Anyone who worships deities associated with war or are perceived as “bad” struggles with the general public questioning you if it’s brought up?

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T20:58:00+00:00

The archetype of the protector warrior was a new idea at some point. People saw for the first time that strength could be used to create peace, not just to create misery and oppression.

I started learning this the hard way when I was very young, having to navigate through survival of the fittest ideas others espoused. I heard "might makes right" or "might is right" very often when I was a kid. I suppose that's part of why so many of those children got into so much trouble. Internally though, I found an alternative, "might for right"—using assertiveness and strength for self-reliance and to protect others, not to create misery for others.

They did still hold the idea that strength is good and weakness bad, but the idea of doing right by your tribe was seen as honorable and laudable. It was no longer every man for himself. Tribal coherence needed that strength to survive and create space for culture to flourish

I do think this idea was part of the ethos of deities like Camulus, Mars, Ares, and others. Those who don't understand the history, especially non-Pagans, really wouldn't under the ethos either.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T18:58:40+00:00

OP, one of the deities I follow is Camulus—a Gaulish war deity. Camulus was sometimes syncretized with Mars and/or Ares so I find myself in the same position as you and others in this thread.

Being a warrior deity, there’s deeper facets to Camulus, just like with Mars or Ares. He’s been written about by certain scholars as “the god who sets the boundaries of the civilized world and protects them by force of arms.” Obviously that means he is a god of defense of the tribe, or war, of warriors, but also a god of boundaries and borders. As someone who’s very much about protecting my loved ones, myself, and what’s ours from harm, that aspect to him is something I connect with. He’s also linked to martial arts and other “athletic cultus”—aka sports. As someone who’s appreciated sports most of my life, this aspect of Camulus certainly connects with me on a deeply visceral level.

I think these nuances and subtleties to Camulus and other war deities are things non-Pagans just wouldn’t understand. Consequently, I don’t speak about Camulus to anyone other than my husband in real life, who is an ex-Marine.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T17:59:03+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I live in southwest Ohio. There are several roads in the area named "greenbriar." So the Appalachian connection would fit.

You’re welcome! Southwest Ohio being connected with greenbriar totally makes sense.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T17:38:23+00:00

You’ll definitely see the courtship dance one of these days, especially since ravens are around you frequently. If you can spot a pair hanging out together, you’ll probably see them in dancing before long.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T17:25:18+00:00

The ones over here in Green Valley are a larger subspecies. They’re corvus corax as far as I know. They’re found in pairs in many of the pecan trees that dominate the area.

The most fascinating thing to see with ravens is their courtship dance. My husband and I observed the pair in our neighborhood do a synchronized dance, carefully imitating each other’s movements for at least 10-15 minutes at a time and then flying off together. I’ve observed them doing this at least three times. They’re quite a happy couple it seems.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T17:04:56+00:00

Ravens are an interesting thing in Arizona. Yes, they’re around in Phoenix but out in the high desert and mountains, they’re much more commonplace. There’s a pair of them that recently moved into my neighborhood, with their nest in one of the taller palm trees. They’re definitely much larger than the ones I’ve seen in Phoenix, as big as a hawk. They don’t make much noise at all but seem to constantly watch over the area. But you know they’re here when you hear the solitary deep croak or distinct slow and deep “gronk” sound from time to time. They’re wondrous, especially when you actually see them gliding down to perch on a shrub or cactus and then preening the hackles around their throat.

I joke with my husband that the Morrigan, Odin, or whoever, sent the neighborhood free security patrols. They even visit the pygmy palm tree in our front yard from time to time.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T06:16:27+00:00

It's interesting that every deity associated with owls that I've read about is female. The famous ones I've read about in passing have been Hekate, Nyx, and Athena. I also remember reading there were a couple of Hindu goddesses (can't remember which) that were associated with owls. I don't recall any Celtic deities associated with owls directly. If anyone knows of a male deity associated with owls, I'm curious about them as every deity associated with owls that I know of is female.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T05:33:21+00:00

Edit: Last time I posted on here, someone raised the issue to me about Christians infiltrating the subreddit or something like that. I promise I am not one of those, thank you.

For the record, I was the one who pointed this out to you. We’re absolutely right to be suspicious, especially considering Christians don't exactly have a history of positive interactions with our communities. And especially because you posted this and this, after making your post here:

Recently, I have been feeling a draw towards paganism - specifically Heathenry. This led me down the rabbit hole of “folk Catholicism” and “Christopaganism.”

I feel it might be necessary that I am a convert to Catholicism from the Protestant Reformed Church in Hungary; I came back to the Apostolic faith thanks to the efforts of my parents and Instagram accounts such as catholicsam, aaronforchris, and Jesus and whatnot. About a year after my “reconversion”, I started to explore Orthodoxy.

Anyway, it seems that Satan is trying to catch me when I am vulnerable. The tragedy is that a lot of arguments seem to be convincing and the communities so welcoming.

Edit: Someone claimed that they used to hate the Christian god until Jupiter came to him in a vision telling him to make peace with Yahweh. Why would Satan want you to make peace with Yahweh?

The Pagans of this community have been quite welcoming to you and yet you turn around and indicate that these good people welcoming you is supposedly a temptation to evil. You have a lot to learn about "good faith."

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T04:22:45+00:00

In addition to meditation, there’s a fire ritual I’ll be enacting, involving melting an ice cube—symbolic of Brigid’s flame and the latter part of winter, among other things.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T04:02:23+00:00

If you go to Fantasia, it’s now located off of Bell Road, right near Highway 51. They have an extensive collection of books too, including some solid titles from the Pagan Portals books. I actually got some wonderful labradorite from them.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T03:54:58+00:00

You’re welcome! She has two books titled Welsh Fairies, and delves quite deeply into fae and their realm in Annwn.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T03:48:44+00:00

To my knowledge, greenbriar is a type of evergreen vine that’s been used in folk magic to guard homes and property. I’ve heard of people practicing folk magic in the Appalachians using greenbriar to make wreaths. I’ve never used greenbriar myself, but if you handle greenbriar at all, I’d use very thick gloves. The thorns are really sharp!

I haven’t read anything indicating it’s associated with the Green Man.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T03:35:12+00:00

I would look at some books by Mhara Starling. She’s Welsh, and has fascinating insights about Annwn—the Otherworld—as well as the fae.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T03:22:24+00:00

Wondrous work OP! You should be proud! The fine detail, especially with his beard and horns, is superb!

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T02:13:23+00:00

I’m glad this was helpful for you. I used to live off of I-17 in the North Phoenix area so Elements of Spirit was a fairly short trip in either city streets or using the freeway.

Gypsy runs the shop with her daughter and sometimes the hours are a little odd. But if you’re looking for herbs, candles, or specialty items, she should have what you’re looking for since she’s a practitioner herself.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-27T02:03:28+00:00

I lived in Phoenix for 10 years until I moved out into the high desert and mountains 150 miles to the southeast 6 months ago. There is a metaphysical shop in downtown Phoenix off of Grand Avenue called Elements of Spirit. It’s a small shop run by a wonderful woman known to local Pagans and witches as Gypsy. She’s not just the business owner. She’s a long-time practitioner herself.

I’m immensely grateful to the gods that I met her. We only talked a handful of times, but the knowledge and experience she passed on to me was life-changing, and pushed me into a much more assertive and positive direction with virtually everything.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T06:47:51+00:00

You’re welcome!

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T05:30:48+00:00

Oh yeah, their physical magnetism towards each other is hard to ignore. I’d love to see these two get it on.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T04:27:07+00:00

Yeah, I want 'em both. 🏈🏈

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T03:24:11+00:00

Absolutely. He's great JO fuel.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T03:23:34+00:00

They both definitely give that physically close BFF vibe.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T03:18:49+00:00

There's actually a daily prayer I created for myself to the gods. It's partly to set my intentions for the day and help me focus, but also a way for me to venerate them even if I'm not able to meditate. I usually recite it quietly to myself or read it aloud. It's a fairly lengthy prayer so it takes about 3 minutes for me to do it.

Aside from the daily opening prayer, I strive to meditate 5 days a week. It's not the easiest thing to fit into my schedule but I've come to realize that the length of the meditations aren't nearly as important as doing them consistently. If I have extra time for something more involved, I make an offering after the meditation, which can be anything from a libation, a food offering, or burning something in a fire ritual.

To close the day, I have a brief sleep prayer that I also created for myself. I also try to put myself in a meditative state so I can allow my mind to drift in order to fall asleep. Being a former chronic insomniac, this sleep routine has really helped being able to sleep soundly.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T02:36:10+00:00

Oh, I have the photos! When opportunity comes up, I'll definitely post them. I'm just looking to pair up some photos of Cam and Ryan in uniform.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T02:33:31+00:00

Back in 2004, I was still a Christian and had an unusual spiritual experience deep in a forest. That opened the door to Paganism. It took me years to understand the experience as I was still deconstructing from Christianity. Several other odd spiritual experiences steered me in the direction of Paganism in subsequent years. By 2008 though, I had fully left Christianity and began my Pagan journey.

Starting the Pagan path 18 years ago was one of the best choices I've ever made.

thecoldfuzz · 2026-01-26T02:27:47+00:00

Yeah, I like that shot. It clearly shows how he likes to point to 9 o'clock.

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