Posts

Woes of Being an Inclusive Heathen

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It is Remembrance Day. I am tired. I have been very over-taxed with work lately and was looking forward to the day off. I would do a little Remembrance Day rite in my Hearth cult, watch the Remembrance Day ceremony on CBC, read a little, and take a nap. Perfect. Unfortunately, it can’t be that simple these days. I was watching the CBC live on my phone and couldn’t figure out how to hide the comments. They were pretty bad… anti-LGBTQ+ and racist. I was shocked people would type such things while the veterans and soldiers were standing there at attention. I tried to report a few people, but, as usual that was fruitless. Hate speech is allowed these days apparently. Anyways, shortly afterwards I was watching a video talking about the new Remembrance Day stamp released by Canada Post and the pieces fell into place in my mind. Here was a picture of a Sikh veteran… and people were mad. “When did Remembrance Day become woke?” Well, sir… when those people you hate fought for your freedom. Whic...
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Beginner Heathen Hacks: Altars

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One thing I have noticed is that beginner Heathens often have a vision of how their practice should be based on things they have seen online or in books, but it doesn't match what they are able to do at that moment in time. Instead of problem solving they get stuck and get frustrated. I have a few beginner Heathen hacks that have helped a surprising number of people. Today, I would like to share my hacks for altars. First of all, you don't need the big fancy altar. I know it is shiny, perhaps someday you will get there, but no one starts there. All you really need for an altar is a candle and a cup or bowl to hold a liquid offering. (Some people would argue you don't even need that much, but for the sake of this article we are going with my opinion.) A few other things that might be nice on you altar include: incense and an image or depiction of a deity, or of an ancestor.  Beginner Heathen Problem: I live with people who I am not comfortable knowing about my practice You ...
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Reconciling Christian Traditions within a Heathen Worldview

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One of the things that came up recently with my Kindred was a discussion on Christianity and how you reconcile the overculture with your Heathen practice. Something that myself and other people who had been Heathens for a longer period of time said was that when you first become Pagan or Heathen then there's a lot of energy that you push at distancing yourself from Christianity. However, eventually you become comfortable enough in your own identity and your own practice that you kind of slide back a little bit the other way. I don't mean that you become Christian again but instead that you can enjoy some of the traditions that you enjoyed as a child, or perhaps that you're less bothered by the overculture (and by other people celebrating holidays that you don't believe in anymore).  I personally still have the most trouble with the Christmas season just because it's so long and so commercial. It's not really to do with the Christianity. I tend to feel overwhelme...
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Being a Heathen is Political: A Canadian Perspective

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The more openly Heathen I become, the more I realize that my existence is inherently political. At first I tried to separate my religious identity from my political identity but it soon became clear that I cannot have those two things be separate. I tried to not engage people in my kindred in political discussions, but during covid I finally got bored and decided to have those discussions. I realized how vital they were to my identity in Heathenry. I also realized that I needed to stand up for other people in order to be able to stand up for what I believed in. For example if I want religious freedom then I have to stand up for other people's religious freedoms too. This is the reason why I'm a huge advocate for giving space for my Muslim students to pray, and making sure any provided snacks are halal. At this point I feel I cannot stay silent about political issues anymore, as they currently have huge impacts on my world. So for all of you who are going to argue this is not a ...
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