There *is* no good description of my path as it (like me) is a blend of Norse and Gaelic both, with a little bit of American first people’s influences, shared by elders, woven in.

Original teachings at the foundation of my walk come from a pair of teachers / elders, from Sun Bear’s Bear Tribe Medicine Society.

They taught me ways of respecting nature & Mother Earth as well as how to pray using a personal prayer Pipe.

This was followed by walks in life with others from the Lakhota, Aniyvwiya (Cherokee), Monocan, Ojibwe and others.

Over the next few decades, I began to drift from American first people’ inspired path to one looking toward the European tribes following an encounter with a Druid of Turtle Island that opened my eyes to similar paths around the world.

And my own heritage pointed me towards those as I did not wish to be accused of “cultural appropriation.”

Found myself walking as a solitary druid which morphed into that of an animist on an old Norse spiritual path.

And now seems to be settling into a combination of the two.

What does that mean? … It means I believe in higher spirits (referred to as the gods) like Odin, Freyja, Thor and his mother … Jǫrð as well as One Great Being (aka. “The Great Spirit” or “Creator”) who was always here … “Before People lived and named it.”

Also feel that we are all like threads woven into the same tapestry … like cells in the body of something beyond our comprehension.

For my journey now, I’m placing slightly more emphasis of our Earth Mother (Jǫrð), our brothers & sisters of the natural world, the gods as they fit into that natural world, Awen … the energy and flow of life itself (like a living force), and the Wyrd.

Together, the energy of Awen and the strands of Wyrd create not just the tapestry of our own life’s journey but also weaves us into the larger overall.

I also serve as bearer of what I’m referring to as the Nordlys Pipe …. a sacred Pipe named after the Northern Lights.

This Pipe has yet to reveal its full purpose to me, however, it has helped draw me closer to my Norse heritage, path, natural world, spirits and the gods.

Although my prayers and path lean to the northern cultures and tribes of Europe, the manner in which I pray when working with Nordlys (which definitely has its own spirit) is in the manner I was originally taught.

And as my teacher told me those many years ago (and those of Lakota and Aniyvwiya (Cherokee) affirmed along the way) , I needed to make my prayers my own …. and that means words and form that speaks to my spirit so that the words have meaning and are not just empty words.

Cultural appropriation? …. Not in this case.

These teachings were respectfully shared with me by elders who chose to do so.

And the prayers / ceremonies I touch are not those of a specific tribe, but of my own.

And someone recently described it quite well when we discussed this matter … “The spirit of that Pipe is such a higher metaphysical entity much like any other spirit that it can’t possibly care about your heritage. It cares about intent and purpose and the worth of the handler’s heart.”

I have now devoted myself to learning and preparing myself, so that I become more worthy of walking with Nordlys and for whatever task it has selected me for.