To Be Hæðen

The term, "heathen," was originally used by early Christians as a pejorative term. These days, with so many people taking back the religion of their ancestors, heathen has become more of an identification of separation from the Christians. The same could be said for the use of the term, "pagan," though many new-agers have cashed in on this term by publishing materials that merely take the esoteric aspects of different origins and blend them to create a collage of hokey mysticism.

Since "heathen" is used as an identifier, why not use it to describe those cultural elements that resemble, replicate, or share our philosophies and ideals?

Films may have messages in them that are in alignment with our own philosophical belief systems. A piece of art or a particular song might evoke inspiration, or a welling up of emotion that makes you feel more attuned to the gods/goddesses. Architectural styles, literature, decor, these are all things that can be, and often are, heathen.

Heathenry doesn't have to mean wearing ancient styles of clothing, listening to folk music, and turning your home into an indoor version of the outdoors. To assume that our ancestors would still be the same folks we read about is not giving them credit for who they were. They were much tougher back then, and had to adapt and work twenty times harder than most of us do today in order to survive, but I don't doubt that, were they here, they would embrace technology. Bringing our beliefs to the here-and-now, and not getting too tangled in the then, is the next step in the evolution of Asatru.