The Rational Heathen

Some Recommendations to Those Starting Out in Heathenry

February 6, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

I had a nice chat with a young man who has felt the pull of heathenry. He’s an interesting person who isn’t of the traditional northern ethnicity and some things I said on this blog he felt that he could relate to. I heard this from another reader, which suggests maybe the gods are looking for some folks with a little more brains–who are willing to question things and apply logic and deductive reasoning to it as well.

I Don’t Have All the Answers

I’ll be the first person to say that I don’t have all the answers, but I do know where I can at least find answers to questions to the best of my ability. I am not the only person who has talked to the gods (I’m feeling kinda like I’m a crazy person here) — in fact, I’m really not that special and don’t hold long conversations with them. I’m sure you could find someone who claims they have been skin-ridden (Xians call it “possessed,” but it encompasses different degrees), practice seidr,or who has studied all the Eddas all the time. So, I’m not the one who has this shit completely wired. But, I do try to use logic and reason here.

Science and How It Fits In with Heathenry

Understand that science is the way we investigate the world. It isn’t a belief system, which is what religion is. Our ancestors have a common heritage, whether we are northern European, southern European, Asian, or African, because humans nearly went extinct at least twice that scientists can figure out. So, in the past, we were all pretty much fighting for our survival, and also sharing a similar culture. We needed to understand how and why things happened, and whether inspired by the gods or not, we came up with explanations that our limited understanding of the cosmos could explain.

Oral Traditions and Written Works

So, our stories from our ancestors were first told in the oral tradition and then retold over time. These eventually became our myths and legends — even the ones about the northern gods. There are similarities in many of the gods — the Celts, Polish, Norse, German, and Saxons all had similar gods. Some had the same names; some did not.

But something interesting happened when those stories got written down. Many were written by historians and monks in a society that had been converted to Christianity and had been Christian for at least 100 to 200 or more years. It is natural that they would interject Christian thought into the stories, so you have to use your brain to decipher what is heathen versus what is Christian. And sometimes, it’s not clear.

Think of the stories as metaphors for the universe and the world. Think of the gods as forces that can be expressed through the laws of physics. That means that we see the gods in everyday things: the storms and lightning as Thor; the fire as Loki, laws of the universe as Tyr, etc.

Using Science to Decipher Our Heritage

That being said, we can look at what archaeology has discovered and what geneticists and other scientists have discovered or what new theories they might have. We can then figure out what our ancestors may have known. We already know that some stories, especially fairy tales, go back thousands of years.

What About Magic and Gods Talking to Us?

I’m really not convinced magic exists. But at the same time, there are things within my life that defy explanation. My connection with animals. Dreams that sometimes come true and my ability to know about things before they happen (never the winning powerball numbers!). And yes, my occasional conversations with gods. I’m more likely to try to come up with some other rational explanation. But just because we don’t understand the mechanism involved at this point doesn’t mean there isn’t a scientific reason it works the way it does. Am I talking to the gods? If I’m dealing with a metaphor for things, maybe they’re just in my mind. Or maybe I am talking to them. Who knows?

If I am wrong and I’m a crazy woman, well, at least I’m sticking to science when it comes to choices. I figure that if a god is telling me to do crazy shit, then I’m probably crazy. Logical, intelligent choices make more sense. And my gods agree with me, so I’m good with that.

Some Interesting Resources for New Heathens

I was asked point blank what I will recommend when it comes to heathenry. Here are my recommendations:

The Icelandic Saga Database. Look, you’re going to be getting into this stuff. Might as well get your information here.
The Agora from Patheos. Some useful blogs here.
Norse Mythology for Smart People. Oh yes!
Surlalune Fairy Tale s — now, don’t get annoyed here. These tales are often folk tales that have been handed down orally from generation to generation for thousands of years. Includes tales from northern cultures
The Asatru Community. A nice group of folk.
The Cowboy Havamal — just because.
Complete Illustrated Guide to Runes I like this book.

This is not a perfect nor exhaustive list. Just some areas to poke around. Maybe you’ll find something you like there.

Right Feeling Places

January 30, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

I have a secret that I must ‘fess up about. When I came to the state I now live in, many years ago, something called to me, unlike any other land. What was so odd was that where I was living had mountains and beauty, but something about it felt dead and dying. The land I live in now feels as though there is life beyond just the animals and trees.

Wild Things

I spoke to a friend of mine about this who is also a Native American shaman. He told me that the place where we live is one of the few places that still holds its wildness. He believes that there are spirits here that still reside with the land, similar to our land wights, and I could feel them. Granted, I’ve never seen a land wight or elf or disir or anything like that, but he had a point. And whether I truly believe in them or not doesn’t matter. They either exist or they don’t.

Remembering Beauty

I remember one place in Colorado I thought was the perfect magical spot. I saw it when I was a teenager and shortly after I was married, I took my husband to see the place. It was ruined. Burnt up. The trees were dead and charred, and there was nothing left. I was horrified. There have been other places I’ve been to that have been run over by people or damaged beyond belief. When I’ve seen it happen, it has saddened me. And it makes me wonder if anything can be preserved.

Humans Aren’t Always to Blame

The place that I visited that had been ravaged by fire wasn’t necessarily human caused. In fact, it’s likely it was lightning caused, so we could blame something like Farbauti for that (I seriously doubt Thor is to blame for this). Fire is one of those terrible things we deal with out West that is both part of the ecosystem, and yet, can be devastating due to lack of control. I will never forget the dead feeling in that place in Colorado. How full of life it had been, and how dead it was.

But, to be fair, humans have done our share of damage. Even where I live now, it’s not unusual to see trash dumped along side of the road and other slob behavior. I’m sure you see that too, whether you live in an urban jungle, a forest, mountains, plains, or by the ocean. You may or may not do things that are particularly ecofriendly, but my guess is that you don’t go out of your way to ruin things either.

We Are Part of the Natural Order

One thing most people forget is that humans evolved with this planet. That makes us part of the ecosystem as much as the trees, wild animals, insects, and fungi. We came from the same matter that is on the earth, and that was originally forged in a star several billions of years ago.

Everything is interconnected in some way on our planet. What we are ends up getting recycled into new life of some variety. And if we can reincarnate, chances are we’ll experience our old selves a molecule at a time. Pretty deep shit, if you think about it.

We are part of the natural order, and it’s important to never forget that. As divorced as you might feel from the world sipping a latte in a local cafe, the world is still here. A big storm, earthquake, or other natural phenomena will remind you quickly how insignificant you are in the world and how much we simply can’t control. It’s hubris to think that humans hold more power than the gods — and we pay for it when things don’t go the way we intend.

Finding Right Feeling Places

I think the gods tell me that people have pretty much forgotten their link with the world. Oh, there are people out there who still feel the link every day — hikers, campers, hunters, explorers, seafarers — but those who live in cities don’t even see the stars. Sure, they have pets, and those pets bring some sanity in their overall insane lives, but for the most part, they have little contact with anything of the world. All around are man-made constructs and they have lost touch with what it takes to survive should the infrastructure go down. I’m not saying I’m perfect. Far from it. It was a hardship when my microwave died. (I didn’t think it would be an issue, but yeah, I rely on it pretty seriously).

But back to our links with with world. There are still right feeling places on this earth, but with so many people, sometimes it’s hard to find them. The Zen masters were great at creating their own little meditation spots; even when they were constructed, they had a natural feel. Japanese Shintoism is very much similar to Asatru in that it recognizes both tutelary spirits and ancestral spirits with the land. There are right feeling places just as there are wrong feeling places. You may be able to find, or even help establish them with links to the world, itself.

Plant a garden. Go to a park. Adopt a pet. Go somewhere quiet where there are trees and natural ground. Try to avoid the manicured areas and look for something less artificial. You may be able to find peace there.

I’ve Never Seen an Elf

January 23, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

I have a hard time with landvaettir. As much as I would love to believe in these nature spirits or ghosts, I’ve never seen one. That doesn’t mean that they don’t exist, but I’m having a tough time with them. Basically it goes under “I haven’t seen them, so I’m agnostic about them.”

Growing up without Magic

It’s not from lack of trying, either. As a kid, I grew up skeptical and I was always wishing that something was true that I knew wasn’t. Near my home when I was growing up, we had plenty of milkweed, dandelions, and goat’s beard. We called the seeds “fairies” because of the way the floaty seeds looked. I remember a kid telling me that by a particular creek you could see fairies. I went there, hoping to see a supernatural entity, only to be sorely disappointed. When I asked the kid later, she said she meant the seeds.

Drats.

Much of my early life was spent in the woods of New York and Virginia before it all became paved over. (Yes, I’m THAT old.) There were places we went where you could find old ruins of farmhouses that existed before the Civil War and my dad used to find tons of miniballs from what I presume were lost around the Civil War. These places could be magical. But honestly, I never saw any thing that said “magic.”

Everything had a reason. People who believed in magic and ghosts were foolish or uneducated. Everything could be explained scientifically. Kind of dreary, if you ponder it long enough. But science had its own wonder and own magic.

Still No Magic; Still No Elves

Some people claim to be able to speak to the land wights and the Elves. I’ve pretty much given up on that because I’ve never seen or heard one back. I have, however, thanked them for the land, the food they brought us, and the wood we use to heat our home. I read some Asatruar books which told me how to “see” my guardian animal spirit and saw nothing. The trick is to look at your face in the mirror at night for a long time. Granted it’s a trick that plays upon our minds and is called pareidolia.

Pareidolia plays on our mind’s ability to recognize faces in inanimate objects. When looking in the mirror at night, we don’t see everything and so our imagination fills in the gaps. Except if you don’t have an imagination. Which, I probably don’t.

(I’ll have you know I’m a bitch to take at movies, too. There are some science gaffs that really take me out of suspending disbelief.)

I do have Spirit Guardian Animals, though

That being said, I do have spirit guardians. They came to me in dream and meditative visions. One has actually flashed by my car in the same place in the same situation every time until I noticed her. I found out that I have three spirit guardians I can call on, and maybe more. One is a fox, one is a hawk, the third is a white wolf or Husky/Malamute. Both the fox and the hawk I have seen personally. The wolf is in my dreams, or may have been a dog I owned.

So, maybe I do have some magical beings that do show up from time to time. They just don’t screw too much with my sensibilities. Maybe Elves and land wights are too much to ask for. Then again, you never know…

Condescension or Surety? It Isn’t Bragging if You’re Right

January 20, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

Shit storm.

Get a little fervent about a subject in this day and age, and suddenly they label you condescending when they figure out you’re a woman. Maybe I should read the Bible where woman are told to shut the Hel up? You know, the one with this little passage:

“Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (I Timothy 2:11-14)

A friend of mine posted one of my posts on a Facebook Odinism group, and true to form, the first thing called out was that it was condescending. Really? Might it be because it came from a woman? Even the Havamal has this nasty piece when talking about women:

83: The speech of a maiden should no man trust
nor the words which a woman says;
for their hearts were shaped on a whirling wheel
and falsehood fixed in their breasts.

Thanks, Odin. Thanks a lot. This is why Tyr is my god. But even if this were inspired by Odin, humans still had a hand in writing this down, and we can just imagine what kind of axe to grind when it was put to paper in the Codex Regius. This is actually a compilation of works that were written down around 1270 CE, more than 200 years after the age of the Vikings. We have no idea if the monks who wrote it down followed the true verse or whether it was highly influenced by Christianity. Or whether this is really what Odin thinks. I suspect not, even though he is a fickle god.

Critical Thinking and Confidence

I get a little emphatic when I discuss something that I know I’m in the right about and when I have documented evidence to back my assertions up. I sound confident when I provide that evidence so it is “as clear as is the summer sun…”, and when I read idiotic posts by others who seem to think they have the world figured out, but basically have never been taught critical thinking and can’t use it to save their lives. In these cases, yes, I get a bit fervent. Guess what? Our ancestors did too.

At one time it was actually accepted to hear someone be confident when they spoke. Our Northern ancestors actually relished hearing the deeds and opinions of others. Somebody got out of line? Well, there were plenty of people willing to take the person down a notch or two.

Calling Out Confidence

Our society is full of stupid, irrational behaviors brought about by none other than Christianity. If someone gets in your face about being wrong, she is called out for being condescending, even when the points are valid. Would it have the same effect if I didn’t sound so angry because people act stupid (yes, stupid) and refuse to believe scientific facts? Yes, I suspect so. Hel, someone was kind enough to go down the same road to mansplain me what a Theory is. Seriously?

When a woman actually calls out men for being idiots, she’s being told she’s being rude, she’s a Marxist (oh, that’s rich!), being condescending, and saying, implicitly, that she should have said it nicer. Really? When a man says it, we might say he’s being confident, or maybe arrogant. But again, the person doesn’t worry about the tone so much, but rather the message. Nobody says, “geez, you could be a little less condescending.”

Bullies–in the Internet Sense

How does Christianity play into this? Just look at all the freakin passages that tell you to listen to your elders, obey, and otherwise behave ourselves. Let me tell you a little secret: I grew up Catholic. You were never supposed to get angry, challenge authority, or do anything that might cause strife. I grew up in a fucking wolf pack of a school where I was singled out for being quiet, smart, and not the norm. Because of this, I had to deal with bullying. Yep, bullying. And I did so poorly because I was told to “turn the other cheek.”

When I post something on a blog, I expect a reaction. Good, bad, indifferent. I sure as shit am not going to let some whiny people change my behavior because my words make them feel uncomfortable. Don’t like it? That’s okay. But don’t think your words will make me change any of mine.

“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Blaming the Messenger–Just Because You Don’t Want to Hear It

Yes, there were people who complained about the message, but didn’t bother to point out WHERE my sources were incorrect. (They weren’t, BTW.) I was very careful to use sources that were legitimate. Note using some piece on the Internet that my neighbor would call fact isn’t a valid source. He believes in the Illuminati and Chemtrails, which pretty much throws out any part of rational thought.

22. The miserable man and evil minded
makes of all things mockery,
and knows not that which he best should know,
that he is not free from faults.

Yep, that’s the Havamal again. I do agree with this passage when it comes to ignorant people mansplaining things to me. Look, I don’t know everything. I don’t claim to know everything. That’s why I read and look shit up. That’s why I can talk with some certainty. If you aren’t willing to have a rational discussion (with the Rational Heathen–get it? Get it?), then we really have nothing to talk about and you need to go to your little corner of the vast Internet and lick your wounds. Go play with the other uneducated idiots out there. The sandbox is plenty big for us both.

So, where do we go from here? Obviously, I don’t back down when it comes to a fight. That’s my nature. If you’re going to have a battle of wits with me, bring your A-Game. Otherwise, you just might have more than you bargained for.

We Evolved and We Came from Africa Originally. Get Over It

January 17, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

Yes, it is time for the Rational Heathen to pitch a fit at those who 1. Deny evolution and 2. Don’t think humans migrated from Africa.

Theory Isn’t Only a Theory

First, let get things straight: science isn’t a belief system. It is a way of logically analyzing the world and proving, using the scientific method a statement as fact or theory. The word “theory” in science used to describe an explanation of why and how things happen. For gravity, we use Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity to explain why things fall. “Theory” is not synonymous with “unproven.” “Theory” means that the statement is consistent with everything we know, including facts. However, if a new fact were to arrive that changes our understanding of the world, it may change the Theory. For example, depending on how you use gravity varies the terminology. If you’re using it in mathematics, it’s a Law. But if you’re talking about gravity and how it interacts with things, it’s a Theory.

Science Isn’t the Sith

I’ve never figured out how people could be so brainless when it comes to the term “theory.” It’s almost as if they start arguing semantics just to justify their ignorance. If scientists came up with another term other than “theory,” we might actually have the chance at getting people to understand that proven theories are just that: proven. Until something else comes along to prove otherwise, this is really the best information we have.

Writing in books by iron age cultures doesn’t constitute facts. Until things can be proven and can be repeated using the scientific method, it’s belief, and not fact. Yep, that includes religions, including Christianity and Asatru. Even though we may hold our beliefs as truth, the reality is our beliefs are simply beliefs. Our beliefs hand us absolutes which comfort us in some way. Humans hate not have a definitive answer for things. That’s why religion has such power.

Science, OTOH, isn’t the Sith. It doesn’t deal in absolutes. Scientists are aware that facts change and our understanding of the world changes with new discoveries and new information. Maybe if we call it Sith and not Theory, we might get some headway. The Sith of Gravity. The Sith of Evolution. Hey, that’s kind of catchy. I think I’ll use that.

Out of Africa

Fossils have clearly shown that humans evolved from common ancestors with other primates. Genetics and other studies have pretty much confirmed the Out of Africa Theory. Yes, there are constant twiddling when it comes to how exactly humans spread around the globe, but our origins are still from Africa. Lots of different people migrated at different times. Otzi the Iceman was found to have Lyme disease — a disease that originated in North Africa and not the central part. Other DNA from remains put Denisovans and Homo Sapiens in Asia for a while.

This doesn’t mean people originated there. It just means people traveled there. We always think that modern day humans are the only ones who can travel vast distances, but our ancestors prove time and time again that they could and have traveled vast distances with little more than their feet or a wooden canoe.

Why are People so Quick to Debate the Out of Africa Theory?

I suspect there are two reasons for why people argue there’s no way people could have evolved in Africa. The first reason has to do with the bible-thumping, evolution deniers. You know who you are. These folks believe that their god created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. They believe in a real Adam and a real Eve, although how on earth their kids would’ve found mates is annoying obvious. (Does anyone hear banjos?)

If you’re Heathen and you believe strictly in the Norse creation myths, you’re being an idiot. There. I’ve said it. We have our own version of Adam and Eve called Ask and Embla, and we have the same damn problem with banjos and Luke and Leia kisses.

The Norse creation myths are simply metaphors and an explanation for people who just didn’t have all the information handy. What’s more, even if they were confronted with the facts, they had no reference on how fossils, evolution, and other bits of science worked together to come up with a rational explanation. Hel, many educated people (and not so educated) understand how evolution works.

The second reason for why people argue that there’s no way people could have evolved in Africa is a bit more sinister. You’re racist, pure and simple. I’m not throwing the “R” word around lightly, either. You don’t like the idea that your origins are where black people reside. Don’t believe me? Then ask yourself if you’d have problems that humans evolved in Northern Europe, even though there isn’t a shred of evidence to prove it. Haters are going to hate.

Now, if you could come up with scientific proof that humans did evolve in Northern Europe, along with fossils, etc, I’d listen. I’m talking actual science–peer reviewed science. Not the crazy, space-alien, Illuminati crap that I can see on the pages of the Enquirer.

So, there you have it. My take on evolution and the “Out of Africa” theory. Get over it.

My Gods are Colorblind

January 9, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

I’m probably going to be stepping into something rather unpleasant, but here goes.

One of the headaches Heathenism has is the racism that is often disguised as Odinism and Folkishness. In an attempt to find a religion that is northern based, some people believe — wrongly, I might add — that heathens are racist. Therefore, these people jump heartily into Heathenism thinking that all people who belong to Heathenism are racist.

That just isn’t so. There are many good people who follow the gods. Some aren’t white. The gods, I believe, are colorblind. The reason is obvious. No matter what people and the government state in terms of race, there aren’t any separate races when it comes to humans. We’re the same under the skin.

There is NO SUCH THING as Race

Race is a construct. You can’t take a look at someone’s DNA and say, “wow, that person is white” [or black or Hispanic or Asian or whatever.] There is ethnicity, but not race. Ethnicity is where a certain social group of humans have a historical and cultural tradition that is often aligned with geography. It includes being nationalistic. So, if your ancestors came from Sweden, my guess is that you might have some influences from Sweden, even if you live in America and your family has lived in America for several generations. Maybe you’re a fan of pickled herring and Swedish pancakes because that’s what you grew up with. (Or maybe you just like beer and pizza.) Anyway, whatever you like and dislike may have been due to the ethnic influences you grew up with. Obviously, if you didn’t grow up eating pickled herring, maybe you might find it weird or nasty. And you might look at your ancestors as being odd for eating it.

When People Change Ethnicity

I have seen where ethnicity changes a person even though they were adopted into that ethnic group. One friend of mine was adopted from Asia and his parents were British, but they lived in America. (Got that?) My friend has Asian features but is highly influenced by British, and ultimately American, cultures. This guy has virtually no cultural association with his former country (to be honest, I don’t remember what it was.) If you were to drop him into that country, he couldn’t speak the language and would find it as foreign as I probably would. Another friend of mine had come from a Welsh family but was adopted by a Swedish woman. His ethnicity was clearly Swedish even though at one time he was considered Welsh.

Guess Who Is Pure Homo Sapiens?

We are all Homo Sapiens. Some of us have Neanderthal and Denisovian genes running around in our DNA, but we make up the same species. If you want to talk about pure Homo Sapiens, the people who come from Africa, who haven’t mingled with people with Europe or Asian ancestry, are probably the most pure. Something to think about if you’re a bigoted, narrow-minded white supremacist.

So, if we’re a mix of various hominids, we’re all mutts, and talking skin color, differing features, and whatnot, is patently absurd. The fact that every single one of us has mitochondria from one woman and the fact that human beings nearly went extinct not once, but at least twice proves that we’re all a bunch of inbred gorilla cousins, and that when you look at someone “not of your race,” you’re actually looking at yourself with some ridiculously minor genetic variations. Science doesn’t lie.

The problem is that when racist people start following our gods, it taints the rest of us because the media is quick to paint everyone with a broad brush. It’s not fair, but that is how life is. And, as I’ve pointed out in the past, life isn’t fair. So get over it.

If you’re one of those people who use Asatru, Heathenism, Odinism, or Folkishness to justify your racism, stop. The gods really don’t care what the color of your skin is, whether you’re from the northern latitudes, or whether you’re some bullshit made up “master race.” If anything, they’re probably annoyed at your behavior.

Thoughts on the New Year

January 4, 2016 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

Well, Happy New Year.

Or happy fucking new year.

The cynic in me is grumpy because I’m overworked, underpaid, and had a shitload of animal deaths in 2015. If I were a Christian, I’d be asking god why this happened and why is he punishing me. Instead, I ask Tyr why this is happening and why this feels like I’m being punished.

See the difference?

No, well, some days I don’t either. And having been raised in the Christian tradition, I sometimes forget that bad things just happen. So, I whine and complain.

On the other hand, I did save one of my very sick critters — no thanks to the vet who came out here. It took my powers of deduction and research to figure it out and treat the problems. I would’ve saved my animals if my vets had been more on the ball. But no.

Enough Whining and Onto the New Year

The end of the year always feels like the end of things to me. I have actually referred to it as the bottom of the year because the days are shorter, life slows, and the life cycle awaits the sun for rejuvenation. Here in the Northern latitudes, the loss of light and gaining of light is far more pronounced. We have afterglow from the sun for up to an hour longer in the evening, which you don’t see in more southerly states, but we lose a lot of light fast as we trek toward Yule. Once the solstice has passed, we gain light at a frenetic rate as well.

The New Year is Always a Surprise

Oddly enough, the new year always catches me by surprise. I suddenly realize there are things I must do now that December is over and I feel like such a slacker. At the same time, I’m still getting stuff done that I should’ve gotten done in December, had it not been for the holidays. December I was getting stuff done that should’ve been done during hunting season. And so on. I realize that every season I have things to do. Soon, it will be kidding season, assuming any of breedings took hold with my goats.

Ah, the joys of a new year. May you have a better new year than last year. I’m hoping for it.

Use Your Brain–and Listen to the Gods

December 26, 2015 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 1 comment

One thing early on in my switch to Heathenism was my discovery that the gods actually had a lot to say to me. As a scientist, my first thought was: “Okay, I’m losing it.” After all, if you’re hearing voices, chances are you’re suffering from something like schizophrenia. That’s probably why my patron god eschews just popping into my brain unannounced. I’d just check myself into the local psychiatric clinic and be done with it. Which is why when I do get responses from the gods, it’s usually in some form I can accept and one that won’t leave me wondering if I need to check myself in for a thorough psychiatric evaluation.

Dreamland

Dreams are big and the gods often tell me things through dreams. I almost never had dreams from the Christian god. The one dream I did have that was direct, I suspect was Odin who was chiding me for being one of Tyr’s followers. That was amusing, actually, because the dream took on Christian forms. Since deciding to become heathen, I’ve had several contacts through dreams. More on this later.

Meditation

Occasionally I’ll get a strong response when I’m meditating or concentrating on speaking to a god. Yes, Unverified Personal Gnosis. I can’t tell you if what I learn from this would fit you and your life. All I know is that I learn things that affect me.

For example, I know that Tyr claimed me and Odin is somewhat annoyed by it. Annoyed isn’t probably a good word, but it’s the best I can come up with at the moment. It’s more along the lines of slightly irritated. (Come on, now, you really don’t expect for any of the gods to really get worked up over one mortal?) This little challenge between gods affects me and no one else in terms of UPG.

At the same time, Tyr knows he doesn’t own me and he’s okay with that. I suspect Odin would insist on more devotion, but that’s the nature of the All Father. You really can’t expect with a title like that he’d want less.

In retrospect, I’ve been seeing this competition play out my entire life. You could, I suppose, simply call the gods metaphors for what has been going on in my life since I was born. I’ve always been attracted to two sides: the scientific and logical, and the creative. Both sides of me are always trying to achieve the upper hand, and never do. In this case, the agnostic side of me says that the gods are just constructs my brain has come up with to deal with the dichotomy.

Runes

I can hear the skeptics saying, “Seriously, Dude? You cast RUNES?”

Guilty as charged. My overly Catholic sister in a fit of immense inattentiveness gave me The Book of Runes as a present way back when I was a teenager. Now, I can hear other heathens wailing about how worthless his books are when it comes to interpretation. Get over it. I don’t use Blum’s system, but I can see some worth in some of his interpretations.

Runecasting is something I do. Tyr and Thor interjected themselves in my life through the Runes. (Tyr more than Thor, but I suspect the Thunder god is patient with me.) I had some pretty amazing revelations with the runes, including doing a reading in front of a full panel at a convention next to people who charged for divination. Basically at one point, I got into an argument with several people over my interpretation, only to discover at the end that I had not only hit the ball, but made a home run when it came to doing a cold reading. What had happened was I told the woman that her past rune suggested she had inherited some wealth or goods from someone close to her dying. I got taken to task by the other panelists, but I looked at the runes and said, “sorry, that’s what I see.” After we all did our runecasts and interpretations, the woman told everyone that her dad had died and she was wondering how to invest the money.

Luck, I suppose. I could’ve probably made a fortune that night selling castings, but being the agnostic at the time, I didn’t really believe in them. Pretty freaky. If you ever had anything like that happen to you, you kind of wake up. And yes, you tend to get more open with the gods.

Occasional Advice

Despite all my denial about gods and whatnot, I get pretty clear messages from Tyr. It doesn’t matter whether I believe in the heathen gods or not, I’m tied to them. I can either accept my Wyrd or not, but my belief doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything. It might irk other gods, but belief isn’t really necessary.

I occasionally get some strong statements from Tyr. I was visiting one so-called heathen site because I found some books by him that looked interesting. Tyr told me point blank that the guy was full of shit and not to pay attention to him. Later, I did some searches and discovered some pretty unsavory stuff surrounding this person.

Now, I could point out that maybe that’s just my suspicious self. But oddly enough when I looked at this person’s book, I had no idea until Tyr spoke up. My thoughts about this? He was right. And he hasn’t led me wrong. So, maybe I need to listen to the gods a bit more.

Yule Goat

December 23, 2015 Tyra Ulfdottir Comments 0 Comment

Hope you all are having a good Yule! Since Yule runs 12 days — and why not make merry for 12 days? I thought I’d leave you with a little information concerning our friend, the Yule Goat. Since Odin has the Wild Hunt on Solstice, there’s no reason Thor can’t get into the act and have his goats bring presents.

Probably not his two goats, but you get the idea. Wikipedia has a nice article on it.

May the Yule Goat bring you many presents!