#pagan wanders

[just-a-simple-wanderer]

I’m trying to find a good artist on Etsy or somewhere where I can buy a fairly nice but decently priced art print of Mount Olympus. Because I turn to so many deities at the moment, I wouldn’t feel right just having a picture of just one of them. So having a print of Olympus, where most of the gods call their home, seems fitting to me.

I’m wanting to place this on my altar as a kind of centerpiece. To remind me of my gods. So I’m not wanting it to be too big either.

So, what are your favorite artists that may fit the bill for this request? And where can I find them? I’d love to see different types of artworks too, to see which one I vibe with most.

Thank you I’m advance for any help you can offer me! 💜

[just-a-simple-wanderer]

Holy shit this is SO COOL! OP this is incredible, your art is amazing!

I ADORE the idea that Hephaestus’ prosthetic arm that he made himself is not necessarily made of metal, but made of hardened lava that he can then liquify into near or full on magma while he is working in his forge or something! Or that his hair can become fire! I often see images with Hestia having fire for hair but not Hephaestus!

This is SUCH an amazing view of him and I love it and I really vibe with this. And I LOVE when he is pictured with assistance gear like wheelchairs or crutches like this but is still obviously working and living his life and enjoying it.

Hephaestus is disabled and he is powerful and mighty and amazing! And look at that smile!

❤️🧡💛❤️‍🔥

Hephaestus :D

[the-spirit-of-yore]

Dans les brumes enneigées . . .

[just-a-simple-wanderer]

Added my first offerings to my altar!

Surprisingly to me, they were not for Hermes, who I still feel is my main deity, but for Hestia! I suppose it makes sense, since she receives the first part of all offerings, that she would get my first true offerings. Besides, she’s helped a lot with my mom and I cleaning up our house.

Anyway, I gave her a whisker I had found from my cat after he had snuggled and purred me down from a panic attack and today I bought her a little carved pig figurine!

I hope she likes them. 😊💜

[maryhale1]

Some easy witch tips

[just-a-simple-wanderer]

“As if that hot sexy bitch couldn’t take the whole thing down with just one boob” was not a sentence I ever considered needing to read but I was SHOWN THE LIGHT. 🤣💜

I just saw a post about how Hera, Demeter, and Hestia should be the Big 3 instead of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. And while I understand the sentiment (✨Feminism✨🖕🏻Fuck the Patriarchy 🖕🏻✌🏻Girl Power✌🏻 etc) I personally think Hera, Demeter, and Hestia are not only quite content with their positions, they very likely helped orchestrated it to be that way.

One of the biggest mistakes worshipers, witches, and mythology fans make is thinking the 3 sisters are not powerful enough to take the thrones if they wanted them.

Demeter alone forced 2 out of the 3 Kings (1 of them being THE King) to bend to her will. One of those thrones could have easily been hers if she wanted it.

Hestia paved the way for Athena and Artemis, by CHOOSING her own path. She didn’t ask Zeus, she told him by swearing an oath that she would remain a virgin. And of course, Hestia gets offerings first and last. Pretty sure the one thing all the Gods can agree on is that Hestia is the best and that by itself is power.

As for Hera, she knows her position is actually far better than Zeus’ bc she has more freedom. I always compare them to the King and Queen in chess. The King is important enough to be the entire purpose of the game however he’s extremely limited. The Queen, on the other hand, is limitless which makes her the most dangerous piece on the board. You can see this in action in the Iliad. Hera is able to release her anger and fury for not being chosen by Paris and aids in the destruction of an entire city. Zeus, with all his power as King, can’t even prevent his beloved son’s death because his position of King does not allow it. And it was Hera who reminded Zeus that as their leader, he couldn’t save his son. So she knows the limits that come with that role. Why would she choose a position that only lets her move one space at a time when she can move whenever and however she wants? And she still has a crown on her head.

I get because of how patriarchal Ancient Greece was it’s easy to look at the hierarchy of the Gods as a reflection of that. But personally, I think the structure actually makes sense when you take into account the personalities of the Gods and what each position requires.

And as I said before, if Hera, Demeter, and Hestia weren’t happy with the current structure, it wouldn’t be the current structure. 😂

Also, we haven’t even talked about the wildcard that is, Aphrodite! As if that hot sexy bitch couldn’t take the whole thing down with just one boob.

Like come on, I thought we all already knew that our Goddesses are the ones who truly run the entire show?

[paganpillar]

Óðinn the Allfather: ruler of Valhalla and God of wisdom, magic, runes, war, prophesy, victory, poetry, and death.

[the-spirit-of-yore]

Un chemin dans la brume . . .

[thesorceresstemple]

[just-a-simple-wanderer]

Excuse me I love this so much? Stop this is so good! 😭😭😭

Our lord of grapes and cats and tearing things apart in fits of madness

[wanderingskemetic]

The two kites keen over your body

Their voices lifted in mourning with those of your loved ones

Wepwawet walks in front of you

You follow his great gray form into the Duat

Culsu opens the gates at his approach

Vanth stands beside Wepwawet lighting your way

Her sword outstretched, warding off any that may cause you harm

The Tinas cliniar stand beside you

None will dare harm you with them here

Charun guards your back, his hammer ready

Sokar's wings unfold overhead

He greets your soul

Anpu takes your heart in his hands, ready to weigh it on the scales of Ma'at

Your heart is pure, Wesir and Calu smile at your approach

You are welcomed into their kingdoms

Hetheru comes forward to offer you succor

The field of reeds stretches before you

I stand behind with your body, your khat

The kites cries match my own

[just-a-simple-wanderer]

I have finally got pieces for my little altar! I just washed them and I’m wondering if I need to cleanse them in some way? I got them from goodwill.

I’ve been told that the act of cleaning them should be enough to cleanse them of any bad energy by putting my good energy into them instead, and I kind of agree because I was feeling super happy while cleaning them (my first altar pieces!!!! I’m so excited to finally have a place for the gods!!!!) but I want to a “second opinion” as it were.

[taken-for-picking-flowers]

🌿🪻✨️

[kinfriday]

The Irregular Ascetic

In August, I briefly made a new friend on Tumblr.

His account has long since vanished for reasons I do not know. Maybe this place just didn't click for him. I've been here for years and always found it welcoming, but I know that, like everything, this site is not for everyone.

He'd send me a message, ask a question or two, and when I checked every week or so, I'd do my best to reply.

Then, one day, he was gone, but not before leaving me one last question:

"An ascetic heathen life? What does that look like to you? I want to see that visual."

And that's kind of the question, isn't it?

The thing about callings is that they aren't always clear-cut. I may feel drawn towards an ascetic heathen life, but it's not like my Gods sent me an Ikea flat-pack kit.

As seems to be the pattern with the Germanic deities, they tapped me on the shoulder and then said...

"Here ya go, figure it out."

And here we are. Forty-Two, with over ten years as a member of the Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), I haven't finished my dedicant path, nor started the clergy track.

I can't remember the last time I did a full ritual.

All in all, I seem like a pretty crappy monk, don't I?

Sister Snow Hare, indeed...

It seems that my vanishing friend pinned me to the wall. I've been chewing on this again, trying to work it out.

If you're reading this, buddy, know that you kicked off a lot of introspection about my path, and you inspired this long rambling Tumblr post.

The best place to start is the beginning. (A little free wisdom)

So, what exactly is monasticism?

Good ol’ Mr. Wikipedia defines it as "a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work."

No matter the faith, this is a feature of monastic life: asceticism, self-denial, and focus.

Have I mentioned I can't remember the last time I did a ritual yet?

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

Nothing makes me feel guilty, like comparing myself to the standards and practices of others. Somewhere out there, a Buddhist is living on four grains of rice, meditating eighteen hours a day, stopping only to sleep. The five minutes a day he spends on Tumblr, he's laughing at me.

I just know it. >.>

You could say I've been feeling a little convicted about this.

Yet the calling is still there. My relationship with my Gods isn't just good; it's warm. While not formal or official, I have a fulfilling spiritual life that's not structured like anything in the faith org I faithfully send my twenty dollars a year to and then largely hide from.

So what's going on?

I've begun to realize slowly over the last year that my faith path will probably never be recognizable as anything routine, rote, or by the book, but what it will be is mine.

Where does my asceticism show?

Let me take you through a typical day.

Waking at 2300 (11 pm), I plank for three minutes, do about ten minutes of calisthenics, wash my face, and then meditate for twenty minutes to a half hour, offering that time to the Gods. Then, with that done, I recite my creed and head off to the gym.

I have a creed. I'm that fancy!

While I'm in the truck, I informally pray. Often, I'm talking to my Lady Eostre, but the other Gods definitely get included. Woden and I have always gotten along, and Thunor, I call big brother because he's always watching out for us and protecting us.

Now it's time for my hour minimum at the gym. Half an hour each of cardio and weight training. This is so I can be in good condition and proper shape.

Good health is important to me, but more on that in a moment.

When I get home, I clean for about an hour, something I call "service meditation." Scrubbing floors, cleaning counters, and sanitizing bathrooms is a gift I can give daily to my loved ones with whom I make a home. While I work, I reflect on them and consider all they give me.

After a much-needed shower, I'm in the office and might finally have breakfast. I eat, ascetically, often the same thing every day; I keep my calories low and usually take up a 16-hour fast between my last meal and first meal.

Everything gets weighed down to the gram and tracked on my calorie sheet.

Next comes editing, writing, often some informal online counseling, or time spent on networks like Counter Social, Telegram, and Discord trying to help people, even if it's only getting them to smile.

Hope is big for me because my Lady Eostre is the goddess of Spring and the Dawn. She is hope personified, a goddess of fresh chances and potential. Pointing back to her and her values is my purpose. It's what I was made for.

My day continues like that until I'm in bed at 1600 (4 PM), after an hour cool-down where I go through my creed and have one last conversation with the Gods. That's when I set out my fruit offerings if I happened to have any that day.

It's a hard and fast rule. The gods always get the best part of the banana and the strawberry.

This is the way.

My bed is a mat that rolls out on the floor. I started that in 2020, and I've never been happier or slept better, and when I travel, it comes with me.

And I travel a lot.

My family here calls it "missions." Every now and again, someone in my network will need help. They might be having surgery, a mental health crisis, or are moving cross town or cross country. Whatever the reason, the call goes out, and if I can make it work with money, I'll hop a plane, train, or bus and get out there.

Beyond the joy I get from being in shape and capable, this is why I work out. It's much easier to load and move boxes or help lift people when you're in decent physical condition. 

I actually have training as a CNA, so I know how to do all the transfer stuff, and I have decent experience in post-surgical care.  

I don't want to go into this part too much because it feels like bragging, but I've been all over the States and soon to be Canada just helping people. I ramble in, do what I can, then return home and take back up my discarded routine.

And this is my life, apart from writing my books. As I looked at it and began breaking it down, I realized that I am already living a disciplined ascetic life.  

My gods and my faith are at the forefront of what I do, but what defines my faith isn't the regular application of ritual, but action. Indeed, one of the sayings I live by is actions show what words claim.

So I'm not on a mountaintop, meditating with the sun's rising and setting, or dwelling within a monastery, cloistered from the world, living to sing hymns. There is beauty in that kind of asceticism, but it's not my asceticism.

Yet, we do have things in common.

My life is one of service, with a focus on the divine and the advancement of their aims for the world. It is my hope (there's that word again) that I can show the wisdom and cunning of Woden, the strength of Thunor, the honor of Tyr, and most of all, embody the hope of the Dawn in all I do.

Of course, I'm not perfect, and Saturdays are often waffle day, but life is about growth, not static metrics.

It's dawning on me that I may never be fully recognized in my path. I don't seem to jive well with organizations and dogmatic structures. I may never have Reverend by my name or "Sister" formally. When it's time to go, I may not even leave much behind save my books and these Tumblr posts.

When I do cross that far horizon, and I am again before my Lady, I hope she will look back on all I did during this strange human odyssey and see that while I may have been taken from her for a time, I never stopped being her devoted one, her servant, and that is all the formal recognition I will ever need.

For me, an ascetic heathen life is one of actions, denial, and service, which I seek to live every day.

[maryhale1]

Another spell jar.

This time I created one for mental health 🙏

[hecatesdelights]

Odin, the All-Father

I know that I hung

on the wind-swept tree

all nine nights

with spear was I wounded

and given to Odin,

myself to me,

on that tree which no one knows

from which roots it grows.

Bread I was not given,

no drink from the horn,

downwards I glared;

up I pulled the runes,

screaming I took them,

from there I fell back again.

- excerpt from Sturluson's Prose Edda.