#heathen

[whereserpentswalk]

Remember that you're allowed to set boundaries with your gods. You're allowed to say no to your gods. You're allowed to tell your gods what parts of your they're allowed to see. You're allowed to tell your gods when you want to be alone. Just like with any relationship, a relationship with a deity requires consent to be healthy.

[painthropologist]

Just a reminder that this exists!

Absolutely thrilled to say my copy of Germanic and Slavic Paganisms: Security Threats and Resiliency has arrived!

I was entrusted with writing the final chapter in the book, and I hope that those of you who do end up reading it enjoy my contribution.

This book is spendy, so if you're unable to order a copy for yourself, be sure to ask your local library or educational institution to order it in! It's full of very interesting pieces on how we as Pagans can stop the misappropriation of our religions by far right groups.

Lastly, thank you to everyone on Tumblr who took the time to contribute to my research. I couldn't have done it without you.

[occultesotericart]

1600’s anatomical engraving with alchemical symbolism /// by Gerhard Altzenbach

[bowldrips]

*youth pastor voice* "You know who else had 'mad drip'? The serpent that Skaði placed over Loki's head—"

[oddlylivingbeauty]

Hot take, and I truly mean this in the kindest way possible, but some Pagans very much need to examine their own religious trauma before speaking on what is right/wrong to say in Pagan spaces.

I understand that Paganism is an incredibly freeing religion for many people (most notably for those coming from Christianity), and that’s wonderful, but Paganism isn’t lawless, and it never has been.

I understand that you don’t like religious dogma, that’s fair. But that doesn’t mean this religion is a free for all. The Gods are authority figures, they are rulers, and they do ask things of us. For some Pagans I fear that they have based their entire religion on being an opposition to Christianity and that’s just… not ideal.

You cannot build a healthy relationship to the Gods if you are constantly comparing them to Christianity. You cannot follow the Gods if you refuse to do anything they ask of you that feels too similar to another religion that has hurt you in some way.

I’ve seen people say that Pagans shouldn’t veil because modesty is only a Christian invention designed to oppress women. I’ve seen people say that blasphemy doesn’t exist and that the idea that Gods (any God(s)) can get offended is a Christian fear tactic. I’ve seen people say that humans are on the same hierarchical level as the Gods and that the idea that humans are servants to God is a Christian tool for denying human power.

Not only are these things blatantly untrue, but it also negates the power of the Gods, and pushes doubt upon the personal convictions of fellow Pagans.

Paganism exists independently from Christianity. I truly don’t know how anyone can build a healthy practice when the only way they connect with the Gods is in a reactionary “screw Christianity!!” sort of way. Despite what society may say; Paganism is not an enemy to Christianity. It exists independently, and it has for thousands and thousands of years.

I really hope everyone who struggles with religious trauma can find the healing they need, but I implore you to not allow that to be the defining factor of your religion, and I beg that to not distract you from the undoubtable authority of the Gods.

May the Gods bless everyone, hail the great Lords and Ladies above 🩷

[weirdlookindog]

David Bowie, Heathen

by Markus Klinko, 2001

[hearthandheathenry]

Color Associations In Magick

Red - love, seduction, passion, strength, courage, charisma, assertiveness, survival, change, power

Blue - peace, communication, expression, forgiveness, traveling, protection, truth, sleep, patience, trust, pregnancy

Yellow - joy, abundance, intelligence, reason, learning, memory, inspiration, imagination, friendships

Green - growth, wealth, fertility, business, healing, nature, balance, luck, longevity

Orange - creativity, justice, ambition, opportunity, attraction, abundance, confidence, energy, celebration, goals, success

Purple - intuition, decadence, authority, wisdom, knowledge, influence, psychic abilities, devotion, enlightenment, overcoming fears, addiction, independence, spirituality

Pink - self-love, companionship, affection, spiritual healing, kindness, beauty, femininity, marriage, sensuality, children, healing abuse

Brown - home, animals, family, stability, endurance, grounding, solidarity, strength, hard work, earth

White - cleansing, purification, spirituality, higher-self, innocence, illumination, balancing, hope

Black - protection, binding, transmutation, banishing negativity, dignity, force, grief, secrets, endings, loss, security

Gray - stability, concentration, neutrality, reserve, balance, adaptability, flexibility

Gold - wealth, inner-strength, understanding, self-realization, sun, masculinity, abundance, happiness, overcoming addiction, luxury

Silver - wisdom, psychic powers, intelligence, memory, moon, healing, divination, money, femininity, fertility, hidden potential, success, awareness

[liztheoceanfaerie]

[autumnsvoice87]

I feel this! Let's all pray to our dieties for justice! To battle we go!

[sarenth]

Face Ragnarök Like Fenrir

At times like these I also take inspiration from Fenrir.

They put their hand in your mouth, bite it off.

They tie you up, break those fetters.

They may finally tie you down and put a sword in your mouth. What will fall out of your mouth is hope.

They cannot contain you.

Your fetters will break. You will be free. Vengeance will be yours.

Hail Fenrir.

Ves þú heil!

[ghilliedubh]

Loki in Hiding

-upg-

I often see Loki in his 'outcast' or hermitic aspect. Here he hides in the wilderness, returning to perhaps an older form. I view him in a cave, lit by a modest fire. He sits cloaked and hooded. Before him is a low, rounded working surface on which he weaves a spiraling net that resembles a spider's web.

I believe that one of Loki's oldest forms is as the weaver of nets, setter of traps. He embodies the way humans have survived in the wild through outsmarting and tricking potential prey as well as predators. To the hunter-gatherer, stealth and trickery is a vital skill. I wonder to myself if his name could have the same roots as words like the Finnish loukku (trap) and Russian ло́вкий ('lóvkij' - skillfull, cunning).

As outcast, to me Loki does not seem uncomfortable or desperate, he returns to his natural state. Here he is not "Slanderer of the Gods" or "Forger of Evil", he is just Loki.

[norseseerviking]

[screechingtrashpanda]

Hail to you Loki Revealer of Corruption, Speaker of Hard Truths May your presence drain the festering wound Remove the infection from flesh And grant it godly hue once again Sly One, Protector of Those Brave Enough to Speak Out May we speak with unfettered tongues And reveal the hard won truth We hold your torch in our hands

[meadofpoetry]

noting the old gods on a hike through the woods today:

(soothing rainfall) hello freyr

(hawk perched nearby) hello frigg

(cash on the trailside) oh thanks, thor

(unicyclist rides by) uh... hi loki?

[bowldrips]

I made a bindrune for Deny, Defend, Depose that's easy to draw quickly on things like insurance paperwork. 🫀

For more info: Deny, Defend, Depose runic charm reference