Heathenry for the Solitary Practitioner....

[mdehners]

Just Do It. I'm serious.When I "Came Home", as is oft now there is an Attitude that Heathenry is ONLY a group activity. This, of course, makes no sense because many of the traditional lifestyles and activities of the Pre C Nordic folk WERE Solitary jobs/living and there's no way they thought the God/desses only were in formal rites in communities.
People forget that info from the upper classes makes up the majority of the surviving Lore. It would be as if only the Royal Family's rites survived for CoE or those of the Kennedy's for Catholic practices...markedly different than the majority of those Ways Practitioners practice.
Read the Lore and using that as a base adapt to your circumstances. Look to Nordic and English folk practices(which are often simply given a Christian "wallpapering")for ideas BUT don't take your creations AS historic. DO connect with the God/desses and Wealful Wights.
And, of course, READ, READ, READ;>!
Cheers,
Pat

Comments

[weofodthignen]

Yeah. The ancient heathens valued kin - and friends - but they got around a lot, and noticeably had no problems living on isolated farms. There may have been some differences in this respect between South, West, and North - I'm not sure the non-Scandinavians would have gone so far as to label a man who had never travelled an idiot - but the gods are above such tribal variations :-) I think a certain amount of this goes back to Vilhelm Grønbech, who was writing about kinship, and a certain amount to the importance of the congregation in American protestantism. That said, kin is good, friends are good, and it's ideally a lot healthier to raise a heathen kid in fellowship with other heathens.

M

P.S. I really did not need another task: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelm_Gr%C3%B8nbech - German, Swedish, no English. But I do see 3 potentially acceptable independent sources there.

[mdehners]

Most of the Heathens I 1st met, from Lew Stead's folk on were a bit obsessive about their dislike of Solitude;>.Part was the whole "Folkways" Mentality. I'm returning to(as best I can) to the Way of my Heathen Ancestors. That said, I don't buy that whole Metagenesis BS, esp the literal Passing of Soulstuff from one generation to the next and that it's lost FOREVER if someone doesn't get "Knocked Up". Thankfully, a lot of that crap died off in the last 2 decades.
I've always felt more of a connection to the Ancient Forester, Hunter, Fisher or small Farmer than to the "Townie" or "Jumped Up Noble" that a lot of folks do(how come these folks never remember Past Lives where they were Olaf the Nightsoil Gatherer;>?). I See them more likely Toasting the Rein and Wealful Wights and perhaps making Offerings than some "High Church" Rite that requires a clerical staff. And I KNOW damned well that even the Nobs had personal Rites they did by themselves because it's Human Nature for the Devote to do so. Even Christians with their Biblical admonition to group together "In His Name" have Personal and Private Rites.
I see most of these Rites as different than Sacrifices. Those(that are admonished against too much in the Lore) put the Regin under Obligation; "A Gift calls for a Gift". These other Rites are more of Honoring, which does not.
Cheers,
Pat