How Neopagans Celebrate Yule

As forms of Neopaganism can be quite different and have very different origins, these Representations can vary considerably despite the shared name. Some celebrate in a way as close as possible to how they believe Ancient Germanic pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals culled from numerous other unrelated sources including Germanic.

MonteAltopotbellie An altar dating to 1800 BC within an astronomically aligned Monte Alto complex in Guatemala.

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Religion Of Ancient Scandinavia

Book: Religion Of Ancient Scandinavia by William Alexander Craigie

The native religion of the ancient Scandinavians was in its main features only a special form of that common to all the Germanic peoples, and this again was only a particular development of primitive beliefs and practices characteristic of the whole Aryan race. It is impossible to say how far back in time the special Germanic and Scandinavian developments of this religion may go, and of their earlier stages we have absolutely no knowledge beyond what may be doubtfully reached by the methods of comparison and inference. Even of the later stages our information is much more scanty than might be expected. Among the Goths, the southern Germans, and the Anglo-Saxons in Britain, paganism gave way to Christianity at so early a period, that very few details relating to it have been recorded by the civil or religious historians of these peoples; they were indeed more inclined to supress than perpetuate any lingering knowledge of this kind. The absense of such information is a great bar to the proper understanding of many points in Scandinavian religion, which, instead of being thus illuminated from without, has continually been forced to throw light on the heathen worship of the other Teutonic peoples.

In the following account of the ancient Scandinavian religion, an attempt has been made to exhibit what is really known of the religious beliefs and practices of the people as distinct from the mythological fancies of the poets. With the evidence which we possess, it is impossible to determine how far the latter ever formed any part of a real popular relgion: in some respects there seems to be a decided opposition between the two. The mythology, as it is found in the old poems and in the Prose Edda, has been the subject of much learned speculation, and various theories as to the original functions of the different Gods and goddesses have from time to time been advanced, and have met with more or less acceptance. Much has also been written on the question how far the original conceptions had been modified under classic and Christian influences even before Christianity was finally accepted in the north. All discussion of these matters is here omitted in favour of a more direct investigation into the purely religious aspect of the old faith, so far as the existing materials admit of this.

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Oestara

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It is no coincidence that the name for this sabbath sounds similar to the word 'Easter'. Eostre, or Ostara, is an Anglo-Saxon Dawn Goddess whose symbols are the egg and the hare. She, in turn, is the European version of the Goddess Ishtar or Astarte, whose worship dates back thousands of years and is certainly pre-Christian. Eostre also lives on in our medical language in the words 'oestrous' (the sexual impulse in female animals) and 'oestrogen' (a female hormone). Today, Oestara is celebrated as a spring festival. Although the Goddess put on the robes of Maiden at Imbolg, here she is seen as truly embodying the spirit of spring. By this time we can see all around us the awakened land, the leaves on the trees, the flowers and the first shoots of corn.

Oestara is also the Spring Equinox, a time of balance when day and night are equal. As with the other Equinox and the Solstices, the date of this festival may move slightly from year to year, but many will choose to celebrate it on 21 March. In keeping with the balance of the Equinox, Oestara is a time when we seek balance within ourselves. It is a time for throwing out the old and taking on the new. We rid ourselves of those things which are no longer necessary - old habits, thoughts and feelings - and take on new ideas and thoughts. This does not mean that you use this festival as a time for berating yourself about your 'bad' points, but rather that you should seek to find a balance through which you can accept yourself for what you are.

There is some debate as to whether Oestara or Imbolg was the traditional time of spring cleaning, but certainly the casting out of the old would seem to be in sympathy with the spirit of this festival and the increased daylight at this time encourages a good clean out around the home.

by Kate West

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Baldur Dream

Book: Baldur Dream by Wh Auden

Baldrs draumar (Baldr's dreams) or Vegtamskvida is an Eddic poem, contained in the manuscript AM 748 I 4to. It relates information on the myth of Baldr's death in a way consistent with Gylfaginning.

Baldr has been having nightmares. Odin rides to Hel to investigate. He finds the grave of a volva and resurrects her. Their conversation follows, where the volva tells Odin about Baldr's fate. In the end Odin asks her a question which reveals his identity and the volva tells him to ride home.

The poem is one of the shortest Eddic poems, consisting of 14 fornyrdislag stanzas. Some late paper manuscripts contain about five more stanzas, those are thought to be of young origin. Sophus Bugge believed them to have been composed by the author of Forspjallsljod.

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Pagan Theology Paganism As A World Religion

Book: Pagan Theology Paganism As A World Religion by Michael York

In Pagan Theology, Michael York situates Paganism—one of the fastest-growing spiritual orientations in the West—as a world religion. He provides an introduction to, and expansion of, the concept of Paganism and provides an overview of Paganism's theological perspective and practice. He demonstrates it to be a viable and distinguishable spiritual perspective found around the world today in such forms as Chinese folk religion, Shinto, tribal religions, and neo-Paganism in the West.

While adherents to many of these traditions do not use the word "pagan" to describe their beliefs or practices, York contends that there is an identifiable position possessing characteristics and understandings in common for which the label "pagan" is appropriate. After outlining these characteristics, he examines many of the world's major religions to explore religious behaviors in other religions which are not themselves pagan, but which have pagan elements. In the course of examining such behavior, York provides rich and lively descriptions of religions in action, including Buddhism and Hinduism.

Pagan Theology claims Paganism's place as a world religion, situating it as a religion, a behavior, and a theology.

Some books are meant to be read by all while others are scholarly texts that are written to augment our basis of knowledge. This book falls into the second category and Mr. York has done his homework. Pagan Theology is a thesis on the Pagan Religions, not a work that teaches us or presents us with entertainment or tradition.

Mr. York has gone into depth exploring the vast patchwork that is the Pagan Path. Mr. York argues the path as a valid religion and explores the theology and the modern practices. He then compares them to other religions to validate our presence as a religion.

Mr. York argues his point well and very thoroughly. I am impressed with his research. The book is a wonderful textbook for those who study comparative religions and would make a great addition to college classes on the subject.

But it is a textbook, not a casual read. Anyone who has gone through text books on theology would agree that they are not meant for a lazy afternoon. And this book is not for everyone. While it would be good for those who are looking at a Doctorate in Theology or a good reference book for their term paper on comparative religions, it would not interest the casual beginner. Mr. York is a good researcher and worked out the book well to present his point; but it can be dry in spots. That is a characteristic of any text book, I'm afraid. Good material, but sometimes long and tedious if the material is not what you are looking for.

This book should be recommended to teachers at the College level for addition to their curriculum or as a study aid for comparative religion studies or theological research on general pagan studies. It should also be recommended to clergy who would find it of value in their own studies of comparative religions.

Buy Michael York's book: Pagan Theology Paganism As A World Religion

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The Walking Dead Draugr And Aptrgangr In Old Norse Literature

Book: The Walking Dead Draugr And Aptrgangr In Old Norse Literature by Anonymous

For the Vikings, the concept of the afterlife was often much more immediate than glorious skaldic tales of Valholl or the Christian's Heaven: once the dead body was placed within the grave, it was believed to become "animated with a strange life and power" (Hilda Ellis-Davidson. The Road to Hel. Westport CT, Greenwood P., 1943. p. 96). The dead person continued a sort of pseudo-life within the grave, not as a spirit or ghost, but as an actual undead corpse similar in many respects to the "nosferatu" or central European vampire (Ellis-Davidspn, Road to Hel, p. 92).

Much like the ancient Greeks, the Vikings had neither a positive or negative view of the afterlife. They believed for the most part, the dead, if they had lived an unexceptional life, would travel to a place called "Hel" (which is where the modern word "hell" comes from) which lies far to the north and under ground. It was a thought of as being a cold and damp place where the spirits of the dead continued in a dreamlike form of existence. It was not particularly happy, but it was not torturous and was viewed as a long sleep. There were other ideas of an afterlife that were believed as well. There was another realm beneath Hel, where people who had lived bad lives were gnawed upon by a serpent called "Nidhoggr". They slept in a hall that was made of snakes and dripped poison. This place, called "Nastrond", was located on the shore of an ice cold subterranean sea. Those who lived exceptional lives in a positive way could expect to travel to "Asgard", the home of the Gods. They would spend the afterlife in happiness. The exact dwelling that was given to these people depended upon their lives. For example: hero's who died in battle would go to "Vahalla" the "Hall of the slain", and live with Odin the king of the Gods. Here they spent all day fighting each other, only to rise from the battlefield in the evening healed of their wounds and then spent the rest of the night feasting. The main theme of the afterlife seems to have been repetition. It was not however, believed to be eternal. They believed that the world of both the living and dead, gods and monsters would one day be destroyed and the universe would begin anew.

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Shamanism Defined

Shamans are the keepers of ancient techniques used in healing. They are often referred to as ‘witch doctors’ by societies that don’t understand them. Shamanism requires the desire to lift all restrictions from oneself, time, space, and fear, are a few of the restriction that usually hold humans to this Earth and Existence.

It is important to mention that Shamans don’t refer to themselves as such; the title is a label attached to them by others. Shamans are healers, energy workers, elders, and guides among other things. Labeling oneself as a Shaman would be to assume a title and thus separateness from the oneness that is everything; that would go against the basic philosophy of their beliefs.

Shapeshifting is a practice used by Shamans for many things including healing, it is knowing and acknowledging your oneness with everything else. It is not easily learned and definitely requires a teacher and supervised guidance. It also requires much dedication and years of work.

Shamanism and shapeshifting is about recognizing our true oneness with everything else. Separateness is an illusion. When one shapeshifts into what we call "the other", one is manifesting that philosophy of oneness on a physical plane. Along with that, one has to surpass and forgive hopelessness, bitterness, cynicism, anger, denial, and fear in order to find ones true soul and its connection with the oneness.

From the shamanic perspective there is no differentiation between body, mind, and spirit. Illness can be brought about by thought, unresolved emotional duress, and lowering one’s life force with the constant use of alcohol, drugs, or other poisonous substances. These intrusions that bring about illness are not evil since they don’t have their own personality; they simply believe they are at home within us and don’t like to leave. We allow these intrusions to transform us and thus to make ourselves ill. When removing intrusions one does not kill, destroy or damage them, one simply asks that they be neutralized and their power used in a more constructive way. Then one fills the voids that remain with positive Universal Energy and continues with what Shamans call “soul retrieval”. Soul retrieval is when the shaman leaves ordinary consciousness, journeying to the spirit world, and retrieves the lost soul particles.

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