|
 Odinists
do not agree with all views expressed by Yockey in his book
IMPERIUM but, to be sure, we concur with a substantial part
of what he has written, particularly in the first part or the
book, and although Yockey by no means can be called an Odinist,
he in fact put into words many thoughts on which, in our opinion,
the moral as well as the political ideology of the Future will
have to be based.
In
IMPERIUM he rebukes the Materialists and other liberals of past
years for thinking that if they close their eyes to the Spirit
of the Coming Age, it'll go away.
Of
course these 'Progress ideologists' as he calls them, took it
as an extreme insult when it was suggested that their particular
'Faith,' like all previous world-picture a merely was the expression
of a particular soul of a certain Age, -- that it therefore
had a life-span and thus was destined to pass away.
Still
worse was that the 20th century outlook on History was formulated
in such a strict factual way as to be compelling to the 20th
century mind. This meant that catchwords had to be employed
against it.
It
would be a mistake to put this down to malice of the 'Progress'
religionists. No age submits quietly to the Spirit of the Coming
Age. The witchcraft religionists certainly did not agree with
the first materialists who denied the very existence of witches.
The
conflict between the Established and the Becoming goes on continually,
and the Becoming always prevails. It does so not because it
is true and the Establishment false, but because both are the
life-stages of an organism, a Culture. -- Truth and falsehood
have as little to do with this process as they have with the
transformation of a boy into a youth, the youth into a man.
Materialism,
Rationalism, 'Progress' are all worn out, but the historical
attitude of the 20th century is full of vigor and promise, eagerness
to set itself to its great factual tasks, to create its great
deeds. This organic necessity alone gives it its compelling
quality.
History
discloses seven preceding High Cultures. Their gestation-periods
were of identical form, as were their birth-pangs, their first
life-activities, their growth, their mature stages, their great
civilization-crisis, the gradual coming to each of a time when
one had to say that they were no longer. This realization gives
extreme pain to the 'Pessimism' wailers, but there is no remedy.
-- These seven Cultures are dead -- it would have been more
remarkable if they had gone on forever.
[Page 2]
Our
civilization is itself a stage of a High Culture, the Culture
of the West. Its millennium of history shows that it is an individual
organism, belonging to the Life-form of a High Culture. Can
fact-thinkers pretend that it belongs to a Life-form, but has
no Life-span? .
How
is it 'pessimism' to say that since seven High Cultures fulfilled
themselves that an eighth also will? If this is 'Pessimism,'
then anyone admitting his own mortality is inevitably a Pessimist.
To
people who live in a nameless terror of personal death naturally
the idea of the passing away of a superpersonal-soul is also
horrible and frightening; -- their valuation of life is that
the longest life is the best to this mentality a short heroic
life is sad, not inspiring. But most important about their attitudes
was that they did not understand the central Idea of the 20th
century outlook.
In
the first place, a Culture is not born nor does it die in a
few years; these processes are measured in generations and centuries.
More important, the lives of the ordinary people on the everyday
plane of life are little affected by the presence of the Culture
or the Civilization during and after its passing. It would be
unrealistic and foolish for someone now to worry about the events
of 2300, as it would have been for Frederick the Great to worry
about the conditions of 1900. He could not have imagined those
conditions and could not have planned for them, hence it would
have been nonsensical of him to dread them. We, living in the
West today have a certain task imposed upon us by the situation
and our own inner imperative. The most we can do about forming
the remote Future is to do our utmost in giving to this age
the strong and only for it demands. The generations after the
next will have its task also and the only way we can make ourselves
effective in their age will be so to conduct ourselves now,
that our deeds and example will live after us.
Task
after task remain for Western civilization. The entire spectrum
from politics to archaeology, from philosophy to the legal system,
the economy, all have to be imbued with the 20th century spirit
and above all an education must be created in the grand sense
of consciously training the coming generations in the full light
of the historic necessity of our future for the great life-task
of the Civilization.
If
pessimism is despair, optimism is just as preposterous. Is there
any need to choose between them? They are twin soul-diseases.
Between them lies realism which wants to know what is, what
must be done and how it can be done. Realism is historical
thinking as well as political thinking. Realism does not approach
the world with a preconceived principle to which things ought
to submit -- it is this prime stupidity which begets both pessimism
and optimism.
Fear
of death does not prevent the hero from doing what has to be
done. In year 1836 the small group of Americans in the Alamo
did not allow the obvious hopelessness of the situation to affect
their personal conduct -- every man chose to fight on rather
than surrender; they thought rather of what was left to do than
of the ultimate annihilation. The 20th century has this heroic
attitude once more; it thinks of its task and not of the ultimate
end of all life in Death. It wants to live Life effectively,
not cringe before Death.
The
Materialists and Liberals talk of a 'return' to better conditions.
The new spirit commands: Forward to our greatest Age. This Age
and its Spirit would not shrink from entering upon its task
of building the Empire of the West, even if it were told it
would never succeed, because the outer forces were too strong.
It prefers to die on its feet rather than live on its knees.
The
great ethical imperative of this Age is individual truth-to-self,
both for the civilization and its leading personalities. To
this imperative an unfavorable situation could never bring about
an adaptation of one's self to the demands of an outsider, merely
in order to live in slavish peace one asserts oneself determined
on personal victory against whatever odds exist. The promise
of success is with the man who is determined to die proudly,
if it is no longer possible to live proudly.
* * *
| "It is
clear
that thought is not free,
if the profession of certain opinions
makes it impossible
to earn a living."
Bertrand Russell |
[Page 3]
PERKUNAS
We
often speak as if the Vikings were the only ancestors worth
talking about; the fact that our religious philosophy is named
after the Scandinavian God ODIN (English: Woden; German: Wotan)
is, of course indicative of our close relationship with Northern
Europe and the Norse Gods.
This
is not because we in any way want to exclude any Western nation
on this or the other side of the invented Iron Curtain; when
we bypass the mythology or other creative manifestations of
branches of Indo-European peoples it is entirely due to ignorance
on our part. Most of the literature about the cultural heritage
of, for example, the Baltic and other Slavic nations, is written
in the native tongue of these countries, -- languages we unfortunately
do not master.
Odin,
as we have often said, was the All-Father of Gods and men in
Northern Europe. But in the beginning of the world before the
time of Odin, the North has a sky-god called Tiew. Among our
early ancestors, the sky-god represented the male aspect of
nature; in the Spring at the time of the early rains and the
worst thunder, he was wedded to Mother Earth, thus bringing
to mankind, animals and all living things the yearly rebirth
of nature, ensuring food supplies in abundance, meaning, of
course, life itself. The sky-god, therefore, was also worshipped
as the god of fecundity as well as god for rain and thunder.
In
the mythology of the Baltic lands the sky-god was called Dievas,
clearly the same god as the Norse Tiew; he had the same functions
and was worshipped in the same fashion; in the language of those
countries 'dievas' meant both 'God' and 'sky', showing how closely
connected the two were in the minds of the people.
In
the North, the god next to Odin in importance was Thor, the
son of Odin, he was the god of thunder and the owner of the
hammer Miollnir. In Eastern Europe a merger seems to have taken
place; the god of Thunder, Perkunas, retained the qualities
of a sky-god, at the same time taking over the attributes and
functions which in the North were assigned to Thor.
Perkunas
is therefore almost, but not quite, identical to Thor, or rather
vice verse, for Perkunas undoubtedly dates further back than
the Norse Thor. However that the two gods spring from the same
pagan beliefs is obvious. Perkunas owns a mighty hammer (or
axe) that comes back to him whenever or wherever he throws it,
he travels, noisily, over the skies in a wagon, drawn by goats;
he is tremendously strong and always fights evil -- helping
mankind against the demons (Thor constantly fights the Giants);
he is impatient and impulsive but also good-humoured and fair.
Perkunas is one of the oldest of Eastern Europe's known gods,
reverenced all over the Baltics, in Poland, the Ukraine, and
probably also in White Russia.
Whereas
in the North first Tiew and later Odin, was the main godhead,
and Thor second in importance, in the East Perkunas was the
main God. He strikes all bad men and combats all harmful spirits
and was therefore worshipped also as protector; his hammer (axe)
became a holy symbol, probably going back as far as to the Battle-axe
people who lived almost five thousand years ago in the area
north of the Black Sea (see THE ODINIST, no. 3). Among those
ancient peoples were found axes, decorated with ornamental designs
and sacred symbols, obviously being used more as amulets than
as weapons. In the North amulets in the form of Thor's hammer
were worn as protection against dangers on land and sea; and
in Eastern Europe the likeness of Perkunas' axe was carried
around the neck, placed over the entrance to the home and elsewhere
as protection against evil spirits.
The
hammer thus has been a Holy Symbol for thousands of years, believed
by our forefathers to protect them against all kinds of evil.
Many rituals also include the wielding of an axe or a hammer.
In
all Indo-European countries tall trees were venerated, but especially
the oak trees were considered sacred, maybe because they were
older than any man's memory and therefore believed to have existed
since the beginning of time. In some places a holy fire could
only be lit from oak wood.
Thor
and Perkunas were both worshipped particularly in oak groves.
Hammerbacher has described in his book DIE DONAR EICHE how the
people of Germany consecrated big oak trees to Donar (Thor)
and in the Baltics many stories were told about how the people
went to worship and make sacrifices at huge oak trees which
they believed to be the home of powerful Perkunas.
[Page 4]
The
names of the gods may thus be different, but the sentiments
behind the religious beliefs and the general attitude to many
problems facing our ancestors of old were were the same from
whichever branch of the Indo-European peoples we derive.
The
borders separating us are therefore artificial and of no cultural
importance; we have the same ancestral heritage,we are influenced
by the same feelings and emotions and compelled by the same
imperatives.
* * *
THE INDIVIDUAL
Where is he?
One
reason why government has taken over the role of a providing
father whose primary concern is to protect immature children,
is the transition of individualism to the movement of masses,
as can clearly be seen in the United States. -- This was brought
about by change in the circumstances that make up life. America
was founded by individuals. Rugged individualism was long the
leitmotif of the young nation. Those who could not cope for
themselves on the harsh frontiers, were simply weeded out. Selection
of the fittest never was applied so appropriately. And it is
through the survivors of these fit individuals that America
became a great nation. However, in his industrious habits to
fulfill what came to be known as the American Dream, all this
changed. To the almost insane drive for achievement, for which
the vastness of the continent itself gave the impetus; another,
perhaps even more important factor, was added: breeding.
To
fulfill the grand dream, workers were needed and imported. These,
either slaves or serfs from other nations, were not of the individualistic
type that seeks to go and stand alone. They were of the "mass"
type. They bred massively and in time moved in masses, physically
and politically, since their strength lay not in themselves
but in numbers. The individual, the lone genius type who had
built the nation, the man of breeding, was not only outbred
but displaced as a leader. Mass movements of the servile type
need a different type of leadership, and industrial finance
which rapidly changed the land from an agricultural to a commercial
enterprise, turned landed aristocrats into captains of industry
and finance. The "gentleman" type, whether on a Southern
plantation or in one of New England's literary groups who by
their living example had founded a culture, were replaced by
the magnets of industry and finance, forming an aristocracy
of Money at the top opposite the masses. Thus we have the two
forces that control public life: a leadership whose values of
life are defined in material terms, whose purpose of life is
continuous growth of financial gain, on the one side; on the
other their manipulated "following" masses together
for the same purpose and themselves manipulating their political
and social functions toward that end. The mediator is government
whose sole purpose appears to be to somehow regulate the "economic
well-being" of the nation, yet itself being an instrument
of the powers of the corporate state within the state.
Through
these developments a net of circumstances holds the individual
enmeshed to an extent where all his movements are curtailed
as within prison walls. There is little room for individualism,
except for the most courageous or the most irresponsible. The
former will still find a way to go alone and stand of their
own feet. The latter become part of the masses, being taken
care of by one of Father Government's agencies.
This,
of course, holds true not only of the economic-political structure
but the cultural as well. The money being where the masses are
and their taste, or rather non-taste, being the deciding factor,
what was at one time a sphere of culture has become a sphere
of cheap entertainment, falling and falling and long last in
morass and filth. What little is left of cultural value stems
from traditional sources, has a hard struggle to survive and
is fast disappearing. Have you noticed, for instance, that classical
music on the air is becoming as rarified as air in a vacuum?
Helgar.
* * *
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[Page 5]
RELIGION & CULTURE
Recently
a discussion was held about religion and culture and the relationship
between these two concepts.
As
we begin to discuss those two complex topics we must first ask:
What is religion? - Not until we have the answer to this fundamental
question can we go any further. -- To us religion means the
inter-relationship between the following 1) What is the purpose
of life? 2} Does 'God' exist only in the imagination, or do
we accept 'God' as a supra-natural Higher Being? 3) Are there
certain truths we can acknowledge as valid at all times?
All
these issues belong together and give us a total intellectual
understanding of our concept of religion. When the Culture-Creators
of a folk group have accepted the answers to these questions,
the various other layers of the people will, through these spiritual
and religious experiences, gain the necessary strength for further
creativity, which will merge into what we call 'culture.'
To
make it more clear, it might be better first to explain what
in our opinion is NOT culture. Often people will say: ...but
we have a high culture, look at our cars and ships, our airplanes
and avenues, our buildings and plazas -- this is a culture!
But we do not mean all that. True scientists and artists never
called that `culture'; that is `civilization' i.e. technical
progress without any relationship to the soul of man. Genuine
culture has a spiritual aspect, or rather -- culture is the
spiritual manifestation of a folk soul.
In
all human existence there is, spiritually, internal and external
aspects of life. We speak of 'culture' progress and mean 'achievements
of civilization' such as aqueducts, sanitation, household appliances
etc. etc., but, we repeat, these things do not constitute 'culture,'
they only pertain to creature-comfort; even TV, radio and the
like are not part of culture, they clearly belong to 'civilization.'
People
talk about certain historical periods having 'more or less'
culture, but there is no such thing as more or less culture,
either a folk, a nation, a continent HAS culture, or it has
not. One speaks of medieva1 European culture, and means the
wonderful cathedrals, the beautiful castles, the walled cities.
Was that culture? Yes, it was (and still is) but we possess
it no more. Those expressions of culture belong to another era.
Did the Incas, the Mayas, the Aztecs, Indians and Egyptians
have a culture? They most certainly did. Do aboriginals have
culture? Yes, they have something akin to what we call culture.
To
explain what we mean, let us take one of the African tribes
from the 18th century, the Fulbes. They were a large tribe with
chieftains and kings, with vassals serving their overlords,
they had villages and cities, -- one could almost call them
a 'nation;' they lived in the primeval forest, on the steppes
end on the desert, partly as farmers, partly as herdsmen and
occupied large areas of West Africa in a kingdom we might compare
with a medieval European country. They consisted of two different
folk groups, but the leadership was firmly in the hands of an
upper class which racially was above the other; they did not
intermarry because they were intensely aware of the racial differences
and accepted the cultural barriers between the folk groups.
This Fulbe-community had developed separate life styles for
the two peoples and there was a marked difference with respect
to implements, ornaments, customs etc. which set them apart
from other peoples in Africa.
The
well-known explorer and ethnologist Leo Frobenius (1873-1938)
studied the archaeological finds from this African society,
compared them with others and came to the conclusion that here
was a group that possessed a spiritual and cultural style that
was unique. It became evident in his numerous later writings
that from these studies he accepted the concept that culture
is the expression of a folk soul. The Fulbes had an upper class
that set the tone and styles, developed spiritual concepts about
life and the world around them, which became commonly known
to all people in the kingdom, despite the fact that the lower
classes still lived (and died) in a jungle-like existence, believing
in demons and other superstitions; thus these two religious
outlooks existed side by side but at different levels.
When
Christianity together with other modern ideas and technology
intruded into this culturally stable community,
[Page 6]
and foreign tribes destroyed the feudal structure
of the Fulbe society, the vigour of the culture-creating stratum
languished, the old artisan culture collapsed, the social order
was shaken and the power of the ruling class broken; the Fulbe
kingdom received its deathblow.
Exactly
the same happened to the American Indian tribes when the white
man intruded with his Christian Missionaries, with intermarriages
between red and white, and so on. This tragedy can be observed
everywhere, when the original culture is overrun by other races,
either violently or by slow infiltration. The inevitable consequence
is that the culture-creative core of the society is destroyed
and before long decay sets in. Christianity especially has been
responsible for the downfall of all cultures of native people
with who it came in contact. In all societies based on the inherited
ancestral creative abilities of a leadership, the Church became
the classical agent of decay, and still is so today.
Thus
the undermining of established customs end convictions causes
the destruction of an original moral code which is part of the
culture, the spiritual impulses, founded in belief and blood
heritage are broken down, betrayed and finally destroyed.
To
wit, the Greek and Roman cultures. When Christianity first appeared
it was no more than a contemptible sect, but after it was officially
established as a religion it became the natural enemy of the
hitherto acknowledged religious belief and finally it seized
power through a massive following of slaves, immigrants, hired
hands and international traders. The 'beautiful life' of the
Greek culture,. the strict Roman customs and the morality of
the early times, the clean and modest mode of life the ruling
classes always had maintained were finished. The ancient beliefs
and the high moral standards of the citizenry were shaken up;
the body politic decayed into a world state. Classic antiquity
was over.
One
consequence of Christianity that must especially be recognized
is the break-up of tribal blood ties; when all men are one in
Jesus Christ, when there are no more "Jews or Romans, no
more slaves or freemen, no Greeks or Syrians" then there
is no barrier against mixing. Therefore the peculiarities of
each folk group are destroyed, the homogeneity of each people
is lost and the feeling of identity with the kinfolk is no more;
the people become a `population' which is the scientific term
used for a mass of beings (be it apes, rats or humans) who inhabit
a certain territory. -- And we are mighty close to this stage
now.
If
we became merely a population we are no longer an organically
moulded, homogeneous folk, we are a mass of individuals who
can be manipulated. Christianity, Communism and other subversive
movements are all vitally interested in this development because
as a result the inhabitants of certain areas can be easily manipulated
into adopting any desired 'world opinion.' The mass media such
as TV, radio and the publishing companies will take care of
the mechanics.
What
has all this to do with culture? Very little! We have arrived
at a point in history where we clearly see the writing on the
wall. The decay of our cultural heritage, the coddling of criminals
and deviates, equal rights for alien non-citizens, alcoholism
and drug addiction, permissiveness, and 'welfare' for everybody
complete the picture of the subversive forces, breaking down
the creative abilities of our people.
We
see the facts of this situation all too clearly. There is no
sense in expecting any help from governments and other bodies
of authority who permitted this to develop in the first place.
They will not even listen to the voice of the people demanding
a change. Therefore it is evident that the protest of a few
persons or a single group will do no good. These idealists will
work themselves to death, and still be completely ineffective,
no matter how noble and commendable any such action may be;
neither is anything accomplished by following the pattern set
by the political parties with their constant internal quarrels,
never reaching any positive results.
We
are still considered a 'Christian West' although nobody seems
to want to brag about it or die defending it. Or we might be
called a Pro-socialist society of the future in which the blind
majority votes cunningly will be bought, finally to establish
a terroristic dictatorship of the Red authoritarian brand. Or
we will be directed by a world government in which High Finance,
Orthodox Communism and the Christian Church all meet in fraternal
union, pulling the strings with their red, brown and white hands.
[Page 7]
Culture
is the result of the inherited tribal creative forces of a human
folk group. We have been such a group -- and we still are. We
need only two things in order to again be creative, culturally
and politically: 1) to preserve our identity -- i.e. bringing
up a new generation aware of the importance of conserving our
cultural and biological characteristics; 2) a realization of
the necessity to retain a close relationship with nature and
the ancestral soil.
Only
a religious belief in keeping with these premises and based
upon the ancient eternal beliefs of our ancestors can bring
to our people the needed strength and unconditional will-power
that will lead us to further creativity and progress.
This
objective is not aggressive, it hurts nobody, it is also just
in that it gives to everybody his own. We want only to preserve
what is ours. The land of our forefathers is our 'Holy Land.'
This we want to have and to hold; no other place is to us as
sacred.
Only
a religious belief that is derived from our own inborn characteristics
can enable us to reach these goals. A people's religion is the
foundation of its culture. If the folk group is creative, the
goals will become reality. Every aspect of life is contained
in the tribal creed, we need only to understand how deeply it
is rooted in blood and soil -- and to heed the call.
The
above is based on an article by Dr. W. Kusserow.
* * *
SAY SOMETHING
Many
people waste a lot of time talking -- without saying much. I
am here not thinking of the salesman, the politician, not even
the priest, but people in general.
Many
have a compulsion to keep yapping away, and if they cannot find
anything new to say, they will repeat what they just said. They
need to hear their own voice so that they will not be alone
with their thoughts, or they may altogether have lost the faculty
of thinking -- they are afraid of silence.
In
other cases the person who has lost the feeling of his own worth,
needs to bolster his ego with embroidered tales of his accomplishments
in sports, with the opposite sex, or whatever. He believes that
'by putting on a good show' he will impress those present and
they will think he is a big shot; he does not pay any attention
to the fact that his listeners do not seem to be interested
or care about his story, they are just waiting until they themselves
can get a word in edgewise to tell how smart they are.
People like that are not talking to each other, but
at each other.
In
trying to impress people some are falling into the habit of
ridiculing mutual 'friends,' of perniciously gossiping without
any knowledge about the real facts, or in some other way denigrating
someone; they are under the false impression that in this way
they themselves become more illustrious whereas the opposite
is really the case.
In
fact, not many people like a person of that type, and you will
find that as soon as he leaves the party, the rest of the group
promptly starts deriding him.
Havamal,
the old code of conduct, has a few things to say about that
kind of people:
"A witless man, when he meets with men,
has best in silence abide;
for no one shall find,
that nothing he knows,
if his mouth is not open too much."
"Shun not the mead, but drink in measure. Speak to the
point or be still."
"Often he speaks who never is still,
with words that win no faith;
the babbling tongue,
if a bridle it finds not,
oft for itself sings ill."
"In
mockery no one a man shall hold . . ."
"A man shall not boast of his keenness
of mind,
but keep it close to his breast,
to the silent and wise
does ill come seldom,
when he goes as guest to a house."
This
faculty of speech should be used to discuss problems, convey
thoughts, give information or other useful communication --
not for meaningless or malicious yapping along.
In
short: "If you talk, say something!"
Odinists
try to follow the advice of Havamal; we might not always succeed,
but it is wise counsel indeed and everybody should make an effort
to live by the old code of conduct.
[Page 8]
Spengler
When
Spengler wrote "The Decline of the West" he conceived
the coming of the Age of Technology. This age has come to pass
and we are experiencing its strangle-hold upon our Western soul
much in the manner envisioned by Spengler. The question of survival
or death is so prevalent that even the man whose mind is a blank
on matters of culture can feel its presence. Is the West doomed
to die?
If
our people remain as listless as they appear to be, the danger
is great indeed. But those of us who are sensitive to the light,
and watchful in the night, sense the coming of a new Age that
will usher in a New Dawn, the Age of Biology. Spengler, although
clearly differentiating between the mechanical and vital forces
of life, yet could not at the time have foreseen the tremendous
impact that biology as the Science of Life might one day have
upon the thinking of men everywhere in the world.
As
yet the picture of the West is one of complete inertia. Most
of this is due to an inner despair as the signs of the death
struggle become ever more threatening. Minds are stunned with
the enormity of the problems that crime, use of drugs, inflation
and racial tension present. The question, "What can I do?"
voices not a lack of interest in survival but a sense of futility
on the part of the one against the odds of multitudes, especially
where the death-trap manipulators and their power are well known.
There is, above all, a lack of direction out of the chaos.
But
it is only natural that in the face of this chaos, a clear pattern
of thought and action for the future will take time in forming.
There is encouraging evidence that intellectuals of our kind
are veering sharply away from the abstract theorizing of Marx
once so popular with the them. The inclination to study biology
through animal form and behavior, the necessity to consider
problems of environment, and the racial implications of social
issue in the big cities all tend to awaken warm-blooded instincts
in response. More and more the definition of life ceases to
be one of economic circumstances, whether in terms of failure
or success, but one concerned with the inner man and his relation
to nature. Books and films on nature in all its aspects are
helping to foster what has actually become a movement. The impetus
so far as we know, was probably given by that great book "Silent
Spring" by Rachel Carson.
We
have already mentioned the books by Robert Ardrey (African
Genesis, Territorial Imperative and Social
Contract). They remain unsurpassed and provide directions
to many books of similar educational value.
A
God Within was also written by a biologist, Rene Dubos.
It moves a step further in that it considers not only some pertinent
biologic patterns but the forces within these.
However,
while we feel that the Ardrey books reveal what is found to
be the truth so far as it is recognized, A
God Within is written with tongue in cheek. Hence some
points of interest to readers of THE ODINIST will be discussed
later. Nevertheless, readers are encouraged to read and ponder
the book. And of course write us, we would appreciate comments.
Helgar.
* * *
INDIVIDUALISM
Individualism
is a quality we Odinists admire; we respect the person who has
an independent mind, is capable of grasping a situation or an
idea and can decide on his own what is right or wrong, which
issues are essential and which ones are merely trivial and not
worth wasting time and effort on; we have a high regard for
the man or woman who has confidence in his or her awn capacities
and judgment and is ready to act without being told what to
do.
Together
with individualism goes responsibility -- the willingness to
take the consequences, good or bad, of made decisions -- pride
and joy, if all goes well, but also accepting liability if things
do not turn out as expected. These are the persons who form
the culture-creating stratum of a people.
Such
persons were our Viking forefathers, fiercely independent, self-reliant,
self-willed, but -- exactly because they were aware of their
own worth, they were also willing to follow a leader, when concerted
efforts became necessary. In their journeys half across the
world they did not hesitate to follow orders from their chosen
leader, even at the
[Page 9]
risk of being killed or, what was worse, captured.
They knew that in times of danger 'the democratic principle'
does not work and that wars are not won through royal commissions.
They knew that in crisis situations the leader must be obeyed;
as accomplished sailors they also knew that to reach its destination
a ship can only have ONE captain.
We
could use some of that old spirit now. Indeed, many of our kin
still have an independent mind -- when reading the papers, watching
TV or listening to somebody speaking they right away recognize
the propaganda, they observe the antics and hear the false ring
in the voices of the politicians. We are hoping that many more
will develop confidence in their own judgment and realize that
if something doesn't sound right, it is most likely because
it isn't.
At
the same time we would also wish that our kinfolk has some of
our forefathers willingness to follow one leader or rather one
leading idea. We would sincerely wish that our people could
get in to their heads that there is ONE essential goal -- that
of the continued cultural and biological existence of our folk
group, and that this goal should be the overriding theme in
all that we do.
Contrary
to the collectivistic mind -- the mass type -- that does not
know what to believe until he has been given the party line,
that intelligent individual understands the necessity of co-operation,
when the task is too big for a single person or a small group.
The
task before us is enormous, and it is time now to lay away little
preferences which in themselves may or may not have any merit;
time to forget private pet projects and to join together in
a concerted effort to regain control over our economic, intellectual
and spiritual lives.
It
will soon be the Fourth of July, the American Day of Independence;
let us here recall the words of Benjamin Franklin who, when
signing the Declaration, exclaimed: "We must indeed all
hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."
Benjamin
Franklin spoke of literally being hanged; we do not think we
run the risk at this time, but the concept of solidarity must
not be forgotten, -- solidarity among fellow members of our
folk group is an all-important issue; -- solidarity has been
an effective policy for Marxist socialists for many years; it
is about time that also we realize
the importance of this.
We
praise individualism, and rightly so; but we cannot allow ourselves
to be pigheaded and petty -- the issues on hand are too urgent.
Only persons who are unsure of their own worth, are afraid their
identity is lost if they don't constantly assert themselves
by insisting on discussing insignificant details, or are unwilling
to join forces if they don't agree down to the last dotted i.
These people forget that by splitting our folk into many small
factions we weaken our effectiveness, waste efforts that could
otherwise be put to better use and, all in all, frustrate work
done in order to reach goals they themselves proclaim they are
labouring for.
All
truly freedom-loving men who are sufficiently self-confident
and who are aware of the impending menace of collectivism and
mind control, should, when it becomes necessary, be willing
to subordinate their small personal preferences to the much
larger project we are confronted with.
Small
minds think petty thoughts; we need great minds who can grasp
the essential idea, express it in a language in keeping with
the Spirit of the Age, and unite our people in new achievements.
Let
us remember John Dickinson's words from THE LIBERTY SONG, which
was written for the Americans at the time of Independence but
certainly are valid for all our kinfolk wherever they may be,
now and in the future:
"Then join in hand brave Americans all,
By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!"
* * *
TRADITIONS
Due
to the fact that the Odinist Faith was overpowered by Christianity,
more by the sword than by friendly persuasion -- ("Think
not that I am come to send peace an Earth, I come not to send
peace but a sword," saith the Lord) we Odinists do not
have many traditions we can truly say were observed by all of
our ancestors.
Another
point that must be kept in mind is that when we speak of Odinism
as the faith of our forefathers, we have to remember that our
people comprise many tribes and folk groups, spread over vast
territories, through many centuries. The
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various peoples wandered over large land areas,
settling here and there, mingling with the local population
and with each other, all the while developing attitudes and
customs that were well established by the time Christianity
subjugated all of Europe in a reign of terror for the sake of
the ever-loving God.
Traditions
and customs therefore differed greatly and what was done and
believed in one locality might not have been the same in other
parts of Europe at the same time; but the general attitude to
life and human dignity was the same wherever our forefathers
dwelled.
One
of the first duties of the zealous Christian was to eradicate
everything that was not in compliance with the `True Faith',
and valuable cultural treasures were thus lost forever. Much
of the old folklore was however kept alive by word of mouth
and later written down and preserved; but it is nevertheless
difficult to know which of the handed down traditions are genuine,
and which ones have, knowingly or unknowingly, been added or
embellished by later writers. We therefore to some degree have
to judge for ourselves, on the basis of information from various
sources, which customs we believe were observed by our ancestors.
Some Western nations are, in this respect, better off than others
in that in some localities larger quantities of documents. have
been preserved, giving reliable information.
As
Sunday is very closely linked with Christianity, with church
services being held on that day by most Christian denominations,
it is suggested that we chose another day as the Odinist 'Holy
Day'. -- It seems natural to select Wednesday, since it obviously
many centuries ago was named after Odin (Woden) who to us is
the symbol of our religious convictions.
We
realize of course that in Christian countries we cannot take
the day off (and work on Sunday instead) but maybe each Odinist,
according to his or her time schedule could devote a few moments
to the contemplation of our religious and philosophical ideology.
As our outlook on life is affirmative and therefore one of 'light'
--"Pagans are all who say YES to Life" -- burning
a candle would be symbolic; to have other items such as a piece
of art, a bouquet of flowers, a picture of one of our heroes,
or any other symbol that to the individual is the very embodiment
of our cultural folk soul would be in order. The idea is not
to set up an idolatrous statue or 'alter' but to create a focus
for your thoughts.
Further,
to be in harmony with nature and our ancestors' Gods we suggest
the use of coloured candles, each colour symbolizing one of
the four seasons of the year: green for Spring, representing
the first green grass and the new leaves; yellow for Summer,
chosen among the many bright colours of the summer flowers;
red for the Fall, when we have the beautiful colours of the
fall forest; and white for the winter snow. We are aware that
in some locations these symbolic colours may not be quite according
to the seasons; however, the Western lands are spread over large
areas and it will be well-nigh impossible to find colours that
for all would be truly seasonal.
We
would also like to institute a few 'Days.' A Leif Erickson Day
is a natural and since the United States already has chosen
Oct. 9. in honour of this great explorer, we see nothing wrong
in accepting that date on which to pay special tribute to the
adventurous and courageous qualities of our Viking ancestors,
whose daring and stamina brought them all over the known, and
unknown, world of their time.
As
the family unit is considered the basis for a healthy society,
a Family Day would seem appropriate; we have Mother's Day and
Father's Day in the Christian world, promoted mainly by the
merchants, and although there is nothing wrong in honouring
one's mother and father, on the contrary -- it is neither one,
nor the other, but both parents who in unison should create
the hale and wholesome atmosphere in which children can be reared
to become well-adjusted and creative members of society.
In
addition, we would like to pay a special tribute to the many
kinsmen who have fought and still are fighting, in one way or
another, to further our culture; we think a Heroes' Day would
be in keeping with Odinist concepts; whether we should pay our
respects, focusing on one particular hero among the many our
folk group have known and let him represent all, or arbitrarily
select a date, will be decided before your 1975 Odinist calendar
goes to print.
These
'Days' together with the four seasonal 'Holy Days' -- Winter
and Summer Solstice, Spring and Fall Equinox -- would, in our
opinion, be dignified without being ostentatious, and thus well
represent our religious attitudes. |
June
1974
12
at
the Battle of Cowpens, S. Carolina, 1781