I found this particularly special since the acorns are falling (an excellent symbol for Midsummer time).

"A man need not give only a big gift,
often you buy praise with a little;
with half a loaf and a tilted cup
I've got myself a companion."

Hávamál 52

Wood month is upon us

Traditionally the house would secure its wood supplies gathering up what they needed for the year doing all the cutting and stacking. No one wants to do this in the winter if they don't have to. Regardless of if you store wood or not you should get into the habit of some sort of winter preparations, getting snow chains, winter clothes, heat sorted, food stores, bringing in and preparing what harvest is currently available and good to store for overwinter, etc.. Working in line with the season can only serve to improve our lives regardless of whether we live rurally or not.

"Of dry logs saved and roof-bark stored a man should know the measure,
of fire-wood too which should last him out a quarter and a half years to come."

- Hávamál 60

I will now speak of the Wandering King of the Wagon-Way. The awakener of the warrior’s wode. May thou, Metod, watch over me as I wade through the seas of life. Wield thy holy and wonderful weapons to wage war against all that may muddy my eyes and mind to the highest truth.

Tied into the use of Metod from the previous post written by a great friend of mine.

Uðr, Mjötuðr, Wóden:
The Dispenser of Life, Death and Fate

Uðr is a name I think about time and again because the deepness of it is especially interesting and I always seem to find a new piece of information which sheds further light on it.

One idea is it stems from an old spelling of unnr meaning "waves, the sea." This idea is plausible considering his other sea based names ("Water Nick, Nick of the Waves/Old Man of the Sea, and Island Bearer") however, I believe that there is much more to it than simply "waves." Our Forebears loved to use sea based metaphors to more deeply describe or simply poetically refer to something. With that, it is worth diving into other possibilities.

When we look at other uses of uðr, the most interesting use is to mean "fate, bane" as in the word mjötuðr which is always associated with fate meaning "the dispenser of fate, the maker/destroyer," and in more recognizable terms could be translated as "our Maker" which is used to denote a giver and taker of life.

Going back to the idea of uðr being used figuratively (with seafaring imagery), it would make sense if rather than simply meaning "waves," it referred to fate and its trials as "the waves we ride through life."

Now, we see obviously enough how Wóden is involved in fate, determining who is the victor in war and who will gain riches on earth and who will enter the Golden Halls and so much more. He is also seen to choose the time of death for Kings and others outside of war and is the bane of every warrior in the end sealing their fate.

According to Snorri he not only gives us our souls in the beginning (as Völuspá corroborates), but at the end he takes us back with him to Gimlé or Vingólf which does bear a resemblance to the lines concerning Wóden* from Maxims 1 of the Exeter book, "the souls' preserver...and again at the end he will possess (wield) all of mankind. That is the dispenser of Fate himself (meotud)." In this last mentioned poem, the "Dispenser of fate" is indeed the Old English cognate (Meotud) to the Old Norse (mjötuðr). It is a name used to denote the christian god in the English context generally*. This practice of taking older folkish names and rehashing them for god or christ is a regular practice of theirs to try to shift the folk mind towards christianity. Even in the Norse folkish context, the term shows the same general meaning as the christian use ("the maker/destroyer" as previously mentioned).

Thus, I believe the name calls Wóden "Fate itself" and/or "Master of Fate."

* Maxims 1 is generally taken to refer to the christian god and I would agree, BUT there is a caveat. In reviewing it more closely you find that every element associated with the christian god can rightfully be associated with Wóden previously. Thus, it is most likely that the poem seeks to take away Wóden's place and give it to the christian god saying "Oh, Wóden isn't actually all of that, my god is."

" ᚾ Need is constricting on the chest, although to the children of men it often becomes a help and salvation nevertheless, if they heed it in time."

- Old English Rune Poem, Nýd

‘No one may trust in his own accomplishment; he is never so strong or courageous. Thus to every man on his death-day heart and strength fail as good fortune fails.’

- Lausavísa by Ásbjǫrn

Everything is always changing, you cannot rely on anything in Midgard to be permanent. Your actions, your fortune, your glory, and your body all fade in due time. Enjoy what you have, enjoy what you do, but accept that it is fleeting and strive to live simply in the moment without crippling attachment to what you have or achieve. Strive for greatness for the act itself, not the outcome and you will be happy.

This ties into the previous post I shared from Polina Sarris as well.

The Cult of the High One and My Personal Experience

When I first started on the Germanic Folk Way I found myself drawn to Odin in a simple way, "that's just what the focus of this path is..." I was young and coming into religion for the first time sincerely this was the best I could say at the time with no real background or awareness.

After I studied and practiced more I recognized how much all of the Gods impact us and how people are drawn to different Gods in particular according to their urlag (personal fate). Further, I found myself recognizing how serious the path of Odin was and how difficult it might be. In a moment of worry I felt myself start to hold back and look more to Thor as the God of the Folk and the most easily accessible by Man for fear of the path of the High One and in respect for Thor's strength.

For a time the path of Thor satisfied me and I even had a profound experience with Him which filled me with a great strength and understanding I would carry with me from then on, but after a little while I recognized how I was purposefully ignoring the path I should personally take out of worry, anxiety, and fear. I was concerned I didn't have what it truly took to follow the path of Odin. I despised the overdrinking, woman beating, "hail oDiN" types I saw around for their claiming to follow the path while absolutely disregarding what it entails entirely. They figured all you had to do was some pushups and be ready to fight everyone all the time for your own ego and will regardless of all else. A light bulb clicked from this experience and over time I opened up to the path again dedicating myself, word and deed, to the High One. I swore before Him to honor Him and live my life by His will, fully trusting in Him from then on.

I faced much hardship after that. I found it to be nothing like what people believe it to be. It wasn't a matter of tough guy facades and meaningless brawls, it was a deep, deep war within one's own self initially. Many times I thought I would break into a million pieces unable to progress, and yet I did progress. Now I stand here, not at the end of a path, but in full awareness of what the path looks like, my head held high. I look back on those "hail oDiN" types and pitty them for their weakness and fear. I recognize how my own fear and weakness held me back, and now I stand ready for the lessons of the High One to improve and rise up in word and deed in His honor.

I see the teacher within the teachings, I see the teachings within all things, I see all things within the teachings, I see the teachings within the teacher.

A man should strive to be a man by

(1) giving respect where it is due;
(2) accepting respect where it is due, without expectation (respect is earned through performing one's duties wholeheartedly in truth and humility);
(3) living according to his position in life with patience and perseverance whether he be a student, a husband, a father, or an elder;
(4) maintaining his physical body in order to serve its purpose and not as the purpose itself, upkeep of the body is not an ends, but a means to accomplish the real work;
(5) maintaining and strengthening his mind in order to move the body towards greater ends serving higher duties;
(6) sacrificing to the Gods and Goddesses with humility, love, and devotion in thanks for all he knows and enjoys and to uplift himself and those around him spiritually thus maintaining a greater existence here and continuation after;
(7) maintaining love for that which he holds dear be it his wife, children, friends, community, folk or otherwise in order to best serve his duty as a man to serve, protect, uplift, and uphold;
(8) recognizing evil and working against it to the best of his ability;
(9) giving up childish endeavors and enjoyments such as video games, toys, etc. Live in your proper place without attachment to the past (Let it go and be the man you should be - age and position appropriate);

Such a man, of necessity, is recognized as honorable and this is what differentiates the good from the great. A good man can be pleasant in appearance, word, deed, etc yet still be found to be lacking. The great man is himself pleasant in his entire existence and this in the old understanding was a true man different from the rest. The pinnacle worth striving for and living to the fullest.

"Magni fýsir engi við mik at deila,
þvíat mér var ungum aldr skapaðr.
Ek hefi hjarta hart í brjósti,
sízt mér í æsku Óðinn framði."

"Nobody is eager to pit his strength against me, for a long life was fated to me as a young man. I have a firm heart in my breast, since Óðinn furthered it for me in my youth. "

- Útsteinskviða (Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka) by Útsteinn Gunnlaðarson

True Humility without Christian Baggage

Many people in our Tradition today openly detest the idea of humility believing it to be a solely christian, and thus evil, concept. Christianity does indeed involve some devolved version of humility, but this is not the traditional humility which is absolutely a component of our Tradition and which I speak to now.

There comes about, in the man without humility, a sense of anxiety due to misunderstanding how things are, the true power of the Gods, and our place within Midgard. This can be summarized by a stanza of Hákonarmál which runs,

“The chief spoke - after coming from battle, stood all drenched in blood -:
‘very malicious Odin seems to be to us;
we are worried about His intentions (hugr).’ ”

Here, the speaker shows his anxiety about not being able to maintain complete control over his life always winning the upper hand. He feels powerless and overwhelmed by loss in life, viewing it as negative. This sense of individualism is not tempered by true wisdom. All things come and go, we have but a little power relatively speaking, in that all we truly control is our actions and reactions. This is not negative in the least, but necessary for the whole to thrive and indeed with a proper understanding of the world one can gain contentment in joy and sorrow, for he sees the greater picture.

We can glimpse the true sense of humility in a stanza from Krákumál which runs,

“I wish to make an end. Dísir are welcoming me home, the ones Óðinn has sent me from the hall of Herjan (Odin > Valhall). I shall gladly drink ale with the gods in the high seat; hopes of life are past; I’ll die laughing.”

The reader here is much more aware of his station, to accept the will of the Gods with light-heartedness; for what the Gods dictate can never be truly bad, it can only seem bad when we maintain a lack of humility in the face of their power and live for our own ego, believing ourselves the foremost of all things. We are not the Gods, nor the purpose of life, but rather a component of Midgard.

Humility is found in the sense of respect for the Gods and their will over our own, accepting what we are given in life be it good or bad, and ever striving to uphold the will of the Gods (the greater picture). You need not give up your will, but view it within the greater picture. Don't zoom in unnecessarily as this causes only anxiety and pain. Live your life as you must and enjoy the whole of life with others. That shared experience is worth infinitely more than the selfish "victory." These are the blessings of humility: love, joy, contentment, inner peace, wisdom. Humility allows one to achieve so much while egocentrism brings only grief and stagnation. This is Odin's law of change.

How does one live a good life?

One learns the virtues and puts them into action in his life. This yields a "positive existence" which denotes a life lived in accordance with the will of the Gods, for "positive existence" yields a connection to the Gods via the reverence, knowledge, and cultivation in life of Love; Beauty; and Truth. The Gods want us to reach towards them and connect with them like children with their parents. These three (Love, Beauty, and Truth) are in turn the roots which connect the Gods and all else expressed by the chanting and breath of the High One, the Allfather that gave rise to all things and from which the very root of all traces back.

"Emblem of England's ancient faith,
Full proudly may thy branches wave,
Where loyalty lies low in death,
And valour fills a timeless grave."

- To an Oak Tree standing over a Hero's grave, Sir Walter Scott