Wargod's bastard
03-24-2009, 08:48 AM
I am not a man of complex doctrine. I have no deep conviction of the truth of some dogma. I do not know what gods rule over my destiny, but I have a suspicion that they are a grim and unforgiving lot, although at least one has to have a sense of humor (I can hear laughter echoing that isn't mine too often).
But since I have no specific spiritual path (and the path in life I am pursuing seems destined for failure at this moment), I thought I would ask about something worth investigating. The members of this board have considerable knowledge amongst them concerning the various spiritual traditions of old.
I ask: what peoples noted for their warriors have spiritual traditions that continue today?
The only ones I might have any familiarity with now (in a strictly academic sense) are the steppe nomads of Asia, the pre-Saxon Britons, and the Irish. And the latter two really only fit the former qualification; the European pagan faiths were very effectively destroyed, and owing to the... fashionable nature of their revival, any legitimate lineage of teaching is difficult for me to distinguish. And I don't actually know what the current state of the shaman traditions in the steppes are, save that I fear were I to look into it, I would discover they will have forsaken any warrior tradition with the increasing taint of modern civilization.
I have no real knowledge to speak of regarding cultures in South America or Africa that might fit the bill. I should like to make a point of traveling to meet a people who satisfy the requirements, and learning from them directly, to see if their path feels appropriate for me.
But since I have no specific spiritual path (and the path in life I am pursuing seems destined for failure at this moment), I thought I would ask about something worth investigating. The members of this board have considerable knowledge amongst them concerning the various spiritual traditions of old.
I ask: what peoples noted for their warriors have spiritual traditions that continue today?
The only ones I might have any familiarity with now (in a strictly academic sense) are the steppe nomads of Asia, the pre-Saxon Britons, and the Irish. And the latter two really only fit the former qualification; the European pagan faiths were very effectively destroyed, and owing to the... fashionable nature of their revival, any legitimate lineage of teaching is difficult for me to distinguish. And I don't actually know what the current state of the shaman traditions in the steppes are, save that I fear were I to look into it, I would discover they will have forsaken any warrior tradition with the increasing taint of modern civilization.
I have no real knowledge to speak of regarding cultures in South America or Africa that might fit the bill. I should like to make a point of traveling to meet a people who satisfy the requirements, and learning from them directly, to see if their path feels appropriate for me.