So as not to re-invent the wheel, this is almost word for word what I wrote to another member, but I'm adding some additional thoughts.
It seems I'm in flux again not so much about beliefs (though it's there), but practice. I am a polytheist, through and through. I just haven't decided how much of a polytheist I am. That is, soft, medium, firm or hard. I know, it sounds like a pillow or cheese.
Though I lean towards semi-firm. The question about beliefs is between panentheism and pantheism. That one little 'en' syllable makes a world of difference. However, I lean towards panentheism.
When I stopped practicing Hinduism, it was for reasons that I'm not entirely sure were valid or genuine. I could go into them here, or not. I think I'd rather not, unless absolutely necessary, to shed light. However, I can say why I adopted Ásatrú, and I think it was also for not entirely valid or sufficient reasons. I always suspected my family had at least some Northern European blood, despite being Italian and Sicilian for at least several centuries. I did a personal DNA test (which I almost regret doing) and found we do indeed have some ancient Northern European DNA. I may have forced myself to hear a call to the Northern Traditions that maybe I didn't really hear.
Anyway, I've never really forgotten or pushed away the Hindu Gods. I could just never bring myself to pack them away. Surprising as this may seem, I actually kind of miss going to the temple. Oh I could probably still go without pissing off any deity, either Hindu or Norse. I suppose I never packed away my little murtis for a reason. I still have them in a "sort-of" shrine. It's just a small table against a wall with framed pics, the murtis on the table, an oil lamp and an incense holder.
At this point it's more a display of objets d'art than a shrine, since I don't actually worship there. But if I did, I would. Wait, huh?
I ranted in another thread about internet Heathens and the number of times I hear "you're doing it wrong" and "the Gods don't care about you". That is, they interact only with groups, i.e. "tribes", "kindreds". But I wonder if they are right that the Norse Gods don't listen to or interact with us as individuals. It may very well be their "thew" to not form personal relationships with mortals, unlike Gods of other pantheons, especially Hindu (technically today thew means muscular strength, but the original Old English meaning is custom, ways, practices).
I love Thor and I feel his presence, but I'm not really feeling a connection to the other gods. Maybe I should have coasted in neutral for a while and stopped all worship. The problem is I was getting too caught up in the philosophies, arguments, "do's and don'ts" and what I called superstitions in Hinduism, having to read everything ever printed. Quite honestly it's some of the conversations I saw in the Hinduism DIR that I put too much stock into. I probably should have remained a "village Hindu" (I think that's the term), forgetting about the philosophies and esoterics, and stopped listening to and reading all the internet pundits and just been a bhakta (of whom, I don't know... I tend to collect deities). Actually I was (and still am) drawn to the forms of Harihara and Tridevi.
Well, thanks for listening, and if you have anything to add, please have at it.
So here goes, I'm hitting Create Thread.
It seems I'm in flux again not so much about beliefs (though it's there), but practice. I am a polytheist, through and through. I just haven't decided how much of a polytheist I am. That is, soft, medium, firm or hard. I know, it sounds like a pillow or cheese.
Though I lean towards semi-firm. The question about beliefs is between panentheism and pantheism. That one little 'en' syllable makes a world of difference. However, I lean towards panentheism.When I stopped practicing Hinduism, it was for reasons that I'm not entirely sure were valid or genuine. I could go into them here, or not. I think I'd rather not, unless absolutely necessary, to shed light. However, I can say why I adopted Ásatrú, and I think it was also for not entirely valid or sufficient reasons. I always suspected my family had at least some Northern European blood, despite being Italian and Sicilian for at least several centuries. I did a personal DNA test (which I almost regret doing) and found we do indeed have some ancient Northern European DNA. I may have forced myself to hear a call to the Northern Traditions that maybe I didn't really hear.
Anyway, I've never really forgotten or pushed away the Hindu Gods. I could just never bring myself to pack them away. Surprising as this may seem, I actually kind of miss going to the temple. Oh I could probably still go without pissing off any deity, either Hindu or Norse. I suppose I never packed away my little murtis for a reason. I still have them in a "sort-of" shrine. It's just a small table against a wall with framed pics, the murtis on the table, an oil lamp and an incense holder.
At this point it's more a display of objets d'art than a shrine, since I don't actually worship there. But if I did, I would. Wait, huh?
I ranted in another thread about internet Heathens and the number of times I hear "you're doing it wrong" and "the Gods don't care about you". That is, they interact only with groups, i.e. "tribes", "kindreds". But I wonder if they are right that the Norse Gods don't listen to or interact with us as individuals. It may very well be their "thew" to not form personal relationships with mortals, unlike Gods of other pantheons, especially Hindu (technically today thew means muscular strength, but the original Old English meaning is custom, ways, practices).
I love Thor and I feel his presence, but I'm not really feeling a connection to the other gods. Maybe I should have coasted in neutral for a while and stopped all worship. The problem is I was getting too caught up in the philosophies, arguments, "do's and don'ts" and what I called superstitions in Hinduism, having to read everything ever printed. Quite honestly it's some of the conversations I saw in the Hinduism DIR that I put too much stock into. I probably should have remained a "village Hindu" (I think that's the term), forgetting about the philosophies and esoterics, and stopped listening to and reading all the internet pundits and just been a bhakta (of whom, I don't know... I tend to collect deities
). Actually I was (and still am) drawn to the forms of Harihara and Tridevi. Well, thanks for listening, and if you have anything to add, please have at it.
So here goes, I'm hitting Create Thread.
