Lewis Stead

The Ravenbook

face and tell him just where he can put it. Its also nice to

have something in the bank to lay down as a retainer on a good lawyer

so we can take appropriate action.

On the other side of this is self-reliance in the sense of Henry David

Thoreau, who advocated a simple lifestyle that freed one from the

temptations of materialism. Again, here we are able to live as we

wish with those things that are truly important. Religious people

from all faiths have found that adjusting ones material desires to

match ones ability to meet them leaves one open for a closer

relationship with deity and a more fulfilling life. While our

ancestors were great collectors of gold goodies, they didnt lust for

possessions in and of themselves, but for what they stood for and

could do for them. In fact, the greatest thing that could be said of

a Lord was that he was a good Ring Giver.

Being self-reliant also means taking responsibility for ones life.

Its not just about refusing a welfare check or not lobbying for a tax

exemption, but also refusing to blame ones failures on religious

intolerance, the patriarchy, or an unfair system. The system may, in

fact, be unfair, but its our own responsibility to deal with it.

In societal terms, we have become much too dependent on other people

for our own good. As individuals we look to the government or to

others to solve our problems and as a society we borrow billions from

our descendants to pay for todays excesses. Most problems in this

world could be solved if people just paid their own way as they went.

Perseverance

The final virtue is Perseverance which I think most appropriate

because it is the one that we most need to keep in mind in our living

of the other values. Our religion teaches us that the world is an

imperfect place, and nothing comes easy. We need to continue to seek

after that which we desire. In this imperfect world there are no free

lunches or easy accomplishments--especially in the subjects we have

set before ourselves. If we truly wish to build an Asatru community

that people will hold up as an example of what committed people can

do, then we must persevere through the hardships that building our

religion is going to entail. We must be willing to continue on when

we are pushed back. If one loses a job for ones religion, the answer

is not to go back and hide, but to continue until one finds a vocation

where one can more forward and live as an Asatruar should.

Finally we must persevere when we simply fail. If ones kindred falls

apart because of internal strife, one should go back and start over.

Pick up the pieces and continue on. If nobody had done this after the

disintegration of the Asatru Free Assembly, this would probably never

have been written. We must be willing to continue in the hard work of

making our religion strong--not just when it is convenient and easy to

do so, but when it gets hard, inconvenient, or just plain boring. To

accomplish without striving is to do little, but to persevere and

finally accomplish a hard fought goal brings great honor.

MAGIC

As with most Neo-Pagan religions, Asatru posits a belief in magic and

the spiritual realm. However, people must remember that the bedrock

of Asatru is faith in the Gods, and magic is but a part of our customs

and folklore, not a substitute for faith or something separate from

it. Practicing magic, even magic of a Northern type, does not make

one Asatru, nor is the practice of magic a requirement to be an

Asatruar or to perform rituals in honor of our Gods.

The most common type of magic found in the Asatru tradition is that of

the runes. The runes are a magical alphabet which in various forms

was found throughout the Germanic world. The most common form used in

Asatru today is the Elder Futhark (runic alphabets are called

futharks, a word constructed from the first 6 runes) which is believed

to be an older and more true form than the later versions such as the

Anglo-Saxon set of 33 runes.

People are most familiar with the use of runes for divinatory

purposes, and they are indeed used for this purpose. Asatru believes

that there are forces, shaped by our past and the history of the

world, that affect the world and the way the future comes to be. We