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Drugs, alcohol and forms of "mutliation" like whipping or cutting are spiritual tools. They can help induce trance, act as a form of "purification", help connect with deity, as ritual offerings, or as an aid to self-knowledge.

How would a teetotaller really get along as an Asatruar? or a Maenad?

A temple to my gods requires alcohol and good food. And by good, I mean it doesn't matter if it's healthy so long as it's delicious. My temple values and allows practices like self-injury, fasting, or the taking of particular drugs as aids to spiritual practice.

On the other hand, I do believe people should keep fit, or at least attempt to keep fit, particularly if they follow deities inclined towards hunting, athletics or war. What people choose to do is their own business, of course, but I do wonder at it if they don't, yet follow a deity concerned with fitness.

My two cents:

1) I don't believe that the drugs some religions use to induce visions are "Hard drugs," which is why I made that specification in my original post.

Cocaine, various opiates and methamphetamines and other man-made drugs are what I mean by "Hard drugs," and I believe that if you use those, you are not only putting your own health at risk, but the health and wellbeing of the people around you - especially if you aren't responsible enough to keep your habits away from family members or others who might be at risk or don't agree with your habits.

If you're a responsible person and you only use mild drugs where a ritual or other religious event calls for it, that's one thing. But getting hyped up on Speed daily and then chopping your wife to bits is another. Heh.

2) Drinking alcohol for ritual is WAY different from Alcoholism, which is also why I didn't just say, "Drinking alcohol" in my original post.

There are a great number of people who will drink a bit of wine or hard cider while in Circle as part of their Libation ceremony - myself included - and that's perfectly okay. But I believe that once you are addicted to alcohol, THEN it becomes a negative aspect to your life and steps should be taken to make changes.


Something else I keep in mind is what I do on a daily basis when not performing religious routines. If I were to have to smoke some kind of herbal blend for a ceremony, I would not also go and smoke it on a daily basis outside of this ceremony. For one thing, I feel that it takes away from the feeling of importance the smoking has, if that makes sense.

Let me explain it another way... Say your most favorite thing to do is go to amusement parks. You go once every few months or so, and you have a season pass. Now, let's say that instead of going every once in a while, you were suddenly able to go every day. Sure, at first you'd LOVE it, getting to ride all your favorite rides regularly... But then, after a while, it'd start to get old. It'd lose it's excitement factor. You'd probably stop going for a while.

That's how I feel about alcohol and ceremony-related drugs. They're awesome when they're reserved for special/important occasions, but as an every day thing, not so much.

As for the rest -- I'm not in the best shape, but I do try to eat healthy foods where possible, and I'd love to switch entirely to organic stuff, just because I feel so much healthier when I'm not loaded down with preservatives (water retention, anyone?), and I have lost a lot of weight these past few years. It's just that, in this day and age, when healthier food costs so much more, and work + school schedules make life hectic (and drain my pockets while they're at it), it's just easier to buy a crapload of cheap microwavable stuff instead of all organic foods. >.>

Anyone else wanna share their views on this subject?

sorry to nit-pick, but what about the man-made drugs (including amphetamines) that are for specific medical reason AND are sold as 'hard drugs' on the street and even have their own little 'street' names, like aderall and xanax for example (not to mention the multitude of others). what if the health and well-being of you and those around you depends on you using thes types of drugs. i know you are not specifically targeting drugs for legit medical reasons, but some people even view them as wrong.

as for the rest i don't personally mutilate myself, aside from a haircut (does that even count) and i dont drink for ritual, but i LOVE beer, but i'm not an alcoholic, it's more like an indulgent treat for myself after a very long hard day at work, like some people have a glass of wine with dinner.