Reconstructivism and Animism

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Here are some links to issues addressed in this video.
Bayo Akomolafe:
bayoakomolafe....
Shamanic vs. Christian/Modern cosmology:
• Yggdrasil as Animist C...
Syncretic readings of Nordic deities, now and then:
• July 29, the day of St...
• Christ and Odin on the...
• Santa Claus and Odin.
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[@babatao]

Being a "seeker" myself (I suspect most who view your videos are, one way or another) my sense is that the spiritual seeker is coming from an inner place of longing, and seeking in the outer world for something(s) that will help to make a coherence of the outer world within themselves. Attempting to place a structure on our understanding of an elder religion, of which we have little to no written evidence, as you point out, detaches us from that inner longing and makes any connection to our practice of the "old ways" a dead thing, instead of connecting ourselves to a living, breathing sense of wonder of the world and our place in it. Instead of "going back" to the old ways, we could "bring them forward"? This is the feeling and understanding I gleaned from this presentation, Rune. Would you care to add to (or subtract from) this comment? Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Your videos ask me contemplate.

[@olle938]

It reminds me of when Tyson Yunkaporta (at SoCFest) talked about coding in maori, and (jokingly) potentially earthquake-proofing by putting the servers on rafts. Which is a great point of proving that indigenous cultures and animistic religions are not static at all. A living history museum for a living breathing culture sounds like an oxymoron by practice and putting it into a fixed state.

[@end0skeleton404]

7 minutes in, paused to say, I'm a heathen born and raised in America, and I'm inspired by Native American culture and views too, so I see this correlation...21 Minutes in, and you said my ancestors' people. 1/8 of my Family tree is Anishinaabe. LOVE IT! I'm getting that book in (looks at Gregorian Calender) 5 days. Thanks for these videos!

[@katherinebitney1547]

Thanks Rune. I and some other have been working with this idea of decolonizing (belief, religion, how we see deities, the worlds) for a while, and thinking not so much of reconstructivism as restoration, more in the line of the African thinker you quoted.

[@HollyOak]

Thankyou for your thoughts on reconstructionist. I agree the idea of going 'back then' is crazy. When we do look back to what was 'modern' for our ancestors back then, it was trying to find new ways of doing things to make life easier. Swapping ideas or just taking them was pretty normal. We only have to look at spice trades to see that or the Silk Road.

[@Petercakes]

I love this. I'm American and I've totally had it with people trying to push the Norse faith based on the eddas and what little we know about the people. It has to do with a lack of education in history in combination with defining their personal identity and in how they understand religion (lots of Christian influence). And it is totally African to have an altar in your home. That is not how the Norse appealed to the gods...also per Odin...he is a god of many faces. Some love the wanderer or the sorcerer. Others love the god of fury. He appeared to me, however, as the Allfathr. In terms of creation, he breathed life into wood so perhaps that is why he is the Allfathr. I wouldn't say he's omnipotent like the Christian god, but he is ancient and powerful...but of course in paganism you can believe what you want! We don't need to push our ideas onto each other to understand how the Gods work in our own lives.

[@tuathadesidhe1530]

I wouldn't say the christian/abrehamic god is omnipotent at all.

[@Sheepdog1314]

@@tuathadesidhe1530 there you go. How do you know?

[@tuathadesidhe1530]

@@Sheepdog1314 well because there's enough evidence that "he" doesn't exist at all, and that that whole book and death cult are just some psychopaths invention = to control the masses, make a shitload of money, and find victims for their pedophile syndicate and torture devices.

[@jackjohnson2309]

I’m so glad you posted in that group. This channel is exactly what I needed.

[@yananfederation6360]

11:20 is so true, we need to take the good bits of wisdom not enter a time machine

[@marktuohy1088]

I'm so happy I've found your channel. The topics you cover are so interesting. What you present about really gives me so much to think about and reflect on.

[@AbbieOates]

I really appreciate how academic this is. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

[@keldaoen]

It sounds like counter-modernity is similar to the permaculture concept of "energy descent", like we're not aiming for a future of consumerism and disconnection just in a not-annihaliting-ourselves (green) kind of way, but instead of going towards connection and place in order to use less resources. In that sense I'd use the dremel analogy to say I like the goal of using the historic water-mill at the living history museum to use water to power a dremel directly, and still have water-powered crafts with more modern technology, applied to contemporary problems. The living history museum has a lot of usefulness!

[@jasonbrown1807]

BRO! This is your best video by far. Great paraphrase of Bayo. Great distinction between Reconstructionism and Re-engagement. I am thinking through some ways to be counter modern in the context of North American animisms and I always find the Indigenous-fetishism and romanticization so troubling. Imagining a pure other, with no clear space for Euros that isnt a groveling "ally." Thanks for thinking well about these ideas.

[@fabienlehenaff2742]

Love the new mic !

[@ms.erania9848]

Excellent ! Thank you ! From my point of view, animism is similar to a latter. It's not munch done to scholarly discuss about it, but to climb on it.... to visit the upper and under world to get insights and guidance. I never used a Dreamel for that, but why not. If it works efficiently, perfect.

[@valeriy8502]

I agree with the Allfather thing, seems a bit of a Christian influence. Jackson Crawford has also suggested that the name can be translated as All Orderer, which is credible.

[@Soemrjruur]

Doesn’t seem more legit

[@valeriy8502]

@@Soemrjruur Alrighty

[@dustinjensen6174]

Would you make a video outline modernism. I have a rough idea of what you mean when talking about modernism, but I’d love more concrete understanding.

[@NordicAnimism]

good idea! I'll keep it in mind

[@carnival8789]

What is the Utglavdt religion?

[@johnryan1292]

so what im getting here is reconstructivism is important for understanding a base line level of what the religion was before it was subjected to the kind of christian corruption that completely undermined it but its counter productive to be purist about it so we have to go from there with animism and revive these relations like a sapling growing out of the felled stump of a sacred oak

[@PeasantByTheSouthernSea]

Haha! I love you man, you're my favourite person on KZbin

[@Skjaldbraedur]

These concepts make a good case for "American Gods"

[@NordicAnimism]

certainly - check this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGmqfJWfotOAoJo

[@jackjohnson2309]

Indeed

[@renata_of_the_craft]

In regards to The Allfather, I sadly come across far too many for whom Germanic mythology has become yet again a kind of monotheism with Ōðinn, the 'Allfather', and then some Semi-and Demi-gods, supporting His work in some form or another. However, rereading the Eddas, more than once, I cannot stay from the thought that this was a deliberate act by the writers fixing the Sagas and the Lore down once and for all time, and giving it the necessary xtian twist to keep people interested, but connected to the here and now strongly based on xtianity. And it likely was easily done, from Valfaðr to Alfaðr, one letter lost, but a great change in meaning. Also, if Ōðinn truly is supposedly the Alfaðr, why does he not possess Hel's Hall, which is for everyone, but has Valhöll, for a select chosen few? Seiðr, of course it's a string, just like yarn spun. The Seiðr staff resembles closely the distaff a person uses to hold the unspun wool, it holds the wyrd, that the Seiðr practitioner then manipulates, twists and shapes, into the information that is then passed on to the people who required this work. I think this is one of the reasons why Frigg is often depicted holding such a distaff.

[@droitducoeur123456]

hey, I have a question. what are your beliefs and philosophy?

[@antoninaheath3671]

Idea of a religion without foreign distortions is called fundamentalism and its leads into morally and ethically wrong doing. Example talibans and similar. No need for this anymore i guess.

[@pseudonamed]

Great points

[@jojobookish9529]

Having spent a good few years in reconstructionist spaces, that hyper criticism is so rampant and unproductive. There's a real sense of desperate quest for the perfection of some "pure" form of praxis and beliefs, defining itself in opposition to anything "foreign".

[@SarenthDricten]

The way I understand and work with reconstructionism is that it is a methodology, not a religion unto itself. That we should strive to be a Living History Museum completely misses the point. We need to understand what is authentic to our religion as Heathens so we know where we stand and how best we can relate to ourselves and others. I call it a Heathen revival because that's what we're doing, and reconstructionism is *a* tool in our tool chest to so that just like visiting with and learning from others is another way, another tool in the tool chest.

[@antoninaheath3671]

To put your point into simple words. Do I understand it right if I say that old religion should be rather be taken as a continuation rather than reconstruction and that's why it would be OK to make keen with christin influences? I would think it is sensible but tell me why enuropeans are turning into old religion. Most of them are wanting to have nothing to do with christianity. And as anthropologists we could give it a eye wik of understanding why they have such a narrative. BTW most of them know that despite ll their efforts they will not strip from the historical or even mother Christian influences. They just want to. Why most of them have a individual answer to it. Some story behind their choices. Another thing is that the religious leaders should keep the official voice a bit more politicaly and intellectually correct. BTW I love your channel and love to learn anthropology from you.

[@avisfuriosa2189]

Why haven't I found you sooner...

[@avisfuriosa2189]

Seriously, I have quite a similar outlook on things and was feeling a bit alone with that. Less so now.

[@shadowbanned1134]

So how much Afro influence you inject into your "Nordic Animism" videos?

[@fabienlehenaff2742]

hahahah what a foolish question

[@valeriy8502]

There are parallels, it can be beneficial to compare

[@shadowbanned1134]

@@valeriy8502 Of course, we are all on the same planet, but to what point of comparison is beneficial to preserving a culture and faith? One's prior influence from something and researching/studying another independent topic can be detrimental if one is biased and is apologetic (not Christian apologetics, more like systemic apologetics).

[@valeriy8502]

@@shadowbanned1134 I don't know if you watched the whole video, but it is specifically addressed that culture is always messy and always involves influences from others. Nothing is pure, but certain habits will remain in bioregions and ethnic groups no matter what, so you don't have to worry about losing the essence of Nordic ways.

[@shadowbanned1134]

@@fabienlehenaff2742 You sound jealous Fabby; I will laugh with you, Hahaha!

[@mikehutchinson4826]

No evidence whatsoever that All-Father is Christian. Why would a Christian call what they believe to be a false god “All-Father”.

[@happy_panda.88]

So I don't really understand. Can someone please simplify why Norse animism works better than Norse reconstiveism?

[@RoteFahneNation]

Fascinating, a more eloquent and grossly mistaken representation of reconstruction, I’ve never seen.

[@paradactyl3729]

...reconstructuralism?