Things that make me feel heathen

Normally, I practice a very low-key (Loki?), understated form of heathenry. My path is, to me, so ingrained and interwoven with everything I do that I can't really point to a single aspect of my life or activity / pass time that is heathen. I am heathen and what I do doesn't have to be, because my path informs my worldview, values and goals without requiring anything particular from me in return.

However, every now and again, I do get more enthused with the whole idea of heathenry, just like I did when I was a teenager in the 80s and first heard of the concept. So, just occasionally, there are times when I feel like connecting with my inner heathen, swinging my proverbial axe, or I even sometimes feel like giving back in some small way to the path that I walk (I dislike the term 'faith' for personal reasons).

1/. Watch some viking movies or series on tv / Netflix / DVD

I have a decent collection of viking-themed movies on DVD and these can sate my appetite for heathen / viking stuff to keep me amused. Of course, the relatively recent advent of a series about Vikings makes this even better than before. That said, mere entertainment like this usually only offers a small, fleeting viking fix that pays some minor deference to heathenry.

2/. Read up on heathenry

I also enjoy a library of books on heathenry and norse mythology. Sadly, this is woefully small, but I intend to improve on it whenever I can. Knowledge is power and all that. It is also a very important tool for the modern heathen as the internet is rife with utter unsubstantiated tripe written about heathenry, mythology and neopaganism in general.

3/. Practice martial arts

As I insinuated in a previous blog entry, I consider martial arts a very good pass time for the modern heathen. It offers many benefits. A good class (mine is Manchester Bagua in Chorlton) can offer increased confidence, stronger mind-body connection, improved health, self defence and a social network.

Even when I can't train for some reason (tiredness is the big one), then I again have a large collection of chop-sockey movies and a number of training manuals to peruse and learn from.

4/. Spending time with friends

Simply spending time with close friends is, to me, perhaps one of the most heathen pass times. If, however, I feel like adding a more specifically neopagan flavour, then I am troubled by the fact I have few real life pagan friends. That said, there are a few good online hangouts for pagans. As I stated before, much of what is written about paganism online is dross, but one good and reliable site I have found is UK Pagan's Forum, "The Valley". Well worth a visit and a comprehensive and informative source of reliable knowledge for all pagan paths.