Solar-Pantheonism

After learning about my Proto-Indo-European and Norse ancestors (which I discuss here), combined with being influenced by the philosophy of Nietzsche and Dr. Paul Dobrnasky M.D. -- on the use of Greek Gods as archetypes of our biological instincts, which I disuss in my introductory post on my core thesis -- I realized that what all of this insight can be summed up as was an originating worldview template which I coined solar-pantheonism. 

I realized that nearly all the world's religions and mythologies can be traced back to this same or similar template of some kind of early form of Sun worship or  reverence for the Sun, with solar motifs; or the Sun and the sky representing the core imagery of many ancient religions, such as the illuminating Sky Father (for example see, Dyeus: The Indo-European Sky Father by ReligionforBreakfast). This early Sun motif is also in the Hebew Bible. Take the simple example of Moses encountering God and then his face shines as if he encountered the Sun, and the Sun's radiance transferred to his face. 

This solar motif was then often combined with some kind of Pantheon of Gods. This was true not only of my Proto-Indo-European ancestors, but also with the Egyptians, etc. Even Christianity, whose theologians often deny it too was based on this solar motif, is no doubt itself clearly based on a solar theology (also see here and here to see the obvious sunlight metaphors in the New Testament).

So solar spirituality is actually an anciently rooted originating mythology that ties together not only the Proto-Indo-Europeans but also Persian Zoroastrianism and the Old Testament Israelite religion, up to Christianity itself being based largely on a solar motif: with Christ being represented as akin to the shining Sun who causes others to shine.

Even thoough most Christian theologians claim to be purely monotheistic and they do not have a Pantheon; the late Protestant theologian Michael Heiser clearly showed in his biblical scholarship that original New Testament Christianity did have some kind of a Pantheon or a Divine Council of Gods. 

Even those Christians who reject a Pantheon/Council of Gods (with one unique Head God as Heiser explains), if one digs deeper they find that the early Christian theologians simply replaced a Pantheon of Gods (like Zeus and Thor or Odin), or the Divine Council of Gods, with instead praying to saints and turning the Gods in the biblical Divine Council into lesser angels (also see here). 

The Eastern Orthodox Church for example, has taken what Dr. Paul calls the gender instincts (which he teaches about through the archetypes of the Greek gods) and instead developed a way to represent the biological instincts through various Saints; for example, through military saints, in order to represent masculine courage in battle or dying martyrs with courage. A young male YouTuber at Church of the Eternal Logos, who is a member of Eastern Orthodoxy, also has videos on the Orthodox Saints as representations of a more muscular Christianity (that is reminiscent of the Greek Gods). Also see the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces (Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ), which contains military imagery on the cathedral itself and is made from Green tanks (see short video here). 

Mormonism also has solar motifs in for example D&C 88: 6-13, and a very clear Pantheon or Council of Gods in Abraham chapter 4. The Book of Mormon is full of solar imagery as well with a tree of white lighted fruit representing Christ as a solar power (see images here and here); and a post-resurrection Christ visiting the American continant in 3 Nephi, to smile and shine upon people so that they too basically glow with a solar radiance. 

 

I believe a picture is worth a thousand words and so as a more visual thinker, I put together this image to illustrate solar-pantheonism in a nutshell: 

Image sources here & here

The male figure in the center represents the archetypal male hero. The lines from his body to the personages in the outer circle are meant to point to how the masculine instincts were represented by the various ancient pantheons of Gods. The multiple personages in the circle above are the Greek Gods (as seen here) which are meant as an example of this universal pantheon.

On the male figure's chest in the center I wrote thumos. According to Oxford Classical Dictionary:

Thymos (or thumos), cognate with Indo-European words meaning “smoke,” is one of a number of terms in Greek which associate psychological activity with air and breath. In the Homeric poems, thymos is one of a family of terms associated with internal psychological process of thought, emotion, volition, and motivation.

According to The Embodied Soul in Plato's Later Thought: Chapter 1 - Thymos (Published online by Cambridge University Press):

Thumos, often translated “spirit” or “spirited part”, acts as an intermediary between reason and appetite, imposing the dictates of reason on our irrational desires and pleasures. Yet the precise nature and function of the thumos is poorly understood ... Beginning from an analysis of the Homeric thumos...those who see the essence of thumos as lying in honour or self-esteem are mistaken, and that thumos represents a primitive drive for excellence or pre-eminence, with the desire for honour and recognition being merely derivative. …

The word and concept thumos matches Dr. Paul Dobransky's concept of passion as manifest through the archetypes of the gender instincts. So what the ancient pantheons do is provide mythical expression of thumos through the masculine and feminine instincts as explained by Dr. Paul Dobransky M.D. 

The wikipedia article here on thumos, discusses Plato's three-part soul, which matches the popular metaphor of the Elephant and the Rider (or an Ant riding the Elaphant). Also see Got Thumos? by ArtofManliness.com.

On the upper right of the circle in my illustration above, I refer to the Heraclitean Logos. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Heraclitus, we read:

A Greek philosopher of the late 6th century BCE, Heraclitus criticizes his predecessors and contemporaries for their failure to see the unity in experience. He claims to announce an everlasting Word (Logos) according to which all things are one, in some sense. Opposites are necessary for life, but they are unified in a system of balanced exchanges. The world itself consists of a law-like interchange of elements, symbolized by fire. Thus the world is not to be identified with any particular substance, but rather with an ongoing process governed by a law of change.

I also refer to the Stoic pneuma. You pronounce pneuma as "nooma." By Referencing the Heraclitean Logos and Stoic pneuma ("nooma"), I meant to convey early metaphysical ideas of a universal divine fluid energy (as a material substance), acting as a metaphor for the one energy in nature propelling a yin-yang dance (an interpolary dynamic process) or the evolutionary becoming of all things through material energy transforming form to form; which we understand today through all the sciences, from biology to physics. As Charles Darwin eloquenly puts it in, The Origin of Species:

Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”

The Heraclitean-Stoic pneumatic Logos, also metaphorically captures the underlying Source Power of all things; that which "originally breathed into a few forms or into one" the evolutionary process; i.e. the Ground of Becoming. That which answers the question: why is there something (forms) rather than nothing (in the cosmos)?

This mysterious cosmic Ultimate Phenomena, which originated the Big Bang and is expanding our universe, is clearly a force of pro-transformation and Becoming. So I think this Ground of Becoming is that which is cosmically animating all humans towards heroic adventure and action; as well as moving us toward psychological integration and flourishing as a species through for example the Aristotelian golden mean (or middle way), or simply practicing "moderation in all things." Or the ideal of principles-centeredness in Covey's 7 Habits book.

The way I see it this "solar pill" (if you will) precedes the new idea of taking the "Christ pill," because the "solar pill" is for me about appreciating the solar radiance of the real Sun that we all experience regardless of race or creed. We all experience the Sun daily, universally, as a literally Life-giving source of energy through photosynthesis (which is real, and a good way to form a natural spirituality or reverence for nature). 

 We who are Proto-Indo-Europeans, had ancestors who formed an ancient solar mythology that intertwined a mother earth and the Sun, with the Sun representing the early cocept "God." For example, see wikepedia on deyus, where the English word "God" can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-Europeans' concept of the daylight-sky god / father (also see wikipedia on the word God and Sky's the Limit by Dr. Luke Gorton, as well as Socrates and the Shining Father by Donovan). One finds this same solar motif among the Egyptians (see here and here).

This ancient solar theology was then combined with many of the various divine pantheons as the pantheons affirmed the bodily instincts -- which bodily drives evolved via the matter of earth and photosynthesis -- so that I see one intertwining universal solar-pantheon that is found to some degree in nearly all the world's religions and mythologies. 

This universal set of solar and instinctual metaphors connect us to our body, to the earth and the cosmic cycles, from the light of day to our biological instincts: which are likely rooted  in the cultural memories of one's heroic ancestors, personified as gods and heroes. 

Even the perceived rising and falling of the Sun in the sky, acts as a metaphor of one's own falling (failing) and rising again to become more antifragile. So too, one's ancestral lineage is the genetic memory of those falling in death to give rise to genetic traits passed on to you in a great chain of becoming. 

This cohesive all-mythology affirms the instincts of the body and our connection to the Sun and all of life on earth: as the Sun is the source of energy that provides photosynthesis and the growth of life. In other words, without the Sun there is no life. So that the "solar pill" is a return to one's ecological and ancestral roots and the affirmation of the Universe, the Earth, and Body, all at once. 

When one connects to something larger than themselves, in this case something scientifically real in feeling a connection with the radiant Sun, the earth, the body, and a respect for one's ancestors, they can't lose their "faith' or become a "disbeliever." For solar-pantheonism is a spirituality of the real: real sunlight, real bodily instincts personified as gods. Thus it is based on real life. 

Solar-Pantheonism is also the ultimate life affirmation and elevation of self-esteem by being enlarged through one's connection to their genealogical line of heroic succesess and ancestral tribal power, like powerful aspen trees sharing the same genetic roots while being nourished by the bright yellow Sun. Thus, its an interconnecting orientation in the world. Its also a good way of overcoming selfishness by seeing oneself rooted in one's family with the daylight sky father representing symbolically the way of showing respect and honor toward earthly fathers; and seeing the Sun as a metaphorical example of everlasting warmth and glowing generosity and abundance. As well as the Sun representing descending or going down as a metaphor for embracing a life of inevitable failures and mistakes but seeing that as an opportunity for change and antifragile growth, as in being willing to "fall down and get back up again," which is metaphorically represented by the setting and rising Sun. 

The patheons of gods are also empowering as metaphors or archetypes, as they point to one's own heroic masculine potential or heroic divine motherly potential. Furthermore, one's ancestry giving rise to the ehnic myths of the various tribal gods in each pantheon (from the Israelite god Yahweh to the Norse god Thor), points toward the gods being personification of each tribes' cultural memory of those in the tribe who acted out superior masculine and feminine instincts toward the survival and growth of the tribe. So that these heroic men and motherly women became personified as gods. 

Solar-Patheonism also fits with the Nietzschean option of envisioning  future Superhumans (future generations who embody the cultural memories of those today who are the most life-affirming and heroic among us, giving rise to future Beyond-humans). In other words, the Nietzschean vision being future generations that don't turn their backs on the radiant Sun and earth beneath their feet -- who don't seek to escape their bodies and reject this world for an anti-body afterworld -- but who instead fully affirm earth and sky, the cycles of Nature, and their own real life and natural biology, as all of it here and now deemed good and holy. 

So when I talk about solar-pantheonism, I'm not singling out only my Proto-Indo-European ancestors, but I am pointing to an ancient universal life-orienting mytho-psychology: based around the Sun, the cycles, seasons, and the bodily instincts, which is again nearly universal as the one originating source of nearly all the world's religions.

So what I am presenting here is not an ethnocentric perspective; yet I see nothing wrong with somebody connecting with their own ethnic religion, such as a Jewish person identifying more with Judaism as the ancestral religion of their ethnicity. For I find that solar-pantheonism can be found in nearly all religions. For example, an ethnic Egyptian will find the Egyptian gods representing the same solar energy within a similar pantheon of gods (representing the biological instincts). Same thing with the Greek and Norse religions with the same solar energy and similar pantheons. 

This is true I think of nearly all ancient religions, from the Greeks to the Egyptians to Germans and Scandinavians, with each ethnic culture developing a unique set of gods in their pantheon, that are depicted with specific cultural traits based on the cultural memory of each tribe. So for example, in my ancestor's Norse religion, the God Thor had a hammer (based on their specific ancient Scandinavian culture), while the Hindu God Indra has the vajra. This does not make one's ethnic tribes' pantheon of gods superior to any other, as I see them all as mythological representations of the masculine and feminine biological instincts (as I explained in my introduction).

So to be clear, I'm not advocating any type of racist ideology or ethnocentrism, but each individual connecting either through their own ethnic religion (like a Jew for Judaism), or also through another's ethnic religion, like a Scandinavian becoming a Christian or Hindu, or Egyptian, or whatever, it doesn't really matter to me. For, as I see it, there is one original solar energy within each mythos and the same universal biological instincts personified in various pantheons of gods. 

So you basically have one universal life-affirming mythos (i.e. this world and biology affirming mythos), within solar-pantheonism: with a real Sun above our head being a constant reminder of an abundance of energy; energy, which according to science, can neither be created nor destroyed; and the Sun as a radiating ball of warmth and light acting as a spiritual metaphor we can emulate in our own lives by being an overflowing body of positive energy and brightness. This universal, natural theology, I think can unite us all around the shared values of life itself, combined with our evolved competitive instincts, which drive evolution and affirms our biological bodies toward a future of new forms, "most beautiful and most wonderful," that are being evolved; as a good and holy process of growth and becoming.

What this means for me as someone of Germanic and Scandinavian decent, is that I now more fully realize, after doing this research, that I am in a real way larger than my mere self (my conscious identity), but I am the combined cultural memory of all my ancestors that is encoded in my DNA! As Whitman wrote, "I am large, I contain multitudes." Or to use a Carl Sagan term, I am combined "metamind." I am being lived out by my genetic aspen-like roots and my cultural heritage; for example, my very body and traits, my more pale skin and blonde hair and blue eyes, to my strength and larger height and stature, is all a product of my Germanic Norse ancestry; and part of that biological makeup is a cultural makeup, which is rooted in an ancient Proto-Indo-European spirituality which branched out into various solar pantheons, from the Norse to the Celtic, all the way to the Vedic pantheon of the Hindus. 

So as I see it, just as I am being lived by evolutionary adaptations within my biological system, I am also being lived by my ancestral cultural heritage. So I am indeed large, as part of a grand genetic and cultural heritage-in-narrative: a lived metabody of heroic and adventurous seafaring peoples and family-oriented tribally unified peoples, projecting their instincts onto the gods, and passing on their genes literally into me genetically. I am thus a large body of genetic and cultural memories, being lived out on an unconscious level beneath the surface of my conscious awareness; from the very language I speak (English, which is a Proto-Indo-European language), to the meaning of many English words which are rooted in my Norse ancestry and their mythology. Thus I am part of a great connecting chain of genetic and cultural power and vitality as a solar powered body of heroic potentiality.

Syncretic Indo-European Faith by Zachary Gill: Excerpts & Commentary on the Introduction and his defining "Pagan"

 

On page 6, Gill talks about how those in charge of technology and media, etc., 

strip away your independence, your personality, and your spirituality, threatening to take away all the things that make you human. All the things that make you Folk. Communication and spirituality have always been the thing that creates viable communities, and they seek to destroy that. ... Traditional spirituality, family values, and proper virtues of manhood and womanhood are returning. And it isn’t through Abrahamic religions nor is it through defiance of modern society. Instead, it is through the momentum of Folk religions and Indo-European spirituality, where it could be said that Christianity got its values to begin with. 

 

Then on page 9 he writes:

First Statement of Awakening (Taking the Sunpill)

 

So, I have this deep gut feeling, that with the Vedas, the Eddas, the Gathas, and Rodnovery/Romuva faiths, the key to where the real original religion for the Indo-European can be found. ...

 

I like how he says, "Taking the Sunpill" as a play on the Redpill and all the other blank-pill terms to describe a worldview or philosphy. This Indo-European spirituality based around the early ancient people's recognition of the Sun in their formation of a spirituality, could also be called what I have coined Solar-Pantheonism. 

He goes onto talk about rather than finding meaning in life or direction through media messages, greed, hedonism, or new age religions or gurus, one can simply form meaning and spirituality through their own ancestry:

The truth is there before us, within our ancestral blood, within our forefathers, within our children, and ever-present in the Cosmos.

This resonated with me as I read this, for I have been contemplating this idea before even reading this book, on why growing up was I never taught anything about the Norse religion of my Scandinavian ancestors. Why have I only been taught another culture's religion, as the Bible is not a cultural history of my ancestors but somebody else's.

I spent years struggling with trying to force myself to believe in the Mormon theology; and then the Protestant theology, which was always forcing me to believe in ideas contrary to Nature, to the Cosmos. So this excerpt above that the truth is ever-present in the Cosmos resonates with me. I don't have to believe in something hard to believe but can experience real Sun rays on my skin for example, and I can notice the cycles of nature which are real, and the gods are real archetypes based in part on our gender instincts as I explain in my introduction.

 So Solar-Pantheonism is based on the reality I experience evidentially. In that it is not a mere "belief system," but real to me as it is based in my own genetic coding and genealogy, i.e. its the Folk religion of my forefathers. This universal Solar-Pantheon was formed by my ancestry while interacting with the real world; as they aristically formed Germanic and Norse gods and stories as manifestation of real masculine and feminine instincts; which was based in part on the heroic deeds and adventures of my own actual ancestors and their cultural history in the Eddas, etc. 

On page 10 he makes a good point that you're not allowed to question things in today's culture and if you do you're immediately labeled negatively. I agree when he says: "I’m pretty tired of labels. Always question anything that threatens you and yours no matter who you are. Always question what doesn’t flow with the natural laws. Always suspect what makes you weaker and doesn’t lead towards greatness or enlightenment." 

On page 11 he writes, "It is our hope that this book inspires those of Indo-European cultural background or Heritage/Ancestry to view society, spirituality, and culture through a healthier lens." Since I am myself of Indo-European cultural background or Heritage/Ancestry, I am interested in his perspective. 

In the section What is Indo-European Paganism?, he begins with, "Language, Genetics, Spirituality," then writes on page 14:

 Many will say that the term Indo-European only applies to a language tree and not to specific groups of people. ... Indo-Europeans brought their language, culture, and religion to the regions they migrated into. These traditions and concepts of faith were disseminated throughout the various areas that were settled, either through marriage or conquest or both.  For the sake of brevity when referring to Indo-Europeans, we will mean “of or relating to” the collective people and cultures of Europe and Western Asia, including the northernmost regions of India, with a primary focus on their religious traditions. 

 

Various spiritual, ethnic, and religious groups are included in the Indo-European Paganism. Examples of these groups are Vedic, Germanic, Norse, Hellenic, Hittite, Persian, Greeks, and Slavic religions.  Many scholars have compared and contrasted these religions and found similar themes, rituals, symbolism, and linguistic origins. In some cases, whole pantheons and views of theology are distinctly similar. Scholars have worked to, for lack of better words, reverse engineer, reconstruct, and reassemble the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) mythology.

 Gill then asks, "What Is a Pagan?" Writing on pages 15-16:

Many people today seem to identify as “pagan.” This word has developed into a sort of catch-all for anyone not part of the mainstream religious movement. It has also come to represent  “unsavory” individuals that Abrahamic religions do not approve of—especially those who have chosen to live their lives and their spirituality outside of the accepted norms. The word “pagan” no longer means what it used to. So, here is a clear definition of what the word ‘Pagan’ means.

Initially, the word ethnikos was used in the Bible when referring to pagans. Ethnikos, meaning those of the ethnic faith. The word gentile, which was used frequently in the Bible, referred to non-Jewish or a Christian who isn’t Jewish but also isn’t pagan. However, this word also began to take on a meaning similar to “pagan.” Gentile, from Latin gentilis “of or belonging to the same people or nation,” from gēns ‘clan; Tribe; people, family’ is similar to the root word we use for Genes, which would imply Folk or family.

 The word “pagan” is derived from the Latin pāgānus, meaning ‘rural or rustic,’ but was later used to refer to civilians vs. the ruling class. 

Around 400 AD, Pagan being used as Not-Christian started to come about through the use of Vulgar Latin. ...

After going into an analysis of ancient languages he concludes:

This would imply that “Pagan” means the people of Indo-European faiths or people of the European rural faiths. Many people who claim the umbrella term “Pagan” are not adequately following the Indo-European folk/family traditions or morals as they should. They are not pagan. Paganism will always be centered around Folk and family and the worship of the Gods.

 

Proto-Indo-Europeans

 

I highly recommend this article to begin with: Who Were the Indo-Europeans and Why Does It Matter? by Daniel McCoy. This short article is a good introduction to understanding the Proto-Indo-Europeans from whom arose the various Indo-European peoples and why it matters to know this. 

Those of us of Germanic and/or Scandinavian descent share a common ancestry with other peoples and their languages. According to Proto-Indo-European Language Tree: Origin, Map & Examples by study.com:

Proto-Indo-European language was a language likely spoken about 4,500 years ago (and before) in what is now Southern Russia and Ukraine. ... The existing Indo-European languages, such as English, Spanish, or Hindi, descend from this language. ... Most languages of the world can be combined into one of many language families. Language families are groups of languages that all descend from a common ancestor. Indo-European is the largest language family on Earth, encompassing languages spoken by about 3.2 billion people, or 42% of the world's population. ... the theory that the Proto-Indo-European language origin from a region directly north of the Black Sea, in what is now the Ukraine and Southern Russia, north of the Caucasus. The cultures associated with the language were Yamna and Kurgan, which existed until about 2500 BCE. This theory is widely accepted by a large majority of scholars. ... Evidence for the Indo-European language origin comes not only from linguistics but also from archeology and cultural anthropology. For instance, the same gods appear both in Lithuanian and ancient Hindu mythology (e.g., twin horsemen gods called Ashvieniai in Lithuanian and Ashvini in Sanskrit). Additionally, the worship of a sky god (Zeus, Jupiter, Odin) seems to be a common trait in many Indo-European cultures. Images of this sky god are known from the material remains of Greek and Roman civilization as well as various myths. ... Today, approximately 3 billion people around the world speak a variation of this Indo-European mother tongue. English is one of these, but they include diverse languages such as Russian, French, Greek, Hindi, and Persian. ...

 ... linguistic archaeologists, such as David Anthony, believe the first speakers of the Indo-European mother tongue were chariot-driving, warlike pastoralists who migrated out of their homeland on the Black Sea steppe (one of the vast treeless tracts in southeastern Europe or Asia) about 4,000 years ago, ultimately conquering Europe and Asia, and bringing their language with them.

A video on the site above goes on to explain that the Proto-Indo-European language would have been unrelated to other world languages such as Chinese, Polynesian and Hebrew. Thus one can see that the Indo-Europeans can be traced back through the study of languages to one common ancestry.

Here are images of the Indo-European language-families:

(Source: Click to enlarge image)

(Source: Click to enlarge image)

Also see this article: Study of Indo-European Languages Origin Reconciles Two Dominant Hypotheses by guest (December 21, 2024), which concludes by stating:

... Regarding the question of the origin of Indo-European languages, calculations based on the new data show that they were first spoken approximately 8,000 years ago.

The results of this research do not line up neatly with either the Anatolian or the Kurgan hypotheses. Instead they suggest that the birthplace of Indo-European languages is somewhere in the south of the Caucasus region. From there, they then expanded in various directions: westward towards Greece and Albania; eastward towards India, and northward towards the Pontic Steppe.

Around three millennia later there was then a second wave of expansion from the Pontic Steppe towards Europe, which gave rise to the majority of the languages that are spoken today in Europe. This hybrid hypothesis, which marries up the two previously established theories, also aligns with the results of the most recent studies in the field of genetic anthropology.

 

Again, I highly recommend this article Who Were the Indo-Europeans and Why Does It Matter? by Daniel McCoy. After giving a brief summary of the Proto-Indo-Europeans, McCoy goes on to write:

 With regard to the second question – why is the study of the Indo-Europeans relevant to our lives today? – I would give two answers.

The first is that the world wouldn’t be what it is today had it not been for the Indo-Europeans. If you’re reading this article, chances are that your first language is an Indo-European language, and it’s also very likely that all of the languages you speak are Indo-European languages. Given how powerfully language shapes the range of thoughts available for us to think, this fact exerts no small influence on our outlook on life and therefore, by extension, on our actions. Vestiges of the tri-functional hierarchy are still present in our societies; at least in theory, governments have more power than the police and military, who in turn have more power than the rest of the “civilian” population.

More specific examples could also be readily furnished. For example, Christianity couldn’t have existed without the Persian prophet Zoroaster/Zarathustra first articulating the idea of a dualistic, moral good and evil, and even though Zoroaster’s philosophy and religion, Zoroastrianism, was in many respects a radical departure from earlier Indo-European thinking, he nevertheless used his Indo-European heritage as so many building blocks from which to craft his own vision.[7]

My second answer to the question of why Indo-European studies is relevant is that, as powerfully as it’s influenced our modern social structure and thought, there are also many ways in which the Indo-European worldview is strikingly different from our own. Studying it enables you to have that many more perspectives to draw from in creating your own worldview.

For further reading on the Proto-Indo-Europeans, see:

•  The online book In Search of the Sublime, chapter 9 at worldhistorybook.com.

• The Indo-Europeans and Historical Linguistics

Also, see these interesting videos by Stephen's History of the World YouTube Channel:

•  The Homeland of the Indo-Europeans 

• The Mythology of the Indo- Europeans

These videos do a good job tracing the origins of the language, mythos, and society of the Proto-Indo-Europeans; and how many religions descend from one original religious mythos (which I call Solar-Pantheonism) . 

Introductory Explanation for Why This Blog & My Core Thesis (or Position)

 

The origin of this blog was inspired in part by Nietzsche referring to himself and his philosophy as a Northwind. For more details see my google document here where I provide excerpts from the 2012 research paper Nietzsche and the North by Filip Lucian, that covers how Nietzsche was seeking to revitalize the ancient vitality of the Indo-Europeans and their heroic physiological natures and life-affirming mythology.

I am ancestrally from the North, i.e. Indo-European and Nordic, being Germanic Scandinavian. I wanted to appreciate my Nordic ancestors in this blog, but not only them but also my Indo-European ancestors. I see many similarities in the mythological energy and utility of Greek mythology and Norse mythology because both are at their core what I call solar-pantheons. For example, this video, by a YouTuber begins by saying that 

[Anceient] Greek and old Norse religion...although separated by about 1,500 years ... I would not exactly call them two separate religions. They were far more similar than they were different and they both have the same Indo-European roots; if we go back far enough to proto-European times, 7, 8, thousand years ago, we were all one and the same. But by the time the Greek and North peoples migrated and evolved they developed two separate belief systems. 

So the North-wind energy is a reference to Nordic/Hyperborean spirit of vitality that descends from the common ancestors of the Norse, Celts, Greeks and Indian-Hindu peoples, etc., who are known as the Proto-Indo-Europeans. So what we find is that this ancestral cultural energy or Northwind has been funneled through the physiologies and mythologies of the Indo-European ethnolinguistic branching ancestral family groups, from the Norse to Greeks to Hindus. For these groups are all basically the same in spiritual energy and vitality as they descend from the same ethnolinguistic and mythological source (the Proto-Indo-Europeans). For we can trace them all back to the same Proto-Indo-Europeans and a likely original Proto-Indo-European mythology from which all these groups grew separate yet similar ethnolinguistic mythologies. 

Note as well that according to this university page:

Seen genetically, Indo-European heritage encompasses all peoples of Germanic or Scandinavian or southern Mediterranean or Persian or Russian or northern Indian descent, any of a wide range of national groups stemming from India to Iceland.

The Proto-Indo-Europeans basically branched out into different groups and mythologies, from the Scandinavians and Norse mythology to the Indian-Hindu mythology. 

One reason for this blog is to honor and respect my own German and Swedish ancestry and heritage as an American. For it was my ancestrally Germanic Norse grandfathers and grandmothers, their unique lives and creativity, which formed the Norse mythology. So by appreciating and respecting their mythology I am connecting with my genetic roots and my ancestors as an American. 

The second reason is like unto the first. In that I realized that every ancient people produced a cultural mythos from their own life experiences and pre-conscious psychology and physiology as a people and culture; much like seeds and soil producing a particular kind of plant that's either healthy or unhealthy. So that from out of my Germanic Scandinavian ancestry their grew up from cultural memory a vitally alive mythology of gods and monsters, great heroes and deadly adventures. This mythical storytelling energy has inspired recent movies and TV series like Conan the Barbarian, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and the 2013 series Vikings, etc. 

On Heathenry & Racial Ideologies 

To avoid any confusion, I want to be clear up front in this introduction that I am not, what some refer to themselves as, a heathen, i.e. I am not a practitioner of heathenry. 

I unfortunately have to make this crystal clear, for having mentioned my desire to respect and revere my Indo-European Scandinavian ancestry, I need to separate myself and distance myself from various fraternal organizations attempting to return to the literal worship of Thor and Odin. Many of these types of groups (note: not all of them) often unfortunately practice controversial ideas regarding race. In this regard, to be clear I am not in any way interested in any kind of racist ideology. 

My views are somewhat similar to Nietzsche's vision of future Superhumans. This was Nietzche's vision of the ideal next stage in human evolution; which he believed could be accomplished through any mix of races, and not just one so-called "superior race." In other words, evolution is about mixing traits and peoples toward healthy functional organic forms. I do not believe in any version of "white supremacy." Instead, similar to Nietzsche, I believe in the growth of a healthy future humanity and any potential future hominid species. 

I don't completely agree with everything Nietzsche wrote but I find his vision of focusing on the future and envisioning the best version of a future hominid specieces (the Overman, Beyond-mankind, or Superhumans) as a new form of God-worship: a practical way to ground spiritually in the real world of biology in this life (that we know to exist without a doubt). From this bio-realist perspective, all ancestories can come together, with the most healthy and heroic among each ancestry, to produce the next stages in human evolution in a natural and organic process. 

This type of Nietzscheanish spirituality has nothing to do with eugenics or racist ideologies, but is about simply living your best life, your most heroic and noble life possible as a free spirit; and procreating with women of any race or ethnicity you choose, who will provide you with healthy offspring. In other words, what I am promoting is not racism nor eugenics or any of that nonsense. I am promoting solar-pantheonism: which is a term I coined to refer to a universal spiritual philosophy found in nearly all ethnic indigenous religions as well as universal faiths like Christianity.

Greco-Nordic Americanism

Lately, as of 2024, I have been playing around with calling myself a Greco - Nordic - Possibilian, in order to describe my current life-stance. By "Greco" I am referencing Dr. Paul's Dobransky's Instincts-Psychology and his use of Greek mythology to promote healthy masculine and feminine instincts. By "Nordic" I am referencing both my ancestor's Norse/Viking mythology which was life-affirming (despite its barbarity by modern ethical standards), as well today's modern Scandinavian Nature-based spirituality and the Nordic formation of a kind of Secular Christianity; which to me proves that a people do not a scripture-based ethos to be civil, good and ethical. A longer version to describe my current worldview would be something like: I'm a Greco - Nordic - Stoic - Deist, Epicurean - Nietzscheanish - Possibilian - Renaissance Man.

I realize now that if one simply pulls out a dollar bill they have an entire philosophy of life right there in the symbols on the back of the dollar bill: representing the American Deism of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin (which I cover on this site). Besides Deism, Epicureanism, and Stoicism, I found that Possibilianism relieved me of the demand for certainty when it came to ultimate meaning and the afterlife (or possible afterlives).

Norse and Greek Gods as Metaphorical Archetypes of our Pre-Conscious Instincts & The Heroic Ideal 

This heroic adventurism in Norse mythology is connected to my genetic roots, as the myths and stories are intertwined with my own ancestral memory as a people and culture. The Norse gods and sagas were forged from the actual experiences of my very own ancestors which were molded with artistic creativity into tales of elves and giants, dragons and wolves, Thor's hammer and Odin's spear. For example see the  video, Sources on the Norse Gods as REAL Living Humans by Norse Magic and Beliefs YouTube Channel. At the start of the video the author explains that for him the Norse gods are only symbolic: representing aspects of nature, the Universe, and parts of our own body and spirit. He then goes on to say that it's possible that the Norse gods and myths are not only metaphorical, but also, to paraphrase him, they could also be over exaggerations or mythologized legends based onreal humans and their high status and heroic accomplishments. I agree with this assessment.

So to clarify upfront, I am not in any way attempting to return to a literalistic practice of the worship of pagan gods. I have seen some people on YouTube literally offering forms of sacrifice to gods like Thor and Odin. I personally think this is silly and superstitious but to each their own. So I do not consider myself "pagan" because that is a loaded term which can include such superstitious practices. If anything I would be promoting secular or naturalistic paganism. But even there I still cringe at the phrase "paganism" even with the term secular in front of it, because I often think of New Age woo nonsense and pagan Wicca, all of which I completely reject for multiple reasons. 

Another term I've seen thrown around is European Paganism, like on The Ark (Heroic Ideal) YouTube Channel, which is probably closer to what I would be promoting. In other words, I'm not promoting a literal belief in Gods or returning to pagan sacrifices! I am instead seeking to revitalize the pro-instincts psychology of the heroic ideal embedded within the Norse and Greek mythologies.

I think a better way to describe what I am advocating is not "paganism" then, which has religious connotations; but what I would call maybe Heroic Instinctualism. I have been influenced by not only Nietzsche's revitalization of Greek mythology but also the work of Dr. Paul Dobransky M.D., who also unitizes Greek mythology. 

Dr. Paul Dobransky's work begins with his Mind OS (PDF here), which is a good secular replacement for the New Testament ethos. His Pro-Instincts Psychology, utilizing Greek mythology, is in my opinion a better alternative to the Pauline New Testament, for it better integrates our human instincts with our common ethical ideals. So that it's a synthesis of the best of self-empowerment and personal and group psychology. For example, see this article on Power Imbalances and the Equation of Power, where Dr. Paul Dobransky discusses the Zeus Instinct and the Hephaestus Instinct and the physics equation of power. Also see his article Discovering the Passion and Generativity that Drive Men’s Happiness. He also wrote two books specifically to help women but men might find them useful as well, which can be found on Amazon. 

 According to the about him section on his substack.com page, Dr. Paul, as he is known online, spent over 25 years studying science, mythology, Jungian psychology and evolutionary psychology, and worked on models of character psychology like Mind OS (PDF here); as well as decoding masculine and feminine instincts into integrated systems. He then combined all of that into a unified model of human courtship called Romantic Dynamics or Romantipedia; which is an interactive, cross-referenced wiki model of human courtship, with over 5000+ pages of material focused on forming a healthy personal character structure in order to form a dynamic and durable romantic relationship. So at Romantipedia you can learn about the psychology of Gender Instincts through Greek mythology. For example, you learn that the Greek gods are actually good metaphors and archetypes for our healthy masculine instincts. 

Dr. Paul Dobransky explains that the mythology of the Greek gods can act as metaphorical representations of our bodily instincts and for example the male drives for territory, rank, and power in the form of archetypes. These archetypes can be used as education and inspiration toward psychological empowerment and wholeness. If these links above require a membership to Dr. Paul's website, as links sometimes change or what was once free becomes paid sites, you can also see the free content by Dr. Paul at these links:

•  Psychology Today

• Center for Male Psychology

• Character Psychology (formerly Mind OS)

• Mind OS (PDF)

• 15 Minute Visual Presentation of MindOS on YouTube

• A Blog Teaching Mind OS (to help handle the death of a loved one)

• Romantipedia (website)

• Romantic Dynamics (book)

• Mature Masculine Power (1999 e-book) 

• Masculine Intelligence (2014)

• Mature Masculine Power 3.0 (Video Advertisement)

• Mature Masculine Power 3.0 (on Ebay)

• Mature Masculine Power 3.0 Workbook (PDF)

Mythology as Genealogy 

Growing up Judeo-Christian, there is much I still appreciate and value to this day about the biblical tradition. But the suffering and subjugation of the Jewish peoples of the Bible by the Persians, Babylonians and Romans throughout history is simply not my own genetic or cultural memory. For it was that particular cultural memory that unified and solidified the Jewish/Israelite people with specific beliefs and rituals directly connecting them ancestrally to their particular mythology which was forged from their unique suffering as a people under the rule of foreign empires; and this unique set of historical experiences led to specific mythical stories about their people; like Moses helping the Israelites escape from Egypt. Thus, in my view the religion of the Bible is interwoven with the memory of their specific ethnic experiences as a culture and Israelite people. 

Part of their cultural memory of dealing with foreign empires and tribes, led to an ethic of how one treats strangers is very important to their national god. This ethic of mistreating strangers as wrong and instead being welcoming and kind as morally good, is what scholars call biblical hospitality. So that Judeo-Christian mythology contains within it a spirit of resilience and welcoming hospitality: which is unique to their particular Israelite experience because of their experiencing centuries of ill treatment by foreigners enslaving them and mistreating them as an ancestral people. 

Even though I am not Jewish, I can still incorporate this ethical vision of hospitality which grew out of their unique cultural memory. Note that the Norse religion also emphasized hospitality as well as trade. But I can do so without also identifying ethnically with their specific religious cultural memory or adopting the national god of the Israelites. For their Old Testament deity is a specifically Israelite-oriented deity as a patron god of war for the Israelites, not the Greeks or Scandinavians. Again, I see all these gods and religions as mythology, but the point I'm making is that they have specific genealogical and cultural markers, as cultural products of a specific people and their cultural memories. 

What this means for me personally, is that when I read the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) for example, I do not read about my people, my own genealogy of the Germanic Scandinavians; I am instead reading about another people's ancestry and cultural memory different from my own. Now of course I can appreciate and respect the mythical artistry and psychological utility of the biblical myths, as Jordan Peterson does; but I can do so without personally identifying with that national god or the Israelite religion. For it's simply not part of my own ancestral cultural identity. 

I also don't see why this kind of thought process should be controversial, when if things were reversed, and a Jewish person were asked why they don't identify with the Scandinavian gods and Norse religion, their answer would likely be that they have their own cultural identity and religion as an Israelite. Jews have their own specific Israelite-forged rituals like Yom Kippur, Shavuot, and Hanukkah that is tied to their unique experiences as an ethnic tribe. There is a certain beauty in a people celebrating their ethnic unity through ritualized memory. All ethnic cultures have done this throughout history. For every ethnic tribe has uniquely specific cultural traditions connected to their ancestral cultural identity. I am not Jewish ethnically nor religiously, and thus the fact is that these Israelite ritual practices are just not part of my tribal lineage or my ancient ancestral cultural memory. 

The reality is that it was not my ancestors who were enslaved by the Egyptians in the Bible story. Furthermore, when the Bible says Yahweh (or Jehovah) chose a people (a genetic lineage) to be their patron god, it was not my Indo-European people/lineage. In other words, the Bible is about another people's ancestral oppression and subsequent religious developments in order to maintain the Jewish genetic lineage and cultural identity. I can respect Judaism, and I do. I can learn about it and even choose to practice some of its ethical ideals (which I do actually); but at the end of the day, the fact is the Hebrew Bible is about a different historical ancestry that is different from my own Indo-European historical ancestry. 

So when I read the Bible I am reading about someone else's genetic lineage and religious culture. However, when I read for example the Norse Sagas or the Iliad, I am reading something closer to my Indo-European lineal historical heritage: passed on through the various Indo-European Solar-Pantheons. 

To use an analogy, its like sitting down and looking at someone else's photo album and listening to them reminisce about their great great grandparents and telling stories within their family history. There is nothing wrong with appreciating someone's album like that when visiting their home. But, to extend the analogy, what if you were then expected to ignore your ancestral photo album and family stories in your home (or even throw them in the trash); and instead you were expected to place only their photo album in your living room and treat it as your own, and to only tell their family stories? 

I have a very similar perspective when it comes to the Pauline mythology, which grew out of the Israelite Maccabean martyrs: who used the specific strategy of martyrdom to deal with the suppression of their Israelite dietary laws by the Romans. So again, this Maccabean influenced martyr-centric mentality -- which is at the core of the apostle Paul's mythos -- is not a part of my Indo-European ancestral cultural memory. The specifically Pauline ritual mythos of ultimately rejecting Life as a form of "spiritual escapism" through the ideal of celibacy and voluntary martyrdom as a seeded male-bride of a Messiah Husband. This is foreign to me personally; and rather unappealing both mythologically and psychologically.  

I can understand why a woman would find it meaningful and intimate to be mythically engaged to be married to a god-husband and seeded with his divine DNA mythically. But for me personally, I find such ideas rather emasculating. As an American male of Norse ancestry, my ancestor's gods like Thor and Odin are far more appealing to my masculine sensibilities as mythological archetypes of my male instincts. 

Americanism as Greco-Norse Adjacent 

As an ancestrally Nordic American, I have my own quasi-religious holidays, customs, and practices like Christmas and Halloween, which have been influenced by Norse culture. Rather than America being based on Maccabean-Pauline ideas, American culture is much more in line with the heroic cultures of the Greeks and Norseman. 

The reason why I emphasize Americanism is because American is a philosophy of life, which is at odds with the New Testament as an ism. I discuss this in the documents on my Google sites here and here. The philosophy of Americanism is largely based on American founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin, who were not perfect, they were flawed for sure, but they were definitely heroic and masculine men. They didn't embrace the idea of being supernaturally seeded by a god-husband as a male bride. Although Jefferson, as a Deist, did consider the ethical teachings of Jesus beneficial for forming an ethical American society, he completely rejected the Pauline ideology, as did Ben Franklin. 

What this means for me as an American, is that the Bible is not about my ancestry and nor is it in my view a practical mythos to live by. I instead can simply go on experiencing the cultural memory of my Norse ancestry and their religion through many American holidays and customs we already have in place in North America. For example, much of our theatrical culture is based in Norse mythology. In my opinion, American Sports are basically a celebration of the heroic spirit, reminding one of the battleground of the Gods in the form of sports athletes in competition for greatness and heroic glory on the field of battle. Gym culture is a celebration of the athletic and muscular culture of the Norse and Greek Gods through building one's physique like a sculpture sculpted into a Greek God. 

Heroic Adventurism versus Leveling Docile Utopianism

I see Proto-Indo-European / Greco-Norse heroic adventurism being at odds with Pauline leveling utopianism. Paul, as an Israelite, was a utopianist who believed his national god and messiah was going to fly down from the sky very soon and force equality and end all biological reproduction and competition. In this new utopia there would be no more gender nor earthly biology, but everyone would be non-biological and angelic like a genital-less ken doll basically. This end-times apocalyptic fantasy squelched the Greco-Norse spirit of adventurous heroism and replaced it with a more docile and weakening energy of leveled complacency. Just compare it to the more enlivening Viking spirit and Greek vitality, and the choice today of which myth to live by becomes clear, at least to me. 

Paulianity as Anti-Life or Anti-Instincts 

I find the Pauline ideas deeply problematic for many other reasons as well. For example, part of the Israelite's unconscious survival mechanism, according to Nietzsche, was the development of a priestly caste that sought to demonize their oppressors. This dualism was influenced by Persian Zoroastrianism. This priestly caste evolved and separated into two basic groups, today's Rabbinic Judaism and Pauline Christianity. Nietzsche spoke favorably of the ancient Old Testament religion and modern Judaism and he despised Anti-Semites. But he was very critical of Pauline Christianity, which he sees as the priestly caste evolving into a resentful revenge-seeking pity party via Paulianity; which he described as mostly a product of being angry at and demonizing Life itself, and seeking to escape this world for a fantasy world. 

I think this Pauline negation of life was in part based on the cultural memory of his people being under subjection by foreign powers. Rome was the latest empire subjugating the Israelites in the first century. Some Jews revolted with a Greco-Norse or ancient Semite warrior-god energy, fighting back and seeking to gain their own independence and sovereignty as a nation. In other words, like the American founding fathers who fought for their freedom and independence, these first century Israelites were willing to fight and die for their own freedom and independence. Paul on the other hand, had a different plan. 

Paul was part of the school of Apocalypticism. Whereas some Jews believed their messiah was going to come back and restore peace through war efforts, Paul reinterpreted the Hebrew scripture so that his messiah was Jesus who instead died as a Maccabean style martyr; which ushered in the final apocalyptic end-times. Paul's message was therefore that they did not need to fight Rome because Jesus was going to come back and fight for them any day now. 

The Pauline message was pacifist as an interim ethic, be ultra nice and passive now, because they will get it later from my sky god. "We," he basically said, "are not to fight Rome, but to be docile, and ideally die as martyrs." This was all based on the Pauline expectation that his messiah was going to come and conquer Rome and establish an Israelite theocracy very soon. This we know did not happen. So this means that the first and second century Pauline disciples who practiced celibacy and/or martyrdom, giving up their normal lives for the expectation of the immediate return of the messiah in their lifetime, ended up causing them to suffer and die for an expectation of something that never happened. 

I think this was all based on Paul's own unconscious resentment of the strong and powerful Roman empire surrounding him with unholy temples of pagan gods and statues which he thought were demon possessed. In fact in his mind the whole biological world was controlled by Sin, Satan, and Demons. This resulted in Paul's apocalyptic revenge fantasy and a Life-despising worldview: ending in an anti-Nature, leveling, communistic utopia When A Jew Rules the World (this is an actual book title by a Christian). Note that this book was actually written to combat antisemitism among Protestants. For the record, I don't want or expect a Scandinavian to rule the world either. I'm not into any form of dictatorial communism or what Hitchens described as a celestial North Korea. 

Honoring One's Own Ancestral Heritage & Mythos 

As we can see, the whole New Testament mythology is an ancestral mythos based on the specific cultural memory of Israelites like Paul, Peter and James, etc. This is quite frankly not my heritage or cultural memory as a Germanic Scandinavian, nor as an American. It is simply not my cultural heritage. 

Why abandon my own cultural memory and physiological DNA represented mythically in Norse mythology? Wouldn't that be like an American rejecting the cultural memory of their American ancestors, who bled and died for them, and instead identifying with communist China? What does China have to do with me? I can appreciate the health affects of mindfulness mediation without becoming a Buddhist or becoming a citizen of China. So too, I can find value in Jesus' ethical teachings like Thomas Jefferson did, without believing the Pauline idea that I should be seeded by a male messiah as his bride.

The fact is the story of the Bible is not the story of my Ind-European people, but is about the Jewish people and Pauline ideology. I would never expect a Jew who practices Judaism to join the Pauline New Testament religion. So too, I do not expect the Jewish people to adopt any Indo-European mythos as theirs, even if only metaphorically as archetypes of the collective unconscious. For they have their own mythology that grew out of their own specific experience as a people. So if they have the culturally respected right to want nothing to do with my ancestor's mythology, why should I be expected to embrace the ancestral story and mythology of the Bible (in the form of either Judaism or Pauline-Christianity)? 

Now, if somebody could convince me that the belief system of the Bible was the "only true religion," then that would make sense; but I see all religion as mythology. So if a religious mythology is as much a product of the ethnic memory of a people's evolved culture -- that morphed into a life-orienting mytho-philosophy -- then why would anyone want to reject or disparage a world-orienting mythos that is connected to that person's own ancestral cultural memory? Wouldn't that be like asking the person to spit in the face of their great grandfathers and reject their own genetic memory from out of which their own ancestral mythology grew?

Now, I'm not here saying that just because I am Germanic Scandinavian and American, that I should not consider Judaism or Christianity as a worldview option solely based on my ancestry or nationality. The truth is, my moving away from Paulianity had nothing to do with my ancestry (which I actually discovered later after rejecting Christian Fundamentalism). For I simply find the mythology of the New Testament ultimately impractical and disempowering psychologically. I realized that Paulianity ultimately made me feel less empowered as it oriented me in the world in a negative way that depleted my vitality. I then later on, found that my own ancestral mythology and Americanism made me feel more empowered; and better oriented me in the world in a more realistic and practical way as a mythos.

 Now if I thought the Judeo-Christian religion was true or even practical or empowering, I likely would have clung to it but unfortunately it was none of those things. So, when I realized that Norse mythology was not only part of my own ethnic identity and cultural heritage -- but that it was useful for generating within me personal power and vitality -- the choice to move more toward the energy of the Northwind (see Nietzsche on the Northwind by Lucian Filip) became an obvious and natural path; as it was already built into my very nature as a Germanic Scandinavian.

Norse Vitality & American Spirit 

And I'm proud to be an American

Where at least I know I'm free

And I won't forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

(Source) 

 

The way I see it, a religious mythology can either exude a psychological energy of empowering vitality, freedom and adventure, or form an oppressive, life-squelching and "controlling vibe." From this perspective, I see a distinct difference between the cultural energy in the mythologies of the Greeks and the Norse, which is different from the more depleting nihilistic energies of Buddhism and Pauline Christianity. Instead of hiding in a Buddhist or Christian monastery, being celibate and praying or meditating life away, there is instead in the Proto-Indo-European descending mythological traditions (like Norse mythology), an energy of heroic adventurism and overcoming chaos with creativity through poetry and art and a warrior spirit. 

This Northwind vitality, or aliveness, is also in my view the energy of the foundations of America: which was based on this Greco Nordic spirit of breaking free from any oppressor and charting your own course with a spirit of adventure with an appeal to Nature's God: which God of Nature had more in common with the Greco Nordic mythological traditions which are based on the personification of the natural forces of nature, with the Gods representing the drives and instincts of the body. 

When I study the lives of the main American founder fathers, in particular Ben Franklin who was a Deist, I find him embracing the energies of the body and the joy of living, with a more Greco Epicurean spirit instead of a Pauline attitude. 

When Nietzsche and Dr. Paul utilize Greek mythology, they are simultaneously promoting and endorsing the same energy of Nature, which is simultaneously found in Norse mythology. Meanwhile, America was largely built off of the philosophy of the Greeks and the adventurous spirit of the Norse as a symbolic Northwind.

Rather than a religious dogma or set scripture, the reality of nature we experience all around us becomes your hymnal and scripture, your temple dome the sun shines upon. As an organic being not a platonic form, you grow within and through life as a part of life. There cannot be one true religion or tradition, only subjective perspectives. 

Given this ability to form a natural spirituality, in the form of daily exposure to the sun, breathing meditation, and/or hiking in nature as Nietzsche exemplified, I do not feel a strong desire to reconnect with my Scandinavian ancestors' folk religion of "Norse paganism." I do intend to appreciate Norse mythology, however I intend to do so from a psychological perspective through the work of Joseph Campbell and Dr. Paul's Gender Instincts perspective. 

I instead consider myself an American and basically if I needed a religion or chose one, then Americanism is my religion. For we have just advanced to far rationally and scientifically to return to any religion in my opinion, whether it be Norse paganism, or Hinduism, or Christianity, etc. We Americans already have the symbols on the dollar bill and the natural anthem as our American hymn. I like how Vivek Ramaswamy as an Indo-European Indian-Hindu does not lead with his personal religion. Hinduism is by the way is a cousin to the Norse as a branch of the Pro-Indo-European ethnolinguistic religious tree. Instead, Vivek focuses on our shared values as North Americans and the principles and values of what I call Americanism on my site here.