Sep 10, 20217 min read

The New Pagan Stereotype Episode

Updated: Sep 12, 2021

What it's All About:

This topic was a result of me talking to two non-pagans. Their first thought when I mentioned paganism isn't devil-worshipping, but something else. What they said, I was happy at the same time, concerned about it. I'll explain what that is and why I am on the fence about this. Plus, we can do as pagans to ensure we change the perspective of others.

Songs Featured:

Links Mentioned:

Spirit Guide of the Week:

Freyr

Dream Symbol: (There are three)

Apartment

Bathroom

Drain

Transcript:

(05:53)

Welcome to another episode of the Music From the Goddess' Vault Podcast. I am your host, Midnight Starr. At the top of the show, you heard Serpentyne with "Viking Blood." The topic of today's show is the new pagan stereotype. But first, if you can, please share this podcast via Twitter, Facebook, goddess vault one dot Wix site dot com forward slash home, or wherever you can talk to everyone you know. And don't forget to check out the blog. Now for the topic: The new pagan stereotype. This subject came from speaking to two non-pagans about my path, and the first thing that came to their mind did shock me. I had to explain to one of them paganism in more detail. About 10 or 20 years ago, if you did tell someone that you're a pagan, the first thing that came to their mind was devil worship. Still, we don't worship Satan. Now times have changed. I am on the fence with this new stereotype. I will give you both the good and the bad of this perception. Let's continue with the show. This one is O Valhalla by Skald.

(10:25)

So you are wondering what this brand pagan stereotype is. When I mentioned that I was pagan to two non-pagans, their first thought was that of the Vikings. However, one of them did say the TV Series. I had to explain to that guy that Paganism is more than just people wanting to be Vikings. Although, I did mention some of the many pantheons and paths there are out there. Now I am going to talk about the good in this segment. But, of course, you already know what the bad thing about it is. But the good thing about this new stereotype is that we are no longer worshipping the devil but the Norse gods. Of course, before these two conversations, I did have to explain that Paganism is an earth-based spirituality to the uninitiated. Which is fine; I didn't go into the what we are not speech. I tried to find some things about Pagan stereotypes, but all I got is the old stereotypes that we pagans are all witches who worship Satan, sacrifice babies and animals and turn people into toads. Or that they think that we are goth or new age believers. For all you non-pagans out there, I have a Huffington Post article in the show notice and the blog called What Not To Say When You Meet Someone Who Is Pagan. That's an exciting read. You already can guess the bad side of people believing that all of us Pagans are Vikings. I thought I would stop talking about it, but it is a nagging issue for the Heathen and Pagan communities. I will talk about that after the Spirit Guide of the week. For now, this next tune is by Cloud the Pagan Rapper, and it's called Misconceptions.

(16:14)

It's time for another spirit guide of the week. I am going back to Norse Mythology to talk about the god Freyr. He is the lord of abundance, pleasure, prosperity, and peace. Freyr is the spirit of growth, harvest, rain, and sunshine. According to the Eddas, he is the son of the god Njoror, and Freya is his twin sister and wife. Freyr is a Venir spirit who is not just a lover but also a fierce warrior. He loves to give good luck to children and love, prosperity, and wealth to adults. He also rides a boar. There isn’t much written about Freyr. Except in the Ragnarok myth, he fell in love with the giantess Geror. Then he became depressed. Freyr soon talked to Skirnir about his passion for Geror. He somehow lost his sword and used an antler to defeat Jotunn Beli. Then Freyr is killed by jotunn Surtr. What you can offer Freyr on your altar are the following: a male pig and libations of ale, barley wine, water, and mead. That is it for now. Stay tuned for another spirit guide of the week.

(20:39)

That was Freya by Omnia. You already know what the bad part of this new Viking Pagan Stereotype is going to be: The people who aren’t on our path thinking that we are all Nazis or White Supremacists. Of course, many of us will try to convince them that we are not racists. Part of that explanation that some of us have to do, I mentioned earlier is telling them that not all of us are Heathens or Norse Pagans. I know that I am not. I also know that not all Heathens are Nazis or White Supremacists. I know that they are fighting this fight because of a few groups who want to remain folkish. For the non-pagans listening, folkish just means that a few Norse Pagans and Heathen groups believe that the only people whose ancestry is Norse should be the only ones worshiping those deities and allowed into that group. Otherwise, they don’t want to let anyone whose skin is not white. Also, their ancestry is not Norse. This, to me, is a stupid idea to only allow people into your group based on skin color. Besides, I am pretty sure that there are Norse pagans out there who have darker skin colors. I know that there are Heathens around the world who are not white. But, fortunately, I only know of one group in South America that is Heathen. Besides, I am glad that the Heathens community is stepping up and combating racism thanks to a few of these white supremacists groups who shouldn’t call themselves Heathens or Pagans. I read a University of Alberta article where a professor talked about the misconception of Norse symbols used by these neo-Nazis. Of course, these symbols are essential to history, but this professor also acknowledges that Norse Pagans and Heathens are all-inclusive. In the pagan community, we still fight misconceptions that all Norse Symbols represent racism when they aren’t. Even this history professor agreed, and she and other professors and archeologists want to preserve Viking history. However, when it comes to being racially pure (Which is the most important thing to these white supremacists), she also mentioned that the Vikings did conquer and raped women, and had slaves from other cultures. So they weren’t all racially pure. By the way, racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia, have no place within the pagan or heathen community. I want to play some music right now, just to lighten the mood. How about “Straight Outta Norse” by Pagan Rap Gang?

(25:40)

Here's another dream symbol to interpret. Again there are three in this week's dream symbol. They are apartment, bathroom/washroom, and drain. Apartments in dreams usually indicate your emotional or financial state of mind. If you see a luxurious apartment in your dreams, it's telling you that you are going in the right direction. To see a rundown apartment in your dreams means that you are having financial and emotional issues. Bathrooms in dreams either are about self-renewal and purification or are talking about your intuitive urges. If you cannot find the washroom in your dreams, it means that you have problems expressing and releasing your emotions. Dreaming that you have to pay to use the bathroom signifies that you don't want to overburden others with your emotions. If you had a dream that you were in a public washroom with no stalls, it's telling you about your lack of privacy. If you had a dream where you accidentally went into the opposite sex washroom, it means that you need to start setting boundaries in your waking life because you just overstepped it. Drains in dreams usually represent a way to get in touch with your emotions and to express them. And if you had a dream where you were unclogging the drain signifies a blockage or obstacle is stopping you from progressing in life, so you need to remove it. If you want a dream symbol to interpret and maybe have a dream symbol featured; the contact information will be mentioned at the end of this show.

(29:42)

Again, if you are driving or using machinery that needs your focus, please skip ahead. This track comes from the album God Realization Guided Meditation to Release Your Soul and Empower Your Heart by Rev. Michelle Rado. As you are listening to this, you can mentally replace God with any deity you worship. This track is Releasing Doubt (Meditation Only).

(38:00)

That was Libana with their version of The Earth, the Air, the Fire, the Water. Before that, you heard I Release by Alicia Bonnet and the New Moon Singers. That is it for this show. Again, I am your host, Midnight Starr. If you have a suggestion for a song, show topic, spirit guide, or dream symbol. Or you just want to like, share, or comment; you can do so at goddess vault one dot wixsite dot com forward slash home, through the Music From the Goddess’ Vault Facebook page. And on Instagram and Twitter at Goddess Vault. I am going to leave you with Odin by Norse Gael. Blessed be and be safe.