Resources for a Blessing a Baby

I am working hard at putting together a baby blessing ceremony for my son. The ceremony is entirely created by us but we will be pulling from some prayers, poems, and methods we've found on Heathen, Northern Pagan Trad, Pagan, Wiccan, and other baby blessing sites. I thought I would share those resources I am using here. I will go in more depth about the ceremony later.

Resources

Pregnancy & Birth in the North Tradition (I mostly just glimpsed through here as my son will be a day away from his first birthday at his ceremony)

Northern Pagan Tradition Blessing for a Newborn
Frigga Goddess of Mothers (prayer)
Frigga Plea to the All-Mother (prayer)
Frigga To Mother in My Fear (prayer)
Prayer to Nerthus to Bless a Pregnancy
Njord Ritual to Bless a Father to be

For Mothers who have lost a child - Sigyn Mother of Rokkr


Blessing for a Heathen Child

30 Days of Frigga Day 13 Modern Problems

What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart?

Galina Krasskova put forward a really good question of - Do the deities care about modern cultural issues? Should they? Is it really any of their problem the mess we create for ourselves down here?
Thats a good question for another time.

Mothers and children in need (of care, protection, food, medical aid, etc) in general.
I'm a particular fan of making crochet caps for premies in NICU as, I've read, many devotees of Frigga do.

Spirit of Place: Honoring Our Land Wights

The sacredness of our world has been hard on my mind lately. We are cutting down trees and breaking ground on our land so that we can get the foundation of part of our building laid before the ground freezes. I often stress over what the spirits of this land think of our disturbing their place. On one hand I am very excited about the whole situation, having never had a home of my own before now. On the other, am I committing tree homicide for such a petty reason as we cannot currently afford a ready-made home.
So where does that leave me? Am I therefore a bad person?
I'm sure many pagans think so. I'm already a killer in the eyes of the vegetarians and vegans in the local witchy groups. I have already attributed to the human overpopulation by having a child. I see these accusations and the anger behind them even when they aren't directed at me by name. So we shall add tree-killer and local eco-system destroyer to the list.

That all being said, our ancestors who honored place and Gods and spirits had to have ways of balancing the need to build homes with honoring the spirits of the place they are building in.
I think of this as I take my son out for a walk. How can I honor the spirit of the place where we plan to live out much of the rest of our lives? Can I explain my intentions of creating a garden and horgr and grove after we build? Will that be enough?

With all of this in mind as I push our stroller down the road towards the end circle, I noticed trash all along the way. Grimacing at the cold-coffee cans, beer labels, paper and chip bags and candy-bar wrappers, I figured I would start now. I turned around, went home, and grabbed a paper towel and a garbage baggie. Returning to our walk, I stopped every few feet and collected trash.

At first I grumbled - there is no reason there should be this much garbage on the side of this road. It is a residential area that ends in a circle, meaning no through-traffic. So all of this garbage was littered by people who actually live here. My grumbling went on to thinking of the manicured lawns as green and chemical laden as golf courses in front of these houses. Out abutting neighbors had the nerve to ask us about cutting down trees that were, previously, creating a visual barrier between our land and theirs and yet they have hardly a tree on their whole lot and take every precaution against weeds and saplings.

As a car passed and a neighbor waved at me while I picked up another candy wrapper, I smiled and took a deep breath. I had to change my attitude now or I would only build the whole situation up as a bad deal all around.
Instead, in my breathing and picking up trash, I tried my best to emanate a vibe of courtesy and openness. I sang to my son who grinned at every stop and even waved at trees or things in the trees I was not seeing. I turned my task from one of grudging labor to an offering to the spirits there and the land. I offered my care and work to make this area cleaner and free of human waste.
After this, I made note of other ways we are and can contribute to the land.

• Avoid using chemicals for pesticides and herbicides. 
• Planting local wild flowers on the banks by the road rather than attempting to keep a pristine lawn. 
• Repurpose the wood, rock, and dirt we remove and use it in other places on the land. 
• Nothing is going to waste, nothing is done without thought. 
• Even my husband, before cutting down trees, stands among them for a long moment, meditating. He shares with the trees and the land his intentions and gives thanks to them for providing shelter, heat, or the base for his craft as some of the birch here will be dried and used in his woodwork making bowls, pipes, mortars and pestles, statuary, and more. 

I'm sure some people will think this isn't enough. I am open to other ideas. This is simply a step on the path.

Heathen Community, Race, and Gender Constructs

The notorious AFA is at it again...

When I initially read this post on a friend Lee's feed (note, my friend shared an article that spoke out against racism in the Heathen community and this was the picture that showed up in the share that I reacted to) I wasn't sure what to say only that I was reeling from the bs I read.
Someone who is also friends with Lee replied to my response asking if I was "Triggered?" then "Why? Do you equate pride in one's heritage to be racist? Or only when white people do it?"
Before I comment on the topic of racism I want to share the last part of our conversation on Lee's feed:

Me Also, I'd like to add that MY statements had nothing initially to do with race, Dennis, yours did. What triggered me, in fact, was the statement about gender more than race. I find it interesting how triggered you seem. Not to try a stir things up but I did want to make it clear that i found this particular part of the commentary interesting.
Dennis There was a statement of gender in this particular discussion? I missed that. I thought this whole thread was about race. What did I miss?
Me "The AFA believe that gender is not a social construct" is a statement in the picture I commented on and the statement goes on. This was what I was initially responding to.
Lee Perfect example of such confusion. Thank you December for reflecting publicly on that piece - folks have been really embedded here in the discussion on race and racism, while you highlight that the AFA has *so* much more wrong going on.
Hugs.
Dennis I think this is totally a "Can't see the forest for the trees" moment. We got caught up so much with the racial aspect we totally missed the rest of the bullshit.

Now, I want to say that I do not think that Dennis was trolling me at all. I believe he was pushing me to respond intelligently and thoughtfully to my emotional response to the image above (or, as I'm sure now, to the article that was attached to the image which I had not read). This all happened last night and I have had some time to consider the entirety over some coffee and lack of sleep (my son still has a fever as I wrote about in my post about Ullr and we're still coping).

A Brief Note on Race and Heathen Community

I want to preface this commentary with I am NOT Folk Tradition Heathen. When I must label my belief system I say Northern Tradition Polytheist as this releases me from the ideas of Lore-based and those assumptions people have of the "Heathen" term. I am also a white American female and cannot pretend that this upbringing has not effected my thoughts when it comes to this topic. I speak from this standpoint and do not claim to understand every point of view in this discussion including the point of view of people of color that are Heathen.
I also want to note that I do not know my cultural background. I am working on my genealogy as part of my ancestor work but there is a lot missing and I cannot say if there is any connection to Northern Europe at all in my bloodline.

With those caveats, I do not believe that race or skin color (note the distinction) should have anything at all to do with religious beliefs. If someone who is white or black, Asian or German or Icelandic in descent is called by the Norse Gods, who am I to say they are the wrong choice? Who are we to question the Gods?
I was asked if I had a problem with people honoring their white ancestors. No.
Honoring the ancestors should not be stigmatized by skin color.
Here again, I want to differentiate between Race and Skin Color. Race, to me, has to do with the cultures and tribes we come from and this did not have to do with skin color for our ancestors. This focus on Race and Not Skin Color can be seen in America during the NINA (No Irish Need Apply) laws and the discrimination against any Immigrants including European ones the disdain for Jews in America even after WWII. These people were not discriminated against regarding the mellanin in their skin but their Race.

Honoring the ancestors does not equate to a specific religion or group of Deities or community.
Many people of many race, skin color, and religion honor their ancestors so I don't see how it can be a matter of debate and how it can be considered discriminatory to honor your ancestors within your religious community.

Now, for a religion community to focus on and revere a group for their skin color above people of other skin colors - this is where things get discriminatory and hinky. I do see how people can be upset about the above picture focusing on the "white children" within Heathenry and be upset, especially given our political atmosphere right now.
Yes, White children are Beautiful as are Black children and Asian children and Latinx children. The focus on white families and children or any specific skin color within a religious group is, in my opinion, inappropriate and counter-productive.

Heathens, Pagans, and Gender Constructs

So here is where I was initially focused when it comes to the image above.

"The AFA would like to make it clear that we believe gender is not a social construct, it is a beautiful gift from the holy powers and from our ancestors. The AFA celebrates our feminine ladies, our masculine gentlemen..."

This is what I took issue with.
Do these people even read the stories regarding the Gods they supposedly serve?

Loki (note not the most popular among many Heathens who regard this mischievous God as a sort of Norse Satan and I know some will be like "well of course thats just Loki) crosses the gender boundary by becoming a mare and giving birth to Sleipnir.
Odin himself also crosses the gender barrier when he practices the craft of seidr which is the realm of women and is called out for it in Lokasenna and does not deny it. Here is the King of the Gods, the All-Father, who has no issues with femininity or becoming a woman for a time in order to gain knowledge.

If not the gods then perhaps they hold to Heathenry for its past culture and history, in which I feel they are still ignorant.
What of the women in the battle fields who were described using some of the same adjectives men were described with such as dregilingr.
Many look at the lore and point out that for a man to be called womanly or feminine was an insult while others point out that these conversations were written by Christians after the fact and thus colored by Christians Patriarchal temperament. I cannot say who is right here only that I question a community who holds this, rather than the religious aspects of their community as the mark of how to behave. Do Heathen women that hold to the AFA's attitude view being feminine and a woman to be lowly? If not, then why condone that mentality and encourage this mind-set.
One can also bring on the conversation of why do so many within the Heathen culture promote this concept of a masculine, warrior woman but down play the effeminate wives and mothers of the home? That's a conversation for another day...

Why Does It Matter?

Some ask why bother responding to drivel like that spewed by the AFA? Why not just ignore it so it will go away much like the statement of "don't feed the rolls"?

1) I personally think its important as a Pagan, Polytheist, and follower of Norse traditions to state that the AFA, Heathen Women, and similar groups who promote prejudice and ignorance do not have beliefs embraced by all of us. I think its important to say this so that people drawn in by our gods don't fear these traditions because of hate speech in the minority.
2) We should always be questioning and challenging ourselves to be better and worthy of our Gods and Ancestors. How else can we do that if we are unwilling to respond to potential catalysts for growth?
We are "Future Ancestors" and our actions and words should strengthen our religions and traditions for our children.

Don't Let Them Silence You from Galina Krasskova

Had to share this lovely message from Galina Krasskova to me and her readers.

I commented on This Post about "LARPing pagans" yesterday and was so inspired by Galina's response that she also turned into a blog post on Gangleri's Grove.

I commented:

“This is something I’ve been contemplating and railing against for a lil while now since having this discussion in a local heathen group with a man who compared devoted polytheists to “crazy shithouse rats.” May people I come across in this and other online pagan communities are “Pagan/Heathen Atheists” or similar titles. When I bothered to ask a few why they were part of a religious community when they didn’t believe in the gods venerated therein, they said they liked the idea of the culture and bringing back a lot of the community beliefs of the “vikings” and other similar groups. I then asked if it would not be better for them to join a living history or reenactment group than to profess a religion that they did not believe in. The conversation spiraled downward from there into a complete mess but in the end I had to ask myself – why is it that so many people want to LARP or cosplay as a religion they don’t believe in really? I cannot fathom anyone dressing up as Jesus or Mohammed and going to church but claiming atheism or even going so far as to call everyone else there crazy for actually believing.

This is an issue I still have problems not getting emotional over and am not sure how to grapple with it other than to just avoid the conversation with role-players and keep to my devotions by myself. Glad to see this being discussed elsewhere.”

My response, and I say this to each and every one of you:

This. I see this all the time. First of all, don’t let them silence you. That is what they want. Do not yield an inch. THEY are the ones who have zero place in our traditions. Why the fuck these people think they ought to come into our religion, corrupt and destroy it I do not understand. But don’t fall silent. Speak about your devotion. write about it. do not hide it. that’s what people like this want. Live it and share it and let it grow. That is the only answer to this, because we are faced with a sad influx of people who cannot see what is good: our traditions and faith without seeking to bring it down to their level and corrupt it. Thank you for what you are doing. Keep it up and keep asking those questions.

Also note that these people cannot just come into our traditions and enjoy them and participate as guests. They have to insinuate that devoted people are crazy and try to change the tradition, demand that the tradition changes to accommodate them, rather than the other way around which is at the very least, a complete violation of frith.