Dave Haxton: Asatru

Hindu Temple of Discord

Sat, 06 Dec 2003 13:29:29 GMT

Somehow it's encouraging to see that all religions have political disputes ... A Hindu Temple of Discord. For three decades, the Hindu Temple Society of North America has been a peaceful refuge, but a bitter dispute over leadership has shattered the temple's calm. By Robert F. Worth. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Runic Humor

Thu, 04 Dec 2003 00:33:04 GMT

There are Some days when perhaps it's not the best idea to use your runes

Pagan Santa

Tue, 02 Dec 2003 02:43:08 GMT

Maybe they're getting wise .... Priest bans pagan Santa from his church If there was a historical Jesus (and that's a big if), and he was born following a Roman census, then odds are he was born in September, not at the winter solistace. Christianity has had a nasty habit for millennia of stealing other folk's religious celebrations - Samhain becomes "All Saints Day", Yule and the Mother Night became Christmas and Passover is now "Easter" - complete with bunnies and eggs! Odd too, how the Sabbath became Sunday: 7 = 1, eh? I did get kind of a kick out of the priests characterization of Santa as both "pagan" and "commercial". I wonder if he's aware that of all major world religions, only monotheists from the Middle East (Christians, Jews and Muslims) set a fixed amount that each believer is to "give to god"? Since god typically doesn't cash his checks, of course, it is necessary that this remittance be given to his (self-appointed) representatives on earth! How commercial can you get? Arrgh ... this time of year always makes me a bit religiously cranky!

2004 WCER Congress in Athens

Sat, 29 Nov 2003 16:36:57 GMT

When I win the lottery tonight I'm buying tickets to Athens ... 7th World Congress of Ethnic Religions

The World Congress Of Ethnic Religions (W.C.E.R.) invites you to attend its 7th International Congress, which will be held in Athens, Greece on June «2004». This congress will be organized locally by the Supreme Council of the Gentile Hellenes (Y.S.E.E.) on behalf of the W.C.E.R. Following the success of the previous congresses, all held in Lithuania, the 2004 Athenean congress will allow W.C.E.R. members from various countries to address topics of concern about their Ethnic Religions, Traditions and Ways. A full day meeting will be held in the first day of the congress on the subject of "The High Values Of The pre-Christian Ethnic Religions", and also interesting subjects will be discussed concerning the future of Ethnic Religions facing the modern Globalization and Monotheist dominance.

Heartless Heathens

Fri, 28 Nov 2003 15:45:42 GMT

OK, now my blood pressure is really up! I'm not much of one for "pagan unity" ... I don't feel that heathens have much in common with wiccans (in fact, I cordially despise wiccans) and don't see too many opportunities to work together religiously with such folks. Working together politically is another matter - on occassion things do come up which are so patently offensive to non-monotheist religions that they practically demand a response from all off us. The press release reproduced below from the The Pagan Unity Campaign highlights one such example:

Date: Nov. 26th, 2003 Subject: Offensive bigoted prejudicial quote by James Towey on behalf of the White House. Contact: Ginger (828) 230-1273 James Towey the White House Deputy Assistant to the President and Director, Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives hosted a Q and A session on Whitehouse.gov web site today, and amazingly answered a thoughtful question for a PUC staffer, with this idiotic bigoted reply: ---------Quoted from www.whitehouse.gov--11/26/2003--- Colby, from Centralia MO writes:
Do you feel that Pagan faith based groups should be given the same considerations as any other group that seeks aid?

Jim Towey: I haven't run into a pagan faith-based group yet, much less a pagan group that cares for the poor! Once you make it clear to any applicant that public money must go to public purposes and can't be used to promote ideology, the fringe groups lose interest. Helping the poor is tough work and only those with loving hearts seem drawn to it. -------------------------end of quote-------------------------------- The Pagan Community needs to make the administration aware that not only do members of minority faiths have "loving hearts" But that we in fact DON"T EVER try to promote ideology like the Christian faiths who base their whole religions on 'saving' others. We also need to snow under this man's office with introductions of the varied and numerous Pagan faith-based groups that of course "care for the poor." PUC encourages all Pagans to send him Yule cards this Yuletide season, along with PUC. Together we shall try to educate this man who is supposed to be a religious expert for the current administration, about the various Faiths who have followers in Lady Liberty's land!!! Address your cards, letters, telephone calls, and faxes to him at: Jim Towey, Director
The White House
Washington, DC 20502
(202) 456-6708 (phone)
(202) 456-7019 (fax)
www.fbci.gov

He probably hasn't "run into a pagan faith-based group yet" because most of us are not busily sucking cash from government coffers to serve our pet projects, unlike a great many Christian/Muslim/Jewish groups. We're too tied up doing things to help our communities to worry about getting paid for it. We generally don't have "professional" clergy - folks who suck blood and money from their "flock" for a living. Few heathen groups have bothered to get the requisite 501(c)(3) status to even do tax exempt fund raising. This obviously means we don't have "loving hearts" and that we couldn't care less about out communities. BULLSHIT! This is truely an outrage: I personally served on the board of directors for the Hamilton County, Indiana chapter of the American Red Cross for two years while godhi of Ravenswood. The kindred itself collected and donated food and supplies for their relief efforts. I know of a great many heathen groups who participate as full members of their respective communities in charity work. But apparently, we don't have "loving hearts" and are only interested in promoting our "ideology". Somebody needs to tell this idiot that it's the monotheist groups who have the "Great Commission" and the One True Way who are the ones interested in spreading their ideology! There's a letter on the way to this bozo from me, and also one to his boss. Not that I think it'll do much good, but I'm not gonna sit on my hands on this one.

Marija Gimbutas Must Be Spinning in Her Grave

Thu, 27 Nov 2003 23:45:13 GMT

Indo-European languages came from Turkey

Evolutionary biologists have waded into the stormy debate over when and where Indo-European languages originated. ... Their findings were reported in today's issue of the journal Nature and support the theory that Indo-European languages arose around this time among farming communities in Anatolia, now known as Turkey.

Marija Gimbutas must be spinning in her grave .... [from ABC Science Online via rougeclassicism]

A Hof in Iceland

Thu, 27 Nov 2003 23:38:05 GMT

Pagan Temple in Akranes? Members of the ‘Ásatrú’ (pagan) religious group have expressed their interest in raising a temple in Akranes (southwest Iceland) for their own worship. Temples to worship the ancient Norse gods have not been constructed in Iceland for a thousand years. Artist Haukur Halldórsson came up with the idea of the temple and has already made a model of it. It is circular, with symbols from Eddic poetry on doors and walls. According to the Akranes Town Council, a formal application for the temple has not been received, but the matter has been discussed and has received a positive response. [Original source is unknown - I cribbed it from a post to a Heathen email list (and the poster is usually a very reliable source, but there are no "real" news refs that I can find. I'll keep my eyes open, though!]

Rune Readings

Mon, 24 Nov 2003 04:40:27 GMT

I don't do runes very often ... but not because I don't think they're useful. Rather. I think they can be overused, and often are. I've given much thought to the runes over the years - for those of my readers who are not heathen, suffice it to say that despite popular opinion to the contrary runes are not a system of divination. They don't "predict" the future, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling snake oil. Nothing can tell you the future - not holy books, card decks, dropped stones or symbols carved in wood. No one knows what will be. Forget it - "divination", as conceived of in the popular mind, is hokum. So why the Hel would any serious, sober minded engineering type monkey about with a bunch of carved slips of wood if they don't predict the future? Because I believe that they show you something far more important that what will be - I believe they show you what was, what is and, consequently, what may be. Runes tell you the past. I've my own little theory about how this works. It really has little to do with gods. Notice that, in our lore, Odin "won" the runes, and the gods are often said to "consult" them ... to me, this says that the runes are natural phenomena - or rather, they're reflective of natural phenomena - the sum of the events, word and deed, that have been laid into the Well. There's not enough space to expand on this here - I've been thinking a lot about this for a while, and it will be expanded into an essay, and I'll link it here when it's complete. For now, however, I'll make do with recording the "reading" I drew tonight. Call it what you will - it seems at once accurate, daunting and hopeful.

Reading from left to right, from Urd's domain (the past - "fate") comes Fehu, wealth. From Verdandi's realm (the present - "necessity") comes Perthro - the dice cup. And Skuld (the future - "being") shows forth Wunjo - joy. In truth, I have enjoyed wealth in the [recent] past - suffice it to say that while there have been times in my life when I have been "dirt poor" the last two decades have not been among them. The present - what more accurate symbol than the dice cup? Truely I face a bewildering array of chance, fate and hard work in the weeks and months ahead, regarding the farm, my career and the determination of how the remainder of my time in Midgard will play out. But the future shows joy - and that is hopeful. Not guaranteed, not determined, not "ordained" - only possible. But oft when one faces a dark night, hope is the commodity in shortest supply and deepest need. I got a recharge in my hope batteries from a set of simple carved staves.

Sacrifice

Tue, 18 Nov 2003 15:19:55 GMT

If you pray before you kill the bird, you're in an "evil, pagan, ancient bloodthirsty cult" - if you pray after it's cooked, you're having Thanksgiving dinner! Santeria Priest, Mayor Threatened After Animal Sacrifice
[from WNBC via Pagan Prattle]

Nordic Weddings

Wed, 05 Nov 2003 16:56:33 GMT

Good news from Scandinavia - Forn Sidr ("Old Ways") is now (or rather, once more) a recognized religion in Denmark:

Denmark to Accept Norse God Marriages [Yahoo!News]

Praying to Get Well

Mon, 03 Nov 2003 19:18:08 GMT

Not sure what I feel (or think about) this: Faith and Healing - Can religion improve health? While the debate rages in journals and med schools, more Americans ask for doctors’ prayers. [from MSNBC] While studies have noted the lack of efficacy of prayer on healing, for example, the real surprise is best summarized by one of the physicans involved:

One nugget, however, “blew my socks off,” Powell says. People who regularly attend church have a 25 percent reduction in mortality—that is, they live longer—than people who are not churchgoers. This is true even after controlling for variables intrinsically linked to Sundays in the pew, like social support and healthy lifestyle.

Very strange indeed....

Porno Protectors

Thu, 30 Oct 2003 18:56:27 GMT

Via Secular Blasphemy comes this latest little addition to the Christian social agenda being pushed by the White House: Protection from Pornography Week Just what we need, what with the War on Terrorism, the economy in the dumps and that nutball in North Korea waving nukes around. The "No nekkid wimmens!" faith based initiative! I think this is the final nail in the coffin of my erstwhile support for this fanatic occupying the highest office in the land ...

Atheist Asatrurar

Mon, 20 Oct 2003 06:11:47 GMT

I try to let my blogroll speak for itself. It should be obvious to a regular reader where I get my news and views, and I always post attributions where appropiate. Apparently, several folks do occassionaly "surf" the blogroll, and I got a curious comment a while ago asking how an old Heathen like me got hooked up with the "atheist blog" - Secular Blasphemy. I'd never given it any thought at all, to tell you the truth. I just liked the blog, and never for a second considered his atheist viewpoint as anything remotely resembling a "threat". But it did get me thinking, and I finally put into words some thoughts that've been building for a long time: Atheist Asatrurar

Wille Sings for Perkunas

Sat, 18 Oct 2003 15:56:04 GMT

I'm not sure what this means .... but it's both funny and interesting (from a musical standpoint). A good friend of mine, Janine, follows the ancient Lithuanian faith of Romuva: it's a heathen path. She visited Lithuania this past summer, and last weekend at our Hof Dedication she presented me with a gift, an album of Lithuanian hymms to Perkunas, the Thunder God (Kulgrinda:Perkuno Giesmes). Wonderful stuff! I like it alot. And yesterday, when my father-in-law was over helping to put up ceiling tile in the mud porch, I mentioned it to him - he's a bit of a fan of chants and general classical and folk music. He said he'd give it a listen - so when we went inside for a break, I brought it downstairs and put it in our Bose home theater stereo system - I'd had it upstairs in the library where I'd put it into iTunes on my Mac, and had only ever listened to it on headphones. Dick liked it: but Willie loved it! On the second track, he sat in front of the stereo and howled, but only with the choral parts! It's a "call and response" type of song, and he'd let the lead singer make the call, and then howl in response! I've only seen him react this way once before, and that was to a German military march from the movie The Battle of the Bulge. And that was really more of a "getting excited" reaction than it was a "sing along". Very strange indeed.... especially since that's the only song on the album that he goes nuts over! Maybe he's just a "Thor's dog"! Here's the lyrics to Willies favorite(in English - on the album it's sung in Lithuanian):

Our greatest, our God
Our greatest, our Thunder
With your power
    with your might
Unite us, strengthen us!

Our greatest, our God
Our greatest, our Thunder
The powers of the Oak-tree,
    the might of the Oak-tree.
Unite us, strengthen us!

Our greatest, our God
Our greatest, our Thunder
The brightness of the Fire,
    the power of the Fire
Unite us, strengthen us!

Dedicating the Hof

Mon, 13 Oct 2003 00:22:04 GMT

The tale of the Hof was too large for a regular post, so, as before when faced with over-wordiness on my part, I turned to the stories section: The Hof We had 25 folks present for our dedication yesterday - Ravenswood, of course, and members of the Hoosier Heathen Alliance. Got going at 2pm, and didn't stop until midnight. A very successful event - many of the folk attending had not been to a public heathen gathering before, and we had folks present from all the most active kindreds in Indiana. And the Hof worked wonderfully for blot - although you can't really sit along the side for worship - it works better when the folk stand around the inner floor (and possibly expanding to the outer ring). As a "dinner theater" however, it worked great: the chairs were placed perfectly, and the benches and tables were the right height. A very successful day, indeed!

Winternights, 2003

Sat, 11 Oct 2003 14:23:46 GMT

It's Winternights! We're hosting a gathering today - perhaps as many as 50 Heathens from across Indiana are coming to Hammerstead to help me dedicate my Hof. And Ravenswood is hosting their Winternights celebrations here. So it's gonna be a busy day! I'll post some details and a before/after picture set tomorrow, if I don't get the chance this morning.

Hellenic Revival

Mon, 22 Sep 2003 14:55:10 GMT

On Sannion's Journal this morning I found this link to a fine article from Scotland on Sunday concerning the revivial of ancient Greek religion. (I would've posted a permalink to the blog, but LiveJournal doesn't seem to have them ....hmmm?)

Religion of Slavery

Mon, 15 Sep 2003 14:08:45 GMT

Given recent actions by some of it's adherents, Islam's reputation as the "religion of peace" is somewhat tarnished. However, I think we can safely call it the Religion of Slavery. [copped the link from Secular Blasphemy]

Redneck Asatruar

Sat, 13 Sep 2003 14:41:34 GMT

Rummaging around my hard drive last night, I ran across this bit of stupidity. It was dated in '96 - I have no idea who wrote it, or even where it came from, but, well, if you're Heathen you'll find it pretty screamingly funny. You Might be a Redneck Asatruar if...

Your horn reads "Budweiser"...in runic.
Your statue of Odin looks a lot like Elvis with an eyepatch.
Your statue of Freyja has a hoola skirt and a clock in its belly.
You think the nine worlds include Graceland and Dollywood.
Your ceremonial sword says Gen. R. E..Lee on one side and Franklin Mint on the other.
The Yule feast was late because the TV dinners took longer than you expected.
Your usual offering to the landwights is a moon pie and YooHoo.
In a ritual, you have ever said "and all ya'll Aesir and Vanir".
You call the landwights "critters".
You've ever used "All-Pappy" as a kenning for Odin.
Your harrow doubles as a BBQ pit.
Your incense comes out of a pouch that says Redman.
Your belt buckle is larger than your shield.
You made people stop leaping the Midsummer bonfire because dirt was getting on the pig.

Old School Heathen

Wed, 20 Aug 2003 17:37:40 GMT

Having taken "the quiz", apparently I'm an

OLD SCHOOL HEATHEN. You've been around
the block a few times, and don't need to change
your worldview to please others as the years go
by. People like you are the backbone of
Heathenry.

What Kind of Heathen Are You, Anyway ?
brought to you by Quizilla

Hail Mani

Tue, 12 Aug 2003 22:15:44 GMT

The full moon last evening inspired me, and I wrote this little poetic prayer to Mani (the Moon). I have been amazed by the repsonse this has gotten since I posted it to the Our Meadhall mailing list, and so I figured I'd post it here as a Common Domain document. Besides, it's a pretty good poem, if I do say so myself! Hail Mani!

Hailsa Mani! full and bright,
fill my pastures with your light!
Ward my flocks and guard my herds,
Hear you now adoring words!

Hailsa Mani! full and bright,
bane of foes who hide in Night!
Silver orb above the fields,
for whom danger always yields!

Hailsa Mani! full and bright,
guard my steading with your might!
When you go the Sun will rise,
and fill again the fair, blue skies!

Hailsa Mani! Heed my prayer,
in the Well another layer,
in my life another day
for these simple things I pray!

©2003 Daithi M. Haxton

Honoring the Eastern Ancestors

Sun, 10 Aug 2003 02:54:43 GMT

Nobody does ancestor worship quite like the Chinese .... perhaps we Heathens should pay a bit of attention. Ancestors Displaced in China Given Place of Honor in U.S.. Thousands of deceased Chinese have been exhumed by their descendants and reburied in places like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. By David W. Chen. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Viking Age Silver Hoard

Sat, 09 Aug 2003 03:59:28 GMT

I'm sure that this will prove to be a treasure trove (in more ways than the obvious): Huge Hoard of Viking-Age Silver Unearthed on the Isle of Man [24 Hour Museum]

Christianity is for Losers

Wed, 06 Aug 2003 15:51:38 GMT

Well, I think I finally figured out one of the appeals of Christianity. Kris and I were talking extensively about this on our recent road trip, and really never came up with exactly what it is that makes people scurry to a god who'll toss them into a fiery pit if they don't love him! Christians use the same marketing technique as the Dummies books - Christianity is for Losers!

The essence of the Christian faith is that we fall short. We cannot bridge the gap – the gaping chasm between man and God. Only He can bridge it. We must realize that, and embrace it as a foundational truth in both theology and practice. Our righteousness truly is nothing more than filthy rags.

Only people who think of themselves as hopeless, miserable schmucks can be Christians! This plays directly to that part of the human psyche that will often feel it's own inadequecy in dealing with life. Nothing you can do can make you any better - only god can make you better! According to this writer, Christianity is not a religion: oh, no, far from it. You see, all other faithways are religions, but Christianity is the Truth, and that's a different animal!

In religion, you get what you deserve. True Christian teaching stakes the radical claim that the opposite is true! The Christian does not get the punishment that he deserves, instead he receives that which he does not deserve!

Didn't Dire Straits have a song about this attitude?

African Roots

Mon, 04 Aug 2003 17:12:21 GMT

It might seem a bit odd to place a post like this about African roots under the category of a European ancestral religion (Asatru), but it illustrates a very important point - ancestry is universal, and all of us, as human beings, are concerned with and intrigued by our ancestry. Helping Find African Roots. A genetic testing company helps black Americans trace their ancestors' African origins. African Ancestry's home test kits aren't 100 percent exact, but users say even bits of general information are greatly fulfilling. By Jennifer Friedlin. [Wired News]