Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Bad Heathens' LiveJournal:

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Thursday, December 9th, 2010
1:55 pm [witchofnovember]	Autocorrect. If you leave off the c in cookies on your iPhone, the first autocorrect suggestion is Loki. Just thought you'd like to know. Current Mood: mischievous (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 6th, 2010
2:05 pm [witchofnovember]	The proper use of Thor's hammer Summer before last I found a small sledge that looks remarkably like a Thor's hammer. I'm now using it to chop chocolate and mash peppermints for fudge. So Thor's men and women, do you think he'd approve? Current Mood: artistic (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
12:46 pm [lwood]	Book Signing with dpaxson in Seattle! In association with erynn999, Diana and I proudly present: something to do this Saturday night! Diana Paxson (dpaxson, author of Taking Up the Runes, Essential Asatru, Trance-Portation, and a stack of fiction books as long as your arm, will be at Edge of the Circle Books in Seattle THIS SATURDAY, October 16th, from 4-6 PM for a book signing. Whoever's left standing at the end of the affair will help us decide where we're going for dinner--a pubmoot may well break out! Have there been any stories that we wouldn't tell you because "you'd have to get us drunk"? This may be your chance! dpaxson has been a strong influence in modern paganism and heathenry for over twenty years, involved in organizations at all levels. Currently, she serves as Clergy Coordinator for The Troth, as well as editing its magazine Idunna and substantiative contributor to Our Troth. On the local (San Francisco Bay Area) scene, she runs the open heathen group Hrafnar as well too many other things to list here. Our apologies for the short notice! I hope you'll be able to join us. -- Lorrie [x-posted to: personal journal, asatruar Current Mood: bouncy (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
2:19 pm [hildico]	silly question Shana Tova! שנה טובה! But when is our New Year? (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, September 6th, 2010
11:12 pm [witchofnovember]	Tyr and Odin I am an Odinswoman, warrior, bard and witch. But sometimes I wonder if I am also a Tyrswoman. I love law and the Constitution more than I love the gods and a close second to how much I love my family. I took an oath to protect the Constitution and even though the military almost killed me I still hold that oath in my heart. I love honor and justice, especially in warriors. Odin can be a right bastard when it comes to things like collateral damage and bending the rules to suit his wants. Tyr doesn't. Tyr pays the price when Odin breaks his word. Current Mood: contemplative (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
8:24 pm [witchofnovember]	Dreams of bad heathens What does it mean to dream about meeting Odin in a laundromat? Current Mood: weird (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
10:00 pm [isericat]	Banishing violent spirits. I'm just wondering randomly and I guess its good for me to know - should I ever encounter violent spirits, one that can hurt you or your love ones by making objects such as vases or so, fall from high places etc etc. How do we banish them? I mean the Christians have holy water and crosses and all, what do we use? I'm just asking because I am a magnet for paranormal things, even though I don't do ANYTHING and my worse fear is to face a violent entity in my house O_O''''''''''' It has happened to a friend's nana who was babysitting one night and a vase fell from a very high shelf..... Current Mood: scared (14 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
8:09 pm [hildico]	Strange dreams? I'm not really an "active" Heathen. I don't do much in the way of blótting or even being that honorable. I've only dabbled ever-so-lightly in runes and not even a little bit in seidhr. I just believe in the Aesir. This makes sense to me, as my patron is Baldur (and his brother) and thus not "active" Gods--not implying that they're "passive", but rather, that they're, well, dead. Since 2005 I have been having dreams about the Aesir. Sometimes I actually see them in my dreams, but usually I just know that they're there, perhaps just out of sight. I have them about two or three times a year. They're different than my usual dreams, which are flying and sex and purely random dreams, like everybody gets. They aren't nightmares, though I'm usually fairly disturbed when I wake up. ( a few samples of this strangeness ) They're just dreams (right?) but they're starting to freak me out a little. I mean, I straight-up asked for proof back in 2005, and literally that same night I started having these dreams. Same exact fucking night. I've looked into the significance of dreams in the Germanic tradition and have found out a lot about prophetic dreams, but I don't feel like I have those; I'm actually skeptical that prophetic dreams even happen (to people at least). What's going on here? Do I just have an overactive imagination? Does anyone else have dreams about the Aesir? Like, weird ones? I'd go on asatruar to ask for a larger sample size but I'm kind of scared of that community. I'm actually a little scared here, too--don't laugh at me, you guys. :( (29 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
6:51 pm [winterlion]	Bad heathen, researching I've been rather doubly a bad heathen of late - I've been diving more and more into reading histories trying to make sense of "what was" and how it leads to now - as well as exploring Saami and Siberian cultures (both of whom had contact) to try to understand "missing bits". In my defence I've been trying to learn some of the Sagas in the Norse, as my broken Dutch and German seem to be helping. Some questions, just to rile things up a bit. - How are folks on seeing similarities between the Shamans (Siberia) and Seiðr? (or even with the Saami) - For me, it's looking like the move towards trade and the challenge of it was a natural move away from war, historically. The move to war was associated with the rise of Odin, what would this be? - We seem to be moving away from trade/consumption as "core values of culture". Slowly. Any ideas on this? :) Perhaps I've been reading too much casual archaeology online. Cheers! (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
10:18 pm [witchofnovember]	Accusations of Racism I haven't been accused of anything yet, mostly because I wear my liberal bleeding heart on my sleeve, but I worry. I worry that somebody will recognize the Valknut I wear from the Anti-Defamation League's catalog of racist symbols and call me to task. And I have a speech all prepared for the day. Does anybody else do that? (Mine is a nut shell is "You can't honor your ancestors by dissing other people's. Your wyrd is shaped by your situation, your character and your luck. And by the turn of that luck today's king is tomorrow's thrall.") (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
4:19 pm [novelog]	Diverging Views of Government, Tyr pagan_prompt: Arguing with Gods In a recent psychological study found that people tended to project their own moral and political opinions onto the divine. The study focused mostly on American Christians however and one wonders what the results may be in Pagan circles. So for today's prompt: Do you agree with your Primary Patron/Matron (or a generalized image of the divine) on all ethical or political issues? What differences, if any, do you see yourself having in opinion with your deity? (if you need some specific issues to focus on the study in question asked about opinions on abortion, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, the death penalty, the Iraq War, and the legalisation of marijuana). I share a patron god with Dan Halloran, the Theodsman who was recently elected to City Council in Queens and the first "open" pagan to have ascended public office. While we both turn to Tyr, we have wildly divergent views of government and economics. As a Libertarian, Mr. Halloran sees the best government role to be a nonexistent one, while I take issue with that, seeing the individual as being subject to, and a major part of, governance (who else would Tyr have lorded over, but man?). Unfortunately, we cannot realistically revert back to the tribal system of government, so we have to make due with what we have. As for capitalism, or at least, laissez-faire capitalism, I need only point to the fact that Tyr sacrificed his hand to bind Fenris. Where was the profit there? I would argue that he made an enormous sacrifice (some seeing this act as an abdication of sovereignty, given the fact that Odin replaced Tyr as the supreme deity at some point in time), and that the honorable person would follow this example. It is not about the individual, but rather about the tribe: the community, the greater good. I would be really interested in hearing Mr. Halloran's point of view, and where in the lore he justifies how he believes. Granted, he might be on a closer wavelength to Tyr than I am mystically (not having that gift, myself), but I haven't been set straight the way other deities have intervened on affronting situations. I could go on at great lengths about this issue, but I think this crystallizes my main disagreements with the "mainstream" beliefs about Asatru. Comments? Repudiations? I'd like to hear what others think on the matter. (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 13th, 2009
3:16 pm [sanglupa]	Power Trip This was inspired by, and to some degree ganked from, a post by shadowthorne I have several questions about the nature of power. I'm interested in your opinions on the subject. 1. How do you define "power"? 2. Is there something inherently divisive about power? 3. Are those who seek power destined to experience a certain amount of isolation, as mystics and writers do? 4. How do you feel about the romanticization of power? What about the vilification of power? 5. Do you believe people should reach for power? 6. Do you believe a group of individuals who all fully express their power is doomed to fall apart? 7. On the same token, do you believe it is possible for a group to reach for power and NOT fall apart, instead maintaining unity? ( My views ) Current Mood: artistic (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
6:58 pm [freyasman]	Hello! My Introduction Hello! I was allowed into this community today and am very grateful. (Thank you Maintainers!) Even though it looks like this community has been quiet for a while I look forward to participating. I've already enjoyed reading previous posts and look forward to new ones. I think "badheathens" are cool. Although I do have to say that after reading previous posts, it seems to me some of you here aren't all that bad! You're cool anyway.  I enjoy respectful, thought-provoking dialog and hope to make some new friends here. Here are a few reasons I think I am a "badheathen": I write (Neo) Heathen rather than Heathen but am fine with hose who write Heathen. I’m not (Neo) Heathen but I am Vanatru. I have nothing to do with Odin or the Aesir but don't have a problem with those who do. I’m not religious but I’m wed to Freyja and dedicated to Freyr. It's okay with me if others are religious. I sometimes roll my eyes when I read Old Norse or Anglo-Saxon words in what others write. Sometimes it comes off to me as the literary equivalent to putting on period costumes. I am very happy in the US and have no longing to go to Northern Europe to somehow be closer to my goddess and god. Freyja and Freyr are present right here. I read the Eddas and other lore as one who is Vanatru. That means I read them in the same way I watch SEC Football. Just as I watch SEC football as one who is fiercely loving and loyal to the Georgia Bulldogs, I read the Eddas and other lore as one who is fiercely loving and loyal to the Vanir. Just as my view of SEC football games is seriously biased in favor of the Dawgs, so my reading of the Eddas and other lore is seriously biased in favor of the Vanir. I have given you a fair warning. I think that there is no mythology of the Vanir only a mythology of the Aesir that contains references to the Vanir. I created a list of 25 Common Misconceptions about the Vanir in which I interpret Aesiric Mythology in a very eccentric way. Hey, it makes sense to me. Again, I am biased in favor of the Vanir and own my bias. I think that the concept of UPG is UPG. Take some time and let the idea go off in your brain. If you have to ask what I mean, you probably don’t get it. ;-) GIve it time. I have to say I actually learned some important things from Edred Thorsson’s Witchdom of the True and books on the Runes. I’m not a hard polytheist. I’m a polytheistic monist- or at least that's my best attempt so far to label my experience. Try that in a group of”good” (Neo) Heathens. That’s probably enough for now. Again, I am happy to be here and look forward to participationg. I hope I can stay. Thanks! (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
7:37 pm [witchofnovember]	Dedication to Odin. It's been a few years since I started thinking that ravens were talking to me. And I've been nibbling around the edges of admitting I was being drawn to Odin. This weekend I took the step of buying and wearing a Valknut. I'll see where that leads... (17 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
11:28 am [witchofnovember]	I'm writing and my heroine is getting ready to invoke Huninn and Muninn. Since it's fiction and I get to do whatever I want, they will show up and answer her questions in typically Ravenesquely vague fashion. What would you, my Heathen friends, include in your invocation of Ravens, crows and other corvids? If it matters it's a Batman story and the witch in question want to know how to handle Scarecrow. Current Mood: creative (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
12:32 am [witchofnovember]	Thinking too hard, too late at night. I am a bad heathen and a worse ritualist. My idea of a blott is to buy and extra order of chicken nuggets for the crows. I tend to pray in the shower. Part of it is that I have this vision of a conversation with Odin. Me: Great Odin, smite mine enemies and make them tremble in their piss filled boots. Odin: Okay. Where's you spear. Me: Haven't got one. Odin: Scrub the rust of your axe. Me: can't find it. It's in the garage some place. Odin: Tell me you've at least called a lawyer. Hitman? Me: Uhmm. Odin: Oh forget it. I'm not a warrior- I might have been one once. I'm not a skald- oh I can write, but face to face I choke and snivel. I'm not a seithr- I don't know where to begin. But today I promise to try. There's got to be something around here I can arm myself with. Current Mood: exanimate (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 8th, 2009
11:24 pm [sanglupa]	Lokean commandments Just a quick update- awhile back, I had posted some Lokean writings by an unnamed woman. The woman is now named!Nikitanopants is personally responsible for the Lokean Commandments and Loki's Creation story. Current Mood: cheerful (Comment on this)
9:42 am [zaftgirl]	Where did we all went? O_O I'm sure this place isn't dead, just yet!!! *hears crickets chirping away* T_T.................... In any case~ I'm the new girl here ^.~ I'm generally Odin's though I also pay attention to Frigga and Eir but lately I've been quite drawn towards Baldr for reasons I do not really know. I guess you could call me a bad heathen because ........because........I will get back to you guys on that one actually. -.-....... Its barely 10 in the morning here and I'm rambling away here. ~.~ I must be darn depressed with my life LOL!! Anyways, I'm sure we'll get along fine. O_O I think. *scared* Current Mood: depressed (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
3:42 pm [bellacrow]	I got a message today that we have lost a Houser (Tamson House member) and fellow Heathen this month ;-( Gillian,teapot_farm has died. Her sister is sending a message to those on her Flist. akaren6_077 also posted her message to everyone here: http://akaren6-077.livejournal.com/5506.html?mode=reply (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008
4:03 pm [eosin]	Asgard HS Last night, scinnlaeca and I were talking about some of the social misbehavior we've seen in Heathenry. In particular, a lot of stuff looks like typical High School antics. Then it hit me--it is High School, Asgard High! ;) Some people never grew up from the roles they had at that time. Let's look at the examples. BTW, the roles are so obvious that I don't need to mention any names, their own deeds and behavior speak for themselves. First, we have the meat-headed jocks. Grunting, fighting, anti-intellectual, and proudly alcoholic. Sneers at gentler, more thoughtful ways of looking at things or interacting with people. Next, we have the Beavis & Butthead dorks. Also anti-intellectual, and non-violent, but strips everything down to 'cool' and 'sucks'. May break or burn things just to alleviate boredom. We have the socially-entangled drama queens. Catty, gossipy, making up and/or expanding rumors for the excitement of spreading a bigger tale. More concerned with social status than with decent behavior. There are the nerds, of which there are different varieties. There are library nerds with overflowing vocabularies and philosophy, math and chess nerds obsessed with process, and gamer nerds who are more concerned with character interaction than social improvement. Of course, there are the bullies. Often with obedient flunkies, they make both implied and direct threats, and focus on people physically weaker than themselves. Likes putting others down directly, rather than the indirect drama queen approach. There are the overly preppy types. Image and status conscious, but more focused on looking good and becoming class president than in things like spreading rumors. They always look friendly, but with some that can be deceiving. We have the rockers. Generic glam-rock image, often in a garage band that plays badly but blithely. Boasts about themselves or their icons, but has no patience for those outside their little world. There are the punks. Not quite fitting into the other roles, their rebellion becomes their reason for living, rebellion for its own sake. May have wild hair or clothes, but it's their behavior that sets them apart from other roles, while alienating other people. Then there are the angsty goths. Morose and dark, overly concerned with the hopelessness of a group, a goal, or even life itself. Often dressing in dark clothes, but mainly defined by the insistence of doom in everything. I'm sure that you'll recognize these roles among several people in Heathenry (and even paganism in general). The good news is that life isn't limited to the High School experience, and one can grow as a person beyond these limitations and behaviors. Current Mood: amused (4 Comments |Comment on this)