Uncle Thor's Lessons, Anecdotes and Humor

A friend described his teenage years this way: “We were trying so hard to be cool that we never had any fun.”
There is more than a bit of truth to it. You probably know some adults to whom it would apply. There are folks trying so hard to protect their image that they [...]

Who is a warrior? Heathenism has a warrior tradition. Who qualifies? The people who spend their time studying and developing ancient combat skills? Martial artists? Not in my book! Those people are re-enactors and sportsmen. They can make all the arguments they want about being warriors, but I [...]

One of the members of my toy soldier forum left today. He felt he could no longer participate in the hobby. He said that war toys conflicted with his spiritual beliefs. I would guess he had become involved in a pacifist belief. Apparently, it took him a while to come to [...]

The conventional beliefs of mainstream society have been heavily influenced by their conventional religions. Even science shows some of this influence. One of the essential beliefs is that the material world is somehow distinct from its spiritual counterpart. Here is the essence of the difference between Heathenism and the conventional religion of [...]

Memorial Day is a holiday in which we remember those who have passed. It is especially a remembrance of those who have pass in service to our country. That is very powerful this year, as we have troops involved in two wars.
This year, our town held its annual parade. The western [...]

There is a difference between honest humility and the self-deprecating humility of monotheistic religion. Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism all have the attitude that man must grovel before the divine. This is inherited from the days of Oriental despots, whose culture demanded that subjects cower before their king. It was common in [...]

What becomes of a man whose deeds are so bad that he is beneath contempt? What of a woman who is so persistent in maliciousness that she has earned the hatred of all? Christianity offers forgiveness, but the stigma of a bad reputation persists. Heathenism offers people the chance to restore their [...]

Conventional religion sees this world as separate from its heaven. They see earthly life as a sort of test that determines if they will be allowed into a blissful afterlife. To heathens this world is as spiritual as any other. The same will hold true in the so-called “afterlife.” (It is [...]

Have you ever passed someone on the street, and felt an urge to sidestep further away from him? Did you get a creepy feeling, even if the person looked otherwise normal? It has happened to many of us. We sense the person’s true nature, despite appearances. How does that work?
Call it [...]

I make no bones about the fact that things were not well with the family who raised me. There were a lot of problems between us. It was in the later years that my mother tried to repair the damage and at least get us on friendly terms. As soon as she [...]