My role in the Asatru movement has, to a large extent, defined my life. Anyone who knows me, however, knows I've done a lot of unusual things besides Germanic religion. I went to northern India and interviewed Tibetans who fought the Chinese. I lived with Karen guerrillas in the jungles of Burma, fighting for their identity against a tyrannical government. Less well known is my praise for Nigerian democracy activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and many other instances in which I have lent my voice to the causes of indigenous peoples around the world.
Why should a man busily re-establishing our native Germanic faith go to all this trouble? Why should I care what happens to Tibetans and Burmese and Nigerians? Don't we Germanics have enough problems of our own?
As a man of European descent, and as a follower of the indigenous European faith of Asatru, I have a spiritual obligation to care for and defend my own heritage. Less obvious is another truth - that I should also care about the fate of other peoples.
Ultimately, we European-descended folk are in the same boat as the Tibetans, the Karen, and the Amazonian tribes. We're all trying to preserve our peoples, cultures, and native religions in a world where transnational corporations and intrusive governments work to destroy all differences, to smooth out humanity into one featureless, deracinated "norm-man" fit only to produce, consume, and obey. Where will our vaunted Germanic freedom be then? What will happen to the Norse spirit, the Faustian upward reach of the European soul, when we're all slaving on the global plantation for the bankers and the corporate elite? Let me tell you: These historic traits of ours will be dead. And the only way to prevent this "death by homogenization" is to be who we are, to honor that which makes us unique. We should do that for ourselves as Northfolk, and we should encourage other groups to do likewise.
Someone once said of me that "Steve wants to help every ethnic group but his own." That's not true; my own folk are closest to my heart and will always have first claim to my loyalty and love. That is only natural and good. But the world is not necessarily a zero-sum game, and there are plenty of win-win solutions to our mutual problems. There will always be competition between groups, yes. But all of us who want to preserve our identity against the pressures of the global monoculture, regardless of our race or culture, have a common enemy in those who would make us all the same. If the transnationalists are to sell us Coca-Cola made in the United States and toys made in China, they have to "modernize" us first. Modernization is of course a two-edged sword; some aspects are beneficial but others are designed make us abandon our ancestral ways, pledge allegiance to the bank and the television set, and become a "world citizen." This is as true of First-Worlders like Americans and Germans as it is of tribal societies in the Third World, and nothing could be more disastrous to groups who wish to retain their distinct identity in the 21st century.
Environmental issues are a part of this struggle. Industrial development and resource extraction do not always take into consideration the needs of the environment and of the local peoples most directly affected. As I write, the last forest homes of the magnificent and extremely endangered Sumatran tiger are being sawed down to make - toilet paper! (Asia Pulp & Paper products marketed in the US under the Paseo and Livi brand names.) If that seems too far away to care about, don't worry; there is a long list of less dramatic species pushed to the brink in Europe and in America. People, too, are organisms adapted to a particular habitat; destroy that habitat and you undermine the existence of the people themselves.
I will gladly stand alongside those who are true to the ways of their people and their ancestors in the face of the global juggernaut. This is one of the great challenges of our age, and in it lies our duty to the ancestors who gave us life as well as our descendants, who will have to live in the world we forge. You want a heroic struggle? Don't pine for the past - you and I are fortunate enough to live in the most heroic age of all!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Asatru and the Most Heroic Age of All!
When we first revived Asatru in the United States, back in the early 1970's, our focus was entirely on the Vikings. And no wonder - people are enthralled with the vivid image of these swashbuckling pirates and adventurers. They certainly appealed to me, as a young man in my early 20's!
Our movement has matured a lot since then, and we realize that the Viking Age was maybe ten percent of Germanic history. It's not just about the Norsemen; it's about Germanic tribes everywhere, and it's about us, today, as Germanic people. Many of us, though, still long for salt spray and cold steel in our hands, the ropes of our rigging strumming in the Baltic breeze...and that's okay. One of the best things about the Viking image is that it appeals to those instincts for adventure, hardiness and courage. These values never go out of style, and are as good today as they were a thousand years ago.
With that said, we need to avoid the mindset that pines for the lost heroic age, whether that is seen as the era of the Vikings, the centuries of the wandering Germanic tribes, or any other time in history. "If only I lived back then...that was the real age for heroism!" goes the lament. But was it? Sure, it was a dramatic time, a period of conflict, when the historical stakes were high and bold men and resourceful women could perform great deeds and live lives that would resound through the centuries in the sagas...
...Just like today. These times, this crucial period of the early twentieth century, is no less dramatic, no less a time of conflict. The stakes on the gambling table of history today dwarf those of the Viking Age or any other. How many of us understand the importance of these decisive years? The gray power of the surveillance state looms large throughout our ancient European homelands and the New World alike. We European-descended folk are cut off from our spiritual heritage and flounder, lost, in a swamp of alienation and apathy. Everywhere, our numbers are dropping. Changes in the Earth's climate have produced a world tottering on the edge of an environmental precipice leading to mass extinctions - to include, perhaps, our own. This is the age that demands heroism - not the Viking Age or the Migration Age. The heroes of this epoch, this degenerate and desperate age, will redeem a future not only for our own folk but for all humanity and all life on this planet. This is the age for those who wish to overcome great odds and do great deeds! Ragnar Lodbrok, Harald Hardrada, Sigurd the Volsung - they envy those of us lucky enough to walk the earth at this time in history.
Will you be one to rise to the challenge? Or will you at least aid those who do? This is the heroic age you always wanted: Seize this time!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Our movement has matured a lot since then, and we realize that the Viking Age was maybe ten percent of Germanic history. It's not just about the Norsemen; it's about Germanic tribes everywhere, and it's about us, today, as Germanic people. Many of us, though, still long for salt spray and cold steel in our hands, the ropes of our rigging strumming in the Baltic breeze...and that's okay. One of the best things about the Viking image is that it appeals to those instincts for adventure, hardiness and courage. These values never go out of style, and are as good today as they were a thousand years ago.
With that said, we need to avoid the mindset that pines for the lost heroic age, whether that is seen as the era of the Vikings, the centuries of the wandering Germanic tribes, or any other time in history. "If only I lived back then...that was the real age for heroism!" goes the lament. But was it? Sure, it was a dramatic time, a period of conflict, when the historical stakes were high and bold men and resourceful women could perform great deeds and live lives that would resound through the centuries in the sagas...
...Just like today. These times, this crucial period of the early twentieth century, is no less dramatic, no less a time of conflict. The stakes on the gambling table of history today dwarf those of the Viking Age or any other. How many of us understand the importance of these decisive years? The gray power of the surveillance state looms large throughout our ancient European homelands and the New World alike. We European-descended folk are cut off from our spiritual heritage and flounder, lost, in a swamp of alienation and apathy. Everywhere, our numbers are dropping. Changes in the Earth's climate have produced a world tottering on the edge of an environmental precipice leading to mass extinctions - to include, perhaps, our own. This is the age that demands heroism - not the Viking Age or the Migration Age. The heroes of this epoch, this degenerate and desperate age, will redeem a future not only for our own folk but for all humanity and all life on this planet. This is the age for those who wish to overcome great odds and do great deeds! Ragnar Lodbrok, Harald Hardrada, Sigurd the Volsung - they envy those of us lucky enough to walk the earth at this time in history.
Will you be one to rise to the challenge? Or will you at least aid those who do? This is the heroic age you always wanted: Seize this time!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Saturday, December 31, 2011
The Twelfth Day of Yuletide - December 31
THE TWELFTH DAY OF YULETIDE - December 31
The twelfth day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Wisdom.
What is wisdom? Perhaps it can be summed up in the word “understanding.” It takes only a little wisdom to understand superficial things, while understanding the subtle patterns and flow of events requires much more. Wisdom can come in a flash of inspired initiation but for most of us, most of the time, it is the product of gradually processing information and experience, and casting golden truths from that refined ore. However you define it, Wisdom is very important - without it, we are impotent, but with it we can enact our wills in the world!
Let us be Wise!
This day I will pour a libation to Odin, the very embodiment of Wisdom-seeking.
I will seek Wisdom this day.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
The twelfth day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Wisdom.
What is wisdom? Perhaps it can be summed up in the word “understanding.” It takes only a little wisdom to understand superficial things, while understanding the subtle patterns and flow of events requires much more. Wisdom can come in a flash of inspired initiation but for most of us, most of the time, it is the product of gradually processing information and experience, and casting golden truths from that refined ore. However you define it, Wisdom is very important - without it, we are impotent, but with it we can enact our wills in the world!
Let us be Wise!
This day I will pour a libation to Odin, the very embodiment of Wisdom-seeking.
I will seek Wisdom this day.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Friday, December 30, 2011
The Eleventh Day of Yuletide - December 30
THE ELEVENTH DAY OF YULETIDE - December 30
The eleventh day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Loyalty.
Elder Germanic society was based on a web of Loyalty - to family and tribe, to a chosen leader, to the Gods and Goddesses. The same applies to us today. We should give Loyalty and expect it of others, reciprocating in a dynamic exchange that grows continually stronger. Loyalty is intimately connected to many other values; it requires Steadfastness and Truth in our oaths, and without it the Community falters and dies. Where there is no Loyalty, there is no honor.
Let us be Loyal!
This day I will pour a libation to Wiglaf, the warrior who stood with Beowulf when all others fled in terror.
I will be Loyal this day.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
The eleventh day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Loyalty.
Elder Germanic society was based on a web of Loyalty - to family and tribe, to a chosen leader, to the Gods and Goddesses. The same applies to us today. We should give Loyalty and expect it of others, reciprocating in a dynamic exchange that grows continually stronger. Loyalty is intimately connected to many other values; it requires Steadfastness and Truth in our oaths, and without it the Community falters and dies. Where there is no Loyalty, there is no honor.
Let us be Loyal!
This day I will pour a libation to Wiglaf, the warrior who stood with Beowulf when all others fled in terror.
I will be Loyal this day.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Tenth Day of Yuletide - December 29
THE TENTH DAY OF YULETIDE - December 29
The tenth day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Steadfastness.
Steadfastness - from the Old English meaning, literally, “staying fast to one’s place” - is vital for success on both the personal and the group level. It is often easy to exert immense effort for a short period of time, but soon we tire, our tenacity wavers, and our will to persevere fades away. A lack of Steadfastness undermines our attempts to diet, to complete a book manuscript, or to fight year after year for a cause that matters to us. Conversely, Steadfastness can give us victory in all these things, great and small alike.
Let us be Steadfast!
This day I will pour a libation to all those who have persevered in the modern Reawakening of the Germanic Way.
I will be Steadfast this day.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
The tenth day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Steadfastness.
Steadfastness - from the Old English meaning, literally, “staying fast to one’s place” - is vital for success on both the personal and the group level. It is often easy to exert immense effort for a short period of time, but soon we tire, our tenacity wavers, and our will to persevere fades away. A lack of Steadfastness undermines our attempts to diet, to complete a book manuscript, or to fight year after year for a cause that matters to us. Conversely, Steadfastness can give us victory in all these things, great and small alike.
Let us be Steadfast!
This day I will pour a libation to all those who have persevered in the modern Reawakening of the Germanic Way.
I will be Steadfast this day.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
The Ninth Day of Yuletide - December 28
THE NINTH DAY OF YULETIDE - December 28
The ninth day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Truth.
Lies and deceit undermine our personal lives, our relationships with friends and spouses, and, ultimately, the community of which we are a part. Conversely, when we tell and live the Truth, we build bonds that strengthen and reinforce the good in our lives. On a personal level, the Truth we exhibit adds power to our reputation and our individual spiritual might. While telling the Truth is often painful, lies are an even greater burden to bear.
Let us express the Truth in our lives!
This day I will pour a libation to Var, the Goddess who hears all oaths and promises, that she may strengthen my ability to say and live the Truth.
I will tell the Truth this day.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
The ninth day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Truth.
Lies and deceit undermine our personal lives, our relationships with friends and spouses, and, ultimately, the community of which we are a part. Conversely, when we tell and live the Truth, we build bonds that strengthen and reinforce the good in our lives. On a personal level, the Truth we exhibit adds power to our reputation and our individual spiritual might. While telling the Truth is often painful, lies are an even greater burden to bear.
Let us express the Truth in our lives!
This day I will pour a libation to Var, the Goddess who hears all oaths and promises, that she may strengthen my ability to say and live the Truth.
I will tell the Truth this day.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The Eighth Day of Yuletide - December 27
THE EIGHTH DAY OF YULETIDE - December 27
The eighth day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Individuality.
Individuality balances yesterday’s value of Community. The genius of our people has been to combine these two seemingly contradictory ideas in a dynamic system that encourages cooperation for group goals, but at the same time respects the uniqueness and freedom of the individual. A look at the sagas reveals men and women with strong, stubborn, irrepressible personalities - who, at the same time, were fiercely loyal to kin, friends, and leaders.
Let us honor our Individuality!
This day I will pour a libation to Odin, the very epitome of the unique, individual, evolving Self.
I will assert my Individuality today.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
The eighth day of Yuletide, we light a candle and remember Individuality.
Individuality balances yesterday’s value of Community. The genius of our people has been to combine these two seemingly contradictory ideas in a dynamic system that encourages cooperation for group goals, but at the same time respects the uniqueness and freedom of the individual. A look at the sagas reveals men and women with strong, stubborn, irrepressible personalities - who, at the same time, were fiercely loyal to kin, friends, and leaders.
Let us honor our Individuality!
This day I will pour a libation to Odin, the very epitome of the unique, individual, evolving Self.
I will assert my Individuality today.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
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