Reclaiming The Heidhrinn Heart: OUR Ancestors
One fact that we can all likely agree upon is that the Ancestors once were us: they lived and breathed, and had normal day-to-day lives. So what makes them worthy of veneration in the first place? Among other Pagan groups, the Dead, inclusive of the Ancestors, are often referred to as The Revered Dead. But why do we revere them in the first place? I mean, just because they’re dead, that doesn’t make them smart. Sure, they may have gained wisdom of things which are beyond the normal scope of human experience, such as what the afterlife is actually like, for example, but beyond that, and the fact that perhaps we miss some of these people (through our own personal grief), what makes the Ancestors (or any of the Revered Dead) worthy of our veneration?…Ultimately, we venerate the Ancestors because, quite simply, without them, we wouldn’t be here. Ancestor veneration is one more expression of the “a gift for a gift” attitude of gratitude which runs its deep thread throughout Norse practice, forming one of its strongest cornerstones. You did not get here all by yourself. Others came before you, and they facilitated your being here, and you would be deeply remiss in not offering them gratitude for that fact.
–Connla Freyjason, Norse Witch: Reclaiming The Heidhrinn Heart
Time and again, you will find me referring to the Ancient Norse as our Ancestors, but what does that imply for those without a single drop of Scandinavian or Germanic blood in their pedigrees? Is it cultural theft to claim as Ancestors people who are not a part of one’s blood heritage? In my opinion, even needing to answer those types of questions speaks to a deep-seeded, sub-conscious form of racism at worst, and nationalism at best, and neither of which is a good thing!
Most simply put:
The Ancestors are those who came before us, and without whom we would not be here. You and I would not exist, nor would our modern culture and civilization exist, had the group of people who would later become known to us as the Proto-Indo-Europeans not migrated out from their homeland (possibly the Pontic-steppe region of what is today Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan; alternatively, Turkey or even India) and spread across Eurasia (as far and wide as Greece, the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Central Asia). The Proto-Indo-Europeans, likewise, would not have existed, had their ancestors not migrated out of Africa thousands of years before. None of us would. Ultimately, we all share the commonality of that initial spark of the first humans. In fact, recent advances in genetic testing have revealed that everyone on Earth is genetically related to everyone else: that’s not “fluffy bunny kumbaya” sentiment; that’s science!
We are human beings, and this isn’t a dog and pony show. If we were show dogs, or show horses, our actual pedigrees might matter, but as humans, focusing on pedigree leads to exclusionary thoughtforms, which in turn lead to nasty, ugly things like racism. Don’t get me wrong: there is nothing inherently bad about being proud of and even celebrating your distinct personal heritage. For example, I am personally very proud of both my Norwegian heritage, and my Cantonese heritage, and I actively celebrate both. It is when we allow that pride to become “I’m better than because I’m” that it becomes a problem.
Ancestry is about far more than bloodlines. It is about who from the past has shaped you as an individual. In his book The Mighty Dead, author and High Priest Christopher Penczak lists a plethora of different lines of ancestry, across a panorama of interactions, as well as cultures:
- Ancestors of Flesh and Blood: Genetic Kin; those who are connected to us via immediate pedigree or bloodline.
- Ancestors of Milk and Honey: Adopted Kin; those who are connected to us because they have nourished, nurtured, adopted, and treated us like family.
- Ancestors of Skin and Bone: Land Kin; those who are connected to us because of proximity (they lived and died in our locality)
- Ancestors of Breath and Bread: Story Kin; those who are connected to us via a feeling of kinship due to profession or vocation, art, or other interests.
- Ancestors of Spirit and Soul: Path Kin; those who are connected to us through walking the same or similar spiritual paths.
As a practicing Norse Witch, regardless of one’s actual personal heritage, the Ancient Peoples of Scandinavia and the Germanic Tribes are our Ancestors. They are our Ancestors of Milk and Honey in that they have nourished and nurtured the most important part of ourselves; our Spiritual Path. They are our Ancestors of Breath and Bread, because we have come to feel kinship with them through their stories and their art and their history. They are our Ancestors of Spirit and Soul, because they laid the foundation of the Spiritual Path along which we now walk.
Which leaves me to ask you: does the expression of your truest spiritual self lead you likewise on a path shimmering with the myriad colors of the Northern Lights? Do you feel Called by Freyja, or by Odin, or by any of the other Norse Gods and Goddesses, but have you felt that others who claim that same Call have shunned you or ostracized you because your beliefs and practices are so apparently different from theirs? If this is the colorful yet shadowed path upon which you find your heart treading above your feet, I would be more than happy to have you along on this journey, so long as you come with an open heart and an open mind and can leave your criticisms behind. This is my official invitation to you: come and walk alongside me, down this many-colored and winding road together, for a mile or two or three. I will not tell you that “you’re doing it wrong”, if you’ll pay me the same courtesy. Nor will I try to tell you that my way is the right way for you, for it may not be. Ultimately, I do not own this road; only the feet that carry the heart that walks it. Some parts of this map may work for you; others may not. They all work for me, of course, but your mileage may vary….
–Connla Freyjason, Norse Witch: Reclaiming The Heidhrinn Heart
