Asatru Folk Assembly - Expedition Truth： Women in Asatru with Brandy Callahan

00:00:00.000 we call it expedition truth and we know you're gonna love it you ready now somewhere among the

00:00:12.300 many competing voices in the world truth is just waiting to be discovered so sit back

00:00:19.700 open your mind to a world beyond your imagination a world where truth never feels questions

00:00:30.000 Welcome to Expedition Truth with your host, Jack Ashcraft.

00:00:35.780 And welcome to the program. I'm glad you joined us tonight.

00:00:39.280 I think we have an interesting discussion ahead of us.

00:00:43.840 We have talked in the past about Al Shatru,

00:00:49.640 and our discussions have been with Matthew Flavel for the most part.

00:00:55.760 And we've learned about the history, some of the beliefs and practices.

00:01:05.480 But one of the things we haven't really heard about, and I think it would be interesting to do so,

00:01:10.480 which is why I wanted to do tonight's show, and that is women in Al-Shatru.

00:01:15.640 and there are there are things in any given spiritual tradition that are unique to women

00:01:25.400 and their experiences that i think help us to understand aspects of a tradition that we

00:01:34.900 otherwise might not and so my guest tonight is a and i and please forgive my pronunciation out

00:01:43.540 there if you're an Alshatruar. My guest tonight is a Githya and a Witan member of the Alshatru

00:01:53.100 Folk Assembly. She found her way home to the AFA in the winter of 2018 and has faithfully served

00:01:59.560 her gods, her church, and its congregation. She was legally ordained in March 2021 and was announced

00:02:06.980 as a weton member in april of 2021 she has currently dedicated various programs within

00:02:14.500 the afa ranging from youth and clergy education to the official afa history project she is also

00:02:21.380 the presiding clergy at the baldur's off the third half of the aussitrew folk assembly

00:02:27.460 located in murdoch minnesota and provides management of the baldur's off district

00:02:32.660 stretching from north dakota to wisconsin and even south to texas and louisiana my guest tonight

00:02:40.420 is brandy callahan brandy welcome to the show thank you so much for having me on tonight

00:02:45.780 thank you for coming on um you mentioned in uh your bio when you shared that with me

00:02:54.340 that you found your way to the afa in the winter of 2018. can you give us a little bit of an idea

00:03:00.740 of your background before then, and what brought you to the FA?

00:03:07.740 Sure. So I've always had a deep interest in my ancestral roots and my family history. And I

00:03:14.540 come from a family who's very proud of their culture and of their lineage. And I myself was

00:03:22.120 actually raised as a Catholic. However, I did have influences in my life that helped me find

00:03:29.640 something of a deeper connection. So I've always had that connection to my ancestral

00:03:36.040 pre-Christian heritage since I was a teenager. I did attempt to find a place where I fit in

00:03:45.300 and a place where I belonged and a place that felt right. And I tried for several years to

00:03:50.920 find that in various other religions and i did find as a true in 2011 but i found the as a true

00:04:00.520 folk assembly in 2018 which really is where i felt like i truly came home what was it in in

00:04:07.880 catholicism that you felt was missing for you i wouldn't necessarily necessarily say that anything

00:04:15.160 was missing, it just didn't feel right to me. I didn't have that connection that I felt

00:04:21.920 when I was honoring my ancestors, when I was honoring my pre-Christian religion. It just

00:04:29.940 felt more like home to me, and it just felt more right for me.

00:04:33.280 Was the connection that you sensed in Al-Shutru one that, because you mentioned ancestors,

00:04:40.740 Was it one of the transcended belief and went to, well, blood, ancestry, soil, the land that your family came from?

00:04:55.160 Did it go deeper like that?

00:04:57.580 It did.

00:04:58.380 It very much came to a connection to my ancestors themselves.

00:05:03.680 I found myself praying more towards my female ancestry, my great-grandmothers.

00:05:10.740 um when i needed something rather than turning to god i was turning to my ancestors to my

00:05:18.500 grandmothers my mother's mother in particular when i was in crisis when i was afraid

00:05:26.020 when i was anxious when i was scared i always turned to her rather than turning

00:05:32.500 to god or to jesus or to one of the saints and that really led me to

00:05:37.860 to look into my connection to my blood ancestors and to their ancestors and to the legacy that they came from.

00:05:49.280 Yeah, I suppose I can understand that because, you know, your great-grandmother is someone,

00:05:56.640 I don't know if you knew her or not, I knew mine.

00:06:00.700 And, you know, there's a different relationship there than there is with, I guess, a sort of, I don't want to say impersonal deity because I don't believe that Christians believe in an impersonal deity.

00:06:23.740 But I think for someone who is searching for something more might find that there was a disconnect because there wasn't a deeper connection to this deity that they believed in and so could turn to someone like the great grandmother who they had a relationship with.

00:06:49.220 um so did you talk to her in I guess prayer or you know whether it's mental or otherwise

00:06:58.160 yeah I believe that would be the best way to describe it would be you know praying to her

00:07:03.280 asking for her advice and simply just having a conversation you know I knew my grandmother very

00:07:08.700 well I knew my great-grandmother very well um and I had grown up with stories of my great-great

00:07:14.200 grandmother and her mother those were stories that were passed down from generation to generation

00:07:18.540 and it was something that they were very proud of and you almost felt like I knew my great great

00:07:25.960 grandmother even though I had never met her just because her memory was kept alive through the

00:07:31.080 family and I always found myself more turning to them rather than turning to a deity and it was

00:07:38.260 really that that got me into searching for what would my ancestors have done before and that's

00:07:44.500 how I found the Aesir. And that's where I found my connection was through that investigation of

00:07:49.260 my ancestry. Yeah, I would imagine there were lessons that were passed down and maybe even

00:07:56.440 recipes and things like that that connected you to your great-grandmother and probably beyond.

00:08:04.560 Definitely. Yeah. So you find your way to the AFA. And what was your initial experience

00:08:14.500 being a woman in the AFA being a woman in the AFA is actually something that is really special

00:08:23.800 I have I do have experience in other organizations that are not as a true and what I found within the

00:08:31.420 AFA that really felt right to me was the respect of the women in the church that we have a voice

00:08:39.160 in the church that we really do have a role in as a true and in the as a true folk assembly

00:08:45.560 i really found that to be refreshing and encouraging and empowering all at the same time

00:08:53.080 so you do you feel like there was a well let me ask it is also true patriarchal

00:09:01.240 It is. It is patriarchal because our society, really back then and now, is patriarchal.

00:09:09.720 Our, you know, the As-True Folk Assembly is led by our share of the Matthew Flavel. Historically,

00:09:16.040 our families and our kindreds and our churches were run by Godar, by men. You know, they chose 1.00

00:09:24.360 the direction, and they were responsible for leading their people and their families to the 1.00

00:09:29.560 acer yeah i trust me i have no problem with that at all but um you know there might be women out 0.94

00:09:38.440 there listening who are thinking well patriarchy of course the typical leftist you know that's

00:09:43.640 mindless and that's unfortunate yes that's unfortunate one thing i really do like about

00:09:48.360 as a true in the as a true folk assembly is there is there's not an absence absence of men

00:09:57.400 or an absence of women there are both men and women there is both the masculine and the feminine

00:10:03.200 they both have a voice and they're not competing with one another for their place in the spotlight

00:10:09.460 or their place of authority or who's right and who's wrong there's no competition between our

00:10:14.700 men and women and that's something that's really wonderful to see yeah that's that's what's known

00:10:20.860 as complementarianism. And that's when each has a respective role and there is a hierarchy

00:10:30.080 and that hierarchy is respected and honored by everyone within their respective roles.

00:10:37.380 And in this case, specifically, masculine and feminine roles. What are some of the roles

00:10:44.440 unique to women in As-A-True? There are several. One of the most important roles that we have as

00:10:54.460 women in As-A-True is the support of one another. We have a very fierce and loving sisterhood of

00:11:01.720 women in the As-A-True Folk Assembly. We have a very strong network of women that have built a

00:11:07.220 very strong bond together and that they're there to help one another, to teach and inspire each

00:11:11.980 other. You know, they're there to support each other when they're down and celebrate them

00:11:16.020 when things are good. And we have a way of understanding each other in a way that only

00:11:21.020 sisters really can. So that's one thing I have found in the As True Folk Assembly that is

00:11:25.440 absolutely beautiful. And in my circumstances with my previous organizations I was part of,

00:11:32.580 is unique to the As True Folk Assembly. Yeah, you know, I'm most familiar with

00:11:38.420 some of the neo-pagan groups out there that you know they they claim to be well they're they're

00:11:44.980 all pretty leftist let's be honest um you know what you've got going on in those groups is really

00:11:50.780 neo-marxism under the guise of of paganism it's not even usually a real paganism um

00:11:59.500 and the thing is that there's a conflating of

00:12:05.880 or an inversion of the natural order

00:12:09.120 of masculine and feminine there

00:12:12.360 and did you experience that

00:12:16.140 when you were sort of finding your way

00:12:18.840 toward to Asatru?

00:12:22.920 Before I was Asatru I did see that 0.89

00:12:25.520 in the neo-pagan circles

00:12:27.260 There was a very heavy focus on women's empowerment, which when taken too far, which it is very often done, takes the importance of the masculine element away.

00:12:43.560 It's very important to have that duality, to have that masculine and that feminine.

00:12:47.340 And you shouldn't be in competition with one another because when you are, it's very easy to let one overpower the other.

00:12:53.560 And the others lose their importance in that role.

00:12:56.440 So since I found my way here to Azatru, I have not witnessed that.

00:13:01.120 That's good.

00:13:02.220 I wouldn't imagine you would find that in the AFA.

00:13:05.180 No.

00:13:07.160 I don't think they'd put up with somebody who came in and tried to disrupt things in that way.

00:13:14.640 So give me an idea of what you went through to be ordained clergy.

00:13:19.440 I did go through the Gothar program, which is a two-year course, one year of study, and also, you know, showing that you are competent in leading a district, in counseling, in providing religious services.

00:13:39.880 It is a year of a pretty intense study.

00:13:42.180 The program itself is not easy.

00:13:44.600 I did have direct mentorship from several of the Godar of the As-True Folk Assembly and from the Ashera Godi himself, teaching me very hands-on on the expectations of Agidea, the roles of Agidea, and the responsibilities of serving your folk and of your church.

00:14:04.420 So you had to learn what the rituals, history, traditions, etc.?

00:14:10.180 Yes, absolutely. Everything from how to conduct a bloat, which is our main ritual, to how to counsel someone who's in crisis or how to help someone find, you know, things as simple as, you know, helping someone connect with services that they may need.

00:14:30.900 You know, a family that's in crisis, just a family that's in need, or just someone who needs to talk, someone who just needs someone to be there, and also a way to provide that spiritual guidance, give them a way to connect to their gods and goddesses when they're in need.

00:14:47.880 Yeah, something that Matthew Flavel mentioned, I believe, in our last discussion together, was that the AFA is actually looking to develop a structure whereby it can care for its own in times of need, etc.

00:15:05.980 So, sort of its own social welfare net when it's needed.

00:15:13.100 but do you see women such as yourself taking an active role in that?

00:15:19.300 We do.

00:15:20.460 One of our main roles as women and as a true folk assembly 1.00

00:15:24.100 is to be called what we call a frith weaver,

00:15:26.640 to build those relationships and those reciprocal bonds

00:15:31.080 between sisters and between children and between families.

00:15:34.800 And, for example, with our ladies who are folk builders in Githias,

00:15:39.040 to actually take that a step further

00:15:40.400 and build the relationship between our families with the church itself.

00:15:44.100 And we do that through our counseling and we do that through our educational programs,

00:15:49.340 our homeschool program that we're developing, as well as our clergy program,

00:15:53.560 our adult education program as well, but to give them that opportunity to help build with their church

00:15:59.780 and build a relationship with their church.

00:16:02.580 And we also have services such as our folk services that can assist families who are in need

00:16:07.860 or as a Gideon perhaps help them give them some guidance

00:16:12.020 on where they can turn in their communities

00:16:13.540 or where they can turn in their church for assistance.

00:16:16.380 So you mentioned a homeschool curriculum.

00:16:20.560 Yes.

00:16:21.440 I'll ask this knowing the answer.

00:16:24.840 What made you decide to develop a homeschool curriculum?

00:16:31.100 The homeschool curriculum is something really to make sure

00:16:34.120 that we can take our values, our traditions, and our religion and teach that to our children

00:16:40.200 right alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic. All of the other required, or I shouldn't say

00:16:46.480 required, but all the other information that is pumped into our children to try to get them to

00:16:52.340 think a certain way and be in a certain way, oftentimes that is in conflict with our traditional

00:16:58.160 values and our conservative thoughts. And homeschooling your child is a direct opportunity

00:17:02.880 to make sure that you are instilling the values and traditions onto your children that you truly

00:17:07.820 want passed on. Yeah, I agree with you 100%. We homeschool our son as well. Public schools are

00:17:15.460 a pit of hell, in my opinion. They teach children, especially white children, to hate themselves 1.00

00:17:26.860 through critical race praxis, which, you know, they claim all day long.

00:17:33.160 They're not teaching it, but we all know they are.

00:17:35.120 We see it.

00:17:36.900 There have been children who have committed suicide because of this.

00:17:40.240 I mean, it's just flat-out evil.

00:17:42.660 So I applaud your efforts toward homeschooling.

00:17:47.940 That brings me to another question, and that is children.

00:17:52.860 um how does your faith inform how you raise children

00:18:01.400 we raise our children to worship the aesir we raise our children with a traditional mindset

00:18:09.420 we raise our children with the conservative values that we have um we very much want to

00:18:16.320 raise the next generation of azitru we very much want them to continue the legacy of the

00:18:22.500 as a true folk assembly. Everything that we do, whether it's creating these education programs

00:18:28.380 or even building the three beautiful Hoffs that we have, we are doing this for our children.

00:18:34.280 We are doing this so that they have a place of beauty to worship their gods, that they have a

00:18:40.140 place to gather with their folk, so that they have a place to celebrate. And everything that we do

00:18:45.980 is with them in mind so essentially the the focus is not just on the present but on the future and

00:18:58.620 and building something that will allow your children to to have what self-respect

00:19:07.660 healthy understanding and appreciation for their unique history etc

00:19:11.660 absolutely absolutely you know our australia godi has always said his children and now my

00:19:20.220 children are never going to know a world without hoffs dedicated to their gods and that hasn't

00:19:26.900 happened in in thousands of years um we are building a legacy and we are building a future

00:19:32.600 and it's it's not for us it's for our children and our children's children yeah i think it's

00:19:39.120 important that uh that you're putting together a homeschool curriculum toward that end as well

00:19:45.600 because they're going to be hit with a lot of influences in contemporary culture that is going

00:19:52.860 to try to undo everything you're trying to accomplish in what other ways are you

00:20:01.400 helping to counteract those negative cultural influences involving your children in your daily

00:20:12.480 as a true involving your children in events and in celebrations and in worship at a half

00:20:21.320 bringing your children and introducing them to other children just like them

00:20:26.600 at these events. That is one of the most wonderful things that I've seen being a mother myself is

00:20:31.840 bringing my two children into the As True Folk Assembly. They have met children who have the

00:20:38.140 same religious beliefs, the same values. They don't have to worry about if they're going to

00:20:44.300 be judged for their religion or their mindsets or their values. They don't have to worry about that.

00:20:50.820 They're with like-minded people and it encourages them and it lets them thrive and really be who

00:20:56.440 they are, without worry that they're going to be judged for their religion or traditions.

00:21:03.480 Would you permit your child to marry outside the faith? 0.57

00:21:11.240 To marry outside the faith, to be honest, and it is just a simple truth, a man and a

00:21:16.980 woman together in marriage really are moving towards a single goal.

00:21:20.980 and it's very very much encouraged and much easier and avoids a lot of conflict when you

00:21:28.620 have two people with the same ideals moving in the same direction so you know it's it's it's

00:21:37.280 very much a matter of being in tune and in step with each other you know it causes a lot less

00:21:42.900 a lot less slow down a lot less conflict when we all have the same idea of where we're going and

00:21:48.300 how we're raising our how we're raising our children and how we're making our home as a

00:21:52.940 true itself is a is a daily religion it's it's not something you only do when you're at the

00:21:58.220 half it's something you do every single day and it's something that affects your household every

00:22:02.240 single day and it is so much more easier and so much more beautiful when you have a man and a

00:22:08.820 woman going in the same direction i agree with the 100 you know most of our listeners are christians

00:22:14.280 and some of them out there might now right now be thinking what they couldn't marry a christian

00:22:19.880 well i mean how many christians want their children to marry a buddhist or an atheist

00:22:26.600 you know yeah as a mother that's that's my hope and dreams that they meet someone within the

00:22:31.080 church and carry on this legacy with with a wife of their own and children of their own

00:22:35.560 of course that makes complete sense and and i can appreciate that desire um i think it's a

00:22:43.400 it's a healthy approach if you really believe your faith and you've spent all this time and effort to

00:22:52.120 raise your children with these values and with this this same faith and of course you're going

00:22:57.880 to want them to to marry in that faith that is a part of your your family part of your history a

00:23:05.160 part of your your ancestry that makes complete sense so um yeah so if my christian listeners are

00:23:12.920 out there right now huffing and puffing at that uh you know christians do the same let's be honest

00:23:20.860 yeah so uh we've got a we got a break coming up so we'll talk with

00:23:26.980 brandy callahan more on the other side of the break

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00:28:11.220 Now, back to Expedition Truth with Jack Ashcraft, where the truth never fears questions.

00:28:18.900 Welcome back.

00:28:20.060 We're glad you're joining us.

00:28:21.380 If you just popped in, we were talking with Brandi Callahan about Al-Shitru.

00:28:28.180 She is a clergyman, clergywoman, sorry, in the Al-Shitru Folk Assembly.

00:28:34.900 And we're discussing women's experience in Al-Shitru and what that is like.

00:28:41.680 And Brandi, I know you're married.

00:28:43.820 I'm assuming you're a mother as well.

00:28:46.240 Yes, I am.

00:28:46.960 Okay. So, you know, we've been talking about the education of children, raising them, marriage, etc. Now, during the break, there was a term you used in the discussion we were having that I don't even want to hazard trying to say, because I will destroy it. But I wanted to know more about it. Can you share what that is?

00:29:11.800 I believe Frith Weaver, correct?

00:29:13.740 Yes, yes, please.

00:29:14.740 Yes. So one of a woman in Asshu, one of her most important roles is truly the role of the Frith weaver. Frith itself is a term that is often too simply classified as just peace. But Frith is so much more than that.

00:29:32.360 Frith is a defense of one another. Frith is that reciprocal give and take and gifting cycle between person to person, family to family. Frith is really that bond that just weaves individuals together.

00:29:48.280 And as women, we have this very unique talent for creating peace, for creating relationships with other women, with bonding our children together, whether it's a play date or just bringing each other over for Sunday dinners at our houses and letting our children play together.

00:30:12.040 That is something that just really comes natural to a woman and to a mother

00:30:16.780 is to help those children network and help those children create those bonds themselves 0.97

00:30:23.260 and in essence create the future.

00:30:26.500 We also create that frith with the families.

00:30:30.560 You know, there's often if there's any strife or if there's any miscommunications, 0.95

00:30:35.660 a lot of the time women have a very unique ability to... 1.00

00:30:42.040 work that out in a softer way, to take the emotions and to take all of those things and just 1.00

00:30:50.120 tie it into something that does not require fists and does not require as harsh words and does not

00:30:56.420 require a competition of who's winning, but more along the line of smooth that out and find the

00:31:02.800 common ground. You know, that's something that's very natural to a woman. And that's what we do. 1.00

00:31:07.760 You know, we bind children together, we bind ourselves together as sisters, we bind our

00:31:13.100 families from one to another, we bind those families to the church itself and in that

00:31:19.080 to the Aesir themselves.

00:31:21.760 Yeah, I think you're right. 0.93

00:31:25.300 The characteristics, the qualities of the feminine cannot be replaced.

00:31:32.600 and you know if we look at the culture at large and um how mothers are often not in the home

00:31:42.660 because they're forced to work um or they choose to work because they think that's what they're

00:31:47.760 supposed to do as strong women um and how the the cultural vampires on the left and some some on the 1.00

00:31:59.700 on the right. It would have us believe that a mother and father are not important to raising 1.00

00:32:09.920 children. I think that it's refreshing to find a faith like yours that takes a healthy,

00:32:20.820 organic approach to that and recognizes reality that both are needed and women are very important

00:32:28.920 to developing the qualities of compassion and peace, et cetera, as you mentioned.

00:32:37.420 I had an uncle that once always said, a man builds the house, but the woman makes the 0.98

00:32:44.300 home. 0.94

00:32:45.220 The man builds the walls, but it's the woman that maintains that home.

00:32:50.940 It's the woman that is the healer and the teacher and the bearer and the creator and

00:32:56.080 the peacemaker.

00:32:56.760 while the man is protecting that and building that. 1.00

00:33:01.100 And it's very much a role of a woman to allow that man to have that dream

00:33:07.940 and to build those things and to be that woman that helps push that dream forward,

00:33:14.760 to be the woman that helps fill that home with compassion and with spirituality and with love.

00:33:23.120 That is most definitely a role of a woman.

00:33:26.180 Yeah, the hearth keeper.

00:33:27.720 Yes, absolutely.

00:33:29.600 You know, it's wonderful for men to have these big, beautiful dreams, and it is so wonderful

00:33:35.520 to be that person that makes those dreams happen, that helps them on that path.

00:33:41.300 You know, we don't have to compete with them.

00:33:43.440 Let's all go forward in the same direction.

00:33:46.060 Are there specific traditions that you keep as a family?

00:33:51.600 My family personally?

00:33:53.400 Yeah, yeah.

00:33:54.000 They come from, it's spring forth from your faith.

00:33:57.400 We do have several.

00:33:58.760 We do have, you know, our major holidays and celebrations.

00:34:03.240 We do have specific traditions for each one of those.

00:34:06.500 We just had our spring holiday called Ostara, which is the coming of spring.

00:34:12.560 One of the traditions that I've done with my children since they were very young,

00:34:16.140 you know, the symbology between the rabbits and the eggs, for example,

00:34:21.260 is very relevant to Ostara, very much like it is for Easter for a Christian.

00:34:27.160 One thing that we've always done is we always hollowed out an egg

00:34:30.560 and rolled up a wish or a hope or a goal that we had.

00:34:36.140 And we would paint the egg and we would roll that up and put it inside the egg.

00:34:40.240 And my children would put it in a nest on our family altar.

00:34:43.780 And every morning they would go down and they would whisper encouragement to that egg

00:34:47.420 to grow it and to help it manifest into reality.

00:34:51.260 as part of their morning offerings.

00:34:53.300 That's one spring tradition that we had,

00:34:55.960 just coming to mind with the current holiday.

00:34:58.520 Right, right.

00:34:59.440 Yeah, I think those kinds of traditions are important.

00:35:03.680 You know, families in the West used to have these traditions.

00:35:07.420 In the East, you still see them.

00:35:09.540 In the West, not so much.

00:35:13.660 And it's a shame.

00:35:15.120 So do you have any experience of women coming into the AFA who are fresh out of the culture of death that we live in today and bring in some of those attitudes with them and have to unlearn them?

00:35:39.420 Yes, and I do believe that that network of women that we have that I talked about on

00:35:44.660 our first part of the show here, that really strong bond that the women have formed together,

00:35:50.000 we have had women that have come in, you know, either for one reason or another have found

00:35:56.100 the Azitru Folk Assembly and they bring ideas that may sometimes be in conflict with the

00:36:03.620 true north of as a true um the prime example of that would be this myth of a shield maiden

00:36:12.100 you feel you see a lot of women these days um whether on one social media or tick tock or 0.95

00:36:20.440 youtube where they paint their face and wield an axe you know that is not the role of a woman 0.65

00:36:28.000 and as a true you know i mean it's it's silly in a way but sometimes we do need to you know bring

00:36:35.960 those women in their in their ideals and and let them know where their true strength lies

00:36:41.880 your true strength of a woman does is not based on how you have your hair braided and how revealing 1.00

00:36:50.540 your leather dresses and how far you can swing that axe that's not your strength as a woman 0.86

00:36:56.720 And your strength as a woman is found in your sisterhood. 1.00

00:37:01.200 It's found in your relationship with the A-seer. 0.95

00:37:03.500 It's found in your relationship with your D-seer, which is our female ancestors. 0.98

00:37:09.560 You know, looking back on our deeds and on our words and on our actions, you know, that's your strength.

00:37:16.800 Your strength is the history that you keep alive.

00:37:21.340 And your strength in mortality is the legacy that you leave.

00:37:26.720 and the future that you create for your children you know i was just looking at your photograph

00:37:31.440 here with your bio and this is what strikes me you are very modestly dressed um i don't see

00:37:41.920 a lot of makeup on your face if any at all no i don't if and your hair is its natural color thank

00:37:50.960 god if if someone saw you on the street as modest as you are as traditional as you look

00:38:04.720 and i'm sure your behavior matches it they would think that you were a very conservative christian

00:38:10.640 is is this sort of modesty typical of women in the afa the women of the afa know where their

00:38:24.880 true strength is um the women of the afa know who they are as women that is one of the benefits of

00:38:32.120 being part of of this church um we don't have to be extravagant we don't need to be ferocious

00:38:42.640 warrior women like xeno warrior princess or something like that we don't need to do that

00:38:48.300 um and we're not we're not in competition with other women in society we know who we are 0.58

00:38:55.920 We are strong, conservative, traditional, family-oriented women. 0.91

00:39:03.200 Yeah, and I think what really strikes me is that even, and this is a sad reality, is that even within Christianity, even some conservative circles of Christianity, women dress like the surrounding culture quite often. 0.82

00:39:19.200 And that has the effect of sexualizing them, of, I think, marring their inherent dignity.

00:39:32.740 And what I'm getting from you is that Alshatru really demands that that inherent dignity be honored.

00:39:43.080 I truly feel that femininity is much more beautiful than being sexualized. Being feminine,

00:39:51.980 being comfortable in that is so much more important than attracting attention just for

00:39:57.480 the sake of attracting attention. One thing that you will notice when you see pictures

00:40:02.180 of our gatherings or of our services, a lot of the women look absolutely stunning in these

00:40:08.160 beautiful dresses or the fascinators on their heads. Everybody loves to look their best,

00:40:14.500 you know, and we encourage our folk, men and women, that when you go before your gods and

00:40:20.920 when you go before your ancestors, bring the best of yourself, not only in thought, not only in

00:40:26.860 spirit, not only in state of mind, but also in state of physicalness, your physical body,

00:40:33.220 the way you dress and the way you hold yourself we bring the best of ourselves to our gods we

00:40:38.420 bring the best of ourselves to our ancestors and we bring the best of ourselves to the house and

00:40:43.700 to our events well you're a beautiful intelligent woman and you know your husband's definitely

00:40:49.460 blessed um thank you um so what do you think then is the the most important thing in alsatru

00:41:02.660 for a woman who is perhaps interested in coming in but is a little nervous

00:41:09.220 what do you think the most important thing is for her to know i think the most important thing for

00:41:14.900 a woman who is interested in joining the As-a-True Folk Assembly is to know that there are other

00:41:21.220 women in the As-a-True Folk Assembly. We have a very, very large group of strong women who would

00:41:28.380 help her in any way that they could. When we have events and celebrations at our hafs and at other

00:41:36.220 areas, we make time to get our women together, specifically just us women, and spend time

00:41:43.860 together and build bonds together she would find support in the as a true folk assembly she would

00:41:48.660 find education in the as a true folk assembly she would find a home for herself and her children

00:41:55.780 in the church choosing choosing media and entertainment in the home is something that's

00:42:07.620 very important today as you know i'm sure we have to be very careful about what we let come into our

00:42:14.420 homes um how do you screen what your family sees and hears and uh what what forms of entertainment

00:42:29.300 would you recommend to be honest we don't have cable in my home we have uh streaming services

00:42:37.860 that are that are monitored with parental settings um and they they see what is age

00:42:44.260 appropriate and they see what we believe is ethically appropriate for them um it is it can

00:42:52.100 be my children fortunately are avid readers avid readers so they can constantly be found with a

00:43:00.260 book most of the time um you know for for example my my youngest son was recently gifted a book on

00:43:07.780 theodore roosevelt theodore roosevelt that he is reading through and absolutely loves

00:43:14.100 and that was a book that was given to him just to give him some inspiration and motivated motivation

00:43:20.420 and the things that he goes through.

00:43:22.340 And that was actually gifted to him by R.S.

00:43:25.560 Yeragoti's wife.

00:43:27.020 You know, that's the consideration that our women put into each other's families 1.00

00:43:32.120 and each other's children. 0.99

00:43:33.540 You know, we reach out to each other.

00:43:35.200 We take care of each other.

00:43:36.760 You know, and that's an example of a true frith weaving right there,

00:43:40.380 knowing that, you know, my son was struggling with some asthma issues

00:43:44.440 and Teddy Roosevelt did the same thing.

00:43:46.920 And here's a book on how he overcame it.

00:43:48.620 You know, to think of another's children as if they were your own.

00:43:52.220 I mean, that's something beautiful and so rare in today's modern age.

00:43:57.500 I know I got a little sideline there, but that's just an example of the support that this church and this religion gives to the families that we have.

00:44:07.620 So are there forms of entertainment that you would recommend to parents who want to avoid the same things that you do?

00:44:15.900 Absolutely.

00:44:16.660 Bring your children to one of the hosts of the Azitru Folk Assembly

00:44:19.400 or one of the meet and greets or many moots that we have around the country.

00:44:22.820 Take part in some games of physical exertion and excellence

00:44:28.400 and listen to some lore studies and reading of mythology

00:44:32.560 and learn some traditional dancing while you're there.

00:44:35.860 That's my best advice for entertainment,

00:44:37.920 for anyone looking for very good traditional values

00:44:44.260 instilled upon your children.

00:44:46.160 Come out to an event, come out to the Hoff,

00:44:47.920 come out to a moot, spend time with the folk.

00:44:50.540 Actually sounds like fun.

00:44:52.420 It is, it's a great time.

00:44:54.180 And kids usually love mythology.

00:44:57.700 They do, they absolutely do.

00:45:00.060 I mean, it's fascinating stuff when you get into it.

00:45:02.440 I mean, I took a class on it in college

00:45:04.420 and I found it fascinating even then as an adult.

00:45:07.160 mm-hmm so it sounds to me like that the role of women is is very important and

00:45:18.020 and also true is that somehow connected to know we you've talked about the gods

00:45:25.160 there are goddesses I'm assuming yeah is there a connection there and if so what

00:45:32.480 is it? Yes, absolutely. The gods are very important in our lore, but the goddesses are

00:45:39.960 also very important in our lore, and our Gythias primarily are that conduit and that connection

00:45:46.000 to that feminine power of our goddesses. We have our main goddesses that everyone knows about. We 0.52

00:45:53.000 have Frigga, you know, the wife of Odin. We have Freya. We have also lesser-known goddesses that 0.95

00:45:59.720 not everybody knows so much about you know for example we have the goddess saga you know who

00:46:06.200 serves odin beverages from a golden cup and listens to his stories you know she's someone

00:46:11.800 that we get inspiration from to make sure that we preserve our history and our memories and we and we

00:46:17.720 keep those memories alive you know we have the goddess air who was known as the greatest doctor

00:46:23.820 the healer you know those are all things that we as women can take inspiration from you know as

00:46:29.900 women it is our role to make sure that our the memories of our children are preserved that we

00:46:35.740 remember those first steps those first words um and that we also share the stories of our ancestors

00:46:42.060 with our children and at the same time um with air there's nothing more healing than a mother's touch

00:46:47.740 You know, women have a natural ability to heal, whether it be physical, spiritual, or emotional. 0.99

00:46:55.080 And we can find examples of that in our goddesses.

00:46:58.600 That brings me up a question.

00:47:00.880 Do you, how do you feel about modern medicine?

00:47:05.520 I would assume you're not adversarial to it, but do you also look toward more, I guess, homeopathic remedies?

00:47:14.060 No, it's really going to be determined by the needs of the family.

00:47:17.740 You know, the As a True Folk Assembly itself is not anti-vaccination or anything like that, but we do feel that they should do what is best for their families medically and what it is that they feel is correct, whether it's to vaccinate or not to vaccinate, whether it's to seek chemo or not to seek chemo.

00:47:39.860 You know, that's really something that they need to evaluate at a family level, an individual level.

00:47:47.080 But that being said, should they ever have a spiritual question that they want to work through in regards to that,

00:47:52.160 we have Godar available that would most definitely help them in that spiritual journey to decide what was right for them.

00:48:00.420 How has your family reacted to your faith?

00:48:03.780 my family is one of the most supportive families that you'll ever find in regards to as a true

00:48:11.780 um i do share the story that you know i come from a very catholic background however my parents have

00:48:20.380 seen the improvements and how i've how i've matured and grown as a person and how i personally

00:48:31.640 have become a better person because of Azzatru, because of my relationships with my gods and

00:48:40.360 my goddesses and my ancestors.

00:48:42.520 You know, I strive to be that woman now that my grandmother would be proud of.

00:48:48.140 I want my great-grandmother to be proud of me.

00:48:51.100 I want my children to be proud of me.

00:48:53.800 I want my gods to see my deeds.

00:48:55.820 and it has just changed me into a much more spiritual and aware person and in turn has

00:49:03.880 turned me into such a better person, a better wife, a better mother, a better friend.

00:49:11.000 Yeah, you know, in talking to you just in this brief time, I can tell you're a good wife,

00:49:19.320 good mother, and an intelligent woman, it's hard to imagine you not being those things.

00:49:28.900 And I think that's a credit to your tenacity, you know, sticking to your faith and to living

00:49:37.320 what you believe to be true. Thank you. You're welcome. Are there any books or anything that

00:49:46.200 you could recommend to women uh that would help them specifically on as a true absolutely for

00:49:53.300 those who are just starting out as a true we always recommend uh as true native spirituality

00:49:58.300 by stephen mcnallan he is the the father of modern as true and he is the founder of the

00:50:04.580 as true folk assembly so his book is most definitely on the to read pile um also lady

00:50:10.040 with a mead cup i definitely would recommend reading that book um and in turn with that beowulf

00:50:16.600 as well the story of beowulf um those are probably the two as a woman that i would start with those

00:50:23.720 two books yeah i think uh mcdalen didn't he retire a few years back yes he's still retired

00:50:30.760 but he's still around here kicking up dirt and having a good time he's still here with us

00:50:35.640 yeah i i knew he had retired um and if i remember right he comes from a catholic background as well

00:50:43.240 he sure does he sure does that's what i remember yeah um i had a brief interaction with him

00:50:50.040 before his retirement actually and uh was talking to him about the possibility of coming on the show

00:50:58.280 But I think he was probably shying away because of the usual abuse that I'm sure he had received.

00:51:08.060 Yes, yes, he's a wonderful man.

00:51:10.880 He was a nice guy when I talked to him, definitely.

00:51:13.660 And Matthew Flavel was impressive.

00:51:18.260 Oh, yes.

00:51:19.020 Very intelligent guy, really easy to talk to, knowledgeable.

00:51:23.920 So I have to say that my impression of the Alshatrui Folk Assembly is, on the whole, very positive.

00:51:36.280 And I really appreciate you coming on to fill in that gap for us about the women in Alshatrui.

00:51:44.980 And Mrs. Callahan, I wish you and your family the best.

00:51:49.860 Thank you so much for having me.

00:51:51.180 Thank you for being here from us here at Expedition Truth.

00:51:54.700 That's the end of tonight's Expedition.

00:51:57.080 Take care, everyone.

00:51:58.140 Have a good evening.

00:52:03.380 You've been listening to Expedition Truth, hosted by Jack Ashcraft.

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Asatru Folk Assembly - March 25, 2022

Expedition Truth： Women in Asatru with Brandy Callahan

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