2025-09-03
Woah there, I don't worship demons, although they can be pretty hot... In any case, I do believe there are multiple gods, and I also believe in animism. For most people and most situations, my religion doesn't matter. You can move on knowing a simple fact about me, and that it clearly has no impact on my ability to interact with society. If you're investigating polytheist beliefs, especially as it relates to heathenry specifically, I will be detailing much of my praxis here.
Well, my religion is very individualist, as heathenry tends to be. Every person is unique, and to that end all souls are unique, and so their identity in our world rightly should be unique as well. Further, every person is good at heart, and everyone will try to do what they believe they need to. Whether this core goodness surfaces as kindness or hatred depends on a multitude of things, of course, and there is a difference between what is believed to be good and necessary and what is actually good and necessary.
I have lived a life plagued with the threat of death looming over my head, regardless of whether I wish to welcome it or not. This has left me rather terrified of mortality, and to some extent my religious beliefs are a method of coping. This doesn't mean that coping is bad, since in many ways it can help a weak soul grow into something greater. I don't see death bad on its own merit, since it is the nature of life to eventually perish and return to the cycle of the Earth, but there is a difference between a life well-lived being let go, and a life being stolen.
Ultimately, my goals in life, as inspired by the calling of my religion, are to be a kind person and support those who need it, and dispell acts of Evil. My success in this regard is yet to really be seen, but I have time to spare.
Heathenry is probably most well known to contain "unsavory" practices, but this is actually not really the case, even in a historical context of European paganism in the medieval period (500-1400 AD, roughly). Historically, sacrifices of food and drink were most common. Animal sacrifice as well, but that usually just meant food, since it tended to be goats, sheep, or cattle.
I'm not actually a historian! You should take care to properly research the medieval period if you would like to know more, and much of my knowledge comes from scraps. This typically means either the historical context of certain fashions for cosplay, or the context of religious practices that I'm told are historical.
- Ayzee
In terms of my actual praxis, I typically engage in a monthly sacrificial ritual to a set gods I refer to as my patron gods. For me, these are Óðinn, Freyja, and Loki. I also pray either under my breath in a non-ritualistic manner, with actual prayers being given on an ad-hoc basis when I get a feeling I should convene with any of the gods, including those other than my patrons.
I setup my rituals in a particular manner, involving incense, a candle, and some form of idol (typically a Mjølnir pendant), all sitting atop a ritual cloth outdoors. Ideally, it's not too windy so I can properly light the candle, but if the wind does not permit this, then incense alone is enough.
I pray for Þórr and Heimdallr to hallow the area for a short while, inviting them to create a space safe of Baneful Wights. Then, I begin the prayer if I have one. If I am only giving an offering and am not praying, I will meditate on the offering until the incense burns down, and then dispose of it in a safe manner.
The disposal of an offering can be a complex topic, since it depends on what the offering is. For grain, spreading it upon the ground is fine enough. Cooked grain products, namely bread, should be split and one half eaten and one half shredded and spread upon the ground. Drinks should be poured out onto the ground. I typically do not offer meat, since I do not have any effective means of disposal for a sensible amount, nor do I regularly have meat to offer in the first place. I most often offer a pouch of oats.
The important part is that the offering means something, and I do regularly consume oats to feed myself.
I have not always held these religious beliefs, nor have I consistently held them, nor have they been the same even within the most recent span of consistency. Religion is, ultimately, something that I use to view the world as it relates to the interactions I have with others and the interactions I have with the world itself, beyond people. Of course, that's not far off from how other people view religion, but even still we can all reach very different conclusions.
I didn't go into detail about what the gods I named actually mean to me, and frankly I don't think I should. Not because of any embarassing reason, or because I think I'll look silly - hell, I wouldn't have written this up if that was the case. Rather, I don't think I should go into detail about them since it doesn't make sense to bring up my own interpretation of gods that may or may not even be the same gods you follow. I'm not interested in converting others, only letting them follow their own path.
To that end, I am on a path myself, and I may soon be modifying parts of my praxis (look for an update on this page if I remember!). Religion is flexible, and since there's no objective way to determine what is actually true, it comes down to personal experience. There are experiences I haven't yet been through and therefore they haven't yet shaped my beliefs, and this is because the future is not well defined in any sense. We only live in the present, and only know of the past.
Honestly, I'm not sure this write up will be worth anything to anyone. If I get someone asking about it (contact me via fedi on Sharkey or Mastodon, or via email if you would like to), then I'll follow up on my experiences with my gods. In the end, I'm only posting this for myself, and even if it seems like I'm talking to an audience, I realistically just wanted to type out some of my thoughts.