Restoring this holiday seasons true meaning

[toddaa]

I've decided to quite grousing and complaining and embrace the traditions of the year.

I'm celebrating Mother's Night with a couple of bottles of homebrew mead and toasts to Odin, Thor, and Freya. Vows will be taken on New Year's eve with a small sacrifice. I'm really determined to get into the spirit of the season this year. I remain godless, but if I must be religious, I'm going with my cultural roots, ignoring the Christian usurpers who trashed Europe with their allegiance to the bastard Nazarene, and going with ancestral heathenry.

I recently spent a couple of weeks at my local UU church discussing theology in a secular age. The discussion and arguments were very good, but I was unconvinced by the relabelling of words like faith, god, and religion. I love my fellow UUers, but I remain an pigheaded atheist. However, I had a couple of great discussions that convinced me that I miss the rituals of my upbringing. Rather than Christianity, which I reject, I have the choice of Daoism or metaphoric heathenry and I'm leaning towards the latter. I've always been uncomfortable taken on another culture's traditions, as I view that as cultural imperialism. I will continue to read and value the teachings of Zhuangzi, but I'm going with my heritage and exploring heathen mythology for meaning. In true UU fashion, it's an experimental exercise in trying to connect with greater whole.

Just hope I don't accidentally start Fimbalvetr.