How Our Fame Lives on After We are Dead...

The "afterlife" in Heathenry is a puzzle.  But this puzzle is nothing new. It seems pretty clear that the afterlife was a puzzle to our ancestors as well.  Our Heathen ancestors held a variety of views about what might happen to us when we die, depending on where they lived and when they lived.  This led to a variety of burial practices and traditions among our Ancestors.  In modern Heathenry, you have those that hold to more traditional views and you have those that hold afterlife beliefs that are entirely modern.  One thing is certain, to me, at least.  None of really knows what happen or where we will go when we die.  We all have our pet theories...or our wishful thinking, of course.  But none of us know.

So, it is good that most Heathens focus more on living this life, rather than talking about or hoping for what might come after death.  Most of us are happy to leave the afterlife an interesting mystery, and are resolved to just wait and see what happens.  Meanwhile, we have lives to lead, work to do, and families to raise right here in the physical world.  And that brings us to the one "afterlife" answer that both our Heathen ancestors and modern Heathens all tend to agree upon...

BEING REMEMBERED FOR ONE'S DEEDS

Our mainstream culture judges each man and woman by a diverse collection of traits.  A person's emotions and intentions must be taken into consideration.  They up-bringing and experiences in life are factored into the equation.  How much money they make and how attractive they are are heavily weighted as well.  It is not that modern society doesn't judge people by their deeds, but modern society does not weight one's deeds very heavily.

Among heathens, it is one's deeds that matter most.  If you do something good, helpful, and positive for my family and my kindred on a consistant basis, then you are good.  If you do something bad, hurtful, and negative for my family and my kindred on a consistant basis, then you are bad.  Your upbringing, your emotions, your intentions, how much money you have, or how attractive you are has very little to do with it.  Let's look at two well-know (among Heathens) verses from the Havamal...

77. Cattle die, | and kinsmen die,

And so one dies one's self;

But a noble name | will never die,

If good renown one gets.

   

78. Cattle die, | and kinsmen die,

And so one dies one's self;

One thing now | that never dies,

The fame of a dead man's deeds.

These are fairly pragmatic and clear in their wisdom.  Our ancestors recognized that everything's and everyone's physical existence must end.  We're all going to die.  They understood that the only thing that lives on from a man's life in this world is his renown, his fame, and the memory of what he has done in this life.  Did he stand by his kith and kin?  Did he work hard, take appropriate chances, and accomplish lasting things?  Did he live his life with honor, strength, and loyalty to those that deserved his loyalty?  Did he die a good death?  Our dead body rots, but our accomplishments live on. 

OUR FAMILIES CARRY OUR MEMORY

But who will remember our deeds and keep our name alive?  For nearly all of us, the only fame that will truly live on is the fame earned while pushing your family and kindred forward. The individual is nothing. But, the individual's contributions to future generations are remembered and live forever among those generations that benefit from those contributions.  As it says in the Havamal...

72. A son is better, | though late he be born,

And his father to death have fared;

Memory-stones | seldom stand by the road

Save when kinsman honors his kin.

Our descendants have a vested interest in us as their ancestors.  If we have done well in life, we have given them a good starting place for their own lives.  If we have done poorly in life, then we have given them defficient starting place for their own lives.

We see this whole idea in the concept of Orlog.  Orlog is a part of the heathen soul that is passed from parent to child, down through the generations of one's family.  Orlog is all of those deeds, or layers, you have put in the Well.  It is the tapestry of your life that you have woven with every choice you have made, the work you have done, and the things you have accomplished.  It is said that an honorable parent who has lived an honorable and accomplished life passes good Orlog to one's children.  While a parent that has lived a dishonorable or lackluster life passes bad Orlog to one's children.  Our children make their own way in the world, but they start with the foundation of Orlog you have given them.  A child that receives good Orlog has a head-start in a sense, in that they are building upon everything good their parents (and their parents, on back) have put in the Well.  A child that receives bad Orlog can still lead a good life, but it is more difficult, for they will be hampered in their progress by the poor foundation upon which they are building.

In very practical terms, we see real-life examples of this concept everyday.  And no doubt, our Heathen ancestors saw very similar examples in their own lives.  Any child can grow up to be honorable, and successful, and an adult of great worth.  But, how much easier is it for a child with parents that are honorable, and successful, and worthy?  And, how much harder is it for a child with parents that are dishonorable, failures, and lacking in worth?

So, it is only natural that it is our families that keep our memory alive, if we have lived a life worth remembering.  It is our descendants that raise a horn to us in Symbel and speak of our deeds and accomplishments.  It is our descendants that speak of us to their children, set a plate out for us at family dinner, and boast of being descended from us long after we are dead.  But, only if we have earned it.

HOW TO DESERVE BEING REMEMBERED

Some people say you should live each day as though it were your last. And they turn this into an excuse to pursue selfish pleasure, experience, and "adventures." As a heathen, if you are living each day as though it were your last, then you should be working your ass off to leave the next generation of heathens better off than our own. Leave them with solid kindreds to grow up in and take over when we are gone.  Leave them with the skills you have learned in your life and taken the time to teach to them.  Leave them with wisdom and experience recorded in such a way that they can learn from it. Leave them with bonds of friendship with other heathens of their generation, so they can build upon that foundation. No one will remember what video games we conquered, or who we danced or slept with, or the beer we drank, or any of the selfish pleasures we may seek out. But, they will remember the work we've done and the foundation we leave for them after we are gone.

This is a simple thing to understand on paper, but the emotional-focus and selfishness of our age get in the way for a lot of folks.  One of the biggest things that heathenry itself and more specifically each heathen kindred needs to overcome is selfishness. In this day and age, it is very hard to let go of the idea that it is "all about me."  We should make all of our decisions based on the welfare of our family and our loyal friends (kindred) first and foremost.  We need to keep the big-picture in mind, and the generational effects of every decision we make in our lives.  

For a Heathen that believes that our Folkway is the heathiest and most spiritually fulfilling way to live, then sharing that Folkway with one's children should be given some priority.  For a tribal Heathen like myself, that means building a maintaining a strong and healthy kindred and fully involving my children in the activities of this kindred.  It means building lasting traditions and thew that they can adapt and evolve over time once they are in charge.  It means traveling with my children to Heathen gatherings, so they can play with Heathen children from other kindreds and build bonds of friendship that can last into adulthood.  It means teaching them what I know, and encouraging them to seek out their own knowledge.  It means providing them with a stable, nurturing, and somewhat disciplined home environment that allows them to grow to their full potential.  And it means a lot of other things that can't all be listed here, due to the constraints of space and the patience of anyone reading this essay.

WHAT IF OUR DESCENDANTS DON'T REMEMBER?

It is always possible that one could accomplish great things and still not be remembered by name after a couple of generations.  But, what is our real goal here?  Are we working hard, living honorably, making wise desicions, and accomplishing great things just so we an be remembered by name?  

It is worth pointing out that what we are talking about is a way of life.  The end goal of this way of life is not just to be remembered.  The end goal is to accomplish things for one's family that are worth remembering. To pass solid and powerful Orlog down one's family line, and to create a foundation upon which future generations can build something even better than we can even imagine. If my great grand-children grow up in a world where Heathenry has grown in size and quality, then I won't begrudge them for taking it for granted. I'd love them to remember me, but I don't do these things for the singular purpose of being remembered by name or deed.

Do the leaves of a tree remember the limb that holds them up? Do the leaves remember the trunk that sprouted the limbs? Do the leaves remember the roots that hold up the tree? By simply existing and thriving high in the air, the leaves are a memorial to the efforts of the limb and the trunk and the roots to grow and spread out. As an ancestor, I'll be there in my descendants, in their blood...in their souls...remembered. And that will be the case whether they remember me by name or not.

If one escapes the modern preoccupation with individual identity for a moment, and you consider your life as just one moment along a long chain of lives stretching backwards into history...and forwards into possibility, then the work you do is not only for yourself. Your work is a continuation of all that came before you and a prelude to all the work that will come after you.  Your accomplishments are built on the foundation passed to you by your ancestors, and the accomplishments of your descendents will be built upon whatever you have managed to add during your time here on Midgard. 

Is this still a meaningful way in which to be remembered?  If we believe in the concept of Orlog...and a spiritual and physical connection between ancestor and descendant, then I will be content to be remembered in such a way. How many times in Symbel do we hear a toast made to all of those ancestors that toiled so hard and sacrificed so much to give us the lives we now live? In Jotun's Bane Kindred's symbels that toast is often heard.

Would I like to be remembered by name and deed by my descendants? Sure I would. But, if we work so hard and accomplish so much right now that our accomplishments are someday taken for granted...have we not still won the battle? I'm not so self-centered so as to demand being remembered by name. That is something that is hard-earned, and not up to me. I'll do the work...and my descendants will make the choice whether to remember me in that way.  Either way, I'll be there in their lives long after my physical body has rotted away.

Though a horn raised to great-granddad now and again, couldn't hurt. :-)

A DRIVING MOTIVATION IN OUR LIVES

One of my driving motivations behind writing the essays I write, is that I want to leave something for my children that they can read and know what I believed and how I chose to live. My children are 6, 9, and 11...and were I to drop dead tomorrow, how much would my 6-year-old remember that I've taught him? So, there are times when I am tired or want to rest, and I think to myself, "Do it now...because you might not have tomorrow." And I'll write another essay...or work on kindred stuff...or do something else that needs to get done in order to build the foundation I'm working on for them.

Now, they may grow up and have a different world-view than mine. And as long as they are happy and fulfilled, that will be fine with me. But, at least they'll know I worked for them and shared what I knew with them. Where they choose to go with that is their responsibility ultimately. But, they won't be building from scratch, no matter where they go.

And so it is with each of us.  Take some time to think about it.  Are you passing good Orlog to your children and their children?  Are you building a foundation of honor and accomplishment for them to add to, and advance further than you could ever advance it in your limited time on earth?  Are you teaching them the skills and wisdom they will need to be better than you?  Are you using your time in this world to live a life worth remembering?  These are questions you can only answer for yourself right now.  But ultimately, it will be your children and the generations that come after them that will judge you based on your deeds and accomplishments in this life, and it will be they that decide whether you are worth remembering after you are gone.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

The Endless On-Line Debates about "Race in Asatru"

Within 5 minutes of signing onto Facebook, I can be certain of running across some heated, trollish, angry debate about "Race in Asatru."  It really begs the question what any of us have to gain by arguing on-line over this Folkish/Unversalist, ethnicity, "race," inclusion/exclusion topic for another 20 years.  For the past 20 years, this topic has artificially divided our Folkway.  For the past 20 years, this topic has distracted us with its emotional fervor.

Let's be honest.  No one ever convinces anyone else of their opinion on this topic in an on-line discussion.  People scream and shout, and get their blood boiling posting at people that they don't even know and will very likely never meet.  And what is the benefit of this?  What positive effect has this had?

None.  Its simply casts a dark shadow over all we do.  Getting on-line and arguing about "Race" is essentially emotional/intellectual masturbation.  You have the chicken-littles running about constantly posting that the sky is falling and moaning about "racists," all the while competing for who can sound the most tolerant, accepting, and "enlightened" on the issue.  Then you have the "racists" running about constantly posting about how "white" they are, all the while competing for who can sound the most strident and pure in their outlook.  

And finally you have the rest of us wondering how the heck this ridiculous topic has managed to dominate the Asatru landscape for decades now.  It is Pointless.  Purposeless.  Empty.  It is a topic that is used to divide us.  It is a topic used to drum up membership in organizations and factions within our Folkway.

To my tribal way of thinking, let each kindred decide how they are going to pursue this topic, and everyone stay out of everyone else's business.  I you find a kindred that has views on the topic you aren't comfortable with, then join a different kindred or start you own.  At gatherings, if every kindred respects the autonomy of other kindreds to approach this topic (as well as so many others) in the way that is best suited for them, then everyone can gather in Grith.  Problem solved.  Done.  Move on.

My hope is that we could live in a world where everyone acknowledges that this "dead horse" is indeed dead.  A world where when someone tries to bait others into a discussion of this topic, everyone ignores them or the moderators simply delete it.  But, that's an unrealistic wish.  20 years from now, hoards of on-line heathens will still be fitfully debating this topic on whatever 3-D holographic social media we're using at that point.  20 years from now, people will still be enjoying the rush of pointless bloody battle over a topic that will never be fully resolved.

Next time you see someone bringing up this topic, think to yourself..."Why isn't that person out doing something?"  There are so many things to be done.  Start a kindred in your local area. Host a regular heathen study group. Host a gathering. Schedule a heathen workshop or class.  Go to a gathering. Read a book. Write a book.  Teach your family your culture and ways. Honor our Gods and your ancestors.  Make something positive happen in our Folkway.  DO SOMETHING!

Go do something...and post about what you are doing. That's what I enjoy reading about when I'm browsing Facebook.

As for my own opinion on this "dead-horse" topic?  I've expressed it elsewhere in an essay I wrote, that was later included in a book along with about a 100 other topics related to Heathenry that I consider more important.  Honestly, when it comes to your family and your kindred, you shouldn't really care what I think about the topic anyway. 

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

On-Line Registration for LATP 2012 is Open!

ON-LINE REGISTRATION FOR LATP 2012 IS NOW OPEN, and the full-event website is now up-and-running. We're pretty proud of how it turned out. Check it out and feel free to help us spread the word. :-)

http://www.latpgathering.com

Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods
http://www.heathengods.com

Lightning Across the Plains - Sept 20-23, 2012

Heathenry is about community, gathering as a people, shaking a man or woman's hand, looking them in the eye, hearing their voice, telling stories, getting to know each other. Its letting your kids play together. Letting your spouses get to know each other. Its about laughing at dumb jokes, and telling stories from your life. Its about mingling Wyrd...and taking the measure of another person, and finding them of worth.

On September 20-23, 2012, heathen tribes, strong families, and solid heathen individuals from around the Heartland will gather at Gaea Retreat, a pagan campground about 40 minutes outside of the Kansas City Area. There were 240 heathens at LATP in 2010 and 225 heathens at LATP in 2011, with 65-70 children in attendance both years. This makes Lightning Across the Plains one of the largest heathen gatherings in the world.

Our registration/information packet for LATP 2012 contains a full schedule for the event, information on both tent-camping and reserving a spot in a cabin, plus details on the meals, workshops, faining, symbels, childrens activities, viking games, what you'll need to bring with you, and everything else you could possibly want to know about the event. It also has a registration form for those that wish to register by snail-mail...

Lightning Across the Plains Information/Registration Packet

This year you can register as a "full-registration" for Sept 20-23 or a "weekend-only registration" for Sept 21-23. Full-registration is $50 for an individual and $70 for a family of up to five. Weekend-only registration is $40 for an individual and $60 for a family up to five. Both registration choices include all camping fees and your dinners. Cabins are available for $5 per bed per night.

You can register at this website using PayPal, or by mailing in a Registration Form the old-fashioned way:

Lightning Across the Plains 2012 Website

At the above website, you will also find comprehensive information about what's planned for the gathering, and its purpose. Mark this on your calendar and come and be apart of the largest heathen gathering in the world.

ON-LINE REGISTRATIONS OPEN UP ON 5-1-2012!

Mark Ludwig Stinson
Jotun's Bane Kindred
Temple of Our Heathen Gods
http://www.heathengods.com

Heathen Fable #11 - The Foolish Mountain Hare

On a very tall snowy mountain lived a husk, or community, of mountain hares.  Hares are similar to rabbits in a number of ways, but it would be a mistake to call them a rabbit.  They can get rather disagreeable if you do.

The husk of hares loved their mountain home in both the summer and the winter.  In the summer they grew brown fur and munched on the moist green grass that grew between the rocks.  In the winter they grew thick white fur that kept them warm, and ate bark and twigs from the stunted trees that grew there.  They lived so high on the mountain that they have very little trouble from anyone.  The one exception was when the jackrabbits from the foothills below would wander occasionally up the mountain during the summer and try to eat their green grasses.  When this happened, one of the mountain hares would sound the alarm, and all the other hares would come and work together to chase the jackrabbits back down the mountain.

Among the husk of hares, there was one foolish young hare that always seemed to want attention.  He would talk in silly voices, make fun of himself, tell stupid jokes, and even pretend to trip and fall just to get all the other hares to laugh.  The foolish hare seemed willing to do almost anything to be the center of attention, and often it worked.  The other hares would laugh and point at the foolish hare's antics and silliness, and the foolish hare would feel very good about all the attention he was getting.

One day, an old hare took the foolish hare aside and said, "You do realize that people laughing at you is not the same as having real friends, don't you?"

The foolish hare scoffed at the old hare.  "Everyone loves me.  Look how they laugh when I tell a joke.  Look how much attention they pay to me."

The old hare shook his head.  "They laugh because you are acting like a clown.  They don't respect you.  And you haven't done the real work it takes to make and keep good friends."

The foolish hare became angry.  "You are just mad because you don't get the attention that I get.  You are jealous of how popular I am."

The old hare answered, "I would rather be respected than get the attention given to a fool."  And with that the old hare hopped away.

Months later, on a sunny summer day, the foolish hare was off by himself eating some delicious green grass on the side of the mountain.  While he was busy eating, a number of big jackrabbits from the foothills snuck carefully past him and headed high onto the mountain belonging to the husk of hares.  The jackrabbits ate up lots of the mountain hares' moist green grass before they were discovered and chased back down the mountain by a group of hares.  

This group of hares noticed the foolish hare munching away on grass, and approached him.  One of them said, "Why did you not raise the alarm when those jackrabbits invaded our mountain?"

The foolish hare answered, "I didn't see them.  They must have snuck around me."

One of the other hare's said, "We think you saw them, and were just too lazy to sound the alarm."

Another said, "Or perhaps you saw them, and were just too stupid to sound the alarm."

And another said, "Or you saw them, but made a deal with them to let them go by."

The group of hares brought the foolish hare back to the husk, and accused him of these things in front of all the other mountain hares.  Everyone was very angry at the foolish hare and there was talk of kicking him out of their community and making him leave the mountain.

The foolish hare pleaded with them.  "They snuck around me and I never saw them.  I'm not lazy, or stupid, and I would never betray you.  This could have happened to anyone."

All the other mountains hares just stared angrily at the foolish hare and were very quiet.  The foolish hare became nervous and asked, "Will none of my friends here speak up for me?  I don't understand why no one is defending me.  I didn't do anything wrong.  Why will none of you stand up for me?"

The old hare hopped forward from the crowd.  "As I warned you before, it is a fool that thinks everyone who laughs at him is his friend.  And now the fool has learned that he has no friends that will speak up for him.  Leave the husk, get off our mountain, and never come back."

(Hávamál Stanza 25)

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

Creating a Scheduled Events Calendar for Your Kindred

One of the great benefits of being in a kindred, is your close association and cooperation with other Heathens that you trust and enjoy being around.  A kindred represents your close inner-circle of friends.  You share group-identity with the other members of the kindred, and live in true Frith with one another.  You learn together, accomplish things together, exchange ideas and thoughts on things, your children play together, and in many ways it is like a close-knit extended family.

One of the difficulties that can come up in a kindred is getting everyone together at one time.  Kindred members have different work schedules, different outside activities they have committed to attend, family obligations, and things they need to accomplish around their homes each week.  So, trying to schedule an impromptu event every week or every month can be quite a challenge.  Having regularly scheduled kindred events and an events calender is way around this problem.  So, while the topic of this essay may not sound like the most interesting of topics...it hits directly on when your kindred gets together and what you accomplish as a group.

For example, Jotun's Bane Kindred has a kindred event scheduled every two weeks.  We plan out our schedule in November for all of the following year.  We decide what events will be private events (for kindred members only), semi-private events (for kindred members and invited friends of our kindred), and public events (open events that anyone can attend).  We put our road trips to visit other kindreds and to attend heathen gatherings on the schedule, as well as our study groups, fainings, trash-pickup days, social events, and everything else we plan to do the following year.  We've been scheduling our events a year in advance for 4 years now, and this essay represents what we've learned during that time.

HOW TO DECIDE ON A SCHEDULE?

It is possible that one person in the kindred, perhaps someone in a leadership position, could decided on what the event schedule would be and then give that schedule to the rest of the kindred members.  I don't think this is a particularly wise course of action.  As with most issues of importance in a kindred, things run more smoothly if everyone's ideas and input are considered, and then a discussion is had within the kindred until a consensus is reached.  The best way to create an event schedule is to have a kindred meeting, have a blank calendar for the next year in hand, and then create the next year's schedule as a group. 

So, if you have a new kindred or your existing kindred wants to impliment an events schedule, let's go through the various steps in the process and some things to keep in mind.

      

HOW OFTEN ARE EVENTS?

It is important to remember that just because your kindred has decided to schedule a kindred event every week, or two weeks, or every month...does not mean this is the only time kindred members can get together.  Couples can get together for dinner.  Individual members can get together to go to the movies or a concert.  Families can go to a park together.  Since the kindred is a group of close friends there is every reason to expect that kindred members will get together and hang out more often than you events schedule will reflect.  What an events schedule provides is the minimum amount of gatherings your kindred will have as a whole during the year.

The key to choosing how often to schedule events is to choose a frequency that is possible for everyone in the kindred.  A calender with unrealistically frequent scheduled events will place hardships on some or all kindred members, and will cause a situation where scheduled kindred events actually get in the way of the more casual impromptu get-togethers. 

So getting everyone's input on the frequency of events is important, as well as being ready to make adjustments to the calender is it becomes clear that the frequency of the schedule is causing serious problems.

Another question to consider is just how far in advance you want to schedule events.  You could schedule them out a few months in advance...six months in advance...or a year in advance.  Jotun's Bane Kindred has found that we benefit from making a schedule for the following year in November.  By planning out the entire next year, we have a very good idea going into the new year exactly what we hope to do and accomplish in that year.  We know what public events and Heathen gatherings we plan to host.  We know what road-trips we are going to make to visit other kindreds and attend Heathen gatherings in our region.  Best of all, we know what we will need to plan and organize in order to make that schedule succeed.

WHEN AND WHERE SHOULD THE EVENTS BE HELD?

It can be helpful if there is some consistency to when your scheduled events take place.  So with everyone's input, attempt to identify a day of the week when everyone is free to attend.  For Jotun's Bane Kindred we determined that Sunday afternoons and evenings were open for every kindred member to attend.

When you've identified a day of the week that works for everyone, then decide on what times you want to meet. This can vary based on the sort of event you are holding, but having a somewhat consistent start time helps avoid confusion.  For Jotun's Bane Kindred, we tend to start our Sunday events at 3:00 PM.  This gives us time to have an activity of some sort, eat a pot-luck meal with one another, and then have more activities, social time, or a Symbel.

It is important you choose a location for every event that is appropriate to the event you have planned.  It can be really nice to rotate private events through the homes of various kindred members.  But keep in mind that some kindred member's homes won't have enough seating for the entire kindred. 

For public events, you are better off holding them in public places (coffee shops, book stores, restaurants, bars, parks) so that complete stangers aren't being brought into a kindred member's home.  Another approach to this is to require strangers to meet with you prior to attending a public event, so you can check them out prior to having them into someone's home.

WHAT KINDS OF EVENTS INTEREST THE KINDRED?

There are a wide variety of types of events you could put on the schedule.

One of the first things we do is place the holy days we are going to celebrate on our schedule.  We traditionally schedule these on our regular meteing day that is closest to the actual holy day.  Some kindreds may choose to schedule celebrations on the actual holy day (as they calculate it), but we have chosen not to do this.

It is important to consider the holidays and events of the mainstream culture.  For instance, scheduling a study group session on Mother's Day will likely result in many members not being able to attend.  Often, kindred member's already have standard activities or vacations planned for the 4th of July or Memorial Day weekend.  Staying clear of these prior obligations and plans will make your schedule better. 

You'll also want to put on the calendar any Heathen gatherings you may be attending or any visits to other kindreds you want to make.  Factoring these road-trips into your calendar up-front will avoid schedule conflicts, allow kindred members to budget for them, and allow you to RSVP for the events as a kindred.

The next thing you will want to decide is how many public events you are going to want to schedule.  Public events are open to whomever wants to attend and are normally announced and publicized as part of a kindred's educational outreach.  Public events could include:

• Celebration of a holy day
• Heathen workshops at a coffeeshop, bookstore, or home
• Open study groups at a coffeeshop, bookstore, or home
• Open fainings or blots at a park or home
• Pubmoots at a restaurant or bar
• Picnics at a park followed by a Symbel
• Campouts on a kindred member's land or a campground
• Trash pick-ups or other service projects
• Attending a nordic festival or museum as a group
• Going to a German restaurant as a group
• Hosting a Heathen gathering

While public events are fun and serve a positive purpose, holding too many public events takes away from private time for the kindred itself to gather.  This is especially true for the celebration of holy days.  For instance, Jotun's Bane Kindred does hold a public event during Ostara, but we have always kept our Yule celebration completely private. So there needs to be a healthy balance between fully public events, private events that friend are personally invited to attend, and events that are purely private.

Private events can be nearly anything, ranging from events with a deeply spiritual Heathen focus to events that are entirely social and have very little direct connection to Heathenry.  And some are a combination.  Again, you will want a healthy balance between events with a heathen focus and those with a social focus.  Some examples:

• Celebration of holy days
• Fainings or blots followed by a feast and Symbel
• Traveling to visit another kindred or Heathen gathering
• Study groups, discussion groups, and workshops
• Camping, hiking, or fishing
• Going out to a restaurant, concert, or sporting event
• Going to a Nordic festival or museum
• Craft nights
• Activities, outings, or classes for children
• Movie nights at someone's home
• Games, contests, and challenges

There may be events that get priority and reoccur more often than others.  Some kindreds may want to have at least one faining or blot every month.  Others may want a study group session on a monthly basis.  Jotun's Bane Kindred decided early on that we would have a Pubmoot or public event at least every 2 months.  So, if there is some function or event you want to give some priority to, just make sure that is represented on your finished calendar.

Your goal is to come up with a balanced schedule that everyone in the kindred is excited about.  So getting input from everyone is important.  Don't forget to put a scheduling meeting on your schedule toward the end of the year, so that you can plan the next year's events.

WHAT ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS/OBLIGATIONS EXIST?

The hope of course is that every kindred member will want to be at every scheduled event, and will do everything possible to prioritize their time accordingly so that they can be at every event.

Part of prioritizing one's time, is using all of your time wisely so that you get the things you need to get done in life at times when kindred events are not scheduled.

Obviously, there are reasonable causes to miss a scheduled kindred event.  Work obligations, funerals, medical emergencies, weddings, and other important circumstances can prevent attendance at an event.  But even in these circumstances, the kindred member who must miss an event has an obligation to let the rest of the kindred know with as much advance warning as possible.

One type of event that runs into unique attendance problems is a kindred road-trip to visit another kindred or attend a Heathen gathering.  These events depend on gas and food money, dependable transportantion, the ability to be gone for several days, and sometimes registration fees.  There are times when a kindred member or family will not be able to attend due to finances, inability to get time off, or car troubles.  Again, this is completely understandable as long as the kindred member gives the kindred as much warning as possible.

Another part of prioritizing one's time that is often neglected is thinking ahead, and making sure you hold back enough time on your personal schedule to assist the kindred in getting ready for a big public event or gathering the kindred is hosting.  Many events take a lot of work and time to organize and bring off successfully, and it works best if every kindred member has made the time to help with planning and preparations.

MOVING SCHEDULED EVENTS?

Make every effort to not move or reschedule events.  By creating a schedule, you are asking every kindred member to prioritize these events and to actively shape their personal schedule in a way that allows them to attend all of the events.  When you move an event, you throw a proverbial wrench into the works.

When you attempt to move an event to accomodate one member that can't attend, you put hardships on the other kindred members.  Often, moving an event for one member makes it difficult or even impossible for other members to attend.  You also risk creating a culture where members don't feel the need to work very hard to keep their personal schedule in line with the kindred schedule.  You may unintentionally create the impression that a kindred member can double-book on a day you have a kindred event scheduled, because, "You'll just move the event for me anyway."

There will be some events that some kindred members will have to miss because important obligations in their lives get in the way.  That's life.

PUBLISHING THE SCHEDULED EVENTS CALENDARS

Once you have scheduled events for the next year, you can publish or provided the full calendar to every kindred member, so that they can integrate that schedule into their personal calendars or plans.  You can invite friends to the events that the kindred has agreed to allow friends to attend.  And you can publically publish or provide a list or calendar of the public events you are holding.

This can be done printed out on a simple piece of paper.  It is also possible to self-publish a calendar on any number of print-on-demand on-line services.  You can also distribute this information by email, Facebook message, or by posting it on a website.  The idea is to ensure that the appropriate information regarding the schedule is easily available and is delivered to the appropriate audience.  The public at large does not need to know when or where you private events are being held, but it is important that the public at large be made aware of your public events.  At the same time, your kindred members need a handy place to check the schedule whenever they have a question or are making plans.

THE VALUE OF HAVING SCHEDULED EVENTS

I think having a scheduled events calendar and putting it together in the way I've described here can benefit a kindred in many ways.  First of all, it ensures that the kindred is getting together as a whole on a regular basis.  It allows for the kindred to plan ahead to future events, and prepare and organize them properly.  It allows you to publish a list or calender of your public events far in advance, allowing interested people to plan their personal calendars around your public events.  It allows kindred members to plan their own personal calendars around all of the events on the kindred's calender, and to prioritize their time and their lives around those events.  Bringing all of these benefits together, the end result is your events, both public and private, will be better organized, more successful, and better attended across the board. 

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com

Heathen Fable #10 - The Oldest Oak

The ground in the forest was covered with young acorns.  Many had landed on wide stretches of black earth, but several acorns found themselves on the edge of a rocky bluff.  The acorns that were laying in easy places to grow laughed at the acorns near the bluff, because the ground beneath them was filled with rocks and growing into a tall oak tree there would be very difficult.  But, one of the unfortunate acorns ignored the laughter and made the best of his difficult spot to grow.

A few years later all the acorns had grown into young oak trees.  The ones who had grown on the wide stretches of black earth had sprouted and grown taller quickly and easily.  The nutrients in their soil was simple to find and running their roots out into the ground had been an effortless task.  But there was only one small oak remaining at the top of the bluff. He had to work for every inch of growth.  His roots had to push down through the rocks and earth, seeking out whatever nutrients he could find on the edge of the bluff.  The tall young oaks in the rich black earth sometimes teased their stunted brother on the edge of the bluff.

One young oak asked, "Why do you struggle so hard on the edge of that bluff?  You should give up like the rest of the acorns that landed there.  That's no place for an proud oak to grow."

The small oak on the edge of the bluff answered, "It is true that I'm the only oak remaining on the edge of the bluff. I did not choose this place to grow...this is where I fell.  But, I'll never give up.  I'll work, and I'll struggle, and I'll make the best of this rocky home."

Another young oak said, "See how tall the rest of us are.  Are you not ashamed that you are so stunted and small?"

The small oak on the edge of the bluff answered, "I feel no shame in making the best of my situation.  You seem to take great pride in growing easily in the rich soil you fell upon by complete chance.  I take great pride in making the best of my difficult situation."

Many years passed, and the oaks growing on the stretches of black soil had gotten much bigger and were crowded together.  They roots were tangled in knots beneath the soil.  They fought to reach higher than their neighbor so that their leaves could gather the sunlight they needed to survive.  Some of them had been crowded out and died.  The oak on the edge of the bluff was not as tall as the other trees, but his roots were not tangled with the roots of other trees.  He was not crowded by other trees.  So his limbs reached out in every direction gathering plenty of sunshine.  Still, the crowded oaks liked to tease their brother out on the edge of the bluff.

One of the oaks said, "Look at you all alone out there on the bluff, you must be very lonely out there.

The oak on the edge of the bluff answered, "While I am the lone oak out here among the rocks, I am not alone.  Many smaller trees grow around me and below me at the foot of the bluff.  Some of them have grown from my own acorns.  The shade from you and your tall brothers won't let the acorns that fall from your limbs grow."

Another of the crowded oaks said, "It must hurt to have all those rocks among your roots.  Why do you even bother?"

The oak on the edge of the bluff answered, "Working my roots down into this soil has been hard work...that is true.  But, now that they are there, I am firmly in place.  I welcome the stability and am greatful for the rocks among my roots."

Many years passed by, and most of the oaks that had grown in the stretches of black soil were gone.  Many of them had been sqeezed out by their taller brothers.  Their roots could not grow out far enough to gather water and the shade from taller trees caused the leaves of smaller trees to wither and drop.  Many of the taller trees had grown so tall, so fast, that strong winds blew them down.  Their roots had not been deep enough and had no rocks for them to grip.  But the oak on the edge of the bluff was still there.  He had lost some limbs to storms or disease.  His gnarled roots had tangled themselves throughout the face of the bluff.  But he had grown tall and broad and was healthy and happy, and his branches full of leaves.  But, still the few remaining oaks would try to tease him.

One of the remaining oaks said, "Look at your broken limbs and your gnarled roots.  What a strange looking oak you are."

The oak on the edge of the bluff answered, "I have lost some limbs and my roots are gnarled, but I have grown tall and prospered.  I am full and healthy.  So many of you trees in the black soil have fallen.  I would rather stand here showing the scars of my long life, than to lie in the soil, the food for bugs."

One of the remaining oaks asked, "Will you not miss us when we are all gone?  Won't you be lonely when the last of us has fallen?"

The oak on the edge of the bluff answered, "I've spent my many years making true friends.  See this maple tree that has grown beneath me and helps to hold up my weight?  See the squirrels and the birds who enjoy the shelter of my limbs and leaves?  See the snake that makes his home among my roots?  When you have all fallen, I will not be alone.  I will be the oldest and the wisest being in the forest, with many wights who look to me as a friend."

Many more years passed, and all of the oaks who had grown on the wide stretches of black soil had fallen.  Younger oaks were growing in their place, among other types of trees and all manner of plants and bushes.  The oak on the edge of the bluff was very old, but had grown tall and wide.  The evidence of his age showed on his bark and in his limbs, but he wore these signs as the reward for a long life and much wisdom.  All the plants, animals, and spirits of the forest paid respect to this old oak, and called him Forn Halr, which means the "Old Man."

One day a group of men and women who followed the ways of their People came to the forest.  They were looking to establish a holy place where they could honor their Gods and Ancestors.  As they walked through the forest, every spirit whispered to them of Forn Halr.

One spirit said, "If you need guidance, you should ask the Old Man."

Another spirit said, "You should honor Forn Halr, he is the wisest among us."

A third spirit said, "If you seek a holy place, then you should gather beneath the limbs of Forn Halr."

The group of men and women found their way to Forn Halr, and paid their respect.  They built an alter beneath his limbs and marked the holiness of the shade he provided.  They spoke to him and gave him gifts.  All their most important oaths were taken with a hand on Forn Halr's trunk, and they lived by his example.  A holy runestone was carved with the likeness of Forn Halr and words that spoke of his timeless importance.  A symbol of their Gods was hung around Forn Halr's trunk and they honored their Gods and their Ancestors at the base of this holy tree.  The forest rejoiced that the wisest among them was honored in this way.  Those that honored Forn Halr, prospered as he had, through hard-work and determination.

Mark Ludwig Stinson

Jotun's Bane Kindred

Temple of Our Heathen Gods

http://www.heathengods.com