The Hamingja Podcast Hamingja Foundation

Slavic paganism is perhaps the least well-known of the Indo-European spiritual branches. It is unfortunately also heavily distorted by new-age and other modern influences. This episode will remedy that! A great resource for those who seek their native Slavic roots and for those who want an even broader understanding of Indo-European culture and spirituality.

Hear the story about how Thor the Striker changed this young British man’s life at young age. Are you new to paganism? Young? Lost in life? We continue our pagan journey, our portraits of how some of our members found their ancestral spirituality and their true nature. That's exactly what us at Hamingja help people do – finding and practicing their Indo-European spirituality in an authentic way. 
Here we meet Elliot, a young man from the UK telling his story about how he came to Indo-European paganism, how Thor changed his life and about the importance of finding one’s way back up on the ancestral path. A story about how he found Anglo-Saxon paganism, or Fyrnsidu as it’s also called.  
Follow the channel and our portrait series #paganjourney for more guidance and lessons.

We help people find their true Indo-European spirituality, nature & purpose. We often see people who really want to deepen their Indo-European pagan spirituality, but don’t get going since they feel they don’t know where to start, how to do things in an authentic way and that they lack words. We’ll do something about that now. This is a guide to an authentic and well-attested morning prayer ritual aligned with Indo-European paganism.
This is a bonus episode where I go through an authentic Indo-European morning ritual step by step. It’s so important that we don’t just talk about our native spirituality, but that we actually practice it.
It’s originally a YouTube video, so for you who also want to see me perform the ritual I recommend you to go over there. But I know many of you love to listen to podcasts, so I’m posting it here too. And you’ll understand perfectly well just by listening here. At the end of this episode you’ll also hear the two prayers or mantras I offer to Dawn and Sun, but in a much better and melodic version, so stick around for that. 
And what better place to start than in the morning? As the title suggests this video is about how to perform an authentic pagan morning ritual – getting into a healthy and spiritual routine. 
A spiritual and mindful start of the day that definitely will make you feel that the day has begun in a meaningful way, and that you’ve already seen beauty.
For this morning ritual you’ll need water, a candle, incense and some barley. As you’ll see, one bowl of water will be used for purification, and a smaller amount will be used as a libation. If you have an altar at home it’s a good idea to always have holy water standing there.
I sometimes add on some more beverages as libations to the All-gods – like milk, wine or juice – but libations to the Sun and Dawn should be non-alcoholic.  
So let’s begin! Before you’ll see me perform the ritual and say the prayers there are some preparatory steps that are just as important and just as much part of the ritual.
First of all – wake up early. 6 o’clock at the latest. Already by doing that you’ll feel that you’ve done something good. Stretch a little in bed before getting up.
As soon as you get up, try to get 2-10 minutes of sunlight or daylight. There’s great health benefits of doing that. That’s of course not always possible depending on what time of the year it is and where in the world you are, but do your best. Be mindful of that the Sun represents our highest consciousness and the higher self.
Now drink one or two glasses of warm water. This kickstarts your metabolism, and activates your body’s fuel.
Take a really cold shower or bath. Start with 30 seconds. Cold showers and baths give both health benefits and a sense of uniting with nature. Be mindful in the cold water. You’ll feel connected to nature, and this purification also makes all that society forced upon you the day before.
It’s of course even nicer if you can get out in the garden or nature and pour cold water over yourself, connecting to Mother Earth. 
After that – meditate for as long as you feel you have the time for. Studies show that 15 minutes of meditation has the same physical and psychological effect as one full day of vacation! But if you only have two minutes, that’s great too!
When I open my eyes after the meditation I often think of things I look forward to or things I’m grateful for.

Young? New to paganism? Lost in life? Here's a very important message from a young Swedish pagan. Everywhere around us we see the decline of the west and the purposeless, rootless and lost people living there. But there’s hope for the future, not the least with youth like this. In the first episode of our new series of portraits of a #paganjourney you get to meet one of the members of the Hamingja Foundation – Niilo – who has a very important message to young people, new pagans and to those searching for purpose and direction in life. Leave the Empire of Nothing and start connecting to your roots!

Pagans drink mead, celebrate Odin for sacrificing an eye to drink from the Well, and pour libations in rituals. But why? Why did the sacred drink become integral to the religious beliefs and practices of Indo-European peoples? It is one of the most enigmatic mysteries and at the same time perhaps the most central phenomenon in Indo-European myth and spirituality. This episode takes a deep sip of the sacred drink of our ancestors – the elixir that keeps the gods immortal and conveys divine insight, inspiration and fertility.

Happy Solstice & God Jul to all our listeners! Here's a winter solstice poem written by our founder Björn Ekdahl. The Hamingja Foundation works hard to make sure that people who want to practice Indo-European spirituality won't lack words.

Text:
In the heart of winter's chill, When shadows cloak the land so still, Amidst the longest, darkest night, We seek the glow of inner light. Oh, radiant sun, your golden rays, Chase away the night's hidden maze. Illuminate our hearts, shine ever bright, Banish darkness with your warming light. In the quiet of the longest night, Where shadows stretch and dim the light, We yearn for dawn to break the hold, On this hushed eve, so dark and cold. Oh, radiant sun, your golden rays, Chase away the night's hidden maze. Illuminate our hearts, shine ever bright, Banish darkness with your warming light. So let us welcome the growing light, With open hearts, dispelling night. In the solstice's glow, our spirits soar, Embracing the light forevermore.