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
My experiences in interacting with other Heathens has been mixed. I've met nice folks who nevertheless made it clear that even if they got to know me and LIKE me, they still might not want me to be a member of their kindred. Historically, you were born into a kindred. Your peers were whoever they were, warts and all. You didn't fill out an application for people who then voted on your membership, based on your sparkling personality or whatever it was that had to click with them.
ReplyDeleteI've been told by some that kindred membership isn't a requirement for honoring the old Gods; then these same people would yak non-stop about their kindreds and how wonderful they were, which in effect makes non-members and solitaries feel like outsiders.
I respect reconstructionism, but have found uber-recons to be as annoying as uber-electic neo-Pagans. I was once admonished for example, for using the expression "spiritual path" in a Heathen-related conversation, by a man who insisted that I was using non-Heathen "New Age" talk. Experiences like this make me glad at times that I'm a solitary. Pompous crap.
I've attended public/open blots where I felt little connection to others there; perhaps this was my problem, not theirs, but I note that people tend to hang out with kindred members or people that they know. New comers are seemingly on their own. And as some Asatru rituals seem to focus on the people in attendance and not so much on the Gods (standing in a circle, looking at each other) this sense of a lack of connection can be all the more apparent.
I LIKE the idea of being with other Heathens, but why bother to travel a great distance to be with people who feel connected to their kindred and friends more so than to a stranger who honors the same Gods? Being with others - even hundreds of others, at a ritual - several times a year - doesn't mean that you won't feel alone, and it doesn't mean that you will come away with a feeling of "belonging" to anything in a greater sense than solitary practice can engender. I honor the old Gods and Goddesses on my harrow. I observe seasonal festivals with husel, if not blot and symbel. I read, I connect with people on line, and do the best I can. I FEEL the presence of the Gods, the Goddesses, the wights, spirits of the land, and my ancestors in my life, and feel a connection (even living in a city) to the natural world. Interaction with others would augment this - but it isn't a necessity. Perhaps some day it will be a pleasure.
Wanted to add that I find it odd that some Heathens - who place a lot of importance on kindred membership for "validation" of being Heathen, or who treat is as the fullest expression thereof - oft times can't agree on basic things pertaining to belief: like whether or not the Gods and Goddesses are real. Belief in the existence of the deities is at the core of being Heathen, not membership in an exclusive "club".
DeleteThank you. This is the main reason I kind of shy away from heathen forums myself since it seems everyone puts all their attentions on kindreds and going to gatherings. the only gatherings I've been to I kind of felt silently judged for being by myself even though every one was nice when I spoke with them. I'm extremely introverted and anxious so that does'nt help. So I practice and learn on my own and make my art in honor . Luckily I was convinced to make and sell things so that's communication I guess. Not that I'm totally closed minded to the idea of a kindred, things change of course. Once again thank you for the blog , it helps to know there are others out there :)
ReplyDelete