And when the shoe is on the other foot?

A brilliant break down of the left’s declaration of war against traditional polytheists.

Sarenth Odinsson

I saw this post on Galina Krasskova’s blog.

It reads like a declaration of war. Nothing quite so put together as the WWI German declaration of war on Russia, nor of France or England’s on Germany. This is what a fatwa from a radical Islamic cleric looks like dressed up in leftist clothing. This is what a Joel’s Army or a New Apostolic Reformation missive looks like dressed up in leftist clothing.

Saying “I’m not advocating starting fights, but I am telling you to be prepared to finish them.” is bullshit. If you are advocating going to someone’s space and disrupting their rituals, their communities, and/or their lives, you are advocating for starting a fight. If you are laying down a call on people, saying “But if you like to talk the talk of the warrior path, you better start walking the walk as well.” you’re asking for a fight…

View original post 2,192 more words

If you’re not ok with this, say something

Rhyd’s call for an anti-fascist witch hunt hasn’t resulted in any witch hunting but his friends on tumblr haven’t seemed to have caught that memo.

 

EDIT apparently some people think i agree with this horse shit (the article linked below). I do not. I find these tactics repugnant. I posted to alert people as to the depths to which some will sink in order to silence free speech and  to prevent our traditions from rooting and growing.

Case in point:

http://fiadhta.tumblr.com/post/149283607521/cockroaches-in-wolves-clothing-fighting-the

I particularly like these leaps in logic (and law):

2. Trap them. Catch them doing or saying something illegal and record it. Anonymously notify the correct authorities. If he’s racist he’s probably also a raging misogynist, here is a pretty high percent chance he beats women. Bust him for that.

3.Sabotage. Sabotage everything. Their protests, their social events, their rituals…their relationships. Sabotage them physically, sabotage them magically. Block them at protests. Blast distractingly loud noises in the vicinity of their rituals. Curse them liberally.

NO pun intended, I’m sure.

I guess freedom of speech really isn’t free. or a thing. anymore.

Is this the community you want? Are these the tactics of which you approve? Your silence makes this possible.

31 Days of Devotion – Days 21-29 for Mani

 

21. Share any Art that reminds you of this deity

There aren’t any pieces of art that stand out for me but any photograph that has the moon dripping a bright gold in the sky will often do it for me. Any images of the moon of course bring Him to mind. And of course there are all the Mani prayer cards. 🙂 I like them a lot, each one. 

22. Share any Music that makes you think of this deity

ARGH. I’ve never been able to put together play lists. I would love it if any of you have Mani play lists that you are willing to share. Please feel free to post. Music is a very, very special thing for me tied up with my experiences as a dancer and I just don’t relate to it in a way that makes it particularly easy to associate with Him. I wish I did have a Mani play list.

23. Share A quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think this deity resonates strongly with

I think of the quotes that I’ve collected that remind me of Mani – and they are many—my favorite is this one:

“There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.”

— George Carlin

24 Share Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for this deity

I’ve written two books about Him: “Day Star and Whirling Wheel” and “Dancing in the House of the Moon.” The first is about Mani and His family, and is a devotional anthology and the second a pocket devotional all about Mani.

25 Share A time when this deity has helped you.

He comforted me after my mother’s death. I won’t speak more of that here, but Mani comforted me after she was gone and showed me her afterlife.

26 Share A time when this deity has refused to help (i really like this question).

I can’t think of any actually. I try very very hard not to ask for help from the Gods. I know that there’s nothing wrong with doing so once in awhile (and Odin once chided me that I don’t do so enough) but I really don’t like my prayers to be full of requests rather than thank yous. I’m sure He’s refused, but nothing specific sticks out in my mind. If something comes to mind later, I’ll come back and post it here.

27. How has your relationship with this deity changed over time?

I think over time I’ve been allowed to see more facets of His nature. I mean, I was utterly infatuated with Him after my initial encounters and I continue to love Him deeply but as with any relationship, the more time you spend engaging, the more each party learns about the other. I think I have a much more nuanced view of Mani now, than I did ten years ago and certainly my devotion has deepened and become more consistent.

28. what are the Worst misconception about this deity that you have encountered?

Heh. That He’s female. You’d be surprised how many people assume our moon GOD is female.

29. What is Something you wish you knew about this deity but don’t currently?

I really wish that we knew Who Mani’s mother is.

New Prayer Card: Magni and Modi by G. Palmer

This one should be available in a week or two, folks. Here’s a peek:

Depth of Praise is now published

There is a new devotional to Poseidon now available. Check it out. I believe if you go to the site, there are signed copies available.

EDIT: the author has an etsy shop here, where one can buy copies.

Terence P Ward

It is done.  With the click of a mouse, my first book is released to the world.  Depth of Praise is now available via CreateSpace, and this Poseidon devotional will be available via Amazon.com in 3-5 business days.  It is not, and never will be, available in any electronic form.

My Kickstarter backers were advised earlier today about this good news; even now, copies of this book are being prepared and rushed to my door so that I may fulfill their many expectations.  These good people waited far, far longer than I expected that they would, and that was my fault.  I did not fully understand the process of working with an illustrator, and believed I had built enough wiggle room into my estimates.  We live and learn.

As I noted above, there are no plans to offer any electronic versions of this work.  I have seen far too many…

View original post 68 more words

Tumblr is the Devil

Over breakfast this morning I was having a lively chat with a colleague about our respective requirements for our formal students and apprentices (and by formal student, I do not mean someone who signs up to take one of my online classes, but rather someone who has formally contracted with me to be taught within one of the lineages I carry). My friend was surprised when I told her that one of the first things I do now is require my formal students and apprentices to delete any tumblr accounts they may have and to stay off tumblr completely for the duration of their training. I used to make this a strong suggestion, but over the last year it’s become pretty non-negotiable for me.(1)

Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to watch those ensconced in the tumblr community interact devotionally. I’ve seen the nonsense coming endlessly out of these sites (more so than on any other type of social media including Facebook and Twitter): the reification of pop culture as proper polytheism, the often complete lack of critical thinking, the shallowness, and the lack of reverence (and let’s not forget the tumblr wives of Loki…or Kai lo ren because you know, over there, they’re basically the same thing anyway. Sorry Tom Hiddleston. Sorry). I think that last – reverence or lack thereof– is what made me finally come to my decision: pretty much without exception of those I have personally experienced, I find that the tumblr pagan and polytheist communities encourage a lack of reverence.

Nor do I mean that this is something that is occasionally a side effect of participating in tumblr, I mean it is actively encouraged. The result is people who cannot maintain themselves in sacred space without feeling the need to crack jokes, to lesson the ambiance of reverence, to reduce to the lowest common denominator, the protocols of veneration.

I want to be very clear about something, and this is something that I try very hard to lay out to prospective students and apprentices before taking them on via contract, those of us working in our respective polytheisms – in my case Heathenry and cultus deorum, a little Starry Bull on the side—are not seeking to develop in ourselves the outlook, perspective, worldview, ethics, and morality of our current popular culture. We are looking to develop a polytheistic worldview in tandem with how our ancestors, born and raised in polytheistic cultures, would have approached the Gods, ancestors, and devotion. We are seeking to ensconce ourselves in a polytheistic perspective, to develop polytheistic ethics, and to grow in reverence and awareness of our proper place before the Gods. Anarco-leftists and co. , tumblr, and others can rail and rant and rave about that all they want. We will not be moved. We are not seeking to create ourselves in a post-enlightenment, post modernist image. We’re seeking to restore the values and traditions of our ancestors. It’s precisely the cultivation of those values and that worldview that I think tumblr most effectively damages. It panders to the populist voice of the lowest common denominator and to be clear: lie down with dogs, as the saying goes, one does wake up with fleas.

I believe (as did Aristotle) that it is important to cultivate relationships that encourage right behavior, that help us develop habits of reverence, of piety, of excellence in our devotional work. These things are habits. They are things that lie within our control, that we may develop or not. It is very, very difficult not to be affected by those with which we associate every day, and most of us are online an awful lot. I would venture to say that for the average pagan or polytheist, the online venues that we each frequent are a vital part of our community experience – sad but true, and true for almost all of us. I hear from people every day who are spread out across the country, across the globe who have no one else in their immediate area who is also a polytheist, or if they do, it may not be their particular polytheistic religion. It’s natural to want fellowship. I think we just have to be rather discerning about where we find it and one thing that tumblr won’t cultivate is just that: discernment.

Notes:

1. I realize that there are artists who use tumblr solely for artistic sharing and such, and normally I would say ‘sure, that’s fine’ but more and more I think with a level of pollution such as I typically see on tumblr, it’s best to just cut that shit off cleanly, and not allow any means whereby it might infect. Any doorway is a possible hazard. So apologies to my artist friends out there!

 

They folks, for those interested, the piety possum buttons are available. I’m charging $3 a button, plus $2 shipping and handling. I’ll have them up on etsy soon but in the meantime, feel free to contact me at Krasskova@gmail.com if you want one. There is a limited supply.

Winner of the Freya Contest

The winner of the Freya contest was entry #2: 

Vanadis! Tränenschöne!* Menglada!
Bountiful, beautiful, fierce and true
radiant, shining, daughter of Earth,
Your tears, washed ashore by your father
Your neck bejeweled, pure amber and gold,
to you do I raise my prayers,
beloved sister of the fruitful fields.
Look benevolently upon me
and accept the little things I do in your honor
Strengthen my weapons and harden my shields, oh Lady
for you see the knots that weave the net of my fate.
Lend your voice to my song and brighten my eye,
Watch my hands as I work your mysteries.
Ancient one, sow on silent cats paws,
thrice-burnt, thrice-reborn
I hail your names in awe!

By Christopher Gaspar

(Tränenschöne is, as best as I can translate it, “She of the beautiful tears” — Freya’s tears were amber)

Congratulations Christopher!

 

Please, everyone who contributed, email me your mailing address to krasskova@gmail.com and I will send you a Freya card (or other card of your choice) once these are printed. 🙂 Thank you everyone for contributing! It was nice to see all of these new prayers of praise to the Vanadis come into being. Hail Her!

Since people have been asking my opinion…

I, for one, am glad to see neopagans standing united against white babies. They’re smelly and noisy, there are too damn many of them, and they don’t belong at concerts, movies, restaurants or on airplanes – especially on airplanes. Same thing with red babies, brown babies, black babies, yellow babies, purple babies, etc. The whole damn human race needs to go extinct so that super smart racoons can take our place. Why, just imagine the cool shit they’d invent like techno music you “listened” to with your little raccoon paws and food-washing robots! I seriously doubt they could do a worse job running this shit hole than we have. #nomorehumanbabies

 

Asherah card by Halldora

Here is a sneak peak at the Asherah card. This one still requires a bit of funding folks. If you’re interested, please contact me at krasskova @ gmail.com. 

 

Walking the Worlds – issue 5

The deadline for submissions to issue 5 of Walking the Worlds is drawing closer. We’re looking for essays and articles on ecstatic practices within polytheistic traditions. Please consider submitting. Our last issue on Philosophy really set the bar high but I’m sure with your help we can meet it. 🙂 

Contact me at krasskova at gmail.com if you’re interested in writing a piece.