Asatruar in Action: Veterans Administration Volunteer

Asatru is an unfamiliar religion to most people. The first thing that people have to wrap their heads around is that newness, and for people raised in this heavily monotheistic age of the West it may be hard to comprehend that there are others of the West who put their faith in many gods. Once people figure out that we’re serious, their next struggle is with figuring out what to expect of us. After all, Jews, Christians and Muslims (and Baha’i) all share the same god and many of the same myths, stories and traditional laws and values. They may disagree on the particulars on many aspects of those things, but they have a common root. They’re speaking similar dialects, theologically speaking, when it comes to communicating with one another. But what values, morals or actions can be expected of someone with such a different view of the spiritual? Can we be trusted?

It’s an understandable concern. Unknown variables put relationships and expectations into question. When a Christian priest, minister or outspoken layperson commits anti-social activities in the name of their religion it’s easy to understand that they are a minority, because we are surrounded by many good, law abiding Christians to show that. There is a positive reference point that is easy to look toward to understand that organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, who claim to be representing the interests of righteous Christians, are NOT an accurate representation of mainstream Christian thought. No more than the Catholic priests who have abused their positions of authority to molest children are an accurate representation of what can be reasonably expected of any other given Catholic priest.

But when it comes to Asatruar, when most people wouldn’t even have heard the word, the average person doesn’t have a good frame of reference for understanding what we’re about and what we do. Are we making fun of them? Do we set ourselves in opposition to everything they value? Do we hate them and their god? What on earth might we do? Unfortunately many people have first heard of people worshiping Odin or Thor from prison gangs, or “White nationalist” organizations. Again, I’d like to point out that the KKK is ostensibly a Christian organization. But I’m not writing this to make a case about that, but to offer an avenue for people to understand that Asatruar are their friends and neighbors and fellow Americans. We are the people next door, and are a diverse group with many ideas and personalities represented. And the vast majority of us are just like anybody else.

What I would like to do on this blog is every once in a while showcase how different Asatruar put their values into action. So people can see that our values are positive, and while we may phrase concepts differently, we may “speak another language” when it comes to how we view the world, that our beliefs are positive and have parallels that the majority of Americans can understand and agree with. I want to break down the mystery, to help make America comfortable with who we are and what can be expected of us. I want to mainstream Asatru, so that when America hears their neighbor or co-worker is planning to fain to Ullr before getting his rifle ready for hunting season, nobody starts to reach for the phone to call Homeland Security.

I’ll start with an example of myself and what I do, as any right minded Asatruar is likely to do.

I work as a volunteer for the Department of Veterans Affairs. When I was in the Army the best feeling I got from what I was doing was when we were assigned to funeral details. It gave me the greatest feeling of pride out of everything I did when I was in. I have several awards and commendations from when I was in, but the thing I value most is a card I received from the daughter of one veteran whose funeral we participated in. It’s a vivid memory to me to this day, and one I don’t think I will ever forget. I sometimes find myself wishing I was still in the service, but through volunteering with the VA I have found a way to do something positive from where I am, to feel useful and do something I think is important.

When people are asking about Asatru, they often focus on the gods. It’s an understandable starting point. Outsiders and newcomers often overlook other very important aspects to being an Asatruar by focusing too narrowly on the gods, however. Asatru is an action oriented, family/community centered religion. Most groups organize themselves not into “congregations”, but into “kindreds”, a word denoting familial relationship. We honor not just the gods, but ancestors and heroes, and the spirits of the world. As an Asatruar, I believe that it is our duty to honor the heroes of the nation as we honor family. The actions we take are important, because an Asatruar maxim is “we are our deeds”. I won’t go into the theology behind it, except to say that doing “good works” is important. Most of us call it something along the lines of “right action”.

Taking care of the dead and honoring the ancestors is important to Asatruar. We remember our ancestors and honor them, and look forward to being welcomed among them one day. Historically this was done in several ways, and raising memorial stones and mounds was one of them. So when I go to the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery and help with maintenance by picking up dead-fall from the trees, realigning the grave markers, participating in interments, and all the other aspects of my volunteer work, what I’m doing is putting an Asatruar value into action. It is important to understand this. I’m not finding an “alternative community” to get support from, I’m not trying to substitute shock factor for self esteem or making a plea for attention. I’m serious and sober minded about my religion, as are most of us, and this is a very Asatruar thing for me to do to express my faith, not an exception to the rule.

I would like to gather the stories of examples of other Asatruar putting Heathen values into action. I am going to try to make this one of my semi-regular features. I think it’s important to show the world our values and ethics through this sort of positive action. If they are going to dislike us, it’s going to have to be with full knowledge that we are good, ordinary folk who do good things.

Reviresco!