Before delving into norse paganism i was definitely a green witch for sure. I definitely just started my journey and sort of had this self realization over the past few months about becoming a norse pagan and I've loved every minute of it but right off the bat I've definitely encountered a few content creators and books that are definitely just so racist, neo-nazi like. But I will say the ones who are kind hearted and welcoming have made this journey great so far 😊 I definitely enjoy your content. It has been very helpful guidance 😊
It can be really disheartening at times when you find out that soooo many authors especially are bigoted 😫 at the beginning I didn’t know about any of them and now it seems all bigger authors apart from Diana Paxson are assholes…
Hi, new to your community, but I wanted to share that I love the environment you have set up for these videos. It really feels like we are sitting on comfy couches in the same room, having a chat over tea.
The issues with racism are becoming more apparent to me nowadays. I am encountering nazis who call themselves norse pagans more often than before. Gotta say they know nothing of polytheism, animism or anything associated with “magic”. For them it’s all about aesthetics as far as I’ve seen. … On a different note, great video as always ✌️
I’m black and feel a strong pull towards the old gods and I do my research and join servers on discord I’m slightly worried about running into WS :( but it won’t stop me and my journey ✊🏾
Are you on the Heathen Wyrdos server? There you definitely won’t run into WS ☺️ I’m not in any heathen discords so I don’t know about any others but I definitely know that they run one for their podcasts and that they wouldn’t allow any WS bullsh*t on their server ☺️❤️
Im a Nonbinary masc person and i strugel with other People saying i am not allowed aswell. so i know the feeling. I really look up too u and it makes me happy to see your Channel is doing good and i love your videos
I've just started my deep-dive into norse paganism and I'm SO thankful that I found your channel and amazing content right off the bat!!! thank you so much for your wonderful, positive energy and informative videos
I love your points! I thought I constantly had to give offers to deities or that I wasn’t connected to them. When I started Norse paganism, I realized that I don’t. I honor the gods in lots of ways on a daily basis. I totally though I had to be in a book 24/7 😂 now I research when I can. I love to learn but with 5 kids, my plate is full
I 100% agree with your whole video. I think one of the things that I look back and realize is that I should’ve done more research on the RUclipsrs and the authors whos content I was listening to and learning from. I think the one that made me feel the most disappointed to learn was wisdom of Odins channel and there were some videos and things he would say that would make me feel a little uncomfortable and it wasn’t until I did my own research that I felt that his views did not align with my views. I think it’s really important for anybody to question everything and go into the experience of learning from someone else as it is their personal experience and your own personal experience might differ. It is always refreshing to find a RUclipsr who clearly states that they are are not racist etc. it is very sad that it has come to the point where people have to vocalize that now.
Oooooh yes!!! Question everyone! Sad but true 🥺 and I believe the ones who really believe in inclusive Norse Paganism will state it clearly in a video or post or whatever. If someone refuses to say something about this topic - they’re already iffy.
In my opinion racism is defined by the group that’s being discriminated being a minority. So if I live in Germany for example where white people are a big majority and a person of color insults me because I’m white, the person is insulting me, yes, but it’s not a racist attack… the Oxford dictionary says the following about racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.
It's always really great to see pagans standing up for inclusivity. Sorry you've encountered some assholes on your journey. They really don't know their Havamal from their elbow. There's historically a lot of quite conservative values in many pagan paths, from an emphasis on rigid gender binaries all the way up to white supremacy... I think it's down to us as members of the community to make the path open, diverse and inclusive and stand against folkism and exclusionism. Hopefully everyone watching your channel will go look up Declaration 127. There's a few good articles on it on The Wild Hunt. Anyway, keep up the great content. I really enjoy your videos.
The stuff about not having to be a book nerd is reassuring lol. Lately, I've been having anxiety because Norse mythology has an overabundance of names for various things (horses, dwarves, rivers, halls, etc.) and it's like omg, do I have to remember all these? 😂
im a new to witchcraft and norse paganism. your videos are really informative especially because i wasnt entirely sure what to trust. all your videos are perfect and i love the knowledge i gain from them, thank you!!
I wish I had known the history before the Vikings, I've since done some study and found thousands of years of history that few people bother to learn about.
Yes! I agree with you 100%. I just recently became a Norse Pagan. I had this wonderful, beautiful. amazing encounter with Freya and it has changed me. I'm more aware of the things around me and I feel more connected. I am so glad that there are channels like yours where you explain that there is a huge difference between Northern Spirituality and racism. And it's a shame that these f-tarded nazis always have to gravitate to something as beautiful as our religion and leave a stain on it.
Lucky me, my ancestors wrote down a lot of things their parents just did, because it was part of old traditions. And they have done this for generations.
i love your videos, your personal insights and recommendations. I just could listen for hours and share a cup of tea with you. Greetings from the forest near Cologne. Sunray
I am a Norse Pagan, I am an English woman and I would say I don’t think people would guess I am a Pagan let alone a Norse Pagan. I would say I’m very nice and I too love nature and saying sorry to door frames. I wish I wasn’t so put off by fear of what people would say. Most people don’t care as long as you aren’t sacrificing animals ( a lot of people ask me this ) 😅👀💕
I litterally jumped over the couch , knocked it down , flipped the couch back up and got comfy on the couch. And just out of curiosity , have you thought of having a guest kind of like doing a question and answer? If so I volunteer but understand if you don't. But I love the content and videos !!!!
there are weird/malicious practitioners in every belief/religion/practice...for this main reason i never shared with anyone my beliefes or even opinions about the divine/misticism and such...it's hella crazy out there
Thanks for the amazing video! I agree I wish there wasn’t gatekeepers or racism in Norse paganism. Thing I didn’t realize is there are a lot of different views on the gods. Like hard vs soft polytheism. It’s really amazing to find more pagans and with your platform it helps me feel a lot less alone thanks so much.
The "Beware of the a--hole thing" also applies to ceremonial magic spaces (especially traditionalist and LHP spaces; the LHP folks also tend to overlap with the Norse pagan crowd). There is an overwhelming amount of conservative people in the space and some of them was apologists for... let's just say problematic groups, which with my being both young and new I was ignorant about. I wish that was one of the things I knew about since I started out because that was a very alienating thing even when I was in a space that didn't give two damns about my sexuality. So definitely be aware of this It was interesting hearing your thoughts on being a Norse pagan, and also great video.
@@TheNorseWitch It's a short had for left-hand path, which contrasts the right-hand path (RHP). Basically the left-hand path is a rejection of social norms and established religion in favor of developing faster in a specific spiritual goal (which can be as simple as self-improvement or as radical as experiencing the Divine first-hand as fast as possible). It attracts a lot of people who like shock value because some practices are meant to be shocking (especially the Hindu ones; Hinduism is where the term originates from my knowledge), and a lot of conservatives appreciate shock value. Satanism is an example of the very few traditions that considers itself LHP, in contrast with the RHP Christianity and Wicca (and so on). It's not always a helpful term, but it is one that people use to describe their practice.
Hello . I’m new to your channel and I’m really enjoying your videos . Your a beautiful person and unfortunately we all to share the planet with arseholes of every kind , it’s exhausting at times! Im at the very start of my Norse pagan journey as I have found out I have Scandinavian genes ! So I’m just starting to ready about the Norse and vikings and it’s great but I really didn’t know where to start and how to bring this into my practice . I just bought my first book “the Viking spirit “ by Daniel McCoy , any advice Will always be great ! So glad I have found your channel and really enjoying your videos . Oh you have so out me in the mood for some lovely orange tea ! And I don’t have any ? Blessings to you and everyone here xxx
i must say starting out on my own since there was no one around that i really felt i could ask i think i tried to do reconstructionist (thinking it had to be done 1 way and there was only 1 way to perform anything) and i bought sooooooo many books before realizing not everyone does things the same way and i need to take the 'it has to be perfect' mentality off and everything just clicked in place after that pressure was off and now things are really feeling like there coming together.
I think trauma begets hate/violence but is no excuse for poor behavior. These ....people....need to find their own peace with their chosen creator. Hi! I am an American living in the depth of this behavior you're describing, happen to be married to another woman, also experiencing horrible discrimination. I also happen to be biracial in this area which seems to really.....enrage some chosen few. But aside from that, it also causes a huge diversion of my belief system 🤔 I am torn between my first nation's belief system and an ARE YOU SERIOUS calling from what I believe to be norse paganism in the form of freyja. I have had, what I believe, to be signs and callings to a shamanistic spiritual path. However, every book I have read has stated very clearly and concisely, that I must dedicate myself to a single pantheon system. Honestly, it feels like choosing between my parents all over again. I'm not certain of much but I hope and pray for more love and acceptance to reach those harassing you. From my personal experience, I find these are often people that are not walking a spiritual path and are power seekers. Most importantly stay safe and know that you have people watching that cherish your insight in times of uncertainty.
I wish I knew the about the lack of sources, made me sad 🥲. But I will say that gives me more freedom within my craft, we can kind of make our own traditions in a way and I think that's cool 😁
Hello there.🙈 Im very intrested in learning more about Norse mythologie and the religion in general. You got any tips on where to start like a book or something? or anything else for a beginner
In general I would always recommend to read the Eddas and Sagas. But they can be kind of heavy for a start. So maybe get Neil Gaimans Norse Mythology? It’s not 100% accurate but as long as you’re aware of that you should be fine with it as a start ☺️ when it comes to the practice itself I really like The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith because it’s about inclusive Norse Paganism so you can be sure that there’s no white supremacy or any bigotry hidden in there ☺️ but I also like Diana Paxsons books ☺️
@@TheNorseWitch thankyou for the reply i will look in to it. its funny you mention Neil Gaiman cause thats the book i got as an present from my brother i was not sure to start exploring there tho🙈
I have actually had some discrimination against me. On a Facebook page for Norse paganism. I was asking for some examples of a coming of age rite for my oldest kid. Who is gender fluid. And I was told to get my rainbow ass out of there. I did find a place with more open minds. All though I forgot the name now. I am now working on creating my own rite for my kid.
I think one of the tricky things about our religion is that the world is so influenced by American political culture that we've all been conditioned to believe that there are two (and no more) sides to every issue. The reality is quite different. Especially when it comes to this idea that being a northern European pagan means you either have to be a frothing nazi or someone who rejects any and all connection between ancestry and faith, and that if you aren't hard aligned with one you're hard aligned with the other. To explain what I mean, let's take Hinduism as an example. I've no doubt that Indian Hindus would welcome a European or African or hispanic person into the faith if that person was truly devout, but if that person then decided to declare themselves an authority on the faith and start declaring what was and wasn't true about Hinduism, there would be a major backlash. The same is true with norse paganism. I personally think folk of all ethnic backgrounds should be welcome to worship the Gods and the spirits if they feel called to the faith, but from what I've seen, the vast majority of the people called to this religion are northern European people by ancestry and those people should never be accused of being racist or hateful just because they're proud of their ancestry and historic culture. We had our culture and ancestry taken from us by Christianity and all we're doing is reclaimining it, nothing hateful or racist about that
That’s true! Being proud of having Scandinavian ancestry (which has become more and more true for me the past years) has nothing to do with being racist ☺️ I mean…. I live in Germany and here it’s often seen as problematic to be proud of being German because of our history. But I believe one can be proud of being German (not really me but I don’t even really consider myself German) and at the same Time acknowledge that there is a lot of fucked up history and that a loooot of mistakes were made in the past
@@TheNorseWitch yes this is definitely true. Especially in the case of a country like Germany, there's the idea that hundreds of years of culture and history need to be thrown out just because of what happened from 1936-1945 which I think is ridiculous. There isn't a people on the planet that hasn't committed some sort of atrocity at some point in the past. For myself, I'm descended from German, Polish, Swedish, and Scottish ancestors, and I'm proud of every one of them
To be honest, when I first looked into the Norse Pagan community about 10 years ago, I only encountered Nazis and other assholes. I took my legs in my hands and ran, there are only Nazis, I don't want to have anything to do with that. When Freyja called me again, I took another look, and now you can at least find inclusive communities, which didn't seem to exist back then. Unfortunately there are still a lot of assholes, but I have the impression that things are getting better, or the normal and friendly Norse Pagans are just getting louder, showing themselves more.
Yeah on the internet I see a big inclusive community now, especially on TikTok. I’m still afraid to go to real life meetups tho… don’t want to risk anything 😅
Hi. I know I´m a little late to some of these videos, cuz I only recently found this lovely person. But I just wanted to share with the people in the comments, as a Danish Norse Pagan (I have traced my lineage back to 1725 so far and everyone is Danish on my family tree, so I assume I will continue to find Danes as I research further back) that everyone is welcome in our religion. Even though I sometimes wish there were ways to keep the dingbats out, 'cause there are people throughout history and still to this day using Norse Paganism as a shield to hide their bigotry behind. If anyone has ever told you, that you aren´t welcome or can´t be Norse Pagan because of your sexual/gender orientation, appearance or core values, that is bullshit. I am a trans masc nobinary neptunic person, who dresses like a lumberjack most of the time and I care about the climate change (that should tell you my political leanings as well) - we more than belong here. It's actually the racism, LGBT+ phobia and all round small-mindedness that doesn´t belong. It does warm my heart to find more Norse Pagan creators, who aren´t bigoted
Honestly the presence of nazism and its adjacent ideologies is why I always introduce myself as an antifascist Norse Pagan if the topic comes up. It establishes where I stand pretty damn quickly. 😆 (also hey hi I'm nonbinary too!)
Thats a pretty good idea! Although saying your antifascist unfortunately will also drive a lot of people away because they think badly about the Antifa 🤣
@@TheNorseWitch Big true, unfortunately. But hey, so be it. My hope is that who I am to the people around me makes them think a little more critically about what antifa actually is if im willingly associating myself it.
you knoooow unfortunately i am not surprised it's really bad in germany with the aholes because unfortunately the propaganda was and still is strong, i was actually more worried being an out pagan, because i heard how bad it was... luckily i never met anyone (to my knowledge) like that 🙃 i feel they are doing it wrong, because norse mythology is literally so diverse, what are they doin!?! [editing to add cause i finished now lol] i was actually surprised how unpopular loki was and to have discussions with people who discarded him as a christian insertion of a devil figure and told me i could not work with or worship him.. but i got out of that and luckily nowadays this feels like less of a discussion, happy about that!
I always feel like the attitude towards Loki has changed extremely in the past couple of years. I guess if you ask older more traditional Norse pagans they’ll probably tell you not to worship him 😅
@@TheNorseWitch i feel like even them come around now... might also be because i advertise him constantly lol (to clarify that is the people around me that i know, not everyone, i don't have that reach)
There are assholes for sure no doubt and I hate them they give everyone a bad name. Most of the assholes are online. All the Norse pagans that I have met have been beautiful people, welcoming and just lovely, I have a hard time finding Norse pagans in Australia so my experience with other pagans is pretty limited.
Hi Bente, do you have tips on how to find community as a non binary person in Germany? It seems like there are only groups by and for old cishet men and 'traditional' woman. Like, where are the people our age hiding? (btw love your content)
My advice is to create your own group, maybe make a meetup page or something? If you do that you can specify exactly for which types of people the meetups should be for.
Yess!! I agree with all of this! I’ve come across many white nationalists and neo Nazis who claim to be norse pagan and furthermore try to use Norse paganism to justify their hatred of anyone who isn’t a cishet white man. And try to claim I’m not a real Norse pagan bc I’m an intersectional feminist and nonbinary-masc, when my whole family is Norse pagan. Looking at history, it is clear the norsemen were inclusive and Vikingr were very progressive: Interracial marriage, equality (for the most part) of the sexes and genders, trading and some even choosing to stay in places with other cultures (burial ground locations), etc. These are just from the archeological evidence. That’s the interpretation I’ve gotten, anyway.
That's...not really true. Historical iron age norse culture was far from inclusive. That doesn't mean the religion can't be updated, I myself am a bisexual man and a very devout norse pagan but I would never say that historically homosexuality was accepted in those days, it simply isn't the case
That’s true! The term ergi says a lot about that by itself 😅 but yeah as you said… luckily we’re not trying to reconstruct the culture but the religion 🙊
@@kalyan8094 you personally, in the modern day, can live however you wish. I'm pointing out that that's not how norse pagan culture was at all from a historic perspective. Modern pagans can choose to either be strictly reconstructionist, base their religion entirely on esoteric spirituality, or mix it all up and practice a blend that works for them, but to declare that one approach is the correct one and another approach is incorrect is to engage in the "no true scotsman" fallacy, which I see all too often these days. There are left wing, inclusive pagans, and there are right wing, prejudiced pagans. It's no different from how catholics and protestants are both Christian, or Shia and Sunni are both Muslim
O.o first things first, omg I didn't even know you were non binary do I live in a cave or something? What are your pronouns if you don't mind me asking? As a gender fluid/queer person myself (I haven't figured out which one yet but I'm getting there) I've gotten the "can't be norse pagan because of that" thing before. I just glared at them and mentioned loki changes shape constantly, has given birth, and in most depictions is perceived as male... want to tell me I have to fit into the binary with a constantly shifting god like them in the pantheon? Yeah they straight up apologized and we changed the subject quickly XD
I didn’t make it a topic on my channel or my Instagram… and tbh I don’t even really care about it, I don’t want it to be something that defines me. My preferred pronouns are they/them but tbh I don’t care xD since I don’t feel like any gender really you can call me whatever you like 🤣 Most people will probably still use she/her (my family too because I don’t even tell them) and that’s totally fine to me because most people are just used to that.
I am similar as far as pronouns, she/they/whatever, a friend of mine use to introduce me to people and say "this is KT, their pronouns are just KT, don't like it? Then you and I have issues, ok?"
I would also like to point out that there are Norse pagan people and groups that are NOT racist and are inclusive, but you can't just skower the Net for them, you have to really do some research as you have found out. In general, Norse paganism is a Germanic path, as Voudu is African, it doesn't mean others can't practice it, but you'll find that outsiders are really not that encouraged due to distrust of misuse and changing things, and the other thing is, it's probably better to work with what's in your inherent DNA because there is generational memory attached to it. In your case, those ancestors came calling. Just my 2 cents.
The World is not nice all the time. Thats reality. I was just sharing my honest opinion and vewpoint. I know its hard for some people to hear a different view. This isn't a faith of victimhood. Its of strength and confidence in our gods.
I agree that making yourself a victim and staying in that role because it’s easier is wrong… the point is - by admitting your struggles and taking about them you’re not making yourself a victim. Talking about what we’re struggling with should be normalized in todays society, you shouldn’t be belittled or talked down for it!
Before delving into norse paganism i was definitely a green witch for sure. I definitely just started my journey and sort of had this self realization over the past few months about becoming a norse pagan and I've loved every minute of it but right off the bat I've definitely encountered a few content creators and books that are definitely just so racist, neo-nazi like. But I will say the ones who are kind hearted and welcoming have made this journey great so far 😊 I definitely enjoy your content. It has been very helpful guidance 😊
It can be really disheartening at times when you find out that soooo many authors especially are bigoted 😫 at the beginning I didn’t know about any of them and now it seems all bigger authors apart from Diana Paxson are assholes…
i love how much effort you put into creating such a positive space and platform. ❤️
Hi, new to your community, but I wanted to share that I love the environment you have set up for these videos. It really feels like we are sitting on comfy couches in the same room, having a chat over tea.
The issues with racism are becoming more apparent to me nowadays. I am encountering nazis who call themselves norse pagans more often than before.
Gotta say they know nothing of polytheism, animism or anything associated with “magic”. For them it’s all about aesthetics as far as I’ve seen.
… On a different note, great video as always ✌️
Yeah most of them are typical Brohalla dudes with a shaved undercut 🙊🤣
I’m black and feel a strong pull towards the old gods and I do my research and join servers on discord I’m slightly worried about running into WS :( but it won’t stop me and my journey ✊🏾
Are you on the Heathen Wyrdos server? There you definitely won’t run into WS ☺️ I’m not in any heathen discords so I don’t know about any others but I definitely know that they run one for their podcasts and that they wouldn’t allow any WS bullsh*t on their server ☺️❤️
@@Villain0x It's worth remembering that Odin was called the "All-Father", not the "Some-Father". Best wishes to you!
I totally agree with you and your interpretation of the essence of the Norse pantheon
I"m very new to all of this and truly appreciate your honesty and your inclusive attitude!! Cheers!
Im a Nonbinary masc person and i strugel with other People saying i am not allowed aswell. so i know the feeling. I really look up too u and it makes me happy to see your Channel is doing good and i love your videos
Oh, I remember the slurps, but I wasn't subscribed back then. Great video, as always.
Absolutely adore you and your content and your beautiful thought processes 💛
Thank you 🥰❤️
I've just started my deep-dive into norse paganism and I'm SO thankful that I found your channel and amazing content right off the bat!!! thank you so much for your wonderful, positive energy and informative videos
Oooooh you’re so welcome 🥰❤️❤️❤️❤️
I love your points! I thought I constantly had to give offers to deities or that I wasn’t connected to them. When I started Norse paganism, I realized that I don’t. I honor the gods in lots of ways on a daily basis. I totally though I had to be in a book 24/7 😂 now I research when I can. I love to learn but with 5 kids, my plate is full
I 100% agree with your whole video. I think one of the things that I look back and realize is that I should’ve done more research on the RUclipsrs and the authors whos content I was listening to and learning from. I think the one that made me feel the most disappointed to learn was wisdom of Odins channel and there were some videos and things he would say that would make me feel a little uncomfortable and it wasn’t until I did my own research that I felt that his views did not align with my views. I think it’s really important for anybody to question everything and go into the experience of learning from someone else as it is their personal experience and your own personal experience might differ. It is always refreshing to find a RUclipsr who clearly states that they are are not racist etc. it is very sad that it has come to the point where people have to vocalize that now.
Oooooh yes!!! Question everyone! Sad but true 🥺 and I believe the ones who really believe in inclusive Norse Paganism will state it clearly in a video or post or whatever. If someone refuses to say something about this topic - they’re already iffy.
There is no racism towards white people. At least not in countries with a majority of white people.
In my opinion racism is defined by the group that’s being discriminated being a minority. So if I live in Germany for example where white people are a big majority and a person of color insults me because I’m white, the person is insulting me, yes, but it’s not a racist attack… the Oxford dictionary says the following about racism:
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.
In India that might be a different story. I can only speak about western countries, that’s why I specified that.
That has nothing to do with this conversation
It's always really great to see pagans standing up for inclusivity. Sorry you've encountered some assholes on your journey. They really don't know their Havamal from their elbow.
There's historically a lot of quite conservative values in many pagan paths, from an emphasis on rigid gender binaries all the way up to white supremacy... I think it's down to us as members of the community to make the path open, diverse and inclusive and stand against folkism and exclusionism.
Hopefully everyone watching your channel will go look up Declaration 127. There's a few good articles on it on The Wild Hunt.
Anyway, keep up the great content. I really enjoy your videos.
I plan on filming a video on where to start out on your Norse pagan path and I plan to definitely include the declaration 127!
The stuff about not having to be a book nerd is reassuring lol. Lately, I've been having anxiety because Norse mythology has an overabundance of names for various things (horses, dwarves, rivers, halls, etc.) and it's like omg, do I have to remember all these? 😂
I loved the slurps i Think u should bring them back
Maybe I will. Out of spite. 🤣
im a new to witchcraft and norse paganism. your videos are really informative especially because i wasnt entirely sure what to trust. all your videos are perfect and i love the knowledge i gain from them, thank you!!
You’re so so so welcome 🥰❤️
I wish I had known the history before the Vikings, I've since done some study and found thousands of years of history that few people bother to learn about.
The candles behind agree with you haha ❤
Yes! I agree with you 100%. I just recently became a Norse Pagan. I had this wonderful, beautiful. amazing encounter with Freya and it has changed me. I'm more aware of the things around me and I feel more connected. I am so glad that there are channels like yours where you explain that there is a huge difference between Northern Spirituality and racism. And it's a shame that these f-tarded nazis always have to gravitate to something as beautiful as our religion and leave a stain on it.
Lucky me, my ancestors wrote down a lot of things their parents just did, because it was part of old traditions. And they have done this for generations.
i love your videos, your personal insights and recommendations. I just could listen for hours and share a cup of tea with you. Greetings from the forest near Cologne. Sunray
I am a Norse Pagan, I am an English woman and I would say I don’t think people would guess I am a Pagan let alone a Norse Pagan. I would say I’m very nice and I too love nature and saying sorry to door frames. I wish I wasn’t so put off by fear of what people would say. Most people don’t care as long as you aren’t sacrificing animals ( a lot of people ask me this ) 😅👀💕
I litterally jumped over the couch , knocked it down , flipped the couch back up and got comfy on the couch. And just out of curiosity , have you thought of having a guest kind of like doing a question and answer? If so I volunteer but understand if you don't. But I love the content and videos !!!!
I Never thought about that.. would be kind of weird to have someone interview me on my own channel 🙊
Understandable, but thank you so so much for the video , love them as ushual!!!
Great vid. I am obsessed with the tapestry in the background. Where is it from?
I don’t remember, I’ve had it for ages. But probably Amazon 🙊
I actually do remember the slurps, humble beginnings!
there are weird/malicious practitioners in every belief/religion/practice...for this main reason i never shared with anyone my beliefes or even opinions about the divine/misticism and such...it's hella crazy out there
Thanks for the amazing video! I agree I wish there wasn’t gatekeepers or racism in Norse paganism. Thing I didn’t realize is there are a lot of different views on the gods. Like hard vs soft polytheism. It’s really amazing to find more pagans and with your platform it helps me feel a lot less alone thanks so much.
The "Beware of the a--hole thing" also applies to ceremonial magic spaces (especially traditionalist and LHP spaces; the LHP folks also tend to overlap with the Norse pagan crowd). There is an overwhelming amount of conservative people in the space and some of them was apologists for... let's just say problematic groups, which with my being both young and new I was ignorant about. I wish that was one of the things I knew about since I started out because that was a very alienating thing even when I was in a space that didn't give two damns about my sexuality. So definitely be aware of this
It was interesting hearing your thoughts on being a Norse pagan, and also great video.
What’s LHP if I may ask?
@@TheNorseWitch It's a short had for left-hand path, which contrasts the right-hand path (RHP). Basically the left-hand path is a rejection of social norms and established religion in favor of developing faster in a specific spiritual goal (which can be as simple as self-improvement or as radical as experiencing the Divine first-hand as fast as possible). It attracts a lot of people who like shock value because some practices are meant to be shocking (especially the Hindu ones; Hinduism is where the term originates from my knowledge), and a lot of conservatives appreciate shock value. Satanism is an example of the very few traditions that considers itself LHP, in contrast with the RHP Christianity and Wicca (and so on). It's not always a helpful term, but it is one that people use to describe their practice.
Ah okay I know about the left hand and right hand path, I just wasn’t aware of the abbreviation thank you ☺️
Litha blessings from devon England. 🍺🌞🌞⚡
Blessings back ☺️ hope you had/have a wonderful solstice!
Hello . I’m new to your channel and I’m really enjoying your videos . Your a beautiful person and unfortunately we all to share the planet with arseholes of every kind , it’s exhausting at times! Im at the very start of my Norse pagan journey as I have found out I have Scandinavian genes ! So I’m just starting to ready about the Norse and vikings and it’s great but I really didn’t know where to start and how to bring this into my practice . I just bought my first book “the Viking spirit “ by Daniel McCoy , any advice Will always be great !
So glad I have found your channel and really enjoying your videos .
Oh you have so out me in the mood for some lovely orange tea ! And I don’t have any ?
Blessings to you and everyone here xxx
I apologize to EVERYTHING!! When I was young, I knew all my dolls had feelings.
i must say starting out on my own since there was no one around that i really felt i could ask i think i tried to do reconstructionist (thinking it had to be done 1 way and there was only 1 way to perform anything) and i bought sooooooo many books before realizing not everyone does things the same way and i need to take the 'it has to be perfect' mentality off and everything just clicked in place after that pressure was off and now things are really feeling like there coming together.
The Norse witch.... you should really check out Airth Hager vids he is very educating. He has dome amazing vids dealing in Norse paganism. 😊😊
I already know him of course ☺️
I think trauma begets hate/violence but is no excuse for poor behavior. These
....people....need to find their own peace with their chosen creator.
Hi! I am an American living in the depth of this behavior you're describing, happen to be married to another woman, also experiencing horrible discrimination. I also happen to be biracial in this area which seems to really.....enrage some chosen few. But aside from that, it also causes a huge diversion of my belief system 🤔 I am torn between my first nation's belief system and an ARE YOU SERIOUS calling from what I believe to be norse paganism in the form of freyja. I have had, what I believe, to be signs and callings to a shamanistic spiritual path. However, every book I have read has stated very clearly and concisely, that I must dedicate myself to a single pantheon system. Honestly, it feels like choosing between my parents all over again. I'm not certain of much but I hope and pray for more love and acceptance to reach those harassing you. From my personal experience, I find these are often people that are not walking a spiritual path and are power seekers. Most importantly stay safe and know that you have people watching that cherish your insight in times of uncertainty.
I wish I knew the about the lack of sources, made me sad 🥲. But I will say that gives me more freedom within my craft, we can kind of make our own traditions in a way and I think that's cool 😁
Hello there.🙈
Im very intrested in learning more about Norse mythologie and the religion in general. You got any tips on where to start like a book or something? or anything else for a beginner
In general I would always recommend to read the Eddas and Sagas. But they can be kind of heavy for a start. So maybe get Neil Gaimans Norse Mythology? It’s not 100% accurate but as long as you’re aware of that you should be fine with it as a start ☺️ when it comes to the practice itself I really like The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith because it’s about inclusive Norse Paganism so you can be sure that there’s no white supremacy or any bigotry hidden in there ☺️ but I also like Diana Paxsons books ☺️
@@TheNorseWitch thankyou for the reply i will look in to it. its funny you mention Neil Gaiman cause thats the book i got as an present from my brother i was not sure to start exploring there tho🙈
I have actually had some discrimination against me. On a Facebook page for Norse paganism. I was asking for some examples of a coming of age rite for my oldest kid. Who is gender fluid. And I was told to get my rainbow ass out of there. I did find a place with more open minds. All though I forgot the name now. I am now working on creating my own rite for my kid.
Wow that’s disgusting! I’m sorry that happened to you 😞
I think one of the tricky things about our religion is that the world is so influenced by American political culture that we've all been conditioned to believe that there are two (and no more) sides to every issue. The reality is quite different. Especially when it comes to this idea that being a northern European pagan means you either have to be a frothing nazi or someone who rejects any and all connection between ancestry and faith, and that if you aren't hard aligned with one you're hard aligned with the other.
To explain what I mean, let's take Hinduism as an example. I've no doubt that Indian Hindus would welcome a European or African or hispanic person into the faith if that person was truly devout, but if that person then decided to declare themselves an authority on the faith and start declaring what was and wasn't true about Hinduism, there would be a major backlash.
The same is true with norse paganism. I personally think folk of all ethnic backgrounds should be welcome to worship the Gods and the spirits if they feel called to the faith, but from what I've seen, the vast majority of the people called to this religion are northern European people by ancestry and those people should never be accused of being racist or hateful just because they're proud of their ancestry and historic culture. We had our culture and ancestry taken from us by Christianity and all we're doing is reclaimining it, nothing hateful or racist about that
That’s true! Being proud of having Scandinavian ancestry (which has become more and more true for me the past years) has nothing to do with being racist ☺️ I mean…. I live in Germany and here it’s often seen as problematic to be proud of being German because of our history. But I believe one can be proud of being German (not really me but I don’t even really consider myself German) and at the same Time acknowledge that there is a lot of fucked up history and that a loooot of mistakes were made in the past
@@TheNorseWitch yes this is definitely true. Especially in the case of a country like Germany, there's the idea that hundreds of years of culture and history need to be thrown out just because of what happened from 1936-1945 which I think is ridiculous. There isn't a people on the planet that hasn't committed some sort of atrocity at some point in the past. For myself, I'm descended from German, Polish, Swedish, and Scottish ancestors, and I'm proud of every one of them
To be honest, when I first looked into the Norse Pagan community about 10 years ago, I only encountered Nazis and other assholes. I took my legs in my hands and ran, there are only Nazis, I don't want to have anything to do with that. When Freyja called me again, I took another look, and now you can at least find inclusive communities, which didn't seem to exist back then. Unfortunately there are still a lot of assholes, but I have the impression that things are getting better, or the normal and friendly Norse Pagans are just getting louder, showing themselves more.
Yeah on the internet I see a big inclusive community now, especially on TikTok. I’m still afraid to go to real life meetups tho… don’t want to risk anything 😅
@@TheNorseWitch Oh yes, I feel the same way, online you can see what people are like and block them if necessary, but at meetups... difficult.
Hi. I know I´m a little late to some of these videos, cuz I only recently found this lovely person. But I just wanted to share with the people in the comments, as a Danish Norse Pagan (I have traced my lineage back to 1725 so far and everyone is Danish on my family tree, so I assume I will continue to find Danes as I research further back) that everyone is welcome in our religion. Even though I sometimes wish there were ways to keep the dingbats out, 'cause there are people throughout history and still to this day using Norse Paganism as a shield to hide their bigotry behind.
If anyone has ever told you, that you aren´t welcome or can´t be Norse Pagan because of your sexual/gender orientation, appearance or core values, that is bullshit. I am a trans masc nobinary neptunic person, who dresses like a lumberjack most of the time and I care about the climate change (that should tell you my political leanings as well) - we more than belong here. It's actually the racism, LGBT+ phobia and all round small-mindedness that doesn´t belong.
It does warm my heart to find more Norse Pagan creators, who aren´t bigoted
Love ❤️
Honestly the presence of nazism and its adjacent ideologies is why I always introduce myself as an antifascist Norse Pagan if the topic comes up. It establishes where I stand pretty damn quickly. 😆 (also hey hi I'm nonbinary too!)
Thats a pretty good idea! Although saying your antifascist unfortunately will also drive a lot of people away because they think badly about the Antifa 🤣
@@TheNorseWitch Big true, unfortunately. But hey, so be it. My hope is that who I am to the people around me makes them think a little more critically about what antifa actually is if im willingly associating myself it.
you knoooow unfortunately i am not surprised it's really bad in germany with the aholes because unfortunately the propaganda was and still is strong, i was actually more worried being an out pagan, because i heard how bad it was... luckily i never met anyone (to my knowledge) like that 🙃 i feel they are doing it wrong, because norse mythology is literally so diverse, what are they doin!?!
[editing to add cause i finished now lol] i was actually surprised how unpopular loki was and to have discussions with people who discarded him as a christian insertion of a devil figure and told me i could not work with or worship him.. but i got out of that and luckily nowadays this feels like less of a discussion, happy about that!
I always feel like the attitude towards Loki has changed extremely in the past couple of years. I guess if you ask older more traditional Norse pagans they’ll probably tell you not to worship him 😅
@@TheNorseWitch i feel like even them come around now... might also be because i advertise him constantly lol (to clarify that is the people around me that i know, not everyone, i don't have that reach)
Would be nice if people become more open ☺️ pulling Christianity into Norse paganism sucks 😅
@@TheNorseWitch i think we are getting there~
There are assholes for sure no doubt and I hate them they give everyone a bad name. Most of the assholes are online.
All the Norse pagans that I have met have been beautiful people, welcoming and just lovely, I have a hard time finding Norse pagans in Australia so my experience with other pagans is pretty limited.
Hi Bente, do you have tips on how to find community as a non binary person in Germany? It seems like there are only groups by and for old cishet men and 'traditional' woman. Like, where are the people our age hiding?
(btw love your content)
My advice is to create your own group, maybe make a meetup page or something? If you do that you can specify exactly for which types of people the meetups should be for.
wait these weren't real slurping sounds??? XD
Nope 🤣
Yess!! I agree with all of this! I’ve come across many white nationalists and neo Nazis who claim to be norse pagan and furthermore try to use Norse paganism to justify their hatred of anyone who isn’t a cishet white man. And try to claim I’m not a real Norse pagan bc I’m an intersectional feminist and nonbinary-masc, when my whole family is Norse pagan.
Looking at history, it is clear the norsemen were inclusive and Vikingr were very progressive: Interracial marriage, equality (for the most part) of the sexes and genders, trading and some even choosing to stay in places with other cultures (burial ground locations), etc. These are just from the archeological evidence. That’s the interpretation I’ve gotten, anyway.
That's...not really true. Historical iron age norse culture was far from inclusive. That doesn't mean the religion can't be updated, I myself am a bisexual man and a very devout norse pagan but I would never say that historically homosexuality was accepted in those days, it simply isn't the case
That’s true! The term ergi says a lot about that by itself 😅 but yeah as you said… luckily we’re not trying to reconstruct the culture but the religion 🙊
@@kalyan8094 you personally, in the modern day, can live however you wish. I'm pointing out that that's not how norse pagan culture was at all from a historic perspective. Modern pagans can choose to either be strictly reconstructionist, base their religion entirely on esoteric spirituality, or mix it all up and practice a blend that works for them, but to declare that one approach is the correct one and another approach is incorrect is to engage in the "no true scotsman" fallacy, which I see all too often these days. There are left wing, inclusive pagans, and there are right wing, prejudiced pagans. It's no different from how catholics and protestants are both Christian, or Shia and Sunni are both Muslim
O.o first things first, omg I didn't even know you were non binary do I live in a cave or something? What are your pronouns if you don't mind me asking?
As a gender fluid/queer person myself (I haven't figured out which one yet but I'm getting there) I've gotten the "can't be norse pagan because of that" thing before.
I just glared at them and mentioned loki changes shape constantly, has given birth, and in most depictions is perceived as male... want to tell me I have to fit into the binary with a constantly shifting god like them in the pantheon?
Yeah they straight up apologized and we changed the subject quickly XD
I didn’t make it a topic on my channel or my Instagram… and tbh I don’t even really care about it, I don’t want it to be something that defines me. My preferred pronouns are they/them but tbh I don’t care xD since I don’t feel like any gender really you can call me whatever you like 🤣 Most people will probably still use she/her (my family too because I don’t even tell them) and that’s totally fine to me because most people are just used to that.
Hahaha yeah Loki is always a really good argument xD
I am similar as far as pronouns, she/they/whatever, a friend of mine use to introduce me to people and say "this is KT, their pronouns are just KT, don't like it? Then you and I have issues, ok?"
I would also like to point out that there are Norse pagan people and groups that are NOT racist and are inclusive, but you can't just skower the Net for them, you have to really do some research as you have found out. In general, Norse paganism is a Germanic path, as Voudu is African, it doesn't mean others can't practice it, but you'll find that outsiders are really not that encouraged due to distrust of misuse and changing things, and the other thing is, it's probably better to work with what's in your inherent DNA because there is generational memory attached to it. In your case, those ancestors came calling. Just my 2 cents.
Stop Caring what people think and do you. No need to act like a victim.
Wow what an exceedingly nice comment…. Not 🤣
The World is not nice all the time. Thats reality. I was just sharing my honest opinion and vewpoint. I know its hard for some people to hear a different view. This isn't a faith of victimhood. Its of strength and confidence in our gods.
I don't think our ancestors complained about all the mean people talking about them.
Im a gay pagan by the way.
I agree that making yourself a victim and staying in that role because it’s easier is wrong… the point is - by admitting your struggles and taking about them you’re not making yourself a victim. Talking about what we’re struggling with should be normalized in todays society, you shouldn’t be belittled or talked down for it!