Our path is one of doing. A living tradition practiced and evolved yet rooted in thousands of years.
Image Shane Christian Gadd : Cairn Thunder Stones whilst standing at the Edge of A Loch on a Cycling Tour of Western Scotland many moons back.
Our path is one of doing. A living tradition practiced and evolved yet rooted in thousands of years of wisdom and direct experience , developed from relationships with the local Spirits of the Land, The Gods and Goddesses that dwell there and our Ancestors, our Bone Kin. It's full of story myths and folklore of those ancestors, coming from the fabric of the very land we stand on.. For the blood and bone of our ancestors, become a part of the land ,they become a part of the Story.. The Eddas and the Sagas.
I got asked a few days back how do you start this journey?.. For me this journey began a very long time ago, initiated out of my pilgrimage through the Scottish Mountains.. As we say “ Our path is one of doing” I discovered the Runes, through dreams and guidance, then spent years following and hunting out the path, traveling yet somehow never arriving, it led me into the thick and also the fringe of the Drudic path, yet something was missing, I felt most at home within the Ovate Grove, similar to a Hedge Witch, yet something was off, not quite rooted or feeling fully at home, whole or complete.
I was feeling something, for me, that was deeper, more wild, less tamed, a rawness, and then the recent discovery of our heritage, everything fell until place, it was a very emotional feeling of deep rooted belonging and arrival to the Nordic Northern path and tradition.
Homecoming and a thousand threads coming together, a fixed point.. I had always known in my heart the Norns and the Wyrd were never far away!! Pulling it all together..
Pulling upon a lifetime of this direct experience, I would also say follow your heart... Rav puts it beautifully, may his words become a compass and guide to you.
Start simple, very simple, and build from there.
Find a place where you can be undisturbed, a place that feels good, and bring a small offering. Find a tree, a lake, a stone that gives you a good feeling, and think of it as a meeting place. A place at which to find and be found. Talk to the place, talk to the gods, and do it out loud if you can. Speak from your heart or write something down in advance, but be personal, this is you introducing yourself to the gods, after all. You may feel silly, to begin with, but you’ll get over that after a while. Speak the names of the gods you want to know, greet them, tell them who you are, and tell them you bring them an offering. Hang it from a branch, throw it in the lake, or leave it on the stone. Or bury it in the ground, or burn it in a fire. I’m sure you can figure out what to do but remember not to offer something that might be harmful to nature, you’re there worshipping gods that are immanent in nature.
You might not feel anything the first time (or times), or you might be blown away by the intensity of the experience. Regardless, there are going to be times when nothing seems to happen, but persistence in practice is what gets us there in the end. Try doing things differently and see what works better for you. And this is the time to start doing research. I don’t know of any good beginner’s books for Heathens – good being the operative word here – but there’s a lot of suggestions around the web. Try them. Keep doing what works, and discard the rest. You’re the boss of you, and you’re doing it right.
Inspired by RÄV SKOGSBERG such beautiful advice..