http://www.angelfire.com/nm/seidhman/spirituality.pdf

A PDF file by Bil Linzie on his research and interpretations of the reconstructionist efforts.

While he may offend some New-agers and Wiccans with his criticisms, he does have good points to say about their influences in the Germanic recon efforts. I especially liked his opinion on Neo-shamanism mixed with Heathenry.

Aside from the slight ranting, I found a lot of workable information in the text and tables that gives on a feel for Germanic culture/religion in the past, and what it may mean now. Certainly useful for those interested in this sort of stuff.

And hey, it's free That's the best part, lol.

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Along The River: My paganism blog

Saved for future reference! Can't pass up 'free' with a good review!

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Moderator of: Herbs.

I'm happy to help with any questions!

I don't know how far back you want to. But I found the use of Germanic tradition under the Nazis fascinating. For instance they changed the marriage ceremonies to be paganish - symbolism like salt and other stuff that was very earthy and agricultural.

Then you have the lightning bolt on the SS men which was like the glyph for the zodiac sign of Aquarius. This has led many authors to conclude that the Nazi regime had a very "Uranian" energy. That is, it had the qualities of Uranus - shocking, inventive and collective.

I met a Norwegian woman in the 1990's who had spent her childhood under Nazi occupation. She told me that the SS men on their belts had words in German that meant "God is Great". Thus I would disagree with many historians who draw a schsim between the cult of Hitler and religion. The Nazis were complex and didn't throw religion out the window by any means.

No, what they did is taint and twist folkloric religion instead, just like they did with the swastika. It'll take a long time to clean the Nazi associations out of Germanic and Slavic religions. For all their talk of culture, they did little to follow their actual pre-Christian ancestors' ways.

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Along The River: My paganism blog

Hear hear. I'm afraid Nazis would have been dragged through the streets long before the Third Reich managed to get off the ground and pose a threat to the rest of Europe, had they been around in elder Heathen times. Also, the anti-semitism in Nazism was ultimately derived from medieval Christian superstitions re "Christ killers" etc, so the holocaust is unlikely to have happened either.

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