Woo-Woo Stuff
Jun. 27th, 2007 08:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdehnersThere’s a greater division in the Heathen community than Asatru/ASH or Folkish/Universalist. It’s Sighted/Unsighted, to use a derogatory version. Neither tends to give the other side much credence. The Sighted think the Unsighted are Cripples who have to “take things on Faith, like Christians” and the Unsighted think the Sighted are "Nuts". Both can be Right and Wrong...
Speaking as a Sighted Person, it’s hard for me to “get” how someone can take something on “Faith”. I Need to “See” something to Believe it. I’m very Practical and Logical. If I couldn’t “See” I’d probably be an Atheist. That said, many of the Sighted don’t Discriminate what they “See”. EVERYTHING is given the same level of Credence and Value. As to paraphrase a line from a newage humour book from the “80’s”, “Just because they're Dead(or Bodiless) doesn’t make them Smart”. To me, “As Above, So Below”(or over there;>). You wouldn’t give equal Credence to Strangers or Pigeons you’d run into on the street, why do you simply because they don’t have a Physical vehicle(at Present)? The babbling of a “Druggie” equal to that of a ‘Scholar”? Of course not but many Sighted, “No Body=Great Wisdom & Power” and do. Heck, some actually let them run their Lives! Personally, I have a low “cringe factor”. I listen to some of those who “See” yet only accept it on “face value” and have a hard time myself wondering if they made their SAN throw. One of the things I learned early on was that you Perceive things through your own “filter”. Because of my Life, I’ve changed Ways and the accompanied “lens”. I recognize that a Landvættr and a Deva are different ways of Viewing the same Beings and in REALITY, neither really looks like we See them. I Know Þor isn´t a Hairy,Bearded, Redheaded Pro-Wrestler type in Iron Age garb. But that’s the way I Percieve him. That said, the Perception always has the “Feel” of that which is presented in the Lore. The Þor of Personal Perception will be in character with the Þor of Lore. Otherwise it ain´t HIM. Learned that bit from early experiences with Freya that didn´t ‘scan’ with Lore, though did with Thorsson´s frolicsome version in early Troth material.:>
In my old kindred, I Knew an Oðinnsgyðhia that wasn´t "all there". She spent all her time Writing down what The Old Man told her. Now, the material I´d seen was in sync with the Oðinn of Lore so I wasn´t denying it´s Validity. I did, however find her Priorities skewed. She´d get little sleep as something would ‘come through’. She couldn´t Understan how I could say ‘NO’ to Him. My response was that I can also not answer a ringing phone. If it's Important, They'll call back". It´s MY Life. I set my Schedule and I´m not a God/dess. I need Sleep and food, not to mention a stable roof over my head. Sometimes you have to remind Them that you’re only Human….
For the Sighted, Learn some Discrimination. Not just on what you Accept but how you Present it. Give the good advice. Say it was a friend of yours. “Freaking the Mundanes” is for kids or Christians, not your fellow Heathens. If you wouldn’t Accept that advice from an Embodied friend, don’t from one WITHOUT. For the Unsighted, realize that you don’t have a “lock” on Reality…
Troth,
Pat
Speaking as a Sighted Person, it’s hard for me to “get” how someone can take something on “Faith”. I Need to “See” something to Believe it. I’m very Practical and Logical. If I couldn’t “See” I’d probably be an Atheist. That said, many of the Sighted don’t Discriminate what they “See”. EVERYTHING is given the same level of Credence and Value. As to paraphrase a line from a newage humour book from the “80’s”, “Just because they're Dead(or Bodiless) doesn’t make them Smart”. To me, “As Above, So Below”(or over there;>). You wouldn’t give equal Credence to Strangers or Pigeons you’d run into on the street, why do you simply because they don’t have a Physical vehicle(at Present)? The babbling of a “Druggie” equal to that of a ‘Scholar”? Of course not but many Sighted, “No Body=Great Wisdom & Power” and do. Heck, some actually let them run their Lives! Personally, I have a low “cringe factor”. I listen to some of those who “See” yet only accept it on “face value” and have a hard time myself wondering if they made their SAN throw. One of the things I learned early on was that you Perceive things through your own “filter”. Because of my Life, I’ve changed Ways and the accompanied “lens”. I recognize that a Landvættr and a Deva are different ways of Viewing the same Beings and in REALITY, neither really looks like we See them. I Know Þor isn´t a Hairy,Bearded, Redheaded Pro-Wrestler type in Iron Age garb. But that’s the way I Percieve him. That said, the Perception always has the “Feel” of that which is presented in the Lore. The Þor of Personal Perception will be in character with the Þor of Lore. Otherwise it ain´t HIM. Learned that bit from early experiences with Freya that didn´t ‘scan’ with Lore, though did with Thorsson´s frolicsome version in early Troth material.:>
In my old kindred, I Knew an Oðinnsgyðhia that wasn´t "all there". She spent all her time Writing down what The Old Man told her. Now, the material I´d seen was in sync with the Oðinn of Lore so I wasn´t denying it´s Validity. I did, however find her Priorities skewed. She´d get little sleep as something would ‘come through’. She couldn´t Understan how I could say ‘NO’ to Him. My response was that I can also not answer a ringing phone. If it's Important, They'll call back". It´s MY Life. I set my Schedule and I´m not a God/dess. I need Sleep and food, not to mention a stable roof over my head. Sometimes you have to remind Them that you’re only Human….
For the Sighted, Learn some Discrimination. Not just on what you Accept but how you Present it. Give the good advice. Say it was a friend of yours. “Freaking the Mundanes” is for kids or Christians, not your fellow Heathens. If you wouldn’t Accept that advice from an Embodied friend, don’t from one WITHOUT. For the Unsighted, realize that you don’t have a “lock” on Reality…
Troth,
Pat
