Good afternoon, and I hope the New Year is better for all.
TLDR: Raised Catholic, now a Heathen.
I was raised Roman Catholic, but left the Church in March 1975, and Christianity in October that year. Long story short, a Jesuit Priest was guest instructor for our CCD class. His topics were not from the Missal, Catechism, nor even Biblical. It was a "Wow, what has the Church been hiding from me" moment.
I set off on a journey investigating various religious, spiritual and philosophic ways of thinking, including the traditions of my distant Mohawk ancestors (a 4th great grandmother). Our Boy Scout District had a merit badge instructor who was Seneca. I talked with him as I knew the Seneca and Mohawk were both Iroquois. He suggested I look to my great grandmothers of Europe for my answers and gave me a reading list of European mythology as a guide.
The weekend of 7 - 10 July 1988, was attending a medieval themed event on a ranch in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Years before, several of us had formed a fighting household. We decided to change the focus and model ourselves off a German Landsknecht company, families, artisans, peddlers and all. The captain of the company decided we would participate in a sauna purification/meditation ceremony. A couple of the families who worked the ranch were Sioux and had a sweat lodge overlooking the campsite. As one of the other lieutenants was the ranch owner's son, and they trusted him, we were given permission to use their holy place.
The sweat started about 11:30 PM and was to last about an hour, Midnight being the official "birthing" of the new purpose.
During the course of the sauna (which was historically similar to a Native American sweat) I believe I had a vision. I was sitting across a fire inside a large deer skin tent. Across from me sat an older man, dressed as I thought a Bronze Age, northern European huntsman would be. He looked me over, nodded and the vision ended.
When I got home, cracked the books on northern European mythology. I found within a Norse god known as Uller. He is described as a hunter, archer, guardian of those who travel in winter, the judge of how well one keeps their Word, and so forth. It seemed to fit what I saw.
Veterans Day weekend, we had another gathering at the ranch. We decided on another meditation to consider what we had done, and what more needed to be done.
Another vision, save the man and I were standing, facing each other beside the fire. I thought to myself "Uller?" He nodded, smiled and held out a large, bronze, twisted wire ring to me. When I grasped it, the vision ended. In pre-Christian Norse temples, a similar ring, dedicated to Uller, was on the altar. Persons would grasp it, as I did, and swear their Oath to each other.
I have given my belief and offered worship to the Norse gods and goddesses ever since.
are welcome to chime in here.
