Sal u Sieg all,

 I received an email of a blog entry made by Clif Curtis. These were the same folks who wanted a 'truce', as they put it, not even two weeks ago. Congrats Clif, from your blog I see youve discovered how to use Google Search. Sit, boy, sit. Good.........here's a cookie for your great accomplishment. Nothing like a fine example of a sheeple-tard expanding his horizons. The Odinic Rite should be proud of such a shining example of their membership. I read his blog, laughable and sad. Laughable because he has nothing better to do than track message boards I have visited in the distant past. Laughable because unlike you and I, Clif defines his life by Message Board membership. Talk about quality of life? He also mentions his pitiful relationship with his ex-wife/girlfriend. Duh, f*cktard, maybe your relationship with her would be better if you spent more quality time with her and less time tracking my past message board visits. I know that may be rocket science for a puppet such as yourself, but try it........you'll be amazed. I said his blog entry was laughable and sad. Sad because Clif claims to be an Odinist and is the blog below an example of how an Odinist spends his/her quality time? Sad because as a member of the Odinic Rite, Clif is a reflection of the organization as a whole. Is this the type of member the OR desires??? I mean this blog cries -"gimme some attention, please'. Is this constructive promotion of Odinism? Unfortunately, Clif Curtis is a puppet-tard and not an Odinist, and never will be. As his girlfriend told me many times, 'Clif is for the most part, a joiner.' He has nothing creative or original to offer. Never has and never will. So enjoy his post below. I did. And if you see Clif, reward him with a treat as he is great with the 'sit and obey' command. Here's another treat Clif.......sit......good boy. Have a great day all

Monday, November 13, 2006

All Hail Google! Current mood: contemplative It is amazing what one can turn up with a simple Google search! Just type in a few names a person has used online and viola wow everything they have ever posted!  Lets see as far back as I can trace the post a Satanist (ONA) Atheist looking for contacts in Columbus, Looking for Friends On Aryan Nations ( is that not a Christian Group?) Storm Front, Resistance( Oh wait I am the Nazi because I was  skinhead over 10 years ago, oh and do not hide the fact!!) Ok then onto Odinism( or Asatru if you Prefer) Temple of Wotan, The IG, The OR, the AFA, and now Wodens Folk?  I may be a lot of things, My relationship with my ol'Lady may not be perfect, But I am true and Loyal to those I call Friend!! I make a decision and I stand By it! I do not talk shit about those I know or even once knew, and up until now MR. Brian Hoostal I have never even spoken your name! A word of advice dear Sir, Be careful what you say online( for it remains even after your fancy of the moment fades), If you find you no longer like something just walk away, no need to bash those you once called friends( remember Email remains long after the feelings are gone),even though some of us may be aligned with one group, do not think we do not have friends in others( read the list of groups you have been in above) oh and the Nine Noble Virtues( if you even say you live by those anymore) are not a pick and choose credo, We take those seriously! Have a nice day!! FFF Clif AOR

The Last Avatar

" 'Was a Mighty One born, matchless in strength,
he was nursed and grew on the sap of the ground;
most high-minded he 'mongst the hallowed gods,
in sib with all sires and sons of Earth."

The Poetic Edda - the Short Seeress' Prophecy 16.

This prophecy foresees the appearance of Hama (Heimdall) on Earth. That this is Hama is clear from the text, for he is the God nursed on the sap of the ground and he is the sib of all sires and sons of earth. Heimdall manifests to recreate the Divine Social Order of Caste. He is the penultimate avatar - not the last avatar, and he appears near the end of the Age of Pisces. He prepares the way for the appearance of the Last Avatar.

" 'A god will come then, an even greater one:
I dare not speak his dreaded name.
Farther forward few can see now
Than Woden fighting the Fenris Wolf."

The Poetic Edda - The Short Seeress' Prophecy 17.

This is the prophecy of the appearance of the Last Avatar and incarnation of Woden on earth. The manifestation of the Divine Fool - The Hooded Man. Two events heralded the appearance of the Last Avatar - the Hale-Bopp Comet (1997) and the Solar Eclipse (1999); these two date dates bind the year 1998.

The Last Avatar is Rudra Kalki (Tibet) or Kalki Avatar (Hindu) - in Germanic Lore this is HelgiH (Helgi the Wulfinga - Thrice-Born). In the Robin of Sherwood series of the 1980s we find three heroes - Ailric, Robin of Loxley, and Robert of Huntingdon, just like we have Helgi Hjorvathsson, Helgi Hundingsbane, and Helgi Haddinga all whose names have the sequence H-H. Helgi Haddinga is wed to the Valkyrie, Kara whose name is the Germanic equivalent of Kali of the
Hindus. The Haddingas are the Heardingas mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Rune poem under Ing.

"In the Year 1999 and seven months,
from the sky will come the great King of Terror.
He will bring back to life the Great King of the Angolmois.
Before and after Mars reigns supreme."

Prophesies of Nostradamus.

Due to a calendar alteration the month of August would have been nearer to the mark. This prophecy can thus be rendered -

In August 1999 from the sky will come the Great King of Terror (Solar Eclipse). This will bring back to life great King of the Angols (English - i.e. Ing). War will reign before and after.

The Solar Eclipse of August 11th 1999 will bring back to life the Divine King of the Angles (English) who s Ing. This makes more sense than making Angolmois an anagram of "Mongols". The Solar Eclipse and the appearance is prophesied in Revelations where it appears to have been taken from Voluspa -

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the Sun be darkened (Solar Eclipse) and the stars fall from the heavens (Perseid Meteor shower)...and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man (Son of Mannus = Ing) in heaven.

Contrast this with Voluspa 56 -

"...the Sun dimmeth, from the heavens fall fair bright stars..."

On August 11th 1999 the Solar Eclipse took place and was followed on August 12th by the Perseid Meteor Shower. Perseid is the constellation Perseus who is the Greek equivalent of the Divine Fool (The Hooded Man). The Ing-Rune in the heavens heralded the Age of Ing for Ing is the ruler of the New Age. His archetypal appearance is that of a Crowned and Conquering King, crowned with a Golden Crown, holding a sickle - for his role is to sort the wheat from
the chaff. He is the Wild Huntsman in his role as The Destroyer (Rudra-Shiva of the Hindus), who destroys the Old Order to pave the way for a New Order.

The Last Avatar - HelgiH - is of the Divine Race of the Wolsunga - Wulfinga - Haddingas who are descended from Woden. These are the three Wolf Tribes of Woden; the "Caesar" arises from the Wuffingas (Wulfingas) as is shown in
their Royal Lineage.
 

The Hooded Man.

" 'In the days of the Lion, spawned of the Evil Brood, The Hooded Man shall come to the Forest. There he will meet with Herne the Hunter - Lord of the Forest - to be his Son and do his bidding. The Power of Light and the Power of Darkness shall be strong within him. And the guilty shall tremble!"

The Hooded Man Prophecy - Horam, Sussex October 31st 1993.

This is an altered version of the Prophecies of Gildas which is the new and true version for the New Age. There are certain points that must be considered here in light of the events of the past decade or so. The Lion spawned of the Evil Brood is Osama Bin Laben who declared Jihad on the West in August 1998. The name "Osama" means "lion". The appearance of this figure heralds the appearance of the Hooded Man who will arise in the White Island - Albion
(England) as prophesied. The Hooded Man is the Son of Herne the Hunter (Woden as the Wild Huntsman) - this is Thunor (Thor) who is the Divine Fool. Richard Wagner foresaw this in his rendering of Parsifal who is the Divine Fool. Unlike the last wave (Siegfried) the figure of Parsifal brings a renewal of Nature.

The terrorist attack upon the Twin Towers (9-11) was the significant change in the world-order, the "Blasted Tower" of the Tarot Pack shows the falling tower which represents the destruction of the order of things. The Twin Towers symbolised the Age of Capitalism, whose destruction heralded the Age of the People (Masses) which is the last - and the worst - era of the Dark Age. This is the era foretold by the seers long ago, the age of disintegration and destruction
before renewal.

As Above - So Below : the Earth is a mirror-image of the Heavens: the Twilight of the Gods is the War of the Gods in the heavens which is mirrored on Earth by the Ragnarok. The Mirror-image of RAGNAROK is KORANGAR.

KORAN-GAR = spear of the Koran.

" 'The Stormy sea to the stars is tossed, overwhelms the land - the heavens rive. Thence comes great snows and sweeping blasts. Then are doomed to die the drooping Gods."

By Fire and Flood is the world destroyed and renewed -  and the Last Battle for Middle-earth has begun.

The Hooded Man is coming and the guilty shall tremble!

WODENS FOLK

http://www.wodensfolk.org.uk

Woden's Folk represents ALL that the Odinic Rite will never achieve
 
 
 

The Rape of Europe

THE TEUTON'S BATTLE SONG
by
H. P. Lovecraft

The might Woden laughs upon his throne,
And once more claims his children for his own.
The voice of Thor resounds again on high,
While arm'd Valkyries ride from out of ths sky:
The Gods of Asgard all their pow'rs released
To rouse the dullard from his dream of peace.
Awake! Ye hypocrites, and deign to scan
the actions of your "brotherhood of Man".
Could your shrill pipings in the race impair
The warlike impulse put by nature there?
Where now the gentle maxims of the school,
The cant of preachers, and the Golden Rule?
What feeble word or doctrine now can sway?
Too long restrain'd, the bloody tempest breaks,
And Midgard 'neath the tread of warriors shakes,
On to death, Beserker bold! And try
In acts of Godlike bravery to die!
Who cares to find the heaven of the priest,
When only warriors can with Woden feast?
The flesh of Schrimnir, and the cup of mead,
Are but for him who falls in martial deed:
You luckless boor, that passive meets his end,
May never in Valhalla's court contend.
Slay, brothers, slay! And bathe in crimson gore;
Let Thor, triumphant, view the sport once more!
All other thoughts are fading in the mist,
But to attack, or of attack'd, resist.
List, great Alfadur, to the clash of steel;
How like a man does each brave swordsman feel!
The cries of pain, the roars of rampant rage,
In one vast symphony our ears engage.
Strike! Strike him down! Whoever bars the way;
Let each kill many ere he die today!
Ride o'er the weak; accomplish what ye can;
The Gods are kindest to the strongest man!
Why should we fear? What greater joy than this?
Asgard alone could give us sweeter bliss!
My strength is waning; dimly can I see
the helmeted Valkyries close to me.
Ten more I slay! How strange the thought of fear,
With Woden's mounted messengers so near!
The darkness comes; I feel my spirit rise;
A kind Valkyrie bears me to the skies.
With conscience clear, I quit the earth below,
The boundless joys of Woden's halls to know.
The grove of Glasir soon shall I behold,
And on Valhalla's tablets be enroll'd:
There to remain, till Heindall's horn shall sound,
And Ragnarok enclose creation round;
And Bifrost break beneath bold Surtur's horde,
And Gods and men fall dead beneath the sword;
When sun shall die, and sea devour the land,
And stars descend, and naught but Chaos stand.
Then shall Alfadur make his realm anew,
And Gods and men with purer life indue.
In that blest country shall Abundance reign,
Nor shall one vice or woe of earth remain.
Then, not before, shall men their battles cease,
And live at last in universal peace.
Thro' cloudless heavens shall the eagle soar,
And happiness prevail for evermore.

 

The Nyall Philosophy

Astrobiology - Page 2

Other races have the classes mentioned above, but only speculative evidence exists to support the theory that all races evolved from one and spread out over the earth. If we are to believe the dominant evolutionary model of Darwin we would have to conclude that any sort of racial or special extinction were to occur this would be inconsequential, since it could later evolve again if given the opportunity to undergo the supposed original process which created the race in the first place, which we know is an impossibility.

Earlier I mentioned the prohibitive attitude of humans towards the gods, thinking them not real, or at the very least not organic (i.e. ethereal in some sense). How such a belief, that the gods are not biochemical beings, originated was from the way in which they visit us. J.G. Bell at CERN developed his famous equations in 1962 that refer to the ability of any part of the universe to be at another place in the same moment of time. Thorstein Gudjonsson coined the term "instantaneous interstellar transfer of energies" (i.i.t.e a rewording of Helgi Pjeturss' Bioinduction theory) which shoes how certain energies can travel across the universe a million times the speed of light. One of the primary concepts of Nyall theory is that a 'velocity' - a connection - surpassing the speed of light by the multi trillion fold, is an innate quality of our universe. Such phenomena explain dreams (as will be shown below), deity visitations and other such visions - like U.F.O.'s, Bigfoot, aliens, etc. Many of these "sightings" are actually lucid dreams (indeed, most are recorded at night), visions, or perhaps may even be materializations; but in any case the same transfer of energy has occurred, only in varying degrees. When a materialization has occurred it is generally quite intentional, as it takes some effort for one to project an image of himself across the cosmos. The idea is that all things have bioradiation - a physical energy, even the lowest of creatures (we know it exists because it can be photographed with Kirlian photography). This bioradiation is the energy which is transferred (part of it anyway) during bioinduction- the ability of an organism to induce its processes in other organisms.

All of the universe is connected by a vital field or biofield (like the morphogenetic fields postulated by Rupert Sheldrake). It is this biofield which connects the universe and allows the bioinduction process to take place, thus bioinduction is what takes place in i.i.t.e. When an entity wishes to project itself to our world it does so through bioinduction and this what we are seeing, in our weaker biofield (like the magnetic fields, some plants have stronger biofields, others, like ours, are weaker - see below), is an energy materialization of the real being living on another planet. To some, seeing such a thing may become mixed with the realm of "spirituality" and "mysticism", many have confused the method of occultists with their subjects of study, which are, indeed, real and worth full attention. All phenomena which have, to date, been labeled "supernatural", "other dimensional", "ethereal", etc. can be explained through Nyall philosophy in natural, scientific terms, never leaving the pattern of this (the only) universe.

Let's give an example of such religious explanations- in most, if not all religions of the world people describe the images of their deities and the afterlife with bright light (near death experiences also claim such things). The Christian faith (following an earlier Roman paradigm) shows saints, angels and their god with halos and bright light surrounding them. Most of the Odinic deities have names which correspond to bright light: Balder: "The Bright", Falr- "The White Browed", Herebeald- "The Bright Warrior"; Freyja: Mardoll- "The One Diffusing a Glimmering in the Sea"; Ullr: "The Glorious"; Odin: Jolnir- "The Bright One", Lodur: "The Fire-Producer"; Heimdallr: Glenr- "The Shining One", Lysir- "The Bright One", Gullintani- "The One With Golden Teeth"; Nat: Ostara-Eostre- "Goddess of the Dawn"; Bleik: "The Shining Maid"; Bjort: "The Bright Maiden"; Svipdag: "He Whose Countenance Shines Like the Day", Svedal: "The Shining Swine", Silfverdal- "The One Who Shines Like Silver"; Idun: Ljomanda Handleggurkona- "The Maiden With Shining Limbs"; Sunna/Sol: "Sun Goddess"; Groa: Sygrutha- "The Bright Maiden Who Grants Victory"; Delling: "Day Spring (Dawn)"; Dagr: "Day".

The reason such descriptions and names are given is because the bioradiations of higher evolved beings are much brighter than ours and so their energy can actually be seen in the form of bright light. Regenerated life (our ancestors in the next life) also has this bright radiation.

Of course, we cannot overlook those times in ancient lore when deities were said top have actually visited our world. All religions mention some form of divine visitation, and such does not contradict the Nyall model. Odin, Hoenir, Lodur, Freyja, Frigga and most notably Heimdall have all visited earth as we know from our lore. It is doubtful that they walked as flesh in Midgard, and turning religion into history (euhemerism) is a foolish and fruitless effort. Religion, just like science, is an attempt to explain universal realities. Religious theories should be no less logical than the scientific. Perhaps the only way a deity could travel on the earth as flesh would be through what I call telepathic auto suggestion (t.a.s.), which is commonly referred to as "possession" but is entirely different.

Before I go into the next aspect of Nyall there is one more aspect of Astrobiology to discuss- that being the evolutionary lines of planets. Most people agree that it is very unlikely that we are alone in the universe, Nyallsinnar ("Believers in the Nyall Philosophy") actually believe that the universe is quite full of intelligent life (and that the universe itself is alive!). Millions upon millions of planets exist with life forms similar to our own. In fact, with the life processes mentioned above it is quite possible that we are in some way related to those on the other planets. The Odinic lore mentions several worlds- Gladheimr, Jormungrundr, Mannheimr, etc. so we can see that there are many godworlds as well, though we Nordics primarily connect to Gladheimr and Jormungrundr because the deities that gave us life originate from them. There are three "lines" or "paths" of evolution that worlds can be on: The aforementioned Helstefna - the lowest, where life is at its most chaotic and dysfunctional, being only a mere caricature of life. Primigene- "First Birth" plants where human life is born (but will move on to regenerate on other worlds after death). This line is constantly struggling between the lower and higher lines. The Lifstefna line is the line of the gods, of the higher life, of ancestors worthy of its glory. It is the path of immense effort and greater reward.

The divine endeavor, on the cosmic scale, is to cure Midgard (Which from our lore is "The Middle Realm", corresponding to "Primigene"; Utgard corresponds to Helstefna, and Asgard to Lifstefna. In Nyall reckoning Nifelheimr, Jotunheimr, Alfheimr, Mannheimr, Gladheimr, etc. are names of particular plants on these evolutionary lines, even if the ancient cosmology does not necessarily reflect this.) worlds completely from Helstefna infestation, so that even here, all life can be beautifully wise, victorious, and will enter the Asgard level. We have to strive for the Lifstefna, to reach for ubermensch, so that we may move on to Lifstefna worlds after we die, and so that one day our descendants will be able to live on a Lifstefna earth. Our primary task is to work for the gods and goddesses to improve access for them to our planet, which means a greater glory for them in the intergalactic community of gods. If our gods win over this planet, for the Lifstefna, from the Helstefna, means that millions of mankinds will appreciate it: "They did it, the Nordic gods!" they will say. Such is the competition between godkinds. In human life, more than previously, the real excesses of Helstefna have come to light, and continue to increase. 'Homo homini lupus'- man is like a wolf to his fellow man. Unfortunately, it goes even further beyond that. Human misfortune shows that, if it was bad in the beginning, it got worse and worse, until it is now approaching crisis levels- which may end with a total collapse. Such an end has come over a great number of primigene mankinds in the universe, as they had ignored the truth and were totally extinguished as their suns exploded (present astronomical theories on the nature of supernovas are incomplete). In the present situation, the course of earthly events is being watched closely, both from the glorious Lifstefna realms and Helstefna horror nests. In some cases- we still don't know how frequent- primigene mankinds, longtime Helstefna dependent, find, in spite of all, their way out of the darkness and enter the grand union. On the other hand our earth is on the brink of collapse now. We are being led towards a new World War. People and nations are being brought, successively, into 'compulsive' situations, where they are 'compelled' to increase hostilities and astrocities. The way out of this is through recogniztion and responsibility: recognition of our cosmic contacts (through dreams, see below) and the responsibility to be prepared to argue one's understanding. It has been prophesied that in the last instance the Lifstefna will win.

There are "afterlife" planets for humans as well, which are to be classified as Lifstefna vs. Helstefna planets. Lifstefna is the true, beautiful, always improving evolution of life; Helstefna the contrast to everything that is good and helpful. The primigene planets, many of them severely affected with the Helstefna, are to be divided into two categories: those which collapse and those which enter the Lifstefna line for continuous progress. You can easily realize that our planet is seriously affected with Helstefna. Every new war means an 'invitation' to Helstefna effects. On the other hand, planets that take up contact with other solar systems, survive; those which persist in Helstefna collapse. The Lifstefna is the path of higher men, regenerated higher life and deities of all kinds. Remember that Lifstefna, though a powerful line, does not hold a monopoly on power or strength; the Helstefna and primigene lines can be quite powerful as well. I say this because it is important for people to understand that Lifstefna is more than just strength. I personally have known people who believed they were working on a "higher path" because they worked hard, studied hard, kept themselves in good health, etc. but were hateful and bitter. The higher man/woman is detached to Helstefna influences, like the eagle who chases away the snake in her nest- not out of hate, but out of love for her children. He/She is compassionate rather than hateful, proactive rather than reactive, kind and noble, but hard when necessary.

Life will evolve; in a person's life their will determines whether they will move down the Helstefna of Lifstefna. Study the life of Loki to understand this better. When a person makes the turn-around from Helstefna to Lifstefna it not only affects them, but also their future generations of offspring. Their children will elevate more and more towards the Asgard level as the generations pass, and their course will be easier with each generation, for they will have had a heart start ("regeneration, returning to the path of creation after a period of degeneration, is the most difficult path of all" said McCulloch).

To understand more clearly the concepts of the three lines of evolution let us look at the origins of the cosmic order- the story of Ginungagap, which is quite possible from a scientific perspective. Once the universe (or part of it) was an infinite mass of chaos (Helstefna) which knew nothing of order until eventually, through a great amount of effort, a "hole" broke through the chaos and thus the Lifstefna was born. Evolution began. It was crude at first, but evolved more and more and expanded further and further out, as it continues to do today. Within it, the Ginungagap, there is a constant struggle between the evolving Lifstefna and the preceding Helstefna forces for the dominance of planets, just as there is between Ginungagap and the Utgard chaos for the dominance of the universe. Ginungagap will continue to expand, and the Lifstefna forces, when destroyed can evolve into higher forms, possibly eventually reaching the Lifstefna, for nature always seeks perfection. This is not always the case. This intergalactic struggle takes place within individual humans, within Midgard communities, nations, continents, planets, solar systems, galaxies, clusters, and so on.

Infinite Imperfection

By Nancy Coker

The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself. -- Attributed to Chief Seattle

Looking at our earth, Gaia, it's hard not to recognize that we belong to each other. All of us are in the below photo somewhere, and looking at it this way helps remind us that we're all in this together, literally -- however many paths there may be interiorly, in very many ways we are all on the same path. Observing the picture closely, we see a living being, ensouled as we are, evolving and growing just as we are. As she evolves, we evolve, and vice versa.

But what are we evolving towards? Sacred texts often proclaim that the supreme goal is perfection. For example, the Prajnaparamita Sutra, one of the most important Mahayana Buddhist teachings, tells of six perfections (of giving, morality, patience, vigor, concentration, and wisdom), but are we to believe that there is a level of morality or patience which cannot be improved? The Bible also tells us, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). Perfection means that no further evolution is possible and clearly implies a final and ultimate ending. One wonders, then, if perfection is a factual reality or a functional concept; an achievable goal or a valuable target? As we consider the immensity of our universe, visible and invisible, can we really imagine a once and forever conclusion, a final episode beyond which no further chapters are written, an infinity that ends?

Theosophy speaks only of temporary endings, relative perfections, and mini-completions until the next phase of the journey begins. With its implication that something has been completed, perfection is always context related, and in an infinite universe how could there be a final perfection any more than a final number? So while we can journey towards transitory boundaries, limited resting points, and momentary perfections, theosophical philosophy holds that at the heart of our pilgrimage there is endless progressive becoming:

The Secret Doctrine teaches the progressive development of everything, worlds as well as atoms; and this stupendous development has neither conceivable beginning nor imaginable end. Our "Universe" is only one of an infinite number of Universes, . . . each one standing in the relation of an effect as regards its predecessor, and being a cause as regards its successor.

The appearance and disappearance of the Universe are pictured as an outbreathing and inbreathing of "the Great Breath," which is eternal, and which, being Motion, is one of the three aspects of the Absolute --Abstract Space and Duration being the other two. When the "Great Breath" is projected, it is called the Divine Breath, and is regarded as the breathing of the Unknowable Deity -- the One Existence -- which breathes out a thought, as it were, which becomes the Kosmos. . . . So also is it when the Divine Breath is inspired again the Universe disappears into the bosom of "the Great Mother," who then sleeps "wrapped in her invisible robes." -- H. P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine 1:43

This was written in 1888 when Western science believed that there was only one galaxy in the universe -- ours. In her writings H. P. Blavatsky goes to great lengths to describe how the universe always acts according to principle, and one of those principles is that anything that manifests does so periodically, cyclically. "Manifest" refers to anything that comes into form -- thoughts, ideas, feelings, as well as visible physical forms. From such an understanding of cycles, we can unfold the philosophy of karma (cycles of action) and reincarnation (cycles of rebirths).

The very nature of spirit expressing itself through matter is cyclic motion. The alternation of night and day, light and dark, is so deeply connected to our sense of sequential time that it is easy to forget that these are planetary rhythms arising out of earth spinning round its axis. The illusion of stillness is so real as we sit in a room that it is easy to doubt that Gaia, and we along with her, are spinning at about 17 miles per minute, roughly 1,000 miles per hour (25,000 miles per day) at the equator. Meanwhile the being we call the solar system is speeding through space at 125 miles per second around its galactic center. Wobbly earth, and you and I, are scurrying around the sun, careening through more than 580 million miles of uncharted space each year -- all the while being carried within our Milky Way Galaxy spacecraft shooting along at 200 miles per second. As we mark off our birthdays and anniversaries we may think of our days, our lives, our years as continually circling back around again to where they started, but we are actually participating in a journey through brand-new territory in space: every second we are in a new place, though we are given the gift of familiar landmarks, the equinoxes and solstices.

Reflecting on this we can see that everything -- souls, thoughts, people -- has its own rhythm and motion. The earth cycling the sun, the moon circling the earth, and the seasons that come from these whirlings and turnings, parallel the birth, flowering, death, and rebirth cycles we participate in psychologically, intellectually, and spiritually. Cycles within cycles: our blood pulsates, our breathing circulates, and nightly we move through sleep cycles. As children of the sun, moon, and earth, we participate with them in ongoing cycles of evolution and involution, inner and outer, which flow from and are in sync with the universal pulse of the cosmos, which in turn has the heart of the heart of divinity as its central sun. Considering the similarity of the structure of an atom to the structure of the solar system, we can even imagine how our bodies are composed of miniature solar systems, each made up of innumerable lives. In fact, three or four days after a human egg is fertilized, it has divided and multiplied and grown itself to look like a small planet.

Just as each of us considers ourselves to be one being, so too is the solar system a being. In the Hindu tradition our entire solar system is called the Egg of Brahma, and may be looked on

as an enormous ovoid aggregate body poised in space; and were some astronomer on some distant globe in the stellar deeps to see our Egg of Brahma, and were he to see it from the proper superior plane or world, our entire solar system would appear to him as an ovoid body of light -- as an egg-shaped irresolvable nebula. . . . composed of concentric spheres centered in the Sun, and each one of these spheres is a cosmic world. Its heart -- the heart of each one of them -- is the Sun. The world or sphere of our Earth is one such, and surrounds the Sun as a sphere of dense substance, and the nucleus in this sphere or egg, for such it is, is what we commonly call our Earth. Such also is the sphere of Mercury, such is the sphere of Venus, such is the sphere of Mars, also of Jupiter, also of Saturn . . . -- G. de Purucker, Four Sacred Seasons, pp. 10-11

Earth's orbit, then, is not just an invisible pathway, but actually describes the outline of earth's being. The body of the planet we see is a temporary focus for the spiritual and material forces of that being. The orbit of the earth lies within the orbit of Mars as one nesting doll lies within another, not like the fixed crystalline spheres imagined by some, but more like interpenetrating realms permeating each other. As Ezekiel said, "wheels within wheels." Mars' orbit lies within Jupiter's like the layer of an onion, and the solar system's orbit around the galactic center describes yet another level or realm or world of consciousness, alive with an infinite number of consciousnesses.

Looking at our spiral galaxy, we can begin to understand what the Prajnaparamita Sutra may be referring to when it speaks about "all the conscious beings in this billion-world system." Each planet, moon, and star is an expression, a temporary focus, of a cosmic being manifesting on various worlds or realms and peopled by entities and consciousnesses -- concentric spheres each including all the others. Such is the evolutionary and revolutionary structure of the universe, the one around us as well as the one within us. We humans are cells in the body of the earth, solar system, and galaxy; and just as our body is built of living consciousnesses, so too are we each a living piece of planet earth. We may think of ourselves as living on the earth, but we are living within it as we live within the sun. The stars are millions of miles away, invisible to us during the daytime; nevertheless some aspect of them is always present -- unseen, far away, but present.

Life is the circulation of cosmic spiritual consciousness, but when we try to pinpoint exactly where we are in this process, we come up with only partial information. As William Q. Judge remarked: "We point the telescope at one of our sister planets, and knowing that its light takes five minutes or more to get to us, we must be continually directing the glass to a point in space where the planet is not, and by no possibility can we point to where it actually is. Still, for all this uncertainty, many complicated and definite calculations are based on these observations of mere illusions" (Echoes of the Orient 1:443).

The real person is invisible. We each could lose an eye, or a limb or two, and still be ourselves (it's curious to ponder how much of our physical body we could misplace and still be present). We are essentially invisible beings manifesting through a variety of vehicles of spirit, thought, and desire, and we are also cosmic voyagers. When incarnation on earth begins, we wear one-celled "space" suits. Our bodies change, our vehicles change, life goes on. Like the sun which attracts the planets into their orbits, our divine sun collects and keeps all the aspects of our being in one coherent whole. We are each like a solar system with spiritual forces pouring through our inner divine sun. And very often we are also like those telescopes Mr. Judge wrote of, outwardly pointing towards where the Real is not, forgetting to turn inwards to the invisible sun at the heart of our being. We must always peer deeper, look below the surface of our present understandings, as life is infinitely complex. There is no final ending to these cycles, no ultimate once-and-forever perfection, but an ongoing series of ever-perfecting processes.

Discovering that nature repeats herself continuously is very comforting. Somehow she is both endlessly creative and endlessly repetitive as to form and function. Just as the Hermetic axiom predicts, every earthly structure is itself made up of smaller structures echoing and repeating the design, transcending and including all those below. Every life too is made up of a temporary concentration of smaller lives, like Arthur Koestler's idea of a holon: "an entity that is itself a whole, and simultaneously a part of some other whole." Everything is alive and a life. The divine journey is not about freeing ourselves from nature, because human nature, mother nature, and cosmic nature are all one. It's about freeing ourselves from the illusion that they are essentially different. The divine path is about enlarging our focus to include not just earth and her orbit, but all the planets in our entire system. It's about shifting our personal center of gravity, our center of small self-focus, and relocating it in the divine sun.

The path to this relocation takes commitment, compassion, and consciousness. I think the difference between walking the divine path consciously and walking it unconsciously involves the same kind of transformation as the shift in consciousness which happened when the West's understanding of the cosmos shifted from earth-centered to solar-centered. The path towards perfection is to re-experience this shift, this enlarged focus, on every level of being -- not just once, but continually. And perhaps rather than striving to journey towards an imaginary or temporary perfection, we may try to experience a kind of perfect journey, for while we may be less than perfect travelers, so too are the gods, our companions. After all, we are all in this together.

---

---

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. -- Albert Eins

Sal u Sieg all,

 I just spoke with a gentleman from Ancestral Heritage Hearth AOR. While I think it's safe to say differences remain, I'd like to offer my best wishes to ALL that are involved with this Hearth. It was agreed that ALL the recent bickering has been highly counterproductive. The differences that Freyr's Hearth has with the Odinic Rite havent changed, but that doesnt mean that Freyr's Hearth and Ancestral Heritage Hearth cannot share the same geographic region with a certain amount of Frith and Honour. In time, I believe, any wounds created, will heal. Again, I'd like to extend my best wishes to Clif, Kell, Renae, and Todd and to all who may become future members of their Hearth. While we may have ventured down different forks in the road, I wish you all nothing but success and the spiritual evolution that is
Heathenism.

Sig Tyr,
Brian
FREYR'S HEARTH

 It's funny how you see history repeat itself time and time again. Further proof of the linear vs. cyclical argument. My wife and I, along with another gentleman, left the Odinic Rite for several reasons. The main reason was because, as previously stated, we wanted to allow non-Odinic Rite members to be a part of our Hearth. Since leaving the OR I have seen a number of assinine attacks and theories as to why I left, along with outright lies by 'online-only' Heathens. One of these is that my good friend Larry Camp somehow coerced me into leaving the OR. This particular attack is an old one as the OR has a history of attacking those who leave the Rite. The list includes Stephen Flowers, members of Woden's Folk, and Larry Camp. Each of these has made numerous contributions to the Heathen community. Moreso than those who have started this juvenile rants. Another online piece of garbage has me at odds with Stephen McNallen. Oddly enough, Mr McNallen is another gentleman slandered quite a bit at the OR bulletin board. The gentleman who started this lie, Todd Keyser, has never spoken with me in person, so I'll consider the source. If any of you feel there is a riff of any kind between myself and Mr McNallen, email him and ask him yourself, instead of believing some 'MySpace' Odinist. The following is an example of the garbage started by some f*cktard. I enjoyed sifting through the lies and I hope you do as well:



" It appears that Brian Hoostal has a bit of a bee in his bonnet about 
the fact 
that the OR leadership are less than complimentary about one of his 
friends and 
the leaders of some other orgs.

This friend, who actually appears to be pulling Brians strings, has 
gone by 
many names, Osferth, Larry Camp, Grandmeister Dietrich etc, and was 
once the 
leader of Odinic Rite Vinland. 

That was until he began trying to turn it into his own private group 
for the 
promotion of his own views. He attempted to lead the ORV in a 
completely 
different direction and was supported in this by leaders of other orgs 
who 
smiled nicely at Heimgest CG whilst preparing to stab him in the back.

Brian claims that there is a lack of honor in speaking badly about this 
traitor. 

No Brian, if we pretended in public to like him and then spoke ill of 
him in 
private then that would show a lack of honor, I bit like when you 
deleted all 
the people you wanted to speak about before writing your rants. But we 
do not 
pretend to all be getting along just for the sake of image. If people 
attempt 
to harm us then we will not pretend to be allies.

The main reason I am writing this is that Mr "I am so much more bloody 
honorable than you" Hoostal has started to launch personal attacks on 
people 
that are totally unfounded.

I don't care what he says about me, many of you know me better than he 
did. But 
he has been talking shit about some of the former members of his hearth 
purely 
because they stayed loyal to the OR and not to whatever new vehicle for 
his ego 
he was planning. The guy is delusional, claiming to have taken many OR 
members 
with him when all he took was 1!

Many of you know Clif and Kell. They are now among the founding members 
of 
Anscestral Heritage Hearth AOR. 

When Brian had his hissy fit and left the OR, Clif and Kell made it 
clear that 
they would not be cutting ties with him because they valued the 
friendship 
between their families. 

Brian has now thrown this loyalty in their faces making half baked 
accusations 
about them, whilst ranting about how others fail to abide by the NNV. 
He is 
spitting out venom like some deranged dictator who can not get his own 
way.

I am writing this to give Clif, Kell and the rest of their hearth, my 
public 
support and I know that the Court of Gothar are fully behind them and 
their 
efforts in the Great Lakes area. 

I hope that anyone with Brian or his North Coast Odinists page in their 
friends 
consider whether they really want him there. The way he has behaved and 
things 
he has written about decent folk just because they won't follow him are 
a 
disgrace.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now I know this maybe him trying to justify you leaving, but what is 
your side?
There has been alot of attacks on you. I think it may be they are 
angry. I 
don't know the full story on the situation. You seem like a great guy 
from our 
conversations"

The Flame and the Fire

By Elsa-Brita Titchenell

When our world was to be born anew, it was the task and desire of a creative trinity of gods to bring forth being from non-being and fashion all that longed-to-be. Odin (spirit) urged the becoming, Honer (divine mind) suffused the waters of space with the cosmic plan, and Lodur (vitality and heat) impelled motion which created substances -- the "giant world." In Norse mythology the gods are conscious energies which galvanize inertia or latent proto-matter into activity, producing life: so it came about that every living thing is compounded of the essence of the gods and fashioned in giant form. Since that first impulse thrilled through infinitude and unrolled once again the scroll of all the heavens, modes of motion appear as light and life, signals of existence, to echo back to the One its manifest reflection. In this scheme stars and planets are tables where the gods feast on the mead of experience; they are disposed on the many shelves of varying substantiality -- worlds are formed of ethereal, gaseous, liquid, solid construction, all according to the needs of the indwelling deities. All-father Odin permeates them all, besides interacting with each one of the pantheon of powers, which also mingle each with each to present all possible permutations and facets of existence and awareness imbodied in seen and unseen worlds.

Throughout a period of life Odin, All-father and hierarch of his creation, is kept informed by two ravens, Mind and Memory, which fly daily over the battlefield of life and report back to him. These are the cosmic aspects of the properties man reflects in his faculties of cognition and retention, the two sides of consciousness which make growth and evolution possible at any level. The cosmic process is replicated in every smallest member of a universe.

Centered in his field of vision, man is himself a lesser cosmos. In him the divine attributes exist, but partially dormant: the vital breath of Lodur is in his body, but the spirit of All-father is not yet active in his soul; he is in process of learning to apply the power of thought, Honer's gift, at this crucial stage when self-consciousness is aroused with the awakening of mind. It is the point at which awareness becomes self-reflective and capable of directing its own action; this produces in the human race a sense of separateness and, with it, egoity and all divisive attributes, while providing the very means by which to penetrate this mind-born illusion and gain divine knowledge.

Of all themes in the world's mythologies the lighting by compassionate solar forces of mind in man is surely the most inspiring; it is an often recurring topic in scriptures, legends, and traditions. Told in numerous ways, symbolized by every psychological device that may evoke a realization of its import, it is probably the most prevalent of all myths. The formation of worlds, the structure of cosmos, and the evolution of races on earth, all are told in ancient sagas and lays but, encapsuled in the smallest space and unexplained, they are difficult to grasp; but the awakening of mind is an event given much attention in every system, to elevate and ennoble while giving practical directives for use in daily living.

The Norse Edda tells in great detail how the solar deity, in the guise of Rig (cf. "The Song of Rig," SUNRISE, May 1955, p. 246), "the wise and powerful Ase," comes to earth to awaken dormant human intelligence in three progressive stages. On his first visit, the story goes, he finds the door closed to the miserable hovel man inhabits; his second attempt seeks out man in a comfortable dwelling whose door is ajar; only on the third try does the god find man's mansion open and receptive.

Man may be regarded as intermediate between the Aesir (gods) and the giants -- that part of man which links his inner god with his animal/matter-nature. This, the human, quality in a human being partakes on one hand of the character of the gods, but it is derived or evolved from giant antecedents and subject to errors in judgment. In the myths this is the character named Loki (the enlightener). His many names denote his many aspects: in the cosmic context he is Lopt (the Lofty), closely allied to the concept Honer, universal mind. He is also the crafty villain Logi (wildfire, often called his brother), the brute side of man with its uncontrolled passions. Tales about Loki abound in the Eddas, where he is a constant source of entertainment. His pranks cause the gods much embarrassment, but it should be noted that Loki is also able and willing to extricate the Aesir from the numerous dilemmas he brings about. Just so is the fertile mind prone to cause man's confusion but ultimately it is the means of his salvation. It is no wonder the protean character of the enlightener has perplexed mythologers, for he is a perpetual paradox. Descended of giants, his father is Minier, the all-comprehensive giant-source, owner of the well of wisdom whereof Odin drinks each day. This well is one of three which water the three roots of Yggdrasil, the tree of life; it is the fountain of all knowledge, the inescapable wellspring of experience. But Loki, while a son of Mimer, is also blood-brother of Odin, supreme among the Aesir, who will not partake of mead without him. This is most revealing, for it shows the gods' need of this mysterious link with matter, whose agency makes possible the transformation of giants into gods, the gradual transference of substance spiritward, evolution in short.

Loki is said to have fathered three offspring with a giantess named Sorrowbringer. One of these is Hel, queen of death, whose coldly automatic action assigns appropriate conditions in her realm to all who enter it; the second is Jormungandr, the Midgard serpent -- whether the ecliptic or the Milky Way, which describes the earth's angle of inclination -- in one tale Thor displaced the fearsome monster, causing an inversion of the poles; the third is Fenris, the wolf that will end the sway of Odin, breaking the bonds laid on him by the gods, and devour the sun at the end of its life cycle. Loki is thus father of death on three levels: human, terrestrial, and solar.

In former ages Loki is reputed to have been female and to have given birth to all earth's hags and witches, after becoming pregnant from devouring the half-cooked heart of an evil woman. In another tale he assumed the guise of a mare, to lure a stallion from performing a giant's work, and bore Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed which Odin rides through his nine worlds. In this and several other episodes Loki by ruse rescues Freya from giants, after first having placed her in peril. Freya is the goddess of intelligence and reason, patroness of humanity. She wears on her breast the gem which represents the human race, the intelligence-principle or level of life. Loki steals the gem in one account, but is forced by the gods to restore it to its owner. On many occasions Loki commits a wrong or foolish act but, when taken to task by the gods, he makes amends. This is very much in character, for so the mind, when exercised without the guidance of wisdom and intuition, tends to rob us of our values but, when mobilized on the side of the higher nature, it raises some portion of our "giant" to a nobler status.

Loki's humanizing role is seen in the contest between two factions of dwarfs who vie to produce worthy gifts for the gods. Dwarfs are the elemental beings, consciousnesses imbodied in the kingdoms less evolved than man: they are less than human (not necessarily smaller). The gifts smithied by the mineral and vegetable worlds together are such as symbolize the automatic actions of their spheres: one is the rocky planet (the ship Skidbladner), one is the harvest of grain (Sif's golden hair), and one the urge to grow (Odin's spear Gungnir). The opposing faction, comprising man's animal nature humanized by Loki, wrought the recurring cycles of rebirth (Odin's self-replicating ring Draupnir), limitless power (Thor's hammer Mjolnir), and the spiritual will (Frey's magic sword), faculties that distinguish the human being.

There is a suggestive connection between Loki and Gullveig, who represents thirst for gold and who was instrumental in instigating the primal war in heaven between the Vanir and the Aesir -- powers that refused to imbody, and powers that brought creation into being. There are, as always, a number of meanings to every myth. Gullveig is in one sense the parallel of the Oriental concept trishna, thirst for life, and may also apply to greed for wealth and other possessions; however it must certainly pertain also to the yearning for wisdom in the human mind. The alchemists used the same idea in their laboratory retorts, physical and symbolic. In the Edda tale, Gullveig is hoisted over the fire on the spears of the gods -- thrice burnt, thrice reborn, this Norse phoenix emerges with each purification more beautiful. On the opposite side of the coin, her name has been associated with witchcraft and sorcery -- she is much in demand among evil peoples, for the gold of wisdom can have many uses. In planet earth, deposits of gold are said to be the tears shed by Freya while she awaits her lover -- humanity -- who seeks her throughout the worlds. When reunited, she becomes Menglad -- "jewel-happy."

One lay tells of the feasting of the Aesir at a banquet hosted by Aegir -- the spatial deeps wherein all worlds of life supply the mead for the Aesir. All gods and goddesses are present, except Thor (who is busy elsewhere, which is often the case in these encounters; he turns up at the end of the tale and brings an end to the quarrel), and Loki who has not been invited. We are reminded that Loki is kin to Odin, because on the strength of their being blood-brothers Loki forces his way into the hall. The chamber is sacrosanct: no harsh words or acts may here be tolerated; nevertheless, Loki enters blusteringly and proceeds to insult each of the divinities in turn. A parody of parodies, the lay portrays a common attitude of shallow thinkers the world over: in it Loki pretends to a literal interpretation of the metaphoric tales attached to the ancient gods, and he mocks the relationships of the deities, their supposed love affairs and peccadilloes, ignoring the meanings concealed within them that tell of the applications and functions of cosmic forces in combination or opposition. In this slapstick comedy scene Loki repeats all the trite accusations that have been leveled at the pantheons of mythology, adding a few choice morsels of his own and claiming to have shared in escapades with several goddesses, which presumably would be known only to them and himself, therefore are not susceptible of being disproved. Loki here appears coarse, rude, and facetious, and typifies mind applied on the lowest mean.

The part played by Loki in the slaying of Balder, the sun-god (cf. "Yggdrasil . . . . the WorId-Tree of Edda," SUNRISE, December 1954, p. 72), with the mistletoe by the blind and innocent god, Höder, is well known, but we note once more that death is here brought about through his agency. Death and procreation are both the result of mind applied in matter and are inescapably interdependent. Either without its opposite -- procreation without death, or death without birth -- is unthinkable and would have ended evolution then and there.

The prankster god whose awkward use of newly acquired powers entails numerous errors is often seen as the villain of the piece on whose head descends the wrath of the gods. He it is who takes Thor's hammer to the giant world, giving the power of creativity and procreation to nether realms; he is the abductor of Idun, whose apples of immortality nourish and rejuvenate the gods; he is the thief of Freya's jewel, prostituting the mind of man to unworthy ends. But always he is finally persuaded to cooperate with the holier powers and, once he does so, the situation is remedied.

Beneath all the foolishness, when the ribald laughter has died down, there remains a vivid image of the saving faculty of intelligence, Loki, chained in the darkness of the underworld, beneath the gates of death, "bound with the guts of his dead son Night." The "slender god-bride" Skade (Harm) had suspended two venomous serpents over his naked body and were it not for his loyal wife Sigyn (Victory?), who holds a bowl beneath the writhing reptiles, their venom would further increase his agony. Earthquakes are said to take place when she must go to empty the bowl, leaving him exposed. There he will remain until the end of the world, chained in the depths of alien regions, his agony increased by the harm added by deceptive beauty.

What is the meaning of this mysterious imagery? Like Mercury, Hermes, Prometheus, Loki is depicted as a thief and a scamp; he not only awakened in men the dormant power of thought, he also taught them crafts, seamanship, and all the arts. But it was his gift of death which most incurred the wrath of the gods for, with the opening of this portal to the supernal spheres, man gained access to the realms hitherto reserved for the deities -- realms of grandeur and of universal life and consciousness. Hence, Loki's imprisonment in humanity is a gift beyond price. Man in his foolishness may often abuse it or debase it, but by this inner light he may see the way that leads to the sanctuary of the gods.

The below article I could also apply to Slavs and Slavonic heathenism very easily. In this I mean equating their traditions and gods with ours, just as the Celtic gods and goddess are compared to our Germanic ones.

Hail the Celts!
Hail the Slavs!
Hail all my Folk!

Celts, Germans and Odinism
by Stephen A. McNallen

The chieftain towered over his seated warriors in the smokey hall. Clatter and chatter faded and all eyes turned to this mustachioed, muscular figure who was their leader.

Raising the mead-filled horn high over the throng, he toasted the High God, the one who carries the spear and has ravens hovering about his shoulders. All shouted their approval, and another warrior rose to his feet, lofted his horn, and praised the name of the Thunderer. The others echoed him, and in the warmth of their cameraderie, they might have well been in the great hall where warriors go when they die, served by the maidens of battle from the meat of the ever-reborn swine.

A scene from viking history? An evening in a typical Germanic mead hall? No - the word picture painted here is of a feast among their cousins, the Celts.

Like most of us, it wasn't news to me that the two main tribal groupings of ancient Europe had a lot in common. Both are part of the greater Indo-European family. Their mythology shares a common structure, the material aspects of their culture are much alike, and the general heroic worldview unites both Celt and German. But this, as it turns out, is only the beginning!

The distinction we make today between these two branches of our kin arise, in no small measure, from the observations of Julius Caesar. Essentially, he declared the tribes on one side of the Rhine to be Germans, and those on the other to be Celts. In actuality, it was not that simple. Scholars now think that some groups we once labeled German, were really Celtic. Other tribes might have belonged to either classification, because we don't know what language they spoke! The clear implication is that the physical artifacts they left behind were indistinguishable, and that language is the only definite marker between the two.

Physical appearance is no clue, because the Roman commentators describe the Germanic peoples and the Celts in exactly the same terms. Both were tall, tending toward the blond, and light skinned. The word "Teuton", by the way, is cognate with the Gaelic "tuath", meaning people or tribe, which certainly points to a fundamental kinship!

For me, the clincher came when I read Hilda Davidson's Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe (Syracuse University Press, 1988). Significantly, it's subtitled "Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions". Page after page and chapter after chapter, she documents the similarities between the mythology, folklore, and ritual of the Germanic and Celtic peoples. I began making a list as I read, and it wasn't long before I had a couple of sheets covered with scribbled notes. I won't get bogged down in the minutia of these, but some comparisons beg to be made. To make the bulk of this material more easily accessible, I've lumped my comments into some broad categories:

GODS and GODDESSES...

The Celtic Lugh and our own Odin are much the same. Odin is father of the Gods, keeps two ravens, carries a magic spear, and has one eye. Lugh is first in the Celtic family of Gods, is linked with ravens, carries the Spear of Victory, and closes one eye when he performs fantastic deeds on the battlefield.

The Nordic Thor, whose name means "Thunderer", prizes his mighty hammer. He rides about the heavens, laughing in his red beard, in a wagon pulled by supernatural goats. Taranis of the Celts, whose name also means "Thunderer", drives a chariot behind sacred bulls. He wields the thunderbolt, whose name in the old Gaelic tongue derives from the same Indo-European root as the name of Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. Taranis, too, is pictured as having a flowing red mane.

Tyr, as our tales tell, lost his hand binding Fenris the wolf. He used to be the Sky God, scholars say, until Odin took his place. The Celtic Nuada lost his arm in battle against the Fomorians, and so Lugh - the Celtic equivalent of Odin - became leader of the Gods.

In the domain of fertility and plenty, our own Frey rules supreme among Asafolk. One of his favorite beasts is the horse, which just happens to also be sacred to Dagda, "the good God", who is Frey's Celtic equivalent.

other divine beings...

Giants? The Celts have them just as Asafolk do; they're called the Fomorians, and the Celtic Gods battle mightily against them. Moreover, the role they play is pretty much the same - representing the forces of inertia and entropy in the cosmos.

Valkyries find their reflection in the Morrigan, fierce Goddesses of the battlefield who grant victory, spin the fates of war, and serve the heroes in the afterlife. This twin aspect - fiends of blood and death on the one hand, enticing lovers on the other - is found in both cultures. Similarly, both Celtic and Germanic sagas tell of supernatural women warriors who instruct and initiate the chosen heroes. Brynhild teaches Sigurd hidden magical lore, and the female chieftain Scathach ("Shadow") takes the Irish Cu Chulain under her care and makes him the warrior he is destined to become. It is probably no accident that Sigurdand Cu Chulain are descended from Odin and Lugh, respectively.

Consider the "lesser" beings, the ones that seldom figure in myth and poetry, but who make the life of the common man and woman more bearable. The land spirits, for example, are alike in both cultures. Elf lore, and the connections of these wights to the ancestors, was recognizably the same to the ancient Teuton and his or her Celtic contemporaries

RELIGIOUS LORE and PRACTICES...

I referred to virtually identical warrior paradises in the scene which opened this article, but the overlap between Celtic and Germanic lore goes far beyond this.

Bogs throughout Northern Europe received sacrifices from Celt and German alike. Weapons and armor captured in battle, food and beakers, miscellaneous items - all were deposited in lakes and marshes in the same way, to the point that we can't even tell which finds are German and which are Celtic.

When the Druids sacrificed to the Gods, the blood from an animal was sprinkled with a sprig of greenery on the assembled people, so the divine energy inherent in blood could be directly transferred to them. In historical Odinism, our forebears did exactly the same thing in the course of a sacrifice or blot.. (Today, modern practitioners of both religions use mead or other fermented fluid in this role.)

Across the length and breadth of our European homeland, our ancestors honored the Gods in the open air, because we thought it inappropriate to shut them up into limiting, lessening structures like the Christian churches. Similarly, in the earliest days, our representations of the Gods and Goddesses were simple indeed - often carved from pieces of wood to which Nature had already given the basic shape, awaiting only a few refinements from human hands.

These customs accurately describe Celts as well as Germans.

Tribesmen of both groups used intoxicating drink in religious ritual. Often this was mead, but it could be ale as well. And, while we're considering altered states of consciousness, let's remember the fit or frenzy of the Odin-gripped warriors, the berserkers. In old Ireland, essentially the same warrior's madness bore the name of "{..i ferg} ".

Readers of the Norse stories will remember how Sigurd the Volsung killed the dragon Fafnir and roasted its heart. When he burned his finger, he stuck it in his mouth and found that he could understand the speech of birds. The Irish hero Fergus gained the same gift when he singed his finger while cooking a salmon over a fire.

MAP OF THE UNIVERSE...

When we look at the cosmology of the Teutons and that of the Celts, we can't help but see the likeness. Both have the giant tree, the center of the cosmos and indeed the framework in which all the worlds are found: to Asafolk, it's Yggdrasil; the Celts call it Bile .

The other key component of the universe in ancient Germania was the Well of Wyrd, containing the deeds that make up the past. Drinking from its waters gives wisdom, and Odin gave up one of his eyes for the privilege. As it turns out, the Celts have an almost identical well; hazel nuts fall into it where they are eaten by the Salmon of Wisdom.

IN CONCLUSION.....

The only real differences between Germanic and Celtic religion seem to be the names by which the Gods are called. A viking of the tenth century would likely have felt quite comfortable in a Celtic ritual among the Gauls a thousand years earlier. Celtic religion deviates from the "Odinist norm" no more than do, for example, a priestess of Freya in Iceland and a warrior pledged to Wotan in Germany in Herman's time. Indeed, one is inclined to say that there is only "European religion" - and that the Germanic and Celtic beliefs are two expressions of it.

So what are the implications of all this? Well, it means that the Irishman need not feel out-of-place calling on Gods more often associated with Norway's fjords than the Emerald Îsles hills and valleys. Ultimately all us Northfolk are spiritual as well as genetic kin.

Also Celtic-Germanic unity flies in the face of the sometimes-herard assertions that since Europeans often boast roots in different countries we're somehow mixed ancestry. How often have you heard someone say "I'm a Heinz 57 blend...part Irish, part Swedish, with some Englis h and German thrown in?" Clearly that's not mixed at all, because the Northern peoples are essentially one, in both their physical aspects and in their ancient relgiions. We musn't let people divided us on the basis of superficialities!

Thirdly, the catalog of our similarities measn we can use the one to fill gaps in our knowldge of the other.l As we reconstitute the tapestry of our ancient Odinic beliefs, there will be holes where the moths of time and persecution have done their work. But if we know the common pattern and how it's woven in the Celtic material, we can patch the holes with greater confidence.

Enough! All this scholarship makes thirsty work! I'm going to pour a fine bottle of Guiness into my mead horn, and toast all things Celtic/Nordic...Skoal, and Slainte, to you!