#tl;dr don't take someone else's opinion as an absolute truth

[nanamis-bigtie]

i think the funniest thing coming from having a hands-on experience with sex is learning that some of the "fanfiction lied to you, here's how it really is irl" takes have even less in common with reality than some random smut you run across on tumblr

in the end, sex is a very personal experience, there's no such thing as universal recipe for what will feel good and what will turn you on. and the other way round too. the key is to have open mind and to experiment - not only with a partner - and to remember sex is supposed to be fun

[appalachiasferaldaughter]

A few thoughts I would like to share.

I'm sharing this because the spirits and gods have been serving me with this wisdom. I hope it's beneficial for you as well.

There is a misconception floating around that the older a spiritual practice is (or can be found on record), the more valid it is. For those of us in the modern age who are inundated with messages from Witchtok (urgh) or random corners of the internet saying that our practices are invalid because it's not historically accurate... here is some food for thought.

For a lot of faiths and traditions (such as a Nordic tradition), there is not a lot of information to go on. Many traditions have, unfortunately, been lost due to acculturation and assimilation over time. I am grateful for the information we do have and is able to be preserved through countless centuries of scholarly work that continues into today. However, we are forced to fill in the gaps in order to continue on for the sake of tradition, preserving the memory of our ancestors, and just because. You don't need a reason to follow a faith you are called to. That's why it's called faith.

There is a lot of misinformation floating around regarding certain practices that do not line up with the historical record. I believe this is happening because there is a weird grievance to justify our faith and everything that we do by making it look like our ancestors have been doing the same things for centuries. In other words, our faith isn't valid in the eyes of others unless we can prove that it's an ancient, historical practice like the powerhouse religions of Christianity/Judaism/Islam or Vedism.

Well, I think that's stupid.

Faith, like humans, nature, and culture, are meant to evolve. It is meant to grow. It is meant to change with the seasons, with the people, with whatever the fuck is happening in the day and age. Things are not meant to look the same forever and ever. It just isn't feasible. And I am fully confident that old gods and vættir realize this. We can't help the fact that a lot of information has been lost. We are having to adapt, adopt, and craft something new to help us connect, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, my siblings.

The idea that every little thing you do for the sake of your faith, practice, or tradition has to be traced back to a historical record is, in my opinion, a trap crafted by the dominant cultures and religions to keep us in enclosed in boxes that we are not meant to settle in.

Now, with all that said, I do believe there are some very important keys from the historical record that should be upheld or, at least, be cross-referenced at some point for the sake of following a tradition that is set in stone. But, considering a lot of us are children of immigration and are no longer in the countries of our ancestors, there are some things that are impossible to follow. That's why we should be open to adapting, adopting, and evolving from where we are to craft new traditions. This was entirely normal and valid back in the day, so why can't it be now?

Remember the past, honor the past, but don't be afraid to take the information we do have and craft it into a faith or practice that suits you and/or your family. After all, someday we will be ancestors, and the practices you do today may be honored by your descendants decades or even centuries into the future. Isn't that neat? Or, if the bloodline ends with you, records of your practice may resonate with someone who is searching for pieces of their truth.

Allow the ancestors, vættir, nature, old gods, and most importantly, yourself to guide you. Everything else is just a means to an end.

TL;DR you are allowed to create something new from historical sources to express your faith. It's perfectly valid despite protests from ignorant people who have nothing better to do than start fights on the internet.

[keshetchai]

You started this off by being EXTREMELY condescending for no real reason.

Followed it up with a whole lot of words which suggest you have not actually read nor understood my responses within this thread or even like...what I am saying.

Then you brought up completely random unrelated examples and claimed the "vast majority of Jews," agree on this thing you're claiming.

In the notes in this thread there were at least two Orthodox Jewish folks who have been on jumblr for LITERAL YEARS agreeing with me, plus someone else saying their rabbi says "Rest in Peace," and other folks as well.

You're making an anecdotal claim based on what you think feels like the truth.

That's...certainly how you feel, but it's also not like, compelling evidence.

Also look, I am by no means fluent in Hebrew but:

That being impossible

It's literally not. It's not.

You and the person above you are literally just making things up and then condescending to me about it and it's truly baffling.

The previous person saying "there is no rest in death [in Judaism]." and arguing we don't have death/sleep analogies in Judaism is like - look I don't know their motive but they're just unequivocally and catastrophically wrong.

Here's the Shema before sleep at night in an Orthodox Korean Sacks Siddur (the edition for NCSY.)

This clearly references death as a form of sleep.

NOW FROM THIS SAME SIDDUR, PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE MEMORIAL PRAYER FOR FALLEN ISRAELI SOLDIERS:

Here's the memorial service from my 1969 siddur avodat Israel, printed on Israel and bound with those pretty metal plates:

Here's the 2016 conservative movement's Siddur Lev Shalem memorial prayer, from the Yizkor section:

This is repeated by the way. The next page is for women. Then it provides several other variants, including an addition for martyrs and holocaust victims, and the English still says "Rest In Peace," so if nothing else, I can show that the whole conservative movement officially accepts the English use of "rest in peace," to memorialize Jews.

I can show that the Orthodox publisher Koren Sacks uses "rest in peace," to memorialize Jews. I can show some other Israeli publisher says: "repose in their resting place in peace," which like...means rest in peace.

I know Chabad translates with "rest in peace." I am, in fact, pretty confident that I can demonstrably prove multiple major Jewish publishers and movements all actively use "rest in peace," explicitly in prayer translations. Because I just did that.

I don't "feel" this is true. I took out three of my siddurim and went on the Chabad website and know it is factually provable. I've also been to a Yizkor service before and have read the siddur while there. I'm being extremely patient right now with your snide benevolence in deciding to agree I must be Jewish, because like, El Malei Rachamim is part of the Yizkor service which is recited four times a year (Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot). It's also part of the Jewish funeral service. I'm not citing some obscure prayers.

It's okay if you don't know that, but hinting at the rude thing you aren't accusing me of isn't like, actually an improvement. You're just saying "oh well I'll deign to not accuse."

Anyways tl;Dr again:

Fact: Jews can and do use "rest in peace," currently, notably in our memorial Yizkor service and in prayer said at burial.

Fact: this translation using RIP is used by Chabad, Koren-Sacks writing for the OU's NCSY, and the Conservative moment. At minimum.

Opinion: it makes some Jews uncomfortable as it reminds them of Christianity.

My argument: it's okay to feel it is uncomfortable and to prefer and encourage other phrases. However, "rest in peace," language is absolutely (fact) used by Jews with regularity and it is not actually inappropriate. You can feel uncomfortable with that, but it's not true to say we don't say "rest in peace," in English.

Friendly PSA: when a Jewish person passes away, it's inappropriate to say "Rest in Peace" because that's a Christian phrase. While we have several phrases that are acceptable to say, the most common English phrase to say when a Jewish person dies is "May their memory be a blessing."