Solitary Heathen Oath Ring

This is something you can create without a community:

Solitary Heathen's Oath Ring

I wore a copper bangle round my right wrist 24 hours a day for 9 days and nights, and in that period, when I saw it in every moment of my real life, I thought of the heathen god to whom I have committed my life. But then I went on living my life, because that really is the point.

At 9pm on the ninth day I took it off, and it now serves as the Oath Ring between me and my god that I love the most completely - although such a single-minded focus isn't a pre-requisite of course, for anyone. It sits on my altar with the few other items that have some importance in my personal practice. I've only used it once, in a year, and the tangible fact of taking it up to swear an oath was extremely powerful and moving.

I also did other personal dedications relating to it, and there are potentially unlimited thoughtful and even meditational activities that could be used in the nine days of wearing the band, and this will be best left to the individual to decide upon - and, silver or even gorgeous full-on gold would make a beautiful Oath Ring as well – I chose copper for price, appearance, and the relationship to blood and fertile earth that the metal carries.

Sol

"If there's one thing I can do - it's TALK!" ~ Dr Who quote

Okay, the writers of the Christopher Ecclestone Dr Who episode Bad Wolf probably didn't think some minority nutjobs like me would quote them....

Tough poop!

If there's one thing I have seen, SO many times, and I hate, it's the tendency by US based heathens who have done really good work, and who have spent their entire lives fighting against the "culture of self" and the freakish distortions of some Hebrew mystic that permeate the United States, to then try to SILENCE any voice in Asatru / Odinism / heathenry that isn't all about, baking the potluck suppers, and making with the community love. Ideally with them in charge...

It doesn't always work like that, as there is NO burden of proof on anyone to try and make it work by those narrow, self-accrediting, standards.

It's as simple as this: do you trust your gods: or do you not?

I have recently seen solitary heathens such as me described as being proponents of "mental masturbation" - well, if that makes your gang-scene into "spiritual bukkake" - or a "godhi-gangbang" - then count me out!

(Or, maybe just get real, and choose your sexually-based metaphors with better care in future...? Really!)

So - is this blog going to pussyfoot about - NO, it is not. But it's also not going to use daft sexual metaphors in future, because... ick.

Is this blog going to fearlessly try and serve the solitary asatruar / heathen who are being SO dishonoured, SO mislaid? Yes it bloody well is, and it's not going to shut up, and it's not going to go away.

Our gods love us, we love them - whatever else we do, whoever else we are, there is NOTHING else needed to qualify.

Sol

Oh Noes! I'm a Solitary Heathen!

Oh, kill me now, I don't have any kindred or any local co-religionists to cozy up with. Reading most heathen forums, you'd think that was a crime for which I need to be publicly reprimanded and shamed, and in my experience even the most open groups seem to have that as their unspoken rule.

So, whatever, other people can be a pain in the butt and I think we've all felt that way at times - what matters is what we do about it. I am a solitary heathen - that means, I worship (oooh, big word) and/or honour and or just plain frikkin' LOVE, the old gods of Northern Europe.

Does that make me a Nazi?  hell no, as far as I'm concerned gods are Omniscient, that means they don't have to ration their attention to certain people, and also - that means they don't choose stroppy bastards like me by chance.

So - are you a solitary heathen?

Would you like to stay what way? Great - I'll try and post what I can that you might like, as a person our gods love, you have found a safe place to just be YOU. All alone and with NO pressure to change.

Would you like to start a kindred - great, I'll try and post anything I can about that, as well!

I hope that's clear - a blog for solitary heathens, whatever their long term aims. The anti-social and the undecided and the rejected AND the community-builder are equally welcome here, and since your gods love you, and you love them - who is ANYONE to try and get in the way? ;)

Sol