Roots

Be it potted plant or towering tree..its all about Roots

In Asatru there is a huge emphasis placed on roots, ancestry, and the like. Being a folk faith, this emphasis is exactly what differentiates us from the "World Religions". Folk, Family, and Frith are three terms that are often touted as all important in our faith. While I do agree with this and understand how this related to our ancestors' culture in that the tribe was all-important for survival, I and others are left with a modern day dilemma.

I have read from various Heathen sources that more emphasis should be placed on familial/ancestral ties and history in an attempt to re-establish this system of tribal kinship...but what happens if one is far removed from family and tribe? This distance can be physical, mental, or something more. What if there is spiritual distance between you and your bloodline? Being of an "alternate faith", this is not a far stretch. What if you are spiritually distant from your significant other? If either of these conditions exist, then how is one supposed to truly reconstuct or follow our ancestral/tribal system if our innerhearth is not unified? For some, kindreds are the answer, but that means that you have to have the means, both temporal and financial, to make it to meetings and become a member of a physical community. Unfortunately, we are a minority and finding others of our faith may prove difficult, to say the least. If that is the case, then the only choices open are to make do OR invest both time and money in travel, not an option for some of us.

Making do with a situation can be a hard thing. If one is left to their own devices, more often than not they will allow things to lapse as seemingly more pressing things begin to assert themselves. For one who grew up never knowing about things like wights, gifting, and sacrifice, it becomes a disciplined act of faith to make this a part of the daily routine. One must take into account that for many, this routine is something that is completely foreign to what they were raised with. Despite best intentions, many will fall to the wayside a time or two due to not having enough reinforcement. This typically is not a problem for a member of a group as activities such as blot, sumbel, etc. not only help to build community, but also helps to reinforce the reality of the faith itself.

Kindreds, while a great idea, are a huge undertaking.  They are not a meetup group that gets together 1-2 times every month or so.  A kindred is a family.  In our faith it often is made up of actual family and friends that come together to create an extended family founded on Heathen faith and values.  This is a time investment like no other.  Bonds are made and oaths taken, and neither of them lightly.  While I have nothing against the concept of a kindred, I feel like the actualization process is one that can only happen organically and over time.

For myself I look at my own family as my kindred.  Shocking, I know.  But when you stop to think about the fact that I am Heathen, my wife is agnostic with Buddhist philosophical leanings, and the rest of my family are fairly devout Christians the mechanics of this seem to get a little muddled.  This often means that there are compromises made around holidays such as Christmas.  I observe both Christmas and Yuletide simply because it is far easier for me to bend than to make big to do over my own beliefs since they are in the minority.  Is this ideal?  Maybe not but the group dynamic is far smoother by my not getting too tightly attached to ONLY celebrating my holidays.  It is making do.  It is getting along.  Why?  Because I love them and they love me.  They accept the fact that I follow a different path.  Would the whole family change the holiday tradition to accommodate me?  To an extent I really think that they would.  But the nuances of my observations can be made quietly and they are far down the hierarchy of needs when compared to actually spending time with my loved ones.  Screw the differences, I want Rudolf, some eggnog, and maybe a hug.

We are not out on a crusade for conversion, we must strive to reach out to our kin and ancestors, despite differences. We must develop relationships with the wights of the surrounding areas. And despite my dislike for the occasional rantings of "online community" we must reach out abroad to others of our faith. When you get right down to it, it is about discipline. If you truly feel like the path of your ancestors is for you, then even on the worst days you should be able to offer a nod to Sunna and Manu and live up the virtues that we so often read about. Who knows, maybe someone will offer a nod back.