Asatru Folk Assembly (English version)
Dear readers! Today, we present to you the Grundwigs project, supported by the Russian branch of the Asatru Folk Assembly [hereinafter referred to as AFA], whose translator is our fellow believer Hagan. This interview was conducted by Matthew Flavel, the Godi of AFA.
- I grew up generically "Christian" but without any active instruction or church participation. My aunt and my cousins were Jehovah's Witnesses and so when I was in my late teens I became a Jehovah's Witness for a few years. I tried very hard, I read the Bible cover to cover and I realized that Christianity was "wrong" and that Jehovah is a "bad person". I could not be honest with myself or with Jehovah in practicing Christianity because it was ignoble. I didn't leave Christianity because I didn't believe, I left because I found their god unacceptable... that was very scary. So I knew our people had religion before middle eastern Christianity and I always was very racially-conscious so I decided to research ancient Ásatrú and worship the Æsir. I thought I was the only one doing it but I knew it was the right thing to do. Quickly in my research online, I found the Asatru Folk Assembly and videos that our founder Stephen McNallen made and it blew my mind that other people were doing this in modern times. I came home to the AFA and have never regretted it.
- I was ordained as a goði at Miðsumar 2012 by Allsherjargoði Stephen McNallen. I had studied under a mentor, Brad Taylor-Hicks, as I went through the AFA goðar program. The program at the time included; readings of lore and history, practical application of counseling, leadership training, and ritual work.
How did the Asatru Assembly come about?
- In 1968, Allfather Óðinn spoke to the soul of our founder, Stephen McNallen. At that moment Steve was chosen to be the herald of Óðinn and tasked to bring our folk home to troth with the Æsir. Steve was 20 years old at the time and he had to build this from the ground up and figure things out. That said, he tried many things and there were many stops and starts. He founder the Viking Brotherhood in 1972 with a group of young men he met in college. As Steve matured and grew in understanding, he realized this was not about the "Vikings" it was about the whole community of our Folk and in 1977 he changed the name from "The Viking Brotherhood" to "The Asatru Free Assembly". There were various problems and struggles figuring our how to work together as a group and organize and so, in 1987 the Asatru Free Assembly was disbanded and Steve had to wander and learn from the lessons of the past. In January of 1995, having learned from past stumbles and with a clearer vision, Steve founded Asatru Folk Assembly to be the standard-bearer of Folkish Ásatrú and we are celebrating our 30th anniversary this year.
What is paganism and being a pagan to you?
- Paganism has come to mean anyone who is not of an Abrahamic faith. I do not like to use the term "pagan" because it defines us as what we are not as opposed to defining us as what we are, true to the Æsir, "Ásatrú".
What deities are revered in your community?
- We worship the Æsir as laid out in the Gylfaginning. The gods we primarily focus our worship on are; Óðinn, Þórr, Baldr, Njörðr, Freyr, Týr, Bragi, Heimdallr, Víðarr, Váli, Ullr, Forseti, Frigg, and Freyja.
What is your opinion on such movements as Lokiism, Røkattrø, and Vanattrø?
- Lokism, Røkåtru, Vanatru are, in my experience, not real things. These things were not practiced in the historical record and in modern times they only seem to exist to whatever extent they do on the internet. Lokism, and Røkåtru, are the Ásatrú equivalent of Satanism, they tend to be socially dysfunctional people with mental illness trying to be nonconformist. Vanatrú is a confusion as if the Æsir and the Vanir are separate groups of gods. The Æsir and Vanir became one after the "first war" in deep mythological antiquity. The Vanir that we know names of are all listed amongst the Æsir ever since. There are always people who want to be nonconformist and to be the "other" and that's what gives rise to these ideas.
How is the blot held in your community, and is it mandatory for all members to attend?
- Blót is fundamentally the sharing of devotion from the Folk to the Æsir and a sharing of blessings from the Æsir to the Folk. In the AFA there is variety in blót depending on who is preforming the ritual and what the occasion is but there are fundamental and common elements; we typically process into the sacred space, form a circle, the goði will lead the Folk in a rune galdr, the goði will then invite the gods and ancestors to join us and the land spirits to bear witness, the goði then invokes the Áss the blót is intended for, a horn of mead is taken around the circle and the Folk put their energy/devotion/worship into the horn, the horn is poured out in offering and refilled with mead, the goði asks the Áss for their blessings for the folk and walks the circle again, distributing the blessings to the assembled Folk either by asperging them or offering them a drink from the horn. Our Folk gather monthly at each of our hofs and in countless informal locations to do blót once a month and it is not "required" but it is our fundamental worship ritual. The exchange on energy in blót is the primary expression of what we call the gift cycle.
What experiences of the Divine have you had, and how have they affected you?
- I could not itemize all the experiences of divinity that I have been blessed with in my life but they have been many. Some have been subtle and small feelings and reassurances, others have been profound and life changing. The biggest affect it has had on me is that it has made the Æsir a 100% real and ever present part of my life. Experiences I have had have proven to me that our gods are real and they bless us, also that our ancestors live on and interact with us from beyond the veil. Once we "know" a thing, we can never go back to not knowing.
Can you tell us about the most unique ritual experience you've had?
- The most visceral ritual experience I have ever had was Dísablót at Vetrnætr 2017. At this blót we honor our female ancestors. During the ritual, the gyðja instructed us to call upon one of our female ancestors and to invite them into the circle to join us. We all closed our eyes and we ALL felt the presence of our ancestors. I had called out to my grandmother who passed away in 2001. I felt her with me as real as anything I have ever felt. Eyes closed I hugged my grandmother that day, I felt her in my arms, I smelled her hair, I hugged her just like the last time I hugged her in life and I feel it even now so strongly that I am unable to retell the story without tears in my eyes, even as I write this.
What do you think makes an individual ritual experience different from a collective one?
- The essence of individual and group ritual are fundamentally the same but our faith was always group focused. When a group of Ásatrúar participate in ritual together, there is a value greater than the sum of the parts. The practice of group ritual bonds a group of people in a special way and strengthens the group.
How is the interaction between the American government and your community organized, and are there any inconveniences or pressures?
- There is no interaction between the government and the AFA other than that we have been a recognized 501c3 church since 1995. In the United States, 501c3 is an official legal status as a tax exempt religious organization.
How does society view you and your profession?
- That is a two part question. The media treats us terribly and unfairly. In the United States the media is very focused on "racism" as a constant thing to stoke fear and outrage about and they exclusively report on us to create controversy and "stir people up" as one reporter said. The people we interact with in real life are a very different story. We have amazing relations with all the communities we have hofs in. I am very impressed with how the people we actually interact with have treated us.
Do you maintain contact with fellow believers around the world, including Russia?
- We do not have much official contact with other groups around the world. We do, however, have AFA members in 12 nations around the world. (United States, Canada, Argentina, United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Italy, Spain, and Australia)
What do you see as the future of your community?
- The future looks very bright! I see us growing and getting more hofs across the United States and hopefully internationally.
What goals and objectives do you think modern pagans should set for themselves?
- It think that pagans, generally, should avoid relegating their faith to a particular period in ancient history. Our faith is real, our gods are real. I think pagans should avoid the urge to "do their own thing" and should band together in strong churches/organizations and focus on building something for future generations. We owe it to our ancestors, our children, and our gods to build structured religion that is eternal and that makes advancement into the future.
How do you see interaction with technology, AI, and new technologies for pagans today?
- Technology exists, if our competition or our enemies make good use of technology and we don't, we abdicate our duty to win. It is our responsibility to make the best use of the technology available to us to be maximally successful.
What advice or wishes can you give to our readers?
- I would encourage all heterosexual white people reading this to join the Asatru Folk Assembly. Together we can do amazing things and build a legacy for our children's children into the future.
What list of books can you recommend to our readers in Russia?
- This is a complicated question because I don't know what is available translated into Russian. Definitely the Poetic and Prose Eddas, The Culture of the Teutons by Vilhelm Grönbech, The Völsunga Saga, Beowulf, and Egil's Saga are good places to start.
Many thanks to the Asatru Folk Assembly for this interview.
[https://vk.com/asatrufolkassembly] - AFA on the VK social network.
