One of the most difficult things for many westerners to understand about Hinduism is its relation to and worship of images. Because we grow up under monotheist and Abrahamic hegemony, we are often influenced – whether or not we are actually religious – by its views. And in the Abrahamic traditions, the worship of imagesFortsätt läsa ”Book recommendation: ‘Darśan. Seeing the Divine Image in India’ by Diana L. Eck”
Etikettarkiv:worship
Knowing Freya. Part 3: Her Brother
How does one even begin to speak of Freyr, this great Lord of peace, abundance and growth? He gifts humanity with all that gives pleasure and joy. Of Him, Týr said in the Lokasenna: ”Freyr is best of all the exalted Gods in the Æsir’s courts:no maid he makes to weep,no wife of man,and fromFortsätt läsa ”Knowing Freya. Part 3: Her Brother”
Knowing Freya. Part 2: Parentage
Family ties when it comes to the Gods doesn’t really work like it does for humans. Non-corporal Consciousnesses do share bounds with one another but to describe Them as parent, sibling, progeny etc is to simplify things to make it understandable to the human mind. The reality of things is much more complex and sometimesFortsätt läsa ”Knowing Freya. Part 2: Parentage”
Theories about the älvkvarnar
Today was another day of unsuccessfully looking for älvkvarnar, which I’ve learned are called ‘cup marks’ in English. This is what they’re supposed to look like: I’m suspecting that the many fallen leaves and the high amount of moss may be covering them up this time a year. I’ll try again in a few months.Fortsätt läsa ”Theories about the älvkvarnar”
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 thatFortsätt läsa ”Not everything is Christian baggage”
Beautiful and fierce like a swan
Today, I was at a local second-hand shop to give away some books I was done reading. I wasn’t planning on buying anything while I was there but, out of curiosity, I took a look around. That’s when I found this beauty and knew I had to have it on Freya’s altar. Swans are notFortsätt läsa ”Beautiful and fierce like a swan”
Types of relationships you can have with the Deities
Those of us who come from an Abrahamic background were taught to only see the Divine in the form of a Lord or a Heavenly Father. So, when getting into Polytheism it can be quite interesting – and sometimes confusing – to discover the myriad of ways Polytheists relate to the Divinities. Today, I wantedFortsätt läsa ”Types of relationships you can have with the Deities”
Frøya from Rebild: An Iron Age depiction of The Lady
This 1.05 meters (3.4 ft) tall, female figure carved in wood is believed to be one of the earliest depictions of the Norse Goddess. It was found in 1946, in a Danish bog where it is believed fertility rites were often performed to Frøy and Frøya (Freyr and Freya) during the Iron Age. There areFortsätt läsa ”Frøya from Rebild: An Iron Age depiction of The Lady”
1500 years old gold treasure found in Denmark
And a depiction on one of the artefacts could very well be Odin: https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/unique-golden-treasure-found-in-denmark-one-of-the-richest-treasures-in-danish-history
Out of love and devotion: The why of my ritual practice
In the Christian denomination I grew up in, there were very little ritual. Even the Communion rite was practiced only once a year and only a select few actually got to eat of the bread and drink the wine. So, when I got back into spirituality after 5 years of atheism, ritual was not somethingFortsätt läsa ”Out of love and devotion: The why of my ritual practice”