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Where Do We Go When We Die? Just About Anywhere!

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   So what does heathenry say about death and the afterlife? A lot. The fact is that our sources, historical and archaeological, vary from region to region, country to country, and age to age. Most modern practitioners will focus on one " flavor" (Nordic, Germanic, Saxon, Slavic) but the bottom line is there are a lot of similarities in the Germanic world dating back to the Bronze Age. If you think of the cliche we have from Western pop culture about dying and going to Valhalla, you're getting a very tiny glimpse of ancient afterlife thought. In point of fact, according to the lore only warriors who died in battle would have the option of going to Valhalla. However the imagery is so strong and romantic it really stuck through the centuries and was especially glommed onto by the Victorians. Now some people do focus on that concept, and it is often expanded to include anyone who has lived a life of service. That may mean people who have served in the armed forces, or people
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"They would not want me to mourn"

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 An incomplete thought to refine anon.... "they would not want me to mourn" Follow me for a minute. I've always found this to be a shallow idea. YES they do want you to mourn - because mourning is part of healing. Mourning is the dark side of celebration. Through it, you find the motivation, the raw need, to tell the stories and carry forth the good things they did. It's like channeling anger. When we say loved ones would not want us to mourn, we are implying that they were selfless, generous, self-deprecating - valuing our happiness so so much. "I'm not worth it, hon. Go on and live your life." But mourning is not for them - it's for us. It is one mechanism, whereby we grow around the pain of loss; sort of an emotional scab (scabs are amazing and honorable, BTW)  Can it go too far? Yes. Like anything, the poison is in the dosage. And you do not mourn in a vacuum - all sorts of other Life Things (TM) keep going on around you. It can get complicated a
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A Hel of a Thing to Do

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"The universities do not teach all things ... so a doctor must seek out old wives, gypsies, sorcerers, wandering tribes, old robbers, and such outlaws and take lessons from them. A doctor must be a traveller . . . Knowledge is experience."  - Paracelsus A little background before the real ramble. As of this writing, I have been a Heathen for about seventeen years. However, I am not consistently active or dedicated to rigorous practice. I'm one of those people who often means to set up a regular meditation habit, but it lasts a week or two. I have some lovely altars, but I let them get dusty too often. I am not a Lore Hound or scholar. I have been in a couple of kindreds. When I found Heathenry, I was more or less immediately drawn to Freyr. I bloted to him privately within the first month of my journey. And about a month after that, I found out my spouse and I were going to have our first kid.  I was inspired by and felt very close to the Vanir in general. I came here fro
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