Harrowman Ealdham

Óðinn on Sleipnir by Diego Rodríguez Robredo

I performed my first extended rite today; It lasted two hours. I could tell the Gods were present with every step. As soon as I was done reading my prayers that I had written, the first crow that I saw today flew directly overhead.

Many of the folk in the pagan spheres are familiar with me. I've been in the community for a long time and am very proud of my contributions to the growth of our faith. If my words hold weight for you in this regard then please hear me. We have come a long way. I am so very proud of us. We are beginning to establish ourselves as real respectable advocates for a real living religious tradition. We are debating real theology. Real philosophy. Doing real research and understanding real sources in ways that can put scholarship back into pagan hands where it belongs. We still have a long way to go but our future is very bright. What MUST happen is in the many, many debates to come that we are holding ourselves to standard of conduct that is reflective of high-mindedness and nobility. Not the septic putridity of internet troll culture. We are here to serve the Gods. Our actions and conduct must please them or else we are doing it wrong. Those whom you are debating, who are real theistic devotional and right-handed pagans are not dogs to be beaten and abused. They are your kinfolk who you are trying to convince in an arena of ideas in order to distill the most authentic truths. Accusing an opponent of being secretly Christian is not an argument. Accusing an opponent of being secretly Jewish is not an argument. Accusing an opponent of being a fed or a glow or double agent is not an argument. Slandering an opponent's family or friends is absolutely not an argument. These are not noble or high-minded tactics. These are ergi. They are the exact tactics that aforementioned bad actors would use and have used. It makes the associated positions look clownish, amateur and contaminated with low IQ white trash behavior. This is unfortunately how we learn debate tactics on the internet. But we are ABOVE such conduct. So, many of us have behaved like this in the past. But we MUST purge this malignant behavior from both ourselves and our circles. It doesn't mean that there are never bad actors. There certainly are. But bad actors aren't championing that which they love. They are trying to destroy what they hate. They are DEgenerate. And we are generative. Battle forth with righteous fervor and determination. But do so with love for your ancestors and the high holy Gods in your heart. Show them and the world that we are as noble, good and true as we say we are with honor and sophistication. It is their will. Don't believe me? Read your Havamal again.

Jade amulet from 6000 BC. Found in Karanovo, Bulgaria

I find it very interesting that the answers so far are split 50/50. Personally, I don’t believe the Gods can die. I see them as infinite and whole divine personalities. I see the Gods as eternal, just like our souls. The only thing that can “die” about the Gods is the human perception surrounding them. As in, the last devotee to a deity on earth may die, but the Gods themselves do not. In an alternate timeline, even if everything from European Pagan traditions was lost, we could rediscover the Gods just as our ancestors did through divine inspiration and blood memory.

This is a flag depicting the Slavic God Veles from Volosovo; a town in Russia. Its name indicates that the area belonged to, or was sacred to Veles in ancient history.

Interesting results this far.

Again and again I see the claim made against Platonism that it is "universalist." Unfortunately nobody ever bothers to substantiate that claim, so I have no idea why so many people believe it. Sometimes, it sounds almost as if by "universalist" they mean "believes there is such a thing as objective truth." And I guess the idea is that, somehow, believing in objective truth is supposed to lead to bad immigration policy. I don't know what to say to people who think like that. Other times, "Platonism is universalist" apparently means something like a singular, oppressive dogma which wipes out local cult or ethnic distinction, as if Platonism is a sort of Wal-Mart of paganism destroying regional expression. Not only is this a false claim, it is the exact opposite of reality. In fact, Platonic theology allows us to understand how ethnic and local rites and traditions are metaphysically grounded in the nature of divinity. That is to say, it enables us to see that ethnic particularism is not mere social convention but a real and meaningful relationship with and expression of the Gods or a particular God. Furthermore, I want to emphasize that Platonism is only one aspect of the Greco-Roman tradition. It happens to be one of the better preserved strands of intellectual paganism, but there were several others, including Aristotelianism and Stoicism. While it's true that late Platonism incorporated the wider Hellenic tradition and synthesized it - everything from Homer to Aristotle - it's also true that Platonism isn't and never was the only option for pagans. What I want to say is this: as STJ rightly points out, the Greco-Roman philosophical tradition is a gift from the Gods; it is a vast, profound and pagan European wisdom tradition, one that is already a part of our general European heritage. We would be fools to ignore it. Please take the time to come to your own conclusions on this topic. Do not let other people - who are often very ignorant of the tradition they lambast - do your thinking for you.

By Asia Marchewk

Alcohol & Drinking From the words of Wóden: — 11 A traveler cannot bring a better burden on the road than plenty of wisdom, & he brings no worse a burden than too much alcohol.   — 12 There isn’t much good  as men claim there is in alcohol for one’s well-being. A man knows less as he drinks more, & loses more of his wisdom.   — 13 It’s as if a memory-stealing bird flies overhead while you drink, & steals your mind away. I have been trapped in that bird’s feathers, when I drank at Gunnloth’s home. — 14 I was too drunk, at Fjalar’s house. The best kind of feast is the one you go home from with all your wits about you. ~ Moderation is a truth that guides us toward wisdom & rational thought. Excessive indulgence is a heavy burden that clouds our judgment & leads to negative consequences, making us forget, which isn’t good. In practicing moderation, we better ourselves & work to keep our wits as we navigate life's journey with wisdom. Normalizing excessive drinking is folly ~ Folcweard

I celebrated the beginning of the Winter Nights with my temple this evening. It was a beautiful rite. I’m sure the ancestors will love the homemade pumpkin bread… 🙏

“Taranis” by Bendis

It’s not visible on camera, but from where I am the moon’s light creates an almost rainbow-like halo in the clouds. The “star” beside the moon is actually the planet Jupiter. This is a very powerful night indeed. Hail the Gods!

My shrine for my ancestors.

Tonight marks the beginning of the winter nights. Be sure to give an offering to your ancestors, and to be a good host. They will be visiting you. Pic: “Ancestors” by Christian Sloan Hall

“One god there is, in no way like mortal creatures either in bodily form or in the thought of his mind. The whole of him sees, the whole of him thinks, the whole of him hears. He stays always motionless in the same place; it is not fitting that he should move about now this way, now that.” ~Xenophanes, a Greek philosopher who held actual monistic beliefs, despite writing about how different peoples depicted the Gods/God in their own likeness. This níðingr knows so little about what he speaks.

I carved a pumpkin for the first time in years. Even though it looks goofy, I don’t think it looks half bad.

“Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.” -Plato