Doubtless there are very few here on civilized standard time frame substack who want to hear that the new religion is already here, has been here, and is right under everyone's noses.
Much to the distress of many, its only moderately acceptable, and often embraces an informed, prechristian stance.
An undisclosed aspect of this religion is the reality of trance, a participatory involvement of altered states, an exploration, in a supported environment that so many erroneously just write off as emotion.
I doubt there is anyone else on Substack pointing this out. I doubt there is anyone here even willing to admit it, because it sure throws a monkeywrench into all those lofty plans for a revamped christianity, a topic which seems inordinately popular here on Substack.
Whatever.
For those with eyes to see there are many parallels that can be drawn. Perhaps I will do so in a future piece, perhaps not. Regardless, the phenomenon is now documented, and unlike Ivory Tower ruminations-very real.
It is only natural to view the man in light of the work, yet I think one can see the man as a figure making his way through abrahamic society, and the work as something else. Much has been made, probably correctly, concerning Tolkien's public views. I submit that such views were taken out of convenience, a choosing of one's battles, so to speak, as the public views were often unimaginatively in line with prevailing thought.
The work itself is on a completely different level, a completely different state of consciousness. Tolkien in my view took our pre-christian heritage ,and with respect, with wonder he reflected it back to us in a way that allowed us to see the magic and power of our ancestry.
For a people forced into guilt and shame, made to embrace the hatreds of others as valid, driven into a series of barbaric simpleton views advanced by an illegitimate authority, this meant, and still means the world.
I wrote an article called "Tolkien and the Aryans" which covers views he expressed in his letters. I am a major Tolkien fan, and do not begrudge him his views, but he truly is a sort of case-study on creative Europeans of his era. He is not the only one who was on one hand gripped by pagan tradition and mythology, and on the other trapped by abrahamic control.
FYI, substack has been working rather poorly for me lately, especially the notes and comment sections. I saw others complaining too.
I have noticed it - and I support it. Christianity failed the west, and we will try a myriad of routes before falling back towards esoteric cults, exoteric religions, and pre-Christian tradition. My main gripe is that there aren't enough well-intentioned, well-informed folkish pagans taking battle to the seemingly more popular universalist semi-Christian pagans. I will say this though: only the AFA (Asatru Folk Assembly) has multiple hofs in America and Europe, only the AFA has a haeminga that is upheld every month with blots and rituals on the holy days. The universalist pagans are mostly on the Internet.
We will see what comes from all of this. I was a devout Christian, but it's not a sustainable system today. Many more will walk away, only to find or create something new. Something that better encapsulates our current folkish spirit.
Great article, and even greater content matter. I think I'm one of the few folkish pagans on Substack advocating for ancestral reverence, and deeper understanding of our Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age pagan ancestors.
Ah, Tolkien! The man who loved paganism so much he wrote a pagan world that gripped the hearts of Europeans - a man who hated paganism so much that he denied the genetic reality of the Indo-European migrations! What a prime example of a European man who *wants* to be pagan, but cannot let himself because it's "fantasy" or "crude".
Well my second comment was supposed to connect to Aidans comment here. It was a response to his observations on Tolkien. Annoying, that it didn't appear in the correct order.
Doubtless there are very few here on civilized standard time frame substack who want to hear that the new religion is already here, has been here, and is right under everyone's noses.
Much to the distress of many, its only moderately acceptable, and often embraces an informed, prechristian stance.
An undisclosed aspect of this religion is the reality of trance, a participatory involvement of altered states, an exploration, in a supported environment that so many erroneously just write off as emotion.
I doubt there is anyone else on Substack pointing this out. I doubt there is anyone here even willing to admit it, because it sure throws a monkeywrench into all those lofty plans for a revamped christianity, a topic which seems inordinately popular here on Substack.
Whatever.
For those with eyes to see there are many parallels that can be drawn. Perhaps I will do so in a future piece, perhaps not. Regardless, the phenomenon is now documented, and unlike Ivory Tower ruminations-very real.
It is only natural to view the man in light of the work, yet I think one can see the man as a figure making his way through abrahamic society, and the work as something else. Much has been made, probably correctly, concerning Tolkien's public views. I submit that such views were taken out of convenience, a choosing of one's battles, so to speak, as the public views were often unimaginatively in line with prevailing thought.
The work itself is on a completely different level, a completely different state of consciousness. Tolkien in my view took our pre-christian heritage ,and with respect, with wonder he reflected it back to us in a way that allowed us to see the magic and power of our ancestry.
For a people forced into guilt and shame, made to embrace the hatreds of others as valid, driven into a series of barbaric simpleton views advanced by an illegitimate authority, this meant, and still means the world.
I wrote an article called "Tolkien and the Aryans" which covers views he expressed in his letters. I am a major Tolkien fan, and do not begrudge him his views, but he truly is a sort of case-study on creative Europeans of his era. He is not the only one who was on one hand gripped by pagan tradition and mythology, and on the other trapped by abrahamic control.
FYI, substack has been working rather poorly for me lately, especially the notes and comment sections. I saw others complaining too.
I will have to read it, thx.
I have noticed it - and I support it. Christianity failed the west, and we will try a myriad of routes before falling back towards esoteric cults, exoteric religions, and pre-Christian tradition. My main gripe is that there aren't enough well-intentioned, well-informed folkish pagans taking battle to the seemingly more popular universalist semi-Christian pagans. I will say this though: only the AFA (Asatru Folk Assembly) has multiple hofs in America and Europe, only the AFA has a haeminga that is upheld every month with blots and rituals on the holy days. The universalist pagans are mostly on the Internet.
We will see what comes from all of this. I was a devout Christian, but it's not a sustainable system today. Many more will walk away, only to find or create something new. Something that better encapsulates our current folkish spirit.
Great article, and even greater content matter. I think I'm one of the few folkish pagans on Substack advocating for ancestral reverence, and deeper understanding of our Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age pagan ancestors.
Ah, Tolkien! The man who loved paganism so much he wrote a pagan world that gripped the hearts of Europeans - a man who hated paganism so much that he denied the genetic reality of the Indo-European migrations! What a prime example of a European man who *wants* to be pagan, but cannot let himself because it's "fantasy" or "crude".
That Amon Amarth song is great.
Well my second comment was supposed to connect to Aidans comment here. It was a response to his observations on Tolkien. Annoying, that it didn't appear in the correct order.