Going Through the Motions: The Importance of Understanding in Modern Heathendom

In the pre-conversion period, the Germanic tribes of northern, western, and central Europe were very much connected to their environments. They lacked the modern convenience of globally produced foods being available year round in vast supermarkets and, instead, relied upon their own ability to produce food locally. Because of this, the "archaeo-Heathens" were keenly aware of the seasonal cycle, and its impact on the land. Knowing when to plough, when to sow, and when to harvest was vital to most people's survival prior to the advent of the Industrial Revolution.

In the modern, westernised world, we are usually rather detached from the core production of our food. How many of us have ploughed a field, or harvested a crop, for example? How many have helped with lambing, or taken part in the slaughter of livestock? We can eat strawberries in January, and beef in July without doing anything more than popping to the local supermarket (or even just going online and getting it delivered). The main reasons for knowing what season it is nowadays are knowing what to wear, and where to go on holiday. Most of us have lost the connection to our environment that our ancestors relied upon not all that long ago.

At first glance, it may seem that we have things much better now than our distant forebears did and, for the most part, that is true. However, it does bring up a rather important question: What is the purpose of ritual? More specifically, what is the purpose of the seasonal observances of the "festival calendar" that underpins much of contemporary Heathendom? The short answer is that it is to increase the weal - the wealth and abundance - of the community. But what does that mean, really? I would suggest that it means that the community, acting together, entreat the gods to bless the land with fruitfulness.

In the 11th century (post conversion) Anglo-Saxon metrical charm, Æcerbōt (field-remedy), we find instruction for a complete ceremony for ensuring the wellness of the land. It is not a symbolic rite to ensure that harvests, in general, are good, but a very real ritual that charms *that* piece of land in particular to be fruitful. Likewise, I suspect, the various seasonal rites would have a strong "real-world" function beyond some hypothetical symbolism.

What, then, would the function be of such rituals in the modern context? When we are separated from our food production by several degrees (and possibly thousands of miles), what utility does a ritual designed to improve the fertility of a field have for us? Does it even have a utility, or are we just blindly going through the motions of ritual practice out of blind tradition?

As we strive to create new religious practice derived from the echoes from the past, we need to understand why the Germanic peoples did what they did. When we understand why a ritual is performed, it can help us to explore how best to perform it, and when. Or even if it should be performed at all. An in-depth understanding of ritual utility can also help us to create entirely new rituals, if a need for such is felt. Without that core understanding, we are simply pantomiming and will not see wholesome growth and development of our respective Heathen traditions.