AFA Calls For Approval of Thor's Hammer for Verterans' Headstones

On July 4^th, I stood before a crowd across the street from the White House and demanded that the Department of Veterans Affairs add Thor’s hammer to the list of religious symbols approved for headstones issued by the agency. The occasion was a rally for Pagan religious rights, coming only weeks after Wiccans won their lawsuit to have the pentacle inscribed on their headstones.

Other speakers spoke of the need for full religious rights and especially for the urgent need for Pagan military chaplains. My talk was the only one to concentrate on Thor’s hammer as a symbol for followers of Germanic religion.

First, I described the role of Thor’s hammer as an ancient sign of protection in Germanic religion, pointing out that early in the runic era depictions of the hammer were carved into massive stones marking graves in Norway and in Sweden. I added that the practice continued today, citing a modern headstone in northern California bearing the hammer sign.

I went on to say that there were thousands of followers of Germanic religions in the United States, many of whom were veterans of military service or presently on active duty. Given all these facts, it is only right and just that the hammer be available on DVA-issued headstones.

Most of the presentation was captured on video, and will soon be available online.

Steve and Sheila Meet the East Coast

While Sheila and I were in Washington to speak at the rally for Pagan religious rights, it was only logical to try to meet as many Asatruar - AFA and non-AFA alike - as possible. Among other things, we were anxious to banish the notion that the AFA is only a West Coast phenomenon. (We have almost exactly as many members on each side of the Mississippi River.)

Central to this effort were the people who made the trip possible - Rick Oberg, Chris Loscar, Patrick Opitz, Charlie Decker, and Charlie’s wife, Maribel. They provided coordination, transportation, food, guidance, and inspiration for four intense days. They are also the core of AFA activity from Washington to New England, so hours were spent sharing ideas and plans, pooling information, and getting to know each other better. This valuable work will bear rich fruit in the months and years to come.

But we also met plenty of folks who were not part of the AFA. Joe Marek heads Gladsheim Kindred, centered in Columbia, Maryland. Some of our leading AFA members in the D.C. area are good friends of Joe’s and attend his blots, and in no time we had an invitation to share Gladsheim’s fulsome hospitality. Over burgers and other typical Fourth of July fare, we talked of the Gods and our many common interests. We passed a horn in an impromptu sumbel. We were moved by tales of pain and loss, and buoyed by words of inspiration. Not everyone will adopt the AFA’s beliefs, but anytime we can dispel incorrect impressions or generally give a good account of ourselves, we do good service for the AFA. And we had a marvelous time.

Two days later, Sheila and I were at the annual summer gathering of the Chesapeake Pagan Community. This was not our usual venue, but we had been invited by one of the organizers to speak on Asatru and ancestry. The audience was very friendly and interested in what we had to say, although I don’t think anyone there could be described as “folkish.” Still, we were telling our side of things, and making friends.

We could only stay at the Chesapeake event for a couple of hours, as our plane left that evening and we had to drive all the way back to the far side of Washington to catch our flight. With hurried farewells, we made our departure and began the long journey back to the West Coast.

Steve McNallen Interviewed on Ravencast

Ravencast interviewed me recently, in a lively interview covering the role of the AFA in the Germanic religious scene and the place of national Asatru organizations in general. You can hear it by going to http://ravencast.podbean.com/

Our People and Our Culture - LInks

We are a people - Germanic people, part of the Greater Family of European peoples, following the ways of our ancestors.

Only when we realize we are a river will we stop drowning in puddles.

Elves in Iceland - Forty percent of Icelanders believe that elves are real. It’s easy to dismiss this as ignorant superstition, but Iceland has been one of the most literate countries in the world for many decades - maybe even centuries. The author, unfortunately, tries to blame rural superstition…anything to attack the folk culture!

http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_life/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=284915

Pagans protest Long Man desecration - The system can’t understand why people are upset. Apparently they don’t understand the difference between “harm” and “desecration.” But since nothing is sacred to the secular system in the first place, they’re not likely to “get it.”
http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news?articleid=2997769

Unique Bronze-Age Serpent Mound found in England - Makes you wonder about the ones in the United States, doesn’t it?

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/04/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Archaeology-Find.php

Iron Age site near Tara scheduled for demolition - The Irish government continues to criminally destroy its birthright. Where are Irish nationalists on this issue?

http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/tara/

New York Times writer suggests differences between branches of the human race are real, and significant - Humans spread across the globe and continued to evolve in their new homes, adapting to new climates, diseases, diets, and behavioral demands. The significance is enormous - while all humans are of course related, that relatedness is often relatively distant. We are not, in fact, “all the same”…thank goodness! True diversity means accepting, celebrating, and preserving our differences.

See the Vdare blog at http://blog.vdare.com/ for June 26^th or, more easily, go to http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/26/healthscience/26human.php .

Sunscreen database - This link and the one below call attention to one of the big health problems facing Eurofolk, namely, skin cancer. Scandinavians are very vulnerable, and people of Celtic ancestry even more so. Your ancestors gave you that pale skin - so take care of it!

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/summary.php

UK Skin Cancer Cases Triple -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/08/ncancer108.xml

European-American children have the highest rate of diabetes - Here’s another health issue we need to notice.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2638642820070626

Freedom and Asatru - Links

Our Western traditions of freedom under law derive overwhelmingly from the culture of Northern Europe. (Both words, "freedom" and "law," have Teutonic roots.) It is our task to maintain this gift from our ancestors. In Asatru, freedom is a religious issue!

Wear your chip, or eat it - Subcutaneous or ingested, they work just as well to keep track of you.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Magazines/The_Sunday_ET/As_You_Like_It/Wear_your_chip_or_eat_it/articleshow/2144224.cms

Opposition to the European Union is now “terrorism” - according to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and his friends.

http://prisonplanet.com/articles/june2007/180607terrorists.htm

NH Governor signs bill outlawing “Real ID” - Some folks are just refusing to go along with the program.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/27/national/a192314D93.DTL

No warrant needed to monitor computer use, court rules - All your Internet cruising and email is fair game for government data collection.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/07/BAGMNQSJDA1.DTL&feed=rss.news

The Environment and Asatru - Links

The Earth is our mother, called variously in our mythic lore Frigga, Nerthus, and Jord. As the most intelligent species on the planet, humans end up making many decisions for all the other forms of life that live here - so let us choose wisely.

China overtakes US as carbon dioxide emitter - It’s not just us evil round-eyes anymore…

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/china-overtakes-us-as-top-co-emitter/2007/06/20/1182019182591.html

The Amazonian rainforest may disappear this century - Not good news, considering the immense importance of this forest!

http://scienceline.org/2007/06/27/ipcc_environment_amazon_philllips/

Homepower Magazine - At last, a publication for those of us who want to produce our own power, whether by solar, wind, hydro or what have you!

http://www.homepower.com/

How to make a small solar power generator - You don’t have to start with a solar system for your home; this small unit will fill many different needs while serving as an emergency backup for your home system.

http://www.rain.org/~philfear/how2solar.html