Thursday, January 31, 2008
AFA Membership
The AFA is a membership organization and we are always interested in recruiting men and women who believe in our principles and want to take a stand for our Gods, our Folk, and a better world. You can see full membership information at http://runestone.org/membership/index.html.
Tyr 3 Now Available!
The long awaited third volume of Tyr is here and you can purchase it from the AFA online store! Weighing in at over 525 pages, Tyr 3 contains what we've come to expect of these publications, and a little of what we never would, but are very glad to find there nonetheless.
Our Northern heritage's great traditions, classic myths and ongoing culture are presented, explored and examined through poetics, interviews, essays, translations, and reviews by luminary thinkers such as Ian Read, Michael Moynihan, Joscelyn Godwin, Stephen Flowers, Nigel Pennick, Alain De Benoist and others. Many others. Tyr3 is as abundant a volume as it is deeply engrossing and varied. The sheer wealth of writers and artists who make up the table of contents is intriguing and interesting... and, their work is inspiring. All of it.
As usual, editors Josh Buckley and Michael Moynihan pull together a collection of radical traditional and anti-modern works that both transcend and hold-to-account the contemporary material world we must rub shoulders with. Tyr 3 is a stunning anthology of intellectual and insightful work that we cannot recommend highly enough.
You can purchase Tyr 3 from http://www.runestone.org/store/index.htm . The cost is $25, or $23 for AFA members. (Just our way of saying “Thank you” to our members!)
Tyr 1 on the Way!
Want to bring your collection of the Tyr series up to date? Now you can come one step closer to this goal!
Tyr 1, the first issue of the lot, has been out of print for some time - much to the dismay of avid readers who wanted to own the whole set. We are pleased to announce that a relatively small run of Tyr 1 is being reprinted, and the AFA will be selling it. We’ll make an announcement as soon as it arrives, giving you full ordering information.
Here’s a summary of the contents of this seminal issue -
Stephen Edred Flowers on “Integral Culture,” Collin Cleary on “Knowing the Gods” and the anti-modern television series The Prisoner, French philosopher Alain de Benoist’s interview with “new comparative mythologist” Georges Dumézil, Steve Pollington on the Germanic war god Woden, Alby Stone on Indo-European trifunctional themes in Celtic Myth, Michael Moynihan on divine traces in the Nibelungenlied, Nigel Pennick on the Germanic goddess Zisa and the “Spiritual Arts and Crafts,” Annabel Lee on “The Dark Side of the Mountain,” Joscelyn Godwin on the Italian esotericist Julius Evola, Markus Wolff on the early twentieth-century völkisch German poet Hermann Löns, Joshua Buckley’s interview with Ian Read of the English heathen music group Fire + Ice, and over eighty pages of book and music reviews.
In other words, this is a significant addition to the literature - a classic for your shelves!
Kennewick Man, NAGPRA, and Politics
The battle for control of the past never ceases.
NAGPRA is the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act. The future of ancient skeletons found in
The intricacies of the current dispute are the subject of the links that follow.
To read an article about the controversy, go to http://www.friendsofpast.org/ .
For the text of the Senate bill that would change the wording of NAGPRA, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ , select the “Bill Number” option in the search field, and enter the number S.2087.
For a description of an opposing bill introduced by Congressman Doc Hastings, go to
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1013&dept_id=387710&newsid=19246944&PAG=461&rfi=9
New CD Released by Hauk
Hauk, a veteran of the southern California Asatru scene, also happens to be an accomplished musician and the frontman for a band that bears his name. Hauk’s music, inspired by Asatru themes, differs from Viking Metal in that you can make out the lyrics, and the words are…well, lyrical. You could classify it as folk rock with a touch of metal, perhaps.
Hauk’s latest CD is titled “No Mercy for the Slain.” With cuts like “Ravens Over the Battlefield” and “Baldur Rising,” the songs clearly relate to our ancestral beliefs as they would have been practices during the Viking Age. You can usually visit the Hauk website at http://www.haukmusic.com , but it’s being redone right now; so try http://www.myspace.com/hauk to get more information including downloads and details on how to order their music.
Our People and Our Culture - Links
We are a people - Germanic people, part of the Greater Family of European peoples, following the ways of our ancestors.
Only when we realize we are a river will we stop drowning in puddles.
Indian tales of early European-like people in
http://books.google.com/books?id=o5Q...&ie=ISO-8859-1
Viking ship replica wins a two million kroner grant - The Sea Stallion is a reproduction of a Viking ship that was sunk many centuries ago in
http://www.havhingsten.dk/index.php?id=277&L=1
Bus driver uncovers hundreds of cached bronze axe heads - A stash of five hundred Bronze Age axe heads point to a 3,000 year old manufacturing center in
Runemarks introduces young people to the Northern Gods - In Runemarks, a novel by Joanne Harris, a fourteen year-old girl with a penchant for magic is visited by a mysterious one-eyed stranger. Soon she finds herself embroiled in a cosmic struggle alongside the Aesir.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/27/RVTHU1CHV.DTL
Mari people face persecution in
http://www.suri.ee/klubi/pyham.html - photos of their rites
http://www.ugri.info/mari/articles.html - articles on their plight
More on continuing human evolution - Two issues back, we ran links from the popular press on how humans have continued to evolve into fairly recent times. The implication is that, indeed, there are substantial differences in human populations depending on their continent of origin. Here is a link to the actual paper that started all the discussion, as well as links to the popular articles.
http://www.anthro.utah.edu/PDFs/accel.pnas.smallpdf.pdf - the study itself
…and the popular articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7132794.stm
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=culture-speeds-up-human-evolution
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3031104.ece
Freedom and Asatru - Links
Our Western traditions of freedom under law derive overwhelmingly from the culture of
Microchips everywhere: a vision of the near future - We’re rapidly heading for a society in which privacy will be non-existent and control over individuals will be absolute. This article is an excellent overview of the threats to our freedom posed by RFID/microchips.
Not happy about being chipped? - This is an activist group made up of people who think it’s a lousy idea, too.
http://www.wethepeoplewillnotbechipped.com
How you can defeat the chips - There are things you can do to protect your identity and your humanity in an increasingly nailed-down world. By using wallets equipped with Faraday cages, you choose when the chips in your passport or cards can be used. The first link below describes the concept. The second link tells you where you can buy one ready-made. It’s not a complete answer to the problem by any means, but it’s a start!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage
The end of
Government online surveillance to become absolute, sources say - Any and all computer traffic is about to be made available to government snoops, according to this article. Our ancestral heritage of freedom is, once again, being hedged in by the frost-giants of bureaucratic tyranny.
The Environment and Asatru - Links
The Earth is our mother, called variously in our mythic lore Frigga, Nerthus, and Jord. As the most intelligent species on the planet, humans end up making many decisions for all the other forms of life that live here - so let us choose wisely.
Carbon dioxide in the Mississippi River is poisoning the Gulf of Mexico - Poor agricultural practices dump huge amounts of calcium carbonate into the greatest river in
Much of this destruction comes from the abuses of corporate farming. As we regain the spiritual heritage of our ancestors, we must again take a look at the vital role of the independent farming family, rooted in the soil tilled by their ancestors.
http://www.livescience.com/environment/080125-mississippi-chemistry.html
Antarctic meltdown rate has increased - We hear a lot about the warming
Popular press:
Original paper:
http://tinyurl.com/2jorkn
Earth’s tropical zone expanding - The flip side of the melting polar caps is the growth of the tropics. The sub-Arctic and the temperate forest zones - the environments that made us Eurofolk what we are - are disappearing from this planet. Below is a link to a relevant study.
World’s first sustainable city to be built - Unfortunately, it’s not in
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/21/climatechange.energy
Our topsoil is disappearing… at a rate of about one percent per year! David Montgomery, author of Dirt, argues that poor farming practice is the cause. Hopefully we’ll learn we can’t eat concrete, and that the food we eat actually grows somewhere!
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/348200_dirt22.html
How to make compost - Given the link above, you might want to consider composting to improve the soil in your garden. Here’s a complete guide to how to go about it:
Thursday, January 17, 2008
AFA Membership - Is It for You?
Do you like what you see here? Do you like what you see when you go to our web site, http://runestone.org? Do you agree with the principles outlined in the AFA’s Declaration of Purpose? The AFA is a membership organization and we are always interested in recruiting men and women who believe in our principles and want to take a stand for our Gods, our Folk, and a better world. You can see full membership information at http://runestone.org/membership/index.html.
Keeping it Positive
At the beginning of this new year, it is important for all of us to take a look at the layers we are placing in the Well of Wyrd. Will our decisions build good orlog for ourselves and for those with whom we associate? Or will we choose behaviors that will work to the detriment of ourselves and all around us?
The Germanic religious movement as a whole, and the AFA as a part of it, will prosper best if we treat each other with respect and kindness. All too often we see organizations and individuals wasting their time in negativity, sarcasm, biting comments, and covert agendas. This does not reflect the best in our traditional character. The way of the Germanic hero is to be generous, open-handed, and open-hearted rather than miserly and curmudgeonly - and I’m not talking only in terms of money and material things, but even more importantly, in the things of the spirit.
It is for that reason that, in the AFA, each new member agrees to abide by the Law of the Hall. This document is specifically designed to eliminate pettiness, infighting, and bickering; these negative influences poison the layers we place in the Well and affect the orlog of us all. I will reprint the Law of the Hall below, since the great majority of people who receive the AFA Update are not AFA members and may not have been exposed to it.
This is a new year and a new start. Let us all work for peace among kin. The Christians have agape, the love that binds them together in fellowship. Let us revive in our hearts our own equivalent to agape, namely, Wunjo or “joy” - the harmonious fellow-feeling of those who are bound together in the clan, the tribe, the Folk. Thus we will build good orlog and bring victory to each of us, and to the cause for which we fight.
“Silent and thoughtful a king’s son should be, and bold in battle; merry and glad every man should be, until the day he dies.”
- Havamal
The Law of the Hall
The "Law of the Hall" describes the behavior expected of AFA supporters in to regard to each other. We can think of the AFA as a vast chieftain's hall from the heroic age, and our fellow AFA supporters as our benchmates within that hall. To preserve peace in the hall and to protect the reputation of those who inhabit it, we have certain rules. These rules constitute the "Law of the Hall."
1. Honor the Aesir and Vanir, wights and ancestors, by blot and deed.
Grow in the lore, and strengthen the Mighty Ones with ritual; observe the holy days of Asatru.
2. Abide no strife in the hall or between kin.
One must be able to speak one's mind candidly, but disagreements must never exceed the bounds of respect or courtesy. All within the hall are brothers and sisters and are to be treated appropriately.
3. Build bright fame, not dark disdain, for those who dwell in the hall.
Our deeds and words must be such that the reputation of the AFA, and of Asatru as a whole grows more glorious because of our presence. Do good to your kin, grow in your might and main...and when we disagree among ourselves, let it be done out of the sight of others.
4. Give first love to family and Folk, but deal honorably with all whose hands are open and whose hearts are true.
Your primary duty is to those closest to you by blood and troth, but give good for good from all who give it. Love your own, but hate not others without reason.
5. Strive that our Folk shall live forever, though all the forces of Muspel march against us.
Work for the good of the Folk Within (Asatruar) and the Folk Without (the Greater Family of our people who have not yet come to the Gods) in all ways that are honorable and noble.
6. Deal with candor and forthrightness with all in the hall, and scorn the poison of gossip and intrigue.
Speak honestly and openly, and do not talk behind the backs of others.
7. Envy not those who earn gifts, fame, and favor within the hall, but seek instead your own by might and main.
The glory given your brother or sister shines on you, as well; Let gold and bright fame not stir enmity among kin.
8. Be open-handed and open-hearted, generous to aid kin and forward the folk.
Give gladly of time and effort, helping those in the hall and advancing our enterprise.
9. Honor your oaths to kin and to Gods, though your life be the price.
Hand on ring or steel, hand given in good trust to another - these are sacred and on them lives the might of those in the hall.
Animals and the Afterlife
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” - Will Rogers
We usually devote our space in the AFA Update to showcasing recent progress in the AFA - of which there continues to be plenty - or to expounding on weighty matters dealing with our faith and our Folk. This time, though, let’s hit a lighter note and ask that question that many of us must have wondered -
When we cross over the
I know that in broaching the subject I am veering dangerously close to the world of late night talk radio, saccharine sentimentality, and the pious wishes of aging widows. But there it is - let’s take the plunge.
I like animals. (The usual other half of that statement is “…it’s people I don’t like.”) When I read about cruelty directed toward animals, like this - http://www.bestcyrano.org/THOMASPAINE/?p=552 - it make me Think Bad Thoughts. And yes, I know where my steak comes from but I would prefer that the animal that gave it at least be killed cleanly.
But I also know that the universe, or the multiverse, doesn’t care what I think about immortality for animals. It is what it is…so when it comes to the postmortem existence of animals, what is the cosmic verdict?
The Lore of Asatru doesn’t have a lot to say about the subject. Sure, there are Odin’s wolves and ravens, and Sleipnir, and the Vanic boars but I think they can be interpreted symbolically, or as extensions of the shamanic Self. (This may or may not be true of some other animals listed in the mythology of the Otherworld - much depends on how literally one wants to take the surviving Lore.) So what else do we have to go on?
Archeology is much more informative. Germanic graves, particularly those of kings and queens and the wealthy, abound in the corpses of horses and dogs who were presumed to journey into the afterlife with their owner.
From a deeper perspective, I have no idea what mechanism would allow for the presence of animals in the afterlife. Human survival after death can be described as the function of the different soul components, their level of development in the individual, and especially the spiritual or magical might of the person who dies. It is not obvious that animals possess these same soul components, and in their absence I am at a loss to think of a mechanism that would allow animal survival into the Otherworld. But then, maybe I am over-intellectualizing.
Christian doctrine as preached in the churches tells us unambiguously that animals do not have souls…which is perhaps all the more reason to assume they do. The respect for animals found in indigenous religions worldwide is very different from the “dominion” concept found in the Book of Genesis, in which animals are basically here for us to use, and to do with as we wish.
In short, I have no authoritative answer regarding the souls, or lack of, of animals. But I think the Will Rogers quote at the beginning of this article expresses my own feelings very well - what kind of afterlife would it be without animals, and would we really want to go there?
Our People and Our Culture - Links
We are a people - Germanic people, part of the Greater Family of European peoples, following the ways of our ancestors.
Only when we realize we are a river will we stop drowning in puddles.
Archeologists find 2,000 year-old ring - Scientists digging in
http://www.norwaypost.no/cgi-bin/norwaypost/imaker?id=115816
Ancient tomb found in path of Irish highway - Once again, Irish prehistory is threatened by plans for a new highway running through the ancient religious complex surrounding the Hill of Tara. Will
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/afamembers/message/14872
Another attack on Nordic heritage - This time it involves a Viking statue in a town in
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4357619a10.html
Exploration of
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7187239.stm
Flashman creator tells how
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=506219&in_page_id=1770
Freedom and Asatru - Links
Our Western traditions of freedom under law derive overwhelmingly from the culture of
Massive vote fraud in US primaries? - I am a little hesitant to publish thing that can be taken as “fringe” in the AFA Update, but the following, if true, is very important.
This issue has been pretty much ignored by the mainstream media. Has recent voting in the
http://yannone.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-hampshire-election-fraud.html
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5530
http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/71236.html
Government to have access to all your email and web searches - That’s right, the proposed plan will wipe out any online privacy you thought you had.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/US_drafting_plan_to_allow_government_0114.html
California wants to control home thermostats - The state wants all new or remodeled houses to be equipped with radio-controlled thermostats so regulators can lower the temperature “in case of a power emergency.” This “foot-in-the-door” ruse will inevitably lead to the government setting limits on electricity usage. If they were serious about reducing power usage, they’d round up and deport the state’s huge illegal alien population.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/11/america/calif.php
“Real ID” plan comes under attack… But not to worry; they’re going to put it in place anyway.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/11/AR2008011103410_pf.html
Microsoft wants to patent office ‘spy” software - With this in place, your boss will be able to monitor your blood pressure, facial expression, movements and more while you’re at work. Welcome to the world of total control…
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3193480.ece
The Environment and Asatru - Links
The Earth is our mother, called variously in our mythic lore Frigga, Nerthus, and Jord. As the most intelligent species on the planet, humans end up making many decisions for all the other forms of life that live here - so let us choose wisely.
Grass makes better ethanol than corn does - Prairie grass looks like a much better alternative than corn when it comes to costs and environmental impact. Here are a few links on this good news -
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/01/09/switch-grass-ethanol-print.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7175397.stm
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=grass-makes-better-ethanol-than-corn
Carbon dioxide cuts essential, scientists say - According to these scientists, we’ve already got enough carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to ensure a rising sea level measured in meters and the disappearance of summer ice at the North Pole. The important thing is to slash carbon dioxide emissions to keep things from being even worse.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46074/story.htm
Welcome to the anthropocene - Mankind’s impact on the planet is so severe that a whole new term needs to be coined to describe this era.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=4074374&page=1
Grow your own vegetables - Producing your own food can save money and improve your health. It also has less impact on the environment because it doesn’t have to be transported to market and it requires no packaging. This site contains a lot of information on how you can grow your own.
http://www.markhamfarm.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
New book: Mini Farming for Self Sufficiency - Linked off the above web site, this book looks like a “must have” for anyone who wants to grow a portion of their own food.
http://www.markhamfarm.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=26
Super Soaker inventor hopes to double solar efficiency - There have been a number of breakthroughs in cheap and efficient solar power recently, and this article describes another one. If you’re thinking about installing solar power in your home (and we hope you are!) you’d do well to follow these developments.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)