Echoes of the Past: How Forced Conversion Created the Modern Spiritual World

The time has come to talk echoes of the past past. Of the forgotten and mis-told. To take the stories we have been fed and lay bare the misgivings we have been forced to believe.

While this sounds dramatic, it maintains accuracy for the discussion ahead. But before we unpack that we need to go through a few things. This post, I apologize in advance, will be long. I will try to break up sections into easily digestible formats.

Ancient Influences

The world at large was started with animistic spiritual practices. Evidence has been found from every continent and stretches as far back in time as 40,000-65,000+ years ago. Interestingly though, most say that these practices originated in Africa, but evidence contradicts this. The oldest cave paintings were in Spain (anthropology.net/p/tracing-the-of-time-neanderthals and sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X24005194?via%3Dihub). The oldest instruments (which are documented as integral to animistic practices) are bone flutes found in the caves of France and Germany (nationalgeograpic.com/culture/article/bone-flute-is-oldest-instrument—study-says).

That isn’t to say it’s impossible for an African origin story of animistic practices. There have been shell beads found in Africa to support the idea of communities and cultures starting there. It is simply that the evidence paints a different picture and we should remember that animism has been found on every continent in a multitude of variations with evidence dating from what was said above until the oldest variant of polytheism and beyond as it still exists today. 

The oldest documented polytheistic belief in history is also arguably the most famous. The beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians’ influence on the world caused the beginning of the shift from animism to polytheism. The Greek gods for example are much younger than the Egyptians by multiple millennia. Egyptian beliefs are generally accepted to have been developed by 3100 BC while Greek are generally accepted as developing formally around 750 BC. 

While polytheistic beliefs were developing, monotheism was also developing at the same time. Hinduism’s oldest sacred texts, the Vedas, date back to 3000 BC as well. Judaism is believed to be from 3500 BC and of course originated in Israel. Zoroastrianism is thought to have developed around 4000 BC in Central Asia and moved into what is present day Iran. What this means is that in one region of the world we had the origins of polytheism and in another region and continent between 1250-5000 km away was the origins of monotheism. All the while animism was still present everywhere else. 

With all of that being said, keep in mind the dates are all based on speculation from the evidence provided. Egyptian polytheism and each of the three original monotheistic beliefs are all believed to have originated earlier than the evidence uncovered so far suggests. 

Polytheistic Cultures

Before we go further, I want to add a clarifying point. Animism can blend into both polytheism and monotheism practices. This is another reason behind my argument that we could all shift back to animist views at some point. 

While it is generally accepted that Egypt was the birthplace of Polytheism it does not mean that the Egyptians were the full influence on the rest of the world’s polytheistic beliefs. The Greeks did share strong ties to Egyptian cosmology in the way it was structured. But, again, polytheism rose from house/personal gods or spirits gaining popularity in the various communities and cultures.

For example, while Roman polytheism is compared to Grecian beliefs the Roman pantheon was an amalgamation of various deities of the scattered tribes of Italy. Rome itself has an accepted founding of 753 BC. The surrounding tribes of Italy were then conquered by the Romans who were more focused on military and political prowess rather than spiritual. In a way to quell discontent among the conquered tribes, the Roman politicians would either adopt or allow the people to maintain their beliefs. Later they took some of the more popular deities and established the Roman Pantheon in a way to further unify their empire under one banner. 

While the Roman polytheistic system was born from political needs, the Norse were born from other means. The Norse were located in present day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden which in their time was Scandinavia. They were surrounded by four very different cultures:

• Sami shamanic people of Finland and Iceland to the North

• Celtics and Druids to the South

• Gaelics of British Isles and Ireland to the West

• Slavic people to the East

All of these surrounding cultures were predominantly animistic and observed polytheism along with their practices. And all four of these are confirmed by archaeologists to have originated before the Norse. Their spiritual influence reflects in the Norse cosmology. Six of the nine realms present in their cosmology and stories could be indicative of their relations to neighboring cultures. For example:

• Alfheim could easily be associated with the Gaelic people of the British Isles

  • This realm was of the Elves

  • The Gaelic polytheist animist culture was centered on the Fair Folk or the Sidhe (shee)

• Nidavellir

  • Realm of the Dwarves

  • Influenced from the Celtics who were exceptional at metalworking for both form and function

• Vanir vs Aesir

  • The Vanir (Freya, Freyr, Njord) were a group of gods who were the mortal enemies of the main gods the Aesir (Odin, Thor, Baldr) 

  • The Vanir were wild and magic led while the Aesir were the more “civilized/less barbaric” of the two groups

  • This is a mythological description of how Norse society was more “civilized” than their biggest threat of a neighbor, the Celtics.

The Norse had a very complex and convoluted mythology and it was influenced by the animistic cultures that surrounded them. They took information they gleaned from these cultures to develop a highly sophisticated cosmology. The other evidence to support this is in how many deities were actually named by the Norse. The majority of named deities in Norse cosmology were in 3 of the 9 realms. One of the realms had no deities which originated from it. Four of the realms had maybe a handful of deities or named beings that would be referenced. Usually seen as leaders or notable figures of the “races” that lived within that realm. Examples like Brokkr of the Dwarves or Surtr of the Fire Giants.  And finally you have Helheim which had one deity who ruled over it, Hel. The Norse beliefs are believed to have started around 500 BC. And is one of the most complex polytheistic structures to exist. 

The surrounding cultures had deities as well because they were polytheistic animist communities. But most people would only know maybe one or two from each if that. Except of course if someone is studying those cultures specifically. 

Saying all of that is because we can ultimately only speculate as to how the Norse created such a dynamic tapestry of belief. I’ve said “speculate,” a few times now because we have lost so much history, wisdom, and knowledge. What has been preserved of these ancient polytheistic and animistic cultures had to be handed down mostly through word of mouth. And with the events that we are about to discuss, much of what has been passed down has had to borrow from other cultures and traditions in an attempt to supplement and fill the gaps. But, without further ado, it is now time to talk about the Romans.

The Romans and the Beginning of Christianity

A few quick janitorial notes:

1. As said there were initially three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism. Later more would arise with similar concepts such as Yoruba in Africa which worships a single supreme deity with the Orishas as messengers or aids to that supreme deity. Yoruba originated around 500 BC according to archeological studies. Yoruba is a great example of a monotheistic religion that many WANT to claim is older and for various reasons. This is important to remember for later. 

2. BC refers to Before Christ in terms of our dating system. AD, Latin phrase Anno Domini translates to “in the year of the Lord,” is obviously after the start of Christianity. The way it is now categorized though is BCE  and CE which means Before Current Era and Current Era. This was established to remove the religious precept from the dating conventions. But this is the first example of how the Roman influence in modern society is just starting to be unraveled. I will be using BC and AD through this post though as they are still more recognizable. 

Now let’s really jump into the story of the Romans. As is well known and well documented, the Romans were extremely successful in military strategies. They conquered portions of the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. And there is just too much to put all of it here. Here is a timeline that can be referenced though worldhistory.org/timeline/roman_empire/. 

In reference to spirituality and the damage the Roman Empire caused, we need to look at 37 BC to 4 AD. This is when the Romans took over present day Israel and Herod ruled as a client to Rome. During this time range, the deeds and eventual crucifixion of Christ happened. In Judaism, as practiced at this time, the laws of the Old Testament were iron-clad. Jesus was sent to break the hold the law had over the Jewish people and bring people back to personal direct connection to God as stated in the books of Acts and Romans. Romans 8:2 KJV says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Later in the Bible this is reinforced with the entire book of Galatians. 

Without adherence to the laws of the Old Testament, new Christians were wild and untamed. The Roman Empire with all of its control and influence was the biggest conduit for Christianity to spread. And it spread rapidly and beyond control. The reason is because when Christianity first started to spread it was spoken of as open to everyone. People were not required to convert or change anything about themselves to become a Christian. The problems arose when two Roman emperors, Decius and Valerian, ordered animal sacrifices to still be made to the Roman gods. 

People under Christianity did not feel the need to do this because of the teachings of Christ. Under the latter of the two Emperors, Valerian, this was a punishable offense and he specifically targeted Christians for usurping “traditional Roman values.” The fallout was immense and pushed people more towards Christianity. Valerian did this from AD 253 to 260. After this time range the next time Christians were heavily persecuted, in what became known as The Great Persecution, began under Emperor Diocletian in AD 303. This was the bloodiest persecution the Christians faced and it was directed solely at them. It ended in AD 312 when Emperor Constantine took over. He became the first emperor to convert to Christianity as a way to reestablish peace in the empire. In AD 313, under the Edict of Milan, Christianity became legally recognized as a viable religion to practice in the empire. 

So far, this doesn’t sound so bad. The Roman Empire of this time legally recognized Christianity but also allowed the rest of their conquered regions to practice freely whatever beliefs they already had. Should the Empire have followed Constantine’s lead we would have a very different world today. Instead, another emperor would come along later and make a very rash and damaging decision.

The Romans and Forced Conversion Tactics

Let’s take a quick step back for a second before we trudge forward. The Romans, while Christianity was growing, had expanded and finalized their conquest of Britain by AD 77. The Romans never got to Ireland though. This is important because the Romans had a near unending war with the guerilla like Celts. The persistence of the Romans pushed the Celts west to the British Isles and Ireland. The Celts were not initially from those regions as is the common misconception. They migrated there to escape the Romans. Ireland basically became the last bastion of the Celts which is why people think equate Irish spirituality to Celtic Druidry. The Celts still existed in their ancestral lands of France and Germany but there was a constant back and forth of fighting and invasions initiated by both the Celts and the Romans. 

But at this point the Roman Empire had control of the majority of Europe, most of Northern Africa, and major territories in the Middle East. In AD 325, Constantine called for the Council of Nicaea. This Council had a singular task of changing Christianity from an animistic style of belief, as it was meant to be biblically, and back into a dogmatic religion with clearly defined official beliefs. This didn’t necessarily change anything for the rest of the world yet. It just re-defined Christianity back into a religious monotheistic style. After this there was a shift from persecution of Christians to persecution of non-Christians. It was not very common at this time but it was beginning. Mostly because people believed if the Emperor was Christian then it was the right way to be. Again, Constantine did not necessarily promote this shift in behaviors but he admittedly didn’t do much to stop it.

AD 380 is when things got really bad. This is when Emperor Theodosius declared the Nicene edicts of Christianity to be THE official religion of the Roman Empire. Thus began the Catholic Church. And once this law was established the bloody reign of the Romans truly started. Before this, there was blood and wars of course, but after this the fights became personal. The Romans, before this, never moved based on spirituality or beliefs. Before this it was all political and economical. The Catholic Church changed everything.

Throughout the empire, it became a do or die situation. The Romans forced people to convert to Christianity under penalty of death. They pillaged and destroyed sacred relics, artifacts, writings, etc. Thousands of years of animistic and polytheistic practices were erased and lost during this time. The empire also split in two during this time frame. The western empire vs the eastern. The western empire fell AD 476 but remained a Catholic Nation ruled by the Papacy until 1870.  The official end of the Roman Empire was AD 1453 when the rebranded name of it, the Byzantine Empire, fell in Constantinople. This was Eastern Orthodox Christianity rather than Catholic. In the 1500’s, Martin Luther published Disputation on the Power of Indulgences which challenged the authority of Catholic Rule and began the rise of Protestantism. Which committed its own atrocities. 

From AD 380 to AD 1453 is 1,073 years of Catholic Christian rule and cultural erasal for Europe, Africa, and Middle Eastern cultures. Christianity today is a mockery of what it was originally supposed to be because of what the Roman Empire turned it into. And thus the first true appropriation of a belief system was perpetrated.  You see Christianity was originally a Middle Eastern belief. And while it spread freely at first, the Romans perverted that free spread to turn the belief into a weapon of political gain and power. And the consequences last to this day.

Modern Spirituality and Continued Roman Influence

Spiritual wisdom was once shared across cultures as evidenced in history by the similarities and differences between the different cultures and their interactions. Even bitter enemies would show a respect for each other’s spiritual practices through their mythologies and stories. Referring back to examples of the Norse, while Freya was Vanir and an enemy of Asgardians the myth is that she married Odin in an attempt at peace (which didn’t last) and was renamed as Frigg. This is another reason I suggest Vanir were Celtic originating. 

The Sami people, Europeans, would freely trade and share information with the Siberian Tungus people. The Slavic region’s people also shared across the Caucasus mountains with the Asian tribes. All the way down to Greece and across. African spirituality was destroyed and replaced by Christianity and later Islam. The waves of consequences that came from the Roman Empire are almost too many to enumerate here. 

The point is, what has survived was because fear saved it. People began to hide their tools, texts, practices, etc. They would escape into the night and practice their beliefs while appearing pious to Christianity during the day. Syncretism of Catholic saints with other deities was a common practice so that people could secretly continue worship and/or practices of their ancestry. Earlier I mentioned the Yoruba and syncretizing was how the Orishas survived to be utilized in later emergent practices like Haitian Voudon. An example of this low-key survival is the Yoruba loa Dambala and how imagery of St Patrick of Ireland was used to secretly continue the worship or offerings to Damballa. People want to make Yoruba older than it is because it was almost lost. And when we think of things being lost we think of ages and multiple thousands of years ago. When really Yoruba is still young in comparatively being only about 2500 years old. It’s still ancient by definition if Norse and Greek beliefs are considered as such. We want our different beliefs and practices to be more important today because we want to proudly declare them without fear. And the older we can make something appear the more “respect” it can generate. 

Written history had to be abandoned and people returned to oral traditions to preserve anything. And of course that meant more things were lost. Back to the Sami people, being shamanic, had to learn new ways to do their practices all around because if they were caught with a drum they were immediately killed. And beating a drum no matter what time of day would be easily recognizable. They had to find other means of performing their rituals and ceremonies. This morphed their practices from what was recognizable and comforting into things that were mis-trusted and misunderstood. And now people dismiss the shamanic culture of the Sami as being European appropriation rather than just what their ancestral way of life was. Which is why I say constantly in this blog that we must honor the past but be willing to innovate and improve. 

People had to hide their practices. Long after the Roman Empire dissolved this problem persisted. And it permeated through Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It even inspired other factions to do the same thing. In Asia, there was the militaristic spread of Buddhism from the Middle East across Indonesia, China, and eventually into Japan. This spread and forced conversion was the biggest enemy to Siberian Shamans, Chinese Folk Practices, and Japanese Onmyodo and Shinto. Shinto barely survived by being assimilated into Buddhist practices. Onmyodo is still a secretive practice that is not easy to be initiated into if one can find a teacher. This is one of the few true “closed” practices that I know of because teachers of it will only teach Japanese people.  

Even with the colonization of the Americas came the persecution and destruction of Native Americans, Aztecs, Mayans, and Incan peoples. We today see Native American and South American practices still in existence because this destruction of practices under the iron rule of Christianity slowly came to an end after the formation of the United States of America and the famous 1st Amendment. The rest of the world took notice of that law and slowly began to adopt it as well. But there are still places that do not have these kinds of protections in place. 

The consequences of the Romans, and yes the blame is theirs because they were the inspiration for the Buddhism expansion, last to this day. Fear and secretive practices. People screaming, “Mine mine mine,” and making accusations of cultural appropriation. The conceptualization of “closed practices.” The witch trials which lasted until as recently as 1878 in the US. And speaking of witch trials, most of the “information” people reference to about the practices of witchcraft didn’t originate from practicing witches. It originated from Catholic and later Protestant witch hunters who would write books on what witches would use different herbs for, how they would cast spells during sabbats, and how they would commune with devils and spirits commanding and compelling them to do their bidding.

With all of that, of course there would be extreme confusion today on how to do different practices. People following recipes and practices not handed down from actual practitioners but originating from suspicions and superstitions. And because those things were written so matter of fact it became the “way things were always done” rather than scrutinized and looked at with caution. People today are still scared to open up and be honest about their practices. This has also led to things like “don’t show pictures of your altars,” or “secret knowledge should be kept secret.” Those ideas are fear and trauma based responses based on the past. 

So where do we go from here? How do we reclaim what was lost? Well ultimately that’s for each of us to decide on our own. But let’s explore that more in the next post. Let’s move from the event of the past towards the future. I condensed a lot of this history to make this post as easy to follow as possible. I strongly encourage you to take some time to go back and fact check me. I don’t like to bog down my posts with all the research and links because I encourage discussion and want to inspire you to do your own research as well. Look up historical documents and archeological surveys. The biggest folly we can make before moving on to the future is to ignore the past. While we may not want to get stuck there we should honor and remember the past. That way we can build for a better future not just for us but for our descendants. 

Thank you so much for following along through this long long post. As always, if there are any questions or if you would like to start up a discussion about this post please do not hesitate to reach out. Until next time, have a wonderful day.