(for those interested). Modern paganism

With collapse Soviet Union the term "paganism" has become more and more popular with us. The biggest jump in popularity has been the last 5-8 years - the years of the rapid development of Internet technologies and Internet resources. Many people appeared who began to call themselves pagans. Modern paganism has become a subculture, and being a pagan has become kind of fashionable.

A huge number of communities devoted to paganism have appeared on various social networks, and groups of related topics (for example, esoteric groups) have begun to pay more and more attention to this. People's interest has grown and continues to grow. To a greater extent, paganism attracts people with patriotic feelings, those who love their land, country, homeland. However, why are these people not interested in Orthodoxy traditional for our region? Not all patriots are fascinated by paganism, but many are.

After the removal of the ban on religiosity, people got the opportunity to believe in anything or not to believe at all. Someone discovered Orthodoxy, someone - other religious confessions and cults, but many decided to start looking for pre-Christian beliefs. All because they have no respect for Orthodoxy, and the latter has lost all authority in their eyes. Therefore, anti-clerical sentiments are so strong among the people, and Orthodoxy is treated as some kind of Jewish project, specially created to enslave the Slavs and other peoples. This is the official position of modern paganism.

When I was at school, at some point I began to be interested in something metaphysical, well, it’s understandable: sooner or later a person asks himself such questions. On a bookshelf at home, I found a book dedicated to astrology, various signs of the zodiac, their descriptions, and more. The inclination of my mind and predisposition to "humanities" aroused my great interest in this entertaining reading. I began to study descriptions of various signs of the zodiac, memorizing them in order to be able to obtain information about a particular person, to know what could be expected from him and what kind of character he had, to select friends according to this principle, or vice versa, to avoid someone.

I seriously believed in astrology and believed that these descriptions actually correspond to reality, and with their help I can learn something about a person only by the date of his birth. My head was filled with this nonsense for a long time, but after a lot of experience studying people on this principle empirically, I came to the conclusion that these descriptions are incorrect and that each of them can be true for any of the 12 signs of the zodiac. So I lost faith in astrology, and not because someone told me, but because I myself understood this pseudoscientific teaching.

I was also terribly superstitious and seriously believed that signs work: if you do this and that, then you will be successful in this and that - and it seemed to me that it worked! He believed that if I performed a certain ritual (for example, do not say hello through the threshold, look in the mirror before going out, sit down "on the path", etc.), then I would definitely expect success or at least there would be no disappointments today and unpleasant situations. For unpleasant situations could greatly disappoint me and cause stress, which I really did not want, like most normal people. And therefore, due to my mental weakness, I resorted to such dubious methods of dealing with them. I believed in pagan astrology and had pagan forms of belief - superstition. I was a real pagan!

“What did the old men or old women come up with from the beginning? They decided that a child under six weeks old should not be carried out, nor shown to a stranger, otherwise they would immediately jinx it. This means, in other words: give the newborn peace, do not unfold, do not open, do not disturb and do not drag him around the rooms, but cover him a little completely, and with his head. Here is another similar case: do not praise the child - jinx it. V. I. Dal. "About the beliefs, superstitions and prejudices of the Russian people".

Growing up, being interested in various natural sciences, and also studying religions, I realized that that model of belief and an attempt to explain certain things (predict them, influence them) is primitive, childish, underdeveloped. This is the simplest attempt to explain something metaphysical, beyond.

I was a pagan, but I was not an adherent of the modern pagan subculture "Rodnoverie", which is now so popular. I wasn’t there for one simple reason: I didn’t know anything about it and I couldn’t get such information from where, although Rodnoverie already existed. If I grew up in the modern age, with all these gadgets, social networks and such a saturated Internet, then I might have become interested in this phenomenon. However, my views evolved earlier, long before my acquaintance with Rodnoverie and modern paganism.

Those. being at that stage of development of my views, I was greedy for various unknown, esoteric things. I was attracted by this mysterious and unknown. But what if I can learn something from smart books and learn to do something that I didn’t know how to do? A perfectly reasonable and healthy desire. Paganism is very attractive because it offers easy ways to solve problems, but these ways in practice turn out to be wrong and dead ends. AT young age a person wants everything, immediately and quickly, which is why pagan elements are so attractive to young people fascinated by them.

Why do many people become addicted to paganism in adulthood? It is obvious that they are at an early stage in the development of their views and have only just arrived at this point. I was lucky and became interested in this at school, but many are not so lucky, and they come to this at a later, often mature age. A huge part of them also eventually evolve and cease to be superstitious, cease to believe in astrology, horoscopes, healers and sorcerers, in damage and the evil eye, in love spells and lapel, in various voodoo cults, black cats, tarot cards and other heromancy. However, many continue to adhere to their beliefs, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the objective criticism of neo-paganism.

Rodnoverie or Slavic paganism?

Rodnoverie- this is a cultivated form of pagan views, an attempt to build a certain subculture on a pagan foundation, an attempt to unite people into a society within the framework of pagan views. Rodnovery is the modern paganism of the Slavs, or rather, people from the post-Soviet space of Slavic appearance. Analogues of Rodnoverie exist in different parts of the world. In Scandinavia it is Asatru, in Great Britain it is Druidism, in Latin America the descendants of indigenous peoples are trying to revive their beliefs (Maya, Aztecs, Incas, etc.). India is officially a pagan country.

Rodnoverie (Native Faith, Rodoverie, Rodolubie, Rodobozhie) is a new religious movement-reconstruction of a neo-pagan persuasion, proclaiming as its goal the revival of Slavic pre-Christian rites and beliefs. Rodnovers perform "cleansing" and "naming" rites, as a result of which they receive a new name. Wikipedia.

Rodnovery is neo-paganism, namely "neo", i.e. new. However, the Rodnovers claim that their specific beliefs are similar to the beliefs of the Slavic tribes before the adoption of Christianity in Russia. And that they preserve and revive the old faith. However, this is not true: the faith of the pre-Christian Slavs and the faith of modern Rodnovers - not the same!

If Rodnoverie is a subculture built on pagan beliefs, then in addition to it there is still a huge number of pagans who do not belong to Rodnovery. However, their circles are replenished at a rapid pace. Having pagan views, a person sooner or later stumbles somewhere in the social network on the publication of materials that are interesting, in his opinion, and correspond to his worldview. He decides to join the community, albeit virtually, but de facto becoming a member of this society. Those. if I were browsing the Internet at that school age and stumbled upon such materials, they would obviously interest me. To be honest, 5-6 years ago, while studying the Internet, I came across materials from neo-pagans, and I liked them. However, in the end, having a bit of critical thinking, I did not fall for these provocations and turned away from this outwardly attractive information.

Modern pagans (Rodnovery) at the temple

At that moment, I was interested in the Vikings, Scandinavia, nature and aesthetics of the north of Russia, taiga, ancient times, Germanic and Slavic tribes, and so on. The neo-pagan materials attracted me, first of all, for their aesthetics. After all, most of the publications of modern pagans and now are various pretentious pictures, which depict daring warriors in armor, Vikings, chopped luxurious huts with carved platbands, beautiful girls with braids and dresses with ornaments, fairy-tale worlds in the fantasy genre, happy people who lead round dances - and everything is clearly done in a propaganda style. In general, drawn pictures attract attention, and under them is a text that allegedly contains a description of the life and life of the Slavs, their beliefs and other things. However, most of these descriptions do not pass any criticism - they were invented by the authors of these resources, and this did not happen in reality. Plus, the lion's share of all material falls on Christian Russia, and is presented as pagan. Therefore, modern Rodnoverie cannot command any respect - because of outright lies and falsification of materials.

An example of pretentious propaganda pictures of Rodnovers

Due to the absence of any sources of that time, modern neo-pagans are forced to engage in composition, the assumption of how it could be then. But after all, you can assume as much as you like, but without sources, such assumptions are worthless, and Rodnoverie in this case is an absolutely new, modern religious cult built on lies and falsification. And if you ask me why, despite objective criticism, Rodnovers still continue to be Rodnovers, I will answer you: because their views are at a low stage of development, they have not undergone evolution, as was the case with me when I abandoned astrology and superstition.

An important point will be the fact that the lion's share of adherents who sympathize with neo-paganism are people in a state of neophyteism, i.e. undecided, doubting, those who have just stumbled upon neo-pagan propaganda and perceive it as something patriotic. Those. the number of seasoned neo-pagans is not so great in fact. Due to the fact that their views have not yet undergone rapid growth and evolution, they buy into the pseudoscientific information of neo-pagans and take it on faith. Despite the objective criticism, which is quite enough now, people who are greedy for neo-paganism are still led to all these fabulous pictures and fictional stories. The charm of a fictional past is so beautiful that sometimes no amount of criticism can dispel these myths. In addition, people turn on conspiracy thinking about Jewish-Masonic conspiracies. People do not want to accept criticism, because the vast majority of people who sympathize with neo-paganism, as practice shows, have non-critical thinking: people who are prone to abstract thinking, fantasizing, in general, are kind, loving the Motherland, respecting manual labor. There are many neo-pagans among the visitors of this site.

If you do not touch Russia and Europe, then you can take India, where many people profess Hinduism. Once upon a time, Buddhism arose from Hinduism - as a more perfect form, based on the dharmic concepts of South Asia. Buddhism is an evolution of views, it is a progress, a way forward, while Hinduism is a regression, a movement in place. It does not matter whether it is Christianity or Islam - monotheism was precisely the very evolution of human views from a wild, primitive man to a higher and more civilized one. A return to paganism is a way back, a regression, it is a cultural degradation, a decline. All attempts by modern pagans to present paganism as something highly cultured, pure, good are futile, and, apart from their painted fairy-tale pictures, there have been and are no historical sources testifying to the "purity" of paganism.

Paganism has always and everywhere been cruel. If monotheism says that a person must control himself, curb his instincts, then paganism has always relied on primitive human instincts. Blood for blood, an eye for an eye, cults of aggression and strength - when all issues can be resolved only by force, and the one who is stronger is right. An example is pagan Scandinavia, where jarls could change almost every day, dying from the sword of a new applicant. Society was built on a primitive biological dogma of power, dominance hierarchies, slavery and submission.

Household paganism

And yet, most of today's pagans do not belong to the Rodnover subculture, while de facto remaining pagans. For paganism runs through all spheres of our activity. If a Rodnover is most often a person prone to something archaic, ancient, traditional, then the one I'm talking about may not love and despise it at all.

I have already spoken above about astrology and various superstitions, which are also a manifestation of paganism. Astrology is an attempt to study by the stars and celestial bodies certain events on Earth, an attempt to predict events according to the "heavenly book of fate." The nature of superstitions is such that all superstitions are built on the principle of either protection from something negative or to attract something positive.

Therefore, any pagan cult has always been built precisely on superstitions - on the fear of people of some objects, situations and on an attempt to correct these situations. Therefore, in any pagan cults there have always been priests, sorcerers, sorcerers, oracles who were engaged in predicting events and trying to correct them. In this regard, the clergy of traditional denominations, with a general similarity to the priests, differ from them in that they are not authorized to predict events and change them, their role is mediation between man and God. Therefore, the activity of a priest was called witchcraft, and the activity of a priest was akin to the activity of a shepherd - a teacher, sage, mentor, because the priest does not change anything. The believer himself is engaged in changes - through his repentance and the sacraments, and the priest is only an intermediary.

fortune teller

In Christianity, as in Islam and Buddhism, in order to change your future, you must change yourself, but in paganism it is different. You come to the sorcerer, pay him money for the service, and he either predicts something for you, or tries to change the course of events with some actions, rituals. In this regard, a huge number of Christians do not really understand what Christianity is, and treat it as paganism. They spend crazy money on various icons, gold chains, candles, "to build a temple", to pray for themselves by the clergy, thinking that the more money they spend, the better their future will be. And they themselves do nothing to improve themselves. "I paid you, God, why don't you help me?" - Entrepreneurial attitude towards God, as towards one's business partner. They are not Christians at all, but real pagans. Exactly the same as those who go to sorcerers and soothsayers, witches and fortune-tellers. They have constancy of intentions, one sorcerer did not help - I will go to another. Orthodox priest they represent a sorcerer, a priest, mentally endowing him with qualities unusual for him.

idolaters

money worship

However, not only such people can be called pagans. There is much more modern paganism. For example, paganism can also be called belief in the Golden Calf, the service of mammon - the craving of modern man for material well-being and the cult of money. When material wealth is the goal of life, and the desire for enrichment is the only activity. Such people go to church to light a candle for the success of their enterprise, for their next business transaction to be successful, for more profit, etc. When all the main traditional denominations call for non-possessiveness, moderate asceticism, and the observance of the measure in one's needs, the pagan, on the contrary, achieves the highest material indicators.

"No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be zealous for one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24)

All big bourgeois, bearers of big capital, oligarchs are just such pagans. Instead of engaging in ordinary, socially useful work, they are engaged in investment and speculation. They get money out of thin air, selling already created goods and services, giving money in growth at interest. Such pagans I would call money worshipers.

Chinese talisman for increasing money

It does not mean at all that they worship money in the literal sense - they put a bunch of bills in front of them and bow down - worship happens in a different way. As others worshiped idols, gods, bringing them gifts, sacrifices, so modern money worshipers worship money, sacrificing something for the sake of increasing money. This worship is performed in the form of superstitious rituals. For example, some pagans (mostly women) use various conspiracies which, in their opinion, will bring more money. They pronounce some phrase in front of the money and put it in their wallet, hoping that the number of pieces of paper will increase precisely because of this ritual.

"Everything grows and multiplies from the sun, and money - from the moonlight. Grow, multiply, add. Enrich me (your name), come to me. Amen!" W contract to raise money.

Others constantly count them, repeating that "money loves counting." Still others put them in a wallet in a special way, others put some amulets in a wallet, or not in a wallet, but simply keep them in the house. Chinese amulets in the form of a toad with a coin or just a coin with a hole on a string are popular. There are hundreds of them...

Nevertheless, the worship of money is paganism, not monotheism (monotheism), because money worship is only part of a large pagan view of man, and besides it there are others, because the pagans have many gods.

Bestiality

Another kind of idolatry animal worship. This disease affects people who are fond of various vegetarian diets, and most of all - vegans. Refusal of animal food due to the poor quality of meat products (sausages made from I don’t understand what, hormonal meat, etc.) is quite understandable and logical - people are afraid for their health. The religious overtones are also quite understandable, for example, fasting, when a believer is forbidden to eat animal food, as well as "delicious" food, i.e. refusal as asceticism, as an element of control over oneself and one's vices, but only for a while.

However, another thing is when a person refuses meat because he believes that "killing animals is not good!" Extreme representatives of vegans refuse not only food, but also leather and any animal products. Ardent animal rights activists, they all put animals above humans and do not allow them to be killed just because, in their opinion, it is "wrong". This is nothing but animal worship.

food worship

The next type of modern paganism is food worship. When people pay excessive attention to the food they eat. They eat something specific, or, most often, on the contrary, they refuse something, bending over this or that food. Raw foodists can be attributed to food worshipers. Instead of being omnivores and eating all kinds of food, they exclude animal foods and cooked foods. They believe that their diet can bring their health to a better state, get rid of diseases, even cancer, and much more. The extreme stage of the raw food diet, in their opinion, is the so-called "prano diet", when the body no longer needs earthly food, but enough "energy replenishment".

Among raw foodists there is not a single churched Orthodox, believing Muslim, Jew, and it is also unlikely that any authentic Tibetan (or Mongolian, Buryat, Kalmyk, Chinese, or even from Southeast Asia) Buddhist will be a raw foodist. A raw food diet can only be accepted by people with an occult, pagan outlook, no matter who they call themselves. The vast majority of raw foodists are fond of esotericism and the occult, there are many raw foodists among Rodnovers.

Food worship is also any endowment of food with some properties, for example, the belief that a healing tea or infusion can save me from cancer is also food worship. Food worship is also any gluttony, when a person indulges his stomach with various delicacies - "a feast during the plague." Such a person serves his stomach as a god. Submits to the "will of his stomach", as the will of the master, and satisfies his culinary needs and desires.

Cult of personality

The most serious form of idolatry is human worship, i.e. erection in the framework of the cult of a particular person. For example, the "cult of personality" of a famous person, such as, for example, I. Stalin, or V. Lenin. Endowing a person with magical power or something powerful. Icons with Stalin differ from icons of saints in that on the icons of saints, unlike any idols, the face of a saint is depicted, and the person praying does not pray to the icon as such (a piece of wood), but to the saint. In the same way, you can pray without an icon. Whereas the role of an idol lies precisely in the fact that the worshiper prays to a specific idol, believing that this particular idol is capable of bringing him benefits, or vice versa, adversity (if not pleasing him). Therefore, in ancient times, many pagans had their own personal idols, to which they made sacrifices.

Such a cult of personality still exists among many, when, for example, they put water in front of the TV for a conspiracy, believing that the speaker's voice has healing powers. Other unbelieving communist atheists for some reason keep figurines of Ilyich and carefully store them. In reality, the personality cult of Stalin and Lenin, of course, was exaggerated, but this took place.

Serious types of human worship is the cult of the mother or the cult of a woman in a matriarchal society - when all activity is associated with activity for the sake of a woman (wife, mistress, mother). I wrote more about this in an article about matriarchy. Then a man is ready to break into a cake for the sake of a woman, and women, taking advantage of this, manipulate such a man who worships women. Such a man is too dependent on women, he cannot live without them. To be honest, all these flowers, confessions, inscriptions under the window on the pavement - this is all pagan worship. Traditional denominations do not recognize such behavior; in them, the roles of men and women are built hierarchically and patriarchally.

Like it or not, but the cult of personality exists among famous people: actors, musicians, prominent politicians. They are exactly the same people: they do not glow in the dark, there is no halo above them, but when many admirers meet with the objects of their cult - their idol - what emotions and feelings do they experience: "So I finally touched Myself! I can shake give him a hand, kiss him, take an autograph" and so on and so forth ... What is this, if not a cult of personality?

"Do not make for yourself an idol and no image of what is in the sky above, what is on the earth below and what is in the water below the earth. Do not worship them and do not serve them;" - second commandment. Ref. 20:2-17

materialism, material worship, fetishism

The next actual type of paganism is material worship, or materialism, fetishism - when people worship material objects. Various talismans, amulets, pebbles from "places of power" - all this is fetishism.

Fetishism is a religious worship (cult) of inanimate material objects - fetishes, to which supernatural properties are attributed, which has become widespread among primitive tribes. Wikipedia.

However, not only talismans can be objects of worship and instill some kind of faith in a person - the cult of ordinary household items, for example, items of clothing, is most often a cult of material worship. When a person puts on this or that fashionable thing on himself, then subconsciously he endows it with something magical. For example, if I wear this jacket or this coat, blouse, watch, I will look "cooler". I will feel more confident in this, however, no other changes will happen to me and the world around me. Those. it is this particular thing that will give me some kind of magical power - and I will become "cooler".

"Several hundred people lined up at the entrance to GUM on Red Square in Moscow to become owners of the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones. According to some reports, people have been queuing since the evening." News report from the media.

The pagan amulet "Red Thread", distributed by the followers of the occult Jewish movement of Kabbalah. Sold to stupid tourists in Israel.

Who played in computer games fantasy genre, will understand: when a hero finds some thing (armor, helmet, sword, amulet, etc.), then by putting it on, he becomes better in some way, depending on the value of this thing. Those. it is this thing itself that adds +1 to magic, +10 to dexterity, etc. to him. In everyday life, the same thing happens to us: when we put on some cool clothes, we begin to feel stronger, cooler, more successful, more powerful, in general, better than we were before putting it on. From the feeling that we consider ourselves better, we experience joy, satisfaction (endorphins are produced), which means that it was this thing that influenced the improvement of well-being and we realized at the same time that we supposedly became better.

Finally

I understand that this is a controversial issue, many will disagree with me and prefer archaic forms of social organization - this is their business. In our country, even now, in many ways, everything is built in the same way, and it is not at all necessary to be a Rodnover or a Druid in order to be a pagan at the same time. Paganism still permeates many spheres of our activity, it never left us and was always next to us; paganism will exist until our last days. It is in our gut, in the deepest corners of our vast inner universe, and it is simply impossible to remove it completely.

Paganism is a primitive beast that sits in our bodily shell, and often this beast wakes up and takes possession of us. Paganism lives in politics and economics, in science and art - in all spheres of our activity.

In this article, I do not condemn anyone, although I criticize, giving my assessment of the events. Each person has free will and has the right to choose certain things, views, and so on. I may not agree with something, but I respect the conscious choice of people, the rejection of something, or vice versa, acceptance. If you want to accept certain pagan beliefs, this is your right. With this article I would like to show what they consist of and what they are. Thank you for attention!

It's hard to be Russian

Do you know what a high school student does when he finds out that great writers have authorial punctuation and spelling? - He immediately considers himself to be one of them and begins to explain the omission of commas by the fact that this is how he hears this phrase. The easiest way to avoid following the rules is to say that these rules are not written for me, they say. In my universe, I myself create laws for myself. “We are free to execute our lackeys, we are free to pardon.”

And the universe of Orthodoxy is so bad for the anarchists that it has already been inhabited. Orthodoxy is not necessary and it is not possible to invent. It didn't start with us. It articulates its "yes" and its "no" clearly. And, what is even less pleasant, it formulates its “shoulds” no less distinctly. Even non-church people imagine what exactly Christianity evaluates as sin. And in response they say (through the mouth of a certain singer) - “It’s so hard for me! After all, in this life everything that is pleasant, or sinful, or spoils the figure!

Where, then, should a “free-thinking person” go? It is not interesting to go into atheism. In other religious traditions there will be a similar situation: they have their own and also long-established rules of “spelling”. To frankly declare that you are creating something completely authorial is the risk of remaining a general without an army: others may say, well, author’s, so author’s, you believe so, but we don’t care about your laws, don’t extend them to us. “The faith of Mr. Puzikov” is not something that can attract supporters and on what you can create your own hierarchy.

So what to do? The answer to this question has long been known. It is necessary to find a tradition so ancient that its name commands respect, and so unknown that anything can be carried in its name. In order for the newly-minted “son of Lieutenant Schmidt” not to be exposed, it is advisable to first make sure that the real heirs and bearers of the tradition you claim to inherit are not left alive. And so that meticulous critics do not begin to compare your rantings with albeit not living, but still quite real historical texts, it is better to find a tradition that was, due to its antiquity, unwritten, pre-written. It is ideal to speak on behalf of "initiated Neanderthals". Here certainly no "evidence of contemporaries" will emerge. But since modern people don’t really want to be like Neanderthals, that’s why we need to look for something more “civilized”. But still, it's unwritten.

And here you can’t imagine anything better than the “ancient Rus”. They were once afraid of Europe (not like us). Soviet history textbooks spoke only good things about them (they say they didn’t even have slavery). They did not leave any texts outlining their views. So grow your hair, dye it blond, tie it with a ribbon - and carry whatever you want on behalf of Svarog and Perun. This is an unknown world in which you can approve your own laws. The world is dead, and therefore unable to resist the conqueror. And you can decide for yourself what the “symbol” of which will be “Dazhdbog”, what sacrifices should be made to the mermaids and how many wives you can bring into your house.

That's what it is main reason according to which people, incapable of disciplining their thoughts and their hearts, suddenly declare themselves "Russian pagans". The trouble is that they pass off their own impotence as a manifestation of "masculinity"; they pass off their inability to live in real Russia, a Russia whose history is permeated with Orthodoxy, as some kind of advantage that they supposedly have over Christians. In fact, they are ordinary immigrants. It's just that someone leaves Russia for Israel, and someone - to the "Krivichi".

And these are not so different directions. Western (and "pro-Western") "common people" very much welcome the growth of any paganism. Anything, if only without Christ. Here the "civil religion" of the United States is quite consonant with the aspirations of the pagan Russian "nationalists". The difference is only in their argumentation. From the point of view of the “general people” who are building the “new world order”, Orthodoxy should be eliminated because it is too aggressive, too rooted in the past and too resistant to the norms of “political correctness”. And from the point of view of neo-pagans, Orthodoxy should be eliminated because it is too peaceful, too passive, non-aggressive and not sufficiently rooted in the past.

"Neo-pagans", who swear their love for the Russian people, actually despise this people. They did not start their way to pagan bonfires from folk epics and lullabies, but from Masonic-occult waste paper (Blavatsky, Steiner, the Roerichs, etc.). If they loved the Russian people and were brought up on its traditions, then they would fall in love with Orthodoxy. And they, you see, refuse to trust the people. Like, the people betrayed the "faith of their grandfathers" and for a thousand years went in the wrong direction. Well, gentlemen nationalists, if you please learn the English (excuse me) proverb: "Love me - love my dog!". Do you love the Russian people? “Then please also love what this people has loved with all its heart. Understand and love what this people laid down their lives for. Tell me, gentlemen “nationalists,” did St. Prince Mikhail of Chernigov, refusing to go through the pagan "cleansing fire" at the headquarters of the Tatar Khan and accepting death with the name of Christ on his lips?

To love a person means to accept what is dear to that person and is appreciated by him. So to love the Russian people means to accept what this people themselves considered their highest value. And what exactly the Russians considered their highest value was clearly visible in any village: a bell tower with a golden cross raised its head above the impoverished huts with earthen floors. And this was by no means the result of “oppression” and “exploitation”. Here is a scene from the 19th century. In a rural church, the liturgical gospel was dilapidated: the binding was disheveled and the pages frayed_ The parishioners decided to buy a new one. According to the "peace" they collected pennies and sent them to the city, to the diocese to buy a priest and a trustee from the community. Upon returning with the newly acquired Gospel, the village is going to serve a thanksgiving service. And so, when in the course of the prayer service the priest pronounces the statutory pronouncement: “Reading the holy Gospel from Luke!”, the temple is suddenly filled with murmuring: “For some reason, from Luke ?! Why is it only Luke?! We gave everything! This is our gospel too!”

Yes, there was duality. In the same villages there were fortune-tellers and healers... People used to use these pagan "specialists". But they didn't serve. They went to a Christian monastery to serve God. The words “about the soul” and “about God” were expected from a Christian monk.

Not understanding the internal structure of the Russian soul, the neopagans do not understand the whole course of Russian history. They are in no way able to reconcile their accusation of Christianity in "pacifism" with the rather considerable circumstance that Russia became a world power, an Empire precisely in the Christian period of its history. Liberals ridicule "Russian laziness" (they say, in Russian fairy tales, all dreams about a self-assembly tablecloth and a self-propelled stove - as if in German fairy tales all dreams are about a twelve-hour working day!), without noticing that it is, obviously, due to laziness, Russia has “swollen” by a sixth of the land. The neo-pagans also do not know how to cope with this very inconvenient circumstance for them.

Compare plus to this a few more historical facts. Are Slavs considered Aryans? - Yes. Where is the ancestral home of the Aryans? - Eurasian steppe. The Aryans were nomadic pastoralists? - Yes. But where did the first Russian state formations end up? - In the forest zone between the Carpathians and Okoyu. What does it mean? Yes, the fact that the pagan Slavs were squeezed out of their native steppes into the forests by stronger Eurasian tribes. And only the Orthodox Slavs were able to regain control over the "Wild Steppe" and over the land of the common Aryan ancestral home.

However, for one thing we can be grateful to the neo-pagans. For their honesty. They openly share their dreams of what kind of genocide they will inflict on Christians. They openly write about what bloody sacrifices they will bring to their old-new gods. Thanks to their frankness, it becomes clear again what exactly Christianity saved the world from.

Deacon Andrei Kuraev

Russia and new paganism

I. Pagan dead end (instead of a preface)

I was prompted to start working on this topic by the book of the Tomsk author I.V. It is called "Ancient Egypt and Russia: questions of history, mythology and linguistics." .

official history falsified and subject to revision. This is the main thesis of I.V. Tashkinov. He believes that Egyptian culture is Slavic culture. Egyptian civilization, familiar to us from school textbooks, was created by our ancestors.

Tashkinov's work reminded me of the books of another author who gained all-Russian fame - A.T. Fomenko. They are literally littered with the largest Moscow bookstores. The main idea of ​​this author is the same as that of Tashkinov: the whole history is falsified, and it must be rewritten. Fomenko, for example, is convinced that there was no Tatar-Mongol invasion. It is de, an invention of the later Moscow chroniclers.

“Well, what is it about the free creative search of scientists?” someone will ask. The more points of view, the more different opinions, the better. In a dispute, as you know, truth is born ... "

Everything seems to be correct. But the books of the same Fomenko are published too luxuriously. Too large circulations for our impoverished times. It means that it is beneficial for someone to “revise history”. To whom?

Here is how one of the modern Russian historians, academician, member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences V. L. Yanin, thinks about this: “I consider it appropriate to ask the question: whose social order is carried out by A. T. Fomenko? Naturally, only he can answer this question. In anticipation of such an answer, I recall the first post-war years of Novgorod. The thousand-year-old city lies in ruins. His monuments with ripped off roofs are gaping with holes. Rain streams down the vandalized frescoes. The Mikeshinsky monument to the "Millennium of Russia" was dismantled, and the blocks with the figures of the heroes of Russian history were thrown into the mud in disorder. The Sonderkommando SS did a good job, pursuing one goal - to deprive our people of historical memory and turn them into a herd of senseless cattle ... "

A people deprived of historical memory and turned into a herd. This is the goal for those who, at the current historical turning point, want to wipe my country, Russia, from the face of the earth.

“After all, a people who do not know their history and culture can be instilled with their superiority and achieve voluntary obedience, humility, especially if this people, like Russians, cannot be defeated in open battle.” A very true thought. It is only striking that the above quote belongs to a person who, like Tashkinov, like Fomenko, is doing everything to destroy the people's historical memory, completely falsifying the past. The author of this statement is A. N. Alekseeva, associate professor of the Radio Engineering Academy of the city of Ryazan. Not a historian. Just like Fomenko. The quote is taken from the collection "The World of the Russian Soul", published in 1998 by the same publishing house of the Ryazan Writers' Organization "Uzorochye" as Tashkinov's book. The publication of the collection was financed by the Department of Culture and Art of the city of Ryazan.

In the book "The World of the Russian Soul" an attempt is made to prove that Orthodox Christianity, having come to the Russian land, destroyed the developed spiritual culture of our ancestors and enslaved the Russian people that existed from ancient times to a foreign principle. And Russians are the core of world civilization. The Russian language is the basis for many languages ​​of the world. It is necessary to abandon Christianity, return to Russian paganism, create a new culture and a new society. All the activities of the scientific-practical seminar "Russian Enlightenment" are aimed at substantiating these theses, at popularizing them in the minds of Russians.

Pagan holidays are held in the city, for example, Yarilin Day. Pagan organizations openly operate in Ryazan - the Union of Slavs, led by V.V. Kostylev (part of the All-Russian Association "Union of Slavic Communities of the Slavic Native Faith", leader - V.S. Kazakov) and "Ryazan Slavic Pagan Community" (head - M.A. Kachalova (Dobroslava). They have strong friends and high patrons .

To destroy the existing Russia and create a new society is what modern neo-pagans want. There will be no place for Orthodox Christianity in this new society. It won't because the reality they are building has nothing to do with historical Russia.

They deny this historical Russia, calling themselves "Russian patriots". For themselves, they created another "homeland" - a kind of virtual image of "Light Russia" or "Light Russia". Actually, they are patriots of this particular virtual country, and not true Russia.

To slander the past, to slander the mother of the Russian people - the Russian Orthodox - this is how they see their task. To do this, they have quite decent informational forces. In Ryazan, the neo-pagan newspapers Russkaya Pravda, Aryan, and Lybidsky Boulevard are published or distributed.

And, finally, the ideological service of all these structures at a kind of scientific level is carried out by the seminar "Russian Enlightenment".

Let us ask ourselves again: who is behind these forces? I do not consider myself one of those who are looking for conspiracies everywhere, but this situation is too serious. I am deeply convinced that all these neo-pagan organizations, stubbornly calling themselves patriotic, are driven by those who want the death of Russia. For this, it is necessary to deprive people of the memory of their history, to slander the past.

But the Russian question is now a matter of the country's survival. Will we be able to become truly Russian? And what does it mean to be Russian?

Here lies in front of me political map peace. Only the borders of states marked on it are very unusual. The United States of America and Japan are surrounded by a common dotted line. All of Europe is shown united. A huge spot stands out for a state bearing the name " Great China". It includes Mongolia, part of the Central Asian republics of the CIS, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indochina with part of Indonesia, Korea. But even more striking are the borders of our country. All of it is divided into three parts. The first is the "Far Eastern Republic". But it does not have a whole strip of southern regions, there is no Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok. All this is given to "Great China". The other part is the Siberian Republic. It is deprived of the south of Siberia, also attached to China. And, finally, actually "Russia" to the Urals with the western border between Kursk and Petrozavodsk. This territory does not include Pskov and St. Petersburg. They are given to the united Europe. The southern border of this "Russia" runs between Rostov and the Caspian Sea. The entire North Caucasus, the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, are also given to Europe. Part of this Europe is on the map and Turkey. Across all three parts, we read - Confederated Russia ("confederate (read - dismembered - I.V.) Russia." "Siberia" and "Far Eastern Republic", of course, are American protectorates ...

What's this? Ravings of a madman? Someone's abstract fantasies? Neither one nor the other. This map is part of American geopolitical planning. Such a future was prepared for our country by Mr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, the most influential ideologist of the "New World Order" implanted by the USA. The map was published in the American edition of his book The Grand Chessboard (in the Russian translation it was shamefully omitted). The book has a dedication: "To my students - to help them shape the outlines of the world of tomorrow." The map was also reprinted in September 1997 in Foreign Affairs, an organ of the Council on Foreign Relations. And this “Council” is one of the most important structures of the same “new world order”.

Wait a bit. A few years will pass, our missiles will finally rust, and these plans will begin to be implemented.

US Department of State Advisor, Head of the Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University S. Huntington writes in his sensational book "The Clash of Civilizations" that not all countries are inherently suitable for the "new world order". And first of all, from this point of view, our Russia is unsuitable. She's redundant. Such resources, such a territory, and here we have to reckon with some people. And in general, according to the same Mr. Brzezinski, we are a “black hole”. Hence the inevitability of civilizational conflicts.

But, besides the American map, there are others. According to Brzezinski's plan, the Muslim world gets nothing. Moreover, many of the Muslim world do not get anything. Moreover, many Muslim countries are being swallowed up by "Great China". It is understandable. 300 million Muslims are very frightening to Americans with their unpredictability.

But this world exists, and it has its own plans. A map prepared by a Muslim research center has recently been published. And it has a lot of interesting and surprising things for us. As independent Islamic states, not only Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, but even Mordovia! And the compilers of this map are also waiting in the wings.

Sooner or later, this hour will come. It will come if everything in our country remains the same. If we don't know who we are and what we want. If, meeting with the civilizations around us - America, China, the Islamic world, we do not realize our own identity, do not merge with our past into one whole. If we are amoebas, then, faced with foreign national interests, we will cease to exist as a nation ourselves.

Perhaps some of us believe that states at the turn of the 21st century are guided by the norms of international law and sacredly observe the rights of all, even the smallest peoples? Don't we know anything about the war in Yugoslavia?

Do we want to live on a reservation from Kursk to the Urals? Without any access to the seas? Without all the natural resources to which you are so accustomed? To live trembling with fear of the Americans, Chinese, Muslims and hoping that someday they will quarrel among themselves because of our own wealth? Do we want our country to become the arena of the third world war? Then let's remain citizens of the universe. We do not want? Then we must finally become Russian.

But here it is, again this question: what does it mean to be Russian?

What is important to us in our own identity? What will help you stand in the face of the whole world?

The nation is not only economic, cultural and ethnic community people in a given area. A nation is primarily a spiritual community. To rebuild the economy, to achieve a demographic rise, to fix the political system, simply to establish, in the end, a normal life - all this can be achieved only with the will. Where can the nation get its will, where can it get its strength? Only in faith. The common faith is what serves as the foundation for the national life. Therefore, to be Russian means to have the Russian faith. But what is this faith?

All Russian history testifies that this faith is Orthodox Christianity.

Let's see who our enemies fear the most. Zbigniew Brzezinski says that "after the fall of communism, the main enemy of America is Russian Orthodoxy." Even our main strategic opponents recognize that Orthodoxy is the core and support of Russia.

As we saw above, too many think differently and choose paganism. I think that among them there are many sincerely mistaken people. It is for them that I am writing this.

II. Where to look for "Russian gods"?

Can paganism renew and resurrect our country? Christianity is called to bring all nations to Christ. The pagan cults that really existed in the past (and we will talk about the essence of the new paganism) are opposite to Christianity in this respect. They are not directed outside the people to which they belong. One had to be born a fire-worshipping Persian or a Hindu of the highest caste, but one could not become one. Each people has its own gods, and these gods patronize only specific peoples - this is the main postulate of historical paganism.

“So this is great! - someone will exclaim, - Now we need to isolate ourselves from the external spiritual threat! Let us pray to our gods!”

But wait. And what specific gods are you going to pray to? “So this is understandable,” they will answer us, “Russian, Slavic.”

Here in the first issue of the newspaper "Lybedsky Bulvar" for 2001, an article by V.I. Korchagin "What to do?", in which he writes: "We need to return to our Russian national religion, which existed before the adoption of Christianity in Russia, to our native Russian gods." Along the way, the newspaper once again pours out a stream of dirt and insults on Orthodox Christianity.

It should be noted, however, that the Russian nation as a historical phenomenon did not arise at all in pagan times. Russians are usually understood as three related nationalities - Great Russians, Little Russians (Ukrainians) and Belarusians. Any person who is more or less familiar with the history of the development of those vast expanses that these peoples occupy, with the history of their relationships, it is obvious that the period of formation of the Russian nation fits well into the past thousand years.

For example, V.O. Klyuchevsky and S.F. Platonov, one of the most significant domestic historians turn of XIX- XX centuries, attributed the formation of the Great Russian people (those whom we usually call Russians) to the XII-XIII centuries - the time of the colonization of Suzdal-Vladimir Rus. If we talk about the Russian nation as a political and economic community, then it is obvious to any person who studied at a secondary school that it was formed no earlier than the 15th-17th centuries.

But what happened before?

There were, for example, Scythians-plowmen, otherwise called skolots. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that they came to the lands of the Middle Dnieper a thousand years before Darius, that is, one and a half thousand years before the birth of Christ. B.A. Rybakov dwells on the Skolot problem in sufficient detail in his books.

Skolots, as well as Wends and Antes, are all the ancestors of today's Russians. But the fact of the matter is that they, of course, are not Russian in our current understanding. Of course, they lived on the territory of our country, and we are their distant descendants. However, we are different - both in terms of the breadth of our geographical coverage, and economically, and culturally, and spiritually, and even already anthropologically. We are a little like them. We are not limited to them. History separates us. And their gods are precisely the gods of Skolots, Wends, Antes, and so on. But these are by no means Russian gods. And there is very little information about these gods. What gods did the Skolts believe in? They worshiped the Sun and honored the "sacred gifts" of the sky - a golden plow, a yoke, an ax and a bowl. That is all that is known about their religion.

Now a distorted idea of ​​the origin of the Russian people is being actively implanted in the mass consciousness. We have already talked about the book "The World of the Russian Soul". Its compilers are trying to prove that the Russians as a nation have existed for an incalculable number of years and in general are the original people of the earth, from which all other peoples come. At the same time, the concrete historical concept of “Russians” is replaced by a certain abstraction - “Russians”, “Rusichs”, etc. Particular attention is paid in the book to the hypothesis of G.S. Grinevich, styled only as "Russian scientist".

Grinevich made an attempt to decipher some signs on a clay pot found a hundred years ago in a pre-Christian burial near the village of Alekanovo, Ryazan province. Grinevich considered that he had read the inscription, which is translated into Russian as follows: "It is necessary to close it, planting it in the forehead (oven)." On the basis of his "discovery" Grinevich "deciphered" absolutely all the ancient inscriptions in the world. Of course, they are based on Russian speech.

And now let's imagine ourselves in the place of those who buried the deceased in that burial. They believed that magical signs applied to clothes and objects could protect their owner. They also believed in the afterlife of their deceased relative, and therefore they placed a pot of ritual food at his feet. Would they write on this vessel the stupidity that Grinevich read? Would they just put a pot taken from home in the grave? It can be assumed that they would have made a special vessel and put signs on it that served as a magical talisman. Well, what is the magic in banality? Is that the pot must be put in the oven?

Here is a recent example of "Grinevich's disease." The already mentioned "amateur historian" and associate professor of the Radio Engineering Academy of the city of Ryazan A.N. Alekseev, inspired by the "discovery" of G.S. Grinevich, traveled to the island of Crete. Grinevich deciphered the allegedly mysterious inscription on the famous Phaistos disk. From this decoding it seems to follow that the civilization on Crete was founded by the "pagan Rus" (the last point is certainly emphasized), having sailed there in the second millennium BC. And it is natural that after returning from the "Russian" Crete A.N. Alekseeva with great joy seeks to share her knowledge with the participants of the seminar "Russian Enlightenment". The report is called, neither more nor less. "Ancient Russian Civilization in Crete".

Did our ancestors know Crete? Yes, they knew. In 960, the Greeks, with the support of Slavic warriors and Varangians, landed on Crete, which had previously been the base of Arab pirates. This is a real story. But the "Russians" as the founders of the Cretan civilization 2 thousand years before our era - this is already a fantasy.

But what about Grinevich?

The workers of the "seminar" "Russian Enlightenment" are very fond of the works of A.I. Asov, an apologist for the so-called "Book of Veles". When the Ryazan pagans, in contrast to the official Days of Slavic Literature and Culture, held their "scientific and practical conference", Asov was invited there.

Here is what Asov writes about Grinevich: “The very idea of ​​​​G.S. Grinevich about the existence of a Slavic syllabary and that the ancestors of the Slavs wrote with this letter continuously from the 6th millennium BC. and up until recently, is more than controversial. As for his reading of the Etruscan, Cretan, Proto-Indian inscriptions in the same way, this is an unfounded fantasy. With the same success, in Slavonic one can read Chinese and Egyptian hieroglyphs, or letters from Easter Island ... The work of Gennady Stanislavovich itself shows only some, very superficial, acquaintance with Slavic phonetics, as well as a complete lack of knowledge of the Old Church Slavonic language, problems of the history of the language. Not once in his book did he use a single language term, did not evaluate the form of the word, did not try to determine the declension.

On the Internet, on several pagan sites at once (and there are, unfortunately, plenty of them), the material “Russian Runology in a Flower: A. Platov vs. G. Grinevich” is distributed. The original of this material is located on the website of the writer Yuri Nikitin * in the "Korchma" section.

Anton Platov is an extraordinary figure in modern "Slavic" neo-paganism. He, together with Dmitry Gavrilov, heads the "analytical group" "Northern Wind" in Moscow, which is one of the leading philosophical and literary heralds of neo-pagan ideas. Platov himself, unlike his colleagues in the North Wind, adheres not to the Slavic, but to the Scandinavian pagan tradition. By education, not a humanist, but a theoretical physicist. His developments in runology "Runes and their magical meaning”, “Slavic runes” can (but not necessary) be seen on the satanic site “Black Light”. What is the connection between neo-pagans and Satanists, I will try to show below.

And the story between Grinevich and Platov was very revealing.

In 1994, the publishing house "Manager" published Platov's book "Rune Magic". On the cover of the book, he placed his own runic inscription, or rather two. The first of them, according to Platov himself, has the meaning of "rune". The second, transmitted by the classic Elder runes, means "I, such and such, wrote this." The second inscription is organically included in the composition of the picture, which is a personal "banner", or rather the brand of Anton Platov, which he puts on his books and author's works.

And in 1999, the Moscow publishing house "Letopis" published the second volume of Grinevich's work "Proto-Slavic Writing". In it, he "read" in the "proto-Slavic" language countless mysterious inscriptions, including ... and the personal brand of Anton Platov.

And here's what happened:

YALONAICHAE

MOCHAMOYAIGISEENOEKORYSENOBEYAMOKO.

Not really funny, but very indecent. To be brief, the inscription, according to Mr. Grinevich, tells of a certain person whose seminal fluid is "an object of love passion", and whose descendants "were in the distant past a protein substance."

The drawing on Platov's stamp, according to the author himself, means the "world tree", the most important pagan symbol.

However, Grinevich, of course, knows better. He states: “As for the image that accompanies the inscription, it exactly corresponds to the content of the inscription: before us is an elegant, I would even say ornate, drawn out male genital organ against the background of the female genital organ.”

It is clear that Platov was very offended and in his article “Russian Runology in a Flower” strongly scolds Grinevich, saying that his work is not just ignorance, but “rudeness that offends anyone who considers himself Russian.”

Platov is convinced that Grinevich “should at least get acquainted with popular books for senior school age. Then he would know, for example, that the elementary laws of combinatorics and mathematical linguistics lead to the conclusion that it is impossible to correctly decipher single inscriptions made in syllabic writing. In other words, such inscriptions allow any decipherment in any predetermined language. The famous Phaistos disc, of which Mr. Grinevich is so proud of “reading”, is an excellent example of this. It has long been established that the text of the disc will not be reliably translated until circumstantial evidence makes it possible to establish that the language of the text belongs to any group. Grinevich should also learn that, "to put it mildly, it is incorrect to make changes to the drawing of inscriptions on archaeological sites, adjusting ancient texts to fit their own deciphering systems." Here's an Alekanovsky pot for you ...

It is difficult to assume that A.N. Alekseeva, with her love for paganism, does not know the last book of Asov. And it is absolutely impossible to think that the associate professor of the Radio Engineering Academy is unfamiliar with pagan resources on the Internet. Therefore, it remains to be assumed that the "amateur historian" is not interested in scientific truth, but in ideology. The “necessary” decryption is important to her ...

Everything that the "seminar" "Russian Enlightenment" does has nothing to do with science. This is an ideological service to those socio-political circles that seek to cross out the real history of Russia, passing off a deliberate fake for it.

The monumental canvas of the formation of the Russian nation opens before us in the works of prominent Russian historians, such as, for example, N.M. Karamzin, S.M. Solovyov, V.O. Klyuchevsky. This history is worthy of love and reverence not only because it is ours. This is the path of perhaps the greatest people on earth. However, this people was born as one great whole in the font of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. Before that, we know "one Slavic people." But it is represented by very different tribes, or rather, unions of tribes. In the "Tale of Bygone Years" we find their enumeration: these are the meadows and the Drevlyans, the Dregovichi and the Radimichi, the northerners and the Vyatichi, the Slovenians and many others. And for our theme with you, it is important that these tribal unions are very different. As the "Tale of Bygone Years" testifies, they all "had their own customs, and the laws of their fathers, and traditions, each - his own temper." Modern researchers have collected a lot of evidence that the "traditions", that is, religious ideas, differed greatly among these tribal unions. The attempts of a number of authors, for example, Asov, who was so beloved by the figures of the Ryazan "seminar" "Russian Enlightenment", to recreate a certain unified ancient Russian pantheon, turn out to be untenable.

People who grew up in a traditional environment are well aware of the children's game of "Yasha" waiting for his bride. This game goes back to very distant times. And "Yasha" was actually called the Lizard. Northern Slavs worshiped the Serpent - the Lizard, the lord of underground waters. This cult is described in great detail in his book "Paganism of Ancient Russia" by one of the most famous historians, Academician Boris Alexandrovich Rybakov.

Sanctuaries of the Lizard were located on the swamps, the banks of lakes and rivers. The main temple was located not far from Novgorod, in the place where the Volkhov River flows out of Lake Ilmen. The Old Russian chronicler calls the Lizard "prince of Volkhov". He, de, “blocked the waterway in that Volkhov River. And he devoured those who did not worship him, drowned others. Therefore, people, then ignorant, called that accursed god the real god. As victims, the Lizard was thrown into the water with black chickens, as well as young girls. That is why "Yasha" in a child's game is waiting for his betrothed.

One of the most detailed expositions of the myth about the Lizard is the epic about Sadko, the harpman who delighted the underwater ruler with his game. The second part of the epic tells that Sadko went to the bottom of the sea as a sacrifice to the Lizard Tsar.

“Oh, you, fellow shipbuilders, brothers,

It is true that the pallet king requires no duties,

And he demands a human head!”

However, in the epic everything ends happily. Sadko, with the help of the daughter of the underwater king, gets to the surface.

The cult of the Lizard is exclusively northern. This is extremely important for us. Other Slavic tribes have other gods. The Baltic deity Perkunas (Perun), having strengthened first in the middle Dnieper, came to the north with fire and a sword. The temple at the mouth of the Volkhov was destroyed by order of the young Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Then, even before his conversion to Christ, he tried to bring all the pagan gods of different Slavic tribes to the same denominator. On the site of the sanctuary of the Lizard, an idol of Perun was erected, and the place itself was called "Peryn". However, this "god" did not differ in kindness and also demanded "a human head."

Fans of paganism cannot choose either Russian or Slavic gods "in general." One has to choose between the deities of individual Slavic tribal unions.

“Well, then,” someone will say. - We are Ryazan, and Ryazan was founded by the Vyatichi. Let's find out how they believed, and we will believe the same way.

First, about the Vyatichi. Here in the Bulletin of the Union of Slavic Communities “Vyatich” No. 6 (8) for 1998, the leader of this pagan association, Vadim Stanislavovich Kazakov, writes about the formation of a pagan community in Kaluga: “1994 can rightfully be considered the year of the restoration of the Slavic faith in Russia. The ancient land of the Vyatichi resisted Christianity for the longest time (until the 12th century), and it also became the first land that began the path to liberation from Christian foreignness. Vyatichi turned out to be worthy of their ancestors.

I very much doubt that the modern industrial city of Kaluga is inhabited by the direct descendants of the ancient Vyatichi people. To substantiate this statement, a serious scientific anthropological examination would have to be carried out (measurement of skulls, genetic research) and proved the continuity since the XII century of the majority of the clans inhabiting the city. Are you convinced that the inhabitants of Kaluga are generally aware of what it is - a "clan"? At best, they only know the names of their great-grandfathers. Even in the 20th century, there were so many events that completely mixed up the population of our country that there is no need to talk about any continuity. Judge for yourself - civil war, industrialization, collectivization, repression, the Great Patriotic War, evacuation, Komsomol construction, urbanization, and so on. Where to look for Vyatichi now?

In general, Russia as a spiritual and historical phenomenon cannot be reduced to those tribes that inhabited its territory before the miracle of the birth of the Russian nation. “The history of Russia,” wrote Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky, “is the history of a country that is being colonized.” Huge spaces were explored. And these expanses became a melting pot in which the Vyatichi, Krivichi, Polyana and other Slavic tribes became a single Russian people. This people, having come to new lands, was already Christian.

Ryazan is a vivid example of this. Materials of archaeological excavations show that the people who settled on the banks of the Oka on the site of a former small Mordovian town came from various directions. Here are Vyatichi, and Krivichi, and Radimichi, and glades. And they all became Ryazanians simultaneously with the preaching of Christ in these places. Ryazan is not a city of Vyatichi, although they made up the majority of the colonists who settled it. And what is this city? Russian.

You can search as much as you like among the archaeological finds in Staraya Ryazan for material traces of remnants of pagan times. But it is impossible to raise them on a shield and shout that the city was pagan or, at best, that the Ryazan people were two-believers. It is not true. Old Ryazan was originally built up, like all ancient Russian cities, according to a plan based on Christian symbols. The earthly city was comprehended as an icon of Heavenly Jerusalem. Each of its elements - both at the Cathedral Square, and at the Spassky (or rather - Golden) Gates, and at the Annunciation Monastery at the entrance to the city - had its own sacred Christian justification. So the Ryazan, Russian faith is Christianity. And lizards, peruns and others are the gods of tribes that have long sunk into oblivion. And no more.

III. abomination

“The highest law of nature says: “Let life blossom everywhere!”. Hence the Rusal rites, games around a huge, roughly carved standing pillar, personifying the Furious Force, and therefore called Kher. The common Indo-European root Yar - Er denoted a force irresistibly striving upwards, like the rising Yarila-sun. Round dance and erotic games around Hera - an emphatically masculine symbol of the solar principle - encouraged a man and a woman to copulate, to perform sacred rites for the glory of the Family. Agree, strange text. You can consider it a gross parody. But this is not a quote from some tabloid erotic newspaper. So the “Supreme Magus” of the Union of Slavic Communities, Dobroslav, explains to his followers the essence of pagan rites.

Who is this Dobroslav? The pagans themselves call him their "leading ideologue". Real name - Dobrovolsky Alexey Alexandrovich. 1938 year of birth. Under the influence of the Hungarian events, in 1957 he created a small anti-Soviet circle, loudly called the Russian National Socialist Party. They pasted leaflets on poles or threw them into mailboxes in different parts of Moscow.

The "undergrounders" were arrested in May 1958 after they, being drunk, boasted to the girls that they would soon "cut the Bolsheviks." Almost everyone was soon released, but Dobrovolsky himself was sentenced to 3 years.

Released in May 1961. In order to obtain a residence permit in Moscow after his release, Dobrovolsky agreed to secret cooperation with the KGB (“foolishly, in my youth I thought of outwitting the Chekists. I thought I would work as an intelligence officer on two fronts, pretend that I was them. Something happened, something didn’t work out, but I was a scout, and not just a snitch for the sake of a residence permit”).

In 1961, Dobrovolsky was baptized, believing that a Russian should be Orthodox. Baptized the future neo-pagan "sorcerer" Gleb Yakunin, he also became in 1963 the godfather of his eldest son Sergei (later the "sorcerer" of the Moscow pagan community)

Dobrovolsky joins the underground group of the People's Labor Union (NTS). Again arrested. I ended up in a special psychiatric hospital in the city of Leningrad. Released in August 1965. He rejoined the NTS and continued to fight against the "communist regime". Subsequently, he was repeatedly arrested by the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He spent several years in prisons, camps and exile.

Since the end of 1969, Dobrovolsky has been fascinated by the esoteric teachings of Helena Blavatsky. Then comes the turn of parapsychology. The origins of his teachings, as we see, are quite occult, and this occultism is the latest, dating back to the 19th-20th centuries. Dobrovolsky was also fond of fasting, which was fashionable in those years. He developed his own healing system “by inhaling flower aromas” and even published a book on this topic, Aroma Yoga, in samizdat.

He was last arrested in 1982 on charges of soldering minors. He spent four months at the Serbsky Institute and about a year in a general mental hospital.

In 1989, his book Arrows of Yarila appeared in samizdat. In the same year, he takes the name Dobroslav. With the assistance of Konstantin Smirnov-Ostashvili, he begins to give lectures on pagan topics. Holds crowded pagan holidays.

In 1990, together with his adult sons (he named one son Rodoslav, and the other Vyatich), he settled in the forest village of Vesenevo, Shabalinsky district, Kirov region. Dobroslav compiles the first short pagan names and a calendar.

On June 22, 1997, representatives of several pagan communities held a uniting congress in Vesenevo - "Veche". On it, Dobroslav was proclaimed the leader of the "Russian liberation movement", called upon to "save the People - Motherland - Nature from alien bondage." But which side do you need to go to?

This question is not random and very interesting. Almost immediately after Dobroslav launched an active activity in the wilderness of the Shabalin forests, he was visited by a certain Carey Goldberg. As a result, a very positive article about Dobroslav appeared in the Los Angeles Times on November 28, 1992 ...

Dobroslav calls his ideology "Russian National Socialism". He considers the main provisions of his teaching to be the acceptance of paganism as a “natural Slavic worldview”, the recognition of Christianity, or, as Dobroslav calls it, “Jewish Christianity”, for an “alien, forcibly introduced religion”.

In July 1999, Dobroslav was elected "Supreme Magus" of the "Union of Slavic Communities". His political ideal is the coming to power of the National Socialists, brought up on the work of Dobroslav "The Natural Roots of Russian National Socialism." Vadim Kazakov, leader of the Union of Slavic Communities, sees his task as the restoration of paganism as a religion on a national scale. Moreover, paganism should become the only state religion in Russia. The Statute of the Union of Slavic Communities of the Slavic Native Faith” states this as follows: “The Union is the legal successor of the state confession of Russia, which was banned as a result of the government coup of 988-990. The Slavic Native Faith is the only original faith of the Slavs"

Almost everything that is politically radical in modern Russian neo-paganism is grouped around Dobroslav and his teachings.

On January 7, 2001, a criminal case was again initiated against Aleksey Aleksandrovich Dobrovolsky (Dobroslav). "For what?" - the answer to this question can be found in an article written according to the words of a participant in the holiday of Ivan Kupala at Dobroslav and published on the Internet by the Orthodox news agency "Russian Line"

“The organizer and ideological leader of the holiday was, of course, Dobroslav in an ironed ... shirt. It all started at dawn. A huge drum was carried out into the clearing, they gave me a jug, someone was carrying a wooden "brother" - a ladle of three liters.

... For the holiday, they cut down a large Christmas tree, removed the bark from it, trimmed the log in the form of a phallus and for some reason did not begin to paint it right away, but carried it to the hill, dug a hole there, put this "phallus", climbed into each other in three tiers and began paint him. Then they stood around him and started shouting: “Glory to the Russian dick!”…

In a nearby clearing, a huge bonfire and two smaller bonfires were already built. They dragged the drum. "Bang bang!" - a signal for everyone to shut up and line up ... Dobroslav said: “Those who are baptized will go first of all, because this faith must be removed from them and transferred to another” ... “They removed faith” like this: Dobroslav wetted his hand with water, ran it over the top of the newcomer's head, and then splashed this water on his eyes, on his soul - so that they were clean, and asked for his name. In paganism, one must take a Slavic pagan name. There was a little book, people were looking for names for themselves... Then a strand of hair was cut off from the initiates and thrown into the fire - as if to communicate with their ancestors...

... Everyone stood in a round dance and let the brother with water go around, and some began to shout: "Death to the Jewish Christians!", "Death to the Jewish Christian mothers!", "Death to their children!" ... And all those present in unison, to the whole forest repeated these words ...

They drank homemade beer, which was brought by local boys in a huge bottle. By the way, local guys took all these rituals very seriously. It seems that there are not enough other entertainments in the outback today ... The “uninitiated” were not treated to beer ... Then they dragged a real coffin, I don’t remember exactly what it symbolized - it seems that it was supposed to be the coffin of the Christian Mother of God - and they began to chop it with an ax. They cut it into pieces, made a fire out of the coffin. In the end, they walked on the coals. Water, by the way, is not supposed to extinguish a fire among the pagans - the god of Fire will be angry. We met the sun. Although it was night on Ivan Kupala, no one swam in the water, except for us, the “uninitiated” ... "

Dobroslav sent a letter to the prosecutor of the Shabalinsky district of the Kirov region, which was distributed on the Internet. In the letter, he writes: “I have a victim ID political repression. I went through the Lubyanka, Lefortovo and the special regime of the Gulag. Agree that for a person fighting against the "pro-Zionist Kremlin government", it is very strange to boast of his participation in the activities that led to the events of the last decade. Something is clearly wrong here.

The magazines Ogonyok (July 2000) and Vremechko (No. 6, 2000) spoke very positively about the Kupala holiday, for which a criminal case was initiated against Dobroslav.

But let's go back to the quote from the beginning of this chapter. Maybe this Dobroslav is just mentally ill? Pagans claim that the asylum cases were the result of a "feigning illness." Most likely, the Kirov "sorcerer", talking about Yaril, quite in his right mind expresses the essence of his views. And, alas, he is not alone in this.

Before me lies the book “Kolo Praise!”, published in 1999 in Moscow by the Institute for General Humanitarian Research (this publishing house has just released a book about the “spiritual science” of the famous occultist of the 20th century, the founder of the infamous Waldorf pedagogy Rudolf Steiner). The book was prepared by the pagan community "Rodolyubie" (association "Veles circle"). It contains both the materials of this community itself and the developments of another pagan community "Kolyada Vyatichi".

Here on page 157 is the following text:

“Like on a high hill stands a Stone Pillar, inexhaustible ... Under it is a black, deep pit ... It stands, leaning on four winds from four sides, white and black ravens circle above it. No matter how you climb it up, no matter how you go down - you will not find either an end or a beginning. He is deeply immersed in Mother Earth, and as long as he stands, Life on Earth will not be interrupted, will not dry out.

This is from a newly composed "hymn" for the consecration of a pagan idol - the "Family Pillar". And next to him, he himself is depicted - in the form of a phallus, on the realistically traced tip of which a swastika shines.

Here are the "methodological developments" of one pagan community on the celebration of Kupala: "The participants in the holiday themselves - boys and girls - are also" living "symbols of male and female principles. Hence, some frivolity in the behavior of the participants, characteristic of the Kupala holiday, and the corresponding motives in the folklore accompaniment. In ancient times, children conceived during the Kupala festivities were considered the most courageous and strong warriors.

In fact, in Orthodox Russia, this used to be called a dumping sin ...

It is fornication, sexual promiscuity that underlies all pagan cults. The Apostle Paul writes about the pagans: “And as they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a perverse mind to do indecency, so that they are full of all unrighteousness, fornication, deceit, covetousness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife…” (). Indecency, which is based on fornication, gives rise to all kinds of evil. And this evil often ends in murder.

In the Bible, we see that the Old Testament prophets many times denounced their people for apostasy from the true God and worship of the deity of debauchery Baal. The cult of Baal consisted of wildly unbridled voluptuousness. He himself was depicted in exactly the same way as Dobroslav and "Rodolyubie" describe their deity. Almost all the idols of today's Russian neo-pagans are made in the form of a phallus.

For us, it is extremely interesting that in the image of Baal, the Israelites revered the Sun. It was the Sun among the ancient peoples that was a symbol of fertility and the beginning of life in general. It turned out, at first glance, a paradoxical thing: a seemingly bright, life-affirming, sunny cult turned into the most heinous debauchery. Moreover, in these "solar" cults, human sacrifice, murder was a normal phenomenon.

“The sun, whose magical symbol – Kolovrat – has been guarding Bright Russia for thousands of years, has shone and will always shine,” exclaims the newspaper Aryan, published by the Union of Slavs. In the very heading of the "Aryan" there is an eight-pointed whirlpool - the "sign of resurgent paganism" developed by Dobroslav, a symbolic image of the sun.

Dobroslav with his companions "meets the sun".

I think about it, and I imagine fifteenth-century Mexico. Aztec Empire. They identified their god of war, Huitzilopochtli, with the Sun. So that God always had an abundance of vitality, 5 thousand priests in 40 thousand temples, pyramids - teocalli scattered throughout the country, fed the heavenly body with fresh human blood. In one capital of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City), there were three hundred teocalli.

In the 70s - 80s of the 15th century, the Aztecs won a number of brilliant military victories. Many prisoners appeared. Emperor Tisok Calchiutlatonac (meaning "perforated with emeralds") decided to rebuild the teocalli, dedicated to the god of the sun and war. By February 19, 1487, the leaders of all the tribes that were part of the empire were invited to the grand opening of the temple. Each of them brought with him many subjects for sacrifice. A bloody orgy began, which lasted from morning until late evening. The next three days were also bloody human sacrifices. The hearts of the unfortunate were torn out ...

Researchers give different numbers of those sacrificed at the opening of this teocalli: from 4,000 to 80,600 people.

The prophet Jeremiah denounces the Israelites because they "arranged high places for Baal to burn their sons with fire as a burnt offering" to this deity of indecency ().

Were there human sacrifices in the cults of the Slavic tribes?

Remember the nursery rhyme:

Bonfires burn flammable,

Cauldrons boil seething,

Knives sharpen damask,

They want to kill me.

For a modern person, this is just the cry of brother Ivanushka, who turned into a kid. In fact, the above quatrain is the cry of a terrified man being sacrificed that has come down to us through the millennia.

And here is another rhyme from the Tales of the Russian People, collected by Ivan Petrovich Sakharov (1807 - 1863):

You, brother Ivanushko,

You get out, you get out!

- I'd love to jump

combustible stone

Draws to the boiler

yellow sands

The heart was sucked out.

And this is also not so much about brother Ivanushka, but about human sacrifice. The modern reader is unaware that the phrase "yellow sands" that suck out the heart is ritual sand, on which the blood of the victim is poured.

“Five priests approached the captives and pointed with their finger at the one who was standing in the front row ... Each of them was escorted to the place where the king stood, and they forced him to stand on a stone that looked like the sun. Then they rolled him over on his back. One of the priests held the prisoner by the right hand, the second - by the left, the third by the left leg, the fourth - by the right, and the fifth at that time deftly tied his neck to the stone with a rope. Now the unfortunate man could not move a finger. The king, waving a knife, plunged it into the chest of the prisoner. Cutting it wide, he tore out his heart and lifted it up with both hands, offering this gift to the Sun. When the heart in his hands cooled down, he poured a handful of blood from it and sprinkled it in the direction of the luminary. Then he threw the heart into a special circular recess in the stone.

It's the Aztecs again. But the poems cited earlier are our folklore...

In sufficient detail about the practice of pagan human sacrifice, including among the Slavs, writes a major apologist for modern paganism Demin.

On the cover of the magazine there is an inscription in large letters - "Perun" and a much-talking picture: a group of people in light shirts near an idol with a stern face. On the right is a high priest with a staff in his hands. Downstairs, two young men are blowing their horns. The mighty warrior swung his sword over the lowered head of the prisoner in monastic robes. The other prisoner is kneeling in a prayerful pose with his arms folded across his chest. A fire burns before the captives and the idol. Isn't this an image of a sacrifice before us?

All this is very reminiscent of the well-known documentary footage of prisoners in Chechnya. Orthodox Christians were also beheaded there.

The full name of the magazine is “Russian youth storyteller “Perun”. Pagan Bulletin of Slavic Culture and History with a Section on the Russian Musical Underground. This magazine is advertised by the Ryazan newspaper Russkaya Pravda.

Remember, these people call to kill Christians. And not just kill, but sacrifice them to their gods.

The largest and most solid neo-pagan resource on the Internet is the site of Yaroslav Dobrolyubov "Slavic paganism". In it, under a link to "other materials and sites", a text that is absolutely amazing in its cynicism - "Slavic pagan calendar" is placed. The year according to this calendar begins with the Kolyada holiday (December 24-31). In the text we read: "On New Year's Eve, ritual songs (carols) are sung and a goat is sacrificed." And then the already familiar verse in a slightly different version:

“... the old man is sitting,

He sharpens his damask knife.

The boiler boils fuel

A goat stands near the boiler -

They want to kill a goat...

By analogy with all of the above, one willy-nilly think - is it about an animal, called a goat, we are talking here ...

But the main thing is not this. Listen, and don't say you haven't heard. In the indicated calendar we read: “Kupala. Sunday (June), 23. Today is the feast of the Summer Solstice and human sacrifice underwater master Lizard (Yasha). All night long people have fun, sing songs, dance, guess. Rites are also held near the water, fires are lit and drowned in the Kupala River. In more late time drowned a straw doll." But now, of course, is not "later". Now is the time for the revival of "ancient customs" ...

Is this not enough for you? Please, further in the text: “Perun's day. Cherven (July), 20. This is a holiday in honor of the Great Thunderer Perun. Today is a human sacrifice, chosen ahead of time (July 12). Bulls are also sacrificed and eaten at a feast. The prince and the Magi arrange huge feasts, games and dances.

Who to sacrifice?

A seemingly “dispassionate” quote from The Tale of Bygone Years, cited here, will tell us about this: “In the summer of 6491. And the elders and the boyars said: “We will cast lots on the lad and the maiden; and on whom it falls, we will slaughter (as a sacrifice) to the gods. There was one Varangian, a Christian ... and he had a son ... on whom the devil's envy fell.

This is not just a quote. Before us is the desire that it be so. Why am I convinced of this? Because a few lines earlier comes the following text: “The Day of Remembrance of Prince the Great Svyatoslav. Cherven (July), 3. Svyatoslav, the greatest pagan prince of Russia, waged a grandiose war with Byzantium and despised Christianity ... The Pechenegs were broken and driven back, and the penetration of Christianity that had begun was stopped. During the siege of Tsargrad, he fails because of the presence of Christians in the army, and Svyatoslav subjected them to persecution: “He, seeing their disobedience, became furious with the priests ... sent (an army) to Kyiv, commanding the churches of Christians to be destroyed and burned. And he himself soon went, although to destroy all Christians.

Historically, much here is incorrect, but the desire itself is characteristic - the author of the calendar writes: “Let it be so: “... the pedestal of the Idols of the Kyiv Pagan Gods, set in the very center of Kyiv, was paved with plinth and frescoes of a Christian church, destroyed before 980.”

The signature under all this is as follows: “The calendar was compiled on the eve of the Winter Solstice by Slovish the Guardian and dedicated to the Moon, Wind, Forest and Stars. Design - Sergey Shandin. Where did this Slovisha get his pseudonym from?

Modern Russian neo-pagans widely use the books of Academician Rybakov. One of them, which is called "Paganism of Ancient Russia", tells about the harp found during archaeological excavations in Novgorod in the layers of the 11th century. A harp was found near the ancient Volosova Street, where, no doubt, in pagan times there was a temple of the god Volos - Veles. The harp has the signature of the owner - "Slovisha", which means "nightingale". Rybakov suggests that these harp could have belonged to a sorcerer who led the resistance of part of the townspeople to baptism in 988 in Novgorod. He quotes the Russian historian V.N. Tatishcheva: “The highest above the priests of the Slavs, Bogomil, for the sake of sweetness, he was named the Nightingale, the grandeur to submit to the people.” As a result of the rebellion, the houses of Christians were plundered, some of them were killed and the Transfiguration of the Lord was destroyed. Most likely, the "Keeper" borrowed his pseudonym from this story. Well - a worthy example to follow, you will not say anything ...

So, the author of the site "Slavic paganism" Yaroslav Dobrolyubov (that's just who is hiding behind this pseudonym?) Refers site visitors to the "Slavic pagan calendar" quoted by us. With this, he seems to be saying this: “The Slavs not only had human sacrifices, but should continue to do so. Christian temples are to be destroyed, and temples of pagan gods must be erected in their place. No matter how much later on his website he tried to claim the opposite.

The pagans (Slovisha the Guardian) claim that they bring human sacrifices. When? According to the above calendar - June 23 and July 20. Selection of victims to Perun - July 12.

In another version of the pagan calendar, the "holiday" of Kupala is indicated under July 7th. Perunov day - August 2. Selection of victims to Perun - July 27 ...

So, if a person goes missing in the last ten days of June or July, then relatives and law enforcement agencies still have a chance to find him before August 2…

For comparison, I will give the dates of "criminal activity", or rather, human sacrifices by Satanists. This is the 13th number, which fell on Friday of any month, full moon nights, winter and summer solstice, autumn and spring equinoxes, February 2, May 1 - Walpurgis Night, July 6 - Ivan Kupala, August 1 - Lames ("harvest festival ), October 31 - Halloween.

At least one day of human sacrifice is the same for Satanists and neo-pagans. This is the "Ivan Kupala holiday" - July 6 or 7 of the new style. Remember - "Death to Jewish Christian mothers!"?...

New Russian pagans begin their chronology "from the fall of Arkona." So they write: “January 7, 833 from the fall of Arkona - disturbing news! A case has been initiated against a well-known figure in modern Russian Paganism - Dobroslav!!!" What is it - Arkona?

Arkona is a city of the Baltic Slavs. It was located on the extreme northeastern tip of the island of Ruyan (Rügen). Arkona was built on a steep rock, hanging over the sea, and surrounded by a powerful fortress wall. Modern neo-pagans consider this city a pan-Slavic cult center. Arkona was inhabited by a greedy and desperate tribe of pirates. The rulers of the city strongly encouraged this piracy.

In Arkona there was a wooden temple of the god Sventovit (Svetovid, Svyatovid, Svyatovit or Svetozar). This is the deity of some tribal groups of the Slavs Central Europe, revered by them as the ruler of heaven, the creator of thunderstorms and rain. Sventovit was revered as the supreme god of war and victory.

Arkona was destroyed by the Danish king Valdemar I the Great, a warlike great-grandson. It happened in 1168. Soon after the campaign of the Danes, the ruins of Arkona, together with the land, sank to the bottom of the sea. There is a legend that from time to time a foggy image of Arkona arises from the Baltic waters.

Arkona is a kind of symbolic ghost town. Modern Russian neo-pagans honor this virtual city more than our ancient capitals - Kyiv, Vladimir, Moscow. The real historical centers of the Russian Land mean much less to them than the last stronghold of paganism in Eastern Europe, a small town-fortress of a small Baltic tribe that disappeared without a trace more than eight centuries ago. The situation is very revealing.

There is such a concept - "escapism" (from to escape (English) - to run, escape, get off, withdraw into oneself) - an escape into the world of play and dreams from reality.

A classic example of escapism is the Tolkienists, followers of the movement that arose on the basis of the books of J.R. fantasy world. This world, created by an English writer, has captured the imagination of thousands of teenagers and young people, for whom he has replaced reality. Numerous clubs of Tolkienists appeared, their own environment of communication, their own musical culture. was even developed special language- "Elven", or "Quendi".

New pagans, creating their own world, their own special environment of communication, are very close in spirit to the Tolkienists. The latter, having matured, fill up the pagan communities. However, they prefer, as a rule, not the Slavic, but the Scandinavian tradition.

In the neo-pagan movement, there are many military history clubs that are mainly engaged in the reconstruction of costumes and weapons of bygone eras. In Moscow, for example, among the clubs of a pagan orientation there is also the club "Druzhina" Arkona "" (the head is a certain Budimir). A kind of earthly army of a virtual city!

Such clubs often hold joint tournaments and festivals together with Tolkienists. At present, the so-called "historical fencing tournaments" are especially popular.

All this is the first step. Further - entry into serious neo-pagan communities with a very specific magical practice. The basis of a smooth transition here is precisely escapism, going into fiction. Teenagers and young people spend years accustomed to living in a fictional world. Real Russia, real faith - Orthodox Christianity, calling for sobriety, that is, a very attentive attitude to one's thoughts, feelings and actions, they do not understand and do not need. They are unable to take responsibility for their own life and for the life of their country.

The tragedy of such people is that the spiritual life is not a game. An Orthodox child from an early age in a family, in a church, in Sunday school, in an Orthodox gymnasium, in an Orthodox military-patriotic association, is taught that life must be taken very seriously, especially spiritual life. For a Tolkienist or a follower of some "Budimir" this is an inaccessible concept. So he gets from Budimir to Dobroslav. More precisely to the demons, the spirits of evil. For under the name of Perun, Sventovit, or some other pagan deity, he worships the real spiritual forces of hell and serves them. "All the gods of the nations are demons, but the Lord created the heavens." This is written in the Psalter () - the favorite book of the real Russian people who lived in real history.

In an article about the Arkon squad, Budimir writes that she "gathered good fellows under the banner of Sventovit, who care for the fate of Russia."

People used to be sacrificed to Sventovit. “On the eve of any great undertakings, human sacrifices were made to Sventovit, which was a widespread tradition among the northern and Slavic tribes,” writes one of the well-known researchers of pagan cults.

In Arkona, in addition to Sventovit, the pagan god Radegast was also revered. And he was considered the deity of martial glory and war. The idol of Radegast appears in the form of a warrior, armed from head to toe, with a battle ax, in a helmet on which an eagle spread its wings - a symbol of glory. A bull's head was depicted on his shield - a sign of courage. This idol stood in the Slavic city of Retra, which was located near the Baltic coast.

Radegast, as the god of war, was offered human sacrifices, most often captives. The victim was put on a horse, tightly tied to it, the horse's legs were also tied to four piles and two fires were lit - one for each pair of piles. Chronicles tell us about the death in Retra in 1066 of the Bishop of the Mecklenburg fortress John. He was captured, refused the demand of the pagans to renounce Christ, and was sacrificed to Radegast in the manner indicated above.

Here is a picture of the artist Konstantin Vasiliev, a conversation about which we have yet to discuss. It is called - "Sventovit". A warrior in a helmet crowned with an eagle with outstretched wings, a bull's head on his chest, a sword in his hand.

And here is a collage in the Ryazan newspaper Lybidsky Boulevard. Against the background of K. Vasiliev's painting "Sventovit" is another of his paintings - "Farewell of the Slav". Behind the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War is a terrible bloodthirsty deity. All together is called - "The Russians are coming!". Where are they going? And which "Russians"?

IV. bone kingdom

“Near the grave, everything was getting in the way, some half-drunk peasant was fussing, rushing everything, the first one grabbed the coffin, dragged it to the grave, stumbled and flew headlong down there, almost dropping the dead man - they barely kept him ... And here, I confess to you, Sasha , right here, when I held the coffin with all my might to prevent this wild fall, then laughter attacked me - and it beats me from the inside, and writhing ... "

This is not The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. This is a letter from a participant in the funeral of Konstantin Vasiliev, one of the most popular domestic artists 70s. ... ”An Orthodox Christian will call the state described above nothing more than demonic possession.

Here is what Anton Prokofiev, the author of the article “Modern Slavic neo-paganism (review)”, posted on Yaroslav Dobrolyubov’s website “Slavic paganism” writes: “The circles in which the first small communities formed were, first of all, researchers of Russian folklore and crafts, ethnographers, artists and historians: V. Butrov, N. Speransky, K. Yakutovsky, A. Ryadinsky, A. Belov, K.Vasiliev(highlighted by me. - I.V.) It was they who formed the backbone of the ideologists of modern Slavic neo-paganism. As you can see, the pagans themselves call Konstantin Vasiliev one of the first "ideologists" of modern neo-paganism in our country. And this is no coincidence.

In Moscow, I visited the museum of this artist. One of the paintings made a particularly strong impression on me.

Against the backdrop of a deadly blue forest, the figure of a man rises. He is dressed in a sheepskin coat, as if framed by emphatically written out fur. At his feet is a burning manuscript. From the flame of the manuscript grows, as it were, a dead-looking tree in the form of shamrocks strung one on top of the other. The line of this tree passes into the line of a burning candle, which a person holds in right hand. In his left hand he has a whip. An owl sits on a whip. On the burning manuscript there is an inscription - "ss.1976."

"A man with an owl. (The Wisdom of the Great Russian)” – this is the name of this painting by K. Vasiliev. It was written in 1976.

It is customary to write about the mystery of this canvas. In fact, there is nothing mysterious here. Most of the paintings by K. Vasiliev consist of quite readable pagan images. A man with an owl is Veles. Many people think so, including Slovisha the Keeper.

The Novgorod Sophia Chronicle, telling about the overthrow of the idol of Perun, thrown into the river, contains a very interesting phrase:

“And (the idol) floated from the light into the koshnoe, that is, into the outer darkness.”

According to many modern researchers, primarily Academician Rybakov, the cult of Veles is associated with this koshchey (remember Koshchei the Immortal). Veles is the lord of the pitch darkness, the underworld, the infernal kingdom of darkness.

The site "Slavic paganism" has a material "Gods of the ancient Slavs", prepared by Yaroslav Dobrolyubov and Dmitry Gavrilov. Here is what, in particular, is written about Veles: “In Slavic pagan mythology, Veles, the hypostasis of Chernobog, embodies the forces of primitive Chaos, violent, disordered, uninhabited nature, often hostile to man.

The opponent of Chernobog is Belobog, they are always fighting, and not one of them can win a decisive victory. But once a year, Chernobog turns into a shining golden-haired Belobog and wages a fierce struggle with the god of Darkness (with himself).

The fact that modern paganism closely merges with conscious Satanism, we will see below. Now I will only note that the essence here is the denial of any distinction between good and evil. For the Gentiles, Satan is the ruler of the world. In their ideas, this is Belobog and Chernobog, merged into one.

Veles is the ruler of the world of death. This world, according to neo-pagans, gives birth to new life.

Konstantin Vasiliev died on October 29, 1976 under the wheels of a train. "Man with an Owl" is his last painting. After Vasiliev wrote it, he and a friend went to the Mari forests. It is believed to be hunting. In the biography of the artist, we read: “The first person they met upon returning from hunting was Anatoly Kuznetsov. Konstantin answered all his questions in monosyllables and looked over his head, renouncing everything ... Only the next day the artist said to a friend and mother who came to visit him: “Now I understand what I need to write and how to write” ... This happened a few days before death of the artist...

On the evening of October 29, a discussion of the works at the exhibition was to take place, where, among others, Vasiliev's works were also presented. “When everything was ready, and Konstantin was already heading for the exit, his Kazan acquaintance Arkady Popov unexpectedly came to him. Having learned that Kostya was going to the exhibition, he wanted to join him. Suddenly he saw the "Man with an Owl" and stopped, as if spellbound. Then Konstantin returned, put on the player a record with the introduction to the third act of Wagner's "Parsifal" ... That evening, at the railway crossing, both friends were found with broken heads ... ".

The word "bewitched" is used very well here. I think that the whole picture “The Man with the Owl” is a conscious sacrifice by the artist of himself to Veles. Rather, it is a descent into the world of the dead, for the sake of gaining wisdom and an artistic gift. In the picture, Vasiliev himself, as it were, marks the moment of his death - along with the words “ss”, the date “1976” burns down. From this fire, a tree is born, consisting of shamrocks - symbols of wisdom. But how dead this tree is! What a terribly dead look the figure itself has! Death, death emanates from all this.

Maybe Vasiliev wanted to become a powerful sorcerer, a sorcerer in this way? Why did he go to the Mari forests? What did he learn there?

Veles, he is Satan, took away those who bewitchedly obeyed him. The driver did not have time to stop the rushing train ... And then there was wild guttural laughter as the coffin was lowered into the grave ...

Power and wealth based on witchcraft is the goal and meaning of paganism. All talk about folk culture, about Russian folklore, about fatherly traditions is just a verbal screen on the way to this goal. The pagan is ready to serve the world of death in order to rule in this life.

“You exaggerate,” someone will say. – Let the cult of Veles be the power of death. But is this a reason for sweeping generalizations? You yourself say that the gods were different, each tribal union had its own. Did all the Slavic tribes imagine the spiritual essence of power so terribly?

The cult of Veles is the most common among the Slavs. Is everything limited only to Veles? What, Perun or Yarilo, who needed human sacrifices, is better? Perun is a military deity, a symbol of princely power, Yarilo is a harvester, a symbol of wealth. Power and wealth under the yoke of a terrible infernal world. Horror elevated to the principle of the life of society.

Maybe the Slavs are alone here? Maybe other pagan peoples built their world differently? Maybe this world was sunny and beautiful?

... A rider rides along a narrow road in a gloomy forest. He is wearing a blue cloak, a wide-brimmed blue hat pulled down over his forehead. In the hands of the rider is a heavy spear. One-eyed rider. But the most unusual thing is his horse. The horse has eight legs. Two wolves run after the rider. Two crows are flying above them...

Tell me, dear reader, would you like to be here on this forest road?

You're right. It's probably not worth it to deal with this company. Then let's get acquainted with these creatures in absentia.

The name of the rider is Odin or Wotan. As you like. The Scandinavians know him by his first name, the Germans by his second.

In Germanic mythology, Wotan acts as the main figure, as the bearer magical power. He personifies fertility and wealth, military strength, spiritual power and wisdom. Where does this power and wisdom come from? You, of course, have already guessed. Everything is from the same place - from the realm of the dead.

There is a website on the Internet called "Devil". Its author signs - Olegern. By his own admission, this very Olegern, one of his most beloved "gods" is Odin ...

Wotan-Odin was depicted in one of his paintings by Konstantin Vasiliev.

The Obninsk pagan community "Triglav" has its own website "Paganism in Russia" on the Internet. The site contains the material "Gods of the Slavs". This material states that Veles and Odin are one and the same.

However, many believe that this is not the case. But why are there so many similarities? It turns out that the pagan Germans, like the pagan Slavs, have the same source of power. This is the realm of death. And the power itself is insidious, cruel and self-sufficient. Despite the fact that the gods of the Germans and Slavs are different, despite the fact that they themselves are at war with each other, in depth, on a spiritual level, they are similar. Why? Because the evil is similar, the passions that feed and determine their lives.

But, perhaps, in general, any power is the same as it appears to us in the cults of Veles and Odin? Complete adherence to passions, absolute subjugation of other people and wealth, wealth, wealth ... The source of power is in the world of death, and every successful ruler is a sorcerer. Is all this really true?

Orthodox Christianity gives us a completely different idea of ​​the nature of power.

What kind of kingdom of the dead is this, where does Veles and Odin draw their strength from? It is, of course, hell. Demons rule here. In Christianity, power comes from God. Power is needed because evil and death entered the world along with the fall. And Christian power is not following this evil. It is designed to resist evil, to restrain it as much as possible. Of course, the authorities cannot arrange here, on earth, the Kingdom of God. But she, fighting evil, does not allow the earth to turn into hell. Power meets its purpose only when it arranges society in accordance with the will of God, with the commandments of the Gospel. She is above human passions, she should not submit to them. Because of this, the authorities unite people on the principles of good, educate them, and promote their salvation, which is carried out in the Church of Christ.

Passions are shared. Divided people who are immersed in evil are easy to manipulate. They are very easy to subdue. Yes, they are slaves by definition. First of all, slaves of demons. With extreme ease, they become slaves to earthly demonic servants.

People who build their lives according to the commandments of God are not like that. Struggling with passions, with the evil that is rooted in man, they gain freedom in God. They rise above the world lying in evil, and it is extremely difficult for this world to defeat them. It is difficult because these people are united. In God they are one. This whole is the Church of Christ.

The pagan power is truly a "bone kingdom".

A manuscript is on fire in K. Vasiliev's painting "A Man with an Eagle Owl". This burning manuscript with Slavic script is the only fragment of the painting that is emotionally close to a Russian Orthodox Christian. Everything else is dead and alien. The rest is an alien world, as I wrote above - the world of the dead. The manuscript says - "Konstantin Velikoross". I have already had to write about the fact that the Great Russian is a concrete historical concept. The Great Russians as a nationality (we usually call them Russians colloquially) are formed by Orthodoxy and are inseparable from it. However, like all Russians (Great Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians) in general. Therefore, it is quite possible to assert that Vasilyev, along with himself, as if sacrifices to Veles the cultural and social world in which the artist lived. A world shaped by Christian heritage.

Paganism reduces man to the animal level. It is not only incapable of making it moral, but it prevents it in every possible way. The complex world of Christian morality, social relations, culture is fundamentally unattainable for the paganism of the past. And if paganism is established in the present, then the entire Christian heritage must be destroyed. Otherwise, the triumph of paganism is impossible, for it and Christianity are opposites. This destruction of Christianity is expressed symbolically in the burning manuscript by Konstantin Vasiliev.

But do not think that Christianity is only temples, clergy, culture, in general - all sorts of "heritage". The Christian heritage is in the person himself. It is the voice of conscience, the voice of the moral law. It can be destroyed only by turning a person into a beast. This is what modern pagans strive for.

... I left the Moscow Museum of Konstantin Vasiliev. On the way to the subway, I came across a noisy gang of children, who were led by two teachers to see the paintings of the “great Russian artist”. Standing on the escalator, I turned over in my hands the books bought in the all-pagan kiosk of the museum - "The Russian Pagan Manifesto" and "The Pagans Answer" - and thought: "Do the teachers know where they are taking their children?"...

V. So who is Russian?

“I try to awaken national pride and freedom-loving Russian Spirit. We are Russians! Other countries are created for those who cannot be Russian! Only a bullet will stop me in my struggle for the liberation of the Motherland from the Judeo-Christian yoke.”

All this pathos comes from Dobroslav's letter to the prosecutor.

New pagans are very fond of talking about the revival of Russia in the periodical press and in public. They are very fond of calling themselves patriots and stigmatizing the enemies of "Light Russia", by which they primarily mean Christians. They shout about "Russian paganism", about "primordial Russian roots".

But do they really want to see an independent, free and powerful Russia?

For an Orthodox Christian, Russia is the House of the Most Holy Theotokos. So the Russian people called her for a thousand years. The holy righteous John of Kronstadt spoke about the fact that Russia is the foot of the Throne of God. Russians Orthodox people they built their cities and monasteries as an earthly icon of Heavenly Jerusalem, and arranged villages as a model of the world, where a temple would certainly rise on a high hillock - the embodiment of the reality of the presence of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The battle cry of the Novgorodians for centuries was - "For Hagia Sophia!". Pskovians went into battle with the words - "For the Holy Trinity!". And this is because the main temple of Veliky Novgorod is St. Sophia Cathedral, and the main temple of Pskov is the Cathedral in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity.

Remember? - “O bright and red decorated Russian land! You amaze with many beauties ... - you are full of everything, Russian land, about the orthodox Christian faith! In the mind of the ancient Russian scribe, the native land is inseparable from the native faith - Orthodox Christianity.

Since ancient times, Russian people have perceived their Fatherland and their statehood as a God-given vessel, which is called upon to preserve the Orthodox faith until the Second Coming of Christ. "Moscow is the Third Rome, and there will be no fourth."

In the West, Christianity was first corrupted into Catholicism and Protestantism. Then the Western world in general began to rapidly move away from the foundations of Christian civilization, placing human egoism and pride at the center of all social relations. Hence - the distrust of the Orthodox Christian in globalization, in the erasure of civilizational boundaries in modern international relations. Hence, the desire to organize their native land in their own way - in Russian, in the Orthodox way. An Orthodox Christian believes: “We are Russians. We have our own Orthodox civilization.” The world alien to our civilization is aggressive and warlike. Therefore, we need a strong independent economy and a powerful modern military capable of deterring those who today claim to rule the entire globe. Russia should be strong, powerful and free, but it will be so only if it finally returns to its original Orthodox roots.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II put it this way: “We want to preserve our national culture, our historical existence and our faith. It is no coincidence that many people who think deeply about the fate of the world study the phenomenon of the preservation of faith in the Russian people under the most difficult trials. Therefore, we do not agree to dissolve in the European cauldron or the new world order. Russia was a great power and should be a great power. But this is possible only under the condition of the spiritual revival of our country. We do not set ourselves the task of a global reorganization of the world on an Orthodox basis, but we must restore Orthodoxy in Russia.”

For an Orthodox Christian, betrayal of Russia is a betrayal of Orthodoxy, and betrayal of Orthodoxy is a betrayal of Russia. Such betrayal is possible only when serving the forces of evil.

And what about the new pagans?

Whom does the "Union of Slavic Communities" thank for the help (financial?) Laimutis Vasilyavichus (Lithuania), Giuseppe Maello (Naples), Radek Mikula (Prague), Stanislav Potshebovsky (Wroclaw). (Ibid.) As you can see, citizens of either current or future NATO members are represented ...

Russia waged a hard struggle in Chechnya in order to preserve its territorial integrity, in order to prevent terrorism from spreading across the country. Thousands of our soldiers gave their lives for this.

But material is being circulated on the Internet in which several neo-pagan leaders (acting head of the Voskhod Interregional Public Organization Svetoyar, head of the Perun Community Svetislav and leader of the Veles Community Velemir) declare: “If a thought comes into someone’s stupid head try to forcibly baptize Russia again, we will arrange such a massacre in the center of Moscow that Chechnya will seem to the “baptizers” a “heavenly paradise”. Please note: the pagan leaders opposed themselves to what they called the “baptists” who fought in Chechnya. It is quite obvious that only people who are completely alienated from the Russian state and the Russian people can threaten their country with a new Chechnya. Chechen terrorism was an important tool of the well-known world forces in their struggle for the dismemberment and destruction of Russia. So who are the people who threaten to turn Moscow into Chechnya serving?

The analytical center of the Union of Orthodox Citizens, which prepared the material “Who is behind the “Russian” neo-pagans,” emphasizes: “Whoever has been to Kyiv, to the book collapse of Ukrainian nationalists, to Independence Square, has seen that among the huge amount of anti-Russian literature, fables about the “atrocities of Muscovites ”, agitation UNA-UNSO, in a conspicuous place flaunts “Blow of the Russian gods”. Such like-minded people!” (Ibid.) "Strike of the Russian Gods" - Russian neo-pagans now have the most fashionable book ...

In connection with everything said above, the slogan “Nationalists of all countries, unite!”, proposed by K.K. Klimovich, the author of an editorial in the January issue of the Ryazan neo-pagan newspaper Lybidsky Bulvar. Baltic, Chechen, Ukrainian, Kazakh and other nationalists, unite against Russia and the Russian people - is that how it works?

It is curious that the Voskhod Interregional Public Organization, the head of which signed a promise to arrange a massacre in the center of Moscow, recently invited Dobroslav, whom we have mentioned many times, to the same Moscow, paid for his travel back and forth, arranged for Dobroslav a visit to the State Duma, a trip to Kaluga (to colleagues in the "Union of Slavic Communities"?) and two lectures at the Museum of Konstantin Vasiliev. Members of the Moscow Veles Community and the Moscow Slavic Pagan Community of Perun (the latter is officially registered) gathered in the museum hall. Random people were not allowed into the hall by the “security service”, organized by the neo-pagans themselves.

Still, interesting events are held in Moscow museums.

VI. Antichrist

The world today is experiencing a general global crisis. And it is expressed not in economic upheavals, as it happened before. The main thing is “the crisis of morality and irreligiousness of the vast majority of modern society. At the same time, the accumulation of gigantic arrays of knowledge and material tools for their use does not at all correspond to the level of morality of the people who use them, ”writes Mikhail Gelvanovsky, Doctor of Economics. He notes that one of the features of the modern world is "a powerful influence on the consciousness of people of virtual and information systems." (Ibid.)

In general, "the world is becoming more and more manageable." But the administration is not in the interests of the majority of the people, and the headquarters of this administration is hidden from most of the world community.

Thus, as a result of the development of the world economy over the past quarter of a century, a new global governance structure has emerged in it, represented by transnational corporations ... technologies and 9/10 capital outflow. The management of world economic processes is carried out, as a rule ... in the interests of transnational corporations, which practically do not bear any social responsibility to anyone in the world, while controlling and disposing of ... most of the material wealth on the planet ...

The sharply increased possibilities of influencing individuals and entire communities ... lead to terrible consequences for their consciousness and a decline in morals. In the modern world, such vices as drug addiction, global crime, arms trafficking, human trafficking (children and adults), trafficking in living organs of people, corruption at all levels are developing on a huge scale ... global financial crime, the active planting of mass culture that turns people into animals. Moreover, recently there has been an unprecedented flourishing of the occult, magic, mysticism, witchcraft, as well as other methods of mind-blowing, informational, violent influence on the consciousness and subconscious of people ... ". (Ibid.) A distorted perception of the world is formed, a transformation of the personality takes place, depriving a person of independence in assessing the situation, low instincts are strengthened, and ultimately consciousness is encoded. “All this creates the conditions for a person to fall even below the animal state” (Ibid.)

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II characterizes the impact of modern “civilized society” on a person in this way: “The population is purposefully organized on the satanic principles of lies, forgery, deceit, and worship of external brute force. Greed, selfishness, ambition, debauchery, drug addiction, love for pleasure and entertainment at any cost are introduced as the beginnings of a “normal” life.

The most important role in making the world more manageable belongs to new religious movements. They received the group name "New Age" - New Age. Destroying traditional religious beliefs, these currents amaze the mind, disorientate a person, make him an obedient slave. Modern Russian paganism belongs precisely to this pseudo-religious trend. Calling themselves traditionalists in words, they are actually super-liberals. Closely merging with the “values” of the modern godless civilization, the new pagans follow it in an effort to destroy the foundations of traditional societies and national states, to establish a “new world order” on earth, that is, in Orthodox terms, the kingdom of the Antichrist. All this we will try to show below.

For this, let's turn to the materials of Yaroslav Dobrolyubov's site "Slavic paganism". Here is a certain gentleman who signs the characteristic word "POISON" (Yaroslav Dobrolyubov himself?) offers us his vision of the foundations of the pagan worldview. He writes: “Paganism is love of life, peacefulness… Everything tangible, real, carnal, earthly, alive – these are quite worthy objects of love. This is what many pagans love more than gods… Paganism is a cheerful, optimistic outlook. There are no obligatory fasts, no abstinence, no rigid prescriptions. It calls not to suffer, humble yourself and be limited, but to enjoy, act, develop. Paganism does not force and does not frighten, it is comfortable, like individual apartments. (Ibid.)

The words about the revival of the “native faith” by the new pagans are just a lie. We read further: “We modern-day pagans already have a New Idea. The idea of ​​real paganism, that ancient one that arose as the deification of natural phenomena, could differ a lot from the ideas that we put into it now. But what if a lot of things in paganism are thought out and not always correctly recreated? Well, so what?"

And here's another: “For himself personally, each pagan builds his own personal pagan concept. For paganism is a constructor from which you can assemble a variety of designs at your own discretion. (Ibid.)

Like liberalism, paganism calls to live here, now. “There is no other place and time, be glorified, This World!” …In the “other World” there are other rules and laws. That's when we find ourselves in the "other World" - then we will live according to the rules of That World. But here, now, while no one knows for sure, “what is there?” - what is the point of planting a garden? Will we live? Or will we think, "how to live there"? We'll figure it out on the spot!" (Ibid.)

Rejecting eternal life, not wanting to know anything about retribution beyond the grave, the pagans reject the most important component in a person - his immortal soul. They deny the responsibility of a person in the face of the Eternal Truth, thereby destroying all the foundations of human morality. They use the word "truth" but put a completely different meaning into it. “Truth,” or rather “rule,” is, according to the new pagans, the laws supposedly governing the universe. These "laws" are indifferent to good or evil, because according to neo-pagans, neither good nor evil as such exist.

“The so-called “good” or “evil” are categories ... generated by the mind and do not exist outside of the mind,” writes YaD, “There is no “good” and “evil” in nature ... The so-called “good” and “evil” are concepts ... outside not existing for a person, and therefore, even for a person, they are not uniquely black and white, but constantly intertwined and, thus, inextricably merged into the Mutual Cause of each other. (Ibid.)

Since there are no separate good and evil, there are no correspondingly separate God and Satan. This is what the new pagans think. There is only "God-Satan", "who is not at enmity with himself."

In the new paganism, under the guise of "traditional Russian religion", a terrible substitution is being made, when God - the Absolute Good and Good - is replaced by the spirit of malice. Moreover, it is argued that God and the fallen angel who rebelled against Him and His creation are one. This lie is much more terrible than the lie that under the name "atheism" has blossomed on our earth for many decades. Atheism denied the spiritual world completely. Neo-paganism replaces the Absolute spiritual Good with absolute spiritual evil and in fact does not hide it. So the new paganism merges with Satanism and passes into it. Another material is devoted to this, located on the site of Yaroslav Dobrolyubov - the article "Monotheism, Paganism, Satanism and the Logic of History", signed by the same Poison. We will now turn to her.

“Dark forces,” the article says, “often shed light on the essence of the matter - for this they are not loved ... Satan is a symbol of Change, Renewal. A symbol that personifies pride, independence, strength, Reason. Satan is a challenge to outdated points of view and hackneyed concepts. Change is the Force that has always been feared and has always been associated with the manifestation of Satan, with “evil”, with “destruction”, but Change is the same Force that at all times provided movement, development, the emergence of the new and creation, this is the the most “evil Power”, which, eternally desiring “evil”, eternally creates “good”. (Ibid.)

So change is the engine of society. It is necessary to discard outdated points of view and hackneyed concepts. Only change and development, no tradition. The way forward lies only through Lucifer. Any “evil” is possible, because there is no evil in the world. Everything is written openly and clearly. This is the meaning of all modern paganism. What does this have to do with talk about traditionalism, about “restoring the ancient primordial faith of the Slavs, the Native Faith”? The native faith of the new pagans is Satanism. In order to prove the opposite, neo-pagans, say, followers of V. Kazakov, need to publicly renounce Yaroslav Dobrolyubov. But it is enough to look at the "Links" section on all the main neo-pagan sites, and we will see that this is no longer possible for new pagans. The doctrine of any neo-pagan community rests precisely on Satanism. The purpose of the destruction of tradition is the destruction of Orthodox Christianity as the basis of public life, the establishment new statehood, building a new society - satanic. That's what it is " new order". The order is frankly "worldwide". For Western civilization is irreversibly moving in the same direction - towards Satanism. And she, this Western civilization, screams about progress, about changes, about the conventions of the concepts of good and evil, about the need to discard outdated concepts, about strength, pride and independence, about the fact that the individual is above all. We have found all this in Western liberalism for two hundred years now. What does "Russianness" have to do with it?

But maybe there is still some difference between Satanism and the new paganism? To this question, YD answers this way: “The difference between Satanism and paganism is that what Satanists consider as the faces of a single Satan, the pagans consider as independent gods. By and large, there are no other significant differences.” (Ibid.)

Are you still talking about Russia, about the Russian people? Stop it. Here YaD will explain everything to you now: “In short, it is required to honestly explain some things: the term “New Paganism” should be understood not as “paganism of a particular people”, but as a multifaceted Pagan Philosophy, which has no state borders because it comes from the rational and sensual nature of the Man himself. (Ibid.) "Not the paganism of a particular people will win all over the world, but the Pagan Worldview in the broadest sense - it will consolidate its victory in the future." (Ibid.) It is clear now why our neo-pagans go to the World Pagan Congress? By the way, in 2001 this congress will be held in St. Petersburg…

Why are the neo-pagans so sure of their triumph? Because the world is literally before our very eyes moving further and further away from Christ. Because even many Orthodox Christians are like that only in appearance. We don't want to work on ourselves. We forget that only our faith, only our desire to live according to the commandments of the Gospel, can prevent the world from sliding into the abyss of evil, the death of Russia, the death of everything that is dear to us, the death of our own souls and the souls of our loved ones. Behold, our enemies testify to us of this. Consider this evidence:

“The New Paganism is viable and active... The Pagan worldview in most citizens is already firmly in place. First of all, this is Peace-Love – love for this World, pleasures, “sins”, temptations of this World, love for the so-called “creature”. And, accordingly, subconscious love for the creator of this World - its permanent Prince, whom some call "Satan". People no longer want to torture themselves physically and spiritually. People ALREADY (highlighted by POISON - V.) are pagans in their inner basis, albeit unconscious. They ALREADY ... sincerely believe that Pleasure in every sense is not a sin at all, and that it will not have to "pay there"; and if it is necessary, then only here and now. Completely pagan. People are ALREADY turned to this World, and the gods of this, carnal World, albeit unconsciously, but ALREADY believe.

Addressing us Orthodox Christians, YaD writes: “The new paganism brings your “apocalypse” closer. The new paganism is your destroyer from a historical perspective. So it will be. You can be sure. The future starts today." (Ibid.)

Do we really agree with this and lower our hands helplessly?

Speaking about his opponents, about all those who uphold traditional spiritual, national values, YaD calls them "stubborn rednecks who interfere with integration processes that have as their goal the United State called Planet Earth (Planet Earth) ". (Ibid.)

Neo-pagan priests, as a rule, are "dark gods", that is, conscious internationalists-Satanists, only hiding behind pseudo-Russian phraseology. YaD writes about it. (Ibid.) But among the rank-and-file members of the neo-pagan communities, there are still enough people who think that they love Russia, that they are reviving the “Russian spirit”. These people are simply used by Satanists and then discarded as useless. We will see that in the end, according to the author of the Slavic Paganism website, all nation-states must be destroyed, most people will die, and on the planet under the “new world order” (ONE WORLD - “ One World” - in the terminology of Yada), only a very limited number of “intelligent beings” should remain.

So? And then YaD offers his “Logic of History”: “The historical process from the past to the future is super-compressed: the old paganism is a dead “faith for the day before yesterday”, current monotheisms (world religions that believe in the One God - I.V.) are already the dying “faith for Yesterday”, the resurgent new paganism is “faith for Tomorrow”, and the one that is now in its embryonic “philosophical state” Satanism - "Faith for the After-Tomorrow". (Ibid.)

“New-Paganism,” writes YD, “is an inevitable stage in the near future, preparing the next stage in the development of Civilization – New Satanism.” (Ibid.)

But why not immediately Satanism? POISON answers this question as follows: “Because humanity needs a “warm transition” from one state to another; from the fever of influenza plus 40” and so they are not immediately and instantly cured, especially since today many citizens who consider this very “fever of monotheism” (that is, faith in God - I.V.) the norm, are still psychologically not quite ready to consciously accept "warmth" of New Paganism. It takes time to recover... Only... after humanity consciously consolidates the "warm norm" of New-Paganism... the satanic "super-rational-cooling" will also become possible.

Do you think Satanism is a "philosophy"? Nothing like this. JD writes that the new Satanism will be "far from the purely philosophical Satanism that we know today." (Ibid.) In fact, even today Satanism is not a philosophy. A whole volume can be written about ritual murders in Russia. And in the future, Satanism is going to be a very practical thing.

Only Satanism, as a single ideology, according to POISON, is able to unite humanity into the "One World" (ONE WORLD). This world will be absolutely totalitarian: "From the conditional "democracy" of today and tomorrow, the World will have to return to the conditional" totalitarianism "in the After-Tomorrow." (Ibid.)

Who will stand at the head of this totalitarian world?

“Believe me,” writes YAD, “everyone will certainly consider that “Satan” of the distant future as a “savior” (from what? - from wars, poverty, from ecological and demographic catastrophe), and "bright deity" they will also unconditionally consider whatever “bad totalitarianisms” are created under his “sacred banners”. (Ibid.)

So, neo-paganism is a preparation for the coming of the Antichrist. And nothing else.

Do you, reader, have a feeling that something terrible is coming to all of us, to the Russian home, to the Russian land?

On the website of the "Veles community", in the "Magician" section, materials are placed about the rites that this community applies or approves. There is also a brief explanation of "baptism" here. Baptism is when people knowingly refuse their Christian baptism. “The rite of removing the Christian spell,” we read here, “is carried out by the Magi, as a rule, immediately before the naming. The forms of the ceremony vary greatly from community to community, but its magical essence remains unchanged. The seal of the Christian curse is removed from the baptized, which does not allow to resurrect, that is, to kindle the spark of God, which is in us from the Family.

In fact, a person who renounces Christ in “baptism” renounces his Native Land and its history, renounces his ancestors. Such a person can no longer serve the forces of evil. No matter how “beautiful” the pagans called him - Yaroslav, Veleslav, Dobroslav. What other names do they have? To “unbaptize” a person means to make him a hostage of hell. To “unbaptize” Russia means to destroy it.

Remember? “Dobroslav wetted his hand with water, ran it over the top of the newcomer, and then splashed this water over his eyes ... and asked for a name ... Then a strand of hair was cut off from the initiates and thrown into the fire ...”

And I involuntarily remember something else. On May 23, 1996, after a three-month captivity in Chechnya, Russian soldier Yevgeny Rodionov was beheaded. The bandits cut off his head because he refused to take off his Orthodox pectoral cross and accept Mohammedanism. The feat of the warrior Eugene stirred up the whole country. The Russian people understood that not everything is lost, that Russia is alive.

Let's raise Russian children like Evgeny Rodionov...

VII. Will to win (instead of an afterword)

It's time to sum up. We have to answer two closely related questions: “Would paganism bring happiness to Russia today?” and “What needs to be done to make Russia powerful and happy?”

The Russian nation was built on a vast geographical area. Many Slavic tribes, very different in their way of life, in their customs, in their religious ideas, were involved in this process. Slavic tribes spread to the northeast and east simultaneously with the arrival of Christianity in these lands. Two factors - faith in Christ and geographical immensity - created the Russian nation. To deprive our country of its open spaces and its Orthodox Christian soul means to erase the Russian people from world history. For us, it means giving up on ourselves.

Our enemies, that is, those people who would not like to see a state called Russia on the world map, all understand this very well. Their desire to take away our land from us is obvious to everyone. But many people who consider themselves patriots of Russia do not realize that with the same frenzied energy the enemies of Russia are working to destroy the Orthodox Church in our country. There will be no faith in Christ - the bonds that unite the Russians will disappear, and they will crumble. After all, it is impossible to recreate the glades, the Drevlyans, the Vyatichi and others like them. Everything has long been mixed up. Is it necessary to restore the temple of the Lizard in Novgorod, or to put up the idol of Perun? You will have to constantly give answers to such questions, and still nothing will come of it. But it is possible to release the forces of evil, destruction, to give them the opportunity to completely flood our land. But it will be a terrible national catastrophe.

It's not even that Orthodox Church subjected to bloody persecution. There have been many persecutions in its history, and Christianity is tempered in them. The point is, first of all, that it will be necessary to destroy the entire Russian culture, the entire Russian statehood, to cross out the entire history of the country, without creating anything in return.

They say you can go back to pre-Christian times, because Russia is there too. Yes, there was no Russia. There were Slavic tribes. They have their own past. But this is not Russia, you can't go back there. Everything has changed in the last thousand years.

Remember the words of Zbigniew Brzezinski at the beginning of this book? He says, "After the fall of communism, America's main enemy is Russian Orthodoxy."

Remember his plan - to drive Russia into the space between Kursk and the Urals? I have no doubt that these plans include the triumph of paganism on this reservation. Then America, and not only America, can sleep peacefully - Russia would be finished. Modern pagans in our country are working, often involuntarily, to implement these plans.

They created their own image of Christianity. It seems to them a religion of obedient slaves alien to the Russian spirit.

But is Orthodox Christianity really a religion of slavery, a religion of non-resistance to evil by force? This view of Christianity is completely wrong.

The new pagans reproach us that we are “God's servants”, that we are “humble”, that we are “turning the cheek”.

In fact, there is nothing more alien to Orthodox Christianity than the assertion that no evil can be resisted.

The gospel only talks about one's own cheek. “But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (). It means forgive your personal enemy, do not take revenge on him and do not multiply evil, but in no case do not turn the “cheek” of your neighbor to the enemy. You must protect your neighbor even at the cost of your life! And he will protect you the same way. About this in the Gospel it is written as follows: “There is no greater love than if someone lays down his life for his friends.” () Christian humility is humility not before evil, but before God. The expression "servant of God" means both the recognition of God's omnipotence and the readiness to defend His plan for the world - and here the "slave" must turn into a courageous warrior in the battle against the forces of evil.

The great Russian saint (XI century) in this connection said: "Live peacefully not only with friends, but also with enemies, but only with your enemies, and not with the enemies of God." And here is what St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, who lived in the middle of the 19th century, said: “Love your enemies, crush the enemies of the Fatherland, abhor the enemies of God.” So the defense of the Fatherland from enemies at all times was the religious duty of an Orthodox Christian.

Thus, Christianity is not a weak religion at all. It is enough to look at Russian history to see what our “Christian weakness” was: they united a sixth of the land into one state. And not so much by force as by goodness, bringing the faith of Christ to the pagans...

Christianity is better than paganism, not because it created such an Empire, and not because we have become accustomed to it for a thousand years. Only Christianity explains the meaning of human life and the meaning of history.

This religion is extremely personal, for it preaches the path of personal salvation of a person through the striving for perfection, for revealing in oneself the image and likeness of God.

Orthodox Christianity indicates the main means of this salvation and perfection - through love for other people, up to self-sacrifice.

This religion is extremely free, because it is conceivable only as a free service of a person to these values. A person is called to be born again spiritually, which requires a huge effort on oneself. Defeating oneself and embarking on the path of good is much more difficult than knocking out an “eye” or “tooth” from an enemy.

"Orthodoxy is a religion that respects man to the utmost and reveals his greatness as an immortal being." Christianity pushes the boundaries of the human personality beyond the temporal limits of life and beyond the line of the material world - to the Kingdom of God.

And, finally, this religion is extremely just, for the world is arranged by God in such a way that in the end, goodness and the Kingdom of God will win. Our task is to understand the meaning of the battle going on in the world between good and evil and to take an appropriate place in it. Our posthumous fate depends on it. This is what we've been going through all our lives. It is never too late to take a step towards Christ - through the second birth (baptism) to become a "servant of God", a courageous warrior in the battle against the forces of evil.

Russia, according to the righteous saint, “is the foot of the Throne of God, and you should be proud that you are Russian.” And Russian means Orthodox Christian. The pagan is not Russian. He is a miserable, voluntary or involuntary slave of the dark forces of evil, fighting against the Kingdom of God and against my country - Russia.

Let us be Orthodox, let us make an effort on ourselves, overcome the evil that is within us and the evil that is outside. Together we will win! From the speech of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia at the annual Diocesan Meeting of Moscow on December 23, 1998
site of Yaroslav Dobrolyubov "Slavic paganism"
POISON (Yaroslav Dobrolyubov). Monotheism, Paganism, Satanism and the Logic of History. – Site “Slavic paganism”
See: Nazarov M.V. Mystery Russia. M.: "Russian idea", 1999, S. 574 - 575

Talking about Perun, "Russian gods", "Book of Veles" and "pre-Christian Orthodoxy" with a serious face makes you want to pinch yourself ... or whoever says it. What is behind modern paganism, Rodnovery? Neo-pagans”, who swear their love for the Russian people, in fact, they despise this people. It is more correct to call pagans "neopagans" - as they are usually called by religious scholars and ethnographers. All pagan peoples widely and constantly borrowed rituals, cults, and beliefs from each other. In Ukraine, Slavic paganism is represented by "RUNVera" and the Union of co-religionists of Ukraine and the Diaspora, known as "Ukrainian Pagans".

Russia and new paganism

Truth, or rather “rule,” are, in the opinion of the new pagans, the laws supposedly governing the universe. These "laws" are indifferent to good or evil, because according to neo-pagans, neither good nor evil as such exist. This is what the new pagans think. What does this have to do with talk about traditionalism, about “restoring the ancient primordial faith of the Slavs, the Native Faith”? The native faith of the new pagans is Satanism. Because even many Orthodox Christians are like that only in appearance. YaD writes that the new Satanism will be "far from the purely philosophical Satanism that we know today." Baptism is when people knowingly refuse their Christian baptism.

II. Where to look for "Russian gods"?

The pagans themselves abandoned paganism. 5. If Slavic paganism is the religion of the strong, then why did it lose to Christianity, the religion of the weak? The conclusion is unequivocal - since Jesus Christ himself said that the pagans of the north do not need to carry Christianity, then the Slavs do not need this religion. After all, Christ himself said ... This quote directly contradicts the second most popular statement of neo-pagans that "we are not servants of God, we are children of the gods." See? Before the Baptism of Russia, there is still a lot, and the Slavs are already called Orthodox, which means that Orthodoxy is the name of the original, pre-Christian faith of the Slavs! He defended Russia from the filthy (pagans), prayed for icons (in the epic "At the outpost of the heroic"), which also does not fit with the image of a fighter against Christianity. In fact, Ivan Sergeevich wrote about one particular village, where a sect spread about the next coming of the "Antichrist" and the sectarians often called themselves "perfect Christians."

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that they came to the lands of the Middle Dnieper a thousand years before Darius, that is, one and a half thousand years before the birth of Christ. And their gods are precisely the gods of Skolots, Wends, Antes, and so on. But these are by no means Russian gods. And there is very little information about these gods. Then, even before his conversion to Christ, he tried to bring all the pagan gods of different Slavic tribes to the same denominator. Fans of paganism cannot choose either Russian or Slavic gods "in general." The ancient land of the Vyatichi resisted Christianity for the longest time (until the 12th century), and it also became the first land that began the path to liberation from Christian foreignness. This people, having come to new lands, was already Christian. Were there human sacrifices in the cults of the Slavic tribes? There was one Varangian, a Christian ... and he had a son ... on whom the devil's envy fell. Arkona is a city of the Baltic Slavs. In Arkona, in addition to Sventovit, the pagan god Radegast was also revered.

See what "Paganism in Russia" is in other dictionaries:

All other so-called. “Russian pagans” or “neopagans” are nothing more than charlatans or simply outright sectarians who pulled knowledge and gods from a pine forest for their “religions”. The fact that they celebrated Easter means nothing. There is nothing similar to Orthodoxy. That's just the fact that they celebrated Easter for the sake of appearance, while worshiping their gods, and is called "external Orthodoxy." They believe that they support the real traditions of Russia, but in fact they will come up with something that they like. Because all the official churches are for non-resistance to evil by violence.

Paganism is a term denoting forms of religions of polytheism that preceded theism. It is believed that it comes from fame. "tongues" are non-Christian "peoples" hostile to Orthodoxy. Paganism - (from the Church Slavonic languages ​​peoples, foreigners), the designation of non-Christian religions, in a broad sense, polytheistic.

However, any action of a pagan should also be based on his personal spiritual experience, while not entering into an imbalance with World Harmony. It is worth noting that paganism in Russia today is not some kind of cult, but a unique and all-encompassing philosophy, which continues to be a national phenomenon. This difference is especially pronounced when comparing the program principles that pagans profess in major cities, as well as pagans of rural pagan associations.

Ardent animal rights activists, they all put animals above humans and do not allow them to be killed just because, in their opinion, it is “wrong”. This is nothing but animal worship.

After the removal of the ban on religiosity, people got the opportunity to believe in anything or not to believe at all. Someone discovered Orthodoxy, someone - other religious confessions and cults, but many decided to start looking for pre-Christian beliefs. If Rodnoverie is a subculture built on pagan beliefs, then in addition to it there is still a huge number of pagans who do not belong to Rodnovery. I have already spoken above about astrology and various superstitions, which are also a manifestation of paganism. In Christianity, as in Islam and Buddhism, in order to change your future, you must change yourself, but in paganism it is different. In this regard, a huge number of Christians do not really understand what Christianity is, and treat it as paganism.

Orthodoxy is not necessary and it is not possible to invent. Even non-church people imagine what exactly Christianity evaluates as sin. And in response they say (through the mouth of a certain singer) - “It’s so hard for me! And here you can’t imagine anything better than the “ancient Rus”. This is our gospel too!” Yes, there was duality.

Some Rodnovers call themselves "Orthodox". In their opinion, the concept of “Orthodoxy” arose from the “Vles-Knigovoi triad: Yavo, Pravo, Navo” and the phrase “Right to praise”.

They say you can go back to pre-Christian times, because Russia is there too. But is Orthodox Christianity really a religion of slavery, a religion of non-resistance to evil by force? This view of Christianity is completely wrong. Christianity is better than paganism, not because it created such an Empire, and not because we have become accustomed to it for a thousand years. Only Christianity explains the meaning of human life and the meaning of history.

It turns out that the pagan Germans, like the pagan Slavs, have the same source of power. This is the realm of death. Everything else is dead and alien. The rest is an alien world, as I wrote above - the world of the dead. And if paganism is established in the present, then the entire Christian heritage must be destroyed. Otherwise, the triumph of paganism is impossible, for it and Christianity are opposites. But do not think that Christianity is only temples, clergy, culture, in general - all sorts of "heritage".

There will be no place for Orthodox Christianity in this new society. It won't because the reality they are building has nothing to do with historical Russia. And in general, according to the same Mr. Brzezinski, we are a “black hole”. Hence the inevitability of civilizational conflicts. Perhaps some of us believe that states at the turn of the 21st century are guided by the norms of international law and sacredly observe the rights of all, even the smallest peoples? All Russian history testifies that this faith is Orthodox Christianity.

They are very fond of calling themselves patriots and stigmatizing the enemies of "Light Russia", by which they primarily mean Christians. Since ancient times, Russian people have perceived their Fatherland and their statehood as a God-given vessel, which is called upon to preserve the Orthodox faith until the Second Coming of Christ. In the West, Christianity was first corrupted into Catholicism and Protestantism. And what about the new pagans?

What is modern paganism

The self, without sufficient grounds, is identified only with polytheism. From the realization of the relationship of man with the ever-reviving deified nature, an optimistic life-affirming type of pantheistic worldview has developed.

There have always been different religions and beliefs in the world. Which, by the way, did not completely disappear anywhere, even if they became irrelevant. In this article I would like to talk about the pagans: their rituals, faith and various interesting nuances.

The main thing

First of all, we note that paganism is a very ancient religion that existed among the Slavs before the adoption of Christianity. It is safe to say that this is universal system views, which fully gave a general picture of the world to the inhabitants of those times. Our ancestors had their own pantheon of gods, which was hierarchical. And the people themselves were sure of the close connection between the inhabitants of the parallel world and the ordinary one. The pagans believed that spirits always and in everything control them, therefore, not only the spiritual, but also the material part of life was subordinate to them.

A bit of history

At the end of the first millennium of our era, at the time when Christianity was adopted in Russia, everything related to paganism was suppressed, eradicated. They burned and floated ancient idols on the water. We tried to completely get rid of these beliefs. However, it can be said with certainty that this was done very poorly. Indeed, to this day, elements of the rites of the pagans have been preserved in the Orthodox faith, creating an amazing symbiosis of Byzantine culture and paganism. It must also be said that the first memories of these beliefs appeared in medieval manuscripts, when the papal curia actively attracted people to Catholicism. The pagans also fell under this action (it is known who they are). The entries in the diaries of Catholics were mostly condemning. As for the Russian chroniclers, they did not want to talk about paganism at that time, emphasizing that it practically did not exist.

About the concept

Understanding the concept of "pagans" (who they are, what are the features of their faith and worldview), you need to find out what it means. If you understand the etymology, you must say that the root here is the word "language". However, it also meant "people, tribe." It can be concluded that the concept itself can be translated as “folk faith” or “tribal faith”. The Slavic term "paganism" can also be interpreted as a "fortress of bonds."

About faith

So, pagans: who are they, what did they believe? It is worth saying that the very system of their beliefs was almost perfect and completely inseparable from nature. She was revered, she was worshiped and presented generous gifts. Mother Nature was the center of the entire Universe for the Slavs. It was understood as a kind of living organism that not only thinks, but also has a soul. Her forces and elements were deified and spiritualized. However, this is not surprising, because it is Nature that is so regular that special wisdom can be traced here without any problems. Moreover, the pagans (who we are, in principle, considered) considered themselves children of nature and could not imagine their life without it, because the Vedic system of knowledge and beliefs assumed close interaction and coexistence in harmony with the outside world. What was the faith of our ancestors? The Slavs had three main cults: the Sun, Mother Earth and the veneration of the elements.

Cult of the Earth

The pagans believed that the earth is the mother of everything. Everything is explained here quite simply, because it is she, according to the ancient Slavs, who is the center of fertility: the Earth gives life not only to plants, but also to all animals. Why she was called Mother is also not difficult to explain. Our ancestors believed that it was the earth that gave birth to them, it gives them strength, one has only to lean towards it. Note that many of the rites that exist today have come to us since those times. Let us recall at least the need to take a handful of our land to a foreign land or bow to the ground to young parents at a wedding.

Sun worship

The sun in the beliefs of the ancient Slavs acts as a symbol of all-conquering goodness. It must also be said that the pagans were often called sun-worshippers. People at that time lived according to the solar calendar, Special attention giving the dates of the winter and It was at this time that important holidays were celebrated, such as, for example, (end of June). It will also be interesting that the inhabitants of those times revered the sign of the swastika, which was called the solar kolovrat. However, this symbolism did not carry any negative then, but personified the victory of good over evil, light and purity. This sign wisdom was also a talisman endowed with cleansing power. It has always been applied to clothing and weapons, household items.

Reverence of the Elements

With great respect, the pagan Slavs treated such elements as air, water and fire. The last two were considered purifying, as powerful and life-giving as the earth itself. As for fire, according to the Slavs, it is a powerful energy that establishes balance in the world and strives for justice. Fire cleansed not only the body, but also the soul (indicative in this regard are jumping over a blazing fire on Ivan Kupala). The flame was of great importance at the funeral. At that time, the bodies were burned, betraying to the purifying power of fire not only the earthly shell of a person, but also his soul, which, after this ceremony, easily went to the ancestors. In the times of the pagans, water was highly revered. People considered it the only source of strength and energy. At the same time, they respectfully treated not only rivers and other bodies of water, but also heavenly waters - rains, believing that in this way the gods bestow strength not only on the earth itself, but also on its inhabitants. They were purified with water, they were treated with it (“living” and “dead” water), with its help they even guessed and predicted the future.

Past

With great respect, Russian pagans also treated their past, or rather, their ancestors. They revered their grandfathers, great-grandfathers, often resorted to their help. It was believed that the souls of ancestors do not disappear anywhere, they protect their family, helping people from a parallel world. Twice a year, the Slavs celebrated the day when they honored their dead relatives. It was called Radonitsa. At this time, relatives communicated with their ancestors at their graves, asking for the safety and health of the whole family. It was necessary to leave a small gift (this rite still exists today - a commemoration at the cemetery, when people bring sweets and cookies with them).

pantheon of gods

First of all, I would like to say that the gods of the pagans represent one or another element or natural force. So, the most important gods were Rod (who created life on earth) and Rozhanitsy (goddesses of fertility, thanks to whom, after winter, the earth was reborn to a new life; they also helped women produce children). One of the most important gods was also Svarog - the creator and ruler of the universe, the Father-Progenitor, who gave people not only earthly fire, but also heavenly (the Sun). Svarozhichs were such gods as Dazhdbog and Perun of lightning, thunder). The solar deities were Khors (a circle, hence the word "round dance") and Yarilo (the god of the hottest and brightest summer sun). The Slavs also revered Veles, the god who was the patron of cattle. He was also the god of wealth, because before it was possible to become rich only thanks to livestock, which brought good profits. Among the goddesses, the most significant were the Lada of youth, love, marriage and family), Makosh (the giver of life to the harvest) and Morana of cold, winter). Also, people in those days revered brownies, goblin, water - spirits that guarded everything that surrounded a person: home, water, forests, fields.

Rites

The various rites of the pagans were also important. As already mentioned, they could be cleansing for the body and soul (with the help of water and fire). There were also protective rites, which were carried out in order to protect a person or a house from evil spirits. Sacrifice was not alien to the Slavs. So, gifts to the gods could be both bloodless and blood. The first were brought as a gift to ancestors or shorelines. Blood sacrifices were needed, for example, by Perun and Yarila. At the same time, birds and livestock were brought as a gift. All rituals had a sacred meaning.

paganism is ancient religion on the ground. It absorbed thousands of years of wisdom, knowledge, history and culture. In our time, pagans are those who profess the old faith before the rise of Christianity.

And, for example, among the ancient Jews, all beliefs that did not recognize Yahweh or refused to follow his law were considered pagan religions. Ancient Roman legions conquered the peoples of the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. At the same time, these were also victories over local beliefs. These religions of other peoples, "languages" were called pagan. They were given the right to exist in accordance with the interests of the Roman state.

But with the advent of Christianity, religion itself ancient rome with the cult of Jupiter was recognized as pagan. As for the ancient Russian polytheism, the attitude towards it after the adoption of Christianity was militant. The new religion was opposed to the old one as true versus untrue, as useful versus harmful. Such an attitude ruled out tolerance and assumed the eradication of pre-Christian traditions, customs, and rituals. Christians did not want their descendants to be left with signs of the delusion to which they had hitherto indulged. Everything that was somehow connected with Russian beliefs was subjected to persecution: “demonic games”, “ devilry", sorcery. There was even an image of an ascetic, a "discordant", who devoted his life not to feats of arms on the battlefield, but to the persecution and destruction of "dark forces". Such zeal was characteristic of new Christians in all countries. But if in Greece or Italy time saved at least a small number of ancient marble sculptures, then Ancient Russia stood among the forests. And the king-fire, raging, did not spare anything: neither human dwellings, nor temples, nor wooden images of the gods, nor information about them, written in Slavic cuts on wooden planks.

And only quiet echoes have reached our days from the depths of the pagan world. And he is beautiful, this world! Among the amazing deities that our ancestors praised, there are no repulsive, ugly, disgusting. There are furious, terrible, incomprehensible, but much more beautiful, mysterious, kind. Slavic gods were formidable, but fair, kind. Perun struck the villains with lightning. Lada patronized lovers. Chur guarded the borders of possessions. Veles was the personification of the master's wisdom, and was also the patron of hunting prey.

The religion of the ancient Slavs was the deification of the forces of nature. The pantheon of gods was associated with the performance of economic functions by the clan: agriculture, cattle breeding, beekeeping, crafts, trade, hunting, etc.
And it should not be considered that paganism is just the worship of idols. After all, even Muslims continue to bow to the black stone of the Kaaba - the shrine of Islam. Christians in this capacity are countless crosses, icons and relics of saints. And who considered how much blood was shed and lives were given for the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher in the Crusades? Here is a real Christian idol, along with bloody sacrifices. And to burn incense, put a candle - this is the same sacrifice, only it has taken on a fine appearance.

The conventional wisdom about the extremely low level of cultural development of the "barbarians" is not supported by historical facts. Products of ancient Russian stone and wood carvers, tools, jewelry, epics and songs could appear only on the basis of a highly developed cultural tradition. The beliefs of the ancient Slavs were not a "delusion" of our ancestors, reflecting the "primitivism" of their thinking. Polytheism is the religious beliefs of not only the Slavs, but also of most peoples. It was typical for ancient egypt, Greece, Rome, whose culture cannot be called barbaric. The beliefs of the ancient Slavs differed little from the beliefs of other peoples, and these differences were determined by the specifics of the way of life and economic activity.

In the late 1980s, the surviving last days The Soviet government decided to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Russia. How many shouts of welcome were heard: “1000th anniversary of Russian writing!”, “1000th anniversary of Russian culture!”, “1000th anniversary of Russian statehood!” But the Russian state existed even before the adoption of Christianity! No wonder the Scandinavian name of Russia sounds like Gardarika - the country of cities. Arab historians also write about the same, numbering hundreds of Russian cities. At the same time, he claims that in Byzantium itself there are only five cities, while the rest are “fortified fortresses”. And the Arabic chronicles called the Russian princes Khakans, “Khakan-Rus”. Khakan is an imperial title! “Ar-Rus is the name of the state, not the people and not the city,” writes the Arabic author. Western chroniclers called the Russian princes "kings of the Ros people." Only arrogant Byzantium did not recognize the royal dignity of the rulers of Russia, but it did not recognize it for the Orthodox kings of Bulgaria, and for the Christian emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation Otto, and for the emir of Muslim Egypt. The inhabitants of Eastern Rome knew only one king - their emperor. But even on the gates of Constantinople, Russian squads nailed a shield. And, by the way, Persian and Arabic chronicles testify that the Rus make "excellent swords" and import them into the lands of the caliphs. That is, the Rus sold not only furs, honey, wax, but also the products of their artisans. And they found demand even in the land of damask blades.

Chain mail was another item of export. They were called "beautiful" and "excellent". Technologies, therefore, in pagan Russia were not lower than the world level. Some blades of that era have survived to this day. They bear the names of Russian blacksmiths - "Lyudota" and "Slavimir". And this is worth paying attention to. So, the pagan blacksmiths were literate! This is the level of culture.

Next moment. The calculation of the formula of world circulation (Kolo) allowed the pagans to build ring-shaped metal sanctuaries, where they created the oldest astronomical calendars. And in the commentary to the Vedas, the location of the constellations is mentioned, attributed by modern astronomy 10,000 years before the birth of Christ. According to biblical chronology, even Adam was not created at this time. The cosmic knowledge of the pagans has stepped quite far. Evidence of this is the myth of the cosmic vortex Stribog. And this is consistent with the theory of the origin of life on Earth - the panspermia hypothesis. Its essence boils down to the fact that life did not originate on Earth by itself, but was brought in by a purposeful stream with spores, from which the diversity of the living world later developed.

It is these facts that are the indicators by which one should judge the level of culture and education of the pagan Slavs. And no matter what the adherents of Orthodoxy claim, Christianity is an alien religion that made its way in Russia with fire and sword. A lot has been written about the violent nature of the baptism of Russia, and not by militant atheists, but by church historians. And do not assume that the population of the Russian lands meekly accepted the command of Vladimir the apostate. People refused to come to the river bank, left the cities, raised uprisings. And the pagans were by no means hiding in remote forests - a century after the baptism, the Magi showed up in large cities. And the population did not feel any hostility towards them, and either listened to them with interest (Kyiv), or even willingly followed them (Novgorod and the Upper Volga region).

There is no doubt - for ten centuries Orthodoxy had a huge impact on history, culture, art, but Vladimir the Baptist would have accepted the Catholic faith or Islam, and the current apostles of the “Russian primordial faith” would have shouted about “the revival of Russian Catholicism ...”, or “... Russia – a stronghold of world Islam!..” It's good that they didn't send ambassadors to the priests of the Voodoo cult. And the old faith of the ancient Russians will still remain the Russian faith.

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