The Heir (Men Of The North #14) - Elin Peer Page 0,1

of theology, language, and other disciplines connected to my work.”

“But isn’t religion banned?” a tall man with a French accent asked. “We learned in school that the Motherlands banned religion after the Toxic War, so how can you be a priestess?”

My mother answered in a calm voice. “That’s correct. Religion was banned four hundred years ago because it had been used as a way of dividing people into a them-and-us mindset. Today it’s strange to think that humans were willing to kill one another in the name of religion. At one point there were more than seven thousand gods being worshipped by humanity. They would get into fights over which one was the right one, each religion claiming they knew the name and nature of the one true god.

“How can there have been seven thousand gods?” Mason asked.

My mother shrugged. “It’s just different names for what we now refer to as oneness – the state of mind you achieve when you understand that you are part of something bigger than yourself. The number seven thousand is an estimate. People invented complicated mythologies with gods and goddesses that were responsible for fertility, weather, the oceans, wars, and people’s happiness. In some cultures, they would make sacrifices to their gods. It could be anything from flowers, food, or trinkets to blood sacrifices that involved killing people.”

“That’s crazy!” Aubri said with her arms crossed.

A young man said, “We French aren’t religious. It’s seems foolish to me that our ancestors would fight over the name of their gods.”

“Oui, I agree with Victor,” one of the French women said.

My mother continued, “If we had met five hundred or a thousand years ago, we would most likely all have been religious. Historically, it was a part of cultural acceptance and a way to fit in. It’s not unthinkable that we would have gotten into a loud argument about whether to worship Jehovah, Allah, Shiva, or maybe some of the ancient gods like Odin and Zeus.”

The young man named Victor shifted his balance and raised his chin. “It’s possible that you all would have discussed such nonsense, but not us French. We’re far too intelligent to waste our time with such idiocy. If humanity had seven thousand gods and everyone thought they knew the right one, that means they agreed way more than they disagreed. If they could agree not to believe in six thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine gods, then what’s one more?”

My mom chuckled. “You have a point, Victor, but back then faith often outweighed logic.”

“Seems it still does here in the Motherlands. It’s illogical to have priestesses in a country that banned religion.”

I smiled. He had a point, and I loved people who weren’t afraid to express themselves.

“Again, good point,” my mother said. “It’s a long story, but the short answer is that although we don’t have any official religions left, people still need to feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves. We priestesses are caretakers of sorts. We hold ancient wisdom, lost to modern people, and I would dare say that even though we Motlanders aren’t religious, we are spiritual and live according to spiritual laws.”

The French man wrinkled his nose. “What does that mean?”

“Spiritual laws are the foundational ones that hold civilized societies together. You’ll know them as unity, equality, fairness, knowledge, justice, freedom, respect, love, and peace. I could go on, but I’m sure you get the picture, yes?”

The French nodded.

“We priestesses are theologians, but we don’t preach. Nor do we advertise doctrines of religion like in the olden days where priests would dictate how people should live their lives. Back then people believed in heaven and hell and many lived in fear and remorse. We try to empower and support people to be their best version. We teach about love and forgiveness.”

“What does that have to do with energy work?” Thor asked with a hint of impatience, as if this all seemed boring to him.

“Thank you for that question, Thor. It has a lot to do with energy work. Love and forgiveness are some of the keys to feeling balance and allowing energy to flow freely through you.”

“Pardon, but what does this energy work do?” one of the two French girls asked.

“Many things. Energy can be used to heal, align, and support, and to help you manifest things. It all depends on how you tap into it. Would you like us to give you an example?”

“Oui.”

With a small nod, my mother instructed me to use the firepit.