Eibhlìn NicCollamy yearly Samhain turnip carving! I was going for terrifying but it turned out adorable.
Samhain sona dhuibh!
I believe that souls pass over and over again from this world to the Otherworld and back again, and that as our souls get older, we accrue more wisdom. I believe that the souls of the animals are older than the souls of humans, who haven’t yet learned to live in harmony like the animals do. I believe that the souls of the ants and worms and trees and stones are the oldest souls of all. The oldest, wisest, and most humble.
ÞrumíviðjaI'm an ecologist and having a career in that field has made a huge mark on my polytheist practice. I know pagans tend to be a bit crunchy by nature, but my education and training inform the way I see the world and that includes my religious ideology.
I'm not living in ancient or even modern Iceland, or Sweden, or Poland, or Scotland. I tend to focus on local plant and animal life and how they tie into my views on gods related to fertility, the land, and the seasons. Bird migrations inform my shifts in seasonal practice. I see Freyja in my local red-tailed hawks. Óðinn in the common ravens on campus. I know when to expect thunder storms and give to þórr ahead of time, while giving to Freyr during the milder rainy season. When crocus bulbs begin to pop up they tell me we're entering Spring and to thank Mokosz. An Cailleach blows in with the first frost.
One of course doesn't need to be a scientist to be keyed in like this, I know plenty of pagans who are not and are just as keyed in. For me though it's second nature, no pun intended. Having a localized practice brings me closer to the gods in a way that makes sense to me. It also informs how I interact with the land wights, making sure to leave offerings safe for local plants and animals when outdoors. It's brought me into the flow of life around me and I'm at grateful for it.
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