Christianity Vs Paganism in Russia

I came across to one of the latest news about paganism in Russia and how things are being developed. Many Slavic Neo-Pagans are bringing the old pagan ways into Russia once again, its not just important because of the historic background of the country but also because it is the very foundations of a country and its population, the culture, what connects people to their roots. Many European countries are working to bring their history back to life, their history before christianisation, a unique mark of a people, the very basis of culture, it took a lot of study, archaeological findings, years spent reading and re-reading old documents and accounts, decode mythologies and decode stories of others who watched very closely the pagan cultures and accounted them in their own perspective and also in a critic way. It is still very hard to do it, sine many cultures never left written records and with the coming of christianity and the lies told for centuries, the job was even harder and far from over, and Russia is no exception, so, preserving history is of great importance for everyone, we all have the right to know and understand our ancestors and knowing old values ​​is a good way to improve our way towards the future.

In Russia, those who are aware of the importance of the old ways, are trying to bring back the old slavic paganism, the followers of this spiritual path have built copies of old pagan monuments of wood and stone and then gather for some rituals. According to their point of view, they are all trying to reconstruct the true religion of the Russian people, a religion that was destroyed by the early Russian Christian church a 1000 years ago when it came to Russia and violently converted local pagan population to Christianity. Nowadays it seems that in Russia there are still fundamental Christians who disapprove the raise of pagan traditions and try to follow their earlier inquisitor predecessors by destroying the pagan places. Writing this to you doesn't seem to give the right justice to the case, I don't usually do this but I will post here some of the pictures about such modern pagan Russian ritual places before and after the event.

After Christians came and destroyed the place, claiming it was unholy and placing christian symbols to cleanse and sanctify the place :

Norse Symbols are not Symbols of Hatred

Nowadays watching Norse/Germanic pagan symbols on a necklace, tattooed on someone's skin or anyother place such as a wall, a book and so on, still leaves people somewhat uncomfortable, probably in fear at some point, but why does this happen?
Well, Norse/Germanic symbols weren't symbols of hatred, the Germanic peoples used the runes (The Elder Futhark) as much as the Norse (Younger Futhark) as their own alphabet, for divination, spiritual rituals, magic and so on, certainly they weren't white supremacists or racist skinheads, but somehow people still fear those symbols. Well in truth it is easy to know why, during the Third Reich the Nazis used a lot of Norse/Germanic symbols, for example the Hagall rune was very much present on the SS Totenkopfring or even the two Sowelu runes for the very SS symbol, and of course the Swastika, a major symbol used by many cultures including the many European cultures such as the Slavic ones, Germanic, Norse and Lusitanian, but again, these weren't racist people, but during the Third Reich, these symbols left a negative mark in the hearts of the European and watching those symbols again, brings the memory of horrible times, but the symbols themselves aren't hate symbols, it was the Nazis that  brought terror along with those.
Obviously it's not just the Nazis fault, for centuries we live on a society that has been for too long obsessed by Classical Antiquity, and we treasure it as the most important source of ancient European history, which left all the other European cultures in the shadow and forgetfulness. In general, all that people knew about Norse/Germanic symbols came from the Nazis and nothing more and the problem also is that the Neo-Nazis still use these symbols and they don't know the true meaning of those symbols, they only focus on the hatred brought by the Nazis. Another major problem is that many people with Christian backgrounds still feel that heathen convictions, faith and religious symbols may be dangerous, especially if associated with Norse/Germanic culturs. Whatever your religion may be, as a child we have all been educated in schools long dominated by Christians that such symbols are linked to the Nazis only, and the only Ancient European civilisations that are taught are the Classical ones, such as the Greek and the Roman.
In my point of view, we should start teaching our children the other side of history especially when it comes to powerful symbols that they might find all over the place their entire life, they will probably be ignorant about it and think that a lie, or omiting the truth, is the only truth available.

For example, the Bluetooth technology on every mobile phone, take a close look at the symbol there, It is actually a bindrune, that is two blended runes, the Hagall and Bjarkan. These two represent the initials of the 10th century viking king Harald Blåtand (Bluetooth), who ordered the Jelling stones to be erected. I really doubt that the Bluetooth team are a hate group, they certainly aren't racists, and their rune logo doesn't scare people away I'm sure.

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Cannibal Neanderthal in Northern Spain

In Northern Spain Scientists have discovered the remains of a group of Neanderthals who presumably have been butchered and eaten by another group of local cannibals.
It was found in the area a cache of bones which had clearly been cracked open using tools. This has been subject of study for the past 13th years, it was first discovered deep inside the El Sidron cave system around 1994, the bones had been preserved for at least 51.000 years and have been analysed using modern-day CSI forensic techniques.
Apparently among the the slaughtered group there were also three children aged from two to nine years old and also three teenagers and six adults.

Carles Lalueza-Fox of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona i one of the persons involved in this archaeological case, and he tells us " They appear to have been killed and eaten, with their bones and skulls split open to extract the marrow, tongue and brains ". “All had been butchered. It must have been a big feast.”

He also added that the bone pile was likely washed through a sinkhole from a rocky shelter above, eventually settling in the small alcove of the cave system where they were found. This means that they were kept in a condition unlike almost any other Neanderthal remains, and proved a perfect snapshot of a single, deadly clash, likely between two local tribes. The tools found at the site of the slaughter came from a few kilometres away, suggesting their fellow early human attackers were probably also their neighbours.
Finally, scientists proposed a theory for the motive behind the attack, quite simple actually.
Unlike the earliest anatomically modern humans, who coped with periods of food shortage by joining forces in large, efficient groups, Neanderthals tended to gather in small family tribes of around 10 to 12 individuals. When times were tough in winter, this meant they had to resort to extreme measures.
Dr Lalueza-Fox said: “I would guess they were killed in winter when food was short. There is no evidence of any fire so they were eaten raw immediately and every bit of meat was consumed. They even cut around the mandibles of the jaw to extract the tongues.”

Working with the Gods: Thor

Thor is one of the most famous deities in the Norse Pantheon, and for those who do spiritual work with him, they must have two things in mind. Thor prefers to work with male bearded spiritual-workers and he loves the color red, any kind of clothing that you may have with that color is fine.
Thor is the tipical warrior god, sturdy, stalwart, stoic but very kind and friendly, faithful to friends and the bonds he creates with those who work with him.
Nowadays isn't hard to find a symbol that represents him, Thor's Hammer, it is actually very easy to get and you should wear one when doing spiritual work with him, or use a real hammer as a as a symbolic token.
Thor also likes beer, it is actually his favorite alcoholic beverage, but for him the most important thing is to have someone to drink with, as I have mention it before, he is a god that likes to creat friendships and maintain them. He shows you the importance of friendship, not just the merrymaking, but the bond between friends, a brotherhood kind of connection, always being there for a friend when help is needed, being faithfull to them.

Irish and Portuguese - Genetic similarity

It might seem a little uncanny, but a recent genetic research shows that there are strong similirities between the Y chromosome  haplotypes from the males of northern-western Spain and of Portugal with the Irish men who often appear with Gaelic surnames, but not just that group.
The frequency of Y-DNA haplogroup R 1b which is the most common haplogroup in the continent of Europe, is in fact the highest in the populations of the Atlantic Europe, and also due to the mass European emigrations, it is also very common in North America, South America and Australia. Another example is Irland and the Basque country, this haplogroup's frequency exceeds 90% and approaches 100% in Western Irland.
The incidence of R1b is almost 70% or even more in the Celtic regions of Cumbria and Cornwall in England, also in the Celtic North region of Portugal (Douro, Minho, Trás-os-Montes e Beira Alta), Northern Spain (Celtic Galicia, Asturias, León, Cantabria and Basque Country), Western France (Béarn, Gascony, Guyenne, Saintonge, Augoumois, Aunis, Poiton, Touraine, Anjou and the Celtic Brittany) and of course the six Celtic countries which remained Celtic speaking throughout the Middle Ages ( Brittany, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Ireland and Scotland). 
The R1b's incidence declines gradually with distance of course, but it is still very common across the central areas of Europe. For example, the R1b is the most frequent haplogroup in Germany and in the low countries, and is common in Southern Scandinavia as well and in Norther Italy.
The majority of Irish people and all natives from the British Isles primarily descend from an "Iberian refugium" population dating back to the last ice age.

These connections got stronger when the Celts started their migrations during the late Bronze Ages (1200 BC) and spread all over Europe, thousands of Celtic tribes that settled in so many European regions forming the first nations of each individual country we have today. For example the Lusitanians (which probably had another name since they are of Celtic origins and the name was given to them by the Romans in the late Iron Ages) a Celtic tribe that settled in Central Portugal, its with them that the History of Portugal begins in terms of the very first portuguese nation to be formed in portuguese territories. This tribe of Celts had strong connections with the other Celtic tribes of North-Western Spain (Galicia) all the way to today's Austria via trade routes that linked the Celtic World. When the first Celts invaded Irland and settled there, one of the major Celtic tribes that went there were in fact the Lusitanians, almost a 1000 years before the Celts gradually infiltrated Britain.

Working with the gods: Odin

In shamanism people didn't just work with the spirits of animals, trees or the ancestors, they used to work with all kinds of spirits, including the ones we called gods.

Shamanism in the Norse trandition isn't something we are used to hear about, but it existed and nowadays like all the spiritual work in all the other religions, is being brought to us once again and only to a few people these deities show themselves and actually have anykind of contact with us mortals. Through altered states of consciousness we can have similar experiences that shamans had and still have, but being a shaman isn't something you choose to be, it is something that is chosen for you, however, you can choose to do spiritual work, but that doesn't make you a shaman, being a shaman is more complex. Finding a real shaman is a great challenge, nowadays there are too many spiritual workers, too many that call themselves shamans, but in truth, shamans are fewer nowadays then before, a great clue to know if a person is a real shaman, is that the person will never ever tell you that he/she is a shaman, shamans hide that from all, only the communitie calls them shamans, they don't give to themselves any kind of title.

I'm not here to talk about my personal experiences, I'm here to tell you about a mixture of experiences of various people with whom I have contact, including my own experiences, debating these same spiritual experiences reaching a more concrete conclusion, though not entirely correct.

Lets start with Odin. For those of you already familiar with this deity, there is no need to talk about him in the myths, or who he is, what he does or what kind of god is he, this is entirely in a spiritual prespective.

Odin

For the spiritual work with Odin, it is a good thing to have at hand some kind of alcoholic beverage, it can be either mead or wine, not for you and maybe not for Odin, he will only accept it if he is in the mood for it, this is just like offering a drink to welcome a guest, politeness

 He likes red meat and vegetables. You might want to be dressed with clothings with blue, grey, and black colors, those are his favorites.

Odin is a god to be called upon if you need counsel, advice, he likes ver much to talk, and solve disputes, so if you are in need of these things, he is the right god to do spiritual work with. Whenever you speak with Odin, never mention delicate matters in which he or someone or some deity close to him might have been involved, keep the conversation in what you really need, because Odin isn't a god that likes to talk about his problems, his affairs, he is a god that likes to communicate with the objective to help others.

Odin isn't a god to be taken lightly, he can be very ruthless, but he is extremely wise, treat him with the utmost respect.

Those who work with Odin can be either male or female, and should ideally be people sworn to him. 

Usually the greatest experience one might have when working with Odin, or just by meeting him somehow, is to be turned into a wolf or a raven and experience the natural world in that way, even if for a few seconds. It is a different point of view that will give you both freedom of spirit and cleverness, you will learn to respect, to behave while in a group, you can either lead or be led. Working in group is very important to Odin, the old Norse who worshiped Odin and made a cult around this deity, always worked in group and behaved like wolves in a pack.

Odin is a god that will constantly test you, before you call upon him or he decides to show himself to you he already knows a lot about you, he knows your fears, and every test is so you might know yourself better. You might think that you are very courageous, he will test that to see how far you can go with all your bravery, or you might think otherwise, the complete oposite, and you might find out that you are stronger than you thought.

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Wassailing Blessing

Wassailing is an ancient tradition which consists in blessing an apple trees at the twelfth night, or thee Twelfth Night, and asking the spirit of the tree for a bountiful harvest of fruits the following autumn. Some held this celebration according to the Gregorian calendar and mark Twelfth Night on the 6th of January, however, it strictly begins at dusk on the day before, and others celebrate according to the older Julian calendar which goes until the 17th of January.

The word wassail is thought to be an old anglo-saxonic salutation, waes-heal, which signifies "good health", or it means "be in good health"This celebration consists in singing and giving good wishes at yuletide, very much similar to the modern tradition of carolling. These serenades were in honor to the apple trees, to ensure a good harvest of apples and other fruits and consequently a good cider during this period. This is a time when the world is turned upside down, the Lord of Misrule reigns for a day, and the spirits draw close, including those of trees
People who cared for an apple tree  (and this tradition is still strong in the cider growing areas of England and the marches of Wales) set out with gifts of hot cakes and cider as an offering to the spirit of the tree. Usually, a cider soaked cake was hoisted high and left in the fork of a branch, with more cider splashed on the earth over the roots. Whereas many people think that tree spirits are called Dryads, this word actually only refers to the spirit of oak trees. The spirits of apple trees are called Epimeliads.
In order to put away any negative or malicious influence, people might shout or bang pan lids together. After this, all involved in the celebration, sing the wassailing song, asking for a good crop of apples the following autumn.
Following the formal part of the ritual, the ceremony concludes with sharing cider and cakes among all those present. Traditionally, a single bowl of cider was passed around the company so it became a ‘loving cup’ binding all there in fellowship and community.
It is very interesting to notice that in Nordic tradition, the Goddess Idun held the apples of immortality that kept the Gods young and a great source of food in Asgard, for she also was the keeper of the Gods' orchards. To the people of those ages, including the Anglo-Saxons who probably began the wassailing tradition, apples may have been more than a simple fruit.

The earliest accounts of this tradition, tell us how the person in charge of the ceremony, carried a wooden bucket filled with cider all the way to the chosen tree, that would certainly be the oldest and most venerated tree in the region. It is believed that the person who was in the charge of this ceremony was also the oldest person or the most respected person in the region, the village elder. The people followed him, laden with lanterns, musical instruments, buckets of apples and hunting horns, when arriving on the scene they would form a circle around the tree and then began the traditional songs of Wassil.


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