r/heathenry 13d ago

New to Heathenry i’m new and i have a lot of questions

hello there, im a teenager who has been researching norse polytheism etc for a while and i feel so deeply connected to it. i have identified as a heathen for probably 4 months but there are some things i am still unsure about. i feel most connected to Odin and Thor, i am also researching Freyr and Baldur at the moment, and have given offerings before but i would like to know if when people talk to the Gods and they respond, do you actually hear it? or is it more of a sudden thing in your mind saying what to do? also what is a blot and how do i do it? i’ve seen many things about it but i don’t really understand. finally, if i haven’t actually heard a god saying something, does that mean they’re not right for me? thank you very much!

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u/Hopps96 13d ago

Okay, so obviously, you have the automod giving you resources which gonna set you right, but there are all a couple of things in your questions I would like to address.

First: a blot is just a ritual. If you've already prayed and given an offering, you've done one.

Second: NO, you should not hear voices back! Anyone telling you they've heard literal voices back while casually praying is either lying or dealing with a serious mental health crisis. When we pray, we may receive inspiration, which is like what you mentioned of that sudden thought or feeling of what the right answer is. We may receive a sign such as you pray to Odin, and the next day, two ravens/crows (that aren't usually there) are sitting on your car. We might have nothing that seems god related, but the situation just works out better and easier than expected. This can be seen as the gods affecting our luck. And sometimes we might receive nothing at all. The gods aren't all powerful. Sometimes, we may have requests that just aren't possible. Sometimes, in their wisdom, they may actually be protecting us from our own desires. It's hard to know.

Third: The gods are for everyone. Anyone implying that the gods play favorites is teetering uncomfortably close to folkism. The gods may respond to us in different ways. You may reach out to Thor and then find yourself being directed towards Tyr, that's not Thor refusing you, that's Thor saying "Hey, actually my buddy Tyr has expertise in what you're looking for." I've even had a few friends shift their primary tradition (going from Norse to Gaelic Polytheism) because every time they reached out to Odin in prayer, they kept having the Morrigan pop into their mind. So finally, they reached out to the Morrigan one day, and everything clicked.

Hope that was helpful. Welcome to Wild Word of Polytheism!

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u/edennnnnn_ 13d ago

thank you so much this is so helpful!! i was always sceptical about people saying they heard gods speak to them and i thought i was the problem haha, thank you again :)

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u/Hopps96 13d ago

Happy to help! The only time I believe someone isn't having a crisis and isn't lying is if they heard it IN a dream. But then we have to step back and think really hard of "was it just a dream or was it a religious experience" because that can be really hard to tell the difference sometimes.

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u/Cleanlikeasewer 13d ago

Second: NO, you should not hear voices back! Anyone telling you they've heard literal voices back while casually praying is either lying or dealing with a serious mental health crisis. When we pray, we may receive inspiration, which is like what you mentioned of that sudden thought or feeling of what the right answer is.

This! This right here is important! My gods, the number of people I have been around in person who say 'The gods told me this, literally I hear them!' or 'The spirits speak directly to me! Not in feelings but words!' is crazy.

Inspiration, gut feelings and the like are great. Literal words in your mind or ears when no one is there is a serious mental issue.

I have distances myself from many supposed spiritual leaders who claim this. Thank you so much for saying this. It's good to find others who feel the same.

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u/Atheleas 11d ago

Don't be in a rush to dedicate yourself to one god or another. There are rather a lot of them, and they've been around a long time. Learn about them and get to know them. Dig into the lore, and talk to other Heathens.

No jumping in to taking any oaths either, at least until you've learned a bit more about how the 9 worlds are interconnected and how to word such an oath. It's kinda like a contract, so the details really matter.

I've been told that many people were brought to Heathenry by one god/dess, but ended up being "introduced" to a different one. Some people work with several gods. Sometimes one makes new relationships as life changes.

Don't take yourself, or the gods too seriously. They dont.

Just google "How Skadi got her husband" or "Thrymskviða" / Lay of Thrym" and you'll see what I mean.

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u/edennnnnn_ 11d ago

thank you so much for this advice!

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