Change Yourself!
by
Stephen A. McNallen
Most of us probably think we're doing pretty well, spiritually
speaking, and maybe we're right. The typical Asatruar has plenty of good
qualities - intellectual curiosity, the boldness to take a different path, and,
we can suppose, dedication to a tough code of conduct.
Sometimes, being human, we do not live up to the best within us. Our nobility
slips, we take the easy way out, and those character defects within each of us
become all too obvious. It's at times like this we need to ask ourselves just
how much we are a credit to our ancestors, and to the Holy Powers.
We've all made progress or our consciousness would be so meager that the
contents of this page would hold no interest for us. It is equally certain that
all of us have a long way to go; indeed, since the Gods and Goddesses represent
idealized models for our own evolution, it can be safely assumed that we are all
at the base of a mountain, staring at the snowy peaks of spiritual attainment
towering high above us.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all applied ourselves to attaining the best of
which we were capable? Think of all we could do - for the Holy Powers, for our
Folk and for ourselves!
The Need for Evolution
Does it matter? If Asatru satisfies us as individuals, isn't that enough?
My answer to that last question is - "No." It's not enough just to sort of
stumble along, failing dramatically to meet even the minimal standards demanded
by our faith.
Here's why: We are trying to build Asatru as a strong, coherent way of life in
the modern age. We have come a long way. We have turned away those addicted to
negativity, or who have political, sexual, or other agendas they would impose on
us. We have worked hard to attract normal people with real lives, jobs, and
families. It's much better that it was in early days of the Asatru revival - but
we can do better yet. Forging the sword of the Germanic Way requires high-grade
ore, impurities burned away, tempered and hardened by spiritual
discipline into a fine blade.
Asatru may be the last hope for the European-descended peoples. I won't attempt
to justify that statement, but all the evidence - demographic, cultural,
political, spiritual - screams that we, as a unique subset of the human race,
are in trouble. We have a duty to the Gods, to the ancestors, and to our
descendants yet unborn, to ensure the survival and status of our kind! To
fulfill these holy responsibilities, we must develop our virtues, our
capabilities, and our spiritual prowess to the highest possible level. Remember,
the
Gods and Goddesses of Asatru are not our masters…they are models for our own
growth!
Change Yourself!
Years ago, I had a friend who was deeply involved in politics. He tried it all -
newsletters, meetings, distributing literature, forming a community. But as the
months turned into years he realized that there was a problem: Namely, the
quality of the human material provided by the so-called movement! Some were
stupid. Others were bright, but twisted with hate and negativity. Others were
drunks, or
incompetents, or cheats, or unreliable. Almost no one met the standards needed
to form a functioning community of dedicated and
idealistic activists.
Finally, my friend jettisoned the riff-raff. No more meetings. No more
newsletters. No more entertaining bums and hate-addicts. His
principles remained unchanged, but he turned to other methods to promote them.
In the years that followed, he worked with a much
smaller number of idealists, teaching meditation techniques for personal
spiritual evolution. He accomplished more - for his cause
and for himself - in the next year or two than in all the painful and
discouraging years that had gone before. "Change yourself and you
will change thousands!" he wrote. And he was right.
The way to purify the iron of Asatru lies in spiritual evolution. With effort,
we can transform it into a fine steel sword with which to hack out our destiny.
Strangely enough, Ananda - a yoga community in the county where I live -
provides a shining inspiration for us. Yoga is not really my thing, so it took
me a few years to overcome my preconceptions about these folks. In time, I came
to know quite a few of them, and I realized they have a lot to teach us. Members
of this community are expected to meditate twice a day, and to abstain from meat
and alcohol. Before they are allowed to become residents of the community, they
undergo a year's screening process that involves living under primitive
conditions and meditating a lot. Once admitted, their financial contribution to
Ananda makes most Christians, and nearly all Asatruar, look like misers.
Of course, one can always dismiss this level of commitment as the result of
brainwashing. Some Asatruar rationalize their own lack of effort - and lack of
monetary commitment - as a sign of independence and freedom. Any attempt to get
them to donate time, accept
responsibility, or put cash into the movement is met with accusations of "greed"
and "Christian-like" behavior. These are the Asatru
wannabees who think they're being generous when they pitch in the change from
their beer money. They would have only contempt for the
yoga practitioners at Ananda, and insist they were misguided and exploited. But
are the folks at Ananda mindless robots or hypnotized
sheep waiting to be shorn by a manipulating guru? On the contrary, I found them
intelligent, friendly, and dedicated. They are doing a lot
of things right, and the root of their success is daily practice aimed at
spiritual evolution.
I'm not suggesting we ought to become vegetarians or take up yoga - though maybe
we should - but there are plenty of things we can do
within an Asatru context to get our own evolution moving in high gear.
A Plan for Spiritual Evolution
We all need to work at improving ourselves - not randomly, not in a hit-or-miss
manner, but in a systematic and deliberate way.
So how do you do this?
· Assess yourself The first step is to take a look at where you are. Edred
Thorsson, in his Nine Doors of Midgard, describes a procedure in which the
individual makes two lists - one reflecting his or her desirable traits, and
another of his or her undesirable characteristics. This
isn't something to be done in a few minutes; a number of days should be given to
this task. Simply put, the idea is to increase or strengthen the good points,
and decrease or eliminate the bad ones. Some of you may want to assign a rune to
each trait, and use that as a basis for affirmations or runic exercises.
· Stress yourself It's easy for us to get into the habit of just going
with the flow. Evolution, however, requires stress. Learn to push yourself in
some respect every day. This may be physically, mentally, spiritually - or some
combination of these. The important thing is to remind yourself not to take the
easy way out.
· Strive to serve Most religions have their individual components, to be
sure, but we do not live in a vacuum. Our spiritual practice should not be so
self-centered that we slip into a sort of narcissism, isolated from others. Our
talents and capabilities should be brought to bear in
service to the Holy Powers, to the growth of Asatru in general, and to the Folk.
· Exercise your spirituality daily The Ananda people meditate twice
daily, in addition to numerous other religious duties and events. Each of us
should seek our equivalent of these daily devotions. My personal routine
includes meal blessings, a washing/purification rite, Greeting to the Sun,
meditation exercises concentrating on and manipulating the subtle energies
associated with breath, and runic exercises. Most days include a physical
workout, as well.
Your own practice may be different. The important thing is to find a program of
self-improvement which you can maintain over a long period of time. An
overly-strenuous regimen, which you drop after a few days, is not as good as a
more modest one that becomes a long-term habit.
The future of Asatru depends on us. We are the metal from which the sword is
fashioned. If we are weak, Asatru will be weak. If we are
strong, Asatru will reflect that strength.
Today is a good day to start!
"Change yourself, and you will change thousands!"
This article was reprint from Steven McNallen's website.
He is one of the great men in the Odinist/Asatru movement.