Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Nordic Soul Lore And Teutonic Psychology

Nordic Soul Lore And Teutonic Psychology Cover

Book: Nordic Soul Lore And Teutonic Psychology by Anonymous

There are many parts of the soul in Nordic Mythology. The lyke [lik ON, lic(h) OE] is the physical body itself. The hyde [hamron] is the quasi-physical part of the soul which gives shape and form tothe lyke. It can be formed and mutated by human will and what happens to the hyde happens to the lyke. It is often called the spiritual appearance.The athem [ond ON, aethm OE] is the breath of life: the vital force of life born in the breath. It is the animating principle. The hugh, or hidge[hugr ON, hyge OE] is the "mind": the cognitive part of the soul. It analyzes and computes linguistic or mathematical data. In modern psychology it is termed the left side of the brain. Myne [minni ON, mynd OE] means "memory": the personal and transpersonal memory. It uses images, shapes and dimensions to store and work with the mind's own contents. It is Jung's storehouse of archetypes. Termed the right side of the brain. The wode, or wode-self [odhr ON, wod OE] is the part of the soul-body which corresponds to mood, inspiration, fury, enthusiasm, intoxication, heart.

This is the magickal faculty by which the contents and activities of the hugh and myne are synthesized.

Download Anonymous's eBook: Nordic Soul Lore And Teutonic Psychology

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Franz Hartmann - Paracelsus And The Substance Of His Teachings
Swetha Lodha - Your Love Life And The Tarot Cards
John Seymour - Irish Witchcraft And Demonology
Edred Thorsson - Runelore A Handbook Of Esoteric Runology
Anonymous - Nordic Soul Lore And Teutonic Psychology

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Asatru Religion Of The Minds

Asatru Religion Of The Minds Cover As in all organized religions, there are issues in Asatru where not all of the Practitioners are of one mind. Sadly, one of the most contentious issues in Asatru revolves around how open the religion is to people who are not of Northern European/Teutonic racial and/or cultural heritage. Not surprisingly, this is an issue that is very emotionally charged, and it is often difficult to conduct civil discussions on the various positions that are held. To try and remove some of the overt emotionalism that often accompanies this topic, and to try to help clarify what the range of viewpoints are, I have created a fairly basic scale that provides summaries of the most common viewpoints I have encountered or been otherwise made aware of. I would like to thank Doug from Texas who has provided assistance in editing and refining this scale. The descriptions are written from the Perspective of one who holds that viewpoint. It should be noted that at the furthest ends of the scale, the beliefs held may come across as more extreme, and I have tried to indicate this without belittling the holder of the viewpoint or the holder itself. I have also tried to eliminate as much inflammatory language as possible, and to avoid implying any judgments or personal feelings I may have about any particular viewpoint.

Inclusion of a viewpoint on this scale does not mean that it is in any way generally accepted as a "valid" viewpoint by the Asatru Community in general, only that there are people who call themselves Asatru and hold that particular viewpoint.

Books in PDF format to read:

Anders Sandberg - Asatru The Nordic Subtradition Of The Verbena
Irv Slauson - The Religion Of Odin
John Arnott Macculloch - The Religion Of The Ancient Celts
Chantepie De La Saussaye - The Religion Of The Teutons

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Asatru A Native Religion

Asatru A Native Religion Cover Asatru is a native European religion - one developed by the Germanic peoples from the very essence of their soul, rather than imposed from without.

Perhaps the best way to understand Asatru is to compare it with the more familiar American Indian spirituality. Both are tribal. Both honor the ancestors, and both have much to teach us about our connection with the natural world around us. Both offer a noble set of values. Most relevant to the point we are trying to make, the Germanic Way and the Way of the American Indian are both native religions - the indigenous religions of specific peoples.

When we see that Asatru is a native religion, it becomes clear that this is not some "pagan" religion we have arbitrarily adopted, nor is it some New Age fantasy, nor is it a whim or passing fad. Asatru has ancient roots - our roots. It is the Spiritual Path of our Germanic ancestors, and as such it deserves to be taken seriously.

Far from being unusual, this connection between ancestry and spirituality is very natural. What is truly strange is to adopt a religion that began in another part of the globe, among people who were not our ancestors!

Asatru honors the Holy Powers - the Gods and Goddesses. It does so using the names by which they were called in ancient times. The Vikings were among the last of the European cultures to be stripped of their ancient beliefs, so followers of Asatru often call the Holy Powers by their Norse names, such as Odin, Thor, Freya, and so forth. This does not mean that modern followers of the Germanic Way dress or act like Vikings, run around in horned helmets, wear bearskins on their shoulders, or pretend that they live a thousand years in the past. Modern-day Asafolk, like modern-day American Indians, drive automobiles, use computers, and dress like ordinary people.

In short, Asatru is not some strange cult, nor something we have taken up casually, nor a historical hobby group. It is a native religion of a large and important part of the Earth's population - the peoples of Europe. As such, it deserves respect just like the religion of the Indian peoples, the African nations, or any other group on Earth

Books in PDF format to read:

Reeves Hall - Asatru In Brief
Miac - Asatru And Odinism
Andrew Lang - Myth Ritual And Religion
Anonymous - Asatru And The Paranormal

Taking Up The Runes A Complete Guide To Using Runes In Spells Rituals Divination And Magic

Taking Up The Runes A Complete Guide To Using Runes In Spells Rituals Divination And Magic Cover

Book: Taking Up The Runes A Complete Guide To Using Runes In Spells Rituals Divination And Magic by Diana Paxson

Although many of us first encountered runes in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, this sacred alphabet is by no means a fabrication for books or movies. Similar to Hebrew letters in the sense that each symbol contains a meaning that transcends its original function as a letter, the runes are practical, flexible, and effective symbols with a variety of uses.

Today, the best known application of rune lore is divination: chips or stones marked with runes are drawn, cast, or laid out in patterns like tarot cards. In Taking Up the Runes, Paxson delves into the ancient Historical meaning of each rune and explains their contemporary uses and meanings. We discover that the real power of runes comes from inside ourselves when we find the wisdom and power within each symbol and internalize them.

One of the problems with a lot of books on runes is the lack of originality, followed by the tendency to see runework as another magickal system. This work does none of the above.

Yes, she goes through the meanings of each rune-but in easy to Understand ENGLISH. While not being afraid to use the old tongues (there are a numbers of quotes from the Norse and other languages), they are not necessary to the text itself. She does summarize a lot of what the better modern runic sources have before giving her own slant on a subject. Additionally she takes the runes in pairs, often using one to shed light on the other. This is a book scholars would not be ashamed to own, but that is useful to newcomers to the runes.

Where this work really departs from previous works is the practical and magickal working. This is firmly situated within the practice of the religious revival, rather than making a neo-magickal order type of work. It has rituals which are for the growth of the group, as well as the individual but which focus more on personal growth than on trying to win the lottery. While no shying away from practical magick, she reminds us that this was not about magick for magick's sake, but was about living for today and within the context of community. She points out that Odin, upon obtaining the runes, promptly began using and teaching them, as opposed to immediately ascending to some transcendent plane.

I believe and hope that this is the first of a new wave of works which focus on practices as part of the religious Tradition rather than a separate search for power or transcendence. If for no other reason this work would be worth the purchase price. However above that it carries a lot of the lore and mindset that someone starting out in a Norse centered religious practice should have as well as that needed in going beyond the basics. Well Done and well worth having!

Diana Paxson is author of more than a dozen historical novels with strong spiritual themes including The White Raven and The Serpent's Tooth. She is also the coauthor, with Marion Zimmer Bradley, of Priestess of Avalon and has continued the immensely popular Mists of Avalon series on her own.

Buy Diana Paxson's book: Taking Up The Runes A Complete Guide To Using Runes In Spells Rituals Divination And Magic

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Paul Foster Case - The Early Writings Vol Ii Esoteric Secrets Of Meditation Magic
Right - Travel In Spiritual Worlds A Complete Guide On Astral Travels
Anonymous - Thelema A New Spiritual Tradition For A New Age