Lightning Across the Plains 2010

I’ve got me a short backlog of updates for RA, and here I will get about with publishing them. I’ve been awfully busy with school this fall, and that has kept me from producing more complete material in a timely fashion. This event report will be an abbreviated entry, but I will hit the main points of my own involvement.

But here we go: The weekend of 25Sep10 I attended Lightening Across The Plains 2010 (LATP), a Midwest gathering of Heathens (Asatruar, Theodisc, et cetera), which, from what I understand, was the largest gathering of Heathens in the world this year, hosted by Jotuns Bane Kindred of Kansas City (JBK).

I’m not actually in this group picture, because for various reasons I didn’t camp at the event, and did not make it out there in the morning when this shot was taken. But I’ve got pictures of me doing stuff there that I’m going to inflict on you anyway, so just take in the group photo and appreciate the community that we had gathered there in frith that weekend.

On Thursday I went out early with a mind to set my tent up in advance. My friends JBK were out there early, and when I arrived the wind, I was informed, was making other plans with the tents. So instead of setting up, I played a little “Jotun Kubb”. Mark, chief of JBK, had fiddled up a largish set of kubb that used 3 pound hammers instead of wooden rods, and the rules of the game were streamlined. I learned this game at a picnic last spring (non-Heathen related), and was delighted to get to play it again.

Friday there was a folk sumbel (not what is pictured above), an informal religious “drinking ritual”, and a good time was had all around, I think. You get to know new people well, and old friends much better, and rebuild bonds and all that, and it’s just one of my favorite things about Heathenry, really. I even sang a couple of songs, encouraged to repeat my performance of last year.

I should re-size this picture… But anyway, this was me at the High Sumbel on Saturday night. High Sumbel was a long, long ceremony, as there a lot of people, and it was decided to abbreviate the last round. Many different kindreds and hearths were in attendance, and I was honored by JBK with a seat at the high table amongst their kindred. Some people wear ritual clothing, but I like to wear modern clothes. Modern Heathen practice is still developing, and I would personally like to see a move away from or limiting of dressing in ancient costumes, but one of the themes of this year’s LATP was tribal thew and autonomy, and the diversity of dress in and out of ritual reflected that.

Here are Will and myself keeping this year’s Alvis company, right before his journey to Asgard. He’s got himself a basket full of goodies and pockets stuffed with beer and other food treats for the trip, and he was well loved by all throughout the event.

And here we are sending him on his way, officially ending this gathering of the folk. After this many people broke camp, said their long goodbyes and set off across the land for their homes. People came from all over the Midwest and points beyond for this, and there really were quite a lot of folks there. There was an amazing amount of children, which is always a grand thing to see at a Heathen gathering, because we are building our future through them.

There was singing, good fellowship, moving ritual, impressive exchange of gifts, joy, laughter and a deep reverence for the folk and faith. What more could you really ask for?

Reviresco!