Memorial Day Ritual

In the United States of America, on the last Monday of May, we have a holiday called Memorial Day.

On this day, Americans tribute the fallen U.S soldiers that died in battle.

Though most Americans today do so by barbequing and "celebrating" the day, without so much of an utterance on why the post office is closed and why a great deal of people are off from work, Memorial Day is something that America has done right. To honor those that fell in battle is a pillar stone of Germanic--nay, Indo-European, culture and tradition.

Today, my friends, is an important solemn day, and here is one American export I support for the European and European descendant folk.

While you may not agree with the wars that are being conducted by the Federal Government*, the soldier should always be honored. The soldier is the epitome of a man. He is disciplined. He is brave. He fights. He is ready to die on the field of battle. Such an ideal should be the pride of any nation.

No, this day wasn't on the Heathen calender, but it is in tune with our Heathen philosophy. For the man who dies in battle is who achieves the highest. The battle-slain is the only one that can cross the rainbow bridge. The Valkyrie's prey is the one that dines in the hall with all of the finest warriors and Odin himself. He is the one that flirts with the serving wenches and feeds the dog scraps. And after he is done feasting on pork and beer, he slumbers, and in the morning, he is woken up to fight and die again, and resurrect, and he will repeat this cycle until the end of the cosmos.

Some argue that our soldiers are nothing but mercenaries or worse, whores who have given their loyalty for confusing or obscure ideals and goals. Whether you believe that or not is irrelevant. Only those that die in battle see Valhalla. It's not, "Only those that fight for a good cause see Valhalla". The brave and the bold need not ideology or even morals. Soldiers are soldiers, warriors are warriors; Valkyries fly over every battlefield. Regardless if their cause is just (and who are you to judge that), soldiers should be revered.

Our ancestors certainly revered them.

So on this day, exalt the soldier. Champion the man brave enough to stare death in the eyes and charge head on. Revere the mean that died, sword in hand, prideful, honor in tact, carried up to the halls of Odin or Freyja by the Valkyries. They are great men.

The ritual today will be for Thor, God of the common soldier, and Tyr, God of single combat. The Valkyries will also be honored today. Today is not Odin's day--he is the God of war, not warriors; Veteran's day is his. Finally, the fallen warrior receives the highest honor.

Take your Mjolnir, and consecrate yourself, hailing Thor like you would any other day. Thank Thor for granting the fallen soldiers strength in both life and death. Now, fire nine shots from your gun, dedicating each bullet to Thor. If the former is not possible, go to Thor's oak and stab the Earth 9 times (remember, Thor's mother is the Earth!), near the trunk of the tree, but do not damage the roots. Pour beer or mead into the cuts, dedicating it to Thor.

Now, you will honor Tyr. Take a glove, which will symbolize Tyr's dismembered hand, and burn it, dedicating it to Tyr. Thank him for granting the soldiers honor in both life and death. If you have a sword, carve a Tyr rune into the ground and dedicate it to Tyr. You can also paint or draw the Tyr rune on the glove that you will burn.

The Valkyries, the glorious battle maidens that are sworn to ferry the fallen warriors to Valhalla, will be honored now. Thank the Valkyries for their commitment and duty to your fallen heroes. Picture those beautiful shield-maidens in your mind, wondering if some day, you will have the honor of meeting one. Take some old meat or rotten food and toss it out somewhere, away from your house. Valkyries are associated with ravens and crows, so it is fitting to offer food only a scavenger will eat to them. With some luck, the blackbirds will pick at your offering.

Finally, take some alcohol, preferably beer or mead. Red wine, the color of blood, is also fitting. Say something such as:

"On this day, May 28th, I honor Valhalla's chosen."

Now, you shall repeat this from the Sayings of the High One*:


Cattle die, kinsmen die,
the self must also die;
but glory never dies,
for the man who is able to achieve it.


Cattle die, kinsmen die,
the self must also die;
I know one thing which never dies:
the reputation of each dead man.

Now say: "Glory to those that fell in battle! Glory to Valhalla's chosen! The hero is immortal! Hail to the dead warrior!".

Pour your libation.

That is the end.

*1 I do not agree with the USA's current wars.

*2 From The Poetic Edda, translation by Carolyne Larrington, page 24, stanzas 76 and 77.

Why are you a Heathen?

Though I do not post on Heathen forums or partake in Heathenic discussions on Facebook or other social media avenues, I do read them from time to time. One of the common tropes I come across is that people say they are Heathens because it is what "feels right", and worse, they say their patron deity is their patron because it is what they feel most connected to.

A glaring problem in Western society today is that young people in their late teens and early twenties enter college and major in "What I feel is best". What is the result? The young people end up getting a degree what "feels" best, which usually ends up being something non-practical or a field with low prospects, and they end up with a mountain of debt and not a good enough job to work off their voluntary indentured servitude.

I am absolutely against discerning who is a Germanic Heathen by who "feels" like a Heathen or who "feels" like they are close to Freya or any other deity. Sure, you don't end up with a mountain of debt by worshiping a God outside of your heritage as you do when majoring in your hobby in college, but it's making a mockery out of your ancestors and what they believed in.

I will go on record to say that a Heathen that follows the footsteps of his ancestors because it "feels right" is not much a Heathen at all.

Just because something feels right, does not mean that it is the best for you. Feelings are whimsical, they come and go as the wind. Feelings cannot be trusted, even deep feelings. Sometimes you feel deeply good about a member of the opposite sex, where you feel romantic feelings towards them. Sometimes, this is good, but other times, your "good feelings" can end up hurting you. The person you have "good feelings" for can be absolutely wrong for you. Sometimes they lie and cheat on you, but no matter how much they hurt you, you still "have feelings for them".

That is when any logical person puts their feelings aside. That's right. You put your feelings aside, and you act logical. You analyze. You use interpretation. You come to a conclusion. You deal with the person in the correct manner, based on what you know is right, not what you feel is right. Your feelings come second to your logic.

In these modern times, we often forget that the idea of romantic marriage is a very new thing, especially outside of the upper classes. For the greater part of our history, fathers married their daughters off. But they didn't just marry them off to just anyone. The marriage had to make sense. Marriages were used to secure business deals, dowries, or link family-guilds together for the purpose of expanding a guild. At the higher levels, they were used for diplomatic relations. These marriages made sense.

But in these modern times, marriages don't always make sense. They are not logical. They are based on feelings, and feelings as whimsical. Look at your grandparents--chances are, they are still married if they're not dead. Why is this?

Because their marriage made sense. Their marriages conformed to societal norms (oh, the horror!). The man was the man, the woman was the woman. The man was masculine, and the woman was feminine, and both of them found each other attractive as a result. The marriage also made sense, because the man was always financially well-off and the woman was willing to rear a family. They didn't need to like the same movies or music, as they were not looking for best friends as life-partners. They were looking for a marriage that made sense. Yes, they had romance and they fell in love, but logic also dictated that the marry.

This may sound to you, the modern human, as something horrific and down right conservative, but it's true. And guess what? They're married, faithful, loyal, and they have pride in their marriage. They honor their oath they swore to one another decades ago. This is Heathen.

The same is true about how you carry yourself as a Heathen, and how you look at your faith. If you're a Heathen because it "feels right", then that tells me that somewhere down the line, it may "feel wrong", just like your last relationship all of a sudden "felt wrong".

"Feeling" what your religion is or believing in the Gods because you "feel" them is not a Pagan concept at all, and it is a Christian one, at least a modern Christian one. Ask any Christians, particularly young ones or the Evangelical types. They will tell you they believe in Christ because they "feel" him, and probably will go on to make some inane analogy with the wind. There is no logic in their conclusion, it is purely emotional.

Of course, our Pagan ancestors did not "feel" their Gods. They used logical and rational to justify their belief in them. That is why modern philosophy and all Western philosophy, secular and Christian, and even Islamic philosophy, is rooted in Pagan Greek thought. Yes, filtered through Christianity in the West and Islam in the Middle-East and Persia, but underneath the dogma is Plato, a Pagan, and Aristotle, another Pagan, and underneath these great men is the Pagan society that produced them. Because we Pagans are logical and rational. We are able to separate our emotions from our beliefs. This is the difference between us and the Christians, even if we are both theists.

In other words, you need to use logic on why you are a Heathen. This is not Christianity. You don't "feel". Do you think the Spartans worshiped Hercules because it "felt right"? They worshiped Hercules because it made sense for them to. First of all, they believed they were the literal descendants of the demi-God. As the prideful sons of Hercules, they lived a Herculean life-style. Their rigid training, their strict discipline, their heroic philosophy of death before dishonor--this is what made them worship Hercules, to honor an ideal that they strive to be. It made sense to them. Looking back over 2000 years later, it makes sense to us. Hercules wasn't the philosopher's God, or an agricultural deity. Hercules fit the Spartans world-view and culture perfectly. It was rational and logical for them to worship Hercules.

So why are you a Heathen? I am a Heathen because my ancestors were Heathens when they stepped foot into recorded history. I am a Heathen because the Heathen mentality not only fits my own, it fits my people's, even if we're technically Christian. I am a Heathen because it is in my blood, it is in my veins, it is in my brain, and if we have souls, it is my soul. Germanic Paganism is uniquely mine. It is not inclusive. It is exclusive, and I am in this exclusive group. It is for me, and my ancestors, and my descendants. I am a Heathen because the Gods are ideals for me to strive to be.

While our Greek cousins are a good example, the same is true about the Germanic people. Do you think the ancient Germanic people fluffed around the forest going "Ohhh, Odin, I feel your love!"? They worshiped Odin by emulating Odin, who gave his wisdom to them through the Hamaval and the Runes. He was the Allfather God, and all peoples must pay tribute to their Allfather, just as you go to your Grandfather's funeral and respect him. But the people who worshiped Odin as a patron, ask yourself, who were they? They were Kings, because Odin was a leader. Generals, because Odin was a war-God. Poets, because Odin was a god of poetry.

Ask yourself, why do I worship Odin? Am I a leader? A poet? A general? Can you let Odin's wild fury inspire you into a berserker if needed? A politician too, as detestable as they are, have more of a claim to Odin-worship than the average so-called Heathen!

I see many people wearing Mjolnir these days, including weak, soft, beta, man-children. If you are not an alpha male, then you should not be wearing that hammer. They make a mockery out of Thor and of our ancestors that worshiped him.

Who has a right to worship Thor? Men who know they are men. Men who don't apologize for themselves or their gender or their race. Men who are not afraid to speak what is on their mind and do not fear meaningless buzz words such as "racist" or "homophobe". Men who fight back if someone attacks them. Men who have a sense of duty to protect the innocent and the weak with their lives.

In other words, your grandfathers. Your masculine, rugged, non-politically correct and brainwashed grandfathers. They are more Heathen than you, and neither of you know that.

If someone strikes you, and you do not defend yourself, you cannot worship Thor, regardless of how you "feel".

If you think being angry is "bad", then Thor is not your God.

Thor is the ultimate man. He is alpha. He is masculine. He protects what he loves with his life. He has a sense of duty that he fulfills. He defends his honor and the honor of his wife. He's willing to crush his enemies. He has a wife, and children, and his son follows in his footsteps. He is selfish as the alpha lion as takes his share. He's neither afraid to express his feelings, nor does he try to hide them. He's quick to anger, and quite stubborn, but our Gods are not perfect, and our ancestors never claimed them to be perfect. Nothing is perfect, despite what some other religions claim.

If you are not striving to be that man, then you are not worthy of Thor or his protection from his hammer.

I am not saying that you should not tribute the Gods regardless of who you are, but before you choose a patron, you have to know who you are, and who you are striving to be. Choosing a patron God is not something you take lightly. You can't switch them out like changing underwear. Your patron is going to be your patron for life. You choose your patron and you model yourself in your patron's footsteps. If you can't play a musical instrument, then why Forseti? If you're a fashion model, why Thor? If you're a pacifist, then who would you even worship in the Germanic Pantheon?

Of course, you don't want to ignore your feelings. You don't want to ignore your intuition. If something feels wrong, then it probably is wrong. But you have to put your feelings aside and think logically. I am not asking you to be robotic, but just as your marriage has to make sense, so does the faith you propose that you partake in, along with the patron God you are supposed to dedicate your life to.

Converting to Heathenry

A common concern those interested in practicing Heathenry along with newly initiated Heathens usually have is "How do I convert to Heathenism?"

The answer is quite simple: you cannot convert to Heathenism.

You are either a Heathen or you are not. But it is not as complicated as it sounds. Allow me to explain.

Enlightenment thinker Rousseau said that we are born free, it is society that puts us in chains. This is true. What is also true is that we are born Pagan, and it is society that puts us into Christianity.

In order to understand this, you must journey back with me to the days of Heathen ancestors.

When our ancestors, the Germanics, or even the Greeks and Latins, entered recorded history, they were not Christians. Their warriors swore oaths to the Allfather of battle. The poets heralded the ancient heroes that slayed the greedy and monstrous force of chaos known as the dragon--whether that hero bore the name of Beowulf, Perseus, Siegfried, Thor, or even Indra. The Goddess of sex and marriage blessed the bride at their weddings. Some of their practices today are still with us, such as the bride and groom exchanged oath rings at their wedding, after the father symbolically gives his daughter away. Nevertheless, they were Heathens through and through.

That changed. No one can deny that. But what also could never change is that our ancestors were Pagans. We know the reasons why the Christian conversion happened, and there is no gain in feeling bitter about it or wishing it didn't happen in the first place. What is to gain is recognizing our ancestors for what they were. If we recognize our ancestors for what they were naturally, before something was forced upon them for political reasons, then we can find the pure, true, traditional way of life that they followed.

Our ancestors had no name for their religion. You may hear this repeated a lot, but it's true. Asatru, Odinism, Heathenry, whatever you want to call it doesn't matter too much because Heathenism had no name. What an anthropologist would call their religion was indeed Heathenry, but they didn't see it as that. They simply saw it as a part of their lives. It was an inseparable part of them. They didn't worship the Odin because they read some myths or played a video game and "felt" that Odin is close to them, or some other weak reason, but because worshiping Odin was part of their lifestyle and their culture. They didn't stumble into an Odinist temple and then "testify" into the power of Odin or some other such nonsense. They worshiped Odin because he was their God as their fathers were their fathers.

If we are to be true Heathens, then that is the mentality that you must have. You cannot convert to Heathenry. You are born a Heathen if you are Germanic (and this is true for any tribal, traditional religion). There will be no special ceremony for you where you don white robes and jump in a river and declare your virginity. There will be no baptism, and no priest to guide you, and no one will care that you "convert". Once you recognize your rightful place as your ancestor's descendants, and your ancestral Gods as your Gods, then you have claimed your birthright. You are now a Heathen.

The Christians, particularly the Catholics, a religion that all Germanic people were under at one point or another, recognize this. This is where the concept of original sin comes from. The Biblical Israelites were "God's Chosen People", the Christians--mostly gentiles that converted to Christianity--had "original sin". Catholics (and other sects of Christianity) believe we, the moment we are conceived, the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg, are sinners. We are born sinners, and we must be baptized into the Catholic religion to atone for this. This is because they know we are born Pagans. We are naturally Pagans and must be "perfected" into Christians.

Sure, one can make the argument that we don't really know how the Heathen religions and practices came about in the days of pre-history. You can make the argument that European Paganism was a combined religion of Sky-Father worshiping Aryans and Earth-Mother worshiping Neolithic farmers in Europe, but there is no real proof of this, and there can't be. It's a "What-if" question. What is known and not a what-if question is that when our ancestors entered recorded history, they were Heathen, and they had a deep religious culture, rooted in tradition and rich in meaning as it was rich in mythology.

Germanic Heathenry is what came naturally to our ancestors. If you are to "convert" to Heathenism, you must let it come naturally out of you. It is there in you. Search for it and let it flourish.We are Heathens not because it's what "feels right", or at least not only so, but because it makes sense for us to be Heathen. We are our ancestors, and we follow in their footsteps, proudly and surely.

Remember and recognize that you are a Heathen. Now, you have "converted".

If you do wish to have a more formal introduction into Heathenry, here is something simple.

Get out of the city. Go into solitude, deep in the forest, the mountains, or even the desert if that's where you are. Make sure you have a clear view of the sky, preferably a scape of it. The sky is majestic in any weather and at any time. Being out in nature is the best way to do this. Though nature is around you regardless of the presence of trees, you want to be in solitude. No distractions such as car horns or other humans. Clear your mind. Focus. Now, stand erect, and firm; our Gods do not want you to grovel on your hands and knees like a slave. You are not submitting. You are not humiliating yourself. You are proud, and your ancestors are proud of you.

Stand tall. Lift your chin up. Put your chest out and your shoulders back. Keep your eyes open. Stare up at the endless sky. Marvel at its totality as your ancestors did thousands of years ago.

Now, you are to speak. Speak in confidence and with assertion. You are a man, not a slave. But you still are less than your Sky God, but neither you nor your God will openly recognize that. You are lesser to your God as you are lesser to an older, paternal figure that you admire, and look up to, but know you will never reach the same level as he. You feel less than he is, but there is never a need for you to say that to him, or for him to say that to you. Nevertheless, your respect for him is immense, and you mold yourself after him, even if its an unobtainable ideal.

That is the Sky God. Some people call him Thor. Some recognize him as Tyr. You can even talk to the Allfather instead.

Say something along these lines in your native language, and don't you dare speak in some pseudo-archaic form of your language:

Father Sky, I recognize you as my father,
Father Sky, I recognize you as my grandfather,
Father Sky, I have come home.
Father Sky, you have my oath, as your son, and as a man.

The Sky Father God for our ancestors was either Thor or Tyr, depending on which tribe and or period we are speaking about. I view Tyr as the Sky God. Call to the God that makes the most sense to you. You can even leave it at "Sky Father", or "Father Sky".

Do realize that a prayer like that is an oath. I will elaborate on oaths in this blog sometime, but for now I will say: do not take oaths lightly. Oath-breakers were viewed as the same level as thieves and liars by our forefathers. Think about it: what does a man have, aside from his word? Once a man breaks his word, he cannot be counted on. He cannot be relied on. He cannot be trusted. He now has nothing.

Now, will Thor strike you down with Mjolnir if you break an oath to him? Of course not. Are you going to be tortured in Helheim as suggested in the mythology? No. But what that makes you is a man that is not of his word. Even if no one else knows that you are an oath breaker, you yourself know, and that should be enough to cause you great shame. Furthermore, now that you are oath-conscious, the floodgates have been opened, you will not take oaths lightly, even if you don't realize it overt. One aspect of our mythology is that it was highly metaphorical. The oath-breakers suffer in Helheim because of their guilt.

Remember that next time you think about going back on your word.

Daily rituals for each day of the week

In the English language, as well as the Scandinavian languages, six out of the seven days of the week are named after Germanic Gods. Most people, Germanic or not, do not know the origin of the names of the week for the most part.Yet they repeat these names--Tues, Wednes, Thur, Fri, and honor these deities each time they utter these days. Our people, the Germanic people, still honor our major Gods, more commonly known as Tyr, Odin, Thor and Freyr, along with Sunna and Mani, from the moment they begin to speak to the moment they die.
You, as the Germanic man, and the awakened Heathen, will take this subconscious honoring into consciousness. You will honor each of your deities on their namesake days in unique and exclusive ways.
Each day will be dedicated to a different deity. A common theme generally repeats: honor your patron deity each and every day, alongside the different daily deity. There are rituals for each, and usually a libation, a burned offering (remember, consume whatever you intend to offer as well!), and sometimes associated animals and neck-wear.

Sunday

On Sunday, you are to honor Sunna, the Goddess of the sun. Hail her after you hail your patron. On this day, you will give thanks to the sun, and that means you will enjoy its rays. On Sunday, take a hike, such as through the forest or in the mountains, and bask in Sunna's glory. It does not matter if it is foggy, a thunerstorm, snowing--the sun is still there, even if you can't see it or feel its rays directly. What I like to do during the spring and summer is to go into my pool and float on my back, eyes closed, facing the dusking sun, and I ponder about it, and Sunna. When twilight descends, I thank Sunna and I say good night.
Offerings to burn for Sunna are sunflowers and dandelions, or any flower, really.

Monday

Monday, you are to honor the God Mani, the God of the moon. Honor your patron in the morning, but you are to honor the Moon God when the moon first makes his appearance. Hail him. Your ritual for Mani will be to sit outside, face the moon, and ponder it. Ponder its beauty, ponder its purpose, pondr its role in moving the tides. Harken back to your ancestors by letting your mind wander about the moon, and your ancestors thoughts of it and the stars above.
Another way to tribute the moon is to take a moon-hike, when the moon is full and bright and eats at the darkness, so you can see. Moonbathing is another fitting tribute for Mani. Meditate on the moon.
A libation for Mani is red wine.
An offering for Mani is coffee beans*.
*Coffee beans make a fitting offering for Hel, as well.

Tuesday 

This day is Tyr's day, and on this day, you will tribute the God of honor and single combat, Tyr. In the morning, hail your patron and hail Tyr. Consecrate yourself with the Tyr rune and don it. Today you will honor the God of single combat and by competing in something. It can be anything, a sparring match at the local MMA training center, a game of bowling, target practice, a race, chess--just don't do something silly like play a video game, unless you're actually at the professional level, or playing against someone you know will be as equally competitive.
Do your very best. Play fair and honorably. If you lose, don't be a sore loser, there is never shame in defeat if you tried your best. Congratulate the victor, praise his skill, and thank him for the learning experience. If you win, don't be a sore winner, but don't praise the loser. You won fair and square. Shake hands before and after. Promise to compete again later, but never promise your opponent another victory. Dedicate the victory to Tyr if there is a victory. If there is a loss, promise Tyr that you will do better next time.
However, the real honor for Tyr will be when you make a self-sacrifice on this day. Tyr placed his hand in Fenrir's mouth knowing full well the wolf would snap his jaws down. Tyr did it for the well being of others, and for the greater good. On Tuesday, if possible, for the greater good, you can do volunteer work, such as the old folk's home. Animal shelters are another good choice. Honor Tyr by sacrificing your time for nothing but the sake of others.
There are many alternatives for this: go help your dad paint the garage, help the person carrying a large box out out of a department store, take your friend out for lunch and pay for him. Just do something where you sacrifice something, such as time, money or energy, for the sake of someone else. Dedicate this to Tyr, and you will honor him, and be a better person for it.
A libation for Tyr is water. It is pure and honest, as is he.

Wednesday

Wednes is the God gives his name to the mid-week day, otherwise known as Odin (or *Wodanaz, if we are to get technical). When you wake up in the morning, and after you hail your patron, hail Odin as well, by singing the Odal rune song, and don the Odal rune if you have it. Dedicate the day to him. As Odin is the God of knowledge and wisdom, you must appreciate the Allfather by increasing both your knowledge and wisdom.
For your knowledge, take an hour of the day to learn something. It could be something new, or you can improve on already a known aspect of your knowledge. Maybe learn how to write proper poetry or lyrics, improve your skills at an instrument, paint a picture--these are suggestions, the choice is yours. Do this for at least an hour of your day. Try to be creative, and thank Odin for your increased knowledge and if you were creative, dedicate the piece to Odin. You don't have to carve his rune or paint a picture of ravens, again, it is up to you, but just dedicate on this mid-week day to the mid-week God.
Sometime during the day, preferably just before you are ready to fall asleep and after you have prepared yourself for your rest, read something out of the Sayings of the High one from the Poetic Edda. Pick a particular verse, and read it, and then read it again. And again. Ponder on it. Mediatate on it. Discuss it with yourself. Wonder how this verse relates to these modern times, and how you can appropriate it into your life. Then thank Odin for writing it, and go to sleep, your last thoughts on this verse.
You should do this solemnly (ask your woman to let you be in peace, and if she objects, then she is not a good woman). Do this naked, as nudity is honesty. Do it in lowlight. Thank Odin for writing this piece of wisdom after you are done, and ask him to give you the ecstacy of wisdom.
If you have a dog, give your dog a little extra meat at dinner and tell him it's from Odin. If you spot a crow or raven (or a wolf, if you happen to be in wolf country), greet the creature and tell it to tell Odin you said hello, and thank Odin for watching over you.
For libations, take some mead (if you have it, if not, pour some honey into some beer), declare it to be from Mimir's well, and sprinkle it around the tallest tree possible, and state that it the tree is Yggdrassil.
Finally, your rune carving should take place on Wednesday.

Thursday 

In the morning, hail your patron, and then hail Thor, dedicate the day to him and don your Mjolnir, if you don't already. Make sure to consecrate yourself with the hammer first. Thor is the God of strength, so you must perform an act of physical strength to honor the God. You can be creative, as always--it is your body and your ritual, but the simplest and most logical way is to call upon Thor while you weight lift. Try to incorporate your lifting schedule to fall on a Thursday (if you don't lift, and you are a man, then shame on you! You have no business worshipping Thor!).
When you work out, channel Thor. Tell yourself you are Thor's son. Listen to heavy metal music attributed to Thor (Manowar's "Thor the Powerhead" works well for me, especially the live version). When working out, work out extra hard. Increase the weight more so than you normally would, even by a little. Don't use a spotter when you're doing chest presses--say to yourself Thor is your spotter, Thor protects, he will never let the bar fall on you. Do an extra rep or even set. Dedicate at least one full, max power rep to Thor and not yourself. The most appropriate exercise to do so is an exercise that incorporates almost every muscle in your entire body, and where you're lifting more than any other exercise, such as a deadlift or a squat. Make that rep the last rep of your set, dedicate it to Thor, thank him for watching over you and increasing your strength.
At dinner, consume goat cheese and goat milk, and goat meat if you can get it. More importantly, eat big! Drink big! Thor is known for his large appetite. Honor him by engulfing two or three fold the food you normally would! If you are weight training (again, if you worship Thor, you'd better be!) then this will not harm you, especially if you double up on the meat. Many guides to weight training, and masculinity guides, recommend a day where you are the lion and you take your share. Let Thor's day be this day!
For a libation, go to an oak tree and offer mead or other alcohol, and pour it around the tree. If you cannot do this to an oak tree, then do not bother to do it at all.
 Goat meat and goat cheese make good offerings for Thor.
If you happen to come across a goat, pay special attention to it, and even feed it if you can, reminding yourself that Thor is watching over you.


Friday

Though it isn't known if Friday is for Freyr, Freya, Frigga or a combination of the three, I am under the impression that it is Freyr, and thus I dedicate Friday to him. I find it highly unlikely that a day was dedicated to Frigga as she was not a prominent Goddess, not nearly as much as Freya, and she was never the patron of an entire people, as Freyr was/is (Swedes!). Another logical alternative is to hail both Freyr and Freya, as they are siblings, and share the same attributes for the most part.
That being said, Freyr is the God of peace and plenty. Today is a day of relaxtion and pleasure. In the morning, hail your patron God and hail Freyr. Dedicate the day to him, and promise him you will make it a day full of relaxation and pleasure.
The most obvious ritual for Freyr is to make love to your woman. And by that I mean sensual pleasure shared with a female that you care for. Relax, turn the lights down, light some candles, and have a romantic, soul-exchanging time. Channel Freyr when you have sex, and dedicate your orgasm to him. Do not masturbate and dedicate that to Freyr--that is both degrading and insulting to the God. If you don't have a woman to have sex with, and you are single, then your ritual will be to take the night to speak to a woman and to woo her. Channel Freyr while you do so. More or less, have romance or attempt to start a romantic relationship. Invoke Freyr when you are courting women.
At dinner, eat boar or pig. Burn a portion of it in your yard for Freyr. Horse would also be a great and fitting alternative if you can get a hold of it. For thousands of years, horse meat was sacred and powerful for our ancestors. It still should be for you.
For a libation, wine works well for both Freyr and Freya.
If you come across a boar or a horse, pay special attention to it and remind yourself that today is Freyr's day. If you're honoring Freya, do the same if you come across a cat or a falcon. Pay special attention to your cat as well, if applicible.

Saturday

For reasons unknown to me, the 6th day of the week somehow appropriated the name of the Roman God Saturn. Unless you have significant Latin blood, I do not recommend that you honor Saturn on this day, as he is a cousin God, and not an ancestral God for the Germanic man. In the case of the 6th day, your ritual can pertain to any God, Goddess, mythological hero, folk hero or even your own personal ancestor, such as a grandparent. You can dedicate the 6th day to any figure that you like, or you can use it as an auxillary and tribute a different figure each 6th day. The choice is yours.
As a result, the ritual you create is up to you. Don't use your imagination, use your intuition. Do what feels right, not what you think may be different or "cool".
However, do remember that traditionally our ancestors had bathed themselves on this day, hence Saturday was known as "Bathday", and that is why it did not have the name of a deity. Most baths at the time, especially for the commoners, were public baths. When Christianization took foot in Europe, public baths were declared evil and thus we bathed less.
Now, thanks to modern conveniences, we just don't have to bath just one day a week, but as Germanic Heathenry is a traditional religion, we, as descendants of our ancestors, we should pay tribute to them. You can do so by cleaning yourself extra well on Saturday, and take special care of any abberations on your body. If you have hemorrhoids for example, take the time to cleanse them on Saturday. If you have cuts or scrapes, make sure to apply antibodies. Do your house cleaning on this day and make sure to get the nicks and crannies you may ignore. Move the huge dresser and clean under it. Wash your car inside and out. Give your dog a bath. Don't be lazy.

Conclusion and for the record
By conducting these practices each day, you will discipline yourself, and your connection to the Gods will deepen. You will show the Gods your loyalty.
As many of you are aware, the concept of a 7 day week is biblical. While I do promote cleansing your life of all things Christian, the 7 day week is something we just have to accept. There is no changing it; it has been tried before, and it didn't work*.
*After the French Revolution, along with the measurement system, the French revolutionaries tried to revamp the calender to create a secular and rational calender, basing the year on 10 months and the week on 10 days. It failed miserably. 

Statement of purpose

For new Heathens, the most frequent question I've come across is how exactly to worship the Gods, and how to live like a Heathen. When I entered Heathenry, I faced similar questions, and experienced difficulty finding ancestors. How do you pray? How do you worship the Gods? What are the Gods? What God do I worship, and when? How do I know if I'm acting Heathen or not?

I have the answers for these questions. Newcomers to Germanic Heathenry will benefit greatly from this blog, but I hope sophomores and veterans too will find this information useful. Worship, ritual, prayer, lifestyle and philosophy for the Heathen will be explored here.