Hammer and Vajra

Hammer and Vajra

This post from Chad Pastoralist is rather insightful and mirrors a lot of my most recent thoughts, so I figured I would expound upon this great topic. 1.  Having a family tree that extends beyond 18th and 19th century:  This is a very important topic, and…

Continued : https://www.group-telegram.com/us/hammerandvajra.com/4198

2.  Identifying with more recent generations vs. very ancient Pagans: 

This is what I think is the core argument that is made here.  Believe me, I’m as big of a nerd as the next guy looking towards Yamnaya, Corded Ware, Hunter Gather DNA and practices from other ancient Europeans and Eurasian groups that might be connected to me or my culture. These ancient ties, especially to our faiths, are very important. They can indeed fill the gaps. But skipping over your more recent ancestry, their achievements, their ideas, and their worldview just because they were Christian is doing them and yourself a disservice. Indeed, the majority of them weren’t Pagan. (though I could debate all day on how Paganism continued both hidden / occult and even overtly, at least culturally and in spirit).

You can still be Pagan and have Christian ancestors. He mentions how if you know these people going back, you know yourself. These family members going back to even the Middle Ages had family members who knew of Pagan or had those tales freshly as a part of their oral or cultural tradition (even if demonized). There is no reason to think that all of the culture and customs from these ancestors are all Christianized to the extent that they aren’t a part of your folk traditions and need to be thrown out.  Also, a lot of the information we have for Paganism today came from documents from interested people of these time periods. Not just mystics and revival or romanticism from the 1800s but in illustrations and studies going back to the 1500s.  A great example is Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus, which depicted Odin, Thor, and Frigga in 1555. Our Gods weren’t unknown to even our Christian ancestors.  Writings regarding King Arthur, Merlin, and even the Celtic Gods go back to only around the 1200s. With Celtic manuscripts of the Ulster Cycle goes back to eleventh century.

Even Adam of Bremen, who wrote about active Saxon Pagans in the 11th century as a first-hand account. This brings into question some of the writings of Scandinavian Sagas and poems. Were they really that distant from practicing Pagans? Were they that influenced by Christianity? Is there really that much of a Gap?

3.  The Gap: 

Lastly, what is discussed is that we shouldn’t view our history as Paganism -> gap - > revivalism.  I agree. There isn’t really a need to continue to focus on “revival”. Your faith shouldn’t be revivialism but living breathing, belief, and practice. We have enough to fill in this so-called gap. Between those who have done archeology, genetics, and linguistics studies, and those who have already recreated what we need to practice. There is no longer a gap. Allowing this gap to trap you into a constant state of revival or reconstruction where nothing is good enough until it is 100% peer reviewed and perfected isn’t a living tradition. Instead, it is holding you back.  You can enjoy culture, objects, and efforts from those of your family who weren’t Pagan and still be Pagan today without worrying about filling in any gap. You should start practicing and believing now.
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www.group-telegram.com/us/hammerandvajra.com/4199

962 viewsedited  Apr 19 at 02:09

Continued : https://www.group-telegram.com/us/hammerandvajra.com/4198

2.  Identifying with more recent generations vs. very ancient Pagans: 

This is what I think is the core argument that is made here.  Believe me, I’m as big of a nerd as the next guy looking towards Yamnaya, Corded Ware, Hunter Gather DNA and practices from other ancient Europeans and Eurasian groups that might be connected to me or my culture. These ancient ties, especially to our faiths, are very important. They can indeed fill the gaps. But skipping over your more recent ancestry, their achievements, their ideas, and their worldview just because they were Christian is doing them and yourself a disservice. Indeed, the majority of them weren’t Pagan. (though I could debate all day on how Paganism continued both hidden / occult and even overtly, at least culturally and in spirit).

You can still be Pagan and have Christian ancestors. He mentions how if you know these people going back, you know yourself. These family members going back to even the Middle Ages had family members who knew of Pagan or had those tales freshly as a part of their oral or cultural tradition (even if demonized). There is no reason to think that all of the culture and customs from these ancestors are all Christianized to the extent that they aren’t a part of your folk traditions and need to be thrown out.  Also, a lot of the information we have for Paganism today came from documents from interested people of these time periods. Not just mystics and revival or romanticism from the 1800s but in illustrations and studies going back to the 1500s.  A great example is Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus, which depicted Odin, Thor, and Frigga in 1555. Our Gods weren’t unknown to even our Christian ancestors.  Writings regarding King Arthur, Merlin, and even the Celtic Gods go back to only around the 1200s. With Celtic manuscripts of the Ulster Cycle goes back to eleventh century.

Even Adam of Bremen, who wrote about active Saxon Pagans in the 11th century as a first-hand account. This brings into question some of the writings of Scandinavian Sagas and poems. Were they really that distant from practicing Pagans? Were they that influenced by Christianity? Is there really that much of a Gap?

3.  The Gap: 

Lastly, what is discussed is that we shouldn’t view our history as Paganism -> gap - > revivalism.  I agree. There isn’t really a need to continue to focus on “revival”. Your faith shouldn’t be revivialism but living breathing, belief, and practice. We have enough to fill in this so-called gap. Between those who have done archeology, genetics, and linguistics studies, and those who have already recreated what we need to practice. There is no longer a gap. Allowing this gap to trap you into a constant state of revival or reconstruction where nothing is good enough until it is 100% peer reviewed and perfected isn’t a living tradition. Instead, it is holding you back.  You can enjoy culture, objects, and efforts from those of your family who weren’t Pagan and still be Pagan today without worrying about filling in any gap. You should start practicing and believing now.
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BY Hammer and Vajra