Lewis Stead

The Ravenbook

dedication to a God or

Goddess was usually part of ones family heritage and was passed down

to your children. While there is no compelling reason why one cannot

act as Priest to the entire community of Gods and Goddesses, it is

most common for one to be dedicated to a single deity. A kindred may

have persons who are each dedicated to a different deity, or it may

orient itself towards a single deity as did families in the Sagas.

One national organization, The Ring of Troth, offers official

ministerial recognition on two levels: Eldership and Godmen. The

Elder program entails a great deal of study in the ways of our ancient

forebears. Elders are intended not so much to be everyday ministers,

but to be teachers and sources of information for the Folk at large.

The second program, entitled one Godman or Godwoman, is intended for

more day to day clergy. A Godman must be informed about the lore of

our modern religion and familiar with the Gods and rituals of Asatru

and capable of performing them, but does not go into deep academic

study in the manner of an Elder.

The Kindred

The most basic unit of Asatru religious worship is the hearth or

homestead. This is nothing more than it sounds like: a household of

Asafolk who worship the old Gods and Goddesses. Several individuals

or hearths may group themselves into a kindred, which is a term that

has many meanings to many different groups. Some kindreds have many

members and function like mainstream churches, others are more

familylike and attempt to hold to their privacy. The place of a

kindred is more or less analogous to a clan or small tribal group. A

kindred is made up of people you are familiar with and with whom you

meet in person and in its best sense its an organic grouping,

however its not the same sort of bonding that one would find in a

single family or even in an extremely close knit group of friends. In

a true Pagan society, the kindred would be found on the level of a

farmstead or small village.

The ritual blots are most commonly done on the level of the kindred,

or in meetings where more than one kindred comes together. The

rituals of a Hearth might be less formalized and more homey in

atmosphere. The blot ritual is based on a religious observance that

was part of the official public aspect of ancient Asatru, and its

likely that there were many other private rituals that would not

necessarily be appropriate for a kindred to take part in together. For

example, a kindred might not honor the individual family Dis or the

house-spirits unless all members of the kindred lived together or were

tied by blood as well as companionship.

Most persons will want to join or found a kindred in their area,

however, before one runs out and begins to solicit people, you should

think about what you are doing. The very name of our groupings,

kindred, implies a great deal more than does membership in a church.

Today we are accustomed to religious institutions that are more or

less anonymous and sterile. A kindred should not be this way. While

we must be open to all, we need not act as if we were a public

facility with no more intimacy than a department store. It is best to

start small and gather people as they come to you. Once you are

established, get involved in the local Pagan community if you are not

already. Attend a few events of the local Leif Erikson society or the

Sons of Norway. Open one of your blots to the public and take note of

people who are attracted to Asatru.

A kindred is something which should form organically. Its not a good

idea to push ones friends into joining unless they are sincerely

interested. In the Raven Kindreds we usually wait until people ask to

formally join, unless we perceive they are waiting to be asked. On

the other hand, Asatru is not a secret religion or one open only to

initiates as many Neo-Pagan faiths are. We must be open to

outsiders who are truly interested.

People in a kindred should be aware that they are making a commitment

to the group. The first duty owed to our kindreds would be regular

attendance. The kindred cannot function if people do not attend. I

have heard some say that making a monetary donation should be

sufficient. I say this is simply not true. While the money most