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Gothi Services
I'm Gary Penzler, a Heathen Gothi living in the Toronto/Hamilton region of Ontario, Canada. I am available for consulting, writing and performance of Heathen/Ásatrú life event rituals, as well as those for the turning of the seasons.
What does that mean? Say you want advice on creating a ritual to celebrate Yule. Come to me. Say you're getting married, and want an Ásatrú ceremony. Come to me. Say you're having a baby, and you want someone to help you write a nice naming ceremony. Come to me. Say you're researching the ancient folk customs of the ancient Scandinavians, and would like some pointers. Come to me. Say you are making plans for your future, and wish to consult the runes. Come to me.
Most importantly, I am very proud to be able to say that, to my knowledge, I am the very first Heathen/Ásatrúar in Canada to be able to conduct legal marriages. Styles, ceremonies and scripts can be customized to suit, including as little or as much ancient tradition as you'd like. Swearing vows on an oath-ring, laying the hallowing hammer in the lap of the bride, calling to Thor and Odin and Vor to witness the oaths--we can do all of this.
In accordance with ancient tradition, a gift looks to a gift, and so my services may not be free (depending on how much help you need from me), but those arrangements are always customized to suit the job. Maybe I'll want you to help me find a rare book. Maybe I'll want you to send me a small handcrafted item. Maybe I'll just want you to put a link to my website on yours, or send me a postcard--it depends on what the job entails. And all such arrangements are made in advance--feel free to ask me what I'd like in exchange for a job before committing to it! Talk to me!
I am happily married and the father of a young son. I live near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
I have been following the ancient religious practices of the Teutonic tribes, now often called Ásatrú or Heathenry, for a number of years now. I act as gothi (priest) to a local worship group in Hamilton, Ontario. I have produced Heathen audio CDs, performed public rituals for many groups, performed secular and Heathen weddings, taught courses online and in person and written articles for Heathen journals.
I am passionate about my faith and eagerly devour any related material that I find. I perform worship rituals, I work with runes a great deal and explore various other old forms of northern magic. I maintain two e-mail list groups: Tor-Thing, an electronic meeting place for Heathens and Ásatrúar, focused in Toronto but with members from all over; and Northern Mysteries, a place for discussing all aspects of the magic of the north.
I am a strong believer in building bridges with the rest of the Pagan community, and have even been invited by Pagan groups of other faiths to perform ritual in their space, or as part of their own rituals. So if you're just exploring, and would like to know more about Ásatrú/Heathenry, drop me a line!
There is a small faction within Heathenry which feels that being of northern ancestry is a pre-requisite for following this faith. I do not hold with this view. I feel that anyone who feels a draw to the faith of the north and is sincere in their dealings with the gods is welcome, both in the faith and in my own worship rites.
Frequently Asked Questions re Gothi Services
1. What is this Ásatrú/Heathenry thing, anyway?
A faith which goes by many names, since it had none when it was originally practiced, Ásatrú--sometimes called Heathenry or Heathenism (or Forn Sed, or Theodism, or Germanic Paganism, or Teutonic Paganism...)--is the reawakening of the ancient, pre-Christian ways of the Norse and Germanic peoples of the north of Europe. You may know some of the names, such as Odin and Thor; indeed most of the days of the week in English are named for Germanic deities. After a thousand-year hiatus, people are once again discovering the richness and beauty of this ancient system of faith, and how it can enrich their lives and give them direction even today. There are many individual styles within Heathenry, and the term Ásatrú is usually only used to refer to the style which takes its inspiration from ancient Iceland, which is the style I practice.
2. But isn't a heathen someone who has no gods?
Well, in modern parlance, yes, but that's only because it was intentionally turned into a pejorative. The term used to mean something different entirely. Pagan comes from a Latin term the Romans used to refer to the country-dwellers, who were slower to let go of their old ways and turn to Christianity. Heathen comes from a similar word used by priests of northern Europe to say the same thing--those of the countryside who hadn't changed from their old ways. Some of us who follow those old ways today like to use this term for ourselves as a way of paying honour to our spiritual forebears. Rather than having no god, in actual fact, we have many gods, and goddesses, too!
3. Well, what do you stand for, anyway?
While very individualistic, Heathens tend to be very moral, steadfast people. Many of us codify our beliefs in something called the Nine Noble Virtues, culled from one of our greatest sources of wisdom, called Hávamál ("The Sayings of Har," or The High One, referring to Odin). These are: Honour, Truth, Courage, Fidelity, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance, Self-Discipline and Perseverance. They mean pretty much what they seem; there is no hidden meaning here. These are the values we hold to be of prime importance, those which keep society functioning.
4. What is involved in a Heathen wedding/coming-of-age rite/naming rite/other life event ceremony?
Well, that depends on you. I have ideas and suggestions, most based on old traditions and what we know of how they did things way back when. Ultimately, however, these passage of life moments are about us, here and now. I can tell you some things about how they used to do weddings, for instance, and give you some suggestions on how to incorporate some of that today if you like, perhaps changing it to hit some of the same symbolism and psychological needs in today's terms, but I can't and won't tell you how to do your wedding. We can work together on that, so that you get what you want from the experience.
5. When you say you do worship ceremonies, what do you mean?
The standard, most basic worship ceremony in Heathenry is called the blót (pronounced like "boat"). That word means sacrifice or offering, because in the traditions of the north, a gift demands a gift in return and if we're asking for a blessing from the gods, we'd better be prepared to give something back. Back in ancient times, the sacrifice would most often be a portion of the animal slaughtered for the feast that followed, so that the gods and community would feast together. In modern practice, the most common sacrifice is mead (a kind of wine made from honey), the drink of the gods. Usually, a quantity of mead is poured (we like to use drinking horns, hearkening back to the old ways again) and dedicated to the gods. The blessing which is sought is asked for, often poetically. The mead has now been blessed, and it now contains a portion of the gods' might, so it is shared around all the worshippers, either by each taking a drink or by sprinkling the group. Now, in exchange for the blessing which was requested, the remainder of the mead is poured on the ground or in a fire in libation, to give something of ours back to the gods. There are a couple other forms of ceremonies, but the blót is the most common, and is often performed as a part of any others.
6. You say you do rune readings. That's not hard, I found a book in the store that came with a set of runes that tells me all about it. What makes you special?
Those easily-found books, especially the ones that come with a set of runes, aren't really very good. Often, the traditional meanings of the runes themselves are incorrect or jumbled, and the methods given for getting answers from the runes are just modified tarot instructions--not really appropriate at all. And there never, ever, was a "blank" rune, nor should there be! I have spent years searching different books, including historical accounts, gleaning tiny bits of wisdom here and there and constructing my own method, based firmly in the historical and archaeological record. It is not an easy method, not one that could be taught overnight or by a simple book. Much of it is instinctive, based on feeling and interpretation, not simply "this rune in this position means this." I have had quite a bit of success in doing readings this way, even for people I don't know, about questions that were only partly told to me! However, I don't claim to know the future or to be able to give you absolutely any answers you seek--the runes just don't work that way (something else those books get wrong--admitting that they can't always give you the answers or predict the future doesn't help to sell books!). Think of them more as a tool to help you get advice on something that's concerning you, like asking the opinions of friends and family. They are simply one more source of wisdom, often presenting an angle of the issue that you hadn't seen before and therefore allowing you to make up your own mind on the issue more clearly.
Got a question that's not on this list? Feel free to contact me!
Your privacy and the security of your personal information is very important to me. All personal information collected as part of our work together will be kept in confidence and not shared, sold or traded in any way, unless required by government or law enforcement officials.
This is my commitment to you and my oath before the gods.
©2007 Gary Penzler
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