Thursday, July 5, 2012

Pagan Insights #1

Gods above, time is passing and I'm not noticing it. It's already the 5th and I have not posted since last month and I didn't even notice how long it had been until just now.

So it's a good a time as any to make my first Pagan Insights post. I probably should have done so ages ago, given that I'm involved in TIP, but I didn't because I am a terrible slacker and had other things to post about... and also because I wasn't quite sure what to say.

So, here we go. I'm going to do these, I think, all in the one post. I like the idea of a single thing that one can revisit over and over. It's sort of a way to pause and take stock and reflect. I'm going to do it from time to time, but probably not on any sort of set schedule because let's face it I will forget.




In Your Own Words
It's a bit difficult sometimes being a practitioner of two religions at once. I've mentioned before that I go through sort of phases focusing on one and then on the other... There are elements of being a straight eclectic that I miss, because I have such an interest in gods of other faiths - Ares, Anpu - Whom I do not honour at all because I feel like I don't really have the time or motivation to focus on honouring Them properly and truly sinking into Their cultures and so on. Yet I still have this interest. Having said that... I know Heathenry is my home (ADF calls it a "Hearth Culture"). And I don't even attend to my studies here as much as I should. So I'm left feeling a little sad, in a way, as if these other gods are old friends with Whom I no longer keep in touch.


Post a Pic
I think for this one I'm just going to link to images, unless I've taken the photo myself. This one is a rather "primal" take on Loki. I don't know why I like it so much. I suppose it's just an unusual view of Him; most pictures have Him smiling, and bright. And He is, often. But not always. And yet it still has the angular features and high cheekbones that many artistic representations of Him do. There's also a part of Loki that is very wild and all my favourite images of Him have an element of that; this one does in spades. It forces us to confront the fact that He is not always laughing. Also it is pretty sexy.


Musical Musings
This one's more tricky. There's no particular song or chant that's a part of my life at the moment. So here is Ensiferum's Ferrum Aeternum. Sometimes I play it before a ritual. It always makes me think of quests and journeys and the Sagas, which in turn to some degree makes me think of our ancestors sitting around the hearth and telling stories on holy days.

Action, Action
I've talked recently about my Yule ritual, so I guess right now I should be talking about how I've been keeping up with the weekly blótar I talked about doing. Except I haven't been doing that because I am a useless slacker, and weeks pass before I've really noticed it's happened. I'm not very good at keeping track of when it is, or when I've last done something, unless it's something I do every day. It's still something I intend to be doing, though, so I should really pick a day, lest it pass me by again.


Eureka!
Much of what I'm discovering recently is related to paging through "Elves, Wights and Trolls". It is so magnificently well-researched that I feel uneducated every time I open it. Last night, I was reading about etins as "eaters of the dead", and the relation there to both eagles and wolves (as "battle beasts" and eaters of the battle-fallen). It makes me think, this book. What I've found most stirring so far as the overlap between gods and etins, and the worship of etins alongside gods in archaeological finds.

Also, because the last one is "Eureka", shout-out to the guys at CERN. Awesome job, guys. Maybe a tad unsatisfying for us non-physicists but it's still a thrilling discovery that we're all quite lucky to have been around to witness. Seeing Dr Higgs cry at the end was a beautiful moment, and the whole "This discovery is for all mankind to share" feeling was really moving. It also Taught Me Things About Physics.

3 comments:

  1. Oh no... another project that does look good indeed. ;)
    *is now tempted*

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  2. *not doing another project this year*

    I must say Elves Wights and Trolls is AMAZING. I'm chomping at the bit waiting for Kveldulf to put out more in this series. It's always mindblowing when you have UPG about stuff you experience which is not Heathen turn up in historical texts.

    -Soli

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    Replies
    1. ARGH OMG I KNOW. I am DYING for more to this series. I've heard that the next one will be about symbols and art? but I can't recall. Anyway he is taking his precious time. You can't just dangle "Studies Toward the Practice of Germanic Heathenry, Vol I" in front of someone and not expect them to immediately clamour for Vol II. And hopefully III through X also.

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