Pagan Families have not always had the support they have needed, however that is starting to change. There are more and more Pagan parents standing up to share their knowledge and resources. Jennifer with Pagan Kids is an author and community leader sharing her traditions and so much more! I bought her book for our Yule stockings and was excited to see her make a few listings! Then to get her interview!!! Without further ado let’s get to know Jennifer Author & Content Creator at http://pagenkids.org.
As always here are the links and places to find her and all she has going on!
Now let’s get to the good stuff… In a few sentences describe your business.
Pagan Kids is a Norse pagan resource for families. Here you will find children’s books, free activities with accompanying mini-lessons, and information on Norse folklore, mythology, customs, and celebrations.
Introduce yourself!
As a Canadian-born unto a Swedish heritage, my childhood was full of exciting tales and traditions from my Mom’s country. I grew up with different celebrations and holidays that were married into the western customs. For the winter holidays, I celebrated Yuletide for nearly an entire month, baked traditional Swedish treats, and took part in Santa Lucia concerts. When I grew up, I married a Canadian man from a German heritage, and together we had our Canadian-born son who we wish to raise with Swedish and German traditions.
Living in Canada, I found it difficult to find English books on tales we grew up with. I wanted my son to know the origins of Canadian traditions can be traced back to the areas his ancestors originated. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I began researching and writing my first children’s book, Old Mother Frost – A Yuletide story based on tales of an ancient Norse goddess.
Along the way I found several resources missing for people who respect both the new and old pagan ways. Whenever I couldn’t find something, I spent weeks to a month researching the topic to share in a simple and engaging way for beginners.
How long have you been working at this?
2+ Years
What is unique about your business?
Pagan Kids is specifically a Norse Pagan resource for families. It’s not specifically new ways or old ways, but I do clarify what is historical, what customs have evolved, and what has been integrated from where.
In addition to this, Pagan Kids also offers a wide range of content and material; such as: books, research articles, community support, book recommendations, learning material for children, clothing for the family, and easy-to-digest information on social media channels.
I am excited to see what lays ahead, but I would be nothing without our community. Thank you for all your support in my journey so far!
What is your Mission Statement?
Pagan Kids strives to provide and support resources for children that nourish the Norse pagan path and Scandinavian heritage through educational activities, lessons and children’s books. The aim is to grow, support and unite our small community. We may be tiny, but together we are mighty!
How would you describe your business/art in one word? Why?
One word to describe my business/art: Cultural.
Coming from a family of historians, genealogists and storytellers, it becomes obvious that Swedish oral traditions, legends and folklore are heavily engrained in society as native beliefs. Everything Pagan Kids shares is part of what makes up a culture, whether it is Norse mythology, fairy tales, folklore or archaeology.
What is your favorite part about what you do?
My favourite part of what I do is hearing how much it is appreciated. I am blown away by parents who message me about the impact my books and lessons have on their children. It is one thing for parents to enjoy what you are doing, but having children love it takes it to a whole other level.
What’s your company’s goals?
1) Create a ‘celebration’ storybook series based on the four major Scandinavian celebrations with pagan origins
2) Provide free educational content for families and children
3) Support an all-inclusive community of Norse pagans
3) Continue learning and advancing the resource
Why did you start this professional Journey?
I started this journey out of frustration when I couldn’t find any non-Christian Yule books for children based on the origins of the Swedish holiday. My son was six months old when I started hunting for it. I was so passionate about providing this book for him that I decided to write it myself. I was driven to make it perfect, which meant it needed researching, fact-checking, editing, and only the best illustrations. It had to encompass everything I wanted for my family’s Yule. It needed to be humble, kind, cosy and festive; but most of all, it needed to be something he could take to school to be proud of. If someone was going to question it, I made sure to include a list of fun facts so he can make an academic argument that encourages gentle learning and discussion.
In the 13 months it took to create my first book, I began sharing fun facts I learned and cultural memories I had. The community quickly found me and has been motivating me ever since.
What can you offer customers that your competitors can’t?
Something I can offer customers that my competitors can’t: I offer a unique perspective of a first generation settler striving to pass on her ancestor’s oral traditions, while using her passion for creative writing, history and fact-checking to encourage cultural awareness and education in a way that is fun and enjoyable. Mix that with my anxiety of being questioned and my ability to accept a full timeline of customs and you get Pagan Kids!
Does your company help the community where it is located?
I help the community online as best I can. For now I am located in a province I can hardly speak the language, but I am moving to the East Coast soon, so I am hoping to join and (eventually) host several events each year.
How would you handle a herd of cats?
I guess it depends on how big they are and how fast they’re travelling? lol. If it’s a herd of domestic cats, I will likely die of allergies while I try to pet and snuggle them all.
Tell us more about your business?
Oh boy. I told you about how I got started, but I didn’t explain how quickly I grew since. At the beginning of Pagan Kids, I got caught up in helping the community as best I could. Eventually this led to me reading several Facebook complaints about the lack of Norse pagan activities for kids, so I spent a few days creating some to share for free on my website. Soon after this I began featuring other artists who gift their work for exposure.
A few other resources shared on pagankids.org began the same way. The community needed something and I decided to create it.
Almost everything is free, but I do need funds for the programs I use to keep up the resource, so I created an online shop of modern Norse pagan clothing to help fund these projects. There are also funding options such as PayPal tips and Patreon, but I feel like people enjoy shopping for items that mutually benefit both parties.
Who has been an inspiration to you along this path?
My son was my inspiration to memorialize the stories, but my Mom and my Mormor are the reasons I have them.
What superpower would you like to have? and why
The power to materialize something I imagine.
As I mentioned, I’m planning on moving to a new home soon. This comes with getting house projects finished; then comes the painting, staging and landscaping. I wish I could snap my fingers and have it all done for me so I can enjoy more time reading my text books and studies, enjoying time in the garden, go on more walks with my family, and spend more quality time playing with my son.
When you are not working what do you do?
On a normal day you can catch me and my son playing tag, peek-a-book, or scaling the walls while singing the pink panther sneak theme song while before and during the making of supper. Then we usually go for a walk where I point out various objects. Right now it’s flowers beginning to sprout, birds that have returned to the sky, or yucky mud puddles I want us to avoid until we get him rain boots. When we get home we enjoy warm milk and a show before bath and bed.
How do you include your Pagan faith in your work?
My entire work is based on my faith. I devote so much time in understanding the new and old ways, writing about the accurate portrayal of gods, goddesses and divine personifications of each deity, and sharing customs I practice or wish to incorporate in my own life with my family.
The rest of my paganism is so naturally engrained it me that it takes me a while to realize what is not mainstream to the rest of the western world. This includes stabilizing my energy by connecting with the spirits of nature, honouring my ancestors memory, using salt rocks all around my home, trusting indoor/outdoor plants to encourage health benefits, constantly manifesting positivity to my life, and cleansing the home with sage when negativity seems to take over.
If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
Follow Pagan Kids 😉 hahaha. But seriously, before latching onto anyone’s idea of Norse paganism, the best thing you can do is read and study ‘The Poetic Edda’ by Jackson Crawford and ‘The Viking Way’ by Neil Price. The first is full of undisputed medieval poems that is the basis of most information on Norse legends and mythology; and the second is based on archaeological evidence of how people lived, practiced and worshipped. Each will take a week to read, but they will lay an excellent foundation to build your path on. In the end, any form of paganism is practiced in a way unique to each individual. Make sure your way starts out true to you before anyone else tries to influence it.