The History Of Asatru Kindreds In Vinland

The first kindreds were formed in Vinland in the early 70's. The Asatru Free Assembly strived to found Kindreds at this time, and while the Odinist Fellowship did not, members of the Fellowship formed Kindreds all the same. There were also a few independent Kindreds that were already in existence at this time and some of them later joined both the AFA and the OF. When both of these pioneering groups disbanded, it was the Kindreds of these former groups that vowed to learn from the lessons of the past and form the Asatru Alliance. The number one lesson to be learned is that national organizations are certainly necessary and do much to promote the growth of our religion, but they are subject to failure and disbandment. All the while, the Kindreds survive!

Of the many Kindreds that were formed in the late 60's and 70's only two survive: Arizona Kindred and Wulfing Kindred. Although it is estimated that there are about 100 Kindreds in Vinland today, how many of THESE will be around in a few short years? Only those with an iron will, boundless courage, and clear and level head will survive and prosper.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Arthur Edward Waite - The Real History Of The Rosicrucians Part Iii
Arthur Edward Waite - The Real History Of The Rosicrucians Part Iv
Joseph Ennemoser - The History Of Magic Vol 2
Julia Phillips - History Of Wicca In England

The Spirit Of Odin

WE regard Odin as the most important of our gods. For this reason, whatever one thinks of when meditating or pondering on the Gods and Goddesses and their differing powers, each aspect of that power is part of the great Allfather.

What is peculiar and interesting about Odin is that he is one and many. He is like the mind itself, in which there can be dark thoughts and light thoughts and thoughts toward war as toward peace. There can be those of creative art and there can be the negative attributes of chaos and destruction. All these, are reflections of the human mind, counterbalanced by ideas on one side of positive idealism and on the other by negative idealism.

Man is not separate from his gods for he is in divine link through blood, spirit and being. Surely this must be a more realistic picture of a force which is at the back of creation. All these elements are bound together in proportion within a spiritual force which plans and orders things. Odin comes close to being how things really are.

The most satisfactory way to approach a god of the spirit is to go on the path towards spirit: to love the use of the word, to love music, to love anything which is inspired. If we in our lives can share some of this then we shall surely know Odin. When we do something well, when we write well, talk well, even fight well, whatever we do that has passion and is inspired, it has the handiwork of Odin in it. Planning, skill, craft and mind power, in all this we can know him, for he represents that point of light that all creation comes from, for he is the Oddr. If, therefore, one wishes to know Odin then the need is to discover what is without, what is outside in life, on the land, in the wood or the brook, in space and beyond, for it is also within. The power that comes from the oddr is deep within and in the greater aspect of the folk soul. All have that innate spark, the ability to commune with the point of creation. What then of the Christian god?

The Eastern concept is that one and all must humbly submit and cower before a supreme and ultimate will in fear or be damned in defiance. One must follow in blind faith and without question, be one of a flock of sheep, to regard a god as the beneficial shepherd. But Odin, god of the North, does not want spiritual slaves. He is for heroes, for the doers of deeds and of actions. O3in's folk stand proud and noble, without mental chains. He shuns those who skulk and those who would plead f or divine favour. Because he is leader among the gods he expects men and women to be great, to model themselves upon the Odinic archetype and live by example. This at the end of the day can only be done through the use of gifts which are beyond the rational, beyond logical procedure, whereby it involves the senses of the deeper unconscious levels of the mind, that which is just as real, just as vital as everyday events that happen and occur in the mind.

Odin is able to stir these deep ancient waters and to move people. But ultimately action rests with the individual. Upon the ship of life one can sail well, steer it straight and in the right direction, knowing that the god of our folk is always there. From out of the past, into the present and forward toward the future the Oddr, the high god Odin Allfather will always be, for he has always been.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Aubrey Bell - The Magic Of Spain
Yacki Raizizun - The Secret Of Dreams
Starhwak - The Spiral Dance
Irv Slauson - The Religion Of Odin

Nordic Pagans In The United States

When Nordic Pagans in the United States speak of their European origins or ancestors, there is a certain ambiguity in terms of what Nordic Paganism is, where it came from, and whom it is for. It is common for Nordic Pagans to describe Asatru or Heathenry in very broad and general terms as being the religious Expression of the cultural heritage of “Northern European” peoples or even, as in the Runestone passage noted earlier, of “European-descended” peoples. Considering the diversity of nations and language groups that have existed in Europe and even Northern Europe from ancient times to the present, the lack of precision about which particular linguistic or cultural group the modern religion is derived from or related to is striking. There seems to be a tendency among many Nordic Pagans to “essentialize” Northern Europe and sometimes Europe in general as the “land of our ancestors,” without actually explaining which ancestors in which land, speaking which language, and so forth. As most Nordic Pagans center their religion on the worship of Odin, Thor, and other gods found in the Old Norse–Icelandic literature, what seems to be occurring is a use of the religious heritage of one particular part of Northern Europe as a convenient, shorthand way of respecting the collective religious heritage of a more diverse set of past peoples and cultures, that of pre-Christian Northern Europe or even Europe in general. The general vagueness of American Nordic Pagan views of the Northern European “homeland” is a poignant Commentary on the distance that divides American Heathens and Asatru followers from the lands of their spiritual ancestors, but it also helps to mediate conflicting definitions of Nordic heritage and divergent loyalties toward different specific regions of Northern Europe.

However, it should be noted that some Nordic Pagans are highly knowledgeable and articulate about the regional varieties of ancient Northern European culture and religion and travel to meet with their Pagan compatriots in Iceland and other nations. Those Heathens and Asatruar who acquire substantial knowledge of the texts, traditions, and languages of the various peoples of pre-Christian Northern Europe are greatly respected in their communities, and they often publish articles in Asatru or Heathen magazines as well as compete in lore contests at Things and other important occasions.

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Troth Aor - Odinism What Is It The Odinic Rite
Aleister Crowley - The Zodiac And The Tarot
Hargrave Jennings - The Rosicrucians Their Rites And Mysteries