It's that time of year again - Thanksgiving, and the beginning of what we habitually call "the holiday season." For some of us it will be a genuinely spiritual occasion, a time to be with family and to enjoy a meal while being, well, thankful. For others it will be just another stressful obligation to cook a meal we don't really want and to be sociable when we'd really rather be doing something else.
The historical Thanksgiving was a Christian event, a celebration in gratitude to the God of the Bible for the blessings he gave his early colonists in the New World. How should we who follow Asatru honor this festival? Are Thanksgiving and Asatru compatible?
When you think about it, Thanksgiving is just a variation on the old custom of the harvest festival. Sure, November is getting a little late for that, but the principle is the same: expressing joy at the reaping of what we have sown. Asatruar can get into that spirit as easily as anyone else - maybe easier, because we tend to be aware of the natural cycles around us. The rune "Jera" comes to mind at Thanksgiving; it means "year" or "harvest," and is an affirmation of the idea that we will prosper to the extent that we have done the right work at the right time - whether it's planting, tending, and harvesting a crop, or making a success of our efforts in the world of jobs and careers! It really does come down to cause-and-effect: effort brings reward.
But the early American pilgrims were thankful to "God." To whom or what should our own gratitude be directed? Certainly not to the God of the Bible. But this is a good time to recall that the word "god" is not a Semitic or a Mediterranean word, but a Germanic one! It comes directly from Gothic, where it originally referred to OUR Gods and Goddesses. It was used for the first time in the Gothic translation of the Bible to gloss what had previously been rendered Greek or Latin. When our pompous politicians stand at the podium and rave about "God," they are unknowingly showing their debt to those Germanic men and women who came before them, and who honored the Holy Powers of our people! So, to that extent, we, too can speak of God - in the original sense!
While we're being grateful, we should remember the life that died that we might eat. Life feeds on life, and while we must take life, we should not do so thoughtlessly. On the contrary, we should try to live our lives in such a way that we justify the death of the animal that decks our table at Thanksgiving, or at any other time - valuing that sacrifice by living lives of honor and right action! Factory turkeys live miserable lives and die miserable deaths. The least we can do is acknowledge that, and honor the bird by our lives and our deeds.
Thanksgiving can be a time of gluttony marking the beginning of the Great American Consumer-Fest...or it can be much simpler, more organic, tied to the Earth and to the cycles of Nature...an opportunity to get in contact with eternal truths. It's up to us, isn't it? This year, let's try to be a little less wrapped up in gadgetry and gimmickry, and more interested in the intangibles, in love and fellowship...and life!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Asatru and the Rune Gild
I've just returned from the Rune Gild Moot - four days of intense lectures, rituals, and fellowship with men and women dedicated to the esoteric side of Asatru and Germanic religion generally. It has prompted me to make some observations.
The Asatru Folk Assembly and similar organizations represent the exoteric, religious aspect of the Germanic revival. The Rune Gild, on the other hand, is the esoteric and mystical expression of our movement. Both are essential to our development and success, and the two continually interact with each other. I have been a member of the Gild for years, and have greatly benefited from association with other members and from the writings of Edred Thorsson, in particular.
In pre-Christian Germanic culture, the various tribes would regularly come together at sacred places - such as Lejre, in Denmark - to compete in games, trade, and generally interact socially. It was at these gatherings, too, that the ancient fraternity of rune magicians would meet to share lore and techniques across tribal boundaries. Thus the various versions of the rune row, as well as many other things, were transmitted from area to area in a more or less organized manner. With the passing of our native faith, the early gild of runers died out. The modern Rune Gild is that fraternity reborn. Its function is much the same as in the old days - to transmit the rune lore to all who seek the mysteries, regardless of their organizational affiliation or lack of it.
For the individual, the most important feature of the Gild is that it offers a traditional Germanic path of personal transformation. The work of the Rune Gild is solidly based in scholarship; you'll not find fantasies on "Atlantean runes" or the use of fashionable, New Age gimmicks. The official curriculum of the RG is contained in Edred Thorsson's Nine Doors of Midgard, and Learners in the gild are set to work mastering the fundamentals. Those who have not yet committed to being Learners can hold Associate status with minimal obligation.
I have known Edred since the late 1970's and have had many opportunities to observe his leadership style in person - most recently at the Gild Moot in Austin, Texas. He is modest and approachable. I have never seen him disrespect the members of the organization or abuse his position as leader. On the contrary, I know he has made immense personal and financial sacrifices for the sake of the Gild. The fact that he holds a doctorate in Germanic languages and literature makes his writing authoritative and extremely valuable for those of us seeking to revive the way of our ancestors. Anyone who paints him as some sort of sinister character does not know him.
The Rune Gild is not for everyone. Those content simply to practice Asatru require no specialized esoteric training; most men and women in Germanic society did not need to know much about the gift Odin won on the World Tree. However, if you seek not only to worship Odin but to imitate him - you will not find a better organization than the Gild.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
The Asatru Folk Assembly and similar organizations represent the exoteric, religious aspect of the Germanic revival. The Rune Gild, on the other hand, is the esoteric and mystical expression of our movement. Both are essential to our development and success, and the two continually interact with each other. I have been a member of the Gild for years, and have greatly benefited from association with other members and from the writings of Edred Thorsson, in particular.
In pre-Christian Germanic culture, the various tribes would regularly come together at sacred places - such as Lejre, in Denmark - to compete in games, trade, and generally interact socially. It was at these gatherings, too, that the ancient fraternity of rune magicians would meet to share lore and techniques across tribal boundaries. Thus the various versions of the rune row, as well as many other things, were transmitted from area to area in a more or less organized manner. With the passing of our native faith, the early gild of runers died out. The modern Rune Gild is that fraternity reborn. Its function is much the same as in the old days - to transmit the rune lore to all who seek the mysteries, regardless of their organizational affiliation or lack of it.
For the individual, the most important feature of the Gild is that it offers a traditional Germanic path of personal transformation. The work of the Rune Gild is solidly based in scholarship; you'll not find fantasies on "Atlantean runes" or the use of fashionable, New Age gimmicks. The official curriculum of the RG is contained in Edred Thorsson's Nine Doors of Midgard, and Learners in the gild are set to work mastering the fundamentals. Those who have not yet committed to being Learners can hold Associate status with minimal obligation.
I have known Edred since the late 1970's and have had many opportunities to observe his leadership style in person - most recently at the Gild Moot in Austin, Texas. He is modest and approachable. I have never seen him disrespect the members of the organization or abuse his position as leader. On the contrary, I know he has made immense personal and financial sacrifices for the sake of the Gild. The fact that he holds a doctorate in Germanic languages and literature makes his writing authoritative and extremely valuable for those of us seeking to revive the way of our ancestors. Anyone who paints him as some sort of sinister character does not know him.
The Rune Gild is not for everyone. Those content simply to practice Asatru require no specialized esoteric training; most men and women in Germanic society did not need to know much about the gift Odin won on the World Tree. However, if you seek not only to worship Odin but to imitate him - you will not find a better organization than the Gild.
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
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