Forwarded from Pagan Revivalism
Something cool, beautiful and mysterious about our world:
One of the strangest sights you can see even from space is the Malaspina Glacier in Alaska. Not only is it the world's largest active glacier, but it is also home to a major gravitational anomaly found from GRACE satellites. These unique properties in combination give the landscape a warped and glitched appearance.
Perhaps there is powerful spiritual energies at play as well? Thought you all might like this
One of the strangest sights you can see even from space is the Malaspina Glacier in Alaska. Not only is it the world's largest active glacier, but it is also home to a major gravitational anomaly found from GRACE satellites. These unique properties in combination give the landscape a warped and glitched appearance.
Perhaps there is powerful spiritual energies at play as well? Thought you all might like this
2852-10 - Philosophical Critiques of Paganism
The Great Courses
This is a must listen
Paganism v Platonism
Pagan Revivalism
This is the full debate and Q&A between Paganism and Platonism.
I want to thank @stbr99 for representing the platonic side in this debate and being cordial. I want to thank the many folk who came to listen and ask questions. It was an excellent discussion and hopefully the beginning of many more.
May this be the beginning of further debates which will strengthen our revival.
Gods love you
I want to thank @stbr99 for representing the platonic side in this debate and being cordial. I want to thank the many folk who came to listen and ask questions. It was an excellent discussion and hopefully the beginning of many more.
May this be the beginning of further debates which will strengthen our revival.
Gods love you
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Why Sacrifice?
Part 1
Sometimes folk ask why Gods, Ancestors & Spirits of the Land need sacrifice? After all, if they are ethereal spirits in another realm, why give them food and drink?
Let's examine the Spirits of the Land & Sacrifice.
It is a material biological fact that nutrients in the soil are ingested by the roots to form the fruits of the plant. Nutrients are not infinite, and if nutrients aren't given back, the soil will become barren in a few short generations.
Some recent developments in agricultural studies support giving back nutrients through sacrifice.
In this example, they offer sugar, spread it around the fields, which increases the eletrical conductivity of the soil. This increased conductivity is a consequence of microbial life spreading around the nutrients.
If you give to the soil, the soil will give back to you. A gift for gift. And isn't that what sacrifice and building a bond with the Spirits of the Land is all about?
Our ancestors weren't liars. They knew more than we know.
Part 1
Sometimes folk ask why Gods, Ancestors & Spirits of the Land need sacrifice? After all, if they are ethereal spirits in another realm, why give them food and drink?
Let's examine the Spirits of the Land & Sacrifice.
It is a material biological fact that nutrients in the soil are ingested by the roots to form the fruits of the plant. Nutrients are not infinite, and if nutrients aren't given back, the soil will become barren in a few short generations.
Some recent developments in agricultural studies support giving back nutrients through sacrifice.
In this example, they offer sugar, spread it around the fields, which increases the eletrical conductivity of the soil. This increased conductivity is a consequence of microbial life spreading around the nutrients.
If you give to the soil, the soil will give back to you. A gift for gift. And isn't that what sacrifice and building a bond with the Spirits of the Land is all about?
Our ancestors weren't liars. They knew more than we know.
Pagan Revivalism
Why Sacrifice? Part 1 Sometimes folk ask why Gods, Ancestors & Spirits of the Land need sacrifice? After all, if they are ethereal spirits in another realm, why give them food and drink? Let's examine the Spirits of the Land & Sacrifice. It is a material…
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Why Sacrifice?
Part 2
In ancient times Sacrifices would accompany communal ritual, festival & feasting. One sacrifice, that is not often purported to be a kind of sacrifice, is song & dance among the folk.
We talked about the electrical conductivity of the soil, and how that can be increased through the offering of food & drink to the soil. What a lot of people don't recognize is that sound vibrations provide extra energy to the environment. The dancing & singing, giving thanks & praise to Gods, Ancestors & Spirits, provide extra energy to the soils which give extra sustenance back to you.
For a long time, singing songs to the Gods, fields and Spirits of the Land would have been considered wacky. The more we discover about our world, the more it becomes self-evident that our ancestors knew more than we give them credit for. And only now are we starting to see that they were right all along.
Part 2
In ancient times Sacrifices would accompany communal ritual, festival & feasting. One sacrifice, that is not often purported to be a kind of sacrifice, is song & dance among the folk.
We talked about the electrical conductivity of the soil, and how that can be increased through the offering of food & drink to the soil. What a lot of people don't recognize is that sound vibrations provide extra energy to the environment. The dancing & singing, giving thanks & praise to Gods, Ancestors & Spirits, provide extra energy to the soils which give extra sustenance back to you.
For a long time, singing songs to the Gods, fields and Spirits of the Land would have been considered wacky. The more we discover about our world, the more it becomes self-evident that our ancestors knew more than we give them credit for. And only now are we starting to see that they were right all along.
Why Sacrifice?
Part 3
We talked about how offering sugars gives carbon and fuel to microbial life and to the soil. We talked about how the mycelium spreads nutrients around, and grows through song and dance which often accompanied Sacrifice. Now that we understand how these processes work, let's talk about sacrificial burial.
When an animal was sacrificed, there were typically 3 ways this was done. Before refrigeration and modern preservatives, the best meat was fresh meat. Animal sacrifice for communal feasting would give the best meat to Gods, Ancestors & Spirits of the Land, as well as everyone in attendance. The 2nd, burning an offering & spreading the nutrient rich ashes among the fields. The 3rd is complete sacrificial burial.
Sacrificial burial gives the microbes & the mycelium many years of nutrients. As the animal is broken down, as it would if it died in the wild, the gift of those nutrients back to the soil give back to you. In other words you are taking a part in the grand design of the Gods.
Part 3
We talked about how offering sugars gives carbon and fuel to microbial life and to the soil. We talked about how the mycelium spreads nutrients around, and grows through song and dance which often accompanied Sacrifice. Now that we understand how these processes work, let's talk about sacrificial burial.
When an animal was sacrificed, there were typically 3 ways this was done. Before refrigeration and modern preservatives, the best meat was fresh meat. Animal sacrifice for communal feasting would give the best meat to Gods, Ancestors & Spirits of the Land, as well as everyone in attendance. The 2nd, burning an offering & spreading the nutrient rich ashes among the fields. The 3rd is complete sacrificial burial.
Sacrificial burial gives the microbes & the mycelium many years of nutrients. As the animal is broken down, as it would if it died in the wild, the gift of those nutrients back to the soil give back to you. In other words you are taking a part in the grand design of the Gods.
Why Sacrifice?
Part 4
What we hope to show through these posts is that sacrifice was not "primitive superstition." That giving Sacrifice has very real, very tangible effects you can see and are being rediscovered today.
Understanding these, is it no coincidence that when sacrifices stop, often times famine and plague accompany the lack of sacrifice?
When we see blessed Thor being associated with agricultural fertility, knowing now the thunder spreads nutrients, it goes to show that our ancestors knew more than we could possibly imagine.
It goes to show that these ancient pagan faiths were in touch with the world in ways we never considered. It is this understanding and rediscovery that's shows why Paganism was correct. And why returning to it will give us many blessings, as we give back through sacrifice.
Gods love you
Part 4
What we hope to show through these posts is that sacrifice was not "primitive superstition." That giving Sacrifice has very real, very tangible effects you can see and are being rediscovered today.
Understanding these, is it no coincidence that when sacrifices stop, often times famine and plague accompany the lack of sacrifice?
When we see blessed Thor being associated with agricultural fertility, knowing now the thunder spreads nutrients, it goes to show that our ancestors knew more than we could possibly imagine.
It goes to show that these ancient pagan faiths were in touch with the world in ways we never considered. It is this understanding and rediscovery that's shows why Paganism was correct. And why returning to it will give us many blessings, as we give back through sacrifice.
Gods love you
Forwarded from Hearthfire Radio
NEW EPISODE — The Outlander — Bringing Kids Into the Faith
https://hearthfireradio.com/watch?v=ZebVsczH
One of the hardest parts about being pagan is raising children in the faith when most of the world doesn't understand your religion. Today we live in a world where secular humanism is the default religion, so this is problem that even Christians and others have. But it's especially vexed for pagans. Mike addresses one of the most commonly asked questions in our sphere.
https://hearthfireradio.com/watch?v=ZebVsczH
One of the hardest parts about being pagan is raising children in the faith when most of the world doesn't understand your religion. Today we live in a world where secular humanism is the default religion, so this is problem that even Christians and others have. But it's especially vexed for pagans. Mike addresses one of the most commonly asked questions in our sphere.
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Beauty is present in the world, it is all around you. Through our actions we can make it shine, revealing it to many.
Forwarded from Germanic Faith (Kyle Davis)
Many new agers of the brosatru crowd have a hard time accepting that Germanic heathens did in fact kneel before their gods. This is attested many times from histories, to the Eddas, and sagas. All polytheistic religions had forms of prostration, all people found it acceptable to do so before their gods.
This Grevensvaenge figurine is dated from 800-500 bce. Depicting a kneeling figure. The second image of a of a Roman bronze statue of a Germanic man with a Suebian knot, also kneeling.
"Another observance shows their reverence for this grove. No one may enter it unless he is bound with a cord, by which he acknowledges his own inferiority and the power of the deity. Should he chance to fall, he may not raise himself or get up again, but must roll out over the ground. The grove is the centre of their whole religion. It is regarded as the cradle of the race and the dwelling-place of the supreme god to whom all things are subject and obedient. The Semnones gain prestige from their prosperity."
-Tacitus' Germania
"The moment their boats reach this dock every one of them disembarks, carrying bread, meat, onions, milk and alcohol (nabīdh), and goes to a tall piece of wood set up <in the ground>. This piece of wood has a face like the face of a man and is surrounded bv small figurines behind which are long [10] pieces of wood set up in the ground. <When> he reaches the large figure, he prostrates himself before it and says, "Lord, I have come from a distant land, bringing so many slave-girls <priced at> such and such per head and so many sables <priced at> such and such per pelt." He continues until he has mentioned all of the merchandise he has brought with him, then says, "And I have brought this offering," leaving what he has brought with him in front of the piece of wood, saying, "I wish you to provide me with a merchant who has many dīnārs and dirhams and who will buy from me whatever I want <to sell> without haggling over the price I fix." Then he departs. If he has difficulty in selling <his goods> and he has to remain too many days, he returns with a second and third offering. If his wishes prove to be impossible he brings an offering to every single one of those figurines and seeks its intercession, saying, "These are the wives, daughters and sons of our Lord." He goes up to each figurine in turn and questions it, begging its [11] intercession and grovelling before it. Sometimes business is good and he makes a quick sell, at which point he will say, "My Lord has satisfied my request, so I am required to recompense him." He procures a number of sheep or cows and slaughters them, donating a portion of the meat to charity and taking the rest and casting it before the large piece of wood and the small ones around it. He ties the heads of the cows or the sheep to that piece of wood set up in the ground. At night, the dogs come and eat it all, but the man who has done all this will say, "My Lord is pleased with me and has eaten my offering."
-The Rusila of Ibn Fadlan
"There was one thing in him which the King disliked, and one only: he would never bow down to heathen Gods, and he set his mind firmly against all sacrifice."
-Olaf Tryggvasson's Saga ch. 57
"And when he got to the assembly, then some of the farmers had arrived. Then they saw a great multitude of farmers coming to the assembly and carrying between them a huge image of a person, adorned with gold and silver. And when the farmers that were at the assembly saw that, then they all leapt up and bowed down to this monstrosity. After that it was placed in the middle of the assembly field." -Olafs Saga Hins Helga ch. 113
" The same thing is said about the decoration of Þorgerður Hölgabrúður: They then went to the temple and the earl all fell to the ground in front of her statue. There he lay for a long time. wanted to get hold of her, but it seemed to Sigmund that she had bent the spear, and the earl took a great deal of silver." -Færeyingasaga ch. 108
This Grevensvaenge figurine is dated from 800-500 bce. Depicting a kneeling figure. The second image of a of a Roman bronze statue of a Germanic man with a Suebian knot, also kneeling.
"Another observance shows their reverence for this grove. No one may enter it unless he is bound with a cord, by which he acknowledges his own inferiority and the power of the deity. Should he chance to fall, he may not raise himself or get up again, but must roll out over the ground. The grove is the centre of their whole religion. It is regarded as the cradle of the race and the dwelling-place of the supreme god to whom all things are subject and obedient. The Semnones gain prestige from their prosperity."
-Tacitus' Germania
"The moment their boats reach this dock every one of them disembarks, carrying bread, meat, onions, milk and alcohol (nabīdh), and goes to a tall piece of wood set up <in the ground>. This piece of wood has a face like the face of a man and is surrounded bv small figurines behind which are long [10] pieces of wood set up in the ground. <When> he reaches the large figure, he prostrates himself before it and says, "Lord, I have come from a distant land, bringing so many slave-girls <priced at> such and such per head and so many sables <priced at> such and such per pelt." He continues until he has mentioned all of the merchandise he has brought with him, then says, "And I have brought this offering," leaving what he has brought with him in front of the piece of wood, saying, "I wish you to provide me with a merchant who has many dīnārs and dirhams and who will buy from me whatever I want <to sell> without haggling over the price I fix." Then he departs. If he has difficulty in selling <his goods> and he has to remain too many days, he returns with a second and third offering. If his wishes prove to be impossible he brings an offering to every single one of those figurines and seeks its intercession, saying, "These are the wives, daughters and sons of our Lord." He goes up to each figurine in turn and questions it, begging its [11] intercession and grovelling before it. Sometimes business is good and he makes a quick sell, at which point he will say, "My Lord has satisfied my request, so I am required to recompense him." He procures a number of sheep or cows and slaughters them, donating a portion of the meat to charity and taking the rest and casting it before the large piece of wood and the small ones around it. He ties the heads of the cows or the sheep to that piece of wood set up in the ground. At night, the dogs come and eat it all, but the man who has done all this will say, "My Lord is pleased with me and has eaten my offering."
-The Rusila of Ibn Fadlan
"There was one thing in him which the King disliked, and one only: he would never bow down to heathen Gods, and he set his mind firmly against all sacrifice."
-Olaf Tryggvasson's Saga ch. 57
"And when he got to the assembly, then some of the farmers had arrived. Then they saw a great multitude of farmers coming to the assembly and carrying between them a huge image of a person, adorned with gold and silver. And when the farmers that were at the assembly saw that, then they all leapt up and bowed down to this monstrosity. After that it was placed in the middle of the assembly field." -Olafs Saga Hins Helga ch. 113
" The same thing is said about the decoration of Þorgerður Hölgabrúður: They then went to the temple and the earl all fell to the ground in front of her statue. There he lay for a long time. wanted to get hold of her, but it seemed to Sigmund that she had bent the spear, and the earl took a great deal of silver." -Færeyingasaga ch. 108