In praise of minimalist altars

I often find myself impressed by the images of altars fellow Pagans and Polytheists share on social media. The setups are beautiful and with many objects like crystals, bowls, incense holders, wands, rocks, candles, flowers, etc. While I admire complex altars, I couldn’t have them in my practice. The first reason is that I’m too

Knowing Freya, part 12: Freya and Ragnarök

Ragnarök, Old Norse for ‘the Doom of the Gods’. Undoubtedly the most famous event described in Norse mythology. Even people who know close to nothing about Norse Polytheism have heard about this great apocalypse. Described primarily in the Eddic poem Völuspa, Ragnarök is a series of cataclysmic events that leads to the death of many

Knowing Freya. Part 9: Brisingamen

The Norse Powers and Deities are described has having a number of fascinating objects. Odin has a magic spear that never misses. Frey has a sword that fights on its own. And who can forget Mjölnir, Thor’s mighty hammer which both crushes Jötunn skulls and blesses weddings? But few objects in Norse lore are quite

A prayer poem: Song of Byggvir

I am the son of the soilMy feet are in the dirtMy bones grow downwards like rootsMy soul reaches up high,Where Mother and Father waitAll Their children’s return My body comes from the soil,From the lovely body of Jord, I was bornMy soul comes from Oden,He breathed me to life,Gifted me with spirit and mind,As

Knowing Freya. Part 5: Lovers

The lore tells us Freya loves Her Husband greatly and searches for Him far and wide whenever He disappears again. It also tells us stories about Her having lovers and a number of sexual escapades. Some would say the two are inherently contradictory but who are we to tell Deities They can’t have an open

Not everything is Christian baggage

In this blog, I don’t often bring up things I’m annoyed by or critical of in the wider Pagan/Heathen community. It’s not that I don’t think such things should be discussed. I’ve just preferred to put my time and energy elsewhere. But there is something that has been grinding my gears for so long that

The Gift of Simplicity

I’ve been planning on writing more on my semi-monastic path but I haven’t known quite where to start. Truth be told, most days it really isn’t that interesting. I say my morning prayer and oath, write while sitting on the tram to work, work most of the day, write some more on the ride home,

Haikus about the runes: Madur, rune of humans

Man came from the GodsThe Goddesses birthed Madur,A gem in Midgård The m-rune is called ‘Madur’, meaning man (as in human beings in general, not just males). According to the traditional understanding in Norse religion, both the runes and humans were created by the Gods. One of the All-Father Odin’s many names is Gautr, which

Haikus about the runes: Sól, rune of the Sun.

In winter, You hideIn summer, You never leave.Sól, I wish to sleep! The s-rune is called Sól, after the Goddess of the sun. The above poem is written from the perspective of someone expressing frustration with the Sun for being often absent in winter yet illuminating summer nights and making it hard to sleep. Most

Haikus about the runes: Isa, loved by Skaði

Clad in white IsaSkaði reigns over the mountainsFar from Njörðr and seas The i-rune is called Isa, meaning ice. This particular rune makes me think of the Goddess and Giantess Skaði, who is associated with winters and mountains. There is a story the Norse told about Skaði having an unhappy marriage with Njörðr, the Vanir God