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.
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.
This is a beautiful and wholesome post
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