Category Archives: Paganism

Paganism, Witchcraft

The Human-Deity Divide: A ResponsE

1 Comment
Image of Freyja standing with spear and shield in front of her cart.
Freya by Johannes Gehrts. Public domain image.

Earlier this week, I ran across Patheos blogger Astrea’s critique of the “Inner Goddess” movement. I agreed with a great deal of her criticisms, though I found myself disagreeing with some of her theological statements. As a fellow polytheist with different views on the human-deity divide, I would like to explore those statements and why I disagree with them.

I believe we have Divine essence within us.

While I may not believe I have a literal deity inside of me, I do believe that there is Divine essence within me. This is because like everyone and everything else, I am part of the One Eternal Reality. Furthermore, it is this Divine essence within me that allows me to reach out to Divinity and connect with it. I cover this in more detail in my first podcast episode.

Also, in my craft practice, that Divine essence within me is what allows me to shape wyrd and become a co-creator with the deities. My whole ability to work magic is predicated on this.

My deities aren’t perfect.

Astrea’s theology seems to elevate gods to a sort of superhuman perfection, which is not how I view my deities at all. She is right that my deities don’t need to use the bathroom. But they are sexual beings. And they can age. There’s a whole myth about it happening, even.

Also, my deities often seem subject to many of the same failings as humans. They can allow their anger to get the better of them. They can be outsmarted and even tricked.

This doesn’t lessen them or make them any less worthy of my respect. It just means that I approach them more soberly and with a little less than total awe. That brings me to my next point.

My deities are close and approachable.

I read Astrea’s descriptions of deities and they seem lofty, abstract, and difficult to approach. My deities are much more earthy than that. They don’t glow. I think Freyja would find the idea of glowing a bit silly, to be honest.

The myths of my deities are rife with them coming to the human world and interacting with humans regularly. They seem to relish that contact. And none of those myths mention the deities glowing or being aloof around their human hosts and companions.

The myths themselves stomp all over the human-deity divide.

In one myth, the god Heimdall gives birth to humans. In other myths and legends, humans seem to ascend to the status of being a deity. This suggests to me that the human-deity divide is not that great. It certainly isn’t insurmountable.

Conclusion

I think that Astrea’s criticisms of the “Inner Godddess movement” are valid and spot on. However, her theology on the nature of the deities and humans differs greatly from my own. Which is fair, and I appreciate her post, as it allows me to explore those differences. Doing so gives me a greater understanding of my own views.

Paganism, Religion

Pondering Priesthoods in Paganism

Leave a comment

This past Sunday, I got into a conversation on Twitter in which the topic of priests came up. This got me thinking about the role(s) of priests in Paganism. To that effect, I want to capture and offer a few thoughts on priesthood(s).

There should be no priest vs. non-priest basis for determining a person’s value or worth.

In some religions there is sometimes a sense — whether officially stated in doctrine or simply implied by practice and attitude — that priests are somehow superior, closer to the Divine, or more special than non-priests. This kind of thinking has no place in Pagan practice. Priests who promote such thinking should be avoided and left without any followers.

Priesthoods may be established to perform special services to a deity or deities or otherwise form special relationship with them.

One of the most well-known examples of this are those priests of Brigid who keep an eternal flame lit in service to her. These kinds of priesthoods don’t necessarily serve other Pagans in the more common priest-laity relationship. They simply serve their deity or deities or form a special relationship with them that is personally meaningful.

It is important to note that being a member of this sort of priesthood does not make one better than those who are not. Relationships with the Divine are like relationships with human beings. Each person chooses the relationships that they need, want, and find personally fulfilling. A person who wants a more casual relationship with the Divine (“I’ll call when I need something or invite you if I have a really big party”) is just as valid as someone who chooses to get more deeply involved (“Let’s be besties!”).

Some priesthoods may offer services to members of the “laity,” but is should be done from a place of humility.

There are times when someone may want advice, require comfort, or need other services from another person, and there is something to be said for priests who have dedicated time and experience toward this end. Also, since many Pagan traditions believe in and practice magic, it might make sense for some priesthoods to provide help in that area. Such priesthoods should seek to empower those they help rather than keeping others dependent on their priestly services, however.

The Divine is within everyone and belongs to everyone. Not just priests.

Above all else, this must be kept in mind. Priests are not our only connection to the Divine. We have our own connection, every last one of us. We might benefit from a priest’s counsel or comfort. They might provide us a service that we find useful at a given time. But they are not the source or bridge to all Divine grace. We may ignore the priests if we wish and still live healthy spiritual lives. A good priest will be the first to promote this ideal.

Other posts I’ve made about this topic

Paganism, Spiritual Development, Witchcraft

Witchy Questions: How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life?

Leave a comment

This post was inspired by Question #37 from this list.

I think a huge portion of everyday spirituality was covered by my podcast episode on the everyday sacred. Much of working my spirituality into daily life is just doing little things to help me remember that I and everyone and everything around me is sacred. This is reflecting in the fact that the coworker I’m talking to is another part of the Sacred Whole (so maybe I should rethink how I’m treating them). Or taking a moment to check in with my body, thanking it for getting me through the day so far, and asking if there’s anything I can do to keep it going.

Everyday spirituality also comes in those moments when I chant “Hail Freyja! Feed the flames!” and seek to rekindle my passion for and enjoyment of life.

Everyday spirituality is easy when you make spirituality about living and life.

Paganism, Witchcraft

Witchy Questions: Do you celebrate the Sabbats? If so which one is your favorite?

Leave a comment

This post was inspired by Question #32 from this list.

I’ve always had a complicated relationships with the Sabbats. A few of them, I feel some sense of connection with at least some level. The others, however, don’t really resonate with me personally.

Samhain always resonates with them, as it reminds me of the ancestors and those who have gone before me. It gives me a time to think of them, honor them, and even seek out their wisdom at a special time.

Yule has also always held something for me. The image of the return of the light in the midst of the darkness, not quite ready to take charge, speaks to me. I’ve often enjoyed just looking at a single candle burning in an otherwise dark room and consider this mystery.

I have a certain love of Easter as the perfect balance and tension between the light and dark and the creativity it considers. This is also the time of year where I think of the Norse creation myth and how the fires of Muspelheim and the frost of Niflheim meet to form (or uncover) the first primal beings. It reminds me that while their may be a sense of duality, both are always necessary and work together.

And of course, I cannot be a devotee of the goddess of sexy times and passion without having some sense of love for the most sexual of the Sabbats, Beltane. To me, that is a time to really appreciate our sexuality and our full embodiment.

Paganism, Religion, Witchcraft

Witchy Questions: Do you worship nature?

Leave a comment

This post was inspired by Question #19 from this list.

In order to judge whether I worship nature, I feel we just first understand what it means to worship something. Worship is one of those words that is often tainted by our primarily Christian culture and the images of what it means to worship something in the most vocal and visible expressions of Christianity.

In that context, worship has taken on a connotation of giving something — usually the Christian god — ultimate praise and honor, usually at the price of bowing and scraping and humbling (or humiliating) oneself before that which is being worshiped. I do worship nature in that sense. Hell, I worship nothing and no one in that sense.

However, if we look at a more general definition of the word, we see that to worship something is to give it honor and adoration. Looking at the word’s etymology, its roots suggest acknowledging worth. In this sense, yes I do worship nature. I honor it and adore it and enjoy expressing that honor and adoration. But then, seeing as I see everything and everyone as sacred, you could apply that same definition and say that I worship everything and everyone. Nature is no more or less worthy of my honor than my husband, my friend, my cat, my coworker, or the person around the world and have never met.

Paganism, Witchcraft

Witchy questions: Do you work with a Pantheon?

2 Comments

This post is inspired by Question #5 from this list.

I touched on this briefly in my last post, in which I talked about my relationship with Freyja and other Norse deities. By and large, I like to keep my emphasis on focus on the Norse deities, as it allows me to keep things within the context of a single system of myths and lore. While I admire others who seem to have no problem working with and relating to deities from diverse cultural sources, it’s just not generally something that appeals to me, nor do I feel it would work well for me. Partly, I think this goes back to the idea that my ability to call on and relate to other Norse deities stems from the relationship they and I both have to Freyja. If I were to try to reach out to a Celtic deity, it would require extra work and would feel like more of a “cold call” to me.

The one exception is the Greek god Pan, who I occasionally feel drawn to. I think that has to do with the sexual energies he represents from a more masculine point of view, something I don’t quite feel with Freyja. What’s interesting to me is that I don’t have that same feeling toward Freyja’s own brother, Freyr, despite the fact that he is a deity of fertility and sexuality. But to me at least — and I’d be curious to hear the thoughts of other people with experience with Freyr — his sexual energy feels much more tame and civilized than his sister’s energy. I tend to attribute this to the fact that his fertility is linked tot he fertility of the land, often described as the king married to the land. It feels to me as if that crown and his obligations calms and constrains his own sexual energy. Pan, on the other hand, has that wild and even chaotic sexual energy that I am so familiar with through Freyja, and that appeals to me.

Paganism, Religion, Witchcraft

Witchy Questions: Do you have a Patron God/dess?

Leave a comment

This post was inspired by Question #4 on this list.

In my early years of trying to find my way in Paganism, I became a member of Ar nDraiocht Fein/A Druid Fellowship. At the time (and presumably today), that organization’s Dedicant Program strongly pushed seeking out and finding a patron deity or a pair of them. I didn’t find or connect with Freyja until after I dropped my membership, but that push for finding a patron deity or two stuck with me and has shaped my path since then.

A while back, I found a Patheos post by Ian Corrigan in which he talked about some of the motivations behind the inclusion of patronage as a central part of the ADF Dedicant program as well as some criticisms of it. I also found some of his views on the topic and how he tended to instruct newcomers at the time of that post’s writing worthy of consideration.

I especially like how Ian focuses on the idea of emphasis without exclusivity. While I have a tight relationship with Freyja, which I have talked about elsewhere, I am not forbidden from speaking with or establishing relationships with other deities. It’s as though she and I have a simple relationship: I am to keep my commitments to her and am then free to do as I please.

One of the other things that I personally find is that my relationship with Freyja can shape my relationships with other Norse deities and can provide context and even a starting point for them. For example, if I need the aid of Thor, I feel that being strongly connected with a goddess who has helped him out with a sticky situation or two (see: lending out her falcon cloak so Loki could find Thor’s hammer when it was stolen) gives me a certain standing to call on him.

Of course, at the same time, i was building a relationship with Freyja, I also thought about building a relationship with Thor on its own merits. This was at a time when “gender balance” was more important to me in my divine interactions. Alas, my attempts to build something with Thor was quickly demolished when I found myself ushered into the presence of Odin who informed me that I needed to work with him and his energies instead.

Of course, at this point, I don’t really consider even Odin to be a patron deity. This is partly because he is not ever-present int he same way Freyja is. In fact, it’s probably been a couple years in which I’ve really felt his presence at all. For a while, I’d feel him only at those times — often in the spring — when it seemed he felt I had become too comfortable and needed to undergo yet another change or transformative process. Nowadays, he seems to be content to let me be. Which leaves me wondering if the patronage of a deity may not be as permanent as I once thought.

Paganism, Witchcraft

Ramblings about Freyja from a Devotee

Leave a comment

As regular readers of my blog and Twitter feed might know, I consider myself a devotee and follower of Freyja. I mean, I’ve mentioned her a few times.

I started getting close to Freyja and feeling her draw me in during what I would call the third phase of my search for my own place in Paganism. This was after i had read enough books about eclectic Wicca to know it wasn’t quite right for me and then spent time learning Irish mythology and not quite connecting with the Tuatha de Danaan. A friend realized that my eyes lit up whenever I started talking about runes and the myth and lore that surrounded them and rightfully determined that I was meant for a Norse path. So I started looking into books about Norse mythology and even joined an Asatru organization. And I found Freyja.

At this time in my life, i was very much of the opinion that I needed to have a close relationship with both a god and a goddess. At the time, I had planned on building a relationship with Thor (that…didn’t happen). As I looked over the Norse goddesses, I decided Freyja was the best fit for me. For starters, that’s because we probably have the most information about her. The only other goddess that we know the same amount about is Frigga. The rest, like Sif and Skadi, get a mention here or there and that’s it.

Also, I liked Freyja because she was all about the sex. As a gay man who had only been out for…I’d guess four or five years at that point, I was drawn to how unapologetically sexual and passionate she was. I felt like I needed that kind of energy in my life. She didn’t see sex as nothing more than a way to make babies and she celebrated sex — and sensuality in general, which was also important to me — as something to simply enjoy and celebrate.

Of course, it also helped that she was a goddess of witchcraft, and a particular form of witchcraft called seidr. (Pronounced “sayth, where the “th” is soft like in “these.”) Seidr was also deeply attractive to me, as it’s very shamanistic in nature. Exploring the spiritual realms, relying on intuitive abilities, and communicating with spirits or entities is a common practice. So building a relationship with the goddess who taught both the other gods and mankind seidr seemed like a good idea.

As I’ve gotten to know her, I realize that another thing that draws me to her is her unrestrained and often untamed nature. In terms of sexuality, her brother, Frey, is also about sexuality and fertility. But he seems to express it in a more restrained, “civilized” manner. He has always struck me as the type who mostly plays it safe and stays within the bounds of human society, maintaining good order and making sure the land produces food and whatever else the community needs.

His sister, however, seems to prefer to run into the wild places. Or soar overhead in falcon form. If she comes into the “civilized” places, she tends to bring her wildness with her. (And if, like me, you believe that Gullveig and Freyja are the same person, you realize this can sometimes cause problems.)

My personal experience suggests that she’s not a huge fan of many of the trappings of “society.” It’s not that she’s against society or social customs altogether. She just thinks they can get in the way at times. “She obviously likes him. He obviously likes her. Why do they keep tap-dancing around like a couple of nervous soldiers heading into battle? They should just go ahead and hook up already.” That sort of thing. It’s weird having to explain to a goddess that some humans would suffer unpleasant consequences if they were as direct and blunt as she tends to be. (She finds those consequences ridiculously unjust, in case you were wondering.)

Anyway, those are just some random thoughts about Freyja and my personal history with her. How about you? Do you have a relationship with a particular deity? Feel free to share your own thoughts about and experiences with them in the comments!

Paganism, Witchcraft

Words to honor the Ancestors

Leave a comment

I give honor to those who came before me. Founders of my  bloodline who made me who I am. The now gone wise ones who explored the great mysteries and left clues that I might follow. Those who taught me, either directly or indirectly.

As I consider the strong foundations you have left for me, I thank you for shaping me and the world around me into what we are today. May what I do with your gifts be pleasing to you. Advise me so that my efforts are a fitting gift for those who come after me, those who may honor me alongside you someday.

So mote it be.

Magic/Magick, Paganism, Personal Development, Podcast, Psychic Stuff, Religion, Spiritual Development, Tarot, Witchcraft

Pagan Podcast: Divination for Self Empowerment

Leave a comment

It’s the end of July and that means it’s time for episode to of my podcast, The Bed and The Blade. In this episode, I talk about divination as a tool for self-empowerment. I include advice on how to start exploring the world of divination and discuss some of the tools available. I tried to find a great balance between information, suggestions, strong opinions, and the acknowledgement that other points of views exist and are legitimate. As always, you can listen here or check it out through any of the distributors listed below. I’ve also included links to the tools I mentioned and other resources you might find useful in this post.

Listen Now

https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=10667189

Tools Mentioned in the Podcast

Note: I have received no compensation for mentioning or linking to any of the above tools. Nor do I receive any sort of compensation if you purchase any of them.

Helpful Resources

Note: I have received no compensation for linking to or promoting any of the above resources. Nor do I receive any sort of compensation if you purchase any of them.

Legal

The music used to introduce and conclude this podcast is from “Outdated Time” by Esther Garcia. It was provided by Jamendo and licensed to me for use with this podcast.

Subscribe to the Podcast