has its bright moments. Those moments are usually spiritual in the sense of understanding human consciousness spiritual. There is a lot more road ahead of me to walk yet, and this is what makes me get up every single day.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Meditation Altar” – Odin’s Eye

October 2, 2019October 2, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Discussion:

Over the last couple of weeks, my mind has drifted in meditation and part of the issue is of course foci. I don’t have many and there is also something to having a ritual in meditation that helps you down-center and then clears your head in order to open it up to thoughts and feelings that are more focused.

I was reading another blog a little while ago and this is why my head has been thinking of a meditation altar of sorts with a few rituals to focus and calm down. Then I can concentrate on virtues and any other thoughts about the coming day. If you want to read the source document for my thoughts: ” Welcome to My Altars” – Myst Nokomis.

Of course, this leads to another discussion as meditation seems to indicate that I might be believing in something beyond and I have to reiterate that meditating does not necessarily indicate that one has spiritual beliefs. A book I would recommend for those who believe that meditation can be something outside the spiritual is How Words Can Change Your Brain by Newburg and Waldman. These two guys are neuroscientists who study brain patterns and basically developed a meditative technique based purely on meditation on positive virtues. It works in that it allows a human brain to very much focus on those virtues and it takes as little as three to five minutes.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

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

Faith:

Meditation for me then is not necessarily about faith. I follow Asatru for two basic reasons. Firstly, I am a practitioner of the Nine Noble Virtues and try to apply them to my life. Secondly, I am trying to recover my lost pagan heritage in terms of culture and religion. My meditation is more about the virtues and my studies of mythology and religion of the Vikings are pretty much about the second.

Meditation:

Meditation is about me awakening my mind and emotions. It about concentrating on the things that matter to me and how to engage the world around me. I turn inward in order to deal with the outward better when I come out of meditation. My desire for a ritual and an altar of sorts is about consistency. Religion has tapped into one thing if I take Newburg and Waldman’s book seriously, and that it understands the importance of routine and repetition. That’s the point for me.

Theology:

For all practical purposes, I have no active belief in any god, goddess or force. It makes me academically an agnostic epistemologically and an atheist in the reality of my belief. If I have belief in anything then it is in humanity itself of which much of mythology is nothing more than personification of human forces of various kinds and the forces of nature that human beings relate to regularly. Humanity is my ‘diety’ if you will and I express that understanding through Asatru and relate best to Norse mythology. It’s not that I don’t hold myself open to other views. It is just I am still seeking and looking for the rational divine if it exists.

Spirituality:

Spirituality is about virtue, relationships, mind, emotion, body, and connections. As such my one spiritual practice is meditation. I don’t pray anymore. I don’t fast or any of that stuff. I simply seek to get my mind and heart right at the start of every day and then live my life. In truth, this is probably the essence of all spiritual life.

Conclusion:

On a practical side, I am going to make a meditation altar that involves as many of the senses as possible. Sight, smell, touch, sound, etc. I think the more I connect my meditational thoughts to as many senses as possible the more they will be both remembered and have a positive effect on my life. That, I suppose, is another thing that religion does tap into that is very human.

I need something that can move and be put away, probably has symbols, candles, and incense. For sound probably I will have to use my phone and earphones. I guess what would constitute a taste fitting for meditation might be a question I have but I will think about it. The main objective being to have tihs in place before the month is out.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Haustblot – A Fall Festival (September 22nd-23rd)” – Odin’s Eye – Holidays

September 25, 2019September 26, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Discussion:

This holiday actually was celebrated a few days ago. Haustblot or Fallfest is associated with the end of the harvest season. Perhaps it would be better to say it celebrates the beginnings of the end of the harvest season which will continue right up to Winternights. This is a minor blot or festival and so it is not given a lot of fanfare per se. But it does mark the beginning fo the fall season.

A lot of gods and goddesses are honored at this point and reflected on. Anyone of them that is associated with the harvest or fertility is on the list. Being the beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere it is celebrated as we are starting the journey to Winternights and ultimately Yuletide.

If there is any hold out to how this holiday is celebrated it is the idea of a bonfire usually made from the lighting of the hearth in each home and then each family bringing a torch from that to light the common fire for the community. Pretty rich in symbolism.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

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

Faith:

I think that faith that nature will continue to provide is a key element of this beginning harvest festival. Of being thankful for the powers that be or nature for providing what is needed ot sustain life through the winter. Those in four-season climates understand the importance of the harvest more powerfully than most as it means the difference between life and death. Whether this is faith or simply a trust in the cycle of life is a good question.

Meditation:

I think a lot of this festival begins a time when the virtue of industriousness is on the one hand needed to bring in the harvest and the other hand celebrated because the rewards of this harvest are coming in. The fruit of one’s labor leading to the continued survival of yourself and your family and community is celebrated. Important things indeed.

Theology:

I suppose there is a lot of spiritual things connected with the harvest that our world of modern science has explained and allowed us to do even more and be even more fruitful. The spiritual side of this seems to be important to remember as well. To be grateful to those that do grow and harvest for the rest of us is something to be considered. There is a connection between everyone at some point and it is often not noted because we never see one another. But in then I can eat because someone else took the time to grow and harvest the food I pay for is central. Human connection is a theological concept.

Spirituality:

I am continually humbled by the world I live in. Life is both strong and fragile. I am reminded not only of life but death. Things harvested are in the end dead but the give life to others as they are consumed. There is s simple truth to this that is embraced.

Conclusion:

While not a great blot or festival – Haustblot is a good moment to pause and reflect. it a good moment to take a deep breath as fall begins and then get about the business of doing what needs to be done to prepare for winter.

This completes the first time I have gone through the cycle of pagan holidays. focusing on the Vikings as much as possible. I am going to continue doing this as each year I feel my opinions of these things will of course change. It has been very interesting this first time though and I plan on getting deeper into things each time I go through it.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“My Spiritual Symbolism: Valknut with Rune Circle” – Odin’s Eye

September 18, 2019September 19, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Discussion:

My struggles with magic aside, I do believe in the power of symbols. Not magical power per se but more of a power to encapsulate thoughts, concepts, and ideas into a single pattern or image. For me, these become very powerful focuses that keep me steady in my thoughts and philosophy. They also remind me of what is spiritually important.

I adopted the valknut as my replacement for the cross right after leaving Christianity. I had become fairly certain that at least the Nine Noble Virtues of Asatru were going to be my new moral code, so I looked for something to symbolize that and the symbol of the Valknut was almost always present in any website I was studying at the time and so made it my own. The fact that it is connected with Odin and death rituals (burial) only solidified this. The Grey Wayfarer (me) often wears a pendant of the valknut around his neck on a chain. Mine also has a circle of runes around it like in the picture above.

Both the valknut and the runes are mysteries as to their full meaning. Much has been lost thanks to the invasion of Christianity and the subsequent purge that followed them of all things pagan. The valknut and runes apparently were too pagan to find their way to being incorporated into Christian worship and so were actually expunged. A few examples survive and so what we know is very little. The valknut is associated with Odin and burial because we find them on gravestones. Runes are everywhere but they don’t seem to be about language although some modern pagans have made it so. From a scholar’s point of view, they are largely a mystery as well.

What this meant for me is that I was left to give this symbol and the runes around it their own meaning. So…

Time to Look Through the Eye:

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

Faith:

I am a deistic humanistic pagan. First and foremost I fall on the side that says while religions are bunk and made up for the most part, I don’t dismiss the idea of a supreme being, beings or force of the universe being a real possibility. However, I believe that the only real source of overcoming my own and other human problems is myself and other humans. I am pagan because my spirituality basically draws me back to the spiritual roots of my ancestors. It is far more about heritage than religion for me. The valknut and runes are a good symbol of that as both call to my Germanic and (hopefully) Scandinavian roots. It is at least the faith and spirituality of my own spirit regardless of biological genetics.

Meditation:

I suppose my meditation times that I have used the valknut and rune circle are the ones that have given both new meanings for me. Firstly the nine sides of the three triangles became representative of the Nine Noble Virtues. Later, the nine formed the three triangles of the Higher Virtues of love, Justice, and Wisdom. All of them are interlocked and the three triangles, if you look closely, cannot be separated fro meach other. It thus forms a single spiritual path of following virtue, a single symbol – the valknut. It also because of its connection to Odin serves as a reminder of the finality of life. Virtue is the only thing that gives that life value.

The rune circle around it is all 24 known runes. In many ways, it symbolizes the mysteries of the knowledge of the universe to me. By following the path of virtue, I begin to understand these mysteries better.

Theology:

One of those mysteries is the divine. Part of that, to be honest, is to assess whether such divine entity or entities exist. As a diest, I fall on the side of agnosticism that says we don’t know enough to dismiss the idea of the divine, so I believe more in its possibility than it is not possible. I will give the atheists their due in saying they could very well be right, but at the same time, I don’t think I can myself close my mind, heart, and body off to the idea that a creator or creators exist. It seems too ‘dogmatic’ of ‘fundamentalist’ to me so to speak.

The issue then is to find meaning either way – for me, this is the following the path of virtue as a means to coming to better understandings of the world around me and perhaps finding the answers I seek. I am a pilgrim searching for truth, wherever I find it. I am the Grey Wayfarer

Spirituality:

I find spirituality in Virtue. Virtue allows me to connect with myself, other people and the universe and all it contains. How can one not be connected when following after virtue? For me, this symbol reminds me that part of understanding the universe requires connections. The path is what connects and virtue is the path. In meditation, this symbol has proven to be the best focus when I am looking to understand this connectivity to everything else.

Conclusion:

As I meditate more on this, I am sure more things will come to mind. I have plans to make my meditation time more ‘ritualized’ in that I may have other foci and even some candles and incense. Regardless, the valknut and rune circle will always be central to it. The centerpiece if you will regardless of what becomes my first meditation altar.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Magic – A Skeptical Pagan’s Perspective” – Odin’s Eye

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Discussion:

In the Pagan world, magic takes a lot of different forms. In my pagan world of the Asatru, with its Viking heritage, there is a belief in magic. It is full of shamanism as well as the simple idea of using consciousness to affect the world through the will of the practitioner. Because in Norse mythology everything has a spirit, then the issue was influencing the will of those spirits to line up with the will of mage. Most notably the magic of the Vikings seems to have focused on the idea of knowing and fate. For one to decern the fate of a person and thus decided the best course of action was the goal of Viking magic. This particular form of magic was called seidr. The Vikings had other forms but this seems to have been their magical passion if you will.

I freely confess, pagan that I am, I am skeptical of magic. It stems from seeing the value in science, but as some of the writings on magic point out, the end goals and means of science and magic are very different. I can get that, so I am not closed off to the possibility of magic. My problem is my own personal history as a Pentecostal Christian has soured me to the whole idea as what many times was considered ‘miracles’ was either very explainable as mass manipulation and psychology or straight up huckster fraud. The idea of the divine powers reaching into the lives of people I can accept, I just think that the people who claim to do this need to be scrutinized with a very skeptical eye.

So what about magic in the real world?

Time to Look Through the Eye:

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

Faith:

I can believe that the powers that might be would interact with the rest fo us humans. The question I have is whether this is necessary all the time. If in some ways this might be presumptuous on our part to even ask for it. I start the Pagan Pulpit out with the following paragraph:

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.

I want to tell you I sincerely mean this. I am not going to presume on any friendship and that includes the divine powers. Faith that they exist – yes. Presuming that they want to help me – no.

Meditation:

As I have meditated on this question of magic. my biggest personal struggle is that of prayer. Mostly, as I look at Chrisitan prayer, I see it is talking to one’s self and interestingly enough part fo the self that we actually define as God. You will find that Christians in general view this ‘God’ very differently. Everyone has their own very unique perspective on who this person is and interestingly enough shaped in each persons own image of what they want.

Prayer to me seems presumptuous in and of itself. But self-talk I see the need for as we all do it and those that pay attention to it often are more well adjusted. The real question I suppose is theological.

Theology:

Theologically speaking, the question comes back for me as to whether the powers are benevolent, malevolent or indifferent to the whole question of good and evil. Why would they help us if we ask? Can they be trusted?

Even in the mythologies, I know those are good questions. Odin, for instance, has a higher purpose in mind and so will not hesitate to sacrifice you his devotee to that cause. Loki certainly can’t be trusted. Better not to pray at all and thus leave the whole magic of life to living as virtuous as possible for your own sake. Virtue has its own form of magic as do stories.

Spirituality:

My spiritual side longs for what magic could do, but my skeptical side says better to leave it alone. To practice the more subtle magic of living life as a follower of the Nine Noble Virtues and to tell tales as a Skald. Bring the more common magic of virtue and story to people. To not presume on the powers that be, but rather be self-reliant and work hard to attain that I wish. Magic seems like a dangerous short cut.

Conclusion:

I guess I can leave my fellow pagans with some questions. Is magic something you practice and why do you do it? Is my skepticism a good thing or a bad one?

For now, I will follow virtue and tell stories of life and the universe. It seems to be a safe path. I still don’t see a good reason to take the short cut of magic.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

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