Heathenry: All form and no content?

The following article was inspired by an experience our hearth had a few weeks ago. We had arranged to meet with people we'd met online at a fairly local moot. While we hadn't met any other members of this group before, we were looking forward to the meet up, as at least one of the attendees, the organiser, had shown themselves to be what we considered a good heathen and the kind of person we'd like to hang out with (not an accolade we bestow lightly).

The gods had other ideas, though. The day of the moot turned out to be one of the first sunny days of the year, spring having sprung a week or two earlier. Due to the nice weather, every man and his dog turned up to the meeting place. This would not, necessarily, be a problem - were it not for the very limited parking available. We drove around for quite some time, but to no avail. More and more people descended upon the area, bringing their unnecessarily large automobiles with them.

So, we left a message stating that, sadly, we wouldn't be able to attend and headed home. When we got back, it turned out the moot organiser had suffered the same problem and had also been unable to attend. Shame, but we all resolved to meet again next time.

All, that was, except one guy. Let's call him 'Bill'. Apparently, Bill had turned up and had been waiting for us all to arrive. Bill felt he had been unfairly put out by our failure to arrive. Despite the heavy traffic (and limited parking) being more than evident and despite our messages of explanation and apology, Bill decided to get massively butthurt over this.

It would seem being left alone on a beautifully sunny day had really aggravated him. Being made to attend a really nice pub with a very nice menu and good range of ales was probably the last straw.

To some extent, I can understand being a little annoyed. What I can't understand is leaving a really immature message on the group's online noticeboard and complaining that the organiser had let him down. I also recall some ad hominem attacks, if I am not mistaken. Seriously, this guy was whining like crazy over one lousy cancelled moot.

Thing is, looking at his profile on social media, he seemed to have given himself a really butch viking-style name (think 'Ragnar Thunderpants, or similar) and seemed to buy into the whole heathen/viking macho ideal. Perhaps not quite full on Brosatru, but getting there.

How can this guy think of himself as a modern, tough, stoic viking and then get really upset about a long drive to a nice pub near a beautiful park that didn't quite go to plan? Does Bill consider that hardship? He should try crossing the Atlantic in a longship...

This really has me worried now that a much greater proportion of the heathen community than I had previously thought are precisely this kind of immature, 'dummies out of the pram' style whinger.

To me, one of the most important things that attracted me to heathenry in the first place was the fact that it actively discouraged this kind of attention-seeking, diva-like behaviour. I'm not saying I want a mindless, Rambo-esque Brosatru hearth or moot, but just no-one that needs suckling before we can get to the proper business of drinking and setting the world to rights.

Too much to ask?

Einherjar: Lone Fighters

I was reading somewhere else online (another heathen blog, perhaps) that the old norse name for the warriors in Valhalla, 'einherjar' literally means something along the lines of 'those who fight alone'.

The writer in question explained that viking warriors were trained in all aspects of combat and could be thought of as 'a one-man army'. Thus, they were well prepared for and perfectly able to fight alone, even outside of the shield wall, if necessary.

All of this I agreed with and admire, but it was at this point that the writer went on to use this to explain the importance, for them, of time alone.

I don't really feel that the importance of alone time (whoever enjoyable that might be) was the lesson to take from this. Rather, I think the more valuable attribute (especially in this modern age and in an overcrowded nation such as the UK) was the importance of self reliance.

Being able to operate, provide for oneself and even thrive - alone - is a very admirable trait. Especially in contemporary society, in which we are expect, and required, to rely on others for everything. Our food, our security, our entertainment, fixing our tools and even making decisions for the direction of our lives and the upbringing of our families - all are provided by third parties. This can leave us over-reliant and unable to fend for ourselves, if we are not careful.

So, perhaps, in a time where striving to be ferocious, ruthless warriors is frowned upon, being something of a Renaissance Man is the next best thing for the modern heathen?

"From Atheist to Heathen in three very shaky steps..."

First posted onto my other blog (http://5threplicant.livejournal.com) in 2009.

So, as promised, a post about my turn to the dark side (or spiritual shift toward paganism, if you prefer). Sorry for the belated nature of this post, but this is stuff that I am still not entirely sure about. Cardinal sin as it seems to be with some pagans, I am still very much the cynic and hold dear some very humanist opinions.

Until a relatively short (in the scheme of things) while ago, I was a very strong atheist and cynic. Never quite managing full on physicalist/materialist (I could never quite agree that 'the physical' was *all* there was), I nevertheless scoffed at those who believed in/had faith in (( insert your deity here )) and was rarely comfortable hanging with the more flighty faeriegoths or fluffy pagans. You know the kind. Those people for whom the world is all spirits and energies and whose idea of spirituality is based way too heavily on the re-runs of Buffy they've watched.

For me, existentialism had been as close as I got toward any kind of personal philosophy. If divinity did exist, then it was within us, rather than external. The most 'fluffy' I ever got was reading about Jung's concept of the collective unconscious. I was hardly going to be embracing David Icke any time soon, trust me.

Then a few things happened which looks to be changing all that. Firstly, in a discussion with one of my more 'fluffy' but still very intelligence mates, she made a point which caused a door in my mind to swing just slightly ajar for a moment. Nothing major, no epiphanies, revelations, unravelling of my mind or trumpets sounding or anything. Maybe a BBC Sound Effects department-style creak to announce said opening. More comedic than inspiring, really.

Secondly, another of my friends who I had a deal of respect for announced his becoming a heathen (or I think the term he used was Odinist - there are lot of words for essentially the same thing, each carrying with it a certain amount of baggage and no-one seems quite sure what the collective should really be called anyway). This, again, was no inspiring moment, but did perhaps plant a little seed. It made me aware, not just that heathenry existed (I knew that already) but gave me a little knowledge of what it's modern manifestation is about.

Finally, while I was living in Sweden I had perhaps the closest thing I have ever had to an epiphany or a spiritual experience. While out and about (which was often the case back then as even city areas in Sweden are usually surrounded by the most gloriously beautiful nature) I had a strong feeling of divinity. This time external to me and all around me. Somehow connected both to myself and the land. Call it just simply being awestruck at the beauty of nature, if you like. That was certainly a part of it. As was a sense of history and of the generations of my ancestors (who more than likely hailed from somewhere in Scandinavia) stretching back into the dimness of time, feeling the same things as me and all being connected.

Again, not as cataclysmic an event as I am, perhaps, painting with these words now. Very actual were these feelings, but very understated. And, over the following months, I got more and more of a sense of a change in perspective and my 'spiritual alignment' (for want of a less fluffy word). Additionally, around this time, I began to experience 'waking dreams'. First of all dreaming a giant spider in my bed - a hallucination which remained for a few seconds after I awoke. Something that shit me up and no mistake, I can tell you! Other such hallucinations have occured since, and all around waking/going to sleep. Perhaps a sign of my imagination gaining influence over me once more. Or perhaps simply a reflection of the fact I'd been thinking about symbols and spiritual beings much more than previously and so my mind (being what it is) took license to go apeshit for a bit.

So now, I find myself reconciling the two sides of myself. The cynic and the dreamer. Always the two major sides to my character, the shift now seems to be that I am listening more to the dreamer where my beliefs are concerned. Still, though, I am reticent to lose that cynical part of me. I still feel uncomfortable with fluffy pagans and prefer the company of other 'cynics with their doors ajar' such as myself. Having people tell me I am not really a pagan cos I don't believe in actual divine entities just makes me more and more cynical, to be honest. Theatening regression if truth be told. But I feel my version of heathenry allows me to incorporate its values and lessons into my life without having to insist that the gods are actual people watching us like bloody gormless reality tv fans. You'd think gods'd have better things to do than watch us make tits of ourselves!?

Heathenry is more than just a warrior cult...

As non-heathens about heathenry and, if they accept that it exists at all, they may well employ the term 'warrior-cult' in their description.  As any heathens, and most will try to distance themselves completely from any suggestion of such a thing.

Few will ever try to deny that the eddas, sagas and lays, the foundation of the historical evidence available to contemporary heathens, contains a lot of references to battles and the glorification of the warrior.  This doesn't mean that constitutes the be all and end all of the philosophy, though.  There is much more to it than that.  Reading that same source material and plugging the considerable gaps with archaeological, historical and even anthropological evidence can provide a world view with a much greater scope and depth.

The vikings were great traders, they formed one of the first democratic assemblies, their sagas and lays are some of the best examples of historical literature currently available. The gods are very human and fallible and yet show such courage and fortitude in the face of their imminent demise.

But it is also wrong to ignore the role of the warrior in the mythology.  Battle, acquisition through combat, testing oneself and standing up for yourself was greatly valued.  Too many contemporary heathens are bench-ornaments.  They shie away from confrontation and competition.  Too many elect to take the passive option when disagreements arise.  Is this really how our heathen ancestors would have acted.  Or, at least, is this the attitude they would have valued?

Judging by the evidence that lay within the eddas, sagas and lays, I very much doubt it.

Inspiration and self improvement

I've been meditating on the gods (specifically Tyr and his rune) with the aim of helping me improve my discipline.  I have wanted to do this to help me stick to a training regime that will help my baguazhang classes and generally improve my health and fitness.  In turn, I hope, that will help me be a better father as I grow older and increase my ability to protect my family.  All good stuff, I'm sure whatever readers (if any) that this blog might enjoy would agree on that.

And, despite my lack of convicition regarding the existence of those same gods (or, at least, what form they take), I am finding that it works.  I can rationalise this by accepting what I am doing as a form of self hypnosis - but what does it matter if I involve gods (imaginary or otherwise) in improving myself?  Especially if the improvements themselves are considerable - as I hope to find they will be in this case.

Neopaganism has room for atheists, agnostics, animists and all kinds of others who differ from the traditional theist/polytheist demographic.  If I later find that gods do actually exist, then I am sure they will forgive me being a touch skeptical in the beginning.  If not, do I really want to associate with any being, no matter how powerful or influencial in my life, if all they want is for me to believe unquestioningly?