World Peace Day?

So, if I am reading things correctly, today is World Peace day. I'm sure people are out there now, holding shindigs and such in order to celebrate and try and invoke the spirit of World Peace.

Personally, I can't say I'm a fan.

Don't get me wrong, I like peace, to an extent. I admit I like not constantly having to fight (at least not physically, mentally on the other hand). But my biggest problem with World Peace is that it isn't natural. It is, to me, a Monotheistic Ideal, where the world exists at "peace" (this peace normally being a state of being where everyone worships the same god and in the same method). Yet as a Asatruar, or even a Heathen/Pagan in general, I find it abhorrent. There are things worth fighting for. There are things worth fighting wars for. World Peace, to me, speaks or a world in which these things no longer exist, because as long as they exist, there will be battle done because of them. I worship gods and goddesses of war as much as I do the gods and goddesses of love and fertility. Often, at least in the European pantheons, these gods and goddesses cross over. Tyr and Ares were gods of war, but they also brought justice. Aphrodite, Freyja, Freyr, and Thor were gods and goddess of fertility who showed great zeal in battle. Odin and Athena were gods of wisdom and warfare. Each aspect was considered just as important as the other.

So I say keep your World Peace.

A few further words

Again in respost to a wonderful article by Cara: The Missing Call for Divine Justice

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Cara, thank you so much for writing this. I left a comment on your other article in similar vein. I agree with you, too much do I see people in the pagan/heathen community seeking the peace and understanding above the other aspects of our ancient ways. Too much of the Christian do I see in the Pagans of this day.

Though on occasion I see people speak about the ancient attitudes, I rarely see them practiced. I realize there is a reason for this, because in the past there was much anti-pagan sentiment and frankly embracing the "darker" side of Paganism wouldn't have helped us become accepted in mainstream society. Yet it seems this early realization has been lost and most of those today seem to adhere to the "Noble Savage" idea of ancient paganism, where it's all about honor and hospitality. They embrace the "noble" but seem to have forgotten the "savage."

Paganism/heathenism is, in a way, very savage. It is Primal, the essence of the Animal as much as it is the Man. It is emotion and reason fused into a single entity. It is the ancient world, with its savage beasts and darkness and violence, as much as it is the ages of reason and enlightenment. It is Sparta, as much as it is Athens. It is Germanic, as much as it is Rome.

For Asatru, Odin is both a god of wisdom and war. Few today would feel that those two things have anything in common. War is seen as foolish and needless, a waste of time and people. Wisdom is seen as a thing of utmost value, to be embraced at all times. Yet, Odin is both, because our "modern" view of war is one that I think is very misinformed (though understandable for reasons beyond the scope of this comment).

In Wicca, there is the Green Man, the masculine spirit of the world. He is a father, loving provider to his children. But he is also a monster, the sounds of the dark forest at midnight, when all manner of beast and spirit wander just out of sight, ready to rend and tear and kill.

I've come to wonder if, in response to the supposedly "patriarchal" nature of Monotheism, that Paganism went to far in the other direction. If, in re-embracing the feminine, the masculine came to be undesirable. I know in many parts of Wicca, and other Pagan traditions as well, men are placed in positions lower than women. Places where, instead of the male priest/leader standing in equal measure with the female priestess/leader, he must stand subservient to her. I see a pattern in modern paganism of viewing traditionally masculine virtues as things to be avoided. Power, rage, violence, and many others are viewed as terrible things that should be avoided at all costs, when in the ancient pagan world they were viewed as noble emotions and energies of the same value as acceptance, love, and peace. I think this is something we pagans/heathens need to examine in ourselves.

Just how much of the Monotheist do we have in ourselves, with its insistence on pacifism, tolerance, concession, and acceptance.

Just as we are reawakening the ancient gods and goddesses of fertility, love, reason, and art, so too must we reawaken the gods and goddesses of war. We must remember that Thor's hammer brought more than thunder, it slew giants. We must remember that while the Athenians hated Aries, the Spartans loved him and the Romans viewed Mars as one of their greatest and strongest deities. WE must remember that Odin and Freyja were as well loved for being god and goddess of warriors as they were for wisdom or fertility.

So I say these final words, in response for Cara's call, though I know many will come to despise me for them.

I call upon Aries, God of War, to turn his weapons upon those who would see us dead!

I call upon Thor, to bring Mighty Mjolnir down upon their God!

I call upon Odin, to cast his mighty spear to slay those responsible for the deaths on that dread day of 9/11!

I call upon all the Gods and Goddesses, from Scandinavia to Egypt, from Ireland to Greece and beyond! I call upon them to rise once more in war and bring vengeance and justice on those who terrorists who kill in the name of Allah!

And I say unto that Allah, that should he not wished to be judged as condoning those who abuse his name, if they are truly not of his religion and betray his teachings, that he smite them as well. For otherwise I shall judge him complicit in their actions and in equal measure of bearing their guilt, from now until Ragnarok and beyond!

Some Words in the Days After

This is a re-post of my comment from here I can’t get there from here

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Cara, I am deeply sorry and saddened by your loss. No words, by man or god, could give comfort to it.

I too, noticed that much of the Pagan blogs were very much "move on, release your grief, find coexistence and peace" in their treatment.I am sorry to say I was little better in my short post, but I felt the day needed silence, not words of war.

Yet, it seems for all the pretty words, nothing has really changed.

I am sure that if I have a reputation in the Pagan blogs by now, it is not a pretty one. I am often outspoken against Islam and am not one for pulling metaphorical punches. Ali here I am sure isn't to fond of me, and I'm still trying to figure out if Ali is Pagan or Muslim, because honestly it is hard to tell so deeply does Ali defend Islam and hold it high. Yet, it matters little to me which Gods, if any Ali worships.

I think the reason many people from all walks of life and religions, myself included, are against Islam is because even if it wasn't "Islam attacking America" it was still done in the name of Islam. Just as the Crusades and Witchhunts were done in the name of Christianity, I believe there is a desire to see Islam weakened to the point where it can no longer offer that violence, just as Christianity can no longer offer totalitarian violence agianst those who do not worship Christ. I am sure there are some who will disagree, who will say that those opposed to Islam are "Islamophobic" and "racist bigots" but I think that is disrespectful to all sides.

Linda says the mosque *needs* to go up now so that we can heal. But I fail to see how it is healing. There are those who say it is a symbol of Islam's victory, and there are Muslims who no doubt see it as such. Indeed, the very size of the community center does seem rather much. Were it four stories, I doubt we'd see much protest. Were it two, few words would be spoken. But to be over ten stories and to stand taller than most buildings around it strikes me as a little much. I have heard rumors that the top floors were the "prayer center" is to be located will have a clear view of the WTC site. I do not doubt that there are misguided individuals on both sides of the fight, but there are those with clear and just reasons for their stances. Linda, your call for tolerance is noble, but your application is intolerant. You suggest the Mosque is a salve to heal a wound, but even to me, one who lost little in comparison on that day, it feels of salt to that wound.

One thing I have noticed about Pagans is the insistence on tolerance and peace. These are noble ideals, to be sure, but I would say to all Pagans and Heathens, that ours is a world of many faces and natures. It is the nature of people to day to desire peace, to want it above all else, and many are willing to give anything so that they do not have to face the ugly side of life. But Paganism/Heathenism to me is as much about the ugly side of life as it is the pretty. It is, in Nietzsche's words "The Dionysian and the Apollonian." It is terror and beauty, emotions and reason, the bestial and the divine, all at once. I think we are missing a key element when it comes to the healing of the 9/11 Tragedy. One which I see at least, being an Asatruar, though I can speak for no others.

There was no were-geld paid to the victims families.

We have fought wars for nine years almost, but we have not gained any vengeance. Those who did the killings died in the same blast. Those who planned the murders have escaped all justice, and those that are "captured" languish in "prisons" that by all accounts are not dens of terror, pain, suffering, and retribution. There has been little accounting done for the deeds of that terrible day. People like to say that vengeance and retribution don't solve anything, that it just begets more of the same, but I disagree.

We Pagans/Heathens have many gods and goddess who exist either as representations, physical beings, or however you choice to view them. Yet we believe they exist and that they each have a purpose or job at which they perform, from which their power is drawn, and that power which they create.

We have gods and goddesses of love and desire, which I often see invoked.

We have gods and goddesses of fertility and the harvest, which I often see called upon.

But we also have gods and goddesses of War and Vengeance. These, I do not see invoked, or called upon.

I see many pagans willing to reach out beyond our pantheons and call upon Shinto and Buddhist deities, desiring peace and serenity. But where are the Pagans/Heathens calling upon our own divinities for righteous vengeance against those who slew kin and friend and hero that day? If I see someone call upon Odin, it is for wisdom in dealing with their hatred and removing it, not invoking him as the Terrible One, God of War. I have seen none call upon Aries, who clothes his bed in the skin of those he's killed, for retribution against those Terrorists who kill in the name of Allah. I see no one crying out to Thor, killer of Giants, to bring might Mjolnir down upon the God of Mohamed.

It is likely that I will have drawn much hate with these words. Perhaps I violate the spirit of this article as badly as I feel Linda and Ali have done. If so, I am sorry.

But looking at it, I see in the Pagan community people who are uncomfortable with who they really are. People who are so eager not to be "intolerant" that they willingly put up with things I would think intolerable. Pagan who look at Muslim women who are so bundled in fabric that their faces barely show and proclaim "Oh, she is so modest, how holy and admirable is that." They never stop to think that the woman is modest because her religion teaches that the mere sight such things as her hair will arouse men so much that they would rape uncontrollably, or that women are second class beings because Eve tempted Adam in the Garden and thus caused him to fall from grace, nor that a woman is counted as worth half a man in the courts of Islam, or that she must prove her innocence in a rape case with either four male witnesses or eight female witnesses. And would likely be charged with worse crimes for having performed sexual acts in front of so many people.

Little concern is given that in the ancient Pagan/Heathen world, the human body, male and female, was a thing to be shown of with pride as a vessel of Sacred Power and divinity, that to show off that form was considered desirable, and that to cover it was to deny and defame that sacred beauty that is the Human Form.

If my words seem angry, it is because I am angry. I am angry because there has been no vengeance for the fallen. I am angry because all I see are platitudes to an Ideology that supports misogyny, homophobia, paganophobia, and speaks of peace while doing nothing to stop the violence of its radicals. I am angry because all I see from those screaming for tolerance is intolerance to those who do not share their views. I see Muslims screaming about oppression and intolerance, yet who show little tolerance towards the victims in this Mosque building.

Yes, there were Muslims who died at the WTC, but too often I see those Muslim victims paraded out as a reason to let Muslims build, pray, and act as they please in regards to 9/11. Yet I rarely see anyone say fair number of those Muslims who died at the WTC were the ones flying the planes. Perhaps my emotions have gotten the best of me. Perhaps pain and fear and anger push me too far for today's world. But I do not live by the standards of "today's world." I live by the standards of my ancestors and my gods and goddesses. Perhaps hearing the GZM Imam say things like "America has more Innocent Muslim blood on its hands than Al Qaeda has the blood of Innocent Non-Muslims" has roused my temper. Yet I am caused to remember that just as according to Christians "all are guilty of sin who have not accepted Christ", so to is it for Muslims that "All are guilty of sin who have not submitted to the Will of Allah." That to Muslims there is no such thing as an "innocent non-Muslim" because we are "guilty of sin," while every Muslim is cleansed of there Sins by "Submission to Allah."

Perhaps I am wrong, to call upon the gods and goddesses of war, with a desire to see those who would kill us, be they "radical" or not, driven away at the end of divine wrath. But I am a heathen, and if it was good enough for my ancestors, it is good enough for me.

Cara, again I give my sympathy, and hope that the gods and goddesses of the afterlife, bring peace and comfort to your friend. I am sorry, if my comments have got to far for you. I have no desire to try and hijack your sacred words nor your sacred grief.

The Mouse that Roared at Lions

Of all the things I've written on Blogger, this is the one that will probably cause me the most trouble. However, I had always sought to be honest about my views. So, I will be honest.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the Florida Church burning the Koran on 9/11, which is just a few days away. Well, perhaps that is wrong, as controversy implies that there are two side fighting over something, while world wide all I have really seen is mass condemnations. The Pastor has been labels a Hater and it is said that his proposed deed is one of hate. Indeed, this may be reasonable. The interviews I've seen haven't revealed to me a man driven mad with hatred like so many accuse, but they are short clips chosen to support the views of various people, and without meeting this man in person, I cannot say for sure the nature of his mentality.

But I can make a judgment about his character.

He is no coward.

In the face of condemnations, death threats, the potential uprising of roughly 1.5 billion Muslims, and the general disgust of the entire world, this man stands firm in his beliefs and is not swayed from his course. Now, will this hold out through the burning of the Koran, I cannot say. We will not know until after 9/11. But to have lasted this long at all is impressive.

I believe it is well known at this point that I am a Germanic Heathen, namely Asatru. I do not speak for any organizations, nor for other followers of the Pagan and Heathen Paths. I have a very different perspective on things than most people because of this. I reject a good/evil moral dichotomy. If there are any dichotomies in my life's path, it is that of Order/Chaos or Honorable/Shameful. So looking at the objections to this Pastor's actions, I judge by my way, and not the way of mainstream society.

People say that this action is inspired by Hate, and thus it is bad. Perhaps for the Christians, hate is evil, but nothing in any records of the Heathen Norse did Hate come across as evil. Rather, justified hate was viewed as a good thing. So simply because this man hates is not reason enough for me to condemn him. Indeed, Hate was once as valued as Love. In Paganism/Heathenism we attempt to restore the balance of the world. To reject hate is Christian. This viewing of Hatred and Violence as evil that the Western world has now is at odds with the rest of the world's views. It is certainly at odds with the views of my ancient ancestors, and myself.

People say that burning books is evil and shameful, often throwing images of the Nazi's book burning. Again, I reject the notion of evil, as it does not really exist in my religious beliefs. However, Shame does, so it does hold merit. But permit me to judge the shamefulness of this action. It is not good to burn books. (Though, if one is to belief Dolf in the Expendables, "It is good to hang pirates"). I will agree that it is shameful to burn books, but what of the motive behind the burning of the book. Is it too, shameful? If this Pastor Terry Jones is to be believed, he is burning the Koran to send a message to Radical Islam.

Now, he has not to my knowledge defined what he views as Radical Islam. It could be just those Terrorists who attack in the name of Islam. It could be the larger Islamic community. I cannot answer this.

So, what is this message of Hate that he is sending out? Well, to this simple Heathen, it comes across as "You burn our people, we burn your book." "That it is time to confront terrorism. That we do not want Shariah Law." Now, I could be wrong about this, but that is the impression I've gotten both from him and from others commenting about him.

So, is this a shameful message? Certainly, many seem to view it as such. The controversy of the Park 51/Ground Zero Mosque has painted a picture that protests against Islam are all hateful and racist. Yet, I cannot help but remember back when the Twin Towers were struck down in the name of Allah, that much of America wanted not only to go get revenge, but wanted to blow up the holy centers of Islam. Such things were not viewed as shameful then. Did something change when I wasn't looking? More than likely. Whether this is good or not, I cannot say. I, however, do not consider it shameful to tell a group of people that commit mass murder in the name of their god to knock it off. Are there better methods than burning the holy book of that group? Probably.

But what other methods are there? Talking certainly doesn't seem to have helped. Going to war, too, has not brought the results hoped when we first sent soldiers overseas. I think that what this Pastor and his tiny church are doing is done because they feel powerless against a monolithic, violent enemy that their government has failed to do much of anything against. So, they are taking what power they can, glaring into the face of the enemy they see, and mocking it.

But they are not killing anyone. They are not advocating violence. At least, not that I have seen.

The same cannot be said for the rest of the world. Already much of the Islamic world is in a riot. America has set its embassies on high alert. People are saying that our troops will be in more danger (though I find this rather hard to believe because they are already in a war zone and therefore not in a safe place to start with).

In many ways, I have to laugh at some of the things people are trying to do to stop this. As I write, MSNBC started digging and implying that the Church involved is, in fact, a Cult. A great way for character assassination, but even if they succeed in defaming the Pastor's message, it has proven useless in stopping the proposed burning. They are also reporting that Terry Jones, the Pastor, will stop if called by the White House, Pentagon, Etc. Perhaps this is true. Perhaps he is just playing for time. Much is unknown.

What stands to happen though, is known. Should the Koran be burned, there will be a violent reaction across the world. Many are desperate to stop it, yet many question why the President doesn't step up more to stop it. It is hard to say. This is more than a religious statement by a Pastor of a tiny church. This is world wide politics.

Ultimately, true answers will not be known until after 9/11. Indeed, I suspect there will be violence this September 11th. In addition to the Koran burning, two protests about the Park 51/Ground Zero Mosque, both for and against. Should the Koran be burned, we will see riots. If those riots break out at the Mosque protest, I do wonder what will happen.

I can't say I completely agree with Pastor Terry Jones. I dislike Christianity as much as I dislike Islam. But I don't have to agree with a person to admire courage, which he appears to have in spades. If this was a mere publicity stunt, he could have gotten as much attention without the danger. The fact that he's earned himself a death sentience, especially if he does burn the Koran, speaks to something larger. He says his god is telling him to do this. I am not one to say this isn't true. While the Secular world may sneer, but as a Heathen I live with my gods and goddesses and in a way, from the stories of them and my own impressions I too hear their words.

So, irregardless of hatred or insanity, I admire the tiny Christian mouse that is roaring at the lions of this world.

Strawman has a point

When I was a child, I lived in a very black and white world. Most kids do, or at least they did, so this isn’t surprising. My home life was very sheltered, going for years without a television and the only music I was really allowed to listen to was classical (which led, in addition to a decade and a half of classical music lessons to a deep hatred of classical music, something I now regret but cannot overcome). No comic books, no toy weapons (even the tiny toy guns in my LEGOs were taken away), no cartoons, no magic of any kind, etc. It was, as I look back on it, a life lived under a moral guardian with the best of intentions and all the love in the world. It was my life and I knew no other.

Yet the years have passed and my life took turns I never thought it could, much less would. I stopped seeing the world in black and white. Mostly, it went black. I am not ashamed to admit I went completely and utterly to that which many call the Dark Side, a place where only the ruthless and the strong survive, where living with regrets is a sure way to end up dead or in a mental hospital, doped up on meds and barely able to function. There are many, many people who walk that path and lose control to the awesome and terrible powers that lie on the edge of that blade, which would as soon cut you as serve you. I didn’t fall into the darkness, I threw myself there, body and soul, knowing that when I came out the other end, I would be a stronger person than anyone else I had ever met.

One learns many things on the other side, that side that many touch and many more are touched by. People learn things from the Dark Side, especially those who are touched by it, but what they learn is rarely that which someone who has stepped over learns. A person touched by violence often sees it as bad and something to be eradicated, while the person who lives violence sees it only as an expression of power that is valuable and irreplaceable. Those who live in the Light world see things in terms of good and evil, while those in the Dark see things in terms of good and bad for themselves.

One of the things that has happened to me personally, having not just touched that Dark world, but lived and embraced it before I journeyed on to the Asatru way of life (one that I understand in fair better ways thanks to my journey through the Dark), is that I tend to identify and understand the villains better than most people. Chris Jericho is one of my favorite wrestlers, and I agree with many of his statements about the fans of wrestling and about John Cena. Darth Vader’s decent to the Dark Side is one of the most compelling I’ve ever seen, and despite the fan hate, episodes II and III are my favorite out of the entire Star Wars saga.

So when it comes to something known as a Strawman, I tend to listen. Strawmen, for those who don’t know, are individuals in various media who are created and used solely for the purpose of degrading and demeaning the opposing side’s views. Watch Stewart or Colbert, and you can spot an entire field of them. Fox News has them, but not quite the crops that CNN, MSNBC, and others do.

So what do the Dark Side, my affinity for villains, and strawmen have in common? Well, it leads to a certain skill that I can’t claim a monopoly too, but have something of an affinity and enjoyments of: Strawman has a point.

This typically means that the being set up to be the bad guy, the extremist, the antagonist, or what have you, actually makes sense. Sometimes more sense than the supposed hero. Those who oppose the “Forces of Light” are in fact the ones who have a more correct world view. I can draw personal history on this myself, with my Norse ancestors, who from the perspective of Christian Europe, were unwashed heathen monsters that slew, raped, and stole, yet were in reality, more a people who saw their lives and culture threatened by a monolithic force that saw them as evil.

Though, perhaps I can provide a slightly less personal example that more people might agree with. I’m going to assume that those reading this have also read the Harry Potter series, so my example with come from there. Most people who have read those books know of the four houses at Hogwarts, and my example comes from Slytherin, namely the founder of that house who felt that the school should be only for those students of pure wizard bloodlines and not open to students from non-wizard back grounds. This view is embraced by most students who live in Slytherin house. In the books, this is often used to show how bad the “racist” Slytherin students like Draco Malfoy are. Yet a closer look at the religious/political situation surrounding the foundations of the school (which is set deep in the middle ages) and the centuries following reveals the reality of this attitude of blood purity.

As any student of history, or even pop culture knows, the middle ages were not a friendly time for those who practiced the magic arts, thanks to power that Christianity held over both rulers and populace and which enforced the view that magic was evil and those who practiced magic were in league with the devil and should be hunted down and killed. I’ve read in many fanfics that touched on this subject how letting students from non-magical backgrounds into a school where children were being taught magic could prove dangerous.

After all, it doesn’t take much imagination to know how a religiously dogmatic group will react to those who practice “heresy”. We have politicians today who proclaim Pagans aren’t worshiping real gods and don’t have a real religion, thus shouldn’t be protected under the American Constitution. We have religious leaders, Christian and Muslim, who deride modern life as “sinful” and that it should be destroyed and replaced with a “holier” existence and these are the mainstream leaders, not the extremists. Leaders with thousands, if not millions, of followers. Even the cast of Harry Potter are not untouched by this, as I remarked in a previous post where I passed along the story of one of the actresses going into hiding because her own family tried to make her the victim of an Islamic Honor Killing.

The recent Ground Zero Mosque situation that is going on is rife with strawmen. Those who oppose the mosque are said to be emotionally reacting and unable to grasp that this is a gesture of friendship. Those that support the mosque are said to be weak, unable to see the truth, and only interested in destroying this nation by giving into the enemy that is Islam. Both these strawmen are correct, but fail to see the bigger picture. Islam is very much an enemy of the West and our culture. People should be free to build their houses of worship. Those who are acting against the mosque do come from a place of emotion, more than “rational” thought. Those who support are acting in “rational” thought, but ignoring the emotions.
The host of Red Eye on Fox News channel has suggested building a Gay Bar across the street from the GZM, an act which I find funny and bold. It would certainly be interesting to see how the Muslims react to it. If I recall, those involved in the planning have said he is free to do so, but that it would be inconsiderate to Muslims. I find that ironic, and a bit insulting, considering that at last count on CNN’s HLN network 70% of those polled were against the GZM. That’s right, CNN, not Fox. Those polled, if I remember correctly, were not just New Yorkers, but All Americans.

Personally, I have a better option. Ground Zero is a sacred place. So let us make it a sacred place for all peoples. Let us rebuild the church that was destroyed near there. Let us build great Greek and Roman Temples, the likes of which have not been seen since the fall of Rome. Let us build sacred groves of towering trees, dedicated to Norse, Germanic, and Celtic Gods and Goddesses. Let us build Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, Egyptian temples, and Jewish Synagogues. Let us make it a ground holy and sacred to all faiths and creeds. Let them be staffed by the followers of those Gods and Goddesses. Let a mighty monument be raised above the site itself, towering and lasting, to stand centuries and longer. And when the Islamic call to prayer is sounded, let church bells toll, let cries to Pagan and Heathen Gods ring out, and let all know that this is a place that will not be dominated by Islam, but by all Faiths, and made Holy.

It strikes me as odd, that my own generation, that which is now in college or just leaving, and who don’t have the luxury of a black and white world like previous generations had, are so eager to stick to a black and white world. Perhaps it is all the programming we received in school. Maybe we just aren’t that smart, all told. Maybe we’ve been screwed over and made so jaded that we are eager to latch on to anything that sounds like it will make our lives better, even as we are systematically milked dry and indebted so that the older generation of our parents can enjoy a life of ease and comfort, while we pay the bills as we grow up. So few of them are willing, much less eager, to look at the strawmen and see what really lies there. So eager are they to embrace the views of Stewart (now considered one of the most reliable sources of news by many) that they fail to step back and see if those he’s making fun of have a point. Those who are liberal lash against those who are conservative, acting as if they are uncaring imperialists. Those who are conservative lash against the liberal, calling them thieves and fools who would destroy America. Both are right. Both are wrong. But no one tires to see the other side. They both lie in the Light, and can only understand black and white.

That is why I embrace the Dark Side, like I did so many years ago. By removing myself, I see a world far different and more complete. By embracing my heathen ways after, I regained much, but never lost that inherent darkness that permits me to step away from these feuding sides, and see the reality. Some see this as terrible, for what kind of evil person can listen to the words of a KKK member from the 1960’s and admit that his prophecy of blacks becoming degenerate criminals that would brutalize whites have, in part, come true? That the man himself was sane and rational, that while everyone in the classroom saw only a monster, realized it was merely a man trying to do what he thought was right, however wrong the methods were.

It takes a strong person to stand on that side. To realized that those who say they are “good” really are no better than you are, and sometimes are worse. The only difference, sometimes, is that the Villain admits what he is doing is wrong, but the Hero that does the same things, always says it is for the “Greater Good.” Christianity did terrible deeds for the “Greater Good” and now Islam is continuing its mission of submission to Allah by all peoples for the same “Greater Good.” Perhaps I and my Heathen people are Evil. Perhaps we are wrong. But I’m not going to stop.

I leave with these words from Milton. “It is better to be a king in Hell, than a slave in Heaven.”

Killing in the Name of....Honor?

Just recently, Fox News ran a special about an Honor Killing in America. Sadly, this is an ever more common occurrence, both here in America, Europe and other non-Muslim lands. It has been a staple of Muslim nations since the creation of Islam. If it existed in those land before, I cannot say.

What has caused me to write this is a pair of videos found on YouTube, as well as a general interest in the topic, which I will get to in a moment.





So, why is this topic of interest and importance to me, a western man? Well, for me it's the word Honor. As those who have been on this blog and delved the archives, it's pretty clear that I'm a heathen Asatruar. In my religion and culture, there is not concept of sin, but rather deeds are judged by if they are honorable or shameful. It is one of the oldest cultures in Europe. Our Germanic/Celtic/Norse traditions of Honor have shaped the concept of that word in the West since the beginning.

Now, honor is different depending on culture. The honor of a Norseman is different from the Honor of a Japanese Samurai. That said, almost every culture has similarities about what is honorable and what to do if that honor is impugned. Typically, in Honor based societies, from England to Japan, it is the one who wronged you or your family that is dealt with, often by force, often to the death.

However, there is one culture that claims to be Honor based that deviates from this pattern. It is the Islamic nations. There, something odd, and dare I say both terrible and dishonorable happens. It is the victim, in the case of women, which is dealt with. This is the nature of the Islamic Honor Killing. A woman is raped, or even in many cases, talks to a man outside her own family with romantic intent or not, is slain in the name of restoring honor to her family. Often, the other party is left alone, or occasionally dealt with if currently in the presence of the woman at the time. In the case of the Honor Killing Fox News reported on, the Father murdered his teenage daughters, simply for dating a pair of Mexicans. His family was supportive of this decision, and his son believed he had done right.

This is a far cry from how my own Norse ancestors dealt with such matters, or even how Europeans dealt with this. Should a woman be involve or not, it was the task of men to defend honor against another man. This is where the duel comes from, as does trial by combat. If a woman was raped, it was the rapist who was killed. Blame was not placed upon the woman, nor was she harmed for being the victim of such a crime.

So, why the wild difference? Why is it that in Europe, the woman is cherished and protected in matters of honor, while in Islamic lands she is the one who must be killed to restore honor? This is a complex and difficult question to answer.

It is clear that the difference arises from the different cultures and religions involved. Both claim to value women, indeed many have made a big deal recently that Islam holds women to be precious and valuable and equal to men. One can argue that history disproves this claim, but we must remember that equality is often hard to qualify in cultures different from our own modern one, which has enough trouble figuring out what is equal. Indeed, many today hold that in Europe cultures both Christian and Pre-Christian were misogynistic, which as far as the Pagan cultures go, I would argue otherwise beyond a few exemptions among the Greeks. However, even if European cultures were suppressive of women, we never see anything resembling the Islamic Honor Killing.

It would be easy for me, in my bias, to claim that it is the inherent superiority of Polytheism over Monotheism that caused Europe to value women and move to defend honor against the aggressor. A case could be made for this, as well, but it tastes hollow to argue this, however true I may feel it to be. It is true that in polytheistic religions, women were far more valued than in Monotheistic religions (Judaism is the best in regards to equality, but while not as bad as Islam, Christianity is highly misogynistic). But the issue goes deeper than this, because when Christianity forcibly took Europe, we still didn't see the rise of Female Honor Killing. This could be argued as the ancient pagan cultures surviving in Christendom, but even so I feel that this is not the root of it. Also, Judaism never had Honor Killings like those of Islam. Therefore I conclude that the issue, though influenced by Monotheism, does not in fact arise from the believe in only One God.

The fact that, to my knowledge, this manner of Honor Killing occurs in only those who practice Islam, it can be concluded that it arises from Islam itself. Now, much of the "Moderate" Islam claims to come down against Honor killings. This, however, means little, as it is obvious that Honor Killing comes from Islam, as previously mentioned and that under Islamic believe it is okay to lie in the presence of Non-Muslims for the cause of Islam and it is a part of Shariah Law.

So what is the reality? In Islam, which claims to value women, the opposite is in fact true. Women are viewed as subhuman and second class, barely above Non-Muslims. Women are the ones who brought sin into this world, and should a woman show her hair or other parts of herself, it is, according to Muslims, enough to incite men to rape her uncontrollably, and she will be blamed for it. Now, maybe it's my European heritage, where we value women equal and even a woman wearing the smallest bikini can generally be assured she is safe from rape among Europeans peoples, but I've never seen a woman so beautiful and alluring that I just had to rape her. I've always had better control than that, and traditionally, Men in most cultures (at least the European as that is what I know best) were the same as me. Sure, rape happened, but it was always an issue of power, not of lust, if modern science is to be believed. I would assume that power is the driving issue, not physical lust, that drives most rapes by Muslim Men. This can be seen by such crimes done by Muslims in Europe, but that is a different topic.

What is on topic is that Women are not valued by Islam. Therefore, if they have no value, there is no point in fighting for them (especially if they are responsible for eternal suffering and sin like they are in Islam, thus for Muslims it is logical to punish them). Very much the opposite of how women were viewed in traditional Pagan Europe, and while Christianity did bring these attitudes as well, it was mitigated by old European values.

Honor Killings under Islam are a perversion of the Universal Concept of Honor. This is why this issue touches me personally. People trying to stop Honor Killings decry the evils of "Honor System" and "Tribalism" two things that define Asatru. The fact that Islamic Honor is an insane inversion of what Honor really is, matters little to the average person. Islam is one of the most numerous religions in the world. It is certainly one of the most powerful ideologies out there.

So, what can we do? Well, personally I say we do the honorable thing. We step up and end it. We take our European honor, or even the larger, ancient concept, where Men are to be Manly and defend the women of their families and society, not punish them for being free thinking and liberated individuals. We step up, and speak for those who cannot speak. We step up and fight for those who cannot fight. We step up, and show Muslims that We are Men and Women of the West, and we will not stand for people being made slaves based on gender, nor slain for simply wanting to be with someone that their family doesn't approve of.

We Are One People! We Are the Sons and Daughters of Europe!

As I've probably mentioned before, I consider myself Asatruar, or one who follows the Way of the Aesir, the ancient and true gods and goddesses of Europe, that lived with mortal men long before the Eastern Cross or Moon ever were a thought in the minds of men or a harsh and brutal reality of their lives.

So, while I am not a member of any community at the moment, I do try to keep up with a bit of what is going on via books and the internet, as my larger goal in life is to pursue more into Asatru and not have to deal with the nasty world of politics and Islam, though I fear that it will be impossible to leave the latter two behind completely as they have such a large impact on our lives.

Often, there is some issue between Germanic and Celtic groups due to the perception that they are of different "races" and thus must have different beliefs. Yet, it would seem that we are the same, when it comes down to the basic facts. Since there are better and more skilled people to talk of this, I will merely mention "Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions" by
H. R. Davidson and a recent podcast by Steve McNallen of the AFA.

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For Our Fathers

I know Father's day was a bit ago, but I can't say for sure because I don't celebrate it. My relationship with my father is at best complicated, but I won't go into it. However, in my quest for epic music I stumbled across a song by Manowar, possibly one of the greatest Metal/Viking Metal/Power Metal bands to ever exist.

The song is called Father, and apparently is translated into 16 different languages.

It isn't their usual style, but in a way that makes it far more powerful.

We in the Asatru community make a big deal about our ancestors. They are the ones that came before, shaped the world, and left us many important lessons. So, in honor of my Norse ancestors, as well as my own father and grandfather, and our gods, I am posting two copies. The first is in English. The second is in Norwegian, meant especially for my Grandfather, who, while a Christian, may yet be in the halls of the Aesir where I might someday see him again.

Hail to the Aesir and Vanir! Hail to our Mighty Ancestors! Hail to our Fathers! Raise Horn and Voice each day for them!


Father


Far

Good News, Everyone

As anyone who has watched Futurama knows, those words mean epic adventure, danger, and an increase in health insurance and possible mortality rates is about to ensue.

Well, I indeed have good news.

Found about this less than an hour ago and I don't know how many are already talking about this or if they are trying to cover it up, but here it is:

International Burn a Quran Day!

Already it has a Facebook page which at the time of this posting has 1,990 fans and is rapidly growing. If I had a facebook, I would probably join too.

So, what's the story behind this? Turns out a little nondenominational church in Florida has had enough of Islam and proclaimed it of the Devil (nothing new here) and are going to make as big a statement as they can, by Burning copies of the Quran on September 11th of this year in honor of the victims of the terrorist attack as a public declaration against Islam.

As you can imagine, the hate has already begun. Ironically, the preacher doesn't come across as crazy. He merely stands against Islamic law, according a CNN video, below. People are raging against it on Facebook, even as others are defending it.



I would have used my new powers of embedding the video, but that function was disabled.

So, where do I stand on this. While I would normally stand against a Christian enforcing his religion on principle, at this time, especially after watching his interview, I stand with this act. I do not do this to spread hate. As I have commented before, being a Pagan/Heathen is a death sentience under Islam. Islam has destroyed move alternative view points and life styles than even Christianity, and it has not let up to this day. I stand with this Day because it is time people Took A Stand beyond just crying out the injustices of Islam. When Muslim men rape women in Sweden simply because they are Blond and they view Blonds as Whores who ask for it. When young women are kidnapped and turned into drugged prostitutes while still teenage by Muslim Men, not just in Islamic Countries, but even in England! It is time to take a stand!

Does this mean I will go out on 9/11 and burn a Quran. I don't know. I honestly couldn't tell you. But if these people do it, then I will cheer loudly and raise a drink to honor their bravery and to my Gods so that such actions are rewarded with Glory and Honor! Because it has been proven without a doubt since its creation that Islam is Not A Religion of Peace! It is a religion of domination, destruction, and the complete and total submission of all peoples to a Tyrannical God.

So I call for all men and women, Polytheist, Monotheist, or Atheist, to support this movement! Show no fear! For if mankind is to be free to do what is right in their eyes and live their lives freely, We cannot let Islam take control!

For the love of our people, Not for the hate of Islam, should this thing be done!

May the Gods and Goddess of all Mankind join us!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Update:

The Face book group is up to 2,231 members. I have viewed the comments on the YouTube link I posted, and they are not promising. It turns out the pro-Islam people are out in force there as well as a mixed bag on Facebook.

I wish to clarify that I do not, on principle, support the burning of books. I'm a die-hard book worm and hate to see books destroyed. That said, I do still support what these people are trying to do. It is a noble cause, we're just seeing what happens when people feel that noble methods no longer work. Personally, I can't say I blame them for feeling disenfranchised, after reading many of the pro-Islam comments and seeing a distinct lack of anti-Islam ones.

Simple Words From a Simple Man

I believe it is a Chinese curse to live in interesting times.

I'm not sure I see that as a curse, being a Norseman, but I will admit that interesting times these are. I'm not sure how I feel about them, either. It is a little known fact (outside of the Asatru and some parts of the historical community) that the Norse/Germanic peoples were not all about violence. More often than not, we lived simple lives with our kin, farming and trading, while occasionally going off to battle. Even today, the Scandinavian peoples are known as some of the most easy going and friendly peoples out there. I myself find that rather than global conquest, I would prefer a simple life as a writer and alchemist, practicing old ways with a wife and children, rather than laying waste to the world. Not that I don't occasionally feel the need for epic levels of warfare, but still, more often than not even I find peace to be something desirable.

Yet, peace too often these days, is a lie. The current presidential administration may declare the war on terror over, but even I can see that not only is it not over, but that it is escalating. The current project to build a massive Mosque at Ground Zero is a declaration of victory in any language. It is in Islam, and so is it in Christianity, which build churches on the ashes of sacred groves and other heathen holy sites. We are told to be tolerant, but there is a difference between letting one man bed another, and letting a totalitarian ideology insist that we bow before it and no other. I've had enough of that under the Christians, I do not wish to see it with the Muslims.

There is new light shed on claims that Obama is a Muslim. I still am not sure if this is true, or my stance on it as his being a Christian would hold much the same status to me as a Heathen. Still, his own words are I am a Muslim, and while many would call him an inept speaker of untruths, I would almost say he speaks honestly as he believes. I'm not sure which is more frightening. However, should this rumor be true, it places new light on the BP oil spill.

While the true cause of the oil spill is still uncertain, it's effects are less so. I am no expert on these things, nor have I researched it much, but I've heard (on Rush Limbaugh who I rarely if ever listen to) that even if the oil spills until late August, the scale of the spill will basically be one-one millionth of an ounce of oil to the amount of water in a full bathtub. I encourage you to check the math. However, indisputably, Obama has halted all oil drilling off shore in the Gulf. This means no more American oil, and thus a majority of Arab oil on the market. Once more sending massive amounts of funding to an ideology that seeks supremacy, not tolerance and freedom.

I know that Islam is not compatible with Asatru. Not because my religion would insist others follow our gods, but because Islam allows no one to follow any god other than their own. It is a matter of Western values of honor, freedom, and individuality opposing Eastern values of honor, submission, and collectivization. It is true that historically in the west, there were killings based on honor. However, in those cases it was always the guilty party, i.e. the Offender, who was slain. We fought duels and wars. When a man's wife or daughter was raped, he would hunt down the rapist and punish him. When in Islam there is an offense of honor, it is only the victim that is punished.

Perhaps I am a strange person. Perhaps I am ignorant, to not understand Islamic honor. Maybe it is a sin for a woman to wish to be free. To let her hair out in the wind, to flirt and find love, to know the pleasures of the flesh and of the heart. I am an uncultured heathen, perhaps it is beyond my simple mind to understand how slicing a girl's genitals up with broken glass or dull blade helps her to be a better person. Maybe my heathen gods and goddesses have clouded my mind to the point where a woman can walk around, displaying all the skin she wants, and not fear that I shall rape her. Perhaps Muslim men are superior to me, in that their lust is so great the smallest hint of a long hair, or soft skin, or beautiful smile is such that they cannot help themselves and must punish their women for causing lust, lest they rape them. Perhaps, in all my life, I have been wrong to think that a free people are a just people.

Perhaps.

But I don't think so.

I have many gods and goddesses, none of which ask me to kneel in submission. They gave their children freedom and honor, true honor, to live lives that are happy and free. Where women can bare their beautiful bodies in safety and men may look upon them and praise the Gods for creating such wonders. Where we do not fear our lust, or our rage, or our joy. Where our children are safe from their parents, where you can love whom you chose and how you chose.

If a life such as that is ignorant and stupid, then I never want to be smart. I will be a simple man, who walks with simple gods and goddesses. I and I say woe unto the peoples that try to take that from me. For while we Norse are kindly folk...our legend remains even after a thousand years. Our gods are not just gods of fertility and nature...they are Gods of War. Islamic Jihad may be a fundamental tenant of their religion...but we are Norse and Germanic peoples. Look at the history of Europe. We know how to bring a fight and while our current leaders quibble and quake, bowing down and begging for peace and tolerance, there will come a time when those who seek to impose tyrant will have to face men and women rising up from the people by force of will, either from within the current political structure or from outside of it.

The Eastern philosophy of Christ and a Hundred odd years of progressive thought will not change the character of a people that has endured for over ten thousand years, from the first Germanic and Celtic tribes as well as the mighty Romans and high born Greeks. Be warned, a giant sleeps, and you have not the god to kill it should it awaken.

Such are the words and will of a simple heathen.

It's a little like Highlander...

There can be only one. (God)

Much has been made about the current US administration going off the deep end. Personally, I don't thing it's going off the deep end so much as it blasted off with powerful rockets, breaking the speed of light, and traveling to new dimensions which violate the laws of physics. If you watch Glen Beck, odd and emotional man that he is, you'll no doubt be regaled with hours of Progressivism and Obama's part in it. Fair enough, he probably has a point.

Others will speak at length of Obama's Muslim ties. While these are questionable, there is something interesting about the current admins and its relationship with Islam. Namely, the latest bit that has come out.

Jihad is Legit

That's right, Jihad, Terrorism, and Terror are no longer what we fight against. Jihad is legitimate now. Islam may now engage in holy struggle to its hearts content.

Right...

Now, while those Christians and Jews who understand what this means go running around screaming in terror, I would like to address my fellow Heathens and Pagans, be cause this means something more for us than it does for the Christians and Jews. This is because Christians and Jews have special protection under Islam: They are People of the Book, and may be permitted to worship their religions (at a price, mind you). Not so for us who follow the paths of many gods and goddesses. For us there is only two choices: Convert or Die.

This no Cake or Death moment for us, my fellow Heathens. I will admit that when it comes down to it, I'm not sure how many of us will react to the Sword of Islam hanging over our heads at the true, physical moment when we must choose Heathen Gods and Death, or Life under Islamic Submission. I do know/hope that at least amongst those who follow the Asatru, and other paths being reconstructed will have the strength to say no to more monotheistic oppression.

When it comes to the Asatruar, I do think I know what will happen, at least when it comes to myself. Over a thousand years ago, Heathen men and women faced a threat much like this one, and for two hundred years we put such a fear of Heathen peoples into Christianity that they still speak of it with terror.

We have Gods of War.

They have only a God of Submission.

Slaves may kill Freemen, but they can never truly defeat them.

Who I am...

Who I am…

I am a man. I was born this way and I will die this way.

I am straight. I take female lovers, because it is what I desire, despite social pressures and the ideas of other people.

I am a Heathen. I believe in many Gods and Goddesses who demand strength, honor, and nobility from me.

I am White. I come from Scandinavian and Germanic peoples and I feel no shame in this. I am no worse than any other person out there, nor are my people. We have done nothing that everyone else hasn’t done before.

I am Free. I have the Right to speak my mind, no matter how abhorrent others find my views. I have the Right to carry any weapon I desire, because I am a freeman and it is my birth right since old times. I have the right to Life, Liberty, and Property and these rights shall not be stripped from me without me rising up in protest.

I am filled with Pride. I know who I am and where I come from and no one, man or woman, god or slave, shall remove from me my past without first taking my life.

I will die for what I believe in, because there is more to life that living and there is more to death than dying.

I will not hesitate to live what I believe, because if I do any less, how can I say I believe it?

I do not kneel before monotheistic gods of slavery and submission. Their Eastern ways are not mine, for I am a man of the West.

I do not hate because of the color of a man’s skin. I am not superior because I am white. But neither am I lesser for it!

I am tired. I live each day watching my kin fall into the trap of believing they don’t deserve to be free, of believing that Western culture, European culture, Germanic culture, is bad and weak and evil and needs to be done away with in favor of African and Eastern ways. I am tired of the One God leading to One Way, One Government, One World.

I am Tired of being told that those who came before were less evolved than we are now, when the only thing I see having evolved is the ability to delude ourselves into think we are Progressing and that the world wants to be unified with us, when all they want is to see us submit, die off, and become slaves to their ways and lose our history, our stories, our peoples for the rest of time.

I am Tired of people living as if Life was the only thing out there. I am tired of people denying my gods, denying the meaning of our being, in favor of the secular, scientific, nihilistic dreams of men who dreamed of nothing by emptiness and obedience and meaninglessness.

I am tired of people screaming that violence is not the answer, that we shouldn’t fight back, even as wives, children, husbands, and kin are slaughtered, because to take life ourselves is to horrible and it is better to let ours be taken because we are worthless.

I am Tired. Of being told that my views are wrong. That I am inhuman. Simply because I look out for myself first, my family next, and my kin third and tell the rest of the world to screw off.

I am Tired, and I laugh. Because people scream that there are too many of us on this planet and instead of killing other peoples as is the custom of this world, they kill their unborn children, because it is better to kill one’s own people than to kill for them.

I am Tired, and I laugh. For the soldiers called baby killers by people who slaughter entire nations in the womb, unborn, without a chance to fight for life.

I am tired, and I laugh. Being told that because I am straight, I am homophobic, and therefore I must secretly desire to be gay. I laugh, for what need have I to fear mortal men and their sexuality.

I am Tired, and I laugh. Society raises itself on a pedestal made of sand which is being burned away. When did Peace become the norm simply because weak men grew sick of war? Did the Arab, the African, the Mexican, the Chinaman, or anyone else agree to lay down their arms simply because the elite of the Eastern West wanted to never see death again, knowing as they do that there is no hereafter, hinterwelt, or heaven. I have Valhalla, and do not fear my death.

I laugh. The world turns and the striving of the man who follows the Eastern way will fall to the man of the Eastern submission.

I laugh, for the Christ god has killed his followers, in the destruction of freedom, power, and self obtaining.

I laugh, and I weep. For I am a Heathen man, and my kin are Pagan, and the Asatru shall be strong, but everything ends and I foresee only the destruction of my peoples a second time, a final time, as the next form of the East rises up and lays us low in our graves, and all I can do is pray to the Gods and Goddesses that we die fighting as our ancestors did, taste that lost glory one last time, because I am not sure with so few in number that we can win against those who would see us gone.

I laugh, and weep. Tears of joy, for I know the end I choose, and even if I am wrong and there is nothing after, I lived and died in a manner that I can be proud of, regardless.

I weep, and rise up again. Let come the Christian, the Socialist, the Marxist, the Progressive, and the Muslim. Even the Gods will die, but even after Ragnorok there is life and so too will my peoples rise up one more. A hundred years, a thousand, a million, it matters not, because within my peoples are the blood of the free, the strong, the powerful. Make my people slaves, and we shall rise up and destroy our enslavers. We’ve done it again and again in history, the future will be little different.

I rise up, anew. I am filled with hope, for that which is built on slavery will falter. Only freedom is eternal, as long as we carry our sword in hand to ensure it. Let the Christian beat his sword into a plowshare and submit. Let the Muslim bring his War of Peace.

I am a man. I am a Norseman. I am a Warrior, and a Poet, and a Son of ancient peoples.

My existence will not be denied.

My people will not be denied.

My power will not be denied.

Our power will not be denied.

Our Gods will not be denied.

Our Goddesses will not be denied.

Our future will not be denied.

By sword, and gun, and pen, and magic, and everything within the human spirit, we shall rise anew. We shall be as we are, what we are, where ever we are. And not matter what, not death or slavery shall triumph over my people.

Rise up, my kin. Rise up my people. Throw off the Eastern God and his ways. Throw off the sickness of nihilism. Throw off the chains of believing that in order to be equal, you must be lesser than everyone. Look at thy flesh, look in thine own eyes.
Tell yourself you are worth something. Tell yourself that you can have pride. Ours is freedom, democracy, and equality of men and women. Not from a Christian god, but from the HEATHEN! It was our pagan forebears that gave us these! Do not let the Eastern peoples tell you that the West is Evil. We are Good! We have wrought forth so much that has aided mankind. It is the Western man that reached the Moon, because he dreamed not of serving masters of this earth, but of making his own place in the heavens.

Look to the East, and see how they are. They beat there women, enslaving them. We gave ours rights, and freedom. We spake unto them and called them equal unto us long before the Christ god came unto us. But under the Eastern way we too enslaved our women. Return now to the Pagan, and become free, and let women be women, as they were meant to be: feminine and equal and loved, not masculine, superior, and feared.

The West is Evil, yet it was we who first freed all slaves in our lands. We fought a war about it, but that was a war over who was to say when slaves were to go free, not that they shouldn’t. We killed our brothers, not just to free the slaves, but trying to make we didn’t become slaves to a massive government ourselves. Yet those who hate the West still possess their slaves and are slaves themselves in turn.

Will you stand with me?

Will you embrace your heritage, your ancestral Gods and Ways?

Will you throw off the oppression of those who think themselves more evolved,
because they are cut down by the sword rather than doing the cutting?

Will you stand with me?

I shall I stand alone and take all glory and honor for myself and alone be able to face our ancestors and say: “Behold my mighty deeds. I have lived as you lived and died as you died, a Freeman or my peoples.”

Let us Rise as Warrior in this New Age

My goals with this blog are mainly to speak about issues that interest me and to put forth my viewpoint. The original post explained the original name of this site, Varth Lokkur’s Wisdom, reflected this. However, as you may have noticed, I changed the name to Thorkell the Tall. My reasons for this, other than the obscurity of the term Varth Lokkur and my uncertainty as to its historical accuracy, is that I wanted to personalize this site, and myself. There is a blog, now defunct, call Charles Martel that was formed to discuss the issues of Islamification of the West. As I have researched into that issue, I grow more disturbed by what I see happening. It also inspired me to start something similar, but inherently different.

Thorkell the Tall was a Jomsviking Jarl during the reign of King Cnut the Great of Denmark. If you haven’t heard of him, I won’t be surprised, though both men appear in the excellent manga Vinland Saga.( http://www.onemanga.com/Vinland_Saga/ ) Thorkell is portrayed to be a pagan, if not a very religious one, in the series and I suspect he was one in life as well, as the full Christianization of the Norse had not yet occurred. I chose the name because he struck me as a man worthy of respect and of great power.

Power, I feel, that is needed more than ever.

We are quickly becoming a nation, nay a world, without heroes or myths. No sooner does a celebrity or athlete achieve greatness and fame than they are dragged through the mud and defamed. Our culture teaches equality for everyone, but the problem with equality is that no one can rise above his fellow man. It is wrong to insist that because of a man’s skin he is superior or inferior. Society preaches this, but all I often see is the inverse of old systems. Perhaps it is the final, fullest transformation of the Christian philosophy appearing, devoid of god but filled with entitlement and reverse superiority, where the weak are the greatest, the meek hold the power, and the slave owns the master. The hero becomes the villain, and the villain the victim, and the victim is forgotten. I see it in murder cases on the news, where the police are vilified, the murder is decried as the “Victim of Society,” and the only thing you hear about the victim is that their dead. No matter how horrible their death was, or how long it took, or what was done to them, there’s always an excuse and cries of pity for their killer who fell through the cracks of society, who was discriminated against because of his skin color, as if this somehow justifies their act. And the police who arrest them, or patrol the streets, are the villains who perpetrate this evil society.

As a pagan, if not a very religious one, I look at this and wonder what the end result will be. Paganism is about balance, Order and Chaos, Love and Hate, War and Peace, each thing both opposite and the same, each one just as good, noble, honorable, and desirable as the other. But our world is all about an imbalance now. Love, don’t hate (except to hate those who think differently from the liberal, because it’s okay to hate white racists, and heterosexuals that think homosexuality is wrong, and Men because Women have been oppressed). Peace, not War (but it’s okay for others to wage war against us, because we are the evil West, that imperial demon that spread the ideas of equality, democracy, and freedom). Order, but not Chaos (but you can use it to strike against “racists,” “Homophobes,” and other “undesirable peoples” who embody the Western Way and fight the over regulation of society).

In the end, an imbalance cannot hold except by a fierce grip on the reins of power. This society will collapse and something will take its place. What will it look like? I don’t know, but I doubt it will be something pleasant, especially for the pagans.

If the powers that be, who strive against the traditional Scandinavian and Germanic values of Europe, win we may see something like Soviet Russia, but out of all the options I see I doubt it would last very long. A hundred years, at most, before the center fell out. Charismatic leaders die, and those that follow are too weak and things fall apart, or too strong and tear everything apart in their greed. Undoubtedly though, any form of religion will be crushed as bad for society, and European Paganism will fall faster that Christianity

We could see a resurgence in die hard Christianity; Catholic, Protestant, or both. If this happens, little will change in the long run, but in the short run we’ll see a backlash against the Liberal Left and those that stand with it, or simply stand against Christian values. What this means for Homosexuals I can’t say, though they’ll probably have it easiest since the can go back in the proverbial closet, and most will if their lives are on the line. Where I’m primarily concerned is for the Pagan and Heathen peoples, who will no doubt get labeled with the same brush we’ve always been: Devil worshipers who need to be cleansed from this earth in order to bring about God’s divine grace. It will most likely be a world bathed in blood. This will only grow as the Christians turn to face their long time enemy; Islam.

Should people like the blogger Charles Martel, or more properly the folks at Gates of Vienna are correct about the threat of Islam in the west (which I can attest to as a historian) and they succeed where Liberalism and Christianity fall, the end result will be the worst yet. With Liberalism and Christianity, we would see limited rights for those who belonged to the appropriate groups, but with Islam we would see an almost complete lack of rights for everyone. All the progress modern society has made would undoubtedly be lost in the initial fury of take over and power consolidation. Women, who can go topless on a beach and expect to be safe, or walk down the street with their hair in the wind and showing off their skin to everyone and not worry about being attacked, will either have to cover themselves as women do in the Arabia, or face rape and attack as they do in Sweden, from the men around them. Men, who may speak their minds and pray to whatever gods they wish, will be forced to kneel before Allah or die violently. The very things Women’s lib screams about will be true, and there will be no one who can protest. Everyone will lose their freedoms. The Pagan and Heathen will be hunted down and destroyed, our culture rubbed out of existence, and no hope of ever rediscovering our ancestral ways will be left to us or our children, should they even be born.

In the face of this almost insane future, where do we stand? What can we do, as Pagan, Heathen, Norse, Germanic, and Celt, do to protect our future, our children’s future, and the legacy of our ancestors? Is there any hope at all for the Asatru, Wiccan, and others?

There is one. It is a fool’s hope, a fool’s dream, of power and legacy and what might be a fight that will end only in our deaths and loss of everything we ever are, were, and could be.

We fight back.

Not with swords and guns, though I won’t rule out that in the end that might be our only recourse, but with information and without fear. If what I see as being most likely to happen is true, then we are already dead, but then we were dead the day we were born and as Pagan and Heathen we need not fear death. For the Asatru, the afterlife is known and we need not fear it. We, as Europeans, must reach out to our brothers and sisters and let them know the ways of their people. We must instill in ourselves and our children Pride, Strength, Power, and the will to use and guide themselves and others. If the patterns of Multiculturalism continue to the point where they wipe out everything European, we lose and Islam will take over. If Christianity wins, we lose, and will face another thousand years of witch hunts, Verdens, and death. If Islam wins, we’ll face even worse than we will with the Christians.

Only if we can obtain significant numbers do we stand a chance. I’m not advocating going door to door, being Odin’s Witnesses or anything like that. But we can print books, join together to produce movies and music that tell of our epic past and our potentially heroic future, that spread our ideas just as powerfully as any Conservative or Liberal organization. We must move outside of politics and political parties that exist. I know many Pagans are Liberal, and some are Conservative, but the ideals of paganism can be found in both parties, and ideas that are abhorrent to us can be found in both as well. We can start families that don’t buy into the 2.3 kids mentality. One of the ways hard core Christianity is going to have its chance in the future is because they breed like rabbits, the same with Islam. In any governance system, the ideology with the most bodies is the one that rules. We need bodies, to put it crudely, that believe men and women are both containers of sacred, ancient power. We must accept that there are gender roles, but that those they are old and viewed as misogynistic or misandric, once we realize the root of them, they explain how to use that sacred power within ourselves. Modern society places too much emphasis on who is on the front lines and forgets those in the back ground. They focused on the male soldier and said he got all the glory, as if he alone was responsible for winning, never thinking that for every man on the metaphysical and literal field of battle there was a woman, a family, back home supplying and supporting him who were far more important. The fighter jet might make the kills, but without the dozens of people in the hanger who keep it running, it is little more than scrap metal.

This is what we must realize. Without children (lots of them), and adult who join us in our heritage, Heathens and Pagans will be wiped out one more. Because, in a very real sense, there is a war going on over who will control this world. It has existence sense the dawn of time and will until the stars fall from the sky.
If it comes to it, we must be willing and capable of fighting on all levels. I would rather not see it be a last stand, but it if is, if we are truly facing the end of Europe and Paganism and the heritage and progress we’ve made because of it, I would rather die as the Three Hundred Spartans and my Viking ancestors, fighting to defend our very lives and heritage from Eastern Ways, than to kneel down, accept their terms, and lose my head.

McNallen of the AFA has a quote: “The Existence of My People Will Not Be Denied.

I would offer this one: “Victory or Valhalla.”

Thorkell the Tall

Rejection for Reclimation Part 1

My intention this post is to speak of rejection. Namely, the rejection of “Old Values” for “New Values.” If this sounds familiar, it is because I’m pulling from Nietzsche on this one. With the growing movement to paganism in this and other countries, small though it may yet be in comparison to the major religions of Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism. I am speaking mainly from my knowledge of Scando/Germanic paganism, rather than the new age, in relation to pagan values.

Many people, namely those in Asatru, entering the pagan religions speak of reclaiming our past heritage. This is good and noble and I support it, but there is something I wish to say, not in criticism, but in the spirit of kinship with those who are on this same journey. Before we can reclaim our past heritage, before we can return to the Gods and Goddess of old, we must first reject the current and modern values system completely and utterly. If we do not, we shall run into the same problems in our Pagan/Heathen was that we have in society now.

This will not be an easy process. It can and will take years to do. It will be violent, painful, terrible, and horrifying. You will learn things about yourself that you never thought you could be capable of. You will see the ultimate monster of what you can become. Everything you are told by society, religion, and government that is bad and evil lives inside you, and if you are to come to a full understanding of yourself and the trust nature of the pagan religions, you’re going to have to face it, acknowledge it, and embrace it. But, if you can, you’ll become a greater person for it. I know, because I speak from personal experience of my own journey into Norse Paganism.

The first of these rejections one must accomplish is the concept of Good and Evil. This may seem impossible, as it underscores the very foundations of our society. Our world is built on the Good/Evil dichotomy. It is the foundation of our laws, our morality, almost everything. We define our world in terms of Good/Evil. Racism is Evil. Greed is Evil. Charity is Good. Love is Good. Hatred is Evil. So on and so forth. Spend five minutes or five hours and you can still come up with more examples. To imagine a world without Good or Evil boggles the mind and society views anyone who can accomplish this as psychologically ill most of the time. Why then, do I say this must be done?

The answer is simple. The Western concept of Good and Evil comes from Christianity, or Judeo-Christianity depending on who is talking. (My local expert in Judaism insists the two are nothing a alike.) Christianity, on its most basic level, is the complete opposite of Norse/Scandinavian/Germanic Paganism. My research into the Norse/Germanic society has shown that the culture was based on an Honor/Shame system, not a Good/Evil system. In the Saga of the Volsungs, a killing is only murder when it is concealed. When one killed other out in the open, in an honorable manner, it was viewed as socially acceptable. Indeed, the entire Good/Evil complex is hypocritical on a basic level. Permit me to explain, using the examples above.

Love is Good. This is a fundamental tenant of Christianity. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Give charity out of love, for it is good. Yet, in this same religion, sex is viewed as evil, inextricably linked with the original sin. The ultimate physical expression of the emotion we know as love, which is good, is Evil! Homosexual love = Evil! Pedophilia = Evil! Bestiality = Evil! Bisexual love = Evil! Polygamy = Evil! On its most base, physical, and in some cases metaphysical level Love is Evil! (I do not support pedophilia or bestiality).

Mind blowing, isn’t it. Any form of love, outside of the “norm” demanded by Christianity, which is the basis behind both the conservative and liberal movements in American politics, is Evil. (I will explain this further another time.)

Let us continue onto the opposite of Love; Hatred. According to Christianity, we are taught that Hatred is Evil. Yet, immediately there is a problem. Christianity teaches that people should hate Evil. Instantly, we have a paradox. It goes even further. Anything falling outside the religion is Evil. This is true of Christianity and Islam. Paganism is Evil and thus is to be Hated and destroyed (Generally for the benefit of the infidel souls that must be saved, even if it means killing them in the process). The paradox, to destroy Evil, one must commit Evil, but by doing it in the name of Good, one is by de facto being Good. This has exposed itself time in again with Crusades, Jihads, and the systematic hunting down and killing of millions of Heathens, Pagans, Witches, Wizards, Alchemists, Homosexuals, and too many others to name. This also exposes itself in the political arenas, but that is for another time. It is also the basis for the Modern concept of Racism.

Now, what about the Honor/Shame system? Well, it works in much the opposite. Take Charity for instance. Charity is Good, sacrificing from oneself for another is Good. Yet, by the Honor/shame system, Charity can be both good and bad (Good/Bad being different from Good/Evil, in that Good/Bad is based on the outcome for the individual or group performing the deed, rather than any moral sense.) I shall give a personalized example, the recent crisis in Haiti. Now, no one can argue that giving charity to Haiti is Evil, but rather it is Good. Fair enough. But is giving Charity to Haiti Honorable or Shameful. This is far trickier to answer. On the one hand, Norse/Germanic culture did indeed have charity and gift giving. Indeed, the meats and other foods sacrificed to the gods were often giving to the poor and destitute peoples of a clan/tribe and this was considered very Honorable. Now, where can charity be shameful? Yes, when one gives charity to a person outside one’s tribe while members of one’s people are in need and you can help them.

How many people here in America need help feeding and housing themselves? I’m not talking about White/Europeans. I mean everyone, Black/White/Yellow/Red/etc. In this sense, horrid though it may sound, it is shameful to give charity to Haiti. There are people here in America that need help and yet our Government is digging us deeper in debt to give aid to Haiti and ignoring our own citizens. A perhaps even better example is Oprah’s school. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of Black children who are failing out of school or not even going. Yet, instead of helping her own race here in America, Oprah opens a school on a completely different continent. It isn’t that African children don’t need schools, they do, it is just that there are children not a hundred miles from Oprah that need one, who are citizens of this country and of her own people.

You may not agree with me, which is fair. I don’t expect you to. It’s a lot to take in. You might even consider it Evil, horrible, or inhuman. I’d be surprised if you didn’t. We are conditioned to believe that way.

This is why I say the first rejection; indeed the very foundations of rejections need to be made before one who wishes to truly embark on a journey into paganism, is to remove the Good/Evil dichotomy from your very soul. There is no action that cannot be morally justified under religion if take in the name of that religion. Be it Dehumanization, Racism, Rape, Murder, all these and more. I know this, because it has been done a million times by a million people in ever era of human history.

Only by rejecting it can we get over the self hatred that fills every part of western society. While my words are meant for those seeking a return to their Western European roots like those in Asatru, these words are applicable to all peoples. Honor and Shame will let us deal with each other, if not as equals, at least as honest peoples worthy of respect.

By embracing the Honor/Shame system, we permit ourselves to return to a system of Nobility. Nobility exists beyond Good and Evil. It sees what is Just, what is Powerful, what is best for the person living a Noble life, and for the people who follow that Noble Individual. It permits each Man, each Woman, to become even more than they were, to remove the limitations of Good/Evil and to make us something, to Quote Nietzsche once more, Beyond Good and Evil.

It can make us human.