by Stephen McNallen
Fundamental to the faith of Asatru is the idea that we are kin and friends
to the Holy Powers. We are kin because Heimdal planted the divine seed in
the wombs of our foremothers; friends, because we exchange gifts when Gods
and humans come together in sacred space at our most fundamental religious
rite, that of the blot or blessing.
This attitude contrasts sharply with the relationship found in most other
religions, where humans are slaves to God, fit only to obey and to serve
their divine master.
Unfortunately, we often assume from this difference that it is okay to be
extremely casual during ritual, treating the Holy Powers much like we
would treat our buddies down at the local bar. Back in the early 1980's,
one manifestation of this attitude was a version of the song "Give Me That
Old Time Religion" featuring irreverent verses about an endless series of
pagan deities, including Odin, Thor, and Freya, among others. We thought
it was really funny, especially after we had had a few beers or passed a
few horns of mead around the campfire - but by then, almost anything was
funny.
In retrospect, this attitude was shameful, wrong, and immature. I am
happy to say that in the Asatru Folk Assembly we have grown beyond this
behavior, but as a movement we wasted precious years in such childishness.
I contrast this puerile prankishness with the seriousness with which our
ancestors approached the Divine, and I am appalled. The old tribes built a
protective network of ritual and custom around interaction with the Holy
that encouraged deliberation and an awareness of the sacred.
Yes, we do share the same ultimate nature with the Gods and Goddesses.
Odin, Vili, and Ve (or Odin, Hoenir, and Lodur, depending on the version
of the lore you choose) gave us this gift by shaping the components of our
souls to resemble their own, and thus to share the potential of Godhood.
But while we are alike in essence we are overwhelmingly different in
magnitude. Our souls are like the ephemeral sparks struck by flint and
steel, while the Gods are roaring blast furnaces. Our task is to grow to
more resemble our Holy Kin, but we have…well, a long way to go. It does
not behoove us to be casual or overly familiar; such behavior can only
mislead us into thinking "we are as good as they are" - egalitarianism at
its most foolish.
Often I wonder if many of those who pepper their blots with casual
reference to their Godly buddies really believe in the Gods at all. To
treat Odin with anything other than the deepest awe is to ignore the
terrible mystery that cloaks him, but even Thor, friend of man, is not
your "bud" like the guy down at the club who buys you a drink. The
Goddesses, too, received their somber sacrifices in olden times.
I am not saying we should tremble before the Holy Powers, but even the
most approachable of them surpasses us in evolution to a degree we cannot
really comprehend. It is wrong to trivialize them or to trifle with them,
and we should go before them only with a profound reverence. Those who
object that "the Gods want to hear us laugh" need to wake up and realize
that there is a time for laughter, joking, and prankishness - but that
time is not when one is standing before the Gods and Goddesses of our
Folk. Save your laughter for the hearth, and if you would laugh with our
Elder Kin let it be at the convivial feast where the Holy Powers sit
unseen among us.
No one will take Asatru seriously until we start taking our Gods and
Goddesses, our faith, and ourselves seriously. When our lives are imbued
with reverence and sincerity toward the powerful, awe- inspiring,
transformative beings of Asgard and Vanaheim, then the world will stand up
and take notice!