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(Goodness, a warning is probably in order. This is long and rambling and mainly a way to get my own thoughts sorted out. It hasn't been edited for coherency)

Occasionally, in a moment of insanity, I want to write a book. Not really serious or lore-heavy, since other people have managed that far, far better than I ever could, but something light-hearted and silly - "How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love the Gods" or "Yuppie Heathenry - Fashionable Raiding in the 21st Century". Nothing "Teen Witch", since "Yuppie Heathenry" wouldn't actually take itself seriously.

It would be a handy little cheerful guide to life, lore, the Gods, and everything, aimed at people whose contact with nature at most consists of the flowers they got on their last date and the potted plants in their apartment, and whose religious devotion consists of showing up in church for their uncle Magnus' third wedding and not answering phonecalls during funerals.

I don't do mixing religions but I wouldn't mind updating it or making it more accessible to people who aren't interested in going deep into Old Norse culture and languages just to understand the basics, or who would feel incredibly awkward and out of place at a blót. Something for people who are half atheists, anyway, and who don't want to deal with rune-magic or seidr or chapter after chapter about how other people met/talked to/had sex with [deity of choice] and how said deity is actually a really hoopy frood who drops by for a horn of mead all the time. There are lots of useful lessons to be found in Ásatrú, anyway. Loyalty, honour, family, ambition, work ethics - that you're not going to Hell for not going to church, that you're not always required to turn the other cheek, that ambition and status isn't something to be embarrassed about and that your own ass isn't always the most important thing around.

There's this huge group of people who are somewhat-spiritual. Who wears a cross because it's pretty and buys "Pooh's Little Book of Feng Shui" because Eastern stuff is fashionable and because they feel it's a very nice idea and maybe it works. You'd never be able to make most of them hardcore Ásatrú any more than they would become hardcore Christian or Buddhists. They'd likely always mix cultures and religions. But getting at least part of the old Norse beliefs mixed into that could work wonders for removing the "neo-Nazi, wannabe-viking, longhaired metal-fans" macho image Heathenry as a whole suffers from.

It's all about fashion, all about trends. You can change the image of a religion by giving long speeches and writing academic books and participating in debates to present your views in a logical, educated way... or you can just make it trendy. It's about advertisement and the human mind. We copy what we think look good. If we see a supermodel in a Louis Vuitton store, in a black trenchcoat, buying stilettos and looking like a million bucks, we're gonna associate that trenchcoat with fashion and beauty and money and subconsciously hope for the same for ourselves if we wear that coat, too. If we instead had seen the same coat on a goth chick with pierced lips and badly-dyed hair, we would associate it with the goth culture instead.

It's not about keeping anyone who isn't twenty, trendy, and fabulous from wearing a Thor's Hammer. It's about getting everyone to do it. Make it sufficiently trendy and its image will change as well. Make Freya an icon, the original Independent Woman who can handle herself and her career, and takes what she wants and is willing to fight for it. Make it cool and trendy to go to meditation classes on Yggdrasil and repeat a mantra while imagining the peace among its leaves. Make wearing the Hammer a sign of independence and power and strength. Publish "Pooh's Little Book of Norse Wisdom" ("Serve food and drinks for your guests and offer them a place to sit. 'Oh,' said Pooh. 'I like to sit down. Will there be honey?'").

It could (probably rightfully) be accused of selling out and cheapening Ásatrú, but that probably depends on the point of view. Religions have to grow to survive and perhaps placing Ásatrú firmly in the mind of people by making it a part of popular culture will be exactly what's needed to make it survive. There will always be room for the dedicated students of Old Norse religion, but maybe creating a light-version to ensure it won't be forgotten wouldn't be half-bad, either. There's a series of graphic novels called 'Valhalla' published over here. They're written with obvious love for the source material - not always accurate completely to the letter, but the spirit is right, and it had a big part of the credit for kids over here actually being familiar with Norse mythology. It's made accessible to them and they enjoy it and remember it. It's entertainment and it's a good way to make present-day kids familiar with the old mythology of their country without making them read through long books about Norse myths.

It's the 21st century, really. Maybe it's time to try another strategy.

Holy Days

I must admit, I'm somewhat of a Bad Heathen when it comes to (religious) holidays. There's this long list of more or less historically based important days in Heathenry, of which various people have different opinions about which are real and which to observe, and I really tend to ignore most of it. I'm usually not aware of them until the usual bloom of posts regarding the given upcoming important day on various forums and LJ communities. Likely because I'm not part of the Heathen community and not a member of a blót group. I celebrate the holidays my family does, and that isn't a whole lot. When we do, though, it's about getting together and having a good time as a family and I can't imagine any better way to spend those days.

I don't celebrate Yule or the Winter Solstice or Christmas. I celebrate Jul and it's on the 24th and it's about good food and catching up with family and just in general having a good time while hoping for snow. We never attend church, either. Easter's about good food and family as well, and midsummer is about bonfires and summernights and Midsommersangen. I'm aware there's something in the start of February but the first thing that comes to mind there is kyndelmisse, even if I don't celebrate that, either, and I can sing Luciasangen as well as any of the girls carrying those candles. For that matter, I likely know the various hymns and songs in the 'official' blue song book better than 95% of the rest of the population. They're not Heathen songs and I'm not Christian, but I still like them and I grew up with them in school. I don't sing nearly as well as I did when I was in a choir but they're beautiful and they're part of my culture and I'm not going to just ignore them in favour of 'Norse songs' set to Christian tunes and a brand new set of holidays that don't speak to me in any way, shape or form.

Besides, it's not like "Marken er mejet" and "Det er i dag et vejr" are Christian in any sense. They're Danish and cheerful and traditional. That's good enough for me.