T

Personally, I’m getting a bit tired of many Heathen’s “Christianitiaphobia”. Not that I don’t think it’s a disgusting, Soul-destroying, Malevolent Belief-system, just that I’m tired of this automatic tossing of anything Culturally “Christian”….because in Truth it usually isn’t very Christian.
While Wiccans and Modern Pagans will complain about Christian’s “Stealing their Religion”, Heathens who actually have a valid Right to those things tend to ignore them.
Any Reading of the Bible, Early Christianity, early Roman Church etc will show you how LITTLE the common Beliefs of European Christians ARE Christian.
A good example would be that of Angels. In Hebrew, Biblical and early(read pre-European Influenced) Christianity, They are, as one author succinctly put it, “YHVH’s Stormtroopers”. They strike Terror in the hearts of the Transgressors of His Laws. In actuality, if you read the early descriptions to a Modern Christian and don’t give the source, they would think you’re describing a Demon. They aren’t the Dead, they aren’t Guides of Individuals of Families and they are always described as Male. The Modern Christian Angel(sans Wings:>) describes better an Idis or an Alf.
Another would be the Afterlife. Again, nothing like the modern C view(well, with exceptions of small denominations such as JW’s…). In these you are DEAD. You remain DEAD until YHVH decides to bring your Body back to life…if you are of the Elect AND your corpse is still Intact after all those yrs….PERIOD. The Idea that when you die your Soul goes to be with your Dead Relatives or to the Halls of Divine Being(s), even that there is a place of Punishment(Sheol is literally the garbage dump. You burn the body of the Evil-doer, negating even Divine “clemency”. That’s IT.) for the really Evil.
We won’t EVEN start on the Holy Days;>!
So when you hear some Eejit online blowing off Lore because it was written down by Christians, Remember who really won the war of Ideas in the long run…
Troth,
Pat

“We’re probably talking about a New Age kind of Angel;” Claire sighed. “human-appearing, frighteningly powerful, smug … a sweetly sanctimonious busybody”. “The Second Summoning”

So, “S/He said S/He was a God/dess”. How do you tell whether the “Voices in your Head” are not just hiccups in chemoelectricity?
Objectively, you can’t. Subjectively? You’ve got some help, if the chatterbox has a recognized Name. It’s called generically, “Mythology”. Read up on what’s written about Them. Their Personalities, likes/dislikes, enemies, etc. This allows you to get a “gist” of Who they are as Individuals. This allows you to tell if something’s “out of character”. If it is, just like with us, if something sounds out of character for someone to do or say, it probably wasn’t Them who did/said.
Descriptions help, but only so far. Both They and our “Vision” of Them change over time. Let’s face it. Do you really Think that Landvættr/Nature Spirits world-wide look like Winged Victorian children;>? Also, remember that a “rule of thumb” with God/desses is that They’d be a piss-poor one if they couldn’t do what we can. “Just for Men” when “The Old Man” Wishes to go out among the Ladies:>? Freya going for the Jane Mansfield;>?
I’ll give a personal example. My 1st experiences with Freyr and Freya. In both cases neither looked as the Lore described, yet I accepted Freyr at his Word, but not “Freya”. Why? Because while He looked more like a healthy handsome version of a Bog man(Oak-coloured Skin, Hair, eyes and Clothing) His Actions, demeanor, etc were in-line with the Lore. “Freya”, while saying that’s who she was, didn’t Look OR Act like the Goddess presented in the Lore. ‘Course, some who subscribe to the “fun and frolicsome” Interpretation that Thorsson gives in his books might disagree with me. Me? I’ll take the source material over the personal interpretation of someone who practices Sex Magick with a naked woman as an altar;>…..
Now, there is no way to “Prove” your experiences but to yourself. Groups can help because in theory multiple people having the same experience makes it less likely to “be all about you”. In Practice, groups tend to focus your views before AND after the experience. I’ve been in groups where everyone when they’re together state the same thing but Individually have a more varied experience.
It’s also VERY IMPORTANT to remember this is your “stuff”. What a Deity states to you may not be what They state to another and may not be applicable to the Lives of others. If “The Old Man” tells you you need to do “A”, don’t expect that everyone’s supposed to do so as well. You also have to remember that you have the Right to not do so. Actions have Re-Actions. Listen, Think and Act in what you think is in the best Interest of You and the Folk. We are not Thralls….
Troth,
Pat

Thanks to all the “fun” lately, I’ve loosed up quite a bit….Theologically-speaking. It’s become more Important to gain Deeper Understanding of the Regin, as well as any and all Wights I run across than whether my Practice is as close as it can be to that of my Ancestors.
After all, I’m Following my Ancestor’s God/desses. I’m living Their Core Values. So what if my Daily practice isn’t in Their Tongue? Written Word-For-Word by Them? That my Sacrifices come more often from Commercial sources than my own Land? That I don’t gauge my own Self-Worth by my Parents Social Standing(or my own;>?). That my “Wealth” isn’t in Acres, Vassals or Treasures(no matter how much Amber my time with Hrafnar accumulated;>).
I’m more Interested in the Regin and all the Wights, Wealful and Woeful(so I can avoid or placate Them…) and how best to Interact with Them than that of Hierarchies and Thrones(sorry, Heathenry, not Ceremonial Magick;>). Honestly, I wasn’t that Interested in Feudalism in my Wiccan, SCA and Troth days when I lived in communities with mult members. I’m even less as a Solitary Heathen in an Eclectic Wiccan/Pagan Land…
I’m back reading my Lorebooks and even(GASP!) Meditating on the material Read. Sure, they’re in Modern English but I’m no longer Obsessive about what the meaning of “is” is;>. In some ways I think my Irish Ancestors are Happier now that I’ve put “My English Adventure” behind me. I’d felt the entire time that I was somehow Dishonoring Them anyway….
Troth,
Pat