From Greece to France to the UK, from Florida to California, our Temple is growing and developing. We hope you will consider joining our great, momentous Temple and becoming part of the restoration and ascendancy of natural religion. The deadline to join the Catechetical Program to become a new member is Monday, September 9. If you miss this opportunity, you will have to wait until next year.

The Temple already hosts followers of the Germanic Folk Way across a few US States and within England paving a way forward for our Folk.

Our first Catechetical meeting is offered tonight at 7:30 pm EST and tomorrow at 3:30 pm EST. Join tonight or tomorrow by noon if you want to attend this first meeting.

A man should strive to be a man by

(1) giving respect where it is due;
(2) accepting respect where it is due, without expectation (respect is earned through performing one's duties wholeheartedly in truth and humility);
(3) living according to his position in life with patience and perseverance whether he be a student, a husband, a father, or an elder;
(4) maintaining his physical body in order to serve its purpose and not as the purpose itself, upkeep of the body is not an ends, but a means to accomplish the real work;
(5) maintaining and strengthening his mind in order to move the body towards greater ends serving higher duties;
(6) sacrificing to the Gods and Goddesses with humility, love, and devotion in thanks for all he knows and enjoys and to uplift himself and those around him spiritually thus maintaining a greater existence here and continuation after;
(7) maintaining love for that which he holds dear be it his wife, children, friends, community, folk or otherwise in order to best serve his duty as a man to serve, protect, uplift, and uphold;
(8) recognizing evil and working against it to the best of his ability;
(9) giving up childish endeavors and enjoyments such as video games, toys, etc. Live in your proper place without attachment to the past (Let it go and be the man you should be - age and position appropriate);

Such a man, of necessity, is recognized as honorable and this is what differentiates the good from the great. A good man can be pleasant in appearance, word, deed, etc yet still be found to be lacking. The great man is himself pleasant in his entire existence and this in the old understanding was a true man different from the rest. The pinnacle worth striving for and living to the fullest.

The Cult of the High One and My Personal Experience

When I first started on the Germanic Folk Way I found myself drawn to Odin in a simple way, "that's just what the focus of this path is..." I was young and coming into religion for the first time sincerely this was the best I could say at the time with no real background or awareness.

After I studied and practiced more I recognized how much all of the Gods impact us and how people are drawn to different Gods in particular according to their urlag (personal fate). Further, I found myself recognizing how serious the path of Odin was and how difficult it might be. In a moment of worry I felt myself start to hold back and look more to Thor as the God of the Folk and the most easily accessible by Man for fear of the path of the High One and in respect for Thor's strength.

For a time the path of Thor satisfied me and I even had a profound experience with Him which filled me with a great strength and understanding I would carry with me from then on, but after a little while I recognized how I was purposefully ignoring the path I should personally take out of worry, anxiety, and fear. I was concerned I didn't have what it truly took to follow the path of Odin. I despised the overdrinking, woman beating, "hail oDiN" types I saw around for their claiming to follow the path while absolutely disregarding what it entails entirely. They figured all you had to do was some pushups and be ready to fight everyone all the time for your own ego and will regardless of all else. A light bulb clicked from this experience and over time I opened up to the path again dedicating myself, word and deed, to the High One. I swore before Him to honor Him and live my life by His will, fully trusting in Him from then on.

I faced much hardship after that. I found it to be nothing like what people believe it to be. It wasn't a matter of tough guy facades and meaningless brawls, it was a deep, deep war within one's own self initially. Many times I thought I would break into a million pieces unable to progress, and yet I did progress. Now I stand here, not at the end of a path, but in full awareness of what the path looks like, my head held high. I look back on those "hail oDiN" types and pitty them for their weakness and fear. I recognize how my own fear and weakness held me back, and now I stand ready for the lessons of the High One to improve and rise up in word and deed in His honor.

I see the teacher within the teachings, I see the teachings within all things, I see all things within the teachings, I see the teachings within the teacher.

‘No one may trust in his own accomplishment; he is never so strong or courageous. Thus to every man on his death-day heart and strength fail as good fortune fails.’

- Lausavísa by Ásbjǫrn

Everything is always changing, you cannot rely on anything in Midgard to be permanent. Your actions, your fortune, your glory, and your body all fade in due time. Enjoy what you have, enjoy what you do, but accept that it is fleeting and strive to live simply in the moment without crippling attachment to what you have or achieve. Strive for greatness for the act itself, not the outcome and you will be happy.

This ties into the previous post I shared from Polina Sarris as well.

All of Life's secrets are actually no secret at all. We only believe them to be secret even when faced with the answers to all life's questions. "Surely there is more," we tell ourselves or otherwise "that can't be it, that doesn't look the way it should, or sound the way it should. It is too simple..."

We must be willing to ask the questions of ourself, to know ourself, and to trust ourself. Heimdall stands at the very gates of the Gods waiting for us with the gates wide open. However, we look here and there for it completely ignoring its actual placement within us. If we could just simply recognize it in front of us, Heimdall would lead us to the Golden Halls where we could speak with High, Just as High, and Third Himself. All of our questions answered, our troubles would melt away. This all starts with our awareness, for we possess the means for all that we wish.

Going back, I must stress that to know oneself is of the utmost importance. Without that key, you will get nowhere. To do this we must take the place of the Dragon Slayer and with the weapon of first knowledge slay the great serpent of ego. This weapon I speak of is the knowledge that we are not this body, nor these thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The ego has us convinced otherwise and so no matter how we strive to learn higher truths we will never learn them as we remain beneath the place of higher learning, the ego is coiled around us, blocking out all light.

One cannot learn to be a swimmer in the desert. Thus we must slay that serpent holding us back. Like Sigurd we must flay the beast tearing through to its core. There we can find the heart and eat of it. The eating of the heart grants us the ability to hear the birds (the subtle voices, ever present, yet rarely understood) and this in turn leads us to understand who we are, what we are, and to live with that truth thus leading us on the path forward to all that we wish for.

"To Hallow," wéoh, and vígja

There is a general practice among the Anglo-Saxon theodsmen where they wish to reinstate a very traditional hallowing boon (prayer) based upon the Old Norse "Ása Þórr vígi," by replacing the word vígi with Old English wéoh. This is a great idea, but not carried out correctly and I'd like to share why and present a better option.

The word vígi (from vígja) in Old Norse means "to hallow." Seeing an actual traditional boon we of course want to reinstate it into our modern practice. The issue is the use of Old English wéoh as a verb; it was never a verb, but a noun ("something which IS holy"). The closest option we can find to vígja can be glimpsed in the Old English word fulwian which meant "to baptize" and consists of ful + wian. The underlined word is believed to stem from wīhan which is precisely cognate with the Old Norse vígja*. As such, wīhan would be the proper term and we would conjugate for the same usage as the Old Norse word yielding wīha (or wia simplified). Thus our boon would look like "Þunor wīha" - "Thor hallow.*"

Goðihood: the Germanic Priesthood

We all have some understanding of what a "priest" is, at least in the sense of abrahamism, but what does this look like in the Germanic Folk Tradition? Well, many have a rough idea under the title of "goði," but what does it honestly mean and look like? The Germanic Folk Way bears a goðihood (for lack of a better term) which holds many different types of roles for the sake of our Folk. I'd like to briefly discuss some of the various roles here in the hopes that this might help others work to develop a true goðihood, or "priestly class," within our Folk for its benefit. You may note that the descriptions are not all encompassing and that many roles tend to overlap.

Goði
A goði is the most standard term any of us know. This is a position which is held by an individual who acts like a "chieftain," in some sense, commanding the respect of his community which in turn give him a greater responsibility. He leads a group of people in religious worship, assists in disputes, mediates between parties as needed, and helps guide the group towards a better life in the light of the Gods together (offering counsel, assistance, etc). A goði should have a great understanding of the Lore; an excellent understanding of philosophy, theology, and other applicable fields of study; be a well balanced individual; be self sufficient; maintain good morality and a positive standing with the community; command the respect of his people; hold applicable life experience which allows him to better counsel his community; and not strive to serve his own ego, but to serve the will of the Gods. He serves as an intermediary between the Gods and the Folk by maintaining order among the people as dictated by natural law (mulitple castes, upkeep of the various needs of all the people, and maintenance of the whole in a cohesive manner).

Gyðja
A gyðja is the female version of a goði. She particularly acts as a priestess to the Goddesses, can assist the goði in blóts, and may help in the enlightening of people. The only difference between her and her male counterpart is that he can wield "political power," if you will, while she cannot because women are not traditionally put in such places within society. This is because it is simply not their role to fill. Their intuition makes them exceptional in transmitting wisdom and understanding underlying forces within life (which can make them very affective advisors to political power as history shows). Political power requires greater focus within the realms of man's mind.

Thyle
A thyle is an individual who strives to maintain, understand, and disseminate the wisdom of the Lore. This also includes the upkeep of historical information regarding their tribe, folk, folk heroes, etc. It is his responsibility to ensure the continued transmission of the Lore and maintain its health. He can serve as an advisor to leaders of communities in ensuring a correct understanding of the Lore is upheld or even act in some sense like the Vedic Acharya teaching students (as all of these roles honestly can and should to ensure future generations will continue the Tradition).

Völva/Seiðkona(woman)/Seiðman/Vitki
This is the role of a seer(ess) most commonly found among women. The practitioner is very tied to their emotions and intuition and as such the role typically falls to women who are emotionally more suited to the role. They can perform the divinatory arts including seið in particular. While this role can be held by men, it is not necessarily the best option for them. Women are much better suited to this position than men and should generally be held higher than men in it.

Eril(az)
The eril is a runemaster having devoted himself to the specific study and mastery of the runes for divination and magical purposes most commonly. This term has applied to men in all instances and I believe the best categorization for a female runemaster probably falls under the title of völva. The magical arts tend to be more feminine in general so a völva could be seen as a woman all around wise in the magical arts.

I've been spending time over the past several months meditating in Freyr's form and find that it tends to create an openness for the light of the Gods more than other positions generally. I can very effectively feel the warmth, experience the bliss of knowing, and hold the contentedness in life while I meditate in it. As a side note, I don't stroke my beard as the image suggests, but simply hold it allowing for an organic pressure to be felt on my chin by the pull on my beard (the pull is generated from the natural weight of my arm although a little held back). I also sit with one leg over the other rather than in front of.

According to a Sikh acquaintance, the pressure on the chin stimulates male energy tied to the stomach and spleen. This is associated with the 3rd chakra in the Vedic system (the solar plexus chakra) which controls self-worth, self-confidence, self-esteem, and willpower, making a direct connection to "male energy," which would be associated with the exertion of one's will on the world around them.

• The first image comes from a book I don't suggest, but bears an easily understood image worth sharing. The second image is a picture of the Swedish Rällinge Freyr statue found in Södermanland, the origin of our understanding the form.