Goddess Sunna

Sunna is the sun Goddess. We derive the English word ’Sun’ from her name and Sunday is named for her. Her brother is Manni, the moon. She is known to drive her Chariot across the sky, chased by wolves which seek to devour her. However, she is known for her life-giving Blessings and can be asked for victory blessings.

Books in PDF format to read:

Dean Hildebrandt - Essay On Enochiana
Hrafnagaldr Odi - Odin Ravens Song
Franceska De Grandis - Be A Goddess
Franceska De Grandis - Goddess Initiation

Asatru Beliefs

Asatru beliefs:

- Asatru is a polytheistic religion. There are three races of Deities in the Norse pantheon. They are all regarded as living entities who are involved in human life:
1.The ?sir: These are the Gods of the tribe or clan, representing Kingship, order, craft, etc.
2.The Vanir: These represent the fertility of the earth and forces of nature. They are associated with the clan but are not part of it.
3.The Jotnar: These are giants who are in a constant state of war with the ?sir. They represent chaos and destruction. At the battle of Ragnarok, many of the ?sir will die. The world will come to an end and then be reborn.

- Specific Gods: Some of the more important are:
1.Thor is the Thunderer, who wields Mjolnir, the divine Hammer. His chariot racing across the sky generates thunder. Thursday (Thor's Day) was named after him.
2.Odin is the one-eyed God; he gave up one of his eyes in order to drink from the Fountain of Knowledge (some sources say Fountain of Wisdom). He is a magician. He learned the secrets of the runes (Northern European alphabet) by hanging himself on the tree Yggdrasil for nine nights.
3.Frey (a.k.a. Freyr) is the God of fertility, the weather and farming. He was born on the Winter Solstice, typically December 21. His father was Njord.

- Specific Goddesses: Some important ones are:
1.Freya (aka Freyja) is the Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality, and perhaps a dozen other attributes. She leads the Valkyries who take the souls of some slain soldiers to Valhalla (Odin's great hall).
2.Frigg is Odin's wife. Her name has been secularized to a slang term which refers to sexual intercourse. She is the patroness of the household and of married women.
3.Skadi is the Goddess of independence, death, hunting and skiing. Scandinavia may have been named after her.
4.Ostara, is a Goddess of fertility who is celebrated at the time of the Spring equinox. She was known by the Saxons as Eostre, the Goddess of Spring, from whom we have derived the word Easter. Ostara's symbols are the hare and the egg.

- Other Entities Other Deities are Aegir, Balder, Bragi, Forseti, Heimdall, Hel, Loki, Njord, Ran, Tyr, Ull and Vithar. Followers of Asatru also honor the Landvaettir (land spirits) of the forest, earth and streams.

- Life Values: Asatruars in North America have created a list of Nine Noble Virtues: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance and Perseverance. The family is greatly valued and honored. They reject any form of Discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, language, nationality, race, sexual orientation, or "other divisive criteria".

- Origins: Humanity is literally descended from the Gods. Three brothers, Odin, Vili, and Ve created people from two trees and gave them the names Ask and Embla. One deity, Rig visited the earth and established the social classes.

- Od: This is the gift of ecstasy provided to humans by the Gods. It is what separates humanity from other animals, and is our eternal link with the Gods.

- Creation Story: A poem Voluspa (Prophecy of the Seeress) contains an Asatru story of the creation of the universe. Between Muspelheim (The Land of Fire) and Niflheim the Land of Ice was an empty space called Ginnungigap. The fire and ice moved towards each other; when they collided, the universe came into being. Odin, Vili and Ve later created the world from the body of a giant that they had slain.

- After death: Unlike many other religions that have Heaven or Hell as a final destination after death, Norse myths indicate that there are many possible locations. Half of the heroic, battle-slain warriors go to Freyja's field, Folkvangr. She is said to get first pick. Helheim is the neutral realm where most people go upon death. Helheim is ruled by the goddess, Hel (or Hela). Oathbreakers and other dishonorable people are eaten by Niddhog, a dragon. Those who die at sea are said to enter another hall. However, most Asatruar do not believe in the myths literally. Some believe in reincarnation along family lines. Still, others believe that the dead inhabit their graves.

- The end of the world: Ragnar'k (a.k.a. Ragnar'kkr, Ragnar'k, Ragnarok; literally the fate of the Gods) is the anticipated apocalypse. It involves a great battle between the Gods and the J'tnar -- a race of giants with superhuman strength. Unlike Revelation in the Christian Scriptures, prophecies of Ragnar'k are very specific: the events leading up to the battle, the timing of the battle, who will kill whom, etc. are all known. Wolves will eat the sun and moon. The stars will stop shining. Mountains will fall; trees will be uprooted; "Fumes will reek and flames will burst, scorching the sky with fire. The earth will sink into the sea." Most of the Gods will die. Only one woman and one man, Lifthrasir and Lif, will survive. Their offspring will eventually repopulate the world and live in peace. 11

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Aleister Crowley - Leah Sublime
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - Three Lives
Reeves Hall - Asatru In Brief

Isa Rune

Isa translates as “ice” and the interpretations of this Rune are almost always negative. Whenever one's blocked in life, whether it's an emotional, sexual or even a financial block, it's ruled by the force contained in Isa. Therefore, Isa is the state of stagnation and one's inability to move psychologically, which often causes sadness and depression. One needs lots of strength to overcome Isa, which is evident from the physical characteristics of ice. Isa's action prevents any possible movement, be it phychological or physical; it also blocks the action of other Runes which are opened with Isa in divination. This Rune is also connected to the Ego which can be the source of stagnation. Isa is actually a representation of a frozen state in which hides the germ of life. A mind in the state of stagnation actually hides within itself the possibility of spiritual progress, possibilities that can be accomplished with extraordinary effort, but is in no way unattainable. Regardless of its alleged negativity, Isa can be a very useful Rune. As a magical image it's used to stop some processes as well as to stabilize a current state of affairs.

Divination:

Positive meaning: possibility of overcoming, blockage of negative processes (sickness, spiritual degeneration).

Negative meaning: egotism, psychological and physical numbness, standstill.

Recommended reading (pdf e-books):

Karl Hans Welz - Armanen Runes
Samael Aun Weor - Magic Runes

The Nordic Runes

I know that I hung on Yggdrasil
For nine nights long
Wounded by spear
Consecrated to Odin
Myself a sacrifice to myself
Upon that tree
The wisest know not the roots
of ancient times whence it sprang.

None brought me bread
None gave me mead
Down to the depths I searched
I took up the Runes
Raised them with song
And from that tree I fell.

Runes you shall know, and readable staves,
Very powerful staves,Very great staves
Graven by the mighty one who speaks
Carved by the highest hosts

Odin among the Aesir,
Dvalin (sleeper) among dwarfs,
Dain (dead) among alfs,
Alvitter (all-knowing) among etins,
I myself carved some for mankind

The following are not recomendations, Alfather commands you to know the following if you are asatruar.

Know how to carve, know how to read,
know how to stain, know how to understand,
know how to ask, know how to offer,
know how to evoke, know how to sacrifice.

The Runes go back when time began, we of asatru have set a date from when the first Futhark was discovered 2253 years ago. This is known as the Runic Era which places us to date in the year 2253 R.E..

asatruar have always lived in close harmony with the environment, the seasonal and stellar cycles, their Gods and Goddesses, and their ancestors. These forces come together in the mysterious symbols known as Runes. The word Rune means a secret or a whisper. Runes are magical tools for both divination and spell casting.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Ona - The Dark Forces
Samael Aun Weor - Magic Runes
Anton Szandor Lavey - The Satanic Rituals
Ralph Blum - The New Book Of Runes
Anonymous - History Of Nordic Runes P9

Goddess Perchta

Perchta: A birch goddess. She was a patron of spinning, and led the Wild Hunt during the winter. Some of her worshippers comprised a Mystery cult, and were called Perchten. They became possessed by the dead, or by the Goddess herself, in a Ritual apparently related to her procession as leader of the Wild Hunt. She seems almost certainly to be another name for Bertha. Both names are derived from the name for birch.

Books in PDF format to read:

John Dee - De Heptarchia Mystica
Franceska De Grandis - Be A Goddess
Franceska De Grandis - Goddess Initiation

Exploring The Northern Tradition

Book: Exploring The Northern Tradition by Galina Krasskova

Exploring the Northern Tradition is an overview of the modern reconstruction of the ancient religion of the Germanic and Scandinavian peoples. This religion, called Heathenry, is one of the fastest growing polytheistic religious movements in the United States today with over forty thousand adherents. This book provides a thorough guide to the cosmology, values, ethics, and rituals practiced by modern Heathens.

Readers will have the opportunity to explore the sacred stories of the various Heathen Gods like Odin, Frigga, Freya, and Thor and will be granted a look into the devotional practices of modern votaries. The most common devotional rite: the faining or blot is examined in rich detail with examples given for personal use. Additionally, readers are introduced to the concept of wyrd or fate, so integral to the Heathen worldview.

Unlike many books on Heathenry, Exploring the Northern Tradition is not denomination specific, nor does it seek to overwhelm the reader with unfamiliar Anglo-Saxon or Norse terminology. For those new to Heathenry, Pagans who wish to learn more about the Norse Deities, or those simply interested in learning about this unique religion, this book is the perfect introduction.

There was a time when all of Northern Europe followed a common faith. The people shared a belief in the same Gods, common ethics and common values. A small portion of these beliefs and values have been passed down to us in the Eddas, Sagas and other history. In modern times there are those who still follow the old ways. All modern Heathens (those who follow the Northern Tradition) share a common theology, a common set of core values and a common documented history going back 1000+ years.

In Exploring The Northern Tradition, Galina Krasskova has captured the essence of this theology, values and history in a book that is both highly informative and at the same time enjoyable to just sit and read.

After a brief look at the history of the Northern Tradition, Galina Krasskova introduces us to what might be considered the three major branches of modern Heathenry: the Tribalist, the Universalist, and the Folkish Heathen. We are then introduced to the Theodish Belief ~ a form of Tribal Heathenry, bound together by a "web-of-oaths". Here we see tribal bonds formed between men of varying social status by means of sacred oaths. It is also pointed out that while all Theods are Tribalists, not all Tribalists hold fast to the Theodish Belief.

Galina Krasskova next introduces us to the Cosmology of the Northern Tradition. From Ginungagap to Yggdrasil; and each of the nine worlds, from Midgard to Asgard, to Helheim. We learn the structure of the Universe as it is understood by those who follow the Northern Tradition.

As we continue Exploring The Northern Tradition, Galina Krasskova introduces us to the Gods and goddesses of our ancestors, of our blood and of the Northern People. But here we have much more than a list of the Gods. For each of the Gods and Goddesses we are offered an invocation as well as their history and stories of their deeds. Consisting of about one-third of the book, this section gives the reader the opportunity to know the Gods and Goddesses that still call to us, even today.

After meeting the Gods of our ancestors we are introduced to concepts unique to the Northern Tradition. Galina Krasskova explains the concept of Wyrd and the Soul Matrix. Heathern ethics and values are explained, giving us an introduction to the Nine Noble Virtues and the 12 AEtheling Thews.

Finally, Exploring The Northern Tradition closes with chapters on the Blot, Symbel, and Personal Devotions.

I found Exploring The Northern Tradition to be well-written, properly researched, informative and enjoyable to read. If you have never experienced the Northern Tradition, here is a guide to let you begin your exploration. If you set sail toward the Northern Star many years ago, Exploring The Northern Tradition will be a reminder of old friends, of the call of the Gods and of the honor and virtues of the people of the Northern Lands.

Galina Krasskova draws on her own 12 years of experience as a Heathen priest. She is currently Aeweweard in Thaet Angelseaxisce Ealdriht, a member of The Troth, and has also studied interfaith ministry in NYC. Galina cofounded the New York Metro Asatru Society in October of 2000. She is a frequent contributor to such respected Pagan and Heathen magazines as Sagewoman, New Witch, Idunna, The Ealdriht Boc, and Marklander.

Highly Recommended !

Buy Galina Krasskova's book: Exploring The Northern Tradition

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Marcus Cordey - Magical Theory And Tradition
Eleanor Hull - The Northmen In Britain
The Troth - Welcome To The Troth Honoring The Northern Tradition

Let Say Grace

CHARLES LAMB, the gentlest and one of the best loved of our English writers, once wrote an essay on the subject of saying grace before (or after) a meal. The Tradition is probably as old as our religion for it is really an Expression of gratitude to our gods for the fruits of the earth and to the animals that provide us, often ungrateful and unthinking, humans with nourishment.

The grace before meat that forms part of our rituals is straightforward and easy to remember. Standing before one's place at the table each person takes the hand of his neighbour to left and right. Then together they say, 'For food and friends we give thanks'. That's all.

Note that we do not direct our words to a particular god or goddess - too many are concerned for us to remember all their names and, moreover, we owe at least same debt to the toilers who nourished the food through its various stages until it was ready for the table. We can't spend all our time thinking of such details. But we should occasionally remember them and those of our ancestors to whom we are indebted for all that we have inherited from them: the cultivated soil, the livestock, the skills of the kitchen and the peace in which to enjoy them, so hardly fought for and so costly in blood spilled.

The meal - every meal - should be an act of worship in itself, a communal sacrifice and a symbol of the family. When we eat together after the Ceremonial Blot we call it by its proper name, the feast. So let us, whenever we eat, start off with this simple act of worship. Invite other family members and friends, whether Odinist or not, to join in. They might think it is fun but they just might start to think our way. So, FOR FOOD AND FRIENDS WE GIVE THANKS!

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Saffron Robe
Ona - The Dark Forces
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - Tibetan Sage