|  Since
the dawn of man the human spirit has been fascinated by the
Eternal Order. The sun rising unfailingly every morning, the
moon and stars passing through monthly or annual phases, the
birth of life in all its varieties, ending in death and decay
-- all leave their mark on perceptive beings. And when a measure
of explanation has been achieved over the more obvious phenomena,
when the mind begins to penetrate into the heavens and observe
its endless expanses, or into the workings of a single atom
-- behold --- an entire new array of mysteries is presented,
more numerous and fascinating than before. What a fantastic
spectre the Universe would be, if one could ever consider it
in all its glory!
There
are those who would feign understanding by reducing all to a
play of natural forces, exclaiming that the earth's seasons
are the result of chance location of its axis that seas and
mountains developed through known physical laws, that present
form of life were determined by natural selection. It is not
the contention here either to defend or refute these arguments;
our only desire is an acknowledgement of the wisdom inherent
in Nature. After all, who would deny the mathematical pattern
of a honey-comb, the complex structure and working of the animal
ear, the fact that gravity and forces of motion hold the solar
system, indeed the universe, in balance, and if we could detach
ourselves from nature and look upon it from some distant realm,
we could say, with just consideration of impersonal, non-guided
influence that all this HAD to be?
Although
comprehensible, what folly it is to think that Nature with the
intricate solar systems, with the complex instincts of a homing
pigeon, with the wondrous power in a seed of grain, -- that
all this -- should be pulled down to the level of man's understanding
and intelligence! -- How foolish to believe in an original creation
with heaven and earth static, forever unchanging!
Rather,
Nature is in a perpetual state of change, nothing is immutable;
a cyclical pattern guides everything, from birth to death to
rebirth, giving rise to new forms. What we see is constant,
unending creation; the universe is mounding itself towards some
distant DESTINY which is being determined by its present and
past character. Our own brief life-span fails to reveal to us
where this never ending creation might lead.
[Page 2]
THE
ODINIST MOVEMENT is governed by THE ODINIST COUNCIL
consisting at the present time of members from Canada
and the United States. A steering committee of four
members was elected at a meeting held June 27th, 1971.
There
is no general membership and therefore no membership
fee, -- but we expect that every person who agrees with
our ideas and the scope of our undertaking will realize,
that sacrifices of time, effort money will be necessary
in order to further our purpose.
* * *
THE
ODINIST is published by the Odinist Movement and will
appear at regular intervals. The price is 30 cents per
copy or 4 copies for one dollar. A sample copy will
be sent free of charge on request.
Cheques
and money orders should be made payable to:
THE ODINIST, P.O. Box 731,
Adelaide st., Toronto 210,
Ontario, Canada.
|
Creation
Because
of Western man's compulsion to answer the questions his mind
puts to his brain, the perplexity of the quest for truth and
reality has given rise to all sorts of superstitions, self-delusions
and gullible acceptance of "religious" interpretations.
However, even though old patterns of belief still persist, there
is today a worldwide disenchantment with the existing religious
beliefs, partly because of the revelations of modern science,
partly because skepticism, doubt and outright apathy have set
in.
A
spiritual vacuum has thus developed and to secure Western man's
intellectual sanity and emotional tranquility it must be filled
with a religious concept in concord with Reality and the Eternal
Order, -- the religion of ODINISM.
A QUESTION WAS RAISED
At
the Fall Equinox Gathering in the Toronto area a hypothetical
question was asked: "Should or shouldn't you pay interest
on a loan extended to you by a friend?"
The
idea that money can create money is alien to Western man's original
concepts. -- Money was -- and should be - used only as a means
of exchange to facilitate barter (i.e. a pig for a piece of
furniture!). Interest should therefore not be paid between kinsmen;
it should not be demanded and not offered. [Editor's Note: please
see footnote 1 in update reference section below]
However,
since we are living in the monetary credit system, we can envisage
a situation where your friend has $1000.00 he would be willing
to lend you, but he cannot afford to do it "for free".
In that case it of course would be better to pay interest to
your friend than to a bank or finance company.
Ideally
though, interest should not be paid.
Quite
another situation arises if a friend is doing some work for
you -- painting your house or whatever. If he gives you his
services, you should either pay him for his work or render him
equivalent services.
It should maybe be acknowledged that in some areas the hourly
pay demanded by some unions is too high in comparison with the
wages of the average worker. On the other hand, if your friend
is giving you the benefit of his skill, he should be paid according
to what he (not his company) would have obtained at his place
of work.
In
closing, the Odinist viewpoint is that money should only be
a means of exchange and is in itself of no value. Only a man's
skill and labour can create anything of value.
"Pagans
are all those who say Yes to Life to whom `God' is the
word for the great Yes to all things."
-- Friedrich Nietzsche.
|
The Beginning of Art
When
you watch today the way in which our political and spiritual
leaders monkey around, it is not hard to believe that man descended
from the apes!
However,
let us for a moment consider man's early ancestors. For car
purpose here it is unnecessary to go further back in time than
about a hundred thousand years. At that time large areas of
Europe and around the Mediterranean were inhabited by the Neanderthalers.
They have been pictured as squat, dim-witted brutes, little
better than walking apes. Yet it is known, (but not generally
acknowledged) that they used a number of tools, had control
over fire, and were excellent hunters;they lived in communities,
had developed a language, they buried their dead, and had thoughts
about the hereafter.
About
35,000 years ago it seems that these early human beings were
replaced, how and why we don't know with the direct ancestors
of modern Western man: The Cro-Magnons. Because of a strange
tendency among many learned men of recent years to repudiate
the accomplishments of our early ancestors,these ancient fore-fathers
of our peoples have also been portrayed as creatures without
dignity, snarling, halfway between man and beast and tearing
chunks of meat off a carcass.
This
is still the way many people think of early man, but it is a
picture which is far from correct. The Cro-Magnons came from
the Eastern continent; they already then (35,000 years ago)
looked almost identical to modern man, they were strong, intelligent,
had all kinds of weapons such as spears, slings, knives, --
they trapped animals and had acquired a level of culture they
could be justly proud of.
The
archaeologists have excavated over a hundred caves which clearly
show that the Cro-Magnons indeed achieved a level of culture
much more advanced than the Neanderthalers; they were technically
better equipped, they built dwellings insulated with skins and
moss, but more remarkable is that their culture had time and
vitality to produce the earliest known art. They have left us
a legacy of cave-paintings, sculpture and engravings which can
be rated amongst the greatest artistic achievements of mankind.
Most
likely it was not entirely art for art's sake. The paintings
are almost all of animals and undoubtedly of magical significance.
The intent might have been to gain power over or ensure the
fertility of the animals who were needed for food and clothing,
or to transmit some of their properties such as power and agility
onto the hunters.
It
should not be overlooked, however, that next to the instinct
of self-preservation and procreation inborn in Western man,
is the desire to create. The Cro-Magnons are, as far as we know,
our very early ancestors, and from the beauty and elegance which
the murals display, it is obvious the artists derived deep satisfaction
from their skillful illustrations.
The
most famous caves are at Altamira in Spain and Lascaux in France
and the Greatest number of caves have been found in those two
countries, but also in Austria, Italy, and elsewhere in Europe
the Cro-Magnons have left their magnificent works of art. The
paintings are mainly of bison, horses, wolves, reindeer lions,
all done with bold, dramatic outlines, in soft colours ranging
from yellow and ochre to brown and black. The animals are usually
presented with realistic elegance and spirited composition:
Galloping horses with fluffy manes, the slender forms of leaping
deer, massive, majestic bison with lashing tails, all pictured
with keen observance of characteristic features. Contrary, in
all cases where man himself has been portrayed, it is done perfunctory
with willed nonchalance, obviously not because the artists suddenly
had lost the skill of observing and depicting the characteristics
of man but most likely, because his religious beliefs were such
that he was not allowed to more than indicate man's presence.
[page 3]
ART
A
great length of time has elapsed since man emerged from the
unknown past, and we are as yet not able to penetrate into the
How's and Why's of our early ancestors; one thing is perfectly
clear though, that we can be justly proud of the achievements
of our Cro-Magnon forefathers.
Religious Attitudes
The language that linked the early Indo-European
peoples to one another was not the only distinctive feature
they had in common. All of these people -- Celts, Indians, Teutons,
Greeks as well as Slavs and Baltics had similar feelings for
law and justice, and their attitude towards religion was of
the same characteristic pattern, spiritually distinct from those
people of other backgrounds.
When
identifying this characteristic pattern of behaviour towards
the Divine, this spiritual attitude of Western man, we must
bear in mind that our sources of information are inadequate
and incomplete. To gain knowledge about our ancestors we must
go to writings which we know are from a late period in the development
of their culture, at a time that was already influenced by strange
ideas.
Our
ancestors have always been presented to us as crude barbarians
with no moral standards -- as pagans with a religion which was
at best, slightly ridiculous, at worst, vicious and cruel.
This
is far from the truth. -- Among the Indo-European peoples God
again and again is regarded as Reality, ruling through world
phenomena, and has been equated with Natural Law and Reason.
In
Western man's original religious belief there was a coming together,
almost a union, of God and Man, and Western man was taught that
every man was a child of the powers of God, and that every man
therefore was of divine origin, with a divine mission according
to his power and perception. - But man was also warned. that
human intelligence and comprehension had their limits -- therefore
the admonition: "For with the Gods -- Shall no man measure
himself".
Our
Indo-European ancestors believed the world to be a succession
of world origins and world endings, in repeated Twilight of
the Gods and in Renewal of the world, as it is described in
Voluspa of the Edda. To Western man the world was a timeless
order within which Gods as well as men had their time, their
place and their office.
Western
man's religiosity was never rooted in any kind of fear; the
Christian "Fear of the Lord" is a foreign concept,
as is the idea that the world was created as a finished product.
Neither did Western man originally see himself as a slave under
an all-powerful God. No religious belief that takes anything
away from man to make him appear smaller before a deity who
has become all-powerful and oppressive is of Indo-European origin.
The
religiosity of Western man was originally of this world. In
his eyes, Gods and men were not incomparable beings, remote
from one another, -- on the contrary, our forefathers felt a
kinship existed between Gods and men, and they looked at the
world more as a community, comprising of the high-minded and
morally acting men and the Gods. This belief in a kinship between
Gods and men rested on the view that God and men were bound
through the same values -- through Truth, Reality and Courage.
Because
Western man felt so close to his Gods and believed that he himself
could partake in the Divine perhaps he had a tendency to be
a little self presumptuous, and the early thinkers and philosophers
cautioned him to keep to his ordained position in the timeless
order of the world. It is the Indo-European destiny to stand
proudly, with self-confidence and resolution, but always aware
of his own limitations, face to face with the boundlessness
of the Gods.
* * * * * * * *
Odinist Thoughts
by Rod.
What
is the difference between a man and an animal? There is only
one; a man can think in abstract terms, an animal can not.
The
closest an animal can come to organizing a civilization is to
run in packs or herds.All human civilizations, that are or have
ever been are direct products of abstract thought. Laws, order,
technical and medical progress, moral behaviour towards others,
these are all a substitution of animal instincts with human
reasoning.
And
there is one other. No animal ever wondered where he came from,
why he is here, and where he will ultimately end. The contemplation
of these three abstract questions is done solely by man. These
three basic questions are instinctively in the minds of all
humans. All religions, that are or have ever been are founded
on an attempt to explain them.
Those
people who find answers have a purpose in life and a meaning
to their existence. For man is basically an abstract being,
he must have a sense of destiny to make his life complete.
On
a speeding train, the only creatures that do not know or care
why they are there and where they are headed, are found in the
cattle car.
Animal
goals will not sustain a human being for very long. Such a person
soon degenerates, and out of sheer boredom, loses his desire
to exist, for he instinctively senses that some greatness, some
reason for being, is missing.
How
fortunate are we who have found our cultural identity, our place
in the universe.To us life is indeed wonderful and worth fighting
for.
Go put your creed
Into your deed,
Nor speak with double tongue.
-- Emerson.
|
THE WORKS OF THE VIKINGS IN IRELAND
by Willy.
When
we consider the Viking raids on Ireland, which took place mainly
in the ninth and tenth centuries, much has been told about the
devastating results of the pagan attackers.
It
is, however, an established fact that most of the reports about
the Viking raiders have been written by Christian churchmen,
who were hostile because the attacks fell heavily on the monastic
cities. These attacks were not for religious reasons, but because
of the churches' riches in gold and silver, and because they
were also centers of trade, schools, and wealth in general.
In
the pre-Viking period chieftains from the various provinces
retained armies to protect themselves and to war against each
other. The chieftains did not do much to enforce civil law,
and social life was governed mostly by tradition.
Social
unrest and religious rivalry therefore made it easier for the
Vikings to loot freely for many years, until the kings banded
together in an effort to restrain the Norse invasion and unite
Ireland.
Not
all the Vikings came just to plunder, they also came as settlers
and established settlements in many places on the Ireland. They
had a great effect on many areas of Irish life, such as laws
and government, literature and art.
The
Norse settlements were by the end of the tenth century well
established and the Vikings were intermarrying with the Irish,
Norse words were absorbed into the Irish language, and at that
time the settler in many ways helped to set a better standard
of living for the Irish people.
Man is the only animal
That blushes.
Or needs to.
-- Mark Twain.
|
[Page 6]
MORALITY
In
this short essay I want to deal with the religion and philosophy
of Odinism in its moral attitude, contrasting it to some extent
with other religions. In particular I would like to assert and
argue for the superiority of Odinism because of its "humanistic"
approach to the "existential" realities of human life.
When I say humanistic, I mean an attitude to human life which
emphasizes the ability for individuals to find self-fulfillment
through exploring human values. By existential, I mean an attitude
towards human values which focuses on reality as subjectively
perceived and experienced by human beings.
I
believe that the spiritual objective of Odinism is to help the
individual to achieve a meaningful life through a reconciliation
of his awareness with the actualities of existence, and an acceptance
of human nature as we know it. Therefore I say that Odinism
is both humanistic and existential. I shall begin my treatise
be contrasting 0dinism with a basically anti-humanistic religion
with which most of us are familiar, namely Christianity.
Christianity
has basically two objectives: The first is the "salvation"
of man from the sinful condition in which he has been since
the Fall of Adam so that he may attain heaven where God's will
is carried our perfectly; the second is to create a condition
as close to that of heaven as possible (though this state is
not likely to be achieved). From these objectives it is clear
that Christianity does not have a high esteem for "this
World" or human nature. The idyllic state of heaven is
seen as a "Beyond" in comparison to which this world
is totally worthless and evil. From the outset Christianity
is a rejection of human life and values as they occur naturally.
Christianity is by definition anti-humanistic and Christian
morality is non-existential.
The
central attitude of Christian theology to human nature is summed
up in the concept of "original sin" a state into which
man fell with the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of
Eden. According to this concept every man is inherently evil.
Furthermore, Christ himself said that such motives as hate,
lust greed and pride were mortal sins, and that even the thought
of them was sufficient to damn a man to hell. Of course every
person has such feelings occasionally and is therefore in a
constant state of sin from which he is in need of salvation.
The greatest contribution Christianity has made to man is to
burden him constantly with a sense of guilt and shame. I cannot
understand why a supposedly omniscient god like Yahweh would
allow his creation, man, to fall into such a state if his love
was so great that he subsequently had to "sacrifice his
only begotten Son" in order to save him. This rather capricious
behavior does not inspire my confidence in Yahweh. Nevertheless
through the centuries Churchmen have managed to convince men
that they were in sin, and that only they, the priests, could
get them back into Divine Grace; in the process they made the
Church the richest and most powerful institution in Western
civilization. No wonder Karl Marx insisted that "religion
is the opiate of the proletariat"!
One
objective of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation was to
put an end to the blatant and cynical corruption of the Church
of Rome. This they managed to do in their own churches and to
an extent in the Roman Church as well: Unfortunately they advocated
a return to the pure theology of Christ and the early Church.
This meant a return to the anti-humanistic emphasis of Christianity
which had begun to mitigate somewhat during the Renaissance.
Nevertheless since the Renaissance growing numbers of people
have rejected the anti-humanism of the churches. In response
to this the churches have attempted "liberalization",
but ironically while many still drift away because the churches
have not moved fast enough for them, others of a fundamentalist
or orthodox point of view condemn the churches for their degeneracy.
[Page 6]
But
we have little cause to rejoice in the decline of the Church
,when we consider the new "secular religions", Marxist-socialism
and liberal-humanitarianism, which seem to be replacing it.
These people occasionally claim to be humanistic and existential
because they take especially rosy view of human nature. All
destructive human behavior, they insist, is the operation of
theocracy, feudalism, and capitalism on the mass of mankind.
Marxists have labeled the process "dialectic materialism".
If the old order is swept away, they say, human society will
be free to enter an idyllic state where men will live in harmony
and contentment. Plenty of old orders have been swept away at
various times in history and we do not seem to have gotten any
closer to paradise in the area of morality. Just like the priests,
the self-proclaimed revolutionary leaders say we must only submit
to their dictates to achieve heaven -- perhaps it is cynical,
but I would rather not submit to their dictates.
I
cannot accept either that man is essentially evil, or that he
is essentially good. Human nature that is, human instincts are
an existential fact which is beyond good or evil. You will say,
of course, that some human behavior is obviously bad. But do
not confuse cause and effect: Behavior is
merely an effect -- instinct is the cause. Hate, greed, lust,
pride, and such motives can certainly promote bad behavior,
but at the same time we should recognize that they are the most
exuberant forms of human motivation. -- All the greatest and
best, as well as the worst things that man has done, have been
done in high exuberance. Through all the ages despite material
progress and increasing complexity of civilization, there has
been a basic continuity of human nature: Why can we not accept
ourselves the way we are? We are not perfect, but we cannot
change part of ourselves without effecting the whole, and if
we do this we cease to be human beings and become some other
kind of creatures. Furthermore I say this: That individual fulfillment
is achieved the satisfaction of that person's deep-felt instinctual
needs --- this is the ultimate purpose of life. Christianity,
Buddhism, and other religions or philosophies which insist that
the way to satisfaction is through the denial of desires, are
anti-life because it is only in death that we extinguish desires.
--Let those who really want suicide do it.
The
corollary to the individual's purpose of life which I have stated
is that the purpose of society is to help the individual achieve
his fulfillment. However this raises the age-old problem that
the individual in pursuing his own ends is likely to hinder
others in the pursuit of theirs. All moral issues are based
essentially on this problem. It is a real problem to be sure,
and perhaps no final solution can be found but there are partial
solutions and they are of two main types.
In
every society with a degree of culture or civilization the individual
must strike a "social contract" with society. Simply
stated this contract obligates the individual to restrict his
behavior likely to be harmful to others, in return for the reciprocal
obligation from them. In the best-ordered societies the contract
is observed voluntarily by the vast majority of people, however,
society must be able to enforce this contract against reluctant
exceptions. Unfortunately it is very difficult to define just
what behavior is 1ikely to be harmful, or whether, perhaps a
tiny bit of harm is permissible is it brings much satisfaction
to the individual. Socialism and other utopian schemes weigh
the balance so far against the individual that they defeat the
purpose of society which, as I said is to serve individuals.
Many
religious and philosophical, and also sociological moral schemes
have been built upon a mystification of the simple, rational
idea of social contract; this is because a second check on human
behavior :is often overlooked. The ideal is often advanced that
human nature without the moral prescriptions of religions like
Christianity, would be completely selfish. However, this
[Page 8]
is not precisely true. When a man senses that
his own being, the very essence of his spiritual existence,
is inextricably bound with that of some group --- his family,
friends, racial-cultural group, nation -- he may quite naturally
"sacrifice" even his life for those people. This is
what I call "projected self-interest"; it is a sense
of common being or community with certain others. Some people
might call it love but this is too difficult a word to use with
accurate meaning in English. Projected self-interest is instinctive,
unlike social contract which is rational. The "catch"
to this principle is that it works outward concentrically from
the individual, with weakening force from closely related groups
through more distant groups. We may notice apparent exceptions
to this rule, but we should be suspicious of people who seem
to put the interests of remote groups ahead of those to whom
they are related by blood and tradition. This sort of behavior
is an intellectual perversion which I call "socio-masochism".
As is the case with most forms of masochism, socio-masochism
is probably a guilt obsession, fostered in this case by a lingering
Christian influence. The syndrome is common among liberal humanitarians.
I
suggest to you that both social contract and projected self-interest
are necessary for the functioning of anything more than the
most primitive societies. Now I can get down to Odinist morality
at last. -- Any Odinist community ought to go to great lengths
to imbue the minds of its members with the idea of social contract
in the interests of a well-ordered society. But Odinism is humanistic
and therefore focuses on human values; human values are derived
by individuals from their subjective, intuitive, largely non-rational
perception of instinctive motivations. Reasons can effect human
values indirectly. Because of this, Odinism recognizes projected
self-interest as the most reliable constraint on human behavior.
The implications of this on Odinist social theories are extensive
and can not be dealt with in so short an essay as this. It is
sufficient to say that Odinists advocate social groupings where
projected self-interest can arise and function most spontaneously.
This might imply a limitation of pluralistic trends of today's
world.
Now
is the time to come briefly to a conclusion and recapitulation.
The spiritual attitude of the Odinist accepts the supremacy
of human values as derived from human instincts. It also accepts
that the purpose of every individual's life is the fulfillment
of motives which are part of his human nature. Instinct is neither
good nor evil in itself, it is merely a fundamental reality
of life. The Indo-European gods, Odin, Woden, Tiwas, Jupiter,
Dyeus and the rest, had superhuman and supernatural powers but
very human values and motives. Odinism, as should now be clear,
does not see man as needing salvation from anything, certainly
not from himself. -- Make no mistake, however, that Odinism
is a haven for those who seek moral license, or who preach the
virtues of selfishness: Odinist morality is based both on the
teaching of the rational concept of social contract and fostering
the conditions where the instinctive principle of projected
self-interest can function to best effect.
I
am sure that what I have said here will seem quite revolutionary
to some readers and that some of my arguments will not seem
sufficient to them. My purpose will be adequately served if
a few are roused to some thought and enough interest to read
a little of what other Odinists and myself will have to say
in future writings.
For my thoughts
Are not your thoughts,
Neither are your ways
My ways.
-- Isaiah
LV,8.
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[Page 9]
THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE AHEAD
As
we stand on the threshold of a new decade, enormous possibilities
loom in the horizon. If we are to playa decisive role in shaping
contemporary events into a healthier society, Odinists must
be prepared to participate actively in changes to the present
system.
Chronic
social, political and economic disorder have emerged from a
system that finds itself more and more incapable of coping with
the problems it has created. These conditions have evolved after
years of weak, irresponsible political and spiritual leadership,
and cannot be put right without hard work and radical changes.
Odinists
should not concern themselves with preserving the status quo
or in reforming the present system; patching up will only delay
the unavoidable, not prevent it. The permissive, materialistic
values of the old order are totally incompatible with the values
of a resurgent new world, to be built on the foundation of Odinism.
The
task of Odinists therefore is not one of conserving the old
order but rather diligently making sure that the coming years
will not be a repetition of the past decade of decadence; but
rather years, where the rot and decay have been flushed out
to make room for a new purpose in life for Western man.
Such
drastic changes are not brought about be"silent majorities"
or "violent minorities" -- they are made by determined
activists. Only a movement that is based on Odinist principles
will be relative to the emotional "needs of our people,
and form the nucleus of the approaching spiritual revolution.
The preservation of
health
is a duty. Few seem conscious
that there is such a thing
as physical morality.
-- Herbert Spencer.
|
Your Gard in God
Every
child is born into a set of circumstances for which he is not
responsible: The neighborhood, the social situation, the size
of the family etc.
There
is also another set of circumstances for which the newborn baby
cannot be held liable: Every child is born with certain intellectual
characteristics, inherited from a long row of ancestors.
Later,
when the child grows up and. becomes independent, it is possible
for him to change the first set of circumstances. Granted, in
all too many cases it is difficult to break away from family
ties, or from the economic milieu, but it can be done.
Likewise,
you can change your nationality,or your religion; with the aid
of technology you can change the colour of your hair, or the
shape of your nose; what you cannot change, however, is your
psychological faculties, you cannot alter your mental make-up.
Every
person is born into unique circumstances and therefore occupies
one small unique space in the principal part of the whole. Each
one of us is but a tiny cog in the big wheel of the entire universe.
Hence it becomes man's duty to be responsible for this particular
little space, which is his; it is his obligation to make sure
that this particular little cog is working for the common good.
Each person is accountable for his part of the whole.
Our
forefathers called this their Gard in God, ,their station in
life, and they were happy to fulfill. their responsibilities
to the family, to the kinsfolk, to society and to the coming
generations. They were fully aware that man could neglect his
Gard only at his own peril, but they also knew that if man was
true to his Gard, he would enter into a fellowship with God
and the Universe and live a complete and holy life.
All that is in tune
with thee,
O Universe,
Is in tune with me!
-- Marcus Aurelius.
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[Page 10]
Winter Solstice
In
Matthew 2.1-2 is written: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem
••• there came wise men from the east saying,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
Most
Christians accept Dec. 25.as the date on which to celebrate
the birth of the King of the Jews. It is however abundantly
clear, that if ever the Christ child was born, it was decidedly
not on that particular date.
The
idea of celebrating X-was at that time was instituted in the
fourth century, because it was obvious to the Church in Rome,
that the pagan celebrations in honour of the returning Sun were
so deep-seated in the people that it was impossible to forbid
the festivities and merry making, marking this important celestial
phenomenon.
Adopting
the attitude that "if you cannot beat them, joint them",
the Church decided to give their own interpretations to the
celebrations and thus it came to pass that X-mas superseded
the Winter Solstice Celebrations of many pagan religions. The
discrepancy in the dates on which it is celebrated is caused
by the inaccuracy of the calendars adopted by the various countries.
Odinists consider Dec. 21. The First Day of Winter, as the day
of Winter Solstice, to be celebrated on the Saturday closest
to the actual date
Odinists
will not mark Winter Solstice with a commercial display of gifts,
neither will they be "boozing it up". The day will
be marked with a gathering of friends where, in a dignified
manner, homage will be paid to the Gods of our forefathers and
allegiance to our Odinist heritage be renewed.
When
you go to the Fall Equinox Gathering there is a note of sadness
- Fall, with her beautiful colours and clear skies is nevertheless
giving you notice that all too soon the flowers will wither,
the leaves drop, the birds will go South and the cold weather
come --- snow will cover the ground.
But
when you are celebrating Window Solstice you are again happy
and optimistic, for this is a joyful occasion. Although you
know that the Frost Giants will still be here for some time,
the Sun is coming back. At Winter Solstice the Sun is at her
lowest, from now on -- "The Queen of the Sky" will
slowly gain power and before long Nature will be stretching
and yawning, trying to wake up, -- and the warm rays of sunshine
will chase away the cold.
Yes,
this is the promise of Winter Solstice that Nature has ended
her cycle and will begin all over again -- a new year with new
growth, new life, new possibilities. This is the time for planning
ahead, for making decisions -- and this is the time when again
We invoke the Wisdom of Odin,
But even more
We call on the Strength
Of Thor
Man
cannot get along without faith, and the highest ornament
of any great civilization is the ethical system by which
it lives. The strength of any such system lies in its
ability to continue to serve as a moral force while
adjusting itself to changes in man's knowledge about
the universe and his place in it.
(F.
Clark Howell in Early
Man)
Action, to be effective,
must be within
a spiritual framework.
Yockey
People will not look forward
To posterity,
Who never look backward
To their ancestors.
Edmund Burke
The inner Future of the West
contains many
necessary developments
such as the Rebirth of Religion.
Yockey
Everything decisive comes to life in spite of every
obstacle.
Nietzsche
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2
at
the Battle of Cowpens, S. Carolina, 1781