Asatru

“Rewriting My Virtues” – A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Tyr’s Day

Journal Entry:

So I have reached the point in this rotation where I am back to reconsidering my virtues.  I am actually looking this week to do a little rewriting off them.  Something I have not done for pretty close to a year.

I have been getting memory posts on Facebook from last year regarding this blog and it is very interesting as then things were far different than they are now.  I am a different person but I am still becoming. Following these virtues has been a large part of that and still is part of the process of becoming so it needs to continue.

However, things change as far as understanding of the virtues and I need to change them in small ways to reflect that. Although there will be some if not most that I won’t change at all.

Honor:

“Honor is the feeling of inner value and worth from which one knows that one is noble of being, and the desire to show respect for this quality when it is found in the world”

Principle – To possess a feeling of inner value about myself and my future with a desire to find the same in others.

Goal: Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).  (achieved)

Bucket List: Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by March 2024.

I really don’t have a problem with how this virtue is written as probably it is was Honor and the definition gives for it that drew me to the Nine Noble Virtues in the first place.   Having inner value and recognizing it in others is a noble pursuit.

Courage:

“Courage is the bravery to do what is right always.”

Principle – Act with Courage at the right time.

Goal: Cross one thing off bucket list every year. Deadline March 31st.

Bucket List: Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation by March 2029.

Another one with no changes,  Pretty simple and straightforward.  In this case, it is not the virtue so much as living up to it that is difficult.

Truth:

“Truth is the willingness, to be honest, and to say what one knows to be true and right. It is often better to not say anything at all if one cannot be honest.”

Principle – To Be Honest, and Speak Truth to Myself and Others.  To Be Silent in the presence of Fools.

Goal: To Write a Non-Fiction Book by March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: Read 52 books (one per week) in the year 2020.

Once again no rewriting here but a commitment to probably speak out more is probably more necessary.

Higher Virtue: Love:

I have never defined love as I think it has many definitions and they all need to be discussed here.  I have done a few self-love things this week so I am happier.  I probably am overdue for a ‘The Grey and The Wayfarer’ post but that happens sometimes when I engage in self-love actions and then start questioning myself about it.

Morning Routine:

  1. Stretching / Yoga
  2. Shower, Personal Hygiene, Breakfast, Morning Meds.
  3. Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), Principles, Goals and Bucket List
  4. Meditation – 5 min.
  5. Check Communications and Email.
  6. Paper Journal: Create a Daily Log and To-Do List.
  7. Get Dressed for the Day

Good.  I still need my meditation altar stuff though.

I remain.

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Atheism, Asatru and Truth”- Of Wolves and Ravens – Truth

/ Ed Raby Sr / 3 Comments

Happy Mani’s Day

Discussion:

Truth is painful but liberating.  It is this commitment to truth that brought me where I am today so it could be argued whether truth as virtue is something more universal, but I don’t think certain forces are som much committed to truth as they are committed to creating beautiful comfortable lies that people would rather have in their lives than the painful truth.

The painful truth is there is no evidence whatsoever that there is an afterlife, cosmic justice after death or even karma. There is no evidence we are special or unique beyond our genetics and that means a whole lot of truth that people not only do not want face is painful to confront.

Asatru’s commitment to truth is one an atheist can resonate with but would state that Asatru believes in things that cannot be verified as truth.  That said the idea of the virtue of truth is more about what to do with truth rather than discovering it.  It is about standing for truth when there is a need and being silent in the presence of fools.  It is about what to do with truth once you have discovered it.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

See the source image

Needs (Geri):

We need truth to guide our lives effectively.  The issue is acting on the truth rather than being passive.  There is more to taking the red pill than just knowledge, there becomes a need to act on it or there is no point in knowing the truth. Truth is only effective when it is acted on.

Wants (Freki):

More than need I want the truth because it makes me stop wasting my time, energy and resources on lies.  The issue for me with both religion and government is that the whole of both is based on a lot of lies. Things that not only cannot be proven but also can be demonstrated to be false.  To continue to pour one’s life into a falsehood simply because it gives comfort is still wasting your life.

Reason (Huginn):

It is been said that regarding ‘belief’ that one still should believe in the chance that God is real and an afterlife, but this seems strange to me as wouldn’t an all-knowing god know this s my motivation and what is good about this motivation.  No.  I would rather live my life in truth no matter what fears it might cause.  I don’t waste time, resources or energy anymore on things that are lies or based on lies.

Wisdom (Muninn):

Wisdom is hard on this one.  But it comes down to that the truth should make your life efficient because you are not ordering your life on fantasy.  Nothing wrong with science fiction or fantasy as entertainment, but not as a way to live life fully and completely. Wisdom is found in accepting the truth and then navigating through both the pain of it and the liberation of it.  Pain is fuel for freedom is the wisdom here.

Conclusion:

My recognition that I was an atheist was the result of a long journey, but in the end, I feel the truth of it has caused me to recognize what is really important and not waste time energy or resources on something that is essentially organized deception. It was not going into darkness but rath facing the painful truth and coming out of my beautiful lie to being real and authentic. It has been an interesting combination of atheistic philosophy and Asatru in its virtue of Truth that has brought me to this place.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Being a Friend of the Gods” (Asatru – Part 19) – The Pagan Pulpit

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.

We also don’t take an offering here.  We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it.  Let’s be honest, offerings are not given to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it.  Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: “A Sacrifice for the Gods” – Chulainn Music

Mediation:

No photo description available.

Text: 

 

See the source image

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

The are many other Norse gods I could have continued with but I will leave the issue of which god or goddess someone venerates and why to the actual followers of Asatru as that is not my purpose in this series. The main point from a pantheon of deities is that you can find one or several that you can consider yourself friends with.  Being a friend of the gods is the main concept here not fawning worship and abject humiliation.  This is an important concept to repeat at this point because it affects the idea of what sacrifice and worship are, as compared to other religions.

It is this being a friend based on admiration and respect that differs Asatru and many other pagan forms from most of what people normally consider worship.  There is no bending the knee in supplication to the gods.  There is no begging and pleading in prayer.  Rather there is an asking to be empowered by them to achieve what one wants for themselves. There is no sin, so there is no need for forgiveness but rather a simple need to be better than one was yesterday.

You might look at this way that the Asatru virtues of Fidelity and Self-Reliance are very much a part of this concept. it is about the loyalty of friendship but at the same time painting balance with that by a desire to be independent and self-reliant.  The gods are friends not objects of fawning worship.  This is expressed in the idea that a person who follows Thor is not a worshiper of thor, but a ‘friend of Thor.”

If was a member of Asatru, I would be considered first and foremost a “Friend of Odin” but I have to admit I admire the sexy independence of Freya as well.  Which would put me in good standing in either hall I would find myself in if I died in battle.  I could nod my head to the others but it is these two I would want to be friends with even though there are dangers associated with being a friend of either of them.

Theologically speaking, it seems to me that any god that needs lordship to be a god is no god at all.  The god of the bible, for instance, is jealous and demands worship thus indicating his insecurities. The Norse gods by contrast simply are portrayed as being of power that one can be friends with.  This indicates they are quite secure in themselves and need no such blind devotion. If I still believed in any god, this is the kind of god I think I would rather have been true – one that isn’t an insecure prick but simple one that offers friendship.  Kind of reminds me of this prayer in a movie

Parting Thought:

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No Gods, No Masters

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Courage, Atheism and Asatru” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Courage

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Mani’s Day

Discussion:

Probably the most sobering moment for me as an atheist was to realize that my life is a one-shot.  This is all I get, and I need to make the most of it.  There has been a lot of attacks on atheism that courage might be difficult but I feel that atheists are actually the most courageous people in the world.  We face mortality with a great deal of reality.  We embrace what is true not what feels good.

For a long time, I kept my faith in the hope that an afterlife would give me a second shot. This a nice unprovable fiction. It feels good but it isn’t verifiably true and probably is nothing more than wishful thinking.  Time to flip this and face my convictions with courage and ask the tough questions of life and accept the reality of the answers that are true.

Asatru gave me a definition of courage I accept and still embrace.  The issue is Vikings no longer walk the earth in the old sense and Valhalla is just as much a fantasy story as heaven.  If an atheist lays down his life, he probably does it for far greater reasons than the religious.  The atheist is going to want his death to have some meaning, but more importantly their life as well. The atheist wants every moment to have purpose because once those moments are gone, they are gone. It takes a great deal of courage to live this way as well as die for something when you know that is the absolute finale.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

Needs (Geri):

What I need is more of the courage of conviction. There is a battle in this world every single day and to do the right thing at the right time is a monumental task on a daily basis. The issue is having convictions that are about asking difficult questions and then accepting the answers. This a basic need of humankind but most people don’t have the courage to do this preferring to ask simple questions and accepting answers that comfort them rather than are genuinely true.

Wants (Freki):

The reason I want courage is that truth has far more benefit, even when uncomfortable than lies. Delusion, such as the kind found in any form of tribalistic ideology, is never helpful and often ends in the suffering of a kind that has long term consequences.  The truth may be painful at first, but if courageously embraced, it will lead to the prosperity of all types.

Reason (Huginn):

For me, courage starts with reason rather than feelings. It might be nice to die for a cause but one has no way of knowing if one’s death will actually be helpful.  The only way to really determine this would be to think about it.  Courage stemming from one’s rationally held convictions is far more likely to lead to something of value.

Wisdom (Muninn):

Of course, as an atheist, I pay far more attention to the lives of others. To their words and wisdom of age as they live.  People who live a long time are not always wise, but if they have wisdom it is usually rationally evident and convicts the intuition.  One knows wisdom when you hear it and it gives motivation as well as reason. Then all that is left is to act at the right time.

Conclusion:

We don’t live in a world of such constant warfare that dying and going to Valhalla is an option like of old.  Courage must express itself differently and in the case of an atheist, it is done by conviction and accepting of the truth regardless of feelings.  The real battle one must have courage with at times is the one inside one’s own mind.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Njord – God of Sea and Wind” (Asatru – Part 18) – The Pagan Pulpit

/ Ed Raby Sr / 1 Comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.

We also don’t take an offering here.  We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it.  Let’s be honest, offerings are not given to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it.  Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: Eivør Pálsdóttir: ‘Tròdlabùndin’

This live performance of this song is done in a fjord which is fitting given the god of the sea who was married to the goddess of the mountains – Skadi.  Although they never really consummated their marriage.

Mediation:

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This is still one of my favorite poems

Text: 

See the source image

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon:

As one would expect, the naval culture of the Vikings would have a god of the sea.  Njord – god of wind, fire and the sea seems to be laking is stories but I imagine not in veneration in the old days of the Vikings.  He is also one of Vanir hostages like Freya and Freyr who are his children.  He was invoked probably regularly for fair weather and a fair journey and success every time the Vikings took to the sea for any reason.

The Geneology of the gods gets confusing sometimes but Njord’s first wife is either unnamed or Nerthus but she is only named in passing by a roman writer in the first century and doesn’t have any other source.  We do know he did marry later Skadi from her choosing him by looking at his feet.  The marriage was never happy or consummated however as the two are very different.

There really is a lack of worship in modern times of Njord.  Probably due to ot the fact that far fewer people are people of the sea.  Asatru gives him veneration but it seems almost casual even with our source Paxton.  He is one of the gods, but his story is limited.

Of course, from a religious point of view, gods and goddesses tend to be popular when people live in their sphere of influence.  Perhaps today you might see a pilot of a plane invoke Njord being the god of wind as well, but the sea-going sailors and raiders of old are long gone. There is really less reason to invoke him now. Unless you view him as a god of traveling in any other medium but land. Not a bad god, just not invoked as much because of the change in the world.

For me, Njord’s story is also light.  The fact he was the guy with the most beautiful feet in Asgard says something and is reflected in his children as they are both considered young and beautiful.  The marital problems are not anger based but the product of being two different people which I find interesting.  Neither one could really get along in each other’s home so they part purely on practical grounds and remain good friends. A lesson that does spin around in my brain.  Sometimes a match isn’t a good one and just needs to be recognized as such.  Being a wayfarer myself, I would have little need myself to invoke him as I prefer my feet on solid ground.

At this point, I am leaving my consideration of the gods and goddesses in my continued learning about Asatru.  There are many more I could do, but they are minor.  I am now going to shift this series to Asatru practice and spiritual understanding.

Parting Thought:

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I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Athiest Spirituality” – Odin’s Eye

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Woden’s (Odin’s) Day.    

Discussion:

Spirituality is a very broad term and even among those who believe you have to define what perspective is being used in regards to spirituality.  Christian Spirituality, Pagan Spirituality, Islamic Spirituality, Hindu Spirituality, and Buddist Spirituality all have their various difference in how to approach the spiritual nature of humanity in relationship to the divine.  But what of Atheist Spirituality.  Without the supernatural in any form is spirituality possible?  I believe the answer is yes and all these forms tap into something that is probably very human.

Sam Harris in the quote above is on to something when he gives a shortlist of 1) spiritual experience, 2) ethical behavior and 3) strong communities all leading to human happiness.  I am going to lay the last two aside because for me these are found in following virtue which I discuss extensively and strong communities is a community discussion as far as I am concerned,  What interests me is ‘what is the nature and function of spiritual experience as an atheist?

Time to Look Through the Eye:

“To see the truth, change one eye for another”

Faith:

I agree that spiritual experience is a product of the human mind and a natural propensity to spiritualize consciousness.  I believe it is an awareness of the world, people and society around us and represents our attempt using our consciousness to understand it all.  It is this foundation of consciousness that I think is the root of spirituality and eventually paganism in its very early forms.  We all start I think as pagans from a consciousness point of view until something comes along to change our viewpoint.

Meditation:

It is the product of some form of meditation, using this term in the broadest sense involving thinking and feeling at length about a subject, that change in our consciousness is achieved. Spiritual change is more about psychology than the supernatural.  We change our ethics and perspective because we come to different conclusions as we meditate on issues and thoughts. This is spiritual in the sense it involves our psyche, but might not have anything to with powers and forces outside ourselves.

Mystery:

This is one area where there is a lot of mystery.  Sure a lot has been discovered by science, but the social sciences, in my opinion, still lack that germ theory moment where a breakthrough happens that changes our understanding of the nature of the subject dramatically.  Until then, the mystery is there but it isn’t an excuse but rather a motivation to open up our consciousness even more as we seek to understand it.

Spirituality:

For me, the foundation of my spirituality is both pagan and atheist.  It is the primitive attempt to understand the world around me using nothing more than my own sense fo consciousness.  I, however, believe that this is the product of the human mind and imagination, not supernatural forces. It is this kernel of truth that survives that I used to surround with religion but now is my own godless and religionless mind.

Conclusion:

I have thus no problem using any religious idea that I feel reflects this.  Following the Nine Noble Virtues, for instance, is a good example of taking something like virtue and using it to provide a framework for philosophical thought while discarding actual belief in the gods of Norse mythology.  I sense as I use religion for this purpose more universal truths will surface like this, but I don’t need to be religious or religiously spiritual to appreciate them and utilize them.  So yes, atheist spirituality is a thing.  It is spirituality focused on humanity and the world we live in rather than spirits or gods.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Honor, Atheism and Religion” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Honor

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Mani’s Day

Discussion:

For this run through the Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), I am adding the theme of how atheism and religion can affect our understanding of them.  As I have mentioned before, I am an atheist that still practices the NNV of Asatru because it is a good list of virtues and the conceptualization by the Asatru Community is solid when it comes to virtue.  The NNV is a solid list of virtues to meditate and act on. We begin with Honor.

First I want to give credit to Aron Ra, atheist, and YouTuber.  It was he who in a comment inspired my meditations on honor, shame, and religion.

Honor is a virtue that I struggle with and that is fairly normal for people who take Honor seriously.  The one thing I am going to propose today is that Religion robs one of Honor.  There is a debate about religions affects on honor in the Athiest community and perhaps rightly so but to me either you are going to becomes so prideful of your religion that you will have no honor or be humiliated by your religion so you have no shame.

Shame is connected with honor as it is what causes one to try to get back on an honorable path.  Without shame, honor is not possible and religious people who have been humiliated (not humbled) by cultic behavior have no shame so they have no honor either. This why I feel atheism actually promotes honor and shame so that a person keeps their life on an honorable path.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

Needs (Geri):

Why do we need honor?  Because without it we would justify any action against another without shame. You can see this in cults who humiliate their members as part of the initiation process.  Once humiliated, they can be convinced to do absolutely horrible actions with no remorse.  There isn’t anything a person who is humiliated by a group will not do for the approval of the group.  They will whore, steal and kill just to get a pat on the head having been reduced to the level of a dog. Honor and Shame are needed to feel any self-value, but self-value is the last thing religions want you to have. Atheism is all about self-value by contrast.

Wants (Freki):

As I have been throwing off the shackles of my former faith I realize that this was my struggle as a pastor. “To be greatest among us, you must become the servant of all’ are the paraphrased words of Jesus of Nazareth, but this implied a humbling, not humility.  Voluntary slavery is still slavery and there is no honor in slavery.  It is why I want Honor to keep from being a slave.  No gods, no masters.  It is my primary motivation now to free myself from religion and its gods and as a libertarian from the negative powers of the state that also enslave by trying to be my master.

Reason (Huginn):

Honor cannot be appealed to unless it is first approached by reason.  Actions towards others have to be rationally thought through if possible and one of the considerations is whether any action is honorable or would it bring shame. ‘Is this action reasonable and honorable’ is a noble consideration before doing anything toward another and about yourself. From an atheist standpoint, the evolution of social actions has lead us to create the concept of honor to govern actions toward each other and toward ourselves.

Wisdom (Muninn):

The wisdom of this is seen in that regardless of honor becomes the wise basis of all interaction.  No religion required.  Survival and prosperity depend on honor.  Where it is present both are possible.  Where honor is not present, both survival and prosperity are in jeopardy.

Conclusion:

See the source image

Honor is difficult but absolutely worth it.  The one thing I would note: it is my atheism provides that I now can say I engage in honor, not to appease any god or please any master.  I do for myself and there is nothing wrong with avoiding shame and upholding personal honor.  It is the basis for all human dignity – both mine and yours.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Loki – Trickster God” (Asatru – Part 17) – The Pagan Pulpit

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.

We also don’t take an offering here.  We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it.  Let’s be honest, offerings are not given to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it.  Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: “Loki” – Rebellion

The lyrics of this song not only recount the stories of Loki but the chorus really encapsulates Loki’s mind – “Lord of Chaos, Brother of Wisdom, the others side of good lurking in your mind” 

Meditation:
Image may contain: text
Text:

See the source image

If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon: 

Loki is an antagonist that does a lot of good things.  Recounting his role in all the stories fo Norse Mythology would take quite some time and he is not as straightforwardly evil as a character as people would think.  Much like Fenrir, he only turns against the gods because, in the end, they turn against him.  Did they have a good reason and a rational fear to do so?  Perhaps but the realness of Loki is that he is not a straightforward villain, you can see his side of the story.  You can see he has some good points and it hard to be truly disgusted with him.

In the world of the past when the Norse gods were actually worshiped, Loki does not have any worshipers if you look at his artifacts.  None that we can tell.  Loki is a god, but his worship must have been underground and outside the norm.  No temples or statues to this trickster god.  But to those willing to bargain and engage in cunning and discreet deception, Loki smiles.

To the followers of Asatru Loki is worshiped by some.  His cult is not of the mind that Loki is evil or Ragnorak is the end fo all things but rather a necessary change of the wheel of time. He may make trouble form time to time but the benefits might be worth it. I mean Sif’s hair, Freya’s Ship, Thor’s Hammer and Odin’s Spear are all products of his work. The walls of Asgard are the product of his trickery as is Odin’s steed Sleipnir.  The modern heathens have many debates about Loki. It is only his role in Baldar’s death and the fact he kept one person from weeping over Baldar that condemns him.  Although his three Children by the giantess add further problems.

Villians, if they are done well, have a motive that you can actually sympathize with.  No one is truly evil and Loki is no exception.  It should be noted that as epic as some of the antagonists in Morse Mythology can be, Loki represents the threat within that comes from a person who is an ally that could be turned into an enemy. There is a lot of wisdom to be gained when considering this element of Loki’s story.

Parting Thought:

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Virtue, Asatru, and Atheism” – Of Wolves and Ravens – The Nine Noble Virtues

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Mani’s Day

Discussion:

The question always is leveled at atheists – “if there is no god why should a person be moral?”  The question could be leveled back – “How moral can a person really be if they need a cosmic big brother to be moral all the time?”   But that is hardly answering the question.  The question assumes that morality derives from the divine or religion and to be honest there is a lot of evidence to counter this.  Most notably, that certain virtues and moral ideas occur universally in every religion and some religions might be better at extolling certain virtues but most virtues find themselves expressed in every form of religion and spirituality I know.  That is far more evidence of a human origin to virtue that religion has copied and persevered than morality came from religion.

For me, this is still evident in the fact that despite my ‘conversion’ to an atheist, I am still a follower of the Nine Noble Virtues (NNV) of Asatru because I can recognize the universal value of these virtues regardless of their religious/spiritual connection.  It has been said that religion was our first and worst attempt at coming up with answers to the great questions of life. If there is something good that came out of it, it is this recognition of universal values and virtues that humanity shares.

See the source image

So yes, I will continue to follow the NNV and write about them and make them a core of my philosophy. It isn’t about the spiritual side at all of being someone who practices modern Norse religion.  Rather it is about being the best human being I can be.   I still will draw inspiration that is very human from the stories of Norse mythology and the community that enjoys them. That is not the issue because ultimately it is about achieving what I need and want through being reasonable and wise.

See the source image

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

Needs (Geri):

When I first started this blog I had a couple desires.  One of them was to determine what I needed as far as having a code that would allow me to operate without the totalitarianism of Chrisitan ethics.  I needed a code of life and the Nine Nobel Virtues entered my life as I searched through the warrior codes and the Asatru code of the NNV resonated with me the best.  It fit what I needed at the time and still fits that need today.

Wants (Freki):

What I wanted out fo a code was things that made my life better, notably at the time -stability of philosophy.  I wanted something that would lead me as a person to being better and to have a better and more prosperous life.  Once agian the NNV filled that role rather well and still does.

Reason (Huginn):

Atheism changes nothing other than I am not looking at Asatru as faith or spiritual form I live and practice but rather I practice Asatru because it leads me, much like many atheists who still participate in a religious community, to a sense rational morality within the framework of a community.  Rational moral virtue is my goal now and the NNV with a few small modifications will still provide that for me. The one thing that cannot be said is that atheism leads to a lack of morality because evidence shows the contrary.

See the source image

Wisdom (Muninn):

The wisdom of the NNV still finds itself with me as I continue to have the overall thought that Marcus Aurelius which has stayed with me.

Itis this wisdom that will keep me following the NNV regardless of my spiritual thoughts or belief in the divine. It is simply a wise thing to do.

Conclusion:

The Nine Nobel Virtues are one part of many things in religion that can be compatible with both my humanism and my atheism.  Yes, religion was our first and worst attempt at understanding life and the universe, but even a blind hog roots up a truffle now and then.  But it is my humanity and my reason that recognizes when religion has simply preserved something good from what humanity has created from itself.

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I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Hel / Hella – Goddess of Death” (Asatru – Part 16) -The Pagan Pulpit

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sol’s Day

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.

We also don’t take an offering here.  We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it.  Let’s be honest, offerings are not given to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it.  Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: “Helvegen – The Way to Hel” Wardruna

Meditation:
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Text:

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If you want more details about Asatru, I can’t recommend this book enough.

Sermon: 

Somewhere along the way the depictions of Hel or Hella, to differentiate her from the realm she rules, became a half beautiful woman and half corpse.  But the original description of her in mythology simply has her half black and half white. The one thing is for sure a lot of elements Christianity crept in as time passed as regards her realm more properly known as Helheim.  She is the goddess of those who die of natural causes and not in battle. Her realm is mainly described as a continuation of this one but forever.  Forever, of course, being defined as until Ragnarok when everything basically hits the reset button.

Hella is in a couple stories of significance.  First, her origin story which has her as the child of Loki and a giantess. It is in this story that she is placed in charge of Helheim by Odin himself.  Her spheres are not pleasant ones – sickness, famine, old age.  Her artifacts reflect all of this.

The other story is, of course, the story of Baldar who ends up, somehow even though he died in battle,  in her realm.  The gods attempt to appeal to her for his release.  Her condition is that every person must weep for his death.  Loki, of course, has a hand in making sure one person does not and  Balbar remains with Hella. She also is in charge of keeping Fenrir the great wolf bound until his release at Ragnarok. It is interesting how much she figures into the story when it comes to the end of things and perhaps that is her real sphere – the end.

To the followers of Asatru, Hella is venerated not as someone to be feared.  She is simply one of the options one might find oneself in when you reach the afterlife.  Her real job is to offer comfort to those who have died and give them rest from the toils of this world.  The people who live in Helheim admire and respect her.

For me, she offers an interesting paradox of a character.  Of dubious origin being the child of Loki, she fills the role fo bastard daughter who finds herself in a position \of power and thus both loved and feared.  Her personality might be a little brooding and gloomy, but given her job who can blame her.

In my writing when I have depicted death allegorically or as a traveling companion to the hero, I find she always takes the form of a woman and I have to say this is due ot Hella’s influence. I see her as not only gloomy and foreboding but with a dark sense of humor who occasionally can find laughter in the ironic particular as regards death.

Parting Thought:

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I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!