Something must be made abundantly clear:
The gods are not interested in the color of your skin. They are not interested in your heritage. They don’t play favorites over your wealth, your ability, your sexual orientation, your gender identity, or any other divisions.
But humans do. Humans care enough to kill over it.
Humans are petty. Not just in their self-centeredness, but in their literal smallness.
Gods are bigger than us. Gods know better than us. They’re not interested in the arbitrary lines that folkists and fascists draw, and that they enforce through violence.
They’re interested in your devotion and service. Faith in Heathenry is a gifting cycle. When you have something to offer, they have much to offer you.
Thor is the defender of humanity and civilization from the wild forces of nature. Of course, this means the division between creeping weeds and cultivated vegetable gardens, wild wolves and tame goats. But this also means the division, within ourselves, between base instinct and self-control. Thor is a man of justice.
Odin is a collector of wisdom. And of course this means study and knowledge for knowledge’s sake. But it also means critical thinking, skillful debate, good judgement and getting through the world on your own merits. If all you have going for you is some bullshit notion of purity (which Odin himself doesn’t even possess–none of the gods do!), you have nothing to offer him.
Loki is attributed with chaos, but we forget that his real forte is balance, and that the changes he brings consistently lead to improvement. When oaths are broken, he will be the one who takes you to task. When people try to weasel their way out of the consequences of their actions, he will bring them. Loki stands by the marginalized.
Sigyn epitomizes not only loyalty but the strong sense of justice we all must have. Her suffering has been vast. She is magnificent in her grace. She stands by those of us labeled as degenerate, unworthy of life, and disposable, as her children and husband were. So too, should we stand by her, and the rest of those who are at risk.
I do not worship every god in the Norse pantheon, and the ones I do I may not worship consistently. But they all have something to offer. Hopefully I do, too.
And I have, from day one, been furious at how my faith, which has brought so many good things to my life, has been bastardized, exploited and damaged so badly that I cannot exercise it openly. I am furious that I have to choose between having spaces where I can practice my faith with others and isolating myself and the people I care about from Literal Fucking Nazis. The only kindred that will take me in my area is run by a tribalist who, at the time, had a swastika as his cover photo. This is personal. It is as much our responsibility to take them to task as anyone else. Similarly, it is just as much our responsibility to protect other vulnerable people as it is for anyone else.
Protest is prayer.
Falkabarn 