In a spiritual crisis, would appreciate some insight and advice

Hmmm, well I started practicing Blot, which is the Asatru (reconstructed worship of the Norse Gods) form of ritual sacrifice. I also knew I wanted to begin practicing Asatru though. I would eventually like to begin doing more Celtic Reconstructed Religion and more Continental Germanic Heathenry, but I haven't quite wrapped my head around how to do that just yet. You can find a lot of solid information from /u/aleglad's "An Asatru Blog". Here is the link about Blot from his blog: http://www.asatrublog.com/2013/07/04/the-basics-how-to-blot/. I do not know which type of Paganism you are interested in, but if you read /u/aleglad's blog about Asatru Blot and it seems like something you'd be interested in, feel free to join us over at /r/Asatru. If you do end up heading over to /r/Asatru, read the sidebar first. It has a great list of suggested readings, an Asatru FAQ, and also a "Heathen locator map" which is great for finding other Heathens and Asatruar in your area.

I, myself, started by ordering Steve McNallen's booklets on Asatru; I ordered the starter kit from the Asatru Alliance website. But I think /u/aleglad's blogs are a better way to start because they are mostly devoid of political ideology, whereas McNallen tends to be driven by some very particular concepts. I also ordered 5 figures of our Gods and Goddesses from Dryad Designs (Paul Borda) because I enjoy his art style and feel very inspired by his work. He creates many different figures of Gods and Goddesses though, so take a look at his site (http://www.dryaddesign.com/) even if you find you like a different, but still earth-based, Pagan religious practice. I have the figures of Thor, Odin, Frey, Freya, and Frigga at the moment. I also ordered a drinking horn and procured a Blot bowl (I repurposed a bowl I was given as a wedding gift). I offer mead to the Gods and Goddess; mostly I Blot to Thor and Freya. Sometimes I call on Frigga. I have performed Blot to Frey once to introduce myself. I'm sure when my husband and I begin trying to conceive a child, I will offer sacrifices to Frey more. I have performed Blot to Odin once to introduce myself to him, as well. Asatru practice makes very practical sense to me because its basically a gift exchange cycle. I don't have to work magic to practice Asatru either, which is a huge relief for me because magic is a bit difficult for me to fathom. These are all things I did, but don't feel like you have to do them, just because they worked for me.

If you are interested in learning more about other Pagan pathways, there is a list of them on /r/Pagan's sidebar. There are subreddits for all manner of Pagan paths, including Hellenism, Kemeticism, and many others. Peruse and lurk in those subreddits as much as you can and you will find a lot of great information to help inform your eventual practice. I hope some of this information helps and that you can begin practicing a Pagan pathway that makes sense to you soon!

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