Indo-European Prayer and Ritual: Paganism 101 

"Tradition isn't the worship of ashes, it is the preservation of fire" ❤🔥🤗 What a lovely, memorable expression, I'll quote it in the future! Thank you!

98 arbrahamics disliked this video EDIT: This guy is a good face for pagan revival. An intelligent, well spoken, well groomed, smartly dressed and a good looking lad. Keep it up brother.

I’m American but my ancestors were colonial Virginian settlers from southeast England. I’ve been very interested in Anglo-Saxon paganism and my Germanic and Celtic ancestors. You are the best channel for this. Thank you.

A video on Zoroastrianism is needed. In Iran there is a surge in denouncing Islam

In Irish the name for Vikings is Lochlannaigh which means, people of the land of the lakes. Scandanavia is known as An Lochlann, the land of the lakes. As a side, the Irish names for England and Wales are interesting too. We call England, Sasna (Saxony) and Wales is An Bhreatain Bheag (The Little Britain).

A very large number of the oldest churches across Europe and the Mediterranean have springs or wells beneath them, or in the immediate vicinity. Because they were built on Ancient Pagan sites.

Thank you for this glorious video. Actual practice, along with intellectual pursuit and apologetics, is what we pagans should be doing. Posting viking memes to annoy christians on social media is not paganism. Looking forward to more content!

One year later after watching this video and a lot of StJ's work over the past year and I've gone Pagan from Orthodox. This is our heritage and our future. It's time to come home.

Many Lithuanians still dump a little drink on the ground before meals. Or just nights of drinking. For the gods. The god of fermentation. Roguszys.

Returned to the old ways after Afghanistan it’s kept me from going bat shit crazy . but it’s been hard to find knowledge ; on rites or worship it seems like then I need it Odin brings me what I need it as well as the rest of the gods .... getting up with the baby at 0300 and finding this channel wasn’t by accident. Very informative thank you

Damn. I instinctively used the ritual format of private shrine, fire, and libation. Not saying "Amn't I awesome", but that this stuff lives inside us. Many thanks from an Irish "pagan". I've been trying to find relevant material on how to develop my rituals and observances further, so this helps a great deal.

greetings from indian hindus. return to your roots European cousins

Greetings from an Indo-European in America! Excellent teaching, true wisdom

In my hometown in Hardanger, Norway we have on the road to the mountains two special stones. The first one, the milk stone (mjelkesteinen) has a bowl carved in it and there you would pour some milk into when walking from the støl (summer farm in the mountains) in order to gain the help of the "others" so as to not spill any on the way. The second is a pyramid shaped stone called the wish stone (ynskjesteinen) where you could pour some milk and make a wish or prayer. Don't let anyone tell you paganism died. It was suppressed but it never died.

OH GOD DON'T USE THOSE OIL LAMPS ON A TABLECLOTH WITHOUT A PLATE

...You know you're VERY INDO-EUROPEAN when even your prayers are tripartite. This was great, thanks for sharing your own pragmatic approach to paganism! Your approach to faith seems quite similar to mine - based on written accounts.

Greetings from an indo european from India!

Speaking of nice smells, in Greco-Roman religion, the Gods were said to feast on the aroma of the sacrificed animal while it was being cooked. In this way, nothing was wasted. For the sacrificer, sustenance was provided by eating the animal while the Gods also had their fill on the aroma.

I think in time this will become the go to video for anybody wanting to start on the pagan path. Bloody well done!

I am a hindu and my people's method of worship of the gods is very similar to this. Strange!

I'm constantly amazed by this channel. You do a fantastic job keeping our ancient traditions alive, and you do a great service to our ancestors. May their memories always be kept alive.

Thomas is one of the few reasons I still use youtube. Thank you for your wonderful and inspiring work.

Could it be typical for the Indo-European prayer that they kneeled only on one knee? You can see this tradition on paintings of knights and warriors who are kneeling with their sword.

Hail oh Gods and Goddesses Hail to my Pagan Brothers and Sisters . Blessings to you.

Offerings in a spring or river ...That could be where the " Wishing Well ' comes from and fountains usually have several coins at the bottom from , here we go again , ' Well Wishers ' wishing and tossing a coin into the water using the coin as the offering...

Thank you for this video. I make my offerings and speak to the gods alone. I didn’t learn from anyone in fact I feel it’s the gods who speak to me on my path of wisdom. I hope to find others on a similar journey. Love your channel keep it up, and may Odin guide you

I find that I am leaning towards a proto Indo European Pantheon.This was useful and very instructive.Thank you.

let me make it easy for you guys....according to the vedas...Yagya/Hawan (which is what he is referring to in the later part of the video) is the best form of prayer or sacrifice. It is supposed to feed the gods and bears the best results for the people performing it. There used to be yagya for every big occasion from war to festive occasions or just buying new land and performing yagya on it for blessing and purification. It is a ceremony in which a bonfire( hawan/agni kund) is made in the middle and offerings are given to the fire god and all the gods. Our marriages take place by yagya/Hawan ceremony. so if someone is interested on learning more about ancient methods of worship, they can research that.

The prayers have similarities to the prayers in the Vedas of India.

1.Hāl wes þū, Thomas Rowsell, lārēow sida, bodere selenesse, 2. Þū ġeafe ġewit on þīnum *gangendebiliþum of ǣrdagum, ūre āþ is þæt, for þē, ā ūre ēaran sind ġeopenode. 3. Ġif ūs þīn ġewit. 1. Hail Thomas Rowsell, Master of custom, teacher of tradition, 2. Thou gavest knowledge in your videos (Going-images) from days of before, our oath is that, for thee, forever our ears are opened. 3. Give us thine knowledge.

Growing up a boy in East Anglia many years ago, it was still an Xmas Tradition to leave a glass of Whisky and a plate of cake or biscuits for Santa ... this was really the continuation of a centuries old offering within our family to Woden ... there's nothing Xtian about it. In the morning the food and Whisky were gone and gifts were given in celebration of what we still often termed Yule. We ate a Yule Log cake and many other Pagan related foods that still remained firmly within the living memory of our Anglo Saxon family. As a Heathen I look back fondly on many of these early traditions knowing that my Pagan roots were firmly beneath my feet all along ... despite all Christian attempts to absorb, appropriate and vanquish them.

Finding my neopagan Lithuanian Romuva was like coming home, the history of Lithuania revealed many of the underlying issues I’ve wrestled with regarding religion. Thank you for Great work

This video is very indo European.

So the belief that ancient pagans didn't kneel before their gods is a misconception? It could be that in trying to separate themselves from Abrahamism, some modern pagans have thrown the babe out with the bathwater.

Excellent presentation. For myself I travelled through the paganism of the odinic rite to Buddhism( I felt modern neo paganism lacked much in the way of real meditation work). 12 years as a Buddhist and I was drawn to the upanishads and the Gita,that lead me to look more closely at sanatana Dharma and existing elements that laid hidden with Buddhism and that in turn is now seeing a returning to a paganism I would describe as Indo-European.

V E R Y

Very interesting topic. Thanks Tom!

bending a bronze sword and throwing it into a lake seems to have been popular as does building little bronze wagons that carry a brazier and a horde of little bronze gods riding on it. chuck that in the lake as well. solid gold torcs and gold enameled jewelry. that can go in too. full size chariot with horses. bung em in, cauldrons too

Great video and I come back to it from time to time to make sure its message seeps in. The incense is especially important. Tibetan Buddhists teach that scents are one of the few things that can easily pass between our world and the world of spirits. Furthermore, scents nourish spirits as we are nourished by food. As such, lighting incense and directing it to your deceased loved ones (especially important right after they die, but really good any time) is an incredible practice.

Really interesting video, it's nice to see footage from my home country. Greetings from Lithuania!

Liminality plays such an important role in all aspects of our lives; society, religion, psychology, and philosophy to name a few. I love the idea of employing liminal spaces and rituals as a doorway between the spiritual realm and the physical.

Wow. Believe it or not, Tom, this video came the day after I asked the gods for guidance. Incredibly helpful, thank you so much for all you.

Funny thing is,I was just trying to gather some information about IE sacrifices and prayers in the past few days and you come up with this video.Good timing and good content as always!

Good video, I am learning lots about proper etiquette. My prayer for the last 2 years or so is daily, while walking the dogs. It starts with "Hail to the Gods of Asgard and Vanaheim, Hail to the Sun and the Moon, and Hail to the great tree and the Norns who watch it"...and then I go on to address one god or another (Tyr on Tuesdays, Odin on Wednesdays, Thor on Thursdays, Frey/Freya/all Vanir on Fridays, Yggdrasil and the Norns on Saturdays). I never ask anything from them other than their attention (I shouldn't say never, but rarely do I ask for help on any matter). All I do is advise of good things done in the past week and set intentions for how I bring honor to myself and my family: Tyr-living honorably, Odin-sought wisdom/knowledge/reached a state of ecstasy, Thor-physical competition or shown bravery, Freya and Frey-how I have brought love to my wife (I'll save those details for the gods)...this way maybe the gods will help me of their own free will because they see honor in my ways or me as a champion of their cause...but if not I will have at least helped myself. The one time I did ask for something it was from Tyr, and for this I made a small cut in my arm, soaked a Kleenex in the blood of my arm (I figured this may be something he appreciates) and set it ablaze. Any thoughts?

ringing the bell is what you do when you enter a Hindu temple doing 'puja', circling a candle flame around an icon of a God in your home too

The traditions of ancient Europe *Must* be preserved! Don't let the false religion of a slaving foreign "god" lure you into a state of self-guilt and self-criticism! These traditions saw Our Peoples through the good and bad times! We don't need the old blood sacrifices anymore and we don't need to make them "woke"🤮! We can have our old traditions for a modern following!!!🎉🎉🎉 Blessed BE!

4 Christians who are terrified of 'PAGANISM' gave this vid the Thumbs-down. *"Return To Your Pagan Roots, 'Yule' Have A Better Live..."*

thanks for the clear informations ans the chill tone 🙏

Very useful for my writings, I am writing about a fictional indo-european people in a mystic land still in their Iron Age, and an American, and British soldier find their land, and learn their traditions.

During every holiday event my dad use to pour his favorite most expensive scotch down the drain for the saints and our ancestors to drink, I had no idea that was a pagan thing, since he is catholic

the Hebrews and Jewish people do Not kneel and i will not. Gaïa is me and i am Gaïa i am part of all of her - the bones of the mother, the dirt which gives to us, all animals, the sky, the sun, Grandmother moon, the crystal waters, the air and wind, fire, and the great trees which protect us (the tree if life with roots in the earth and reaching to the sky). i’ve not heard of Native American Indians kneeling either and i have personal experience plus studying. i identify mostly with American Indian spirituality which i blend with some northern European spirituality. i do like much of what you have said, which i did not know. thank you very much for giving us leadership, validation and pride. you talk logically, factually, and historically, not with amorphous speeches wandering here and there. for you everything is connected even as you talk of various rituals. you feel to me like what a Druid would have been like. 🌏💨🔥🌊 ☀️🌧️🌈🌒🪨🏔️⛰️🏜️🪵🌲🍁🌾🌼🌿🍃🍄🍓🌽🐕🦌🐒🦦🦫🐑🦇🐢🦎🐌🦗🐡🦀🐞🐝🦋🦅🦉🦢🦜🐓🦆

I'm a Hindu, and though I've held the philosophy since I was a teenager, as I've gotten older (I'm in my late '20s), I've become more interested in exploring the rituals and mythos of the faith. Watching your channel has helped me on that path, and given me ideas on how to worship in honor of my father's ancestors (Hindus) and my mother's (Germanic pagans). Thank you so much for your work, and I look forward to every forthcoming video.

Another Great video. This brought a couple of things to mind. On incenses and burning (turning). The Sacred Flame was kept. It was brought into a ritual (or prayer) by burning things in it, even water (combining the opposite elements). The smoke produced had meaning in divination (Is the smoke black or white, do we have a new pope?) The smoke clarified what was hidden. I believe the greeks took amber to burn for its fragrance in rituals. I've never seen that referred to for the Balts, but that may have been suppressed by the Christians. Ceromancy (predictions of fire and water using wax) survives in folk customs. The other thing is the idea of exchange. I think in our modern material world the meaning gets lost. It wasn't about a ''bargain'' The invocation of the God was, in and of itself, a propeciation. The Gods were off living their own lives, doing their own things. The Gods would want to know, Why the hell are you bothering me? Plus, you could get mad at the Gods too. Addressing the God appropriately (kenning speech) was as much a part of the bargain as anything. If you went to your wife's father's house, you'd have to know the right way to address him, his sons and his servants. That was the same ''deal'' with the Gods. The offering, although important, sealed the propriety of the communication. Pagans may not want to hear this but the God in the Bible was acting very pagan when he preferred Abel's gift over Cain's BECAUSE Abel offered it with genuine devotion.

I have always copied that Suebian statue but I swap knees because my right one is fucked. Yet another fantastic video in how to survive the jive!

I'm a non-religious (and disillusioned) Catholic and I have respect and admiration for Neopaganism. I agree for Europe to return to their pagan roots. Neopaganism is fascinating and I like to practice it as it is meaningful to me, like I found something fitting for me.

Regardless of what cultural background our flavor of Paganism is, what we are doing is rebuilding what was lost. It's true that much knowledge, tradition, and practice is lost forever. Its tragic but shouldn't stop us. We are shaking off the Abrahamic religions hold on our minds and building something new with the old pieces. We are the pioneers, the ancestors that future pagans will remember. Discussions like this video are essential for us to decide as a group of people to guide where we are going

Hail Indra/Zeus/Jupiter/Odin

Great video, might have been nice if you'd touched on the vedas having a similar prayer structure. Theres such a dearth of undamaged knowledge, we should build on the vedas because they're so holistic!

I've been instinctively parking under the one tree in the entire parking lot at the gym I frequent, even though it's farther away from the entrance, it happens to be oak, and I did it because I've always liked oak trees. Now I get home and see this video. It's as if the ol' genetic memory kicked in and I've been making a small sacrifice (extra steps) in order to have a good workout without knowing about it. Gonna look up this storm god \m/

Who is the god of Tom’s hair? That god deserves praise right there

Love to Pagan Brothers from India ❤

I don't have ancestry from Western Europe however I enjoyed this so much. I like the fact that he explained everything in detail, and in a peaceful manner.

The "Hail Mary" has all of the elements....hmm. Thanks for the simplified guide. Blessings.

"How to pray like an indo European". 3 seconds in and gave it a Like!

What a beautiful poem love to mother nature love from india❤🎉

Thank you for the education in the old ways. I grew up Serbian Orthodox..... now our Badnje Veće makes more sense.... Badnjak is oak leaves or oak logs.....A fire 🔥 is made..... incense is burned and libations is offered and consumed..... usually hot whiskey....the old ways are still there. Again.... thanks for the enlightenment good sir.

What you are doing is great I have always felt that modern religions have annihilated our ancient religions we've needed this for many many years. A renaissance in our relationship with religion

I live in a swedishspeaking part of the Finnish coast, we have our own specific (somewhat old) type of swedish. Just a thought about the Prayer, Sons of the day - here we speak of Gamälon, referring to the sun as the old lady (-on beeing the feminine definer i.e Gamälon=old lady, Gamälin=old man). Sisters of the night, here we referr to the Moon as a Man(Moånin). Probably nothing, but your journey seems fun, So I thought I`d throw in some more.

I feel like I finally understand what my roots are after a whole lifetime confused. As a child I was drawn to Wicca (even tho I was conditioned Catholic). It was so wise of me.

This is a wonderful video. On the subject of prostration, the pre Christian Irish who venerated the Crom Cruach who would prostrate themselves facing towards the main shrine and the 12 idols at Magh Slécht in County Cavan. Magh Slécht - itself translates as "The plain of prostrations". Regarding my own sacrifices, on feast days I place meat outside of foxes dens, leave dried cat food out for hedgehogs, seed for wild birds and I plant native woods such as oak and holly. I also make wood carvings with Ogham on them and throw them in the headwaters of salmon rivers; the Shannon, Moy or Boyne. Another thing to do is give money to homeless people and bring yourself down to their level, and place the money in to their hands directly and wish them well. You do not have to do these things all the same time. Spread it out over the year. It's not charity, it's sacrifice. The psychological and consciousness dynamic changes completely then. Regarding blood sacrifice, women can use their menstrual blood as fertilizer for growing native flowers with medical qualities such as Meadowsweet.

Благодарю, брат; tack så mycket, bror; Thank you, brother.

I wonder if the lack of sacrifice in prayer cultivated a sense of entitlement since ppl now ask god without giving something in return.

Thank you so much for your work. It’s really what has moved me to embrace my roots.

I would suggest that one day, if you can, you dedicate a video to the Gothic people. There is a lot of talk about them and yet their origins and culture remain quite mysterious.

This says Indo-European but it seems more slanted towards Germanic religions.

The indigenous Europeans are coming back. The ones who still remain proselytized live on the dark side of their ancestral history. They still play cahoots with the catacomb and being traitors to their ancestral culture. Hellenism is back and we aim to persuade the rest to follow us in our continent to meet our glorious past, and re organize our original national culture. '' Tradition isn't the worship of ashes, it is the preservation of fire''. That came through the power of memory which rediscovers our past, according to Platon. Sigmund Freud, came, and stood, mesmerized, watching at Akropolis in Athens triggering his mind on Platon's metaphysical connection.

Bro, do you even indo European?

When you rang that little bell, memories of living in a Hindu ashram came rushing back! Ugh! 4:00 am rising !! Thanks, I think. Ha ha haa!

I have recently begun offering extra virgin olive oil to Athena -- it seemed appropriate.

I think you are one of the coolest people ever.

The prayer of a conscious aryan is his life. This means every action in his life is a prayer. Every action is done in conscious how it serves and take effect in Spirit, Body and Soul.

Excellent video and good perspectives. Many of your videos have been helpful to me in many ways, as a former Abrahamic monotheist who has, for nearly the past two years, been drawing closer and closer to my ancestral indigenous spirituality. Mine is Southern German - the great traditions of the Suebi/Alemanni; the Spanish Celtiberians; and the mixed Germanic/Celtic tribe known as the Belgae who later became the Vlaam people of my maternal side. So I've been studying and reconstructing mostly Germanic paganism, but with more of a focus on Alpine/South Germanic. Still, there are commonalities as you've stated across the Germanic world and, together, with the broader Indo-European world. And reverence need not be misconstrued as "submission", in the way that the Abrahamics conceive of it. Even the sacrifices of our deities, such as Wotan's sacrifice to obtain the wisdom of the runes, or Donar's sacrifice of his hand in the wolf's mouth, is one of giving back to the folk whereas that of God/Yahweh/Allah is inherently a one-sided submission and not an exchange.

*VERY*

As a Hellenic polytheist as well as a Norse pagan, I kneel especially to the Hellenic gods because I feel more comfortable also bowing to both pantheons with veiling. One of the reasons I kneel is because my Hellenic altar is low level bit lower than my waist and I just feel it be more respectful to kneel to show that I actually recognize their divine power basically. Kneeling and bowing is my personal practice as well as veiling.

Herodotus claimed that the initiates of the cults of both Osiris and Dionysus also paraded around a sacred flame as part of their ritual

Thank you 🙏

I'm a Sun worshipper I don't pray with words I just sit towards to the Sun with my eyes closed and I transmit how I feel and changes I need to the light, I viasualize myself emerging with the Sun 🌅

My experience and intuition tells me that sacrifices for God or Gods(who are personifications of various aspects of God) aren't the best practice of prayer, because when you sacrifice, you create lack of something for you and you allow God to take it. God doesn't need it from you, but He responds to the positive energy and love you give Him. So, instead of sacrifice it should be rather dedication (to God, or certain God - His aspect) of the positive energy you feel doing or experiencing something. For example when you do something that feels divine (burning a fire, or swimming naked in nature etc), or you see something divine (birds playing on your window sill, or a beautiful divine woman) you dedicate the positive emotion of the experience to God(or certain God - His aspect) and you do it, or watch it with intention for Him to transform this positive energy to a certain positive issue that you want (the thing you are praying for). God doesn't need you to divest yourself of something for Him. He just wants you to cooperate with Him and He wants you to have greater and greater loving relationship with Him which makes your divinity grow. So, it is better to do something divine with dedication for God and your goals, than to sacrifice something and deprive yourself for Him. Cheers from Poland and thank you for the good work you do with this channel.

As a culturally English women, (genetically more Celtic) I find it very difficult to relate to Pagan gods in any meanful way. Christianity has negative childhood associations which make it a difficult option, yet strangly when visiting a temple I found I can feel a natural affection for Krishna of the kind I'm 'supposed' to feel towards Jesus. Go figure 🤷‍♀️

When I think of England and the Native Pagan beliefs vs Christianity, I immediately think of King Penda. He is not known about by many apparently because I see very little info on him and what I do see usually focuses on whether he was a Briton or if he descended from Angles. He was apparently a great King because even though surrounded by Christian kingdoms, he still managed to make Mercia a powerhouse and didn't lose in battle against the surrounding Christian kings until Winwaed.

My god I’ve been waiting for this video for what seems like forever. Brilliant job yet again!

What you have been telling is being practiced in Hinduism.

A Curious Mind, that still yet is a Believer; someone with a heart so pure and a mind so open, and yet such an inquisitive brain: someone in whom Faith does not interfere with Brains, but having Brains doesn't interfere with faith either, but rather NOURISHES IT! I feel I have been looking for you or someone like you for all my Life. Thank you so much for being out there, and for having been travelled across by the effort (and desire) of putting this out into the World.

Thank you so much for this channel Thomas! May Athene continue to guide you to wisdom, May Hermes grant you ever increasing eloquence, And may Almighty Zeus bless all your endeavors.

Due the tittle I had very low expectations on this video, but you impressed me, you described it as it was, as it's found on the old sourses and it's paralel work the Rig Veda. I'm subscribing

I am very grateful for this video. I don't have any other sources I trust (or the knowledge ow here to look) more than you. So thank you, from the heart.

I always tribute my gym sessions for the war god, I see it as sacrifice. When I planted my potatoes and carrots and such I asked blessing from the deity linked to plantlife and agriculture. I offered libations. Your video inspired me. I do not have a shrine tho.

On my desk right now i have my handcarved Idol of a one eyed man, a candle, and some incense. I would highly recommend learning to whittle wood, its another skill to add to your reptoire and it allows you to craft your own idols, kids toys, backscratcher, whatever you can think of. It only costs about £20 to get a decent knife (go for a mora) and some wood blocks. (cut proof gloves too, safety first)

Deist Prayer Oh God, The Eternal Father, I begin this prayer again in remembrance of what once was, in hopes of what is yet to be. & now I end this prayer with remembrance of what once was, in hopes of what is yet to be.

"If you don't have access to an animal to sacrifice..." Cheers.