Happy Saturday, dear readers! In today’s post, I want to take a brief look at the fourth and final part of the Heathen self that Ryan Smith discusses in the third chapter of Spinning Wyrd. What jumped out at me is that Smith (or at least those whose views he’s sharing) seems to hold two … Continue reading Hamingja: Reflections on chapter three of “Spinning Wyrd” by Ryan Smith
Happy Friday, dear readers! in today’s blog post, I hope to continue my reflections of chapter three of Spinning Wyrd by Ryan Smith. Specifically, I want to explore the third part of the Heathen self that Smith talks about, the fylgja. This is the aspect of the Heathen self that I’ve always struggled with and … Continue reading The Fylgja: Reflections on chapter three of “Spinning Wyrd” by Ryan Smith
Happy Friday, dear readers! Today, I want to offer a quick review and a few reflections on Ryan Smith’s discussion of the hugr (“mind”) from chapter three of his book, Spinning Wyrd. Smith offers the following expansive idea bout the hugr: These connotations strongly suggest that the mind was seen as more than just one’s … Continue reading The Hugr: Reflections on chapter three of “Spinning Wyrd” by Ryan Smith
Happy Friday, dear readers. I’m ready to get back to my normal blogging, which means it’s time for some reflections on chapter three of Spinning Wyrd by Ryan Smith. In this chapter, Smith discusses the four-part self, a common understanding of the human being among many Heathens. Smith explores each of the four parts of … Continue reading The Hamr: Reflections inspired by chapter three of “Spinning Wyrd” by Ryan Smith
During the second half of chapter two of Spinning Wyrd, Ryan Smith turned his attention to discussing the Norns and offering his understanding of them and what little is written about them. Overall, I think Smith offers an excellent analysis. However, there is one statement that is making a bit of personal conflict for me: … Continue reading That time I (allegedly) met a Norn: A post inspired by chapter two of “Spinning Wyrd” by Ryan Smith.
Wyrd is an important subject to me. This is reflected by how often I keep coming back to it onn this blog. I’ve written posts about how the concept relates to both my ethics and my magic. I’ve even written a guided meditation/visualization for connecting with the web of wyrd. It’s so important to me … Continue reading Pondering what Ryan Smith said about the titular subject of his book “Spinning Wyrd”
Happy Friday, dear readers! For today’s blog post, i want to share some reflections inspired by Ryan Smith’s discussion of synchronicity in chapter one of Spinning Wyrd. While discussing the topic, Smith offers this bit of cautionary advice: When you accept synchronicity into your life, you should refrain as much as possible from actively imposing … Continue reading Synchronicity vs. Looking for Signs: Thoughts while reading “Spinning Wyrd” by Ryan Smith
When I was exploring the differences between my witchcraft practice and Wicca back in May, I mentioned that i was still exploring how to start my rituals and create a sort of ritual and magical space. At the time, I shared the following thoughts: Also, there an aspect of circle casting I’ve found some Wiccans … Continue reading Pondering the “Invoking Fire and Ice” rite in “Spinning Wyrd,” by Ryan Smith
Happy Friday readers! Isn’t it amazing how the Powers sometimes respond to us in interesting ways? Back on July 15, I commented that I really wanted to find a new book to blog my way through on Fridays. And almost immediately, I found what I believe to be that book. This post and the next … Continue reading Exploring a new book for Friday blog posts: “Spinning Wyrd” by Ryan Smith
See the update at the bottom of the post. A common idea that much of our society seems overly invested in is the separation of the body and spirit or soul. Often, the soul is viewed as something that is contained by — or worse, trapped by — our body. At death, it moves on … Continue reading The Wyrd-Worker rants: The harmfulness of the body/spirit dichotomy