Ignoring the Elephant...
As a heathen blogger, I can't help but think about weighing in on the elephant in the room this week. It seems one of the well known American Asatru authors has gone and gotten himself into a world of shit...yet for some odd reason, I really don't want to blog about this... so instead I will leave you with a few links and let you draw your own conclusions. For any who may not know the person in question is one Mr. Mark Stinson, the "chieftain" of the well known Jotun's Bane kindred out out of Kansas City, Missouri.
http://www.kctv5.com/story/18943111/kc-cop-accused-of-stealing-from-his-mother
http://fox4kc.com/2012/07/03/more-details-emerge-about-cop-charged-with-stealing-from-mom/
As a Vanatru, I don't really have much to say about this. It is unfortunate that such a widely known figure of Asatru in America has gotten himself wrapped up in such a mess. I feel sorry for those whom are let down, and generally hope that these alleged crimes by an individual do not cast the tradition of heathenry in a bad light for those who have never been introduced to it before. But for me as a solitary and a non-Aesiric heathen, I feel it serves little purpose for me to weigh in. I identify more as a pagan perhaps than a heathen, yet both are a large part of my practice. It is my hope that the acts of one do not cause problems for the many.
While I admired the focus of Mr. Stinson's work within his kindred and heathenry in general, there was much I did not agree with when it came to the idealism in his writings and the kindred's ways of handling interpersonal relations with other heathens outside the sphere of their own kindred. So my only comment is that while I feel it is regrettable, such conflicts can only be a reflection of the inner workings of the individual kindred, rather than in any way representative of heathenry in general.
As a Vanatru, I do not ascribe to the Asatru originating NINE NOBLE VIRTUES. While I understand the value of such formalized moral codes, in my life and practice I find such codes negate some part of understanding the inherent complexities of nature and the world we live in. I feel that for myself, such codes exclude a healthy consideration of environmental and social factors which can determine the morality or amorality of human conduct within society, be that in a kindred, community, or a nation itself. As a guideline of personal behavior it has value, but as a formalized code of law for behavior and character worth, to me it has little value.
There are those who claim that the modern day concern with the individual rather than the communal self has been detrimental to human values and morality. I am not sure that this is entirely true, and it represents one of my own disagreements with some of the idealism about the reconstruction of heathenry which those in question professed. While I value loyalty, secrecy, and devotion to one's family and community, I also realize that the saying is "A man is his deeds." Not a kindred, nor a community, nor any plural collective, but rather an individual.
To use the small portion of communal values reflected in the Norse Lore as a means of extracting personal accountability in exchange for communal responsibility to me seems well...inexcusable. The actions of kin should reflect upon us as a family or community, yet we must also realize that just as the whole is held responsible, there were means by which the individual could be removed from one's responsibility. This system was not created as a means for imposing our individual wyrd actions upon a whole, thereby spreading the blame thinner. It was created to knit a community together in times of hardship by creating a model of social hierarchy by which value could be determined in the most awful of circumstances.
Do such hierarchies have value in the modern age, in a nation and culture in which there is little chance of circumstances which might endanger our very survival? I feel it is questionable. For better or for worse, as an American, I realize that there is no escaping the law and it's focus on individual accountability. I must realize that no matter the nature of my religious beliefs, I live in a world in which there is no collective sense of restitution, and in a sense, I truly am MY deeds, on a level that is much more extreme than it ever could have been in the Viking Age. And to be honest, I prefer it that way. Because it gives me a level of freedom and discretion of mind that a life modeled of Viking Age virtues ever could.
It does not negate my connection to the weaving of wyrd. It does not pollute the lives of those who come into contact with me. Rather, as a postmodern pagan woman, the circumstances and social values of the time which is NOW give me more power, more freedom, and more input into the weaving of wyrd. The essence of feminine emotion, thought, and wisdom which I feel has been sorely missed throughout the whole of recorded human history.
If we are to truly understand the nature of man, and our place within nature, our religion, our morality, our relationships must evolve, alongside the ever changing evolution of nature and time itself. Which is why I do not agree with reconstructionism. Instead I call myself Vanatru, and dedicate myself to balance, peace, and frith, and the realization that the cycles of the earth and the heavens are the inherent home of wisdom, if only we can stop ourselves as individuals, for a moment long enough to see. The past is an element of the weaving of wyrd, but should never be viewed in any fashion, as the whole of its value.
http://www.kctv5.com/story/18943111/kc-cop-accused-of-stealing-from-his-mother
http://fox4kc.com/2012/07/03/more-details-emerge-about-cop-charged-with-stealing-from-mom/
As a Vanatru, I don't really have much to say about this. It is unfortunate that such a widely known figure of Asatru in America has gotten himself wrapped up in such a mess. I feel sorry for those whom are let down, and generally hope that these alleged crimes by an individual do not cast the tradition of heathenry in a bad light for those who have never been introduced to it before. But for me as a solitary and a non-Aesiric heathen, I feel it serves little purpose for me to weigh in. I identify more as a pagan perhaps than a heathen, yet both are a large part of my practice. It is my hope that the acts of one do not cause problems for the many.
While I admired the focus of Mr. Stinson's work within his kindred and heathenry in general, there was much I did not agree with when it came to the idealism in his writings and the kindred's ways of handling interpersonal relations with other heathens outside the sphere of their own kindred. So my only comment is that while I feel it is regrettable, such conflicts can only be a reflection of the inner workings of the individual kindred, rather than in any way representative of heathenry in general.
As a Vanatru, I do not ascribe to the Asatru originating NINE NOBLE VIRTUES. While I understand the value of such formalized moral codes, in my life and practice I find such codes negate some part of understanding the inherent complexities of nature and the world we live in. I feel that for myself, such codes exclude a healthy consideration of environmental and social factors which can determine the morality or amorality of human conduct within society, be that in a kindred, community, or a nation itself. As a guideline of personal behavior it has value, but as a formalized code of law for behavior and character worth, to me it has little value.
There are those who claim that the modern day concern with the individual rather than the communal self has been detrimental to human values and morality. I am not sure that this is entirely true, and it represents one of my own disagreements with some of the idealism about the reconstruction of heathenry which those in question professed. While I value loyalty, secrecy, and devotion to one's family and community, I also realize that the saying is "A man is his deeds." Not a kindred, nor a community, nor any plural collective, but rather an individual.
To use the small portion of communal values reflected in the Norse Lore as a means of extracting personal accountability in exchange for communal responsibility to me seems well...inexcusable. The actions of kin should reflect upon us as a family or community, yet we must also realize that just as the whole is held responsible, there were means by which the individual could be removed from one's responsibility. This system was not created as a means for imposing our individual wyrd actions upon a whole, thereby spreading the blame thinner. It was created to knit a community together in times of hardship by creating a model of social hierarchy by which value could be determined in the most awful of circumstances.
Do such hierarchies have value in the modern age, in a nation and culture in which there is little chance of circumstances which might endanger our very survival? I feel it is questionable. For better or for worse, as an American, I realize that there is no escaping the law and it's focus on individual accountability. I must realize that no matter the nature of my religious beliefs, I live in a world in which there is no collective sense of restitution, and in a sense, I truly am MY deeds, on a level that is much more extreme than it ever could have been in the Viking Age. And to be honest, I prefer it that way. Because it gives me a level of freedom and discretion of mind that a life modeled of Viking Age virtues ever could.
It does not negate my connection to the weaving of wyrd. It does not pollute the lives of those who come into contact with me. Rather, as a postmodern pagan woman, the circumstances and social values of the time which is NOW give me more power, more freedom, and more input into the weaving of wyrd. The essence of feminine emotion, thought, and wisdom which I feel has been sorely missed throughout the whole of recorded human history.
If we are to truly understand the nature of man, and our place within nature, our religion, our morality, our relationships must evolve, alongside the ever changing evolution of nature and time itself. Which is why I do not agree with reconstructionism. Instead I call myself Vanatru, and dedicate myself to balance, peace, and frith, and the realization that the cycles of the earth and the heavens are the inherent home of wisdom, if only we can stop ourselves as individuals, for a moment long enough to see. The past is an element of the weaving of wyrd, but should never be viewed in any fashion, as the whole of its value.
I completely agree with everything you have to say in this post, Cena. I too have no use for the NNV (or any sort of "list ethics") because I have found, as you said, there are complexities that they don't take into account.
ReplyDeleteI've also found, inevitably, that discussions involving "community" almost exclusively focus on human communities, but what about the land where we live? I share my space with sparrows, rabbits, orioles, the occasional bird of prey, and at one time, skunks, opossums, and groundhogs, and those are just the "big" animals. This is why I ask, as a Vanatru, isn't nature (and its attendant wights) also a part of our communities?
I completely agree with you there Krystal. When I used the word nature that was part of what was on my mind, animals, plants, the land, and spirits thereof. I didn't focus in that because honestly I was trying to keep it as short as possible.
ReplyDeleteBut in my personal opinion the NNV are seriously lacking when it comes to taking morality outside of just human concerns, not to mention including them.