Asatru is Our Birthright!
“Asatru is the religion with homework”
“You have to earn your hammer”
“The Gods call who they will”
These are all misleading.
It is of course good to study history, lore, runes, language, and all the other thing that help to inform our faith.
It is of course good to act in a way that is noble, brave, kind, and righteous.
It is of course up to the Gods to do as they will, and we can’t presume to understand the motive.
However, none of these are the defining characteristics of our faith and religion…
Asatru means “Belief in the Gods” or more literally “Troth to the Aesir”, a holy faith in the Aesir. This is faith not only in the sense of “belief” but also in the sense of “trust” or “loyalty”. “I have faith in you” means more than “I believe you exist”, it means “I believe you will do right” and “I believe you will succeed”.
Our ancestors are our direct, physical link to the Aesir. The Aesir are the most ancient blood ancestors of our Folk. We are that same link for our descendants and all their progeny.
The Aesir created the world and gave us life, wit, and vigor. Every Blot we make to the Aesir is a return on this gift, made from the world created for us by the Aesir. Our faith is to continue this gift cycle perpetually. We should always be mindful that the Aesir started the gift cycle and our ancestors -Asatru and otherwise- maintained this gift cycle through the successful lives they led. Our existence is proof of this success. Our children’s prosperity and faith are proof of our success.
So do your homework. Prove you are honorable. Listen to the call of the Gods. But always remember that Asatru is the birthright of every single one of our Folk, even if they need to be reminded. Bring them home.
Witan Clifford Erickson
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