Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Happily Heathen: The Apples And Oranges Of Heathen Spirituality – Lore or Experience?

Happily Heathen: The Apples And Oranges Of Heathen Spirituality – Lore or Experience?

Last updated on: January 8, 2016 at 11:31 pm by Cara Freyasdaughter

Happily Heathen: The Apples And Oranges Of Heathen Spirituality – Lore or Experience? 2016-01-08T23:31:57+00:00 Cara Freyasdaughter

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Something that has been coming up a lot for me in my personal musings on spirituality this past year is the disconnect between theory and practice: what one thinks, in theory, a deity should or shouldn’t be doing, and what it is that deity actually does. Scholarship vs. individual experience–who will win?

Answer: If this becomes an either/or battle, no one does.

“Nuts, Apples & Oranges” by Zeynel Cebeci – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The disconnect in Heathen discussions between what one studies and what one experiences was crystallized for me a few months ago in an online discussion I had with another Heathen. The hot-button topic of godspouses had come up, and this person dismissed those people who had this kind of relationship with a deity as being “in denial” (or something similar). As I actually know quite a few godspouses who, as far as I can tell, are neither in denial nor crazy, I disagreed with his statement. We went through a few short rounds of polite, respectful debate (on an online forum; gasp!) before agreeing to disagree and move on.

There was no a specific point that this person made that that stuck out to me; it was that he stated that his opinion was based on academic research into ancient Greek philosophies and many different religions. (Stay with me here! I’ll explain.)

Now, I am all for researching ancient philosophies and comparing religions. I believe my own personal philosophies and spiritual views have benefited quite a bit from various classes and such that I have taken over the years (I did get a minor in comparative religion and a almost-minor in philosophy in undergrad, after all). And, with this particular example, in various cultures over the years there have been numerous examples of what today we would call godspousery—including the modern-day Catholic nuns. However, it was this person’s emphasis on his study vs their experiences that hit home. Of course! I thought. We are never going to agree. We’re discussing apples and oranges. When it comes to a topic such as spiritual beliefs and experiences, which by necessity is based on subjective experiences, how can we value one at the expense of the other?

An example of another place in Heathenry where this type of disconnect takes place can be seen in the ongoing discussions of whether Freya and Frigga are one and the same deity. Some people argue that they are two different deities; some argue that they are just localized versions the same underlying Nordic queen/mother goddess. On an academic level, convincing arguments could really be made either way. The truth is that there is just not enough surviving Lore about either goddess (or any of the goddesses, really) to prove for certain either way.

a multi-panel meme depicting a fight between Freya and Frigga over for whom the day Friday is named. At the end, Frey ignores them and wishes everyone a sexy "Frey's Day."

Not cool, Bro / Artist(s) Unknown / Meme via Roflbot

“Odin and Frigga by Harry George Theaker 1920” by Harry George Theaker, illustrator – http://www.germanicmythology.com/works/THEAKERART1920.html. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Experimentally, though, what I can say is that They feel very different. To me, Frigga feels very motherly and strong, yet also restrained and calm–a cool cucumber who can take on Odin’s vast intellect and intrigues, knows all that He knows, and be able to pull one over on Him when She decides to. Freya, however, feels passionate and lusty, fiery and emotional, mysterious and inspiring, yet also very loving and nurturing in Her way. Their energy feels to me like water running from two different faucets–one runs hot where the other runs cool. Neither is bad; they are just different.

Is there anything like the differences in how They “feel” that I describe here mentioned in the Lore? Not really. Though I can’t really speak to the Frigga side of things, having talked with many other people who have experienced Freya, both brief experiences and long-term relationships with Her, I can say that it’s a common modern experience to experience the passionate and fiery sides of Her as well as the nurturing sides, and that pretty much everyone I’ve talked to reports that She’s really focused on helping people understand and accept their individual beauty and worth. Does it tell us in the Lore that She is called on my women to help them love and accept themselves? No. (We are told by Snorri that “She is ever beloved by wicked women,” though, in my mind, that’s not exactly the same thing.)

“Freya and the Dwarves by Harry George Theaker 1920” by Harry George Theaker, illustrator – http://www.germanicmythology.com/works/THEAKERART1920.html. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

(And, somewhat of a rant–It’s also similar to the experience I sometimes get with a person who has done amount of some academic research on Freya–or poorly-footnoted wiki versions thereof–who comes to me to tell me What She’s Really Like, because clearly I am some gullible and unread person who only talks to a disembodied voice in my head. These people tend to be the same people who go on to tell me that Freya’s just a slut, and that her husband, Odr, left her to punish Her for screwing around with dwarves. At which point, I don’t know whether I should be more offended for me or for my Goddess. Not that it really matters in the long run because, seriously, good luck getting Her help in your next love affair, dude. But, I digress.)

This is not to say that we should accept unquestioningly everything that people say about their deities. It’s more about finding the balance between drawing on the the scholarship and listening to the experiences in order for our faiths to grow and thrive. For that balance to happen, a level of discernment is definitely necessary. Ember Cooke of the EmberVoices: Listening for the Vanir blog has a great article on how to start the process of discernment when dealing with your own and other people’s unverified personal gnosis (UPG).

For a religion to thrive, followers should be supported when they have their own spiritual experiences. Not every believer is going to have Big Intense Spiritual Experiences, nor do they need to, but should that happen, there needs to be room for discussions, and room for the religion to possibly change and grow as a result. Otherwise, it devolves into mere philosophy or tradition. Useful and interesting, yes; but not spiritually fulfilling in of themselves. That’s what I’m here for, anyway: spiritual connection and fulfillment–your mileage may vary.

Click here to like
Patheos Pagan on Facebook.

Click here to like
the Agora on Facebook

Happily Heathen is posted on alternate Fridays here at the Agora. Subscribe by RSS or e-mail!

Please use the links to the right to keep on top of activities here on the Agora as well as across the entire Patheos Pagan channel.

Columns

Community

Happily Heathen

Theology, Ethics, Philosophy

unverified personal gnosis

UPG

Previous Post

January 6, 2016

Dandelion Seeds: The Baltic and Slavic Earth Mother

Next Post

January 9, 2016 The Path of She: Three Simple Words That Can Change Everything: Life is Good

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I denied my Lord three times before dawn broke and a bird announced the morning. What creature's cry fulfilled the prophecy?

Select your answer to see how you score.

An eagle A rooster A dove A raven