I Found this so Disturbing

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

Buddha

Good morning everyone.   I'm hoping the weather stays clear this week because I would love to get out to Coney Island this week.  I could have gone over the weekend, but the place gets far too crowded for me.  Last time I went I remember it was so busy I couldn't even find a free bench.  I can't stand as long as I could back then. Soon the kids will be out of school and weekday quietude will be over so I would love to be able to take advantage of it now.

I wanted to share a rather disturbing experience I had over the weekend.  During the past several months I have spent time becoming familiar with the beliefs of my ancient Germanic ancestors.  Throughout the years I have delved into Heathenism, but it was only off and on as my Celtic roots always took center stage. But, there is another branch of ancestors as well, those of my paternal grandfather. And especially now, after having my DNA tested and watching the television series, 'The Vikings', my interest has really piqued.  One book I highly recommend is 'Travels Through Middle Earth: The Path of a Saxon Pagan' by Alaric Albertsson. 

Then I decided that maybe it might be helpful if I joined an online group such as I did when I was completing my Druid studies.  I'd found it so helpful to ask questions and gather other points of view.  What I did find was that there were very few groups out there on Heathenism.  Those groups I found on Yahoo seemed to have died out months ago and there were only a few to be found on Facebook.  So, I did choose to join a Facebook group after reading its introduction.  They seemingly offered everything I needed.  But, I should never assume anything.

My first few days on the group were fair.  I introduced myself and got a few welcoming comments, but then I got busy and didn't pay much attention.  Finally when I had some time I went to the group and discovered that one of the members had posted a photo of himself proudly holding an assault rifle in each hand.  A handgun had been stuck into the ammunition belt he wore around his waist.  It was disturbing to say the least.  A few people voiced their concern over the photo, but those comments were quickly deleted and replaced by pro-gun toting comments.

I was getting very bad vibes about this group, and it seemed as if their dark energy was overwhelming me even through the computer so I decided that I had to go, but they'd ticked me off so much that before leaving, I had to voice how disappointed I was.  I then left the group via my phone.  Didn't realize though that even though I did that, as far as my computer was concerned I was still a member so I got to see what they had said about me when I left.  It was so cruel.  

"If she  wants to know about Heathenism, she should read a read a book". 

"Good riddance.  Just like a woman. Just another gun hater."

At that point, a woman posted "Not all women hate guns. This picture was taken  on a picnic we went on." It was a picture of two smiling women standing next to a pickup truck which was laden with guns and ammunition. "Anyone comes near me I'll blow their head off."

Another commented " FDB." Very derogatory. Sorry I looked that one up.

It frightens me that there are such hateful groups out there, and even moreso that I happened to read a post speaking about and welcoming all the 'prisoners' who were joining their group.  Now, Heathenism is actually a very peaceful tradition, but unfortunately, there are people in this world who twist it for their own selfish, hateful reasons.  Hitler is an example.  Thus, Heathenism gets a bad name.  So, what I am saying is that it is not the fact that the prisoners are drawn to Heathenism that scares me; it is the fact that they are being drawn to THIS group which has obviously distorted the tradition.

All in all the experience left me in a pretty negative state for most of the day.  It wasn't until late evening that I was finally able to let it go by turning out the lights, lighting a candle, and praying to Mary for peace.