"The Plague of Three" upon Folkish Neopaganism

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[2-2-17 Retraction regarding this article]

Personally, I don't mind the term "Pagan," ("country dweller") since it's part of our history. After Christianity took over by force, "native believers"---those who believed in the spirituality of their own ancestors---were often relegated to the rural countryside, often outside of mainstream society. I know some do not like that term. It could be said that there are now some small but somewhat significant folkish-spiritual movements in what was once the Eurocentric "west." In some ways, the sophisticated folkish-spiritual movements of the other two chief racial types of the Americas could also be included here due to their own smaller issues of harassment or mockery directed at them. I'm specifically referring to the inherent worth of these various systems.

The Plague of Three


1) Cultural Marxism

Everyone is at least partly "Socialist" since everyone seeks, even in a small way, to reward someone while punishing someone else. Like Capitalism, it's part of the recipe for civilization. Cultural Marxism is simply "rich man's Socialism." Nothing about it actually helps anyone. It's another control mechanism for the masses... "transvestite rights instead of worker rights" (hint hint). The transnational banks and corporations grow with unbounded power... but at least men can use the women's bathrooms! By actual definition, Hillary Clinton is almost as far right as one can get; people only perceive that she's on the left.

The "neopagan movement(s)" is unique in that it has slowly but steadily grown without the aid of any outside help or promotion. There won't be any "Germanic Heathenry Studies Department" at a major university any time soon. There's a natural missing puzzle piece in people's lives, which isn't available to them in mainstream society, and they have discovered what it is for themselves. To put it bluntly, this first category is generally made up of "anti-white bigots" at large; and it makes little difference what the person may look like as they plunge the dagger in. It's to the point where a small and totally non-political private folk group can be attacked for merely existing. It makes one wonder what they're so afraid of?

While there's an element of this antagonistic politic which is funded by the usual suspects like the Ford Foundation, most of it is made up of hipsters who are defacto foot soldiers for "political correctness." Political correctness is another tool in this "rich man's Socialism" construct. It's all perception since these same forces destroy societies and fund genocide around the globe without criticism from the controlled hipsters. "Social justice" is only for whom the transnational cartels say it's for... all while they eliminate whole rural societies in some cases.. to get at their natural resources. I would argue that these antagonistic hipsters are partly guilty for crimes against humanity since they do whatever these powers steer them to do. If you're helping genocidists, then you're guilty of it.

There are various groups which call themselves names like Heathens Against Hate. This may sound like a good proactive concept; an attempt to keep things on a logical path. Actually it isn't. These are people who call themselves Heathens, but can't imagine why anyone could possibly think that any European tradition would have anything to do with European ancestry? There's apparently an old multinational secret society called The Odin Brotherhood, which is concerned about the Islamic invasion of Europe. While the concept appears to project strength, their only concern is religious freedom. In other words, they can't imagine why anyone would believe that Odinism would have anything to do with one's ancestry? On their forum, someone suggested the ancestral-spiritual concept. I remember one guy responding, and you could just feel the utter internal agony in his words. He was mortified.

Even the mere term "Odinism" is considered a racist concept by many. Gee, I can't even keep up with all of the dos and don'ts anymore! There was one Christian video on YouTube where, if I remember correctly, an American Christian college girl tried to sign up for some type of work/study project at a supposedly "Asatru" company located in one of the Scandinavian countries. I bring this up only as a warning of what's out there. Some Heathens are much the same as Wiccans, or perhaps worse.. as in this case. In a letter to one official in this company, the young woman stated that she was a Christian. The response by this man was so sexually and violently profane, that I can't repeat it here. Beyond his stunning dishonor, he fully associated Asatru as a homosexual movement. I can recall one so-called "Heathen" blog in which the author, to an extreme degree, associated Heathenry with Communism... and went on at length in an attempt to prove it. Needless to say, he didn't believe that Heathenry had a damn thing to do with ancestry!

Other blogs, Wiccan and Heathen, are rabid about spotting "racism"... just like "witch hunters" of the Middle Ages. Frequently they make it a point to bring up folkish neopagan racists, and state how they're not allowed. Within cultural Marxism, "rich man's Socialism," the promotion and obsession of these "ISMS" are designed to destroy the rights of workers and small business people on numerous fronts. The only real "ISM" involved here is socio-economic Classism. This controlled-opposition has transformed the mainsteam "Left" into an anti-Labor and pro-war mongering movement. These white middle class hipsters and anarchists won't protest the military manufacturing plants as they roam around trying to spot a racist behind every tree.

I believe that Wiccans have done some good things. However, very often they just simply cannot stop talking about homosexuality. I remember visiting the website of one Wiccan radio program from Massachusetts. It seemed like such a great idea; to have a whole program on some small station. When I listened to the archives, programs would begin and they would go on the first ten minutes without talking about anything other than the gay movement. Hmm... I like tall women.. does anyone want to hear me talk about it at length? Sexuality is, and always will be, a personal thing. No intelligent person wants to hear about it. It's pretty clear that homosexuality is very important on the minds of most Wiccans.. mostly likely because of the perceived need to not be like Christians.

I think that folkish traditions should be about respect... from all sides. Unfortunately it doesn't happen often. I have observed online a few different folkish racial factions extending goodwill to each other in a small way. I think there's some potential for that sort of thing since they would or should have more in common than not. I remember watching a YouTube video about Shintoism once, and what seemed to be a young white guy commented that he wanted to become a Shintoist. Many Native American groups have now begun to close their rituals to the public because people like this guy simply will not leave them alone! I looked up Druidic groups in California one time, and saw some "Druids" who were not even of European descent. There's one YouTube video of a white guy marrying a Mexican gal in an "Asatru wedding"... with her father giving away the bride. They were very Mayan. Would it be fair to ask the groom as to why he would be interested in Asatru, an ancestral religion, in the first place? There are some Heathens who believe that "the gods" want them to intermarry with other races.

2) Social Science

The real job of Social Scientists is to make the world safe for global predatory monopoly Capitalism... PERIOD. This is the reason that Jeffrey Kaplan gets to be practically the spokesman for the Asatru Folk Assembly, of which he hates because it's "European and folkish"... all the while he ignores certain powerful people who have eliminated entire societies in the Third World! In his politic, that's not "racism." The word "racism" was invented by a man whose political group helped mass murder over 60 million people who just happened to be of a different race and religion than they were.

There are hundreds upon hundreds of self-interest racial/ethnic groups of every kind in California. The system has made it crystal clear that any European collective concept is off limits. Perhaps we can refer to this rule as "Kaplan's Law." There can, however, be Irish, Italian, German, Croatian, etc. clubs/groups; probably because the social controllers don't want to butt heads with people of certain ethnic backgrounds, and the number of these groups are pretty small and quiet anyway. However, according to Kaplan's Law.. anything white or European is "Nazi." Some years ago, in a Bay Area high school which was about 20% white, some students formed a "white students union" of which there are many well established racially-based students unions all over the state. Immediately the ADL was called in to investigate. This political dynamic has grown with leaps and bounds in recent years.

Even if a person is not anti-white, they can still be an incredible pest! Sabina Magliocco is a professor of Anthropology and Folklore at California State University, Northridge. In the name of paying the bills, she injects herself into anything and everything "Italian-American and Pagan," despite the fact that these traditions are very small in the U.S. She feels that it's her duty and right to fully dress them down to size for close in-depth analysis... even to the point of calling those in these tiny communities "liars." Apparently our traditions are none of our business! It's important to realize that she isn't part of these communities at all. It's all only for that all-important direct deposit. Another example of state-funded intrusion upon others [This paragraph has been retracted 2-2-17].


3) National Socialism

Since European people merely existing is "racist" to some, this subject is in sore need of some rational definition. The Third Reich only lasted about a dozen years, yet it still captures the scorn and imagination of many; while the British Empire lasted centuries, dominating everything in its sight, yet with little criticism or admiration. Part of this is due to the fact that the NAZI's embraced what we think of as Germanic Neopaganism. Ironically, if you examine it closely for a long period of time, you may come to realize that what they espoused was actually something closer to possible spiritual concepts from the original Teutonic homeland of very ancient times. In any case, this connection is often brought up by enemies of Asatru from every stripe as this reconstruction has slowly grown in recent years. Small movement, big enemies. However, certain people who have embraced Germanic neopaganism have certainly helped promote the idea of this connection. As to whether or not they actually feel a spiritual tie to it, or are merely using it for political purposes, can only be speculated on.

As a consequence of all this, influential groups like the ADL or the SPLC release a lists of "hate symbols," which includes many symbols of Heathenry, such as the Othala. In fact, the Othala has been projected as the next Swastika... a symbol to be banned in some capacity within this ongoing neo-witchhunt. You can only take so many backward steps towards the edge of the cliff. Still, one can't deny the reckless usage of sacred symbols by so-called Neo-Nazis. Just as a general rule, it's probably not a good idea to overtly mix one's spirituality with any political construct. However, both the far right and far left do it incessantly. I can recall one YouTube video where some very left leaning political activist made a video after he had just--likely very ingenuinely--converted to Wicca. He was displaying his Pentacle Star overtly while politicking, and it just looked so stupid.

There are also non-European American groups which are very similar to Neo-Nazi or KKK groups. While facebook will not tolerate any European-American collective concept at all, they tolerate groups like the New Black Panther Party and La Raza--both of whom have had individuals in an official capacity clearly call for racial violence and murder--and a group calling itself United Pagans of Color. They espouse a long held infantile fantasy, present across many races, of somehow every race teaming up against a particular race.. which has never actually ever occurred in that particular manner. In this case against white people, and they go on at length about the evils of white people... all under the approving eye of facebook. I use them as an example since they would be the equivalent of Neo-Nazi Heathenry.

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Guido von List: Part 29

Armanen Futhorkh - An Introduction
 
Südhimmel Hearth
 
A basic introduction to Guido von list Armanen Futhorkh Runes.
 
For further information: Guido Von List - The Secret of the Runes
http://www.scribd.com/doc/99276984/Guido-Von-List-The-Secret-of-the-Runes#
 
Temple of Wotan -
https://archive.org/details/Temple_Of_Wotan
 
The Masks of Odin: Wisdom of the Ancient Norse -
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/odin/odin-hp.htm
 
Teutonic mythology -
https://archive.org/details/teutonicmytholo04grim
 
Legends of Gods and Heroes -
http://www.norron-mytologi.info/diverse/munch-legends.pdf
 
Deceived, Damned & Defiant - 
https://archive.org/details/DeceivedDamnedAndDefiant
 
Might is Right -
https://archive.org/details/MightIsRightByRagnarRedbeard
 
The Will to Power -
https://archive.org/details/TheWillToPower-Nietzsche
 
Recommended Reading -
http://ahfenner.tripod.com/OtherArticles.htm


Tacitus, Germania and the Armanenschaft 

While "Armanism" is a system which can be adhered to today, the "Armanenscaft" was a Germanic socio-folk system from pre-Christian times. The blog "Aryan Myth and Metahistory" is another site with many references to Guido von List.

The Complete Armanen and the Untold Story 

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'The 13th Warrior' (1999) - movie review

'The 13th Warrior' (Wikipedia)

The 13th Warrior is a 1999 American historical fiction action film based on the novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton and is a loose retelling of the tale of Beowulf. It stars Antonio Banderas as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, Diane Venora and Omar Sharif. It was directed by John McTiernan. Crichton directed some reshoots uncredited. The film was produced by McTiernan, Crichton, and Ned Dowd, with Andrew G. Vajna and Ethan Dubrow as executive producers.

While rewatching this film a few days ago, it just hit me. This film was a reversal of 'Lawrence of Arabia. Instead of a Western gentleman and adventurer aiding the "good Muslims" against the aggression of the "bad Muslims" in a foreign exotic land, it was a Muslim gentleman and adventurer aiding the "good Vikings" against the "bad Vikings" in a foreign exotic land. Antonio Banderas plays the role of Ahmad, who after a social-political dispute in Baghdad, is exiled to serve as an ambassador to "northern barbarians" (Vikings) who were apparently living somewhere in northwestern Asia. Omar Sharif plays the role of a senior official who teaches him the ropes. An old Viking woman with a raspy voice is a type of magical seer, and further adds to the idea of the Northmen as strange and exotic.

The Vikings are portrayed as unkempt, crude, and gruff, while Ahmad was well dressed, gentlemanly, and well spoken. Although it wasn't really clear to me, after an incident he is selected as a non-Northman "thirteenth warrior" by the seer when news arrives that their particular Viking tribal home is under attack. They embark back north by ship. Ahmad soon learns their language. To Ahmad, rich dark colors, the northern climate, heavy clouds, mountains, and forests would have seemed exotic and inhospitable. The architectural designs and Odinic totems was impressive. For the record, an Odinic death prayer was portrayed in the movie.

After repelling an attack by the enemy tribe, powerful men who were adorned with the heads, furs, and claws of bears, Ahmad soon gains respect after displaying his expertise with the sword and horse. He meets a Viking woman, whom is his semi-romantic interest throughout his stay. During the first battle, he bravely saves a little Viking girl, which further raises his stock with the group. The beastly cannibalistic enemy tribe reminded me of the accounts by the Romans of a particular people whom I think they referred to as the "Scritobini" in Scandinavia. I actually made a video about them a few years ago, in an expression of primal dark imagery, entitled Scritobini Dawn of Europe.

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Spoiler alert beyond this point

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After a long struggle, the enemy is defeated. The tribal chieftain Buliwyf kills the fearsome leader of the enemy tribe in battle, although he is terminally poisoned in the process. His character was based on the Beowulf legend. The dying Buliwyf, wants the story of this struggle told so he would be remembered. Ahmad, the allegorical "Lawrence of Arabia," then returns home by ship. According to this fictional account, Ahmad writes Buliwyf's story when he is back in Baghdad. Actually, there are some old texts about the Vikings by Islamic historians and writers.

This movie was not a financial success, likely partly due to the costs of the sets  It's a good enough movie, but probably one that you would generally watch only once.

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Daniel Updike on Red Ice Radio

I thought that Daniel Updike would be an interesting interview, but he was all of that and more. Great interview. This is just the first hour, the rest is for Red Ice Radio members, but lots of interesting information. Red Ice Radio is based in Sweden; Northern Runes Radio is based in Alberta, Canada and is associated with the Asatru Folk Assembly I believe.

Daniel Updike/Northern Runes Radio on YouTube 

NorthernRunesRadio.com

Red Ice Radio on YouTube

RedIceCreations.com

RedIceMembers.com

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Finding the "country" aspect... no matter where you live

I copied the following two definitions from a YouTube video produced actually by a Christian....

Pagan: Country dweller, peasant

Nature Religion: Heathen; Country, out in the "hearths"

I think that the origin of the words "pagan" and "heathen" go back to a period during the Middle Ages after "the old ways" had been driven out of the mainstream, but still existed in the countrysides. In many instances, the outer Christian exoteric masked an inner Pagan esoteric in these rural communities. The old Dutch and German farm country of western Pennsylvania is a good example of that in America. The number of actual "heathens" is quite small, but there's clearly an esoteric pagan culture which is adhered to by many.

I don't think---even if one lives in a very urban area---that any pagan or anyone else should feel disconnected from "the country," or nature. The spirit of the Almother shows herself every time it rains in October, and when a little grass grows from a crack in the concrete several days later. Even if the nearest remote area is far away, if you think outside the box, you might---for example---find that the nearby industrial park is something of a nature sanctuary after seven o'clock or on Sundays. Also, if there's a body of water close by, all the better.

If an urban dweller is lucky enough to have a park or remote area nearby, that's a big plus. If an area like this is large enough, any clear night sky will be "an island of stars" in an urban sea. I'm lucky enough to live on the edge of a state park, so I experience this phenomenon, and treasure it. Also, racoons, skunks, possums, foxes, hawks, falcons, ravens, owls, and even bats enter the neighborhood.. and occasionally interact with people. Last week I was surprised to see a coyote race across the hillside where I live, about fifty feet away.

One evening a few days ago, I was sitting on a deck upon the hillside towards the park, and a common ritual happened as it has so many times. The deck sits upon an "animal trail" used by the wildlife or neighborhood cats. After awhile, this trail comes into focus, as it goes across the hillsides, through backyards, and across the upper portion of this deck. Two racoons arrived as I was sitting in the darkness. I could see their masked faces peering at me. Slowly they started to move under the deck. As I looked at the opposite side to see them exit, a big furry head lifted out from under and looked up at me. We looked at each other for about seven seconds, a great interaction. A few moments later, they made their way back onto the trail. Just hearing the faint coyote howls from the mountain is enough to really feel connected to the real natural world.

A few weeks ago, a large piece of meat fell on the floor. I decided to use it for an experiment. I placed it on the deck and set up a remote camera and light to try to tape record a raccoon. As it got dark out, my television screen was on with the video feed signal from the deck. After about twenty minutes, I got bored and left the room. As I returned five minutes later, I was surprised to see a raccoon head filling the screen. It was sniffing the camera, as it had already eaten the meat. Actually, as a general rule, it's not good to feed wild animals because they can then become a nuisance. It was just a one-time thing though.

Valknut

The "country" as Americans call the rural countryside, is the essential spirit of the "old religion." There doesn't really even have to be any explicit symbolism. There are some places where a group of people have something of a defacto hearth or coven, without any name. That also captures the essence of what it's all about, far from the idea of loud titles and symbolism! A few blocks away, I recently noticed a home with a Valknut symbol in the window, also known as "Odin's knot." As I have said many times, there could be pagans of one type or another, who live right in the same neighborhood, and don't even know each other exists. Unfortunately, there must be thousands of examples of that.

I believe that we all have different expressions of our individual selves, and each is a separate way we may see ourselves occasionally. I have always been a little bit of a "wannabee country boy." Not far from me, at the Cow Palace just outside the San Francisco city limits, the Grand National Rodeo is going on this week as it has for decades. There are a lot of "rural folk" around now. I remember when San Mateo County had a strong rural element to its personality, but not very much anymore. However, a county fair can really bring out that rural spirit. As silly as it may sound, I like the spirit of the FarmersOnly.com singles site.. those commercials. It seems to capture the healthy spirit of rural life.

There is one channel that I tune into now and then called RFD-TV, which is a channel which covers news and culture for "rural America," which really could exist in any state. As I've gotten older, I have grown tired of music where the artists have "a definite point to make!," and I can really enjoy just listening to polka music. Again, I'm an occasional "wannabe," although my family lived in a very rural environment before me.. in the Alps and the Midwest... so, I can at least lay claim to some connection to rural values in some form I guess.

Christmas tree, of Germanic heathen origin, with Vehmic star

Recently, while listening to an old Steve McNallen lecture, he mentioned how many American values---especially the "heroic ethic" and the spirit of exploration---actually have a strong heathen origin. Although many rural Christians would strongly disagree, there is clearly a link between rural culture and the "old ways." Just a look at all of the heathen-originated symbols during Christmas shows how deep-rooted and hidden these types of connections can be.

I think country music, albeit very Christian in general nature, is also tied into this concept. I prefer the old classic country, more so than what some call "New York country." That term is a little bit unfair since most of New York state is actually rural I think. Country music appeals to "the country" in any state. Blue grass music is actually very popular as well, even though the mainstream media plays it down, and is rooted in Gaelic culture from the South apparently. One blue grass festival recently in San Francisco attracted a huge number of people, which probably wouldn't be the case in the mainstream brands of music.

I don't believe that anyone should feel disconnected to any of these ideas just because of where they live. It may be a little difficult to articulate these points because I'm referring to a milieu of loosely connected concepts, but I think you probably know the spirit of it. I still remember in the 70s, when Brisbane---a small town just south of San Francisco---was really a cowboy town due to the large number of people descended from the "dustbowl migration" to California in the 30s. There's a whole local history to that.. that I could cover at some later point.

The old "23 Club" in Brisbane was once known as the "local Grand Ole Opry" where Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis once played, and this was a town of only about 2,500 people. Even outside of town along and around San Bruno Mountain, there used to be a lot of horse stables and cattle. Again, this wasn't a hundred years ago, but up through the 80s. I remember just outside the backyard of the house that I grew up in, there would be an occasional horse or cow just outside our fence, and this was just outside of San Francisco.


I admit it, I love this commercical... but maybe I'm just a wannabe... 



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New Steve McNallen interview on Red Ice Radio - "ancestral roots & metagenetics"

This is a new interview, posted on YouTube two days ago. Steve McNallen goes deeper into the spiritual and scientific side of things. “Synchronicity” was tied into the discussion as well. I wrote down a few points and observations. He compared death to a “curtain,” in which messages can occasionally get through from both directions. He brought up an interesting example as far as the disconnect between individuals and their roots; a present day family at the dinner table, and nobody is speaking to each other, as they’re too busy checking their cell phones, tablets, etc. Henrik, the host from Sweden, brought up a recent book that is said to show evidence between the ancient Norse and the ancient Greeks; I think partly due to the similarities between the two mythologies. Steve asked for the information on that, but didn’t comment on it.

One interesting pattern and I’m not suggesting any specific person or organization is that Guido von List is never mentioned that I can see. In this interview, Friedrich Nietzsche and Carl Jung  were discussed, but not List. “Metagenetics” is a bio-spiritual scientific belief that ancestry and metaphysics are systemically tied together. In so many spiritual traditions, especially in the east, there is no need to even mention this item because it isn’t even considered a part of wisdom. It would be like insisting that one should breathe oxygen. In the West however, and only within European/north European traditions, this passes as “controversial.” Since those traditions were genocided long ago, apparently the “guilt complex” doesn’t apply here. When someone delivers “controversy” to your doorstep, and only to your doorstep, it’s not easy to just ignore it.

Red Ice Radio

Stephen A. McNallen is a prominent religious leader of the native European path called Asatro. McNallen established the first legally recognized Asatro organization in the US in 1972 and quickly became a prolific writer and speaker on the subject on Germanic Paganism, which broadly includes the ancient tribes of Northern Europe. He believes that spiritual fulfillment is best achieved by following the ways of one's ancestors. In the first hour, Stephen addresses the importance of venerating our ancestors. He explains how discovering our ancestral past is vital for our future. We'll talk about what happens when one is cut off from their ancestral roots and how powerful interests rely on it. Stephen discusses how the "world managers" work to get the masses to lose their impulse for something deeper. They belittle honor, courage and heroism for reasons of control as these pose a threat to the system. Later, Stephen talks about the falsification of Europe's history, which always portrays Europeans as the evil ones, and people disown their ancestors because of it. In the member's hour, we'll hear about metagenetics and the idea that ancestry matters - that there are spiritual and metaphysical implications to heredity. He ties together varied topics as Jung's theories of archetypes, rebirth in the family line, psychic links between twins, and the Norse concept of the soul to support that statement. We'll also talk about how biology is being ignored to push egalitarianism. Later, McNallen talks about reigniting the spark, reconnecting to that which is in us. We're the outcome of all who have gone before us and their decisions up until this point. The hour ends on Odin's model of evolution.

 

Supermoon huddle

I thought I would add this here since Steve McNallen has mentioned many times the importance of retreats. Again, I’m not an Odinist. However, this past “supermoon” three days ago, a few of us gathered in a special location at the base of the northern Santa Cruz mountain chain. It was at a spot that we had not used before. It was at a location that was not hard to get to, but secluded, making it a perfect place to take a mini-retreat. A retreat doesn’t have to take a whole weekend, with lots of planning. I can’t stress it enough, sometimes you need to be physically distanced from it all, with no distractions; something a little more than a backyard retreat.

It was 9:45 PM, and a stream of clouds traveling in one direction blocked out the bright moon most of the time as we sat on a wide gravel trail at the base of a hill. We usually go for a location within the trees, but this was a nice alternative. An occasional breeze of warm yet cool air blew against my face during the otherwise still night. The dark mountains stood majestically against the dark blue sky. There was enough moonlight through that endless stream of clouds to illuminate the trail and hillside. The hazy light was beautiful, almost ethereal. For a moment, I recall thinking why can’t we do this more often?

When we first arrived, an owl flew up upon a branch about forty feet high. It stayed there for about five minutes. I tried to take its picture, but it was too high for the flash to be effective. It felt special to have an owl do something they rarely do. It was a special evening, with the clouds continuously swirling around the moon’s bright light. At one point I got up from my chair and walked down the wide trail for a while, beer in hand. I enjoy just thinking about what I want to think about in this type of location, and not what someone else thinks I need to be thinking about.

Sometimes, and not just because of a buzz from several beers, a special location can enhance certain emotions, and everything and everyone past and present seems timeless and together… and with the better of it all rising in spirit. Especially as I looked at the swirling clouds around the moonlight like sparks. Maybe the nearby mountains are like a spiritual antennae at night; opening that curtain between worlds of time. A large raccoon suddenly appeared walking across the trail, bringing me back to earth, and I returned to the camp.

There are two more "supermoons" left this year (August & September), and one more blood moon in October.

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Wisdom for the Wolf-Age: Part 3

'How to Be a Heathen: A Methodology for the Awakening of Traditional Systems'

By Stephen E. Flowers/Edred Thorsson

The following paper was generated from a talk delivered to the Pagan Student Alliance of the University of Texas at Austin, November 22, 1991 and is dedicated to the memory of Edwin Wade, Óðinsgoði, who died on this date in 1989.

The above article is very interesting, but rather long. It's a little too long to post here. Again, I would suggest using FromTextToSpeech.com for anyone who may find long articles to be a bit tedious. Then you can just sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy! Stephen Flowers is a great thinker and academic, who appears to have alienated some with his Temple of Set/Michael Aquino associations. Personally, especially in this modern socio/political/everything climate, unless someone is directly opposing your interests... then I believe differences like this should be overlooked.

While listening, and as interesting as it is, I found it difficult to pick out aspects of it that really stood out for mention here. There were two that I found especially curious though. One was that he briefly went into how Indo-European spiritual elements found there way down into India. There is a definite link there, already covered here numerous times. Also, Dr. Flowers spoke of the ancient schools of metaphysical knowledge in ancient Greece... which were taught openly in universities of that day, and certainly a big part of ancient Greek culture... and Pagan in nature! However, wasn't Greece the chief forerunner of "Western Civilization?" Can you see the potential greater implications of this on Western society today?

There clearly appears to have been "mystery schools" in the ancient world. They weren't specifically "secret." but were a generally open study of the metaphysical world and its energies. In other words.. "magic." I do have serious doubts that the Druids were part of the mystery schools of Egypt, Greece, and other places. I see ancient Druidism as a fusion of the proto-European magical tradition with incoming Teutonic spirituality. Some overzealous Christian researchers try to tie Druidism to Indian spirituality as part of the same "mystery school network." I think we should stay open-minded about that, but I doubt it. Teutonic spiritual concepts found there way to India via "the Aryans" who were partly Teutonic in ancestry and culture; while those same spiritual concepts found their way to into northwestern Europe. That seems the likely link there, albeit in hybrid forms.

Stephen Flowers (Wikipedia)

Stephen Edred Flowers (born 1953) also known by the pen-name Edred Thorsson, is an American Runologist and proponent of occultism and Germanic mysticism. He has over two dozen published books and hundreds of published papers on a disparate range of subjects. Flowers advocates "Esoteric Runology" or "Odianism", an occultist version of Germanic Neopaganism.


Early life

The Bonham, Texas-born author did his graduate work in Germanic and Celtic philology under professor and scholar Edgar Polomé at the University of Texas at Austin from 1973-1984. In 1981-1982 he studied the history of occultism at the University of Göttingen, Germany. He received his Ph.D. in Germanic Languages and Medieval Studies in 1984 with a dissertation entitled Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Elder Tradition. From 1984-1989 he was a lecturer in the departments of English and Germanic Languages at the University of Texas and was last known to be teaching Classical Philology at Austin Community College.

 
History

Flowers was instrumental in the early establishment of the Germanic Neopagan movement in North America.[citation needed] and has also been very active in Left-Hand Path occult organizations.

Flowers joined the Church of Satan in 1972 though he reportedly never became involved with the organization beyond receiving their newsletter, The Cloven Hoof. On November 11, 1983 he founded a small group to explore what he saw as the dark, futuristic undercurrent of Odinism called The Order of Shining Trapezohedron or "O.S.T." which closed on January 13, 1984. The O.S.T. served as a segue into his involvement with the Temple of Set, an organization in which he currently holds the degree of Ipsissimus VI°. Within the Temple of Set he served as Grand Master of the Order of the Trapezoid from January 1987 until June 1996.

Flowers was one of the original members of the Asatru Free Assembly. In 1979 Flowers founded the Rune-Gild, an initiatory order focused on "the revival of the elder Runic" tradition, advocating runic magic.Flowers currently is the executive officer, or Yrmin Drighten, of the Rune-Gild. As a project of the Rune-Gild, Flowers founded the Ásatrú organization the Ring of Troth in 1987 (which is now simply called the Troth). Flowers is no longer affiliated with the Troth. Flowers has also had contact with the Armanen-Orden, the Order of the Triskelion and other occult orders.

Flowers is currently director of the Woodharrow Institute of Germanic Studies and the owner and operator of Runa-Raven Press.
 

Work

In addition to being a prolific writer, Flowers is known for translating obscure texts and manuscripts written in Icelandic, Old Norse and German into English, making many of them available to a wider range of readers.

 
Criticisms

In 1989, Flowers was expelled from the Odinic Rite following his Open Letter to the Leadership of the Asatru/Odinist/Troth Movement wherein he detailed his involvement with the Temple of Set.

Sweyn Plowright, a former member of the Rune Gild who resigned from the organization in 2000, has referred to the philosophy of Flowers as being "neo-Satanic" and antinomian.


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For a list of Dr. Flowers' written works, see the link above. It seems rather clear that Dr. Flowers has one foot in the Odinic camp.. and one "cloven hoof" in the Satanic camp.. and others, of which I could do another play on words. I don't know anything about "Esoteric Runology or Odianism" to give any opinion on it. One curious thing is that Flowers' "Rûna" symbol has been the subject of at least five of his books, always associated with a color (black, green, red, and blue). I have no real idea of either the meaning or the origin of this symbol. I thought that he has said that it represents the separation of at least some aspects of nature from the metaphysical... using my own words, not his. Either the circle or the pentagram represented "nature." Possibly it means blocking physical nature from the spiritual; as it at least appears to be only the "spirit" that protrudes from the box and connects with the circle of nature.. if you look at the symbol.

Dr. Flowers always mentions that he is a linguist, with focus on ancient Germanic/Norse languages. I know the rich history of words just through the hours that I have poured over the Camunian-Italian online translator. In fact, I have even found a few mistakes in Mauro Fiora's work, although we are indebted to him. Dr. Flowers was involved with both the Asatru Free Assembly and the Odinic Rite, as well as "the Armanen-Orden, the Order of the Triskelion and other occult orders."

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Valentine's Day - The Heart of Freya

Freya's heart

Freyja's heart is the sign of the blessings of the goddess Freyja and is the symbol of those given to her mysteries. This particular heart symbol represents love...

--Ron McVan; 'Creed of Iron'

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Guido von List: Part 25 - The Mystery of the Vehme: Entry A

The five-angled star, the Vehme-Star, the Truthenfuss* (truh = turn, fuss = foot) is the hieroglyph of "revolving or turning generation," of "rebirth"--one of the most important articles of faith in the Aryan religion. In its exoteric interpretation this sign simply says: "return," and was therefore a favorite sign used at hostels and inns, in order to convey the meaning: "whoever is a guest here should come again."

*List: Truthenfuss, standard modern German: Drudenfuss, the foot of a Drude; pentagram. Drude: "a dangerous female numen of the night," cf. Old Norse Thrudhr, old English dhrydh: "a wood maiden." Cf. further Jacob Grimm, Teutonic Mythology. vol. 1, pp. 422-23.

[excerpt from pages 86 and 87 from 'Secret of the Runes']

 
I recall when I first read this, in particular the words "a favorite sign used at hostels and inns," I didn't have any historical point of reference. It may have been because I was thinking "pentagram symbol," rather than "five-pointed star." A few days ago I saw a home with a black star on its porch on a television program, and it finally hit me. He meant "star," not "symbol!" I have seen those stars on homes, usually black and contoured as the symbol below is, but I didn't make the connection.

One person on a Christian forum answered this question this way: Google "Amish Barn Star" It is a symbol of good luck. Nothing sinister, just a decorating fad. There's also the apparent truth of the pentagram having once been a symbol of Christianity.

 
From Yahoo Answers:

It's supposed to keep evil away or a an old amish good luck charm are the reasons I have been told the most.

I've also read that it has military meaning:
Blue 5-angel star= Family member currently serving in a War
Gold 5-angel star= Lost a Family member in a War
Brown 5-angel star= Veteran of the military
Red 5-angel star= Family member wounded in combat

Some people do just use it for decoration.

 
Excerpt from another Christian forum:

Five-pointed stars on houses?

Does anyone know the meaning of (presumably plastic) 5-pointed stars mounted on the fronts of houses, usually next to the doors? They appear to be plastic and I've seen them in various colors. White is common. There is only one per house. They have a radius of about one foot. I saw a lot of them when we traveled through KY, TN, NC and into Georgia about 2 weeks ago. There are a few of them here in the Chicago suburban area. I'm aware that the five-pointed star is a symbol of witchcraft and wonder if the inhabitants of these houses are proclaiming that.

While I don't know what those stars mean today, when I was a child living in Illinois, a star in someone's window meant that it was a "safehouse". They were homes along the routes students walked on the way to school, and if there was a problem going back and forth to school, a child could run to that house for safety. I would be very surprised if in our day and age, the star meant it was a safehouse.

There are probably a number of meanings that developed separately over time, but the most solid origin for at least the American star tradition--which ties directly to the German-speaking countries--is the "Amish barn star." Not surprisingly, these stars are particularly popular in western Pennsylvania, which ties directly to the German/Dutch "hex signs" which we have covered here on the Hexology series. Yes, this is the link to List's vehme tradition in today's world. Also, they are easy to purchase online with a simple "barn star" or "Amish barn star" search. This "American tradition" isn't as popular here in California, which is why I failed to make the connection sooner. They come in many colors, including this nice eggshell-colored one.

Within Amish culture, which no longer even exists in Switzerland, we see some of the old German country traditions. I'm slightly embarrassed that a lot of connections here have escaped me, even though I have been close to them here and there in my life. California descendants of the "dust bowl" era, which are in the millions--and who can trace their roots back to Oklahoma and Texas--brought many folk traditions and cultural expressions with them which exist to this day. I can recall seeing some of this symbolism in country-style stores over the years... including the barn star. This star is of ancient Heathen origin; although the related pentagram has some Christian roots.

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Guido von List: Part 22

Vehmic Court: Part 3

I didn't put the name and description of the above video because the creator of it obviously thought that the Vehmic Courts were, hands down, a good thing. With the German countryside broken up into maybe 300 different states, the Vatican gave the courts borderless authority to administer justice in their name. "The Vehm mostly judged in cases of witchcraft, sorcery, rape, theft, robbery, manslaughter, and murder" --The History of Medieval Europe, Lynn Thorndike, 1917.  So, for example, the crime of "being an Odinist" seemed to have been considered worse than murder, and the person was hanged for having the wrong religion. Also from the book: "The only penalty of these criminal courts was death. If three or more members of the Vehm caught a criminal redhanded in the act, they killed him on the spot without further trial." So if they caught someone "in the act" practicing a different religion, those people would be killed on the spot.

"This impressive method of intimidating the criminal classes, which reminds us of lynchings and vigilance committees, but whose self-help and summary procedure were to a large extent a survival of primitive German custom, was favorably received by the society of the time as the Vehm was better than any other court at controlling crime, no matter who did the crime." --Lynn Thorndike

"The pentads: The holy Fem (five), the five known elements (fire, water, air, earth, ether or aether), the five recognized senses, the pentagram, the five brother, the five maidens, the five men, the five nights, the five sons, the five winters, etc." --Guido von List, page 31 of the 2005 translation of 'The History of the Aryo-Germanic Folk, 1909 or 1910

From pages 33 and 34 of the book:

"Five (5, V) fem, fim, fimf, funf, fünf. Fem means that which is homogeneous, therefore even today it indicates the guild or corporation in the Dutch word veem. It had its origin in the five correlated fingers of the hand, in the correlated five senses that form man and it signified the elven cross or the witches' foot (Drudenfuss) also signified by the pentagram (femsteor). The homogeneity also belongs to the Feme, that part of the Armanenschaft devoted to the cultivation of the law. It was the Femanen who, after the forceable Christianization under Karl, King of the Franks--or the Saxon-slayer (Slactenaere)--came more into the forefront in the defense of everything that was indigenous (homologous) in opposition to that which was foreign; asserting indigenous law against Roman (in)justice in the high secret tribunal (Acht). The symbolic holy-sign of the homologies was this very five-pointed star and it remains so in the secret script even today, just like all other things grouped by fives (fem), from which the numerical value was derived. Just as One was born frm itself, Two from One, Three and Four also from One, five--which grows out of 1 + 4--is the second odd number. From the One (Ginnungagap) grows the Four (Muspellsheim, Adhumbla, Ymir and Niflheim) which then form the Five--the homogeneous One. When we consider the Feme as a court of law we find numerous examples, e.g. the so-called Fünfe ("fives") at Nuremberg, in the Council of Five in Venice, and in our contemporary Five-Judge Colleges which have come down to us as a compilation of single courts of law. The frequent occurrence of the number five in symbolism, as well as mysticism, makes this highly meaningful."

One more time, from 'History of the Aryo-Germanic Folk':

In the administration of justice, too, the old Aryan tripartition is naturally found again as (1) arising or law (Rita), (2) the existing, ruling (justice), and (3) the passing away to renewed arising (the court). Because law and justice culminate in the decisive pronouncement of the court (and consequently, as the third level, this provided the final result) the holy sign of the court was the ruoth-cross, rod-cross, or rowel- (wheel) cross which was therefore also known as the Vehme cross, consisting of a fyrfos whose hooks were bent in the circular shape of a wheel rim. As the Vehme cross it appears engraved on the blade of the great Vehme-sword as an equilateral cross enclosed by a circle. At the cross point the letter "V" appears and furthermore in the quadrants between the arms and letters "S.S.G.G." were engraved. These letters probably displaced the formerly used runes [Fehu symbol] and [Sol and Gebo symbols] (doubled), which signified: "Vehme" and the old passwords: "Strick (string), "Stein" (stone), "Gras" (grass), "Grein" (branch?), i.e., "wyd" ("white") = law; "brick" = secret; "rage" = thunder = doing = ar = right-doing; greyen = to uphold; that is: "Through law and secrecy (heimliche Acht) right-doing is upheld." In abbreviated form this is: tue gege (two s's and two g's).

Now from the 'The History of Medieval Europe':

It was the duty of the first member of the Vehm who met him to hang him to the nearest tree, leaving by his side a knife marked with the cryptic symbols, "S.S.G.G.," to show that the Vehm had done its work.

The Vehm, or Fehm, were murdering Heathens for four or five hundred years for the crime of practicing the wrong religion--while operating as Vatican-proxies--and operating under the very symbolism which was developed by the Heathen Skalds in their secret meetings many centuries earlier. Even the secret initiation rites of the Vehm are drowning in Heathen symbolism: "They were then initiated into the secret signs by which members recognized each other, and were presented with a rope and with a knife on which were engraved the mystic letters S.S.G.G., supposed to mean Stein, Strick, Gras, grün (stone, rope, grass, green)." 

It's the same irony as American patriots being persecuted by our justice system---which legally operates today as a branch of International Maritime-Admiralty Law or International Corporate Banking Law---all the while pretending that their sole loyalty is to the United States and the Constitution. It would be my guess that the members of the Vehm, or its leadership, were not aware of the irony of the symbol of the court.

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