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: “Pagan Fire” – The Dragon Fire Drummers
Meditation:
Text:
If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Sermon:
If you have followed this blog for any length of time, then you know about the Nine Noble Virtues of Asatru. Honor, Courage, Truth, Self-Reliance, Industriousness, Hospitality, Discipline, Perseverance and Fidelity are very much a part of this blog and my life as a whole now. My becoming an atheist did not affect that negatively. If anything it highlights the need to have some sort of system to think and evaluate each moral decision. The virtues serve this capacity well.
Living Tru is about following the virtues most of all. They will be a part of everyday decisions. Rituals and practices occupy a space of time. but the virtues are at all times. There is no time of not living virtuously.
When people ask me why I didn’t just follow Christian virtues and just be an atheist Christian, my answer is almost always the same- the pagans have better ethics. Sorry, Christianity has done a lot of evil in the name of its faith and justified it in name of doing it for Christ. In paganism, the virtues offer no such excuses nor faith in the gods. You follow the virtues or you are not virtuous. No excuses or exceptions.
That said how the virtues can be interpreted has some grey area as life is not black and white. Rather life is a mess and the virtues try to offer some way to sort that out and stay on a stable path. To live Tru is the goal. Waling Tru the mission of The Grey Wayfarer
Parting Thought:
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
I was never one for any kind of jewelry when I was a Christian, but since my deconversion, I have had a small taste for a medallion necklace around my neck. My Medallions alternate depending on the day. Most of them have some meaning or significance for me.
Sol’s Day – Valknut with Rune Circle – it represents my new philosophy of life with the nine sides of the triangles being representative of the Nine Noble Virtues. The three triangles being representative of Love, Justice, and Wisdom. The rune circle being representative of the mysteries of life. The overall idea being the following of virtue allows me to engage the mysteries of life effectively. Also, the Valknut is associated with death so there is a constant reminder of my mortality.
Mani’s Day – Wolf Yin-Yang Symbol with Rune Circle – A reminder to stay balanced while engaging the mysteries of life.
Tyr’s Day – Small Thor’s Hammer. I am looking for something like a Viking shield with axes or something similar. More of a martial reminded of courage.
Woden’s Day – I wear a Viking compass with a rune circle that reads – ‘Not all who wander are lost” originally it was representative of my desire to wander and search for truth but it is also a medallion I probably will wear hiking as well.
Thor’s Day – Wolf Thor’s Hammer – Its a much larger thor’s hammer with a wolf’s head as the handle. The need for savage courage at times is represented and the not so subtle reminder to men and women that with this person is an alpha wolf.
Frigg and Freya’s Day – Two Wolves Facing Each Other Howling – One wolf soul calling to another.
Sif’s Day – Wolf Head (Fenrir) – I reminder that my end, my final battle will come. My own personal Ragnarok. Live life fully and savagely.
Time to Look Through the Eye:
“To see the truth, change one eye for another”
Meditation:
My medallions have become part of my meditation. Mostly they mark the end of it as I reach for the one for the day and then place it around my neck to end the meditation time. Each of them represents something heart oriented and thus are good closing thoughts.
Mystery:
There is much mystery to life and the medallions call me to engage it with a certain attitude – with virtue (most notably courage and honor), remaining balanced, and a savage heart. To be a searcher for Truth that doesn’t take shit from anyone. To live for a savage love of life. My own mortality coming motivating me to act today whenever possible.
Spirituality:
I guess this is one small part of a ritualistic spirituality of mine. I don’t believe any of these medallions have and spiritual power of their own. They, however, do remind me of the quality of heart I wish to possess and stand to others that I am not ‘safe’. I am a pagan atheist. If the word ‘pagan’ causes someone to fear me, so be it. I am not out to be loved anymore. Fear, respect, and honor, yes. Loved is a bonus I will accept but you have to take me as I am and my medallions tell you a little about that.
Conclusion:
I will continue to wear my medallions whenever I can. I find they become great discussion starters at times. Mostly they remind me of things that are important to me at a core level – the level of passion and strength inside myself.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
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.
As an atheist who meditates and practices a little paganism to ground that meditation, I proceed with the only thing I can know for sure – I have thoughts. My mind is the only thing I can confirm exists as far as consciousness and the nature of consciousness is such that it has debates about it. I have very little doubt that consciousness is something that develops and grows as our brain does and that it takes a long time to become fully aware of how it works.
I find that meditation is not about clearing my mind so much as it is centering and capturing my thoughts. Like taming a wild bronco, at least temporarily so I can ride it for a little while before it throws me off. It allows me to have some order in the chaos of what I think if even for just a little while. Much of life is chaos so discipline keeps part of it sane from our perspective. For me that is what meditation does for my thoughts.
Time to Look Through the Eye:
“To see the truth, change one eye for another”
Meditation:
My meditation time is on the Nine Noble Virtues because virtue is what I am striving for. Regardless of spiritual questions, virtue and following it has benefits. I would doubt any jsut god would reject honest striving for virtue. Malevolent gods should be rebelled against and if there is no god, well virtue has its own rewards. Cue Marcus Aurelius. My issue during meditation is to thing deep in a specific virtue in relationship to myself.
Mystery:
There is still a lot of mystery to how this works but change does take place as I have become much calmer in recent months. That is I feel much better about my thoughts. Probably because I recognize there is no such thing as sinful thoughts only human ones and in particular my thoughts. No thought rises to holy or falls to sinful They are thoughts and nothing more, but it is the mystery of how to make them work for my benefit that keeps me at the meditation altar.
Spirituality:
Consciousness, Relationships, and Virtues are the essence of my atheist spirituality. Nothing more or less. It is true real spirituality because it is grounded in that which can be proved to be real – for the most part. At the end of the day this is part of meditation – what can I prove is real other than my own thoughts.
Conclusion:
So I will spend my morning at least in part at the meditation altar for the reasons of taming the raging thoughts into something more focused and useful. But at the same time, it is the wild bronco of my thoughts that I admire. The wild nature of them is their strength and power. I jsut seek to ap into them for a little while.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
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: “Rún – SKÁLD
Meditation:
Text:
If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Sermon:
Magic is a word that conjures up a lot of imagery and there seems to be a definite difference in the understanding of those who practice it in the real world and those who write it in the fantasy literature genre. In the real world magic is a more earthy and practical day to day stuff. Germanic/Norse magic is probably not as central to the practice of Asatru as it is in Wicca, but it still plays a vital role. In considering Germanic magic there some elements to consider – the magical workers themselves and the terms used most commonly, Runes, Seidh, and Deity Possession.
In Asatru, the magical workers are pretty much a part-time lot. I suppose if you had the means to pursue magical practice full-time most might consider it but most are part-time in the practice like poets and songwriters. The term for a woman who practices magic is Völva and the term for a man who does the same is Thul.
There are specialized terms for the various practitioners of various types of magic beyond this. This includes terms for those who practice dark magic. Gand is the general term for magic and Galdr is the word for a spell and covers most of the verbal and ceremonial magic. There are lots of types of magic but in Germanic magic – most, however, deals with the spirits of the dead and the spirits in general. Music is assumed to have a magical quality to it. That’s why skalds are not just bards but magical practitioners as well.
Runes are sometimes invoked in divination but seem to be in Asatru more of the standard offensive and defensive magic. They are old to the point of being ancient and there are currently 24 major ones although other runes are present. No one really knows what they mean anymore. It probably the fact of Chrisitan persecution that may have destroyed many of the works of magic that the Germanic pagans had that could be helpful but no longer exist. Each rune has its own power and each rune often ahs its own patron deity associated with it. Although the runes as a whole are associated with Odin the most as he is the one who is said to have brought them to knowledge from his nine-day ordeal on the World Tree – Yggdrasil.
The second division of magic outside the runes is Seidh. Divination or prophetic vision is mostly associated with women. These days it concerns things involving trances and things similar to shamanism. This could include illusion and shape-shifting as well. Most notably though it is given the term – second sight. The reading of omens as well. There is so much here that I am barely scratching the surface.
One rare thing to talk about is the idea of a deity manifesting its personality in a ceremony through a worshiper. It is not mentioned much in the lore or practiced much in Asatru by my source’s own admission. But it does rarely seem to happen. I’ve seen such things in my Pentecostal faith where people are said to be speaking in tongues or prophecy but this is a little different in that this is said to be Odin speaking through a follower. I must emphasize this is very rare today and debated among the followers of Asatru.
While as an atheist I pretty much dismiss these things, I find it a fascinating thing that religious cultures can have so much in common and yet feel they are so divided. The idea that psychologically both as individuals and groups we can believe things like magic is an interesting phenomenon and one that crops up often in any religion. Asatru’s is much more complex, subtle, and sublime than most.
Parting Thought:
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
I think it is no secret that what is celebrated as Christmas these days was originally a pagan holiday known as Yule. Yule differs from Christmas in that it has twelve days of celebration whereas Christmas centers on Dec. 25th. In contrast, the twelve days of Yule were all about celebrating the end of the year and the welcoming of spring although it will take some time to fully materialize. The Winter solstice is the focus of Yuletide along with a lot of drinking.
Considering that in Viking lands, this time of year is basically hunkering down and waiting out the winter. One did have to keep oneself both alive with stored food and firewood but also entertained and safe from the Wild Hunt. Yuletide is a twelve-day long party and the Vikings loved to party.
The 12 Days of Yuletide are:
Mothers Night – Dec 20
Night of the Wild Hunt – Dec 21
Manni – Dec 22
Freyr and Nord – Dec 23
Feast of Community – Dec 24
Eir – Dec 25
Thor = Dec 26
Skaldi and Ullr – Dec 27
Odin – Dec 28
Sunna – Dec 29
Valkeries – Dec 30
Oath Night – Dec 31
All of these days either have a feast associated with an event or gods/goddesses. A lot of the traditions we see at Christmas are still associated with Yule – the yule log, mistletoe, decorating trees, etc.
Time to Look Through the Eye:
“To see the truth, change one eye for another”
Meditation:
Year’s End seems to have significance for all of us in a more meditative level. For me, 2019 has been a ‘meh’ year for the most part. It has had its high moments but there have also been some downtimes. Mostly though it was just the dull drudgery of existence that I don’t like thinking about as it depresses me, Mostly through meditation I am thinking about what my oath should be for 2020 which I will give on Dec 31st. It is not wise to make oaths and not complete them. Even ones given to yourself.
Mystery:
There is a mystery to my future that hits me at this time of year. I have less and less connected to my past career and life and that is both wonderfully freeing and at the same time frightening as I don’t really know what I am going to be other than being a writer. The mystery of the future seems more prominent at a year’s end.
Spirituality:
If there is anything that hits me as far as spirituality, it is a sense of community. Introvert though I am, I fully conscious that people affect my life for good or ill and that means working hard to be true to those who have been true to me. I guess in that sense as well, communion with my fellow man is important as well.
Conclusion:
Yuletide will probably grow more important to me as time goes by. It does provide a platform to celebrate various holidays with people and that is a good thing. For me, the reflective moments of the past and future are far more significant. For me, this year is about Oath Night. last year I did a very minor and safe oath, I need to take it up a notch this year.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
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: “Diese Kalte Nacht” – FAUN
Lyric Video:
Meditation:
Text:
If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Sermon:
It was a surprise to me how little I had to change things regarding holidays after I dropped my Christianity in the scrap heap and embraced a more pagan view of holidays. Much of what was pagan, has been absorbed by Christianity. But mostly the holidays reflect the time of the changing seasons. The circle of life.
In venerating the gods and goddesses, the followers of Asatru are simply giving their proper nods to the gods of each time of the year. Mostly there is the notion of Winter and Summer with the transition times more popularly known as Fall and Spring. The issue of holidays is not so much one of noting special events although that does happen for heroes like Leif Ericson but rather about noting the change of the season and the unchanging cycle.
These are the Blóts of note and have their celebrations that are mostly festive although there are some somber occasions particularly in remembrance. But the feeling I get this is more about the celebration of life, honoring the dead and giving devotion to the friends known as the gods.
For me, this was a logical step as I wanted to step away from Christian holidays as I have no desire to be reminded of them. However, I did need to have reasons to celebrate with family and freinds and this is important from a community standpoint even as an atheist pagan. So the holidays are the Viking ones to me and so Yuletide comes soon. They give a time of reflection and reminders of the changing times as well.
Parting Thought:
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
No service today. Last week in my area most of the churches canceled their services on account of snow and ice; so I am following suit this week seeing last week I was one of the few having a service. Thank you internet. Enjoy your day and I will have (hopefully) the next installment of Rogue Wizard this afternoon.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
I am an atheist who wears a Thor’s Hammer on Thor’s Day (Thursday). I meditate on the Nine Noble Virtues of Asatru because it is quite frankly the best list of virtues from my point of view. My moral philosophy is based on a concept of Odin as a wanderer with his wolves and ravens. Everything about my ‘spirituality’ centers on the simple concept as presented here within Odin’s Eye – changing one form of sight for another. Mostly discarding the fear of Christianity and embracing the powerful reality of reality.
So yes, I am a pagan atheist. I borrow from paganism a lot of things that are simply far more true than most things elsewhere. I just don’t believe in gods, goddesses or divine powers. The essence of paganism with its wonder of creation, its respect for life, the individual, free-will, and nature, I can very much embrace.
I suppose my former faith would say I have become liberal in a lot of things. I would say this is true for a lot of things, but I also am more human. More accepting of others as human beings. I have studied too much history to be a socialist/ communist as those economic systems violate the laws of economics and fail. I also don’t follow the gun control notions as I have long studied the history of tyrants and one of the first actions of wolves is to take the teeth away from the sheep. But other than that, I can respect human beings and their freedom a lot more as an atheist who also has borrowed his ethics and little of his understanding of the world around him from pagans.
Time to Look Through the Eye:
“To see the truth, change one eye for another”
Meditation:
My meditations still remain on the Nine Noble Virtues as well as my moral philosophy and outlook on life. Insight into my life is a desire here and the world around me and its reality not the fantasy of made-up notions. I find this is far more useful to my life in practical ways of applying virtue to my life are beneficial consistently.
Mystery:
There is still much to be discovered, I don’t know everything and never will. But perhaps I can contribute something useful to knowledge or human progress before I am gone. Something that will also allow me to be remembered for a little while after I am gone. All I know is that I still have a sense of mystery about the universe, but it isn’t fanciful just a wonder that is far more powerful than any religious wonder I have had because it is grounded in the real world.
Spirituality:
I still long in some senses for a sense of community that is more close to myself. it is probably the only area of spirituality I still need to work on. On the other hand, I have a huge case of trust no one. My only hope is that the atheist/pagan community understand loyalty a little better.
Conclusion:
I guess I can look at religion for its fruits and decide as an atheist what ideas have been preserved by religion that are actually good. I mean I believe most things that are good were created by us humans and various religions grabbed them when it suited their purpose and used them. I now know that by simply being social creatures, humans have developed virtues ethics because they aid with survival and prosperity. Honestly – ‘live long and prosper’ is indeed our motivation and being a pagan atheist I can see what does that clearly.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
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: MANEGARM – ‘Blot’
An absolutely beautiful song. English translation below.
Sacrifice:
At the hills of the kings
The trees of the gods are standing
An ash tree so proud and strong
A link to the land of the gods
A gate to ancient worlds
Made open with life
A sacrifice made with nine hanged
Whose flesh the ravens prey on
The fields that are here, bear the wounds from the years of famine
Seeds are vanishing in their path
Hear our speech
Bring our sacrifice to your table
A sacrifice to honor you, we give life
We give blood
Give us your crops
Let it the starved earth grow
Give life to the barren north
The fields that are here, bear the wounds from the years of famine
If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Sermon:
Probably the two most common things that I understand quite well because religions all have them are 1) Festivals and 2) Services. In Asatru, the words are Blót and Sumble but the concept is the same.
Blóts are festivals that involve sacrifice. There are lots of these that either focuses on a particular deity or centered around a holiday. Blóts vary in style and elements depending on the worshipers much like any religion but there are a few common elements to all of them. 1) Preparation, 2) Focusing, 3) Invocation, 4) Offering, 5) Blessing, 6) Sharing, 7) Completion. These elements are commonalities and I have seen them in pretty much any type of religion when it comes to the celebration fo holidays.
A sumble is more of a regular meeting for the purposes of meeting together as a group of worshipers. It is far less formal than a Blót although it can be part of a Blót. Basically put, the master or mistress of ceremonies fills the horn with ale or mead and then announces the focus of that round of the sumble and then either gives the horn to the one taking the role of the Valkerie or just to the next person. The person drinks and then gives it to the next person or speaks with the focus of that round in mind. This is the time for toasts, boasts, and oaths. One tradition has the first round being the focus of praise to the gods, the second round is to remember the honored dead and the third to give oaths as an example.
Oaths are a special case because the sumble has certain responsibilities to the oath-taker. Most notably to challenge the oath if they think it too large or difficult. The group is responsible to make sure oaths are reasonable. They are also responsible to praise fulfilled oaths and penalize or fine oaths that fail.
I have to say that there are two things that happened this week that are of note in regard to Asatru and religion in general. In my group of former ministers turned atheist/agnostic, we spoke this week on social values of religion and how it can hold families, cultures, and societies together. part of that was the mention of holidays and services. People need some symbols and practices to note their tribe and culture and religion often fills that role. The substitute for me is Norse paganism.
The second thing that happened was during work. Thanksgiving I had to work and it is Black ‘Friday’s start so I was there helping with setting up and on the second half of the day checking receipts as people left the store. During that whole time, I was wearing my Wolf Hammer (above) as it was Thor’s Day. I received about five comments on how cool it was and two of those specifically mentioned how they appreciated other religions being represented at this time of year, one mentioning Yuletide. One guy even showed me his hammer tattoed to the top part of his chest. I never met any of these people before in my life, but the connection was there.
This illustrates the power that blóts ad sumbles undoubtedly have to build community and connection. Something that has been missing from my life. Something I probably need to recover. I really don’t connect with Christians that well anymore.
Parting Thought:
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
The Grey Wayfarer 