Hearthside

We have now come through the Tyr year, the stark masculine energy, the struggle. The Bïork year is upon us. Berkana, the birch rune, the rune of transformation and rebirth. The softening feminine energy shines through. This is a year of new beginnings. But we must be cautious, what is present in the roots, is what will unfold. Change takes time, but birch trees are fast growing. We can turn things around, letting go of old patterns, causing new ones to take root. For those of you new to this series, I am using the Rune Poems along with Rune Rasmussen’s Nordic Animist Year to build up a sort of Farmer’s Almanac of what each year will hold for us in a 19 year cycle. I also look at historical events and weather patterns for comparison and as a basis for what may come in this cycle. All of this is experimental. A multi-year project which may or may not have any worth. I always start with the rune poems. Rune Rasmussen’s book uses the Swedish Rune Poem, but I compare the others as well. Bïo...

I haven't been a Heathen very long, comparatively. I have been fairly successful at learning quickly because once I found Heathenry I threw myself head long into it. I read anything I could get my hands on, I learned to read in Old Norse, and most importantly, I talked to other Heathens. That is always the fastest way to learn. You can absorb all the knowledge others already learned much faster through a discussion. We need to encourage more discussions in Heathenry, and help them to flourish. Discussions can get heated without being debates. The thrill is the depth, not being right. That was what drew me into my Kindred, I was willing to challenge ideas, but be polite about it. I wasn't going to follow blindly, but I could accept being wrong. And I have been wrong a lot over the years.  I recently had the opportunity to go home, to where my family lives in British Columbia. In 2017, I moved back with my mom. I had been a shut in for 3 years at that point, after teaching up nor...

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 ...

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...