Asatru Folk Assembly - March 03, 2021


Introduction to Asatru and the AFA (2010)

Hosted by
Steve McNallen
Mentioned
Chris Steve McNallan Stephen Paulington Middle Class American Bertha Figard Matt Hatter Jamber Moot Scott Moll Kat Burke Jordanus Asatruir Ausatru Thorgan Michael Heruli Sheila Goths Katie
Stephen McNallen the Importance of the Kennewick Man (1) Asatru and Myth (2012)

Episode Stats


Length

16 minutes

Words per minute

120.84

Word count

1,998

Sentence count

102

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged

Hate speech

3

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Steve McNallan, founder of the Asatru Folk Assembly, gives a brief introduction to the organization and its mission. The second part of tonight's podcast will examine how the values of the AFA actually affect what our organization actually does.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! 0.97
00:00:30.000 This is Steve McNallan of the Asatru Folk Assembly bringing you the latest on the revival
00:00:40.380 of the ancestral faith of Northern Europe and the awakening of the European descended
00:00:45.760 peoples everywhere.
00:00:48.060 The gods and goddesses never went away.
00:00:50.640 They are with us always.
00:00:52.600 And now they stir and we reclaim our spiritual birthright.
00:00:57.140 A glorious dawn awaits.
00:01:00.000 Hail our awakening!
00:01:02.000 Hail us a true rising!
00:01:06.020 Chris writes,
00:01:07.380 I just wanted to take the time and thank you for all the hard work you have done with the AFA.
00:01:13.100 Your articles posted on the AFA website are what convinced me to finally choose the path of my ancestors.
00:01:20.280 If it had not been for those articles, I might still be aimlessly wandering on my spiritual path.
00:01:27.160 Keep up the outstanding work and know that there are others out there just like me
00:01:32.300 that will bump into your website and receive inspiration from your words.
00:01:37.380 Chris, thank you for letting us know we have made a difference in your life.
00:01:41.820 I hope all our listeners will visit our site at www.runestone.org
00:01:47.280 and read some of the articles that made such an impact on Chris.
00:01:51.880 The voice of the ancestors is calling you home.
00:01:56.360 This is our very first podcast from Alsatru Rising.
00:02:00.400 It is important to me that Alsatru Rising develops an audience that includes not just people who are already following Alsatru,
00:02:09.000 but ordinary men and women who barely know what we are about.
00:02:13.280 I want Mr. and Ms. Middle American to understand that what we have is completely relevant to the issues they face in daily life.
00:02:22.540 With that in mind, the first part of tonight's program is a simple introduction to what Alsatru is, a native European religion.
00:02:33.780 I'll give a little information on the historical background of our faith and impart at least an idea of the attitude or the spirit that underlies it.
00:02:43.060 The second part of tonight's podcast will examine how the values of Asatru affect what our organization, the Asatru Folk Assembly, actually does.
00:02:54.400 Without further introduction, then, let's begin.
00:02:58.620 What is Asatru?
00:03:02.360 Asatru is an expression of the native pre-Christian spirituality of Europe.
00:03:08.840 More specifically, it is the way by which the Germanic peoples have traditionally related
00:03:13.800 to the divine and to the world around them. From Iceland to Russia, from the frozen north
00:03:20.760 of Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, the Germanic peoples wandered and settled over a span of
00:03:27.080 thousands of years. Today, their descendants are spread around the world.
00:03:32.280 world. 0.82
00:03:33.880 We may refer to ourselves as Americans or English, Germans or Canadians, but behind
00:03:40.040 these labels lurks an older, more essential identity.
00:03:45.820 Our forefathers were Engels and Saxons, Lombards and Heruli, Goths and Vikings, and, as sons
00:03:53.660 and daughters of these peoples, we are united by ties of blood and culture, undimmed by
00:04:00.740 the centuries. Asatru is our native way. Just as there is Native American
00:04:08.880 religion and Native African religion, so there is a Native European religion.
00:04:15.020 Asatru is one of its expressions. It gave our ancestors comfort in millennia past
00:04:21.480 and it can give us strength and inspiration today. The word Asatru comes
00:04:29.340 to us from Old Norse, the tongue of the ancient Scandinavians, where it means those loyal
00:04:34.780 to the gods. Since the ancient Scandinavian version of our way is the best documented one,
00:04:41.260 it has given us much of Ausatru's terminology and imagery. The soul of Ausatru, however, is not
00:04:48.140 confined to the Scandinavian model, but encapsulates the beliefs of all the Germanic peoples.
00:04:54.940 Indeed, Asatru reflects the deeper religiosity common to virtually all of the nations of Europe.
00:05:04.080 As part of the great European folkway, Asatru has a number of characteristic beliefs.
00:05:10.240 Some of these are, number one, the world is good, prosperity is good, life is good, and we should live it with joy and enthusiasm.
00:05:21.920 Number two, we are free to shape our lives to the extent allowed by our skill, courage, and might.
00:05:31.780 There is no predestination, no fatalism, no limitations imposed by the will of any external deity.
00:05:40.440 Number three, we do not need salvation.
00:05:44.300 All we need is the freedom to face our destiny with courage and honor.
00:05:49.420 number four we are connected to all our ancestors they are a part of us we in turn will be a part
00:06:01.120 of our descendants number five we are also linked to all our living kin to our families
00:06:10.780 and to every man and woman rooted in the tribes of Europe they are our greater family
00:06:16.920 number six we are connected to nature and subject to its laws the holy powers often
00:06:25.800 express themselves in nature's beauty and might number seven we believe that morality does not
00:06:33.840 depend on commandments but rather arises from the dignity and honor of the noble-minded man
00:06:40.140 and woman number eight we do not fear the holy powers or consider ourselves
00:06:47.280 their slaves on the contrary we share community and fellowship with the divine
00:06:53.640 the holy powers encourage us to grow and advance to higher levels and number nine
00:07:01.980 we honor the holy powers under the names given them by our northern Germanic
00:07:07.740 ancestors we practice also true by honoring the turning of the seasons the
00:07:16.660 ancestors the divine and ourselves in everyday life also true is about roots
00:07:25.360 it's about connections it's about coming home in the last few minutes I've given
00:07:35.700 you a very quick overview of Asatru. When we resume with part two, after a few
00:07:41.160 announcements, I will describe how the Asatru Folk Assembly on the
00:07:45.540 organizational level puts some of our beliefs into action.
00:07:51.700 Sheila and I, as well as many other AFA members, will be at the Northwest All-Heathen Jambermoot in Scott Mill, Oregon from July the 30th to August the 1st.
00:08:12.780 This event is a great opportunity to meet others who share our same traditions, values, and connections to our gods and ancestors.
00:08:21.680 Now, the AFA has rented a yurt at the site for socializing and for rituals.
00:08:27.020 Other well-known AFA members who will be there include Thorgan and Katie,
00:08:30.860 and of course our Northwest Folk Builders, Michael and Kat Burke, among others.
00:08:35.380 This is a non-denominational, non-political gathering.
00:08:39.060 No matter what branch of Germanic religion you follow,
00:08:42.940 regardless of your organizational affiliation or lack of one,
00:08:46.340 Jamber Moot is an invitation to get to know one another on a personal basis.
00:08:53.380 For more information, contact Bertha Figard.
00:08:56.720 Her email address is befigard at yahoo.com.
00:09:07.500 I hope we'll see some of you there.
00:09:08.760 the afa's recent midsummer gathering set a new standard for such events you can see our slideshow
00:09:18.700 set to the magical music of lasher keen on youtube under the title midsummer 2010 asa true folk
00:09:26.260 assembly and it will be on our website as well at www.runestone.org
00:09:33.420 Do you want to study the runes, but are having trouble finding a short, simple, and useful
00:09:41.660 guide to launch your efforts?
00:09:43.700 A Runic Inspiration by Stephen A. McNallan and Matty Hutter is a compact, extremely practical
00:09:49.760 introduction to using the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark for your daily meditations.
00:09:55.600 Each page includes the key concepts surrounding one of the runes, plus a relevant affirmation
00:10:01.620 and an original poem by A.J. Dillon Davis.
00:10:05.260 It's designed to be easily carried,
00:10:07.200 and its spiral binding allows it to lie open for easy reference during meditation and ritual.
00:10:14.040 You can order it from the online store at the Asatru Folk Assembly website, www.runestone.org.
00:10:23.700 Are you in the mood for some powerful, well-crafted articles on Germanic religion,
00:10:28.700 radical traditionalism, and folk culture?
00:10:30.780 then you need to discover Tear.
00:10:33.920 Each of the three Tear issues published to date
00:10:36.740 is packed with hundreds of pages of stimulating essays
00:10:39.740 by such luminaries as Julius Evola,
00:10:43.240 Alain de Benoit, Steve Paulington,
00:10:46.000 Edward Thorson, Nigel Pennick, and many more.
00:10:49.340 To order and to see details of the contents of each issue,
00:10:52.680 visit the Asitrut Folk Assembly's online store
00:10:56.240 by going to www.runestone.org.
00:11:09.100 In part one, I introduced the idea of Asatru as a native European religion
00:11:14.540 with a strong set of beliefs.
00:11:16.860 But from the standpoint of an organization,
00:11:19.200 how does the AFA function in regard to these beliefs?
00:11:23.840 As an aid to answering this question,
00:11:26.240 I pulled out an article I wrote back in the summer of 2000, almost exactly ten years ago.
00:11:33.340 It's just as true today as it was back then.
00:11:36.500 In that article, I spelled out five ways we make our organizational values a reality.
00:11:45.060 Number one.
00:11:47.500 Because we revere our holy gods and goddesses and treasure the wisdom of our ancestors, 0.92
00:11:53.200 The AFA practices, promotes, and develops the religion of Al-Satru.
00:11:59.640 Over the years, we have sponsored countless gatherings, composed rituals, written supporting 0.69
00:12:04.380 documentation, and produced informative materials designed to tell others about the way of the
00:12:10.500 Northlands.
00:12:13.000 Number two, because we are linked to all our kin and wish to see them thrive, the AFA works
00:12:19.920 for the good of the folk.
00:12:22.320 We serve the folk within, those who have already returned to their religion which is their
00:12:26.940 birthright, and the folk without, those who share our ancestry but who have not yet come
00:12:33.180 to the ways of their forebears.
00:12:35.880 Anything which aids the survival and welfare of our people is, ultimately, spiritual in
00:12:40.700 nature.
00:12:43.440 3.
00:12:45.840 Because we believe that kins stand together in support of each other and in the honoring
00:12:51.200 of our gods and goddesses, the AFA builds social structures consistent with our heritage
00:12:57.540 and history.
00:13:00.600 While Asatru has a personal, individual component, as do all religions, it also has a collective
00:13:06.580 or a group aspect.
00:13:08.960 Through our folk builders, we seek to construct supportive networks at family, kindred, and
00:13:14.060 higher levels which will serve all our members.
00:13:19.720 Number four, because we value the freedom and dignity which arose from the traditional
00:13:24.820 social structure of the Germanic peoples, the AFA is the mother of tribes, or as the
00:13:31.980 Gothic historian Jordanus called the ancient Northlands, a womb of nations.
00:13:40.020 One of our tasks is to seed the re-tribalization of Asatruir and give birth to the reconstructed
00:13:46.040 European tribes.
00:13:48.640 This is an extension of creating the social structures described earlier, and it is also
00:13:53.280 one of the most important ways we work for the long-term good of our folk.
00:13:58.980 Number five, because we want to see a world in which differences are honored and preserved,
00:14:07.080 the AFA stands proudly among the other ethno-religious entities from around the world, cooperating
00:14:14.200 with all who wish to preserve the varied human mosaic in opposition to global monoculture.
00:14:22.500 Ours is a native religion, the product of our unique spirituality, and we stand in support
00:14:28.440 of other native groups which seek to preserve their identity and their ancestral heritage.
00:14:37.200 What I have presented in this podcast is only the beginning of the Asatru story.
00:14:43.300 The last few decades have witnessed the dramatic rebirth of our ancient, yet ever new, religion.
00:14:50.380 You can be a part of this rebirth.
00:14:52.980 I urge you to subscribe to this podcast.
00:14:55.820 I am committed to putting out our message once a week.
00:15:00.400 Sometimes our program will be shorter than this one, just some relevant news and comments,
00:15:04.980 perhaps insight into the nature and practice of our religion.
00:15:09.300 Other times it will be longer.
00:15:11.860 it will be an interview but i will be here slugging away serving the gods and the ancestors
00:15:18.900 subscribe and you'll get every installment i also urge you to visit the afa's website
00:15:26.180 and if you like what you see there get involved we want men and women of quality and commitment
00:15:32.980 as afa members people who are both idealists and realists folk who wish to live their lives
00:15:40.260 imbued with a heroic outlook these are saga times and we are writing our sagas with our daily lives
00:15:49.300 help us write this chapter only when we realize we are a river will we stop drowning in puddles
00:16:00.020 This is Steve McNallan of the Asatru Folk Assembly. I'll be back next week.
00:16:30.020 You