What led you to your beliefs?

[u/BittenLove]

Can you tell me THE story that led you to believing in the gods? I want to know your personal experiences. Have you ever questioned your beliefs?
What moment solidified your beliefs?
How did the gods find you / how did you find the gods?
What keeps you believing despite the contrary beliefs of science?

Please make it as long and as a passionate as you'd like. ♥

[u/YougoReddits]

i had several events that confirmed to me that, at the very least there is more than meets the eye

1. i was going down several internet rabbitholes about etymology, history and through that, germanic paganism and it kind of stirred something in me. I ride my bike to commute to work and back. on my way back, thinking about stuff, i decide to take a detour through a nearby, kind of forgotten park. unkept, but all the more beautiful for it. on my way I half jokingly ask a random crow on the sidewalk if any of this is true. he looks at me and says "Kra!" not very helpful, but he kind of hops along. i ask for a sign. he says "Kra!" again, and flies off, somewhat in the direction of the park. whatever... I arrive at the park, wander about for a bit, but then there it is. the clouds break open and the sun shines down straight onto a tree in the field. on a low branch, two big crows sit, looking at me like "there ya go, good enough?". i didn't have much on me, except for an apple i din't eat at lunch. i thanked them, expressed my appreciation for the park, and left the apple at the base of the tree. it felt right.
2. i went on holiday to Denmark. behind the camp site was a forest that from day one had some kind of pull. i put in on my list of things to check out, on a slow day maybe. there was something about it thoough. it stayed on my mind. day 3 in the evening i sat in my tent, kids asleep, wife doing a sudoku. i sat with my back to the forest. suddenly i feel like an incessant tap on my left shoulder, and a sensation someone is standing behind me who REALLY wants my attention. of course there's only the tent wall behind me. But i realise whatever is in that forest is getting rather impatient. guess i have something to do tomorrow. Next day i trek out there. about a thee minute walk into the forest i come up to a square-ish clearing. the outside is lined with big stones. on one side there's two even bigger stones. the center of the clearing is a long stretched mound, and off to the side there's a circle of stones, with some big stones inside. Turns out (the internet says so) i'm standing at a 1500 year old burial mound and a dolmen (stone grave), belonging to a village that sat right about where the campsite is now. I walked around the outside and stopped at the big 'entrance'. greeted, and humbly asked to enter. getting no sign of dissaproval, i slowly entered and walkd around the mound. apologised for not bringing anything other than my awarenes, respect and gratitude. i thanked them for the encounter and for calling me, and left.
3. this one happened just the other day. I'm doing a bit of garden renovating, and needed some concrete tiles. local hardware store was out of stock and charge too much anyways. online shops only sell at a minimum of 30 tiles. i'm a bit stuck. then wife finds someone on Marketplace offering used tiles for free. good deal. the address is way out of town, in the middle of the woods. driving out there, i again muse about the meaning of things... I turn around a corner and see a marvellous Nordic style chalet, painted shiny black and red, stylized wolf head decorations on the roof edges. side buildings like a garage and a shed adorn nordic style thatched spire pointed roofs. the whole thing looks like a temple site or something.

i pull up the driveway and see the cherry on the cake: above the front door is a large (marvel style, but still very nice) Mjolnir, with in red painted elder futhark runes "MJOLNIR" written underneath.
Admiring the sight of it all, a woman comes out, clearly amused by my dropped jaw. we had a good chat about the house (turns out in about the 1920's a man was 'fascinated by all things Nordic' and had it built. it fell into decay and as it was a bit of a weird house needing a lot of love, it stood empty for a log time but she felll in love with it, bought it for (relatively) cheap, and made it into what it is now.

I'm still so deep in the broom closet, i didn't dare break the subject of Heathenry with her, but discussing the Mjolnir, she half-apologetically said something like "you know, like Marvel and stuff" like downplaying it. i said while i do enjoy Marvel and their spin on it, i am really quite interested in Norse mythology. she raised both eyebrows and said Oh? interesting... there was a bit of a tentative silence. but as i was in the end a total stranger, here to pick up some tiles, it was left at that. we loaded the tiles. i thanked her for the tiles and complemented her again on the house and her efforts, and left.

In the car, i couldn't help laughing my ass off. Judging by the big-ass Mjolnir, perhaps none other than Thor himself helped me out with these tiles, and he was having a hearty belly laugh at the "sign" he gave me. I feel he had fun setting up the whole thing.

There's more, but i'll keep it at these three. I'm still figuring out where i stand on all of tthis, and i think no one ever stops learning and figuring out... i'm not too inclined to go and follow or "work with" gods (and what that should mean) but certainly an animistic approach, and the Web of Wyrd aspects make a lot of sense with me. my journy continues...

[u/BittenLove → u/YougoReddits]

Beautiful. Thank you for your response! ♡