Welcome to todayâs episode of ârandom Heathen thoughtsâ. Todayâs 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, THATâS JUST THE STARTING GATE. While the Goth subculture is primarily a music subculture, thereâs 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 thereâs a LOT more to Heathenry than just them. Thereâs ancestor worship, land spirits, fair folk and their kin, and so on. These other areas are what completes Heathenry; itâs 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, theyâre Goth. End of. Same goes for Heathenry.
You canât do big shit all the time, and other things will take priority in your mind. Thatâs just life, thatâs OK. What matters most is when you find a small moment when thereâs 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. Youâre not âmaking an appointmentâ, as that Threads user put it, by finding a small moment to check in when you can. Itâs like returning to the OGs of Goth music; itâs always there. Itâs not fading away or vanishing anytime soon.
But, most importantly; Heathenry and Goth are at their best when itâs not forced. When youâre not forcing yourself to act because âyouâve not doing something in a whileâ. 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 youâre not being forced into a role but rather doing it of your own volition. Itâs OK if you can only find one moment a day, thatâs enough when you consider how hectic life can be. And even if you think something canât be spun as a devotional act, chances are it can.
For example; Iâve been playing through Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005), a game I played in my childhood but never finished. Iâve been reliving the adrenaline, the excitement, the tension and focus. I can - and in writing this post, do - devote this to Narvi and Vali. Iâm 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 Iâm getting myself further in the game than younger me ever got the chance to.
Itâs that simple. Donât make yourself wear a mask just cause someone else doesnât approve or disagrees; the only people whose opinion matters is your own and the Godsâ. If youâre both OK, then continue as you are.
