Hail the Gods: The definition of Asatru includes: “a faith that is spiritually grounded to the here and now." We are connected to the living Gods in the present, understand the significance of their guidance in the past, and accept their future as cemented by the “wyrd.” The name Asatru comes from two words in the Old Norse language. It means "faith in the Aesir which are the Germanic Gods." Simply stated, a person of European descent who practices Asatru worships the Gods of his or her ancestors. This is where some divergence occurs. Some believe that only those of European lineage can practice Asatru. So then those who engage in Buddhist meditation must be of Asian descent? I suspect that Yoga may not be practiced by any non-Hindu because it is one of the six Astika (orthodox) schools of Hindu philosophical traditions. Nonsense! To keep things in some perspective, I am a firm believer in the Jungian concept of the “collective unconscious” which includes the notion that one is inherently drawn to a faith of his or her ancestral lineage. I suspect that being Asatru may well be easier to conceptualize by those of European descent than by any who are not. While members of another culture will be able to intellectualize Asatru, they can never be of it simply because they lack the inborn tendencies, the common cultural, and biological markers. This is not meant to be dismissive of anyone outside of our culture who embraces the Gods and Goddesses, after all, who are we to “judge” another’s spiritual choice. I had an occasion to speak with a caucasian Buddhist monk about the aforementioned who was not in disagreement with my thought on Jung’s spiritual link to one’s ancestral well. Mind you, this individual has been an American Buddhist practitioner for 20 plus years, so I suspect that he may have a better understanding of this phenomenon than most. To conclude, I hope the individual who wrote the following will be able to understand this post: “Odinism is like Islam; it is a total worldview. Odinism is a religious, spiritual, economic, social, and political movement, and Asatru is just a religion.” To this individual, Odinism and or Asatru is nothing like Islam, not even in its most rudimentary form. Perhaps you should also know that a "Volksreligion" does not create demarcating lines between adherents nor does it intend to create factions that promote a purity test. I can only surmise that you have never been to Europe and that you are far removed from the ancestral well which limits your true understanding of our faith. May you find guidance by someone closer to the source. The Gods with Us. (JG20)
