Soul Complex, The Hugr
It has been quite some time since we visited the topic of the Soul. I began these articles last year, and in late July 2023, I had a serious health scare that derailed me a bit. It’s been a year since that ordeal and I’m happy to share that I have made a full recovery. Let’s pick up where we left off.
We left off with the second soul component, the Ek. (For a refresher of my previous articles on the subject, there's a reposting of it on the Runestone.org blog at LINK.) There we discussed the importance of a well-trained and healthy ego, versus a weak and untrained one.
Next, we are discussing the Hugr, the logical mind. As before, we will be using Founder Stephen McNallen’s Asatru, A Native European Spirituality as our reference.
Pronounced “h yewer,” of note to remember that the g is silent. It is the logical mind, or active thought.
"In the Northern Lore, Odin has two ravens that fly forth every day and report back to him at night. Their names are Huggin (Thought) and Muninn (Memory). They represent two soul components, called the hugr and the minni."
Stephen McNallen, Asatru, A Native European Spirituality
Founder McNallen goes on to describe the two soul components from a psychological view as left brained and right brained. Hugr is conscious thought, in the moment, the ability to have discernment. To break down situations or topics and come to a logical conclusion. It is thinking, counting, reasoning, judgement and is linear.
We are often driven by emotions. Our people, especially in this modern world, react with a hair trigger when a topic or event sets them off in an emotional way. It’s far less often that we take a step back and give the situation some thought and reason. We see this far too frequently.
Don’t try to suppress your emotions, but do not let them drive you. When faced with a hot topic or a heated moment, it’s best to take a step back and think before you speak or act. This will help in relationships with your significant other, your friends and colleagues, your brothers and sisters in Ásatrú. Use your Hugr for reason and understanding before you react. I think we could all be better in this regard.
This is especially true when dealing with your Folk. The benefit of the doubt is often not given, and that leads to hard feelings and often results in the dissolution of a relationship. Let us try to avoid that.
"To learn objectivity, pick an issue on which you have strong feelings. Now study the other side of that issue - not pouring through it with the idea of refuting the arguments, but challenging your preconceived notions."
Stephen McNallen, Asatru, A Native European Spirituality
Witan Daniel Young
