It has been my established belief that no “God” or gods existed and were, in fact, often a dangerous concept in which to believe.
Christians have done scary things with the idea of “God” for millenia now. On a practical level, I don’t believe in a heavenly entity that looks like a human and punishes or rewards us based on our actions. I don’t believe that we should live in fear of some imaginary being and that we should do ‘right’ in the world because we’re Afraid of that being. That’s Bullshit.
On a political level, deities that punish and reward have been manipulated by men as a form of control, of power play, for millenia, and that’s also bullshit. I hate that. It’s a means to keep commoners down, to keep people imprisoned in beliefs that rob them of self-esteem and the important need to feel capable and in control of your life and destiny.
Very similar to these two notions are things that I DO believe in – 1. that the natural forces that exist on this planet Will eventually screw you over if you’re a jerk, and 2. that if humans had stronger feelings of capability they would feel empowered enough that they wouldn’t need to cower before a demanding God to do good in the world.
Deities can be useful constructs, I’ll admit to that. They are useful in that they provide a common image for people to share when they’re referring to collected energies. But, perhaps from a somewhat luddite perspective, I’m inclined to Avoid deities because of the HORRIFIC amounts of evidence that deities CAN and WILL be used by humans to control others, and that is Wrong.
I suggest an Amish approach. Look at gods/technology. Avoid most of them because of their mass-production and potential to completely and utterly ruin your way of life before you’ve even had time to realize what was happening. Give us time as a species to adapt to the abrupt changes of the last several centuries. Look at the opportunities for appropriate ‘deities’ – gods of the land in your area, the energetic spirit of local plants or animals, of a local forest collected into one idea. These deities are a practical way to relate to your surroundings – it’s helpful to recognize them as energetic beings in your environment, to respect them and honor them as you pass through their territory just as you would want others to do if they passed through your land/home. It’s nice to get recognition, for people to say – ‘hey! it looks like someone lives here, let’s be kind to them and respect their creation and their safety and right to a comfortable home.’
I’m diverging. Maybe this isn’t a one-post issue. I’m sure I’ll post about it again, as I’ve specifically Not believed in gods for awhile, but this is the first time I’ve approached the idea from this perspective, and it brings a layer of complexity to the issue that makes me want to give it more consideration.
I suppose, in summation for the night (my birthday, now officially over for two hours), I’ll just say that life is not a system of punishment and reward, that it’s many more infinitesimal shades of gray, and that humans should understand themselves as inherently involved energetic beings in a world full of other energetic beings before they look to any deity as something by which to be ruled or controlled.
Definitely time to stop before I continue losing coherence. Thanks. Have a nice night 
And for those of you who’ll see the solar eclipse on the 1st, enjoy!
This morning was eventful and kept a steady, energetic pace. This afternoon I felt sluggish and unmotivated. By evening, I realized I had (by indecision) ruled out several tasks that I could have accomplished for the day. I spent the evening online, and stumbled back into the records of the Wolves of Vinland – vikings living in Virginia who live, craft, and toast together and have land on which they’re building a long hall.
I also saw reference again to runic half-months – and saw that we’re in the half-month of Uruz, primal energy, uniting opposing elements to bring energies to fruition. I was definitely feeling it, and spent the evening gulping down information and wanting to go for a run, to lift weights, to know the runes more deeply – in general, to be closer to what I want to be. Strong, wise, active in my environment and intimate with my surroundings.
I burnt some of my energy by getting rid of more of my belongings and organizing what I am keeping so that it’s not in the way of those passing through the den. Now I’ll either hang out with Duncan or not, and will possibly meditate, run, lift weights, or just spend some time in the dark. Any outcome will be welcome and refreshing, even though the more official ‘work’ I should have done today has been put off one more time.
Duncan and I haven’t meditated on any more runes, though we did both finish making our rune sets, charged them under the full moon, and have made personal plans to color them.
I colored my set with blood several days ago because the timing was good for me personally (my energetic height is supposed to be near my birthday)… Duncan is going to wait for the waxing moon or full moon before coloring his. I was pretty glad to color mine by myself, it seemed pretty personal, though the energy of doing circle work with Duncan is always very powerful.
I’m glad they’re done. I still want to seal them with beeswax, though, and I haven’t done that yet. I want to find some type of brush to do it with so they’re not overly coated. I read up on wood sealants and it seems that just trying to buff them afterward might help take off extra. We could also just use oil, though we don’t have the most ideal oils for sealing. I hope I can manage to get a very thin coat of beeswax that sinks in so the runes still feel like wood.
I gave Mom her bindrune several days ago and it has been serving her well. As soon as she started holding it she worked on Pampered Chef contacts and booked Four events, including her first wedding registry. She’s putting good energy into it In a day or two I’ll drill a tiny hole in the rune so she can put it on a chain and keep it with her – she’s worn pants without pockets for two days now and doesn’t like keeping the rune in her purse.
On a different note, I’m very pleased with the header image I created for this blog. I was thrilled to find a nice looking runic font, though it did look a Lot better once I cleaned it up in Photoshop
That’s all for now. I have other news, but I ought to save it for my normal blog.
Vas heil.
Welcome (am I talking to myself?). There’s probably no one out there reading yet, but perhaps someday this will be well-read and excitedly sought out as the first post of an engaging, appreciated blog.
Statement of Intent:
To create a blog that Duncan and I can both post to as we study the runes over the course of the next year or so. It’ll be nice to share our thoughts since we’ll only be getting together once a month, and I’d like to have some notes on the internet as well as in my personal journal.
Status:
Duncan and I have gone through about half the runes in conversation, have created our entire rune sets (we wanted to take advantage of full moon energy), and have meditated on only the first handful of runes. By the end of July we should have finished a quick study once-through, and after that I’ll be returning to the farm (Acorn), where he’ll visit once a month and we’ll study the runes in more depth, doing a larger ritual for each two runes and personal rituals throughout the month.
Hopefully we can actually follow through on this one. I’m really enjoying working with runes so far, and feel a lot of good energy from them. I’m also excited about the new site design challenges I’m giving myself in trying to connect this blog to a new personal site, www.hennalion.com.
Wish me luck!
