Welcome to today’s episode of “random Heathen thoughts”. Today’s episode is called;
Heathenry is like being Goth.
Let me explain. I saw a post on Threads where someone said that Heathenry is a lifestyle and you should be thinking of the Gods basically 24/7. As someone who is Goth, let me use that as an allegory for being Heathen.
The Goth subculture is primarily a music subculture, that cannot be removed or replaced. It is the core. You need to know and/or listen to the music - this typically starts with the OGs like the Cure or Sisters of Mercy. In Heathenry, the Gods are part of the core of the religion. They cannot be replaced.
HOWEVER, THAT’S JUST THE STARTING GATE. While the Goth subculture is primarily a music subculture, there’s also several other things adopted into it - Gothic literature, architecture, fashion, movies, video games. There are several activities and pastimes in the subculture too - going to Goth clubs, visiting cemeteries, walking in the light of the moon, etc. The same goes for Heathenry.
The Gods are a crucial part of it, but there’s a LOT more to Heathenry than just them. There’s ancestor worship, land spirits, fair folk and their kin, and so on. These other areas are what completes Heathenry; it’s not just about worship of the Gods.
Also; someone DOES NOT need to listen to Goth music 24/7 to be Goth. They can listen to whatever the flying fuck they want - if at the core of it they engage with the Goth subculture and its music, they’re Goth. End of. Same goes for Heathenry.
You can’t do big shit all the time, and other things will take priority in your mind. That’s just life, that’s OK. What matters most is when you find a small moment when there’s nothing else pressing on you, and you feel like thinking about the Gods you worship or doing something small in honour of them, allow yourself to do it. You’re not “making an appointment”, as that Threads user put it, by finding a small moment to check in when you can. It’s like returning to the OGs of Goth music; it’s always there. It’s not fading away or vanishing anytime soon.
But, most importantly; Heathenry and Goth are at their best when it’s not forced. When you’re not forcing yourself to act because “you’ve not doing something in a while”. If you are part of the lifestyle, then just the act of breathing is expressing that, and in the case of Heathenry can be a devotional act all on its own.
Heathenry is a lifestyle, yes, but it is at its best when you’re not being forced into a role but rather doing it of your own volition. It’s OK if you can only find one moment a day, that’s enough when you consider how hectic life can be. And even if you think something can’t be spun as a devotional act, chances are it can.
For example; I’ve been playing through Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005), a game I played in my childhood but never finished. I’ve been reliving the adrenaline, the excitement, the tension and focus. I can - and in writing this post, do - devote this to Narvi and Vali. I’m literally letting my inner child come out to play while playing the game, going back to those familiar feelings of excitement and awe. Each time I boot up the game, each success and failure can be a devotional act to them as I’m getting myself further in the game than younger me ever got the chance to.
It’s that simple. Don’t make yourself wear a mask just cause someone else doesn’t approve or disagrees; the only people whose opinion matters is your own and the Gods’. If you’re both OK, then continue as you are.
