Pagan Practices

[Quintessence]

It is often said that Pagan religions, contemporary or otherwise, are more about practices than creeds or beliefs. Regardless of whether or not you agree with this characterization, what do you consider the core practices of your path to be? What is it that you do that defines your religion?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I don't really have any practices right now. My life is pretty turbulent and stressful and I'm pretty depressed and spiritually disconnected much of the time.

 

[Quintessence]

I hear you. I sometimes get lax in practices as well, but I notice the small things stay with me. Small things are simply noticing and paying attention. Seeing small moments in every day that connect me with the gods or something greater.

Today, for example, I had some nice bird sightings. A red-bellied woodpecker. A red-tailed hawk. I took note of how the maple trees on campus have almost entirely dropped their leaves now. Not so long ago they were burning with brilliant hues. The small moments are important.

 

[Sees]

I pray throughout the day, toast the loved ones and holy ones often, give offerings now and then, work with runes, etc.

I try to live in a way that honors my self and others 24/7...live "trú" - think of this often and apply it:

"The brave and generous make the most of life, rarely nourishing regret and sorrow." Hávamál

To be brave, generous, disciplined, moderate, contemplative, ever-aware, knowledge-seeking, happy, glad and joyful. To live for, strive towards, and promote such qualities. A life of strength and honor.

It's the most important, over any rituals or more esoteric stuff.

Edit - I also do some meditatition, chant work, and "sitting out"...I forget to mention it because it's rather integrated in my day to day. Reading and writing concerning religious traditions probably would count also - it's daily stuff as well.

 

[The Hammer]

The core of my practices include the typical 8 seasonal celebrations. Making my home more earth friendly (More organics-less synthetics). I take a weekly walk in nature, wherever I can find it, but usually behind my apartment. I use this time to practice Stillness and Focus. I also meditate once a week, but I want to work up to daily. I also am practicing a form of divination (tarot), and trying to read up on the local ecology around where I live, at the moment the book is on tree species recognition.

There is other stuff, but that is the basis.

EDIT: Also, honoring the gods is pretty standard practice. I light an incense on my altar for them daily, at a minimum.

 

[Sees]

I don't really have any practices right now. My life is pretty turbulent and stressful and I'm pretty depressed and spiritually disconnected much of the time.

Think of it as time in the "forge"

 

[EyeofOdin]

I just perform simple offering-rites. I invite the divinities of the Pre-Christian, ethno-linguistic group my tradition is focused on (in my case, The Aesir, Vanir and Rokkr of the Teutonic Europeans) or spirits like my ancestors or wights. Further, I use symbolic items or depictions specific in that culture (the runes, Thunor's Mjolnir, deity representations, drinking horn etc.). Then I give my offering, do a rune casting inviting that I know information which I may need, and invite the gods to stay or leave at their will. The offerings I use vary. I've used water, rice, bread, incense, even my own blood (via sterile lancet, of course).

As far as how I conduct myself in ritual, I agree that there's a correct way to approach gods and venerable spirits, and to go astray from the correct way would be hugely devastating to the practitioner and greatly offensive to the gods. This correct way is respectfully. Anything else concerning "correct" ritual etiquette is getting trapped in orthodoxy, and orthodoxy obsession is for monotheists, and gets into the discussions of beliefs, which the only real belief one should have to be a pagan is a fundamental, core belief in the gods, maybe as superior to humans (why call them gods if they're not?). Other than that, like what does it matter what the practitioner thinks will happen after he or she dies, where the gods come from, about the reality of cosmology or anything else? If the gods disagree, they're more than capable to let us know, and as far as I know, they're not saying anything.

 

[psychoslice]

For me paganism is a natural way of seeing how we are all connected, its using nature and not some silly god concepts,

 

[EyeofOdin]

For me paganism is a natural way of seeing how we are all connected, its using nature and not some silly god concepts,

I agree, but I have something to add if you don't mind. Although most pagans share the worldview, I've never seen an indigenous culture which didn't have some form of gift exchange or sacrifice. Worldview is a big part of it, but that's because worldview influences our practices. We shouldn't just be a group of people with bookshelf of historical references thinking happy thoughts about interconnection. The gods are reality, not an unproven entity written down in a ridiculous and inconsistent book we all are waiting to verify after death. Religion is about reality, not sitting around feeling warm and fuzzy.

I suppose to sum it all up, paganism and polytheistic worldview is about the many being interconnected by the cosmos (from Yggdrasil to Destiny to Nature) AND interacting directly with the divine. It's not enough just to think happy thoughts, because if you're going to send happy thoughts to the gods and goddesses (who transculturally are infamous for being "no BS" deities), all you're going to get in return are happy thoughts.

I guess if one is content with that, well that's him or her and he or she can be ignorant over there away from me, but he or she should know that he or she is only getting the tip of the iceberg of what paganism offers.

 

[Sees]

For me paganism is a natural way of seeing how we are all connected, its using nature and not some silly god concepts,

Even nature, we, all, connection, natural are concepts...and most things are perceived as silly or simply misunderstood without experience and/or loosening our grasp of preconceived notions of reality.

How meaningful and valuable concepts are, or the aspects of reality they point to, depends on personal experience and perception.

Either way it's a thread about practices...

 

[EyeofOdin]

Even nature, we, all, connection, natural are concepts...and most things are perceived as silly or simply misunderstood without experience and/or loosening our grasp of preconceived notions of reality.

Exactly. Anything can seem barbaric, unnecessary, extremist, down right stupid or a combination of those descriptions if it's foreign. With the Western World having been so dominated by colonialist monotheism for such a long time, most of our Euro-American peers are very quick to judge strange and foreign concepts and practices.

 

[Poeticus]

With the Western World having been so dominated by colonialist monotheism for such a long time, most of our Euro-American peers are very quick to judge strange and foreign concepts and practices.

"I had an occasion to read the typescript of a book [Ram Swarup] had finished writing in 1973. It was a profound study of Monotheism, the central dogma of both Islam and Christianity, as well as a powerful presentation of what the monotheists denounce as Hindu Polytheism. I had never read anything like it. It was a revelation to me that Monotheism was not a religious concept but an imperialist idea. I must confess that I myself had been inclined towards Monotheism till this time. I had never thought that a multiplicity of gods was the natural and spontaneous expression of an evolved consciousness."

-Sitaram Goel​

 

[Gnostic Seeker]

It is often said that Pagan religions, contemporary or otherwise, are more about practices than creeds or beliefs. Regardless of whether or not you agree with this characterization, what do you consider the core practices of your path to be? What is it that you do that defines your religion?

I pray to Athena and meditate on her attributes and character. I will soon be giving her offerings once a shrine is set up. Worshipping any of the gods of Hellas automatically comes with honoring Zeus as well, seeing as he is King, and he expects the honor due him. Poseidon and Hades should also be given honor time to time. The big three are needless to say, big in Hellenism.

I also think it honors the gods to stand and fight for honorable causes, in word and within the bounds of the law, in deed. The gods are pleased with those who uphold the oppressed, weak, etc.

 

[Jainarayan]

I've begun to think WWTD? "What would Thor do?" I know there are things he has little patience for, so I strive to avoid those. Not because I think he'd whack me with Mjollnir, but because of the respect and love I have for him.

That said, I am also taking a good long look at how close I come to the Nine Noble Virtues. I'd add a 10th... do no deliberate harm, for no good reason. I fall somewhat short in discipline and industriousness, so I must work on those.

As far as practice and ritual, I'm not consistent in performing my "mini-blóts". However, I say prayers and I approach my shrine, even to just look at it and connect. Every morning for the past week or so I have made up a morning prayer ritual which includes a hammer-donning prayer, asking not only that the hammer protect me, but asking that it give me courage, honor, etc., and let me be worthy and proud to wear it. I say the Sigrdrifumal verse, prayers to the Aesir and Vanir, and the ancestors prayer ("Lo! There do I see... ").

I think this pretty much sums it up, especially the last line:

I try to live in a way that honors my self and others 24/7...live "trú" - think of this often and apply it:

"The brave and generous make the most of life, rarely nourishing regret and sorrow." Hávamál

To be brave, generous, disciplined, moderate, contemplative, ever-aware, knowledge-seeking, happy, glad and joyful. To live for, strive towards, and promote such qualities. A life of strength and honor.

It's the most important, over any rituals or more esoteric stuff.

I too think I am spending time in the forge, with some trials I am going through.

 

[Quintessence]

I pray throughout the day, toast the loved ones and holy ones often, give offerings now and then, work with runes, etc.

I try to live in a way that honors my self and others 24/7...live "trú" - think of this often and apply it:

"The brave and generous make the most of life, rarely nourishing regret and sorrow." Hávamál

To be brave, generous, disciplined, moderate, contemplative, ever-aware, knowledge-seeking, happy, glad and joyful. To live for, strive towards, and promote such qualities. A life of strength and honor.

It's the most important, over any rituals or more esoteric stuff.

Edit - I also do some meditatition, chant work, and "sitting out"...I forget to mention it because it's rather integrated in my day to day. Reading and writing concerning religious traditions probably would count also - it's daily stuff as well.

Yeah, I see religion done right as a way of life that informs your day to day conduct. Ritual, both formally and informally, can be an aspect of that, but it can take a backseat to upholding a character or virtues that reflect your path.

The core of my practices include the typical 8 seasonal celebrations. Making my home more earth friendly (More organics-less synthetics). I take a weekly walk in nature, wherever I can find it, but usually behind my apartment. I use this time to practice Stillness and Focus. I also meditate once a week, but I want to work up to daily. I also am practicing a form of divination (tarot), and trying to read up on the local ecology around where I live, at the moment the book is on tree species recognition.

There is other stuff, but that is the basis.

EDIT: Also, honoring the gods is pretty standard practice. I light an incense on my altar for them daily, at a minimum.

That's a lot of incense. Heheh. What kinds do you typically use? Sticks? Cones? Loose? What aromas and brands, and why?

Also, a great thing to be more earth friendly is to try to convert to recycling-only as much as possible. I've been doing that for the past few months, and while I don't think I can eliminate garbage entirely, it really is not as hard as one might think. It has made me despise plastic even more than I already did, though. So many things are packaged in that crap, and a lot of it isn't recyclable.

I just perform simple offering-rites. I invite the divinities of the Pre-Christian, ethno-linguistic group my tradition is focused on (in my case, The Aesir, Vanir and Rokkr of the Teutonic Europeans) or spirits like my ancestors or wights. Further, I use symbolic items or depictions specific in that culture (the runes, Thunor's Mjolnir, deity representations, drinking horn etc.). Then I give my offering, do a rune casting inviting that I know information which I may need, and invite the gods to stay or leave at their will. The offerings I use vary. I've used water, rice, bread, incense, even my own blood (via sterile lancet, of course).

As far as how I conduct myself in ritual, I agree that there's a correct way to approach gods and venerable spirits, and to go astray from the correct way would be hugely devastating to the practitioner and greatly offensive to the gods. This correct way is respectfully. Anything else concerning "correct" ritual etiquette is getting trapped in orthodoxy, and orthodoxy obsession is for monotheists, and gets into the discussions of beliefs, which the only real belief one should have to be a pagan is a fundamental, core belief in the gods, maybe as superior to humans (why call them gods if they're not?). Other than that, like what does it matter what the practitioner thinks will happen after he or she dies, where the gods come from, about the reality of cosmology or anything else? If the gods disagree, they're more than capable to let us know, and as far as I know, they're not saying anything.

What are wights in the context of your tradition? I don't know much about it, so the image I conjure in my mind is an undead monster from role-playing games, but I know that is probably not at all what you're talking about.

Would you say the correct way to approach the gods is similar to how we'd approach our fellow humans? As in, with general courtesy, respect, and dignity? Or is there something more specific than that?

I don't know if I'd consider feeling gods are superior as fundamental, largely because that presupposes notions of hierarchies that not all contemporary Pagans will follow. But I could be reading some subtext into that word "superior" that you don't intend for. It seems fundamental to me in general that the concept of god(s) for all religions of the world is that gods are that which is fundamentally greater than humanity. That word "superior" has some value judgement tones to it that I'm not sure I can handle. *laughs*

I pray to Athena and meditate on her attributes and character. I will soon be giving her offerings once a shrine is set up. Worshipping any of the gods of Hellas automatically comes with honoring Zeus as well, seeing as he is King, and he expects the honor due him. Poseidon and Hades should also be given honor time to time. The big three are needless to say, big in Hellenism.

I also think it honors the gods to stand and fight for honorable causes, in word and within the bounds of the law, in deed. The gods are pleased with those who uphold the oppressed, weak, etc.

I bet some gods would be pleased with that, while others wouldn't. That's one of the cool things about polytheism, I think: the gods don't all agree with each other. They represent different facets of reality in all of its spectrum, from the cold and ruthless to the warm and kind.

I've begun to think WWTD? "What would Thor do?" I know there are things he has little patience for, so I strive to avoid those. Not because I think he'd whack me with Mjollnir, but because of the respect and love I have for him.

That said, I am also taking a good long look at how close I come to the Nine Noble Virtues. I'd add a 10th... do no deliberate harm, for no good reason. I fall somewhat short in discipline and industriousness, so I must work on those.

As far as practice and ritual, I'm not consistent in performing my "mini-blóts". However, I say prayers and I approach my shrine, even to just look at it and connect. Every morning for the past week or so I have made up a morning prayer ritual which includes a hammer-donning prayer, asking not only that the hammer protect me, but asking that it give me courage, honor, etc., and let me be worthy and proud to wear it. I say the Sigrdrifumal verse, prayers to the Aesir and Vanir, and the ancestors prayer ("Lo! There do I see... ").

The Nine Noble Virtues have always been a curiosity to me. I've wondered how they actually get implemented in practice, as well as where they really came from. I don't really care if they're historical or not, but I wonder where that list originated and if others modify it at all for their paths.

It occurs to me based on what you said here that the act of wearing sacred symbols can be a practice for us in these paths. Does anybody else feel that way too? Nearly all of the jewelry I own has religious significance, though no outsider would know to look at it. Most people don't consider a necklace of planet earth to be a religious symbol.

 

[The Hammer]

That's a lot of incense. Heheh. What kinds do you typically use? Sticks? Cones? Loose? What aromas and brands, and why?

It occurs to me based on what you said here that the act of wearing sacred symbols can be a practice for us in these paths. Does anybody else feel that way too? Nearly all of the jewelry I own has religious significance, though no outsider would know to look at it. Most people don't consider a necklace of planet earth to be a religious symbol.

Haha, it is a lot of incense, . I don't know brands off the top of my head, but I have about 10-12 different scents. Jasmine, Amber, Lotus, Lavendar, Vanilla, Dragon's Blood, Cedar, Sandalwood, Sage, Clove, Mint, Frankincense. I prefer sticks to cones, as they last longer. I have never used loose.

I don't think the Gods care for any one particular scent over another, so I light one, place it on my altar and give thanks to them. The why is really just as an offering, but it is also a reminder to myself to stop and slow down for a minute, to give thanks, and pay my due respects to the forces of nature and the Gods.

On a side note, I am typically burning incense several times a day in my house outside of my altar, I just like incense. Lol.

For rituals though, I have an incense that smells like a burning campfire, that I use (It's made by Juniper Ridge).

I did at one point in time wear a necklace with a pendant that I use to represent my path. My cats broke the nekclace though, and I have not found a suitable replacement yet. Speaking of that, I need to really get another necklace...

 

[Jainarayan]

The Nine Noble Virtues have always been a curiosity to me. I've wondered how they actually get implemented in practice, as well as where they really came from. I don't really care if they're historical or not, but I wonder where that list originated and if others modify it at all for their paths.

As they are today, they come from a revival and codifying in the 1970s, gleaned from the Eddas and Sagas, of ancient ethics.There is no one place they were codified in ancient times.

I didn't complete my thought! D'oh!

Implementing them is really pretty much self-explanatory, i.e. I think they are one of the few codes that don't have hidden meanings:

The courage to do what you have to do, "regardless". Be truthful, though I wouldn't voluntarily tell someone they have gotten fat even if it's the truth. Of course there's the "Does this dress make me look fat?" test. But when presented with such a loaded question, I think a well-placed fib is not unacceptable. Honor and faithfulness to one's word, to one's family and friends. Show hospitality, but there's no requirement to be hospitable to someone who disrespects your home. If you make a commitment, stick to it as much as is in your power. Don't expect things to happen for you. I always told myself in the gym "the weights won't lift themselves". I think that just living an honest, truthful and honorable life, keeping others' comfort and consideration in mind is the essence of living the NNV.

 

[Jainarayan]

I bet some gods would be pleased with that, while others wouldn't. That's one of the cool things about polytheism, I think: the gods don't all agree with each other. They represent different facets of reality in all of its spectrum, from the cold and ruthless to the warm and kind.

Therein lies a source of potential personal discomfort. Unless one begins to know and understand the personalities of their gods, conflicts can arise. For example, someone might consider Loki and Heimdall to be major gods they'd like to worship. But Loki and Heimdall hate each other and will kill each other at Ragnarok. I think it would be unwise to enshrine them together.

 

[Riverwolf]

Well, unfortunately, mine is still being constructed, and I'm not in a position where I can really establish any regular practice.

But one thing I came up with some time ago (with Thorbjorn, if I recall) was to honor the ancient practice of Elf-worship via the modern custom of a bird-feeder. I don't have one ATM, and that would be a way to do it that won't make the neighbors unnecessarily uncomfortable (as well as getting around the fact that my Mom is unlikely to appreciate me leaving foods on or in an Elf-house. lol)

Beyond that, I try to do what I can to mark the transition points on the Wheel of the Year, though exactly what I do isn't yet fully established or codified. I've been trying to come up with my own Calender based on the Wheel, with names derived from Germanic Lore's terminology, but it's still very much in the works.

And until I can get my Youtube channel and Blog under control (i.e., with regular recordings/uploads, and articles/stories), I can't really devote a whole lot of time to developing my actual practices. Luckily, that still does kind of count, as far as being Creative, goes. ^_^

...it's actually a pretty interesting pattern for me, in virtually all of my endeavors. I'm REALLY good at understanding stuff "in theory", but I'm terrible at actually applying those theories to actual practice. I can do it, it just takes time, adjustment, and practice.

 

[Gnostic Seeker]

I can only speak of the Hellenic gods who are themselves devoted to Zeus (even if sometimes hesitantly) as king. Zeus himself upholds the laws of giving and defending the downtrod as high virtues.

I'll agree not all gods from all pantheons are alike, and even the Hellenic gods have been known to do stuff when Zeus isn't looking