Ask the pagan

[razeontherock]

Very cool stuff from Druweid! I appreciate the thoughtful response. Great allegory with the cars, I wouldn't have thought of that.

re: Asatru

I think certain similarities may be owed to the fact that the most important texts associated with the Norse pantheon (namely the Eddas) were written well within the Christian Era, making it more than likely that at least some motifs have "bled over" through close cultural contact.

Good to know. I was rather hoping it was more distinct, but I'd rather know the truth even if it means having my bubble burst.

What you *do* find in the Norse pantheon, however, are traces of the Shamanic journey and the descent/ascent into the Otherworlds.

My sons are quite gifted with this, to the point that w/o it I question whether they'd have any interest at all. I suppose any parent would worry, but they are incredibly wise w/ the safety precautions that can be taken ...
Like anything else, it's the actions and accomplishments that test the veracity, so the underlying truth is unquestionable IMHO.

Long before the Graeco-Pagan mysteries appeared on the stage of world history, long before the first Christians existed, shamans experienced their initiation as death and rebirth. The typical initiatory experience sees them ripped apart in the underworld, only to have them rise again: renewed, purified, reinforced.

Interesting! As a total aside, skis appeared before the wheel in some places.
And while it's obvious that none of this is Christianity, specifics like this do make it seem like whatever your concept of Deity may be, he/she/it has been proclaiming the same or at least similar truths for quite some time now. Globally.

Before Odin replaced Tyr as the chief deity of the Germanic pantheon, he was probably a mortal shaman/magician, whose "six-legged horse" refered to a certain drum beat that would carry him up and down the "world tree". And of course, he was the only male deity to bend the gender-norms of his day and become a master of seithr, a form of magic associated with women.

What a treasure trove of knowledge you are! And where else would I stumble upon this!? You may be aware that the first mention of God in the Judeo-Christian tradition is both uni-plural and both male and female. Hhmmm ...

Another observation:

while I don't remember his name, there's only one poster here with a very Egyptian avatar. One concept he's presented is that all the various gods do actually form what he calls "the One," but it's far beyond our ability to even grasp it's immenseness, much less comprehend or even relate to it all. Hopefully it's obvious that the North American Indian's "Great Spirit" is the same concept? His point that I find very profound is that the best we can do is focus on one aspect of this, which he explains as any of the singular Deities, if I'm not mistaken. And this seems to me to fold into something WW has eluded to, which is these smaller revelations can be thought of as 'facets' of a singular gemstone. I may be taking liberties w/ her own explanation here, with the point being Moses was given this same idea at the same time he got the 10 commandments written in stone.

Some people may see these details as divisive, but I see them as more unifying.

 

[Druweid]

Why do you folks consume baby kittehs?

They taste like chicken.

Caitlin-ann, I'm sorry I haven't yet touched base with you, personally. It's so good seeing you again, and I hope all is well with you and yours!

Brightest blessings,
-- Druweid

 

[Wicked Willow]

while I don't remember his name, there's only one poster here with a very Egyptian avatar. One concept he's presented is that all the various gods do actually form what he calls "the One," but it's far beyond our ability to even grasp it's immenseness, much less comprehend or even relate to it all. Hopefully it's obvious that the North American Indian's "Great Spirit" is the same concept? His point that I find very profound is that the best we can do is focus on one aspect of this, which he explains as any of the singular Deities, if I'm not mistaken. And this seems to me to fold into something WW has eluded to, which is these smaller revelations can be thought of as 'facets' of a singular gemstone. I may be taking liberties w/ her own explanation here, with the point being Moses was given this same idea at the same time he got the 10 commandments written in stone.

Well, the concept of "the One" is quite far-spread, and definitely ancient. I'm not familiar enough with Kemetic (that is, ancient Egyptian) mythology to make any authoritative observations about their beliefs on that matter (apart from the fact that the pharaoh Akhenaten was the first thoroughly documented monotheist who tried to establish the worship of a single supreme deity - and was all but purged from history by the priesthood after his demise). But yes, the idea of a transcendental, supreme and essentially unknowable deity isn't new.
You find it in indigenous African religions such as Voodoo, in some Hindu schools talking about "Brahman", in the Isian mysteries of Roman antiquity ("all goddesses are one goddess and all gods are one god") - in short, pretty much everywhere, regardless of cultural contact.
I guess it might be our collective attempt at getting to grips with the Numinous, Transcendence, orders of magnitude that fill us with awe and make us feel just how little we can understand and control.

 

[Wicked Willow]

Tell me more about the soul. Is it the real person within the flesh? The journey of the soul in pagan beliefs.

We are our bodies. To regard our "flesh" as something intrinsically apart from our "true" self is very, *very* unhealthy, inviting all sorts of neurosis.
(And if you want to know what distorted self-images can lead to, just look at a person that's suffering from anorexia.)

Personally, I think that most of what we identify as our "self" is just as malleable, shifting, and ultimately mortal as our physical exterior - and in fact, inextricably linked to the fate of the same. Whatever might survive our physical demise bears very little resemblance to most of the attributes that define us - all the habits, feelings, and memories that are part of our system.
Of course, all of this presumes a certain linear conception of spacetime that does not necessarily apply.