#it was easy to get into that scandinavian mindset

[furmity]

Hello! I am. Loose “heathen” here of no particular affiliation. I identify as a heretic.

[Working on this as a draft has made Tumblr do really weird things with it, so I hope it publishes as it reads to me now. Sorry if paragraphs are repeating or something]

I'd honestly encourage you to do both. In the period of Scandinavian conversion Jesus may have been just another god in the pantheon. For a while, the Vikings did both.

I don’t know the extent to which deconstructing a Christian mindset was necessary for you to become an Asatruar, but there’s probably some good stuff there. If you were raised Christian, why have you not been a Christian thus far? How do you feel in a church? In what ways do Christian and Asatru devotions feel different to you? How does it feel to pray to a Norse god in a Christian manner? Or to Jesus at a hörgr? Does this crossroad mean you want to go to Church? What are you feeling called to? Is there something you’re not finding in your current practice?

My mama is Swedish, but I grew up in Australia on this mythology of Sweden never really, truly converting… that legendary remote farms never gave up the fertility cults. If you're Danish I don't know how it compares, but for us the Christian holidays are really when the pagan stuff starts to leak. There's Easter witches, julbokken, paying the tomte (nisse?) at Christmas… Didn't you pick up those threads on your way to Asatru? Circle back. Do you dig trolldom? Lots of Christian petitions in there. I read a rather good paper about the Devil as Odin in Swedish witchcraft trials. There’s loads of people who are both Satanic and Asatru/ Heathen, it's going the other way that feels trickier…

I’m coming at it from a slightly different angle to you because syncretising Catholic practice was what actually got my heathen one properly started. I’d stalled a lot over how much I should try to be “authentic”. I felt sort of alienated from some versions of paganism because it was like they were trying to pretend we were back in the "good old days”, it didn’t seem grounded in the present. I’m actually not a Viking, and the gods know that better than anyone. I guess I kinda judged some people I knew where their “religion” was a rather superficial cosplay.

No matter what we reconstruct in paganism we will never get properly back into the mindset of these cultures. It doesn’t mean the same thing to me as it did to them. We don't have all the rituals anyway… so I syncretised. Incorporating Christian ritual helped me fill in the gaps without doing something appropriative (relative term for the Catholics, I know). I should mention that I am not baptised. For years I’d tried to make a set of pagan prayer beads but failed to create something inspiring because I was always reacting against the rosary (and avoiding mala). So I gave in, I prayed the rosary. It didn’t feel right to actually pray the proper prayers at first, so I used others. It didn’t feel right to have a crucifix, but a Mjölnir pendant just looked wrong. Gradually I just prayed the rosary.

I saw the easy relationship between the nine days of rosary prayer and the nine nights hanging from Yggdrasil. I prayed for nine days before a saint’s day and celebrated it in honour of a god. The sign of the hammer looks the same as the sign of the cross.

Early Scandinavian Churches were built on the grounds of pagan temples. There’s many Christianised plant and place names, Freya becoming Mary is a very common example. I guess I used these threads to reach them, to come at them from within the religio- cultural shift I live in? In some moments it can even feel like an offering to these pre- Christian gods to bastardise the traditions which replaced them.

Say a Hail Mary to Freya, see how it feels. See Odin Allfather in the Father and the sacrificed, resurrected Son. Mary is called Queen of Hell, and Hel- Mary has quite the ring to it. Saint Olaf is supposed to have picked up attributes of Thor. There must be others. Read Snorri and don’t pick out the Christian grafting. I’m slowly, slowly creeping up on the idea that I can adore Mary in her own right, not as a veil over Freya and Frigg. Jesus I really have a mental barrier with, though my heart has accepted him in my dreams.

(There’s also some pretty juicy links bits when it comes to fly agarics, if you’re into that kind of thing….)

I haven't yet found anyone else on here who's syncretising Norse traditions in this way, but I do know @graveyarddirt who does amazing things with her Ukrainian traditions. There are any number of others you may be inspired by.

I've never tried to usefully lay all this out before, I hope it helps- it’s helped me!

I've been feeling a call to the Christian church and traditions, but my faith itself is Asatru, and instead of feeling empowered to practice both, I feel like I'm at a crossroads - or, at least, like I'm expected to choose one or the other. It seems somehow impossible to do both. Anyone dealing with something similar?

[folerdetdufoler]

Is the royal series any good? I honestly tried watching the first ep, but didn’t last long. It was sooo cringe to me, in a way I couldn’t enjoy. I feel meh about the skam comparison because skam wasn’t cringe at all. But if you say it’s worth watching, I’ll try again

hmm, i'm not sure. i understand the cringe vibes. when i first saw the trailer i remember not getting into it at all, and i didn't think to even watch it as a boredom thing. but then i went on vacation and that was actually a really stressful trip for me so i came home and saw katie and sigrid raving about it and was like FINE i'll watch it. maybe it'll just be something i can use to empty my brain and decompress.

i've rewatched the whole thing three times now, and i look up individual scenes multiple times throughout the day, so.

but no, i get the cringe vibes, and those are definitely still there for me. it's not like skam at all. it feels more like elite to me, and i managed to watch the first season of that show but never picked it up again, even as it got gayer. i think what hooked me despite the cringe though, was the tenderness and the...privacy? maybe intimacy is a better word. we get to see a lot of wilhelm, and against the background of his life as a public figure, it's very attractive in its intimacy. THAT might be how it's similar to skam, in that it feels like i'm watching another isak.

and i don't think i'm into it on the same level as i am with skam, but i am FASCINATED by the fandom because the FANDOM feels like skam, except slightly more american (though that might be because i'm seeing most of the fandom on tiktok). i'm seeing the same reactions that we had for our show, and THAT is what is drawing me in, because i miss that specific experience. i rewatch clips because i want to talk about it with other people like i used to watch skam clips and talk about it with other people. i'm seeing people visit the filming locations in sweden, talk about translations & subtitles, buying unofficial merch or creating their own, beating character quotes into the ground, coming up with wild as hell theories for the next season, shipping characters, shipping actors, screaming about how it was written by a woman, praising the younger actors and their acne, downloading duolingo, etc. i'm less in love with the story and more in love with the structure that created and sustained it.

because it IS a really glamorized lifestyle and plot, with some extreme characterizations and a lot of stuff happening. i tend to ignore most of the plot in favor of the ~moments~, certain scenes and the way they were depicted, and the way those moments make other people foam at the mouth...that's what was worth watching, for me.

[woodlandcomforts]

How to Enjoy Winter (Even Though You’re an Adult and It’s Been a Terrible Year)

Surely most people can remember a time when they didn’t hate winter? When, even after the holidays, winter was one of the most exciting seasons? It meant playing in the snow with your friends, getting surprise day-offs from school, and drinking hot cocoa with teeny tiny marshmallows.

I still love winter, but every other person in my life hates it. To them it means waking up an hour early to shovel driveways in freezing temperatures and scrape ice off their cars, or shotgunning vitamin D in an attempt to stave off Seasonal Affective Disorder. And this year’s winter is being met with an extra dose of dread for obvious reasons.

So how do you enjoy winter like you did as a child? Obviously some things you can’t get back, especially this year, but.... most, you can, actually. Gatherings or no gatherings, you can still find the cozy sense of wonder that marked your childhood winters if you’re willing to try.

1. Go outside. Children aren’t afraid to go outside in the snow, and you shouldn’t be either. What exactly happens between childhood and adulthood that makes being slightly cold and playing in snow taboo?? Truly, I’d like to know. Even if it’s for a quick walk, being outside will make your house feel all the more welcoming, warm, and cozy. And if snow is falling, catch some on your tongue or on your hand, marvel at nature’s beautiful extremes and take a minute to appreciate snow for once instead of demonizing it. If you’ve got more time: _____a. Go for a longer winter hike and find some color (yes, there is still color out there!) and keep a look out for animal tracks, too. _____b. Bird watching is a great winter activity as well! There are plenty of birds around in the winter, and the backdrop of snow makes it easier to spot them, plus adds an extra elegance. _____c. Maybe you feel too old for snowmen or snow angels, but swedish snowball lanterns are easy to make and super pretty. _____d. PSA: Obviously if it’s blizzarding, don’t go outside, but a light snowfall is no reason to put off a walk. In fact, my favorite time to hike is when it’s snowing, because it means there are fewer people outside and the world becomes so clean and peaceful and soft.

2. Allow yourself days-off. Give yourself the gift of returning to that childhood joy of waking up and being told school is canceled. Whether that’s negotiating with your boss to allow you to work from home when it’s snowing/has snowed, or having the courage to call work and explain that you can’t make it in, or saving PTO for winter days when you wake up and look outside at your snow-covered car and just don’t want. I realize these are all privileges that not everyone has or can afford, but it’s also true that people (especially Americans) force themselves to work way harder than they need to. So really think about whether you can’t do these things, or whether you’ve been conditioned by society to believe you need to work yourself to the bone 24/7 and don’t deserve these things.

3. Lights! Warm lighting is so important in the winter, both because it makes up for the lack of sun, and because it’s a necessity in curating that cozy feel. Buy candles, or a string of lights / lanterns. If you’ve got the money, many electrical heaters have a realistic fireplace look! This one is only $60. Sitting next to a warm fire (real or fake!) with your favorite book or choice of hot drink is the exact formula for contentedness.

4. Eat your C. Oranges, tangerines, pomegranates, and persimmons are not only in season, they should be mainstays in your winter diet to give you that boost of vitamin C. They’re sweet and colorful, giving both your eyes and your taste buds something to enjoy, and they’re packing important nutrients into your body at the same time.

5. Bake. Nothing brings back happy winter thoughts like the spice of gingerbread cookies or the aroma of snickerdoodles. If ever there was a time to throw calorie counting to the wind, it’s in winter! You need those extra calories to stay warm, after all!

6. Or merrymake. Baking not your thing? You can still make hot cocoa, and add those teeny tiny marshmallows because why not! If you don’t like chocolate, you can warm up and spice (or spike) your own cider. Of course, tea or coffee is always an option, but you want to indulge, so if you always drink it, maybe consider breaking out the expensive stuff.

7. Winter activities. You don’t have to travel or pay resort fees to enjoy a sporty winter (or even be sporty!). Do you have a pool tube? Throw that sucker on a snowy hill and jump on! Don’t have a sled? Use a cardboard box! Layer duct tape over the bottom and sides (inside and out) to make it more water-proof. A large plastic laundry bin works, too. Speeding recklessly down a hill on your butt does not have to be a child-only activity. It’s still fun in adulthood, I promise.

8. Craft. Yes, the extra indoor time in winter is a good chance to pick up knitting or crochet, but there are plenty of other options if that’s not your style. Make your own snow globe or other ornaments, a pinecone wreath or any other number of DIY wreaths. Heck, if all of that sounds like too much work, go preschool and grab some paper and scissors and make paper snowflakes to tape to your windows. Nothing livens the home like homemade decorations, and nothing livens the spirit like creativity.

9. Create atmosphere. Embrace winter and bring it fully into your life. There are plenty of winter-ambience videos on youtube, or you can find/make a playlist of winter music. I personally love listening to snowstorm + crackling fire sounds while I’m falling asleep, but you can play your preferred winter sounds while reading, cleaning, baking, etc., to enjoy peak winter coziness.

In addition to all this, I have an entire post with various mori activities one can enjoy in the winter.

In general, if winter gets you down, take some pointers from Scandinavians and remember that a good or bad winter is all about mindset. Thinking of winter as dark and frigid will of course make you hate it, but all seasons have their downsides and you don’t focus on those to be miserable all year, do you? If you think of winter as cozy, beautiful, and full of treats, the good will begin to outweigh the bad and you can make every winter a time to look forward to instead of dreading.

[ineloqueent]

hi tina 💞 not sure how easy this is, since my astrophysics knowledge is nearing -273 *C, but you could do mutuals as astronomical sights? comets, planets, galaxies etc... sorry if not!! 💖✨

anna! and anon! you’ve given me a wonderful chance to ramble about space. you may come to regret it, however...

if i’ve forgotten you, please do not take it personally! i didn’t mean to. my mind is just but a glorified puddle :)

@archaicmusings — vega

vega is the brightest star in the constellation lyra, and happens to be my favourite star. don’t ask me why vega is my favourite star, or why lyra is my favourite constellation, because i haven’t got a coherent answer for you. i’ve just always been drawn to them. a bit like cal, really. i feel like we’ve known each other for far longer than just four months, and she’s so lovely that i’m fairly sure i could say anything to her and she’d just accept me for whatever rubbish i’m rambling about this time. and, in the depressing year that’s been 2020, cal has been a bright star.

@drivenbybri — halley’s comet

honestly, is there anything more iconic than halley’s comet? there can’t be much. probably the best known comet of all time, halley’s comet is a short-period comet (and if you’ve read starstruck, you know how much i prefer short-period comets to those long-period comets with their damned 200-year perihelions, even if certain people suggest that this makes them quite special), meaning that it is visible from earth every 75-ish years. halley’s comet last made an appearance in the lovely year of 1986, and will thus appear next in 2061 (i’m so excited for my 59-year-old self!!!). halley’s comet, though well-known, is still a rare breed, so to speak. it is rare, and extraordinarily beautiful that a comet appears to a human twice within their lifetime. sofie is rare, just like halley’s comet, and equally beautiful, both in heart and with that lovely curly hair of hers. i’m honoured to know her, just as i shall be honoured to see halley’s comet one day.

@brianmays-hair — cassiopeia a

cassiopeia a (or rather, the remnant of cassiopeia a) was a supernova within the constellation of cassiopeia. for those of you who do not obsess over interstellar matter the way that i do, supernovae are explosions of massive stars, or white dwarfs drawn to nuclear fusion, within their final stages of life. not much is known about how these explosions necessarily take place, and nasa has only caught on video one such explosion, back in 2016. the most commonly presented image of the remnant of cassiopeia a is a false-colour image, composed with three different wavebands of light. it is, as you can see, very beautiful. supernovae radiate energy and light throughout the cosmos during their existence, and thus having a great effect on the space surrounding them. i therefore liken jess to cassiopeia a because she has a brilliant personality, vibrant and inspiring, which comes across especially in her writing. but of course, the beauty of cassiopeia a has nothing on her.

@deacyblues — sirius

as far as we humans and the scientists among us know, sirius is the brightest star in the observable universe. housed within the constellation of canis major, sirius has always been monumentally important in terms of navigation, since ancient times. i tell pearl this all the time, but truly, i mean it; her outlook on life is inspiring, how she never fails to be positive even in times of great trouble. like sirius, pearl is a light, ever-present within the mindset of living for today, ever-determined, and unfailingly kind.

@joemazzmatazz — black hole

please let me explain before this gets taken the wrong way: I LOVE BLACK HOLES. i specifically want to study black holes, whenever i get the chance to specialise within astrophysics. they fascinate me to no end, with a kind of allure that only the mysterious can hold. furthermore, black holes may be the key to understanding the universe; if we understand black holes, we will be able to make headway on other matter, such as dark matter, and dark energy, the latter of which makes up the majority of the observable universe, and will lead us to astronomical (if you’ll pardon the ill-worded expression, and the unintentional pun) conclusions concerning both the beginning of our universe, and the eventual end. regan, just like a black hole, is a wealth of information, especially concerning the knowledge she harbours about disney, and the business management sector of it. it’s quite truly inspirational.

@im-an-adult-ish — the milky way

ah yes, the milky way. home to all of us. and that is the essence of my explanation here. meredith has such a friendly way about her, and she’s the kind of person you can easily turn to and feel welcomed. a bit like our little corner of the universe <3

@almightygwil — the sun

i think this is probably self-explanatory, if a bit repetitive, but ellie is a ray of sunshine. but perhaps that sells her a little short, because ellie is just so genuinely lovely that she must herself be the sun. her writing talent astounds me (you could say it blinds me, ha ha), and she never fails to be somehow both sweet and very chaotic at the same time. it’s very admirable (and certainly relatable, on the chaotic front). the sun itself, if we think about the surface and the fusion that takes place there, is both the sweetest sight ever seen, and quite chaotic, so i think it fitting that ellie is the sun.

@hijackmy-heart — callisto

callisto is one of jupiter’s moons, and my favourite, because it looks like a piece of the night sky decided to curl up into a ball. i don’t know nat too well, but i know that she’s gorgeous, like callisto, and loves roger taylor. let me explain. jupiter, in roman mythology, is the god of the sky and of thunder. in norse mythology, thor is the equivalent of jupiter, and to me, roger has always had a bit of that typical scandinavian look going, with the blonde hair and blue eyes (not to say that all scandis look like this, but he fits the stereotype :)). nat loves roger, and callisto orbits jupiter, so there you have it.

@six-bloodyminutes — the moon

the moon has a serenity about it, and mo has a knack for telling quite wild things with a most casual air. for instance, according to my sources, when a certain dorm room caught fire (?). mo thus bears this serenity, akin to the serenity i associate with the moon, with equal grace and chaos.

@dancingdiscofloof — pluto

pluto! the not-planet-oh-wait-maybe-it’s-a-planet-jk-jk-unless..? i still think that pluto should be considered a planet, despite the many arguments against the poor sod. pluto was once a planet, and should therefore have remained a planet, for the plain and simple fact that taking away its planethood was like giving a person a present, and then taking it back immediately afterward. anyway. i’m rambling. i also do not know rove very well, but i know that she’s kind, and, judging by the memes she shares, both of ryan gosling and tom hanks, that she is quirky— a bit like our beloved pluto.

@imcompletelylost — aurora borealis/aurora australis

also known as the northern lights/the southern lights, the polar lights, the merry dancers, the fox fires, or swarms of luminous herring (you can thank my ancestors, followers of norse mythology, for that one), the aurora is an astronomical phenomenon precipitated by the complete ring of light surrounding the poles, “which at its brightest has a distinctively green tint” (may, brian, et al. the cosmic tourist. carlton books, 2016.). yes i just made a citation from one of brian’s books. don’t worry about it. anyway, particles emitted from our sun are caught by the magnetic fields of earth’s poles, and thus produce this ethereal effect. but you know what the aurora has always reminded me of? disco lights. and libby is noting if not the queen of disco. oh, and, libby’s makeup talents? the aurora could never.

@aprilaady — butterfly nebula

the butterfly nebula is incredibly beautiful. but also, depending on from which angle it is beheld, it looks quite different. dor will surprise you, in the loveliest way possible (and sometimes the funniest) with a kind word or a joke, or even just a relatable comment. she has so many talents, being rivetingly smart within so many fields, especially the sciences, and in this, conveys multitudes, like the butterfly nebula. one might say her soul is painted like the wings of butterflies...

@doing-albri — solar eclipse

the alignment of the sun, moon, and earth. difficult to see, especially in totality, if you continually live in the same place. but there’s something magical in that alignment, i think. something quite poetic. it’s partially in the name ‘eclipse’ and partially in the nickname— a “ring of fire.” i saw the solar eclipse in august of 2018, and looking up at it, i was quite awestruck. you’re not supposed to stare directly at solar eclipses, because despite the moon overshadowing the sun, you can still damage your eyes significantly by looking at them. vi is so bright, both in her attitude and in her intelligence, and thus i’ve chosen the solar eclipse for her. also, when a solar eclipse occurs, using a piece of cardboard with a hole (or generally any thick-radius circular object with an opening), you can recreate the phenomenon on another surface, resulting in beautiful patterns and light-art, which i think speaks to vi’s eye for aesthetics.

@imalososos — meteor shower

meteor showers are perhaps some of the most beautiful phenomena i have ever seen. back in the summer of 2016, i stayed up all night to watch the perseids rush across the sky, and i was not disappointed, by any means. within the early hours of the 12th of august, an estimated 80 meteors darted across the heavens each hour. meteors, in essence, are clusters of mineral, usually debris from comets, which enter the atmosphere of a planet, and thus seem to shoot across the sky. now, you may be wondering, what’s the bloody blooming difference between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites, and why are we talking about meteors in particular? well, meteoroids are cosmic debris that have not yet entered an atmosphere; as soon as a piece of cosmic debris enters a planet’s atmosphere, it is classified as a meteor. as for meteorites, nothing is a meteorite unless it strikes the ground. anyway. you didn’t come here for my science ramblings. meteors are also called ‘shooting stars,’ and let’s be honest, they’re space’s idea of art. streaks of light across the sky? sounds like a painting to me, and darya, among many other things, is an artist— and a brilliant one, at that. so i think it very fitting to describe her as the art of the universe <3

@mazzell-ro — saturn

i! love! saturn!!! being the only planet in our solar system with highly visible rings, it just stands out to me. it’s absolutely gorgeous, and an object of much inspiration to me, when i was little and decided that space was absolutely something i wanted to see. i could write an eight-verse song about saturn, i love it so much, and honestly, i think ro could write one too; she’s an excellent musician. but aside from its lovely rings, saturn is unique because its composition, in the ratio of its gases, would allow the planet to float in water. ro is uniquely wonderful, and her writing!!!!!!!! makes me so soft and happy and makes me want to give her the word. quite how i feel when i look up at saturn.

@mistiermistshazierdays — zodiacal light

you may recognise this term as brian’s speciality from when he was studying astrophysics. but what is it? zodiacal light is that strange triangle of light that appears glowing in the sky after twilight and before dawn, and is the subject of much earth-based astrophotography. extraordinarily beautiful, scientists are still not entirely sure what the phenomenon is, but most research and practical experiments are in favour of zodiacal light being sunlight reflected off of cosmic dust (also known as stardust!). now, if my knowledge of ancient greece and its mythology serves me, the name phoebe comes from phoebus, and (thank you google) means ‘bright.’ zodical light… bright… phoebe… you might say it’s a match made in the heavens. quite literally if we’re talking space. phoebe, you kind soul, you are stardust.

@speciallyred — andromeda galaxy

and last, but certainly not least, dear anna. i name thee the andromeda galaxy, partially for your own name, and partially for its poetic beauty. andromeda, the neighbour galaxy of our deal ol’ milky way, is actually about 2.5 million lightyears (15 trillion miles, 22.5 trillion km) away from us, here on earth. call me vain for the number of times i’ve described the beauty of space throughout this rather extended exposition, but andromeda is startlingly beautiful. one reason for this objective beauty is that andromeda is estimated to be home to roughly double the number of stars within our own galaxy. anna is one of the most talented poets i have ever come across, hands down, and what be the food of poetry, if not the stars?

[juaelmallik]

Yes, you can only work 5 hours and call it a day. Here’s how to make it productive

Something’s very wrong with the traditional nine-to-five: it doesn’t work.

Scandinavian countries dominate the World Happiness Report—Norway being the third most productive country in the world and Helsinki winning the title of the best city for work-life balance. And their standard working week is less than 40 hours long. They work a whopping 359 hours less than Americans every year.

How I began working five-hour workdays (by accident)

When I quit my job in the great resignation of 2020 to become a freelance writer, I was determined to continue working eight-hour days. I was a “real” full-time writer, after all, and I needed to prove it by working just like everyone else works.

That is until I couldn’t.

I contracted COVID-19 in May 2021. After coming back to work in June, I began to notice my focus and energy falter. The doctor told me it was brain fog—a common side-effect seen in those who’ve recovered from the virus. I knew I might have to take it down a notch for a few months.

On most days, I couldn’t work beyond five hours. But surprisingly, my productivity didn’t budge with the reduction in working hours: I earned the same income, met deadlines comfortably, and left the desk fulfilled. My clients were just as happy as before.

But was my skyrocketed productivity just the result of the rest I had to take while recovering? I was skeptical. I decided to continue the shorter workday, despite fully recovering in July. And I’m never going back to the eight-hour workday again.

eight-hour vs. five-hour workdays

I work in Pomodoros for everything—from writing to responding to emails to networking. I track how many hours I work, what I work on, and how much time I take to finish a task using the Pomofocus timer and the data it provides.

Before, I worked eight or nine hours a day. But I hardly attributed my burnout and lack of creative satisfaction to overworking. “Maybe I haven’t rested enough, planned well, or learned enough productivity techniques,” I thought.

It wasn’t uncommon for me to end days thinking, “if only I had more time”—because I always had some items unchecked on my to-do list.

Now, when I’m working only five hours a day, I notice I cross off almost all my tasks. Knowing I only get five hours has made me more intentional with my to-do list: I assign priorities better, say no more, and sign up only for the necessary meetings. I’m working smarter, not harder. The same tasks also visibly take less time to complete now. I can write a well-researched 2,000 to 3,000 word article in half the time, which gives me more time to grow my business.

My relationship with work shifted. Having only five hours forced me to say yes to only exciting freelance writing jobs that would also pay well. And instead of working till 1 a.m., I started to ask for more lenient deadlines (and my clients happily agreed).

Nothing is as urgent as it seems.

Leading a fuller life outside of work—having hobbies, socializing, going for long walks, playing the violin—further boosted my creativity and mental well-being. With more idle time and fewer hours chained to the chair, I could make space for personal passion projects like improving my newsletter (check it out here), working on my website (here), and laying the groundwork for my podcast.

But it wasn’t easy. I often felt like I could do more, made unrealistic to-do lists, and struggled to challenge my mindset about working. I’d like to share a few things that helped me, in case you’re starting to think about experimenting with the five-hour workday too.

The mindset shift

The biggest barrier for me wasn’t managing tasks well in the limited five hours—it was convincing my brain that there’s no correlation between the number of hours I work and how productive I am.

I can’t overstate the importance of changing your mindset first—before you worry about the practical concerns. 81% of people spend less than three hours a day on creative work anyway.

I suggest doing a time-tracking experiment to see how many hours you work in a day and how many of those are productive. You’ll likely notice that after a certain number of hours, sitting any more just gets you diminishing returns. That’s when you know you should stop working for the day.

Work in your mental peaks

There’s a time of the day you work better. Maybe it’s in the morning before your kids are awake, maybe it’s late at night with no distractions, or maybe it’s in the afternoon lull. You tend to do your best work in these hours and get more done in less time. It’s your best time to focus.

For me, the flow state is easier to grab in the mornings. I make a conscious effort not to schedule any meetings or personal appointments during these early hours to get maximum done.

You can find these mental peaks through trial and error or by using a time tracking app. Once you know your best hours, you should optimize your day according to them—manage your energy, not your time.

Prioritize and value rest

When you carry your office with you everywhere, you need to be disciplined about rest. In his book, Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang talks about the importance of downtime and emphasizes why work and rest are not opposites but complementary. He broke down the schedules of highly successful people from various industries—from scientists to artists—and found a similar schedule: work intensively for four to five hours, and spend an equal amount of time on deliberate rest.

For people with less control over their workdays, like doctors and executives, Pang suggests taking long vacations without technology or using the weekends to engage in enjoyable activities that are also a little physically and mentally challenging.

I set a hard deadline for myself to get up from my desk at 5 p.m. and not check email on the weekends. It gives me enough space to rest physically and mentally, unplug a little, and return to work more refreshed.

Plan your workday intentionally—and realistically

When I started to notice the increase in productivity, I began challenging myself to do more and more in those five hours. I let unnecessary tasks seep into my to-do list and set unrealistic expectations for myself—which not only affected my mental health but also compromised my quality of work.

I quickly realized I was setting myself up for failure. I knew I valued quality over quantity, so I got picky. I’d limit my to-do list to three items, estimate how long they would take me to finish and add an hour of buffer time.

Here are my three golden tips for realistic planning:

Underestimate how much you can get done in a day.

Overestimate how much time a task will take.

Overestimate interruptions during your day.

You don’t need to complicate it. Go easy on yourself, and make it a point to be more mindful while making your to-do list.

Five hours is enough (sometimes, it’s more than enough)

Personally, my life turned upside down after implementing the five-hour workday. My mental health has never been better, and I’ve never gotten so much done at the same time. Now, my days have room for spontaneity, daydreaming, and boredom.

If you’re just getting started with working fewer hours, I suggest taking it slow and customizing the suggestions in this article according to your life. It’s better to build a routine that works for you by experimenting rather than going around searching for the perfect system that you can’t stick with.

How many hours we work per day is a question that barely holds any importance today. It’s time to ask better questions: How can you find more time to think? How can you minimize distractions? How can you manage your energy well? These are the questions we should all be focusing on instead.

[qqueenofhades]

Question for you. When you have time. And if you want. I know things are busy for you. What do you mean by end stage capitalism? Thanks.

Aha. I am sorry that this has been sitting in my inbox for a while, since I’ve been busy and doing stressful things and not sure how to answer this in a way that wouldn’t immediately turn into a pages-long rant. Nothing to do with you, of course, but just because I have 800 things to say on this topic, none of them complimentary, which I’ll try to condense down briefly. Ish.

In sum, end-stage capitalism is at the root of everything that’s wrong with the world today, more or less. It’s the state of being that exists when the economic system of capitalism, i.e. the exchange of money for goods and services, has become so runaway, so unregulated, so elevated to the level of unchallengeable dogma in the Western world (especially after the Cold War and decades of hysteria about the “scourge of communism”) and so embedded on every level of the social and political fabric that it is no longer sustainable but also can’t be destroyed without taking everything else down. Nobody wants to be the actual generation that lives through the fall of capitalism, because it’s going to be cataclysmic on every level, but also… we can’t go on like this. So that’s a fun paradox. The current world order is so drastically, unimaginably, ridiculously and wildly unequal, privileging the tiny elite of the ultra-rich over the rest of the planet, because of hypercapitalism. This really got going in the early 1980s when Ronald Reagan, still generally worshiped as a political hero on both the left and right sides of the American political establishment (even liberals tiptoe around criticizing Saint Ronnie), set into motion a program of slashing business and environment regulations, reducing or eliminating taxes on the super wealthy, and introducing the concept of “trickle-down” or “supply-side” economics. In short, the principle holds that if you make it as easy as possible for rich people to become EVEN MORE RICH, and remove all irksome regulations or restrictions on the Church of the Free Market, they will benevolently redistribute this largess to the little people. To say the very least, this….does not happen. Ever.

Since the 1980s, in short, we have had thirty years of unrestricted, runaway capitalism that eventually propelled us into the financial crisis of 2008, after multiple smaller crises, where the full extent of this philosophy became apparent…. and nobody really did anything about it. You can google statistics about how the price of everything has skyrocketed since about the 1970s, when you could put yourself through college on one part-time job, graduate with no student debt, and be assured of a job for the next 30 years, and how baby boomers (who are responsible for wrecking the economy) insist that millennials are “just lazy” or “killing [insert x industry]”. This is because we have NO GODDAMN MONEY, graduate thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt (if we can even afford college in the first place), are lucky if we find a job that pays us more than $10 an hour, and often have to string together several part-time and frangible jobs that offer absolutely nothing in the way of security, benefits, or long-term saving potential. This is why millennials at large don’t have kids, buy houses, or have any savings (or any of the traditional “adult” milestones). We just don’t have the money for it.

Even more, capitalism has taken over our mindsets to the point where it is, as I said, at the root of everything that’s wrong with the world. Climate change? Won’t be fixed because the ruling classes are making money from the current system, and if you really want to give yourself an aneurysm, google the profiteers who can’t wait for the environment/society to collapse because they’ll make MORE money off it. This is known as “disaster capitalism” and is what the US has done to other countries for decades. (I also recommend The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.) This obviously directly contributes to the War on Terror, the current global instability, the reason Dick Cheney, Halliburton, Blackwater, and other private-security contractors made a mint from blowing up Iraq and paying themselves to rebuild it, and then the resultant rise of al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other extremist reactionary groups. The bombing produces (often brown and Muslim) refugees and immigrants, Western countries won’t take them in, right-wing politicians make hay out of Threats To Our Way of Life ™, and the circle goes on. Gun control? Can’t happen because a) American white supremacy is too deeply tied to its paranoid right to have as many guns as it wants and to destroy the Other at any time, and b) the NRA pays senators by the gigabucks to make sure it doesn’t. (And we all know what an absolute goddamn CLUSTERFUCK the topic of big money and American politics is in the first place. It’s just… a nightmare in every direction.)

Meanwhile, end-stage capitalism has also systematically assigned value to society and to individuals depending entirely on their prospects for monetization. Someone who can’t work, or who doesn’t work the “right” job, is thus assigned less value as a human (see all the right-wing screaming about people who “don’t deserve” to have any kind of social and financial assistance or subsidized food and medicine if they won’t “help themselves”). This is how we get to situations where we have the ads that I kept seeing in London the other month: apps where you could share your leftover food, or rent out your own car, or collectively rent an apartment, or whatever else. Because apparently if you live in London in 2019, there is no expectation that you will be able to have your own food, car, or apartment. You have to crowdsource it. (See also: people having to beg strangers on the internet for money for food or medical bills, and strangers on the internet doing more to help that person than the whole system and/or the person’s employment or living situation.) There is nothing inherently wrong with capitalism as an economic theory. Exchanging money for goods and services is understandable and it works. But when it has run out of control to this degree, when the people who suffer the most under it fiercely defend it (see the working-class white people absolutely convinced that the reason for their problems is Those Damn Job Stealing Immigrants), when it only works for the interests of a few uber-privileged few and is actively killing everyone else… yeah.

Let’s put it this way. You will likely have heard of the two fatal crashes of Boeing 737 Max airplanes in recent months: the Lion Air crash in October 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March 2019. Together, they killed 346 people. After these crashes, it turned out that the same malfunctioning system was responsible for both, and that Boeing had known of the problem before the Max went on the market. But because they needed to make (even more) money and compete with their rivals, Airbus, they had sent the planes ahead anyway, with unclear and confusing instruction to pilots about how to deal with it, and generally not acknowledging the problem and insisting (as they still do) that the plane was safe, even though it’s been grounded worldwide since March. There are also concerns that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is too deep in Boeing’s pocket to provide an impartial ruling (and America was the last country to ground the plane), and other countries’ aviation safety bodies have announced that they aren’t just going to take the FAA’s word for it whenever they decide that the Max is safe. This almost never happens, since usually international regulatory bodies, especially in aviation, will accept each other’s standards. But because of Boeing’s need for Even More Money, they put a plane on the market and into commercial passenger service that they knew had problems, and the FAA essentially let them do that and isn’t entirely trusted to ensure that they won’t do it again. Because…. value for the shareholders. Or something. This is the extreme example of what I mean when I say that end-stage capitalism is actively killing people.

It is also doing so on longer-term and more pernicious everyday levels. See above where people can’t afford their basic expenses even on several jobs, see the insulin price-gouging in the US (and the big pharma efforts in general to make drugs and healthcare as expensive as possible), see the way any kind of welfare or social assistance is framed as “lazy” or “bad” or “socialist,” see the way that people are basically only allowed to survive if they can pay for it, and the way that circle is becoming smaller and smaller. The American public is also fed enduring folk “wisdom” about “money doesn’t buy happiness,” the belief that poverty serves to build character or as an example of virtue, or so on, to make them feel proud of being poor/deprived/that they’re doing a good thing by actively supporting this system that is responsible for their own suffering. And yet for example, the Nordic countries (while obviously having other problems of their own) maintain the Scandinavian welfare model, which pays for college and healthcare, provides for individual stipends/basic income, allows generous leave for parenthood, emphasises a unionised workplace, and otherwise prescribes a mix of capitalism, social democracy, and social mobility. All the Nordic countries rank highly for human development, overall happiness, and other measurements of social success. But especially in America, any suggestion of “socialism” is treated like heresy, and unions are a dirty word. That is changing, but…slowly.

In short: the economic overlords have never done anything to give power, money, or anything at all to the working class without being repeatedly and explicitly forced, they have no good will or desire to treat the poor like humans (see: Amazon) or anything at all that doesn’t increase their already incomprehensible profit margins. The pursuit of more money that cannot possibly be spent in one human lifetime, that is accumulated, used to make laws for itself, and never paid in taxes to fund improvements or services for everyone else, lies at the root of pretty much every problem you can name in the world right now, is deeply, deeply evil, and I do not use that word lightly.

[derekcoppess]

Budget-friendly interior design trends for the holiday season

Budget-friendly interior design trends for the holiday season https://ift.tt/SzBW4T1 One of the most exciting parts of the holiday season is decorating! You can turn your home into a winter wonderland and highlight the cosiness of Christmas as the outside gets darker and colder. Having a happy holiday season doesn’t require you to splash a lot of cash though. You’ve got enough stuff on your to-buy list! You can make the festive impact you’re after with these budget-friendly holiday decorating ideas. Choose homely Christmas decorations Holiday decor isn’t about being fancy. There are plenty of opportunities for you to recreate decor trends whilst sticking to a budget. Of course, you can go with the traditional red, green and gold colour scheme using holly and jingle bells and other well-loved Christmas classics that you’re likely to find in second-hand shops. That’s not your only option though. How about going down the icy winter wonderland route? You can switch up your colour scheme with blues and whites bringing in motifs like snowflakes and icicles. Snowflakes are some of the easiest paper Christmas decorations to make! Another way to go down the DIY Christmas decorations route is to have a neutral and natural theme. Use what you find outside while on your winter walks like pine cones and the leaves from evergreen trees. Wreaths make beautiful handmade Christmas decorations and are mostly made up of natural materials like plants. Bringing nature indoors has been an interior design trend throughout the year with living (plant) walls sitting at number 3 in our Trends Report. So why not incorporate it into Christmas or any other festival you might be celebrating at this time of year? Embrace ‘Hygge’ Scandinavian design Hygge is a staple in Scandinavian lifestyle and design and applies very well to the spirit of Christmas. It’s all about making your home warm and cosy so you can enjoy the small things and be together. It’s easy to become jaded by the chaos and commercialism of Christmas in the modern day so this mindset and design trend re-centres you. Whether you’re looking for decoration ideas for your living room or bedroom, think small and intimate. Bring in natural materials like wood and greenery for that comfy and cosy but not overdone effect. Declutter and have central focuses like your favourite artwork or a snug area to curl up and watch Christmas films. You can still add interest through varying textures. If you’d like to clear out before the influx of Christmas presents, you can find a local clearing and waste disposal expert through Rated People. Both those who want to keep it old school and those who want to explore more modern trends like Scandinavian design can create their desired effect firmly within budget. DIY where possible – it’s a great way to occupy the kids. Make the most of what nature has to offer. Give yourself the freedom to make the most of the holiday season by booking tradespeople through Rated People to deal with any maintenance issues or redecorating projects for you. The post Budget-friendly interior design trends for the holiday season appeared first on Rated People Blog. via Rated People Blog https://ift.tt/X01465P November 22, 2022 at 06:33AM

[cynthiapatelbiz]

Follow the leader – my leadership discovery journey so far

“Above picture was the result of an activity during which we decided on the team values that we deemed important for our learning environment. The picture still fascinates me because it reminds me of how aligned our cohort was from day one regarding the core values that’ll be fueling our growth.”

One of the main reasons that made me come to CBS was my fascination with the Scandinavian leadership style. Back in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity of working at a company that embraced the Scandinavian values on building dynamic teams through flattening the managerial hierarchies to encourage creativity, contribution, and ownership. The positive impact of working in such an environment made me question everything I had seen in my previous micro-managers. Also, our team’s book club helped us read up on leadership books, such as Multipliers, to catch us up with such mindset within the management. Once I learned that such mindset had originated from the Scandinavian region, I knew that I’d need to experience it firsthand. And, reading through blogs like this, I got introduced to the Leadership Discovery Process (LDP) at CBS – one of the highly emphasized courses in the Copenhagen MBA.

Our MBA kicked off early September with two 8-hour days of LDP, ending the second day with introduction to our LDP mentors, who would be helping us reflect on the concepts in theory and practice. LDP focuses on the influence of personal inner change towards becoming better leaders. One of my biggest takeaways was the effects of energy management in being the best version of myself. LDP’s energy model made it easy for me to understand why I’d have different levels of productivity dependent on various dimensions that influence my overall energy levels.

A couple weeks later, we learned about NeuroLeadership that aims to apply the latest neuroscientific findings to help us engage and interact with our most common biases that negatively impact decision making. This topic is truly fascinating, especially when it gets into the impact of hormones, such as Dopamine and Serotonin, on our behavior.

On the next module, we learned about Change Leadership, which focuses on inspiring and empowering the people to drive change towards a common goal. The elements within this topic truly resonated with me because of my experience in corporate M&As. However, my experience of going through an acquisition helped me be more conscientious of the people dimension of any M&A. This module focuses on your ability to be grounded and to create a trusting environment for your team members to freely ask for help and guidance for growth.

And finally, last week was our module on Team Leadership, during which we were taken to a secret compound, where we learned about the dynamics of a high performing team. Then, based on our personality profiles, we divided ourselves into four teams and were given a simulator challenge to complete. The leadership reflections from these activities are the most valuable in my opinion since they represent our real-time responses within a team under pressure.

All in all, our LDP journey, though nearly half way through, has been filled with numerous activities like learning about theoretical models, which may sound fluffy at times, to engaging in intense physical and emotional stretches that help us get closer and bond as a team. Our class is quite aware that the LDP journey is slowly inching towards its peak intensity, like a theme park ride, making you hold on to any shred of certainty and comfort, before the inevitable dive down into a rewarding uncertainty, which in LDP terms will be the Sweden Leadership Simulator in the Swedish wilderness (another secret simulator that we know nothing about, except that it’s life changing… haha).

The post - Follow the leader – my leadership discovery journey so far was originally published here.

[grouptoursworld]

Everything you need to know about group tours of Scandinavia

Scandinavia has become one of the most popular destinations for group tours in the world. And it's easy to see why: The Scandinavian countries are filled with stunning natural beauty, diverse architecture, and delicious food and drink.

Group tours of Scandinavia provide a great way to see all these things while traveling with other people who have a similar mindset about what they want out of their vacation experience.

However, there are some things you should consider before booking your trip—and this article will help answer those questions!

Go With A Group

Group tours are a great way to see new places. They're well-organized and usually offer the chance to meet new people from all around the world. These can be particularly beneficial if you're traveling alone, as they offer an opportunity to chat with others while you're on your trip.

Group tours also mean that you won't have to worry about getting lost or not knowing where you should go—they'll provide guidance and information along the way so that everyone gets what they need out of their time spent exploring a new place together.

Get A Good Guide

Perhaps the most important thing to know about group tours of Scandinavia is that they're better with a good guide. A good guide will keep you on schedule, make sure everyone is enjoying themselves, and provide information about the area you're visiting.

In some cases, they can even help out with translation and other unexpected situations that crop up during travel. They also provide an added layer of safety if you're travelling in unfamiliar territory; if something goes wrong, it's nice to have someone who knows the area to help get things back on track quickly.

If you're considering taking one of these tours but are worried about whether or not your experience will be enjoyable enough for it to be worth it, remember this: getting lost in a foreign country without speaking its language is always going to be scary! Having a knowledgeable guide by your side will take some of that fear away—not only because they know all kinds of useful information (like where restrooms are located) but because they'll also keep an eye out for trouble so nothing bad happens while you're having fun exploring new places. To find a trustworthy guide who speaks English well enough for most travelers’ needs: look up reviews online before trying anything else!

Look for Smaller Groups

When you're looking for a group tour, the size of your group can make a big difference. Smaller groups are often more intimate and personal, which makes them better suited to those who like to chat with their fellow travelers during downtime. They also tend to be more flexible in terms of itinerary changes and special requests.

But there's another major upside to smaller tours: they're generally much cheaper than larger ones! When you travel in a group, you'll share the cost with others so your trip will cost less overall—and that's even more true when the group is smaller.

Consider an Unusual Mode of Transportation

Skiing, snowshoeing, dogsledding and other forms of winter recreation are excellent ways for travelers to get off the beaten path. Consider the number of people in your group and their physical fitness when choosing this option.

The weather conditions in Scandinavia vary from season to season, so make sure you know what kind of trip you're signing up for. You'll also want to consider how long your tour will be: Duration is an important factor when determining whether or not it's feasible to go skiing or snowshoeing during your vacation (in other words: don't expect to do it at all if you only have two days). Finally, cost should always be a strong consideration when deciding on unusual modes of transportation; depending on where you go and how much equipment you need/want there may be additional expenses involved as well.

Book Early

To get the best deals and avoid crowds, book your trip as early as possible. You can often save hundreds of dollars by booking six months or more in advance. If you don't have time to plan an entire trip by yourself, group tours are a great way to see Scandinavia on a tight schedule. Tours aren't cheap, but if you're short on time or don't have much experience planning trips abroad, they may be worth it for their convenience alone.

Bring The Right Gear

When it comes to packing for your trip, think about what you want to do while you're there. Are there any activities that require special equipment? Do you have any medical issues or allergies? Do you need more than one change of clothes? Will you be spending a lot of time outside in the rain, so a poncho would be useful?

If you're heading off on an adventure tour with a group (such as hiking or kayaking), ask yourself if there is anything else that might come in handy. For example, if another guest has had to leave their tour because of an injury and they left behind their hiking boots, maybe someone else could use them instead; just make sure they fit well first!

Conclusion

We hope this guide has given you a good sense of what to expect from group tours of Scandinavia. Every year, thousands of people make the journey with our company, and they all have one thing in common: they’re eager to explore this beautiful part of the world. So what are you waiting for? Book your trip today!

Source : https://inspiringvacation.postach.io/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-group-tours-of-scandinavia

[victorl0]

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[thevisafly]

The Finland Experience – Sights, Sounds, and People

Wouldn’t we all like to know what makes the ‘Happiest Country in The World’ tick? Well, a visit to this snow-filled (yet warmly inviting) wonderland and its treasure-trove of art, music and architectural wonders would probably answer that question for you.

One might argue that the best time to visit Finland is in the winter . However, this is not always true: Finland is a year-round adventure; Helsinki at springtime and Lapland in the winter are two vastly distinct experiences, yet both are scintillating in their own right. Nature – and You. Finland has natural beauty that you may not be able to find anywhere else. It is one of the few places in Europe that true wilderness exists. Finnish nature is revered for its wild charm. High, stone-clad slopes in Koli tower over clear, cool waters – one of Finland’s most visited sites. Understandably so, as landscapes in this country bring you closer to nature and pull you back to a time where one might even believe they belonged in a Medieval fairytale. The Devil Rocks of Läpisyöksy are made up of jagged naturally-carved inner crevices that scream when rough Northern winds blow through them. And if these peculiar – yet fascinating – sights weren’t enough, rock labyrinths exist a mere hour away from Helsinki for you to lose yourself in completely. Finnish nature is rough and unrelenting at first glance, still its beauty has depth upon exploration.

Sustainable Travel Many Scandinavian countries are starting to incorporate sustainability into their tourism, and Finland is no different. The country and its people take pride in the natural beauty that exists and thrive in oneness with it. Incorporating this mindset into their daily life has seen Finland transform their architecture into one whose design is sustainable, yet sleek and minimalist. ‘Slow Food’ and ‘Slow Travel’ are two more babies born from this initiative: whole, organic, green and ethical farming (and eating!) as well as exploring the country through bicycles, trains and on foot are what this concept is about. The idea is to take your time in this beautiful country, and explore both visually and gastronomically with mindfulness. Together, the experience is a must-feel – the connection that is felt with nature is a purposeful one, and once you feel it you just won’t be able to get enough! Explore Finland – Helsinki, Lakeland, Lapland and The Archipelago Helsinki This is the capital of the country, and also its largest city – both in terms of population, and sustainability. With one of the best public transport systems in the world, it is easy to find yourself and your way in the same trip: its laid-back atmosphere allows for people to explore its sights without feeling judged, or congested.

There are myriad things to do here, one of the most popular being their public saunas: both locals and foreigners flock to these steamy baths to relax and unwind. Travelling by one of the easily available and uber-connected flights (or by ship through the Baltic Sea – which is breathtaking, by the way) takes a toll on our bodies, and what better way to calm the nerves than by laying in a soothing sauna? The opera and ballet scene in Finland thrives, so why not take this chance to immerse your senses in a Renaissance-like atmosphere as well?

There are 6 national parks less than 2 hours away from the city, which means flora and fauna are just waiting for you to arrive! Other neighboring attractions include the historically rich city of Porvoo, the Järvenpää-Tuusula area that’s known for its artistic heritage, and the ironwork villages speckled in and around Helsinki. The region is a melting pot of culture, history and metropolitan flair that’s bound to keep you entertained!

Lapland Lapland is the northernmost area of Finland, and the place to go if you want to experience the true Nordic nature of the Finnish mountain folk. A region of contrasts, where the summer sees 24-hour sunlight and the winter sees dark, Aurora-filled nights. Speaking of Aurora, this is the destination many flock to, to take a peek at the Northern Lights, one of the most magnificent natural phenomena the world has given us.

But that’s not all Lapland has to offer. Other attractions include amazing outdoor ski resorts and special arctic-themed hotels (i.e., winter wonderlands that you can explore from the inside-out: glass igloos, snow castles, and aurora domes that guarantee an authentic and relaxing stay). Lapland also has majestic, towering frozen waterfalls (straight out of Frozen, we reckon) and peaceful reindeer farms that are open to visitors – authentic one-of-a-kind memories that are just waiting to be made!

Lakeland Welcome to an area filled with sparkling blue lakes and rolling green hills, both at the same place. Must-do water activities include steamboating and SUP boards – but if you’ve come to relax, the serene lakeside view is perfect for a calming sit-down as well. Winter paves the road for new adventures, too – waters on the lakes freeze into ice that’s perfect for snowmobiles, ice fishing, fat biking, and cross-country skiing.

Lakeland is more than just looks – its overwhelming visuals make way for the cleanest water in the world, which means you’re not just looking at nature – you’re feeling it, too.

The Archipelago What does the Finnish coast have to offer that other coasts don’t? Well, the answer lies in their rustic towns, Nordic fishing, and lifestyle.

Nötö is a quaint village area in the southern Finnish archipelago that people go to unwind and slow down in life – the Bed-and-Breakfasts are perfect for wholesome breakfasts that stretch out into lunches, and the atmosphere guarantees a dip in stress levels. We’re not sure if you’d ever want to leave, though!

Another inspiring part of Finland is Åland, located in the Gulf of Bothnia. The archipelago of Finland is arguably the one that receives the most sunlight, and with it, a heartwarming sunset as well. Åland is the perfect place for this – enjoy a romantic boat ride and Medieval bike trips around this archipelago that feels like you’re sailing back in time. Finnish Culture Each part of Finland hosts their own definitive style and way of life. What brings all the different parts together is the warmth and genuineness that Finnish people have in common. Although people here are known to be introverted and reserved, once you get to know them you’ll find yourself making friends that will last a lifetime. They enjoy their own space, however, they love to bond and make meaningful connections with people whom they feel comfortable with – you’ve just gotta give yourself time, and before you know it, you’ve made a new friend!

Finnish culture goes beyond their people, though – one of the countries’ archipelagos, Åland, is so unique that they own their own distinct taxation system and postal stamp, too!

What else is Finland known for? One of the World’s most famous architects is from Finland, too – Alvar Aalto. Finland boasts a booming classical music scene as well, with some of the best conductors hailing from here, and the world-famous composer Jean Sibelius adding to the list. Their wood-inspired architecture and international classical and hipster music festivals keep creating new benchmarks for contemporary art, design, and music around the globe. Some of their most notable accomplishments include the newer constructions of Oodi Library and the sauna Löyly, as well as festivals like Helsinki’s Flow (an indie favourite), the Kuopio International Dance Festival and the Savonlinna Opera Festival.

Furthermore, it’d be stating the obvious if we said Finland is known for its saunas – but it is! Like we stated before, Finnish saunas are enjoyed by both locals and foreigners alike. And for good reason, too:  these people take their saunas very seriously. Those who are able to, go at least once a week, usually on a Saturday. It seems to be an interesting yet vital part of the country’s culture. This being said, saunas here are a wonder to behold – stepping into a hot, steamy room from the country’s frigid climate is both relaxing, and comforting. Being enveloped in the warmth of the room, and coming out to the warmth of the people is what Finland has in store for us all.

The Food Scene We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again – Finnish folk have a bond with nature that transcends boundaries. It makes its way into the nooks of local mushrooms after September monsoon, and the crannies of chef’s hats in their Michelin restaurants. With one of the most innovative food scenes in Europe, they blend local ingredients into an awakening gastronomic tour (which they actually offer – food tours are the way to go!). Iconic Finnish foods include Karjalanpiirakka (a mouthwatering savoury pastry filled with potatoes, rice or carrots) and Mustikkapiirakka (Finnish pie-like dessert made from wild native bilberries and lingonberries). We recommend that you try out as much as you can – once you start there’s really no end!

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[momsen-in-wonderland]

General Tips for visitors as well as tourists to Skiathos, Sporades, Greece

1. See Koukanaries coastline for bustle, an attractive sweep of golden sand, and also great deals of people viewing. A beautiful pine-clad backdrop makes this an ideal place for pictures.

2. Check out Little Banana coastline for nude sunbathing, stunning great gold sand, and also a lovely protected bay. Although this is primarily a gay coastline, some straight couples seem to feel even more comfortable here than on the neighboring Banana coastline beyond the rocks. A hilly course that is not appropriate for those with strolling troubles leads down to Little Banana. Incredibly, the amount of elderly gay males will certainly run the risk of a hip substitute just to make it to this little oasis of Soho on Sand. The sandwich shop is limited so come prepared with your jam-packed lunch. If you remain in any way prudish or upset by full nudity then do not come here as it's all hanging out, to claim the least.

3. Aghia Elenia coastline simply before you strike Koukanaries is stunning, favored by Scandinavians, as well as has some incredible sundowns. It's likewise nice to quit off at Mandaraki beach a little additional up the West coastline before making your way on down to Elenia.

4. Employ a jeep- autos are not sufficient as many roads are dust track as well as unequal, specifically if you intend to go inland or explore concealed beaches. Some attractive views and scenery on the hill road which runs before bus stop 12 and also goes in the direction of Evangelistrias Monestry, yet beware of a lack of signposts on dirt track roads as it's easy to get lost. When employing a vehicle/ jeep- lookout for a bonus that the companies instantly tell you about when they're on the point of turning over tricks such as; extra EUR5 fees for distribution to your hotel and the same for collection, the truth that 3rd party insurance coverage in Greece covers pretty much nothing and also you require to pay added for totally thorough, the demand to clean the auto before you return it- this will be required as the roads are dirty and you are worked with cars and truck will promptly come to be a mess.

5. Check Out Evangelistrias Monestry. This is a gorgeous as well as serene area which adds some culture to your vacation. Lots of cats, kitty cats, pets, birds, etc strolling around and it's just around thirty minutes drive north from Skiathos town.

You can also check Luxury Hotels in Skiathos Island

6. Watch out for the taxi drivers that insist on stopping along the roadway to pick up a lot more passengers and also bill them the full price. What begins as a 2 person journey could wind up being sardines, all paying EUR10 plus for a taxi house. In peak periods when travelers need outstrips the supply and accessibility for taxis, this may rate. Buses are likewise obviously packed out in peak season! However, this is not appropriate in Sept/ Oct when there are far fewer travelers and too many taxis, all desperate to make their money before Winter.

7. Keep an eye out for grocery store costs! They're expensive and costlier than the UK.

8. Food in most resort areas such as Troulos is pretty mediocre yet head for the tavernas near the port in the Skiathos community or at the top of the steps near the old port (Kosta's is a favored) and the quality enhances substantially. Prices are nonetheless on the same level as the UK so don't expect an affordable vacation and conserving on what you pay for meals out in the UK. This is a traveler island and also gone are the days when British vacationers can take advantage of the more affordable alcohol and also eating.

9. Do check out the Windmill restaurant in Skiathos Town. It's had by 2 Scots women from Edinburgh who reconditioned this old windmill about 15 years back. Food is global and also although the menu is limited, the standard is very good. An average meal for 2 with wine is about EUR60-70 Views over the port of Skiathos town are fantastic and it's extremely romantic at night- book a table for 9 pm so you can see the luxury yachts in the port as well as twinkling lights from the community during the night! It's rather a raise to this restaurant and also it's not that well signposted so speak with a map or ask a neighborhood shop proprietor for directions. Ideal gotten to from the new port, then go upwards as well as in towards the town. You'll feel like you have earned the fine dining experience after the climb. Make an appointment!

10. Anticipate overcrowding at Skiathos flight terminal and also ridiculous lines up. Luggage handling is old-fashioned and appears to include one man discarding every bag from a 747 onto a tiny conveyor belt himself.

11. Peak season is active and also can attract a wide cross-section of ages, people, as well as buzzing environment. September, as well as the end of the period, when I visited, is quieter ... dead-on weekend breaks and also livening up from Tuesday onwards. Bars normally have no more than 5 or 6 customers in each as well as dining establishments do not require reservations ahead of time besides the Windmill. I assume there's likewise a fatiguing perspective from the citizens by September, having put up with travelers all summer season. This is often mirrored in their mindset and basic lack of customer service, however originating from London, this is not something I'm unaccustomed to.

Appreciate!!!

Skiathos is a gorgeous island with some incredible sundowns, incredible coastlines, and also plant that's generally scheduled for the majority of the Ionian islands instead of the Sporades.

Skiathos town is remarkably much more built-up than you would certainly visualize however it still maintains an authentic personality and also it's excellent discovering a few of the little cobbled backstreets.

Great deals of felines, kitty cats, pet dogs, birds, etc strolling about and also it's only around 30 mins drive north from Skiathos community.

In peak season when visitors need overtakes the supply and availability for taxis, this might be welcome. Food in most resort locations such as Troulos is quite average but head for the tavernas near the port in Skiathos town or at the top of the steps near the old port (Kosta's is preferred) as well as the top quality enhances substantially. This is a visitor island and also gone are the days when British visitors can take benefit of the less costly alcohol and eating. Do see the Windmill restaurant in Skiathos Community.

[mybodyliberation]

Estrid - The Female Razor Review | *AD - PR Sample

*This PR sample has been gifted to me with no obligation to post about the product. This review does not reflect the opinions of anyone other than myself. 

If you’re following me on the gram you can probably tell that I’ve consciously and somewhat subconsciously begun a journey of finding out how I can be more ethical. 

I find so often that there’s a misconception about what it means to be sustainable. I think we’re sometimes trapped in the mindset of changing absolutely every aspect of our lives immediately or not doing anything at all, but I’m trying to find middle ground because I believe its our responsibility to think about what we leave behind us and the kind of world we are handing to the next generation.

That being said there’s a power in making multiple choices. Small can lead to big, and I am actively looking for the small changes I can make, especially because a full ethical and sustainable lifestyle doesn’t work for me economically. I know a lot of us are in the same boat. 

Something that has bothered me for a while is my use of razors. Hands up if you’ve notoriously used disposables. Yes me too. Did you know that they’re not easy to recycle and end up on landfills posing hazards. In the states alone up to 163 million disposable razors end up in landfills. 

Yikes.

So what are the alternatives? Well obviously you could opt to not shave at all. It’s definitely worth unpacking the reasons you shave and if shaving is for you at all. Shaving is absolutely a western beauty standard that many find oppressive and there’s power in claiming your body for yourself and not having to go through a ritual you’ve maybe always hated! 

Another alternative is considering more eco-friendly options.

Enter in Estrid, Scandinavian based razor brand, operating out of Sweden in collaboration an organisation called KVINNA KVAINNA and entirely vegan When they got in touch with me I was actually on the hunt for a new eco -friendly razor. I had reached my limit of using hard plastic disposables that weren’t kind to my body or the environment. 

A subscription service offering climate free shipping, starting from £7.95 coming in 4 different colours, you can cancel at any time and order the blades you need as frequently or as infrequently as you want. You can also cancel at any time.If you have any pressing questions that can’t be answered here’s the link to their FAQ, and you can also DM them on insta. https://estrid.com/faq/

Refusing to buy anymore disposable razors I used the one I had in the two month wait as Estrid replenished their stock. 

It was sweet relief when my Estrid arrived a few weeks ago and I’ve been trialing it ever since in preparation for writing about my thoughts. 

The packaging it arrived in was cute, I really am the target demographic when it comes to colourful packaging and even though its all 100% recyclable, I’ve been having trouble parting ways because its just too pretty to throw away. 

The instructions were super clear and to the point which made it easy when I put up my holder in the shower and stored away my spare razor head. 

When I did buy disposable razors I was big on the razors that came with big moisturizer strips. The bigger the better as I often felt like my skin was utterly stripped raw without them, so I was skeptical looking at the moisture strip with the Estrid, but when I first used it in the shower and ran it under some water everything worked perfectly fine. 

I was surprised that there was enough moisture and lubrication to not feel like I had to be tentative in how I was using it. 

The last few weeks have been great, I haven’t encountered any razor burn, the moisture strip doesn’t do what disposables usually do and start to thin out after a few days of use or just being in the steam from your shower.

There’s a little bit more weight to it than with a typical razor but I actually think that helps, there’s also something about the shape that makes it easier to run the blades in the areas I need to without worrying about getting nicks. 

Considering we can pay upwards of £10 for a disposable razor that doesn’t even recycle, investing in something cheaper that is sustainable, vegan and recyclable, makes so much more sense! 

We can’t change our lifestyles over night, but we can make conscious decisions everyday, and I really hope you make changing your razors to an eco-friendly option, one of them!

[thevagueambition]

Hey hey it's the same American who asked about Danish pronouns. With the prospect of going to Denmark for exchange, I was wondering about what gymnasium (I think that's the secondary school) is like? E.g. How do people act there, how easy it is to find friends, being LGBT+ in school, whatever. And like how racist are people there cause I've heard not good things?

God I completely forgot about this ask, sorry! X_XGymnasiet is indeed upper secondary school, equivalent to the later years of high school although it works quite differently. Each gymnasium offers several lines of study that determine what classes will be focused on throughout your time there.Hmm, socially I'd say it depends a lot on the school in question. I went to school in copenhagen and that's very, very different from going to a gymnasie in a smaller city. A LOT of the socialising revolves around drinking, that's an important thing to note. You will probably miss out on socialising if you don't drink. It's not like you'd have to participate in it, but just know it's very present.We have all our classes with the same group of people (with a few exceptions) so if you get along with someone in that group, it's easy to build a friendship from there. I think making friends really depends on how good you are at it more than anything else, yk?The LGBTQ thing is again really dependent on which school. In the city it's not a terribly big deal and what's more it's not polite to make it into any sort of deal. So even if people are homophobic/whatever they'll likely try not to let on. People tend to be unconscious of their prejudice. I did personally feel a bit isolated, though, we don't have any LGBTQ clubs or w/e, but yeah. Casual homophobia/biphobia is probably the worst it'd be. Now for trans stuff people would probably be worse (they generally are) but I don't know anyone who's been put as trans in gymnasiet so I can't really say.Now two cultural notes1) Denmark doesn't have a culture of censuring slurs (when speaking about the n-word in an academic context, for example, you would say the word) and as a separate but affected thing, people are pretty casual in their slur use. Definitely offensively so, I'm not defending that, but the cultural context is a bit different even so. 2) Scandinavians as a people consider ourselves very open, unprejudiced, enlightened and above judging people by rheir groupings. Now this is obviously untrue, we're just as prejudiced as any other nationalities, but what this means is that people consider it a given they don't *actually* condone the horrible shit they joke about. Since we are all open enlightened people, it is obvious that when someone cracks a gay joke or says the n-word or makes holocaust jokes (*looks at pewdiepie and lars von trier*) they will assume it is obvious they don't mean what they're saying. How could they, they're an enlightened scandinavian!! the mere assumption that they might mean what they're saying is so offensive!! and yeah that's a mindset that's super prevalent here. What this means is you'd probably hear someone call their friend a "fag" who would still swear up and down they weren't homophobic. Because of course they're not! Obviously!Conscious bigotry and especially violent crime based thereon is very rare compared to in other countries, though. The racism towards, well, anyone people thinks "looks like a Muslim" is really bad and nationalism is on the rise as it is most everywhere. Again though, less violence, more people talking bollocks and trying to get shitty appearance regulating laws passed? Violence happens, ofc, but again, compared to other countries... Idk if you were asking for yourself re racism, but if you were, your status as an American would protect you against some of it. The really bad stuff is directed at immigrants from the MENA region and the descendants of them.

[storedetox-blog]

Simple & Natural Ways to Hygge

I experience a Fall-induced form of “nesting” every year as the weather gets cooler and the days get shorter. Unlike the hormone-driven one in pregnancy, this is one is less about alphabetizing the contents of the freezer and more about filling the house with everything soft and warm and cozy (and preferably also smelling like pumpkin!). It turns out I’m not alone. The Danes have been promoting this for a long time with their concept of hygge. There are whole books, magazines, and websites devoted to the idea. But let’s get real… I don’t see too many pictures of homes filled with kids, diapers, and Legos!

Still, I think there should be, and these are some of my favorite real-life and natural ways to “hygge” this time of year. What Is Hygge? According to the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Danes are the happiest group of people in the world. Considering Scandinavian countries are some of the colder countries (with low light in the winters) this is a bit surprising. Experts believe that one cause of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is lower light in the winter. But for the Danes, the low light in the winter doesn’t seem to cause these problems. This may be because of their lifestyle of enjoying simple things, or hygge. Hygge (pronounced “hue-guh”) simply means creating a feeling of coziness, togetherness, and wellbeing. While this may sound idealistic, little touches can go a long way. Natural Ways to Hygge (in Real Life) Creating a feeling of hygge doesn’t have to take a lot of time, effort, or money. These are some of my favorite ways to add a touch of natural comfort (and light) at home. Add Softness Creating a cozier place to relax can have a huge impact on your mood, your family’s mood, and the overall feeling of your home. This doesn’t mean you have to buy a new couch either!

Pillows – Pillows aren’t just for the bedroom or couch! Create a cozy corner with some natural floor pillows, bean bags, or yoga bolsters. They encourage movement and play for the kids and also make the perfect seat for playing family board games around the coffee table. Throw blankets – Layer them over the couch or place them in a basket in each room. My kids love the softness of this blanket, but of course the options and styles are endless. Choose deep-pile rugs – Choose a warm cozy throw rug to mash your toes into! Even throw one over the back of a chair or on the couch. Create Small Spaces

Add to that feeling of hibernation by creating small, cozy spaces in the house. Put a canopy on it! – Canopies create a snug space anywhere and in my opinion, shouldn’t only be for the playroom. A burlap tent is another way to create a temporary cozy space with no hanging required. Hang hammocks or a sensory swing – This may sound unconventional, but we add hammocks and swings to the kids’ bedrooms for the sake of their vestibular systems (more about that here), but they’re also a relaxing spot to hang out. Rearrange furniture – Put the couch by the window for a cozy spot with more light, or move furniture closer together to create a space for conversation. Add Light and Scent Light plays an incredibly important role in our sleep/wake cycles and overall hormonal health. Appeal to all of the senses with these hygge touches: Light a candle – Nothing beats real candlelight from beeswax candles. Himalayan salt lamps – Use salt lamps as soft lighting around the house at night instead of an overhead light. You can even put it on a timer so it’s ready for you when you head to your bedroom at night or wakes you up first thing in the morning. Sun lamps – Create a cozy spot next to a portable light box or two to support the natural wake-up process on those dark winter mornings. Run a diffuser – I run essential oil diffusers around the house especially this type of year. (But consider safety around pets and kids.) Make your own natural air freshener –  This DIY pumpkin room spray is my favorite to make this time of year. Bring in Nature

Spending time in nature has real health benefits. Create the feeling of being outside indoors by bringing in natural materials like wood, wicker, and even stone. Live plants – My live plant wall is my absolute favorite way to hygge all year. House plants add some cheerfulness and color and also purify indoor air. If you just want a plant or two, these are my favorite kid-safe indoor plants. Woven baskets – Baskets in different sizes and shapes around the room are perfect for hiding visual clutter like toys or winter gear. Free decor  – Get creative with interesting twigs, branches, and even rocks from the outdoors and display them in a bowl or vase. Just make sure your toddler can’t pick up and throw the rocks! 🙂 If you’re the crafty type, many of these materials can even be made into artwork! Create Rituals

One of the most important aspects of hygge is the idea of togetherness, which some would argue we don’t get much of in our modern lives. One way to close that divide and reengage with our kids is to take hygge time together. Here are some ideas: Light a candle at the same time of day – The act of lighting the candle at the same time each day can be comforting. (If at night, just please don’t fall asleep before you put it out!) Turn off technology – Set aside time regularly to turn off devices and spend time together technology-free. Experts believe that modern technology is causing a divide between kids and parents today. We even have used a lock box or kitchen safe for our devices to protect family time. (Or, if you have the self-control, this is a much more attractive way to accomplish the same thing.) Prioritize family meal time – Food is not just nourishing to the body but can nourish the soul too. Choose healthy recipes (I’ll list some below) and enjoy a cozy meal together. Bonus if you can get the kids to help prepare it. Throw it back – Think about how families entertained themselves 150 years ago. They might tell stories, share a snack, read aloud to each other, sing songs, put on a puppet show, etc. Invite friends over – Having friends over is always a good way to get me to put down my to-do list, since I’m focused on being a good host. I’m not talking about a fancy dinner party either, but a simple game night or sharing some dessert. Add journaling to the bedtime routine – Write down the top 3 things you are grateful for as a family. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but even a few minutes builds a habit of gratitude and a sense of connection and wellbeing. Enhance rituals you already have – Instead of just watching a movie, build a pillow fort and snuggle (or use the canopy idea from earlier). So maybe not the skulls, but you get the idea! Setting aside some special together time doesn’t have to be a huge chore. Even one small family ritual can make a huge difference in everyone’s mood and feeling of connection. Find a complete list of our favorite family traditions here. Add Comfort Foods to the Menu Meals have always been a time of connection, socialization, and togetherness for all of human history. These recipes are our favorite healthy versions of traditional comfort foods: Mandarin Chicken – This healthy recipe tastes as good or better than other recipes but is much healthier. Boef Bourguignon – This Julia Child inspired recipe is perfect for a cozy evening. Cauliflower Beef Stroganoff – This traditional comfort food is made healthier with cauliflower instead of egg noodles. Bean-Free Chili – This delicious recipe only takes a few ingredients, making it a perfect last-minute meal. Shepherd’s Pie – As an Irish American, shepherd’s pie is a staple in my family. This one uses healthy cauliflower in place of potatoes. Meatloaf Cupcakes – Healthy and appealing to kids, this recipe is delicious and hygge inspiring. Beef Stroganoff – A healthier take on one of my favorite comfort foods from my childhood. Slow-Cooker Ribs – Made with honey or molasses instead of sugar, this recipe is whole foods only. Garlic Herb Pot Roast – Pot roast is one comfort food many people can’t live without. Gingerbread Cookies Recipe – A real-food way to fill the air with the smell of baking and spices. You can also just share hot drinks like a cup of tea or hot chocolate. Add Inspiration & Order to High-Traffic Areas Hygge isn’t just about creating cozy corners in out-of-the-way places. Tackling the entryway was the biggest gamechanger for us since this is the first place we see as we enter the house and the place where the most clutter enters. (So many shoes!) Consider: Use a closed cabinet instead of open storage to hide visual clutter Hang art or an inspirational quote that has meaning to you Add a small entryway table with an essential oil diffuser or a vase of dried flowers Cultivate Peace of Mind

Hygge first and foremost is a mindset. It’s about slowing down and savoring each moment exactly as it is. While that is never easy to do, the more we practice it the easier it will become. Since I can’t always reduce what I have to do (unless I give away a kid or two!), I’m trying to focus on the small moments of peace as they come. If that feels hard to do, I recommend curling up (in your cozy hygge spot) with The Daily Stoic, a book I’ve been loving. Read the full article

[asatrueliberdade]

Considerations about being a “mindset focused” Heathen in Brazil

Sonne Heljarskinn

If one wants to understand what it means to be Heathen in South America, specifically in Brazil, it must be important to notice that there are many ways in which people call themselves as Heathens outside our country.

Nevertheless, we will deal here with the idea of reconstructionist Heathenry focused in the revivalism of the worldview, ideology, psychology, cosmology and religious practices of ancient or arch-Heathens, before their conversion to Christianity. It is in this way that the complex word “heathen” will be used in this piece.

So, if we want to analyze our situation here as this kind of heathens, we will have to agree that we have some advantages and some problems. Some of these problems can be found in several other places where Western civilization placed itself, and some of them are most concerned to our own historical development as a so called “third world” country.

As Freud argues in “Totem and Taboo”, “evolution” to (Western) civilization is individualization. Understanding the way in which tribal peoples, no matter if they are Tupi, Guarani, African or Germanic, place themselves to perceive and relate to the world “outside” of what modern Westerns call “Self” is an superhuman effort. Recognizing thought patterns and the subtle shadings which guide(d) tribal peoples is very satisfying though.

But most people became satisfied with taking points that they could easily recognize and reinterpret through modern (post-Christian, post-cartesian and post-illuminist) Western lens. It is the rule, and we even cannot blame them for doing so. After five centuries of Christianization in Brazil we are apparently somewhat far from our pre-Christian past than some other cultures around the world, and even our neighbors who were colonized by Spain. But that seems not to be the case maybe in Pará and Amazônia, as well some of other regions where people were not so culturally influenced by the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (which hold, in spite their industrialization, most people who call themselves as Norse pagans or Heathens).

We are not saying that people who do not seek for the application of the whole heathen worldview’s content that is still available to us “are doing it wrong” at all. But, if we look to the arch-Heathens, approaching them to learn and live their mindset(s) today (what is NOT the aim of all those which call themselves as Heathens), there are several many ways in which pre-Christian peoples did not act, think, live, nor worship as well as there is no single “right way” for many of these points. Cyclical time, hearth cult, ancestors’ worship, heroes’ worship, animism (or the belief in a supernatural reality interwoven to ours in the way that the arch-Heathens probably understood), active fate (wyrd and ørlög), world acceptance and the gifting cycle are roughly understood and agreed as “core points” of a Heathen worldview in Brazil, where “orthodoxy” (which here means nothing but a religious empathy to the Æsir and in some cases the Vanir) absolutely reigns over the orthopraxy common to ancient and living indigenous, pagan or pre-Christian peoples around the world. If one tries to point out that any Heathen should act aiming to reach these heathen worldview’s elements, he probably will be misinterpreted. Even if we have left alone “the single right way” to approach any of these core points.

If Christianity and Catholicism influence us for the bad, we cannot say it for the good. We have so many troubles to organize ourselves as a community, preferring to act as a bunch of individual mystical or spiritual seekers (in the negative sense), instead of as a community. Valhalla is still our heaven, and alcohol our Holy Communion. We cannot see the earth as our land, and the underworld as the place where our Ancestors live. The wind is still unseen and unheard, and the waters are still a product. The desacralization of both our daily lives and environment, if appointed by someone, is mocked as “new age” attitude. The individual is still their last undivided unity, and the groups can’t live because of their absence of tribal understanding. But I still think that we can, as a “third world” and a bit less individualized society, progress in this point roughly faster than people condensed outside Latin America. We just have to understand that reciprocity is not charity and community and tribe are not “evil communism”.

I think that most of these problems come from the fact that we have hard problems to deal with English – the language which holds the greater part of published books, research and papers concerning to Heathenry. I am quite literally learning English because I research about Heathenry. And I cannot even have done the first step without a friendly pressure of a priceless friend called Andreia. As Luther in the Dark Age, we must to convert Heathenry as a native idea, a folk centered practice, instead of a way to create a cult over our supposed wisdom of heathen subjects. English to us represents what Latin did to Germans in the Middle Ages. We have to get our books in Portuguese, not only Sagas, Eddas and academic papers (even though NEVE (Viking and Scandinavian Studies’ Center) is doing a pretty useful work), but true heathen books and content done by Heathens for Heathens.

Racism – yes, we should to talk about it again – is a large problem. If in United States we have an open hate spreading through culture, the supposed “racial democracy” stated in Brazil we have the exhausting common “I’m not racist but… (insert your bigoted discourse here)”. “I’m not racist but Norse paganism is for white people”, and they just forget that, even if Heathenry was only for those who have white Ancestors, well, they raped our Native and African foremothers and created us. Skin tone does not imply in itself religion, as Jung wrongly said (of course, for lots of white folks, familial heritage or bloodline is directly equal to skin color). Heathenry is the way in which I project myself towards my Ancestors, Nature, and Human Community. It is a way of seeing and relating to the world and judging my own acts. It is a culture. And a culture is acquired through socialization, not by blood. And socialization depends upon geography. A geographical and cultural outsider could understand and adopt a culture if one strove to do so. This is why I reject the poor theology (influenced by Jewish-Christian mindset) of a people chosen by a god, to reign over the world. Also, we are but one of the various silent or visible conscious nature’s beings which populate this world.

Within the large cities where most of Pagans live today we also have to deal with the fact that a mediaeval fair could but should not necessarily be one of the few events to revive heathen religious practices. Heathenry is not just a section in an online or offline market. I think that in this point we are not so different from the rest of the world, but we struggle every day to show newcomers that to be Heathen is far more than tattooing an ancient symbol in his body, or acquiring products made to attract pagan consumers. Heathen is something you are, not something you bought. We also have to deal with people that treat Eddas and Sagas not as tales of the arch-Heathens, but as a species of Sacred Books, teaching the wisdom of the God(s). If you are a mindset focused Heathen it is quite curious that you prefer to buy rather than make something or that you are looking for a Holy Book among peoples who were in their majority illiterate.

There are also some people who do not understand the differences between the meanings of “religion” and “belief” to the arch-Heathens and Christians, and want to see a centralized institution (probably guided by themselves) dictating practices and beliefs to other Heathens. Even if they cannot state clearly which are the differences between Christian and Heathen worldview and practices. Even if they cannot understand religion outside the box of the “pray to gods” Christian custom.

But the most painful point of being a mindset focused Heathen in Brazil is isolation. Heathens are nothing but an inexpressive and almost inexistent minority of our population. If you live in a large city in the Southeast or South, you will probably find more Heathens and Norse Pagans in general to love or to hate (being a Heathen or Norse Pagan almost never makes someone be nicer than he or she would be if he or she were not a Heathen or Norse Pagan). We worship our individual selves in a way in which most of us are not able to build a common religious practice, something that we can give to our sons as a heritage. So, it is hard to mindset focused Heathenry to grow up here since a mindset, to live, must be shared and constantly exercised. If one does not interact with people who share the same culture, values, ideas, understandings, ways of acting, he or she will be incorporated and homogenized within the mainstream (Western, with all its contemporary implications) culture. 

Mindset focused Heathenry is not an easy thing. But it fairly rewards those who honestly dare to break new ground. We have, as Brazilians and Heathens, our indigenous peoples to look for wisdom, and help as well as guide us in this ancestral path. We have our green and living land, even if it is not that “cold beauty” of the snowy northern hemisphere. We have our mango trees, so vivid and sacred in our daily lives as the European oaks. We have our own sacred wells, our powerful Ancestors, and primal wights which wander here since forgotten times. Also, Visigoths, Vandals and Suebi provides us with their Germanic cultural influence through Portuguese colonization. The young Brazilian Heathen community has to discover its own surroundings, Ancestral links and way to manifest themselves in the world as Heathens. We have to face our own giants but, as Beowulf did in his tale, I, as a Brazilian Heathen, am ready to fight to protect my kin, my relatives and this heathen culture I learned to love since I first met it.