Forgive me if you've gotten this message a thousand times but ahhhhhh. I'm a baby pagan and I want to start worshipping Norse and/or Celtic deities but I know nothing at all about deity worship and I don't know where to find good resources on that to guide me. Any thoughts or advice? (P.s. My witchy/pagan sideblog is @moonovermelusine)
Sorry for being a bit late to reply to this but I wanted to take my time and give this my full attention.My own baby pagan days are somewhat lost in the mists of time, and also particularly with Norse polytheism finding resources that are not problematic is ... challenging. SO I do not have to hand an easy 101 list for you.
As an example, I found Galina Krasskova a very good resource when I started digging deep into the Norse side of things, her Exploring the Northern Tradition gave me a good grounding. BUT she’s got some whacked-out views about, for instance, human sacrifice being morally okay, and seems to be going down the far-right path, so it’s up to you whether you want to read her book.
On tumblr, @ravenousnightwind has a great starter informational page & also a book [which I have not read, but his writing is clear & he is Good People], @grumpylokeanelder & @lokavinr are on hiatus but have highly informative archives. @answersfromvanaheim I believe also has some 101 information.
I would recommend reading as much as you can about the legends, stories, and lore of the deities, and in the meantime, get started. That would be my top piece of advice to any baby pagan: just get in there and get your hands dirty. Set aside a bit of space for an altar or shrine, put together some pretty things that remind you of the Gods -- maybe candles, incense, postcards, crystals, shells, bits of jewellery, it’s honestly only limited by your creativity -- or just sit quietly, pour out a drink, and pray. You can pour out your heart, or you can just say, “This drink is to honour You.”
Learn about the Gods and their original cultures, find people on tumblr who follow them, make an e-shrine if you don’t have space at home, talk to them on a regular basis, write about your experiences. Practice meditating. Meditate on what the Gods mean to you. Get out of the house and into the natural world a bit, and experience them that way. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t have an earth-shattering experience right away or ever ... those are wildly out of the norm. Don’t rush into making any oaths or vows either!
There’s no real ‘wrong’ way to do this -- as long as you are respectful of the Gods and don’t treat them like a mystical miracle vending machine! It’s a two-way relationship. As you go on and learn more, your practice will evolve and grow with you, like any other part of your life.
[Any one else who has 101 resources or reccomendations?]
