A short poem for all those who are sick and tired of this long, hard winter !


The Sun shines,
But gives no warmth.
The wind blows,
But gives scant comfort.
The rains fall,
But nothing grows.


The branches hold promise,
But there are no shoots.
The nests are still here,
But I hear no chirping.
The lakes full of fish,
But the surface is frozen.


My heart yearns,
But remains unfulfilled.
My eyes search,
But life is hidden.
My soul is empty,
But there is nothing to embrace.


Winter's grip is still upon us,
Muffling all the sounds of Spring.
Freyja and Freyr, please hear me,
I beg you, let life begin !

- Glenn Bergen, February, 2011.

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection !

In the Northeast it has been a brutal and long winter. The ground in my garden has been either snow covered or frozen since December 27th, and performing the Charming of the Plow ritual had been impossible until today. The temperature only reached about forty today, but it was enough to allow me to put the shovel into  Mother Earth and "plow" it over, and crumble an offering of cake and wheat germ into the muddy soil. To this I added a toast of water, which represents the nourishing rains to come. I asked Freyr for good growing weather and Sunna for her warming glow. But most of all I asked for this long hard winter to end, and the growing season to begin. I so want to see the first buds on the trees, and the return of the life to the Northeast where I live. I miss the smell of a gentle rain on a warm spring day and the chirping of birds as they nest in my gutters. And oh, to see a butterfly fluttering to a flower to nourish itself on nectar. Nature is so much more interesting to watch than any modern video device.   

A fellow blogger wrote that she was putting up spring equinox decorations yesterday, so I guess there is hope that this winter will end soon. I guess I should be happy that it is ending and that this was not the great Fimbulvetr written of in the Eddas. As you get older the winters get harder and harder to endure and patience for the warming of spring is hard to come by. I think I will hail this spring equinox as never before. I really will appreciate it this year. I will leave you with two Norwegian Spring Charms, circa, 1000 A.D.

1. Now it is late winter.
    Years ago,
    I walked through a spring wind
    Bending green wheat
    In a field near Trondhjem.

2. Black snow,
    Like a strange sea creature,
    Draws back into itself,
    Restoring grass to earth.

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's 
      

I don't really believe much in the supernatural world of ghosts, and spirits, at least not the way you see them in the movies and on television. I don't see them, and cannot communicate with them in any way shape or form, although I wish I could. If I had this ability I would be talking to my mom and my grandparents all the time. Actually, I do talk to them, but the conversations are always one - sided. I just hope they hear me ! I must admit, however, that at certain times, in certain places, I can feel them ! The way you feel when somebody is staring at you, or when you know someone is standing behind you even though you cannot see or hear them.


No place that I have ever been have I felt them more strongly than at the civil war battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Whether I am standing by Willoughby Creek, the Railroad Cut, The Peach Orchard, The Wheatfield, Devil's Den, Culp's Hill, or standing on Big or Little Round Top, they are there, and have been there since that monumental battle on July 1 -3, 1863. I feel them most in the places they died en masse such as the fields of Pickett's Charge, and the High Water Mark. But I sense them everywhere on these sacred grounds.

Why are they still there ? I am sure that spiritualists will tell you it has to do with lives ended before their time, or spirits trapped on Earth . I think it has more to do with the duty, honor and friendship they had for each other and the respect they had for their foes. Remember back then there was still a sense of chivalry, and descency, and respect, even in a time of brutal conflict. I do not believe that they are trapped at all in these fields and hills of Southern Pennsylvania, they are there because it is where they belong. It was their destiny to fight and die in that place, on those dates, and in this series of battles. These men remain here because their fellow soldiers were their brothers in arms, and their adopted family away from home. Their presense adds to the sacredness of these hallowed grounds.


These battle sites are for them their courtyard of Valhalla where they re-live the hardships, horrors, and glory of what they experienced all those years ago. Do they still fight the battles daily ? I don't know. What I sense is a great peacefulness in these now sacred sites. A sense of glory and pride that they have established from their many brave and heroic deeds. It permeates this place like fog in the morning air. And if you have any feelings as a human being, you cannot help but get caught up in it as well !

As a student of history I have visited many battlefields; Antietam, Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Petersburg, The Wilderness, Bunker Hill ( Breeds Hill ), Princeton, Trenton, Monmouth, Yorktown, etc..., but no where else have I felt the souls of those who died as strongly as I do at Gettysburg. When I stand before the monument that marks where John F. Reynolds was killed at the beginning of the 3 day battle while directing his troops into position, I can almost hear the confederate gun fire the shot that knocked him from his horse killing him. If you open up your mind and your heart in this place you can almost see the entire battle take place before you. It is an incredible feeling !


I went to this special place for about ten years in a row, but realized recently that I have not been there since 2005 ! Has it really been six years ?! That is why this March I am going back to this magical place called Gettysburg. I want to experience that feeling again. I want to walk , once more, in the footsteps of our greatest heroes and see through their eyes what they saw on those historic days in 1863. Going back will be like visiting old friends. I am so looking foward to it !    


" In a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. "


Excerpt from The Gettysburg Address  - Abraham Lincoln.

For further reading on this pivotal moment in U.S. history I recommend the following books:

Gettysburg - The First Day, by Harry W. Pfanz
Gettysburg - The Second Day, by Harry W. Pfanz
Gettysburg - Day Three, by Jeffry D. Wert
Pickett's Charge - The Last Attack At Gettysburg, by Earl J. Hess
Retreat from Gettysburg, by Kent Masterson Brown

Read these books, go there, and experience glory !

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection ! 

  

                  

Religion is a wonderful thing ! It is without a doubt one of the most important things that has ever happened to me in my life. It has opened up new avenues of thought, spiritual belief, and feelings that I never imagined possible, for an old tough guy like me. It has made me a better person to myself and to others, and made me realize that life itself is what is most important. The Gods and Goddesses blessed us with the great gift of life and it is our responsibility to live it well and in balance.
 

However, religion must be kept in an equalibrium with the rest of our lives and activities. Too little and you can stray from the path the Gods and Goddesses have set your feet upon. On the other hand, too much religion can become an obsession that can change your personality and your outlook on the rest of your life. Some extreme examples of this have happened over the past few decades, including the Jim Jones massacre and the David Koresh, Waco, Texas, cult disaster. More recently we had the Reverend Terry Jones threatening to burn copies of the Koran ! There is a very fine line between knowing the Gods are speaking to you and thinking they have chosen you, and only you, for some great endeavor or purpose. It is at that point that you become obsessive and start having feelings of megalomania. When I was in college, in my psychology classes, we studied these effects of superiority and how they change the minds and personalities of individuals. Others opinions mean less and less, distrust and paranoia set in, they feel they are never wrong, that their intellect is superior to others, and their anger level rises because few, if anyone, can meet their high expectations for excellence. Anger of course can, and does, lead to violence. 

I see some mild signs of these symptoms in the blog comments I read on some of the chat rooms and blogs on the internet.
(  Most people on my blog have been very nice. ) This happens when the commenters, are not giving their opinion, but what they believe is the only opinion. I also see it in the anger level of their comments. It worries me also that some of these individuals use e - mail addresses that hide their identities. Many times I have read blogs and disagreed with the point they were making, but is my view, the only view ? Of course not !

To keep my life in religious balance I try to never allow my religion to alienate others. I don't feel that my religion is better than anyone elses, and I never push my religious views on anyone. I just throw them to the wind and see where they are blown. Some individuals will pick up on them, but  many will ignore them. And good for them ! I love independent people ! There is a great line from one of the Dirty Harry  movies that goes : " Man's got to know his limitations. " I have been asked to do more than I am doing now, but realize that to do this would over reach my capabilities. Individuals with megalomaniacal tendencies tend to feel they have no limitations ! They can do it all, and do it well . Unfortunately, as we have seen from history, this is rarely if ever true. The final thing I try never to do is allow my religion to interfere with the rest of my life. I write my blog, I perform all the seasonal rituals, ( and then some ), but I don't obsess about it 24 hours a day. It is a wonderful part of my life, but not all of it.    

Keeping religion in balance with the rest of ones life is good for your mental health. Concentrating on any one thing for too long can cause obsessive tendencies, which can lead to destructive behavior. If you feel you are spending too much time on religious activities or thoughts, just back off for a while and take a break from it. This helps to keep things in perspective and not allow your religion to get out of balance with the rest of your life .

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection !         

    

Quiet, watchful, patient, and stoic are all words that can be used to describe one side of great All - Father Odin's personality. On the other side is a God who is constantly in search of wisdom and knowledge. Always reflecting, and comparing, His search for the ultimate knowledge is His obsession, and His life. It is said in the Eddas that He wanders the worlds, in disguise, in search of answers to what - ever questions He desires answers to. To judge His level of knowledge He travels to far away places to challenge others to contests of wit. He always, of course, comes out on top in these challenges, though sometimes He uses a little cunning to achieve His goal. This can be seen when He is competing against Vafthrudnir. They are equal in knowledge until great Odin asks, " What words did Odin whisper to His son, when Balder was placed on the pyre." Only Odin, of course, knew the answer to that question !   

His search for knowledge has led Him to sacrifice much, including His eye, in Mimir's well, and once almost His life when He was hanging on, wounded by His own spear, that great ash tree Yggdrasil. Falling He gathered up the wonderful rune stones that are still used by some today, including yours truly. No one in the nine worlds understands everything as well, or as in depth as the All - Father. And this knowledge is both a blessing and a burden to great Odin. For He knows not only the past and the present, but also the future, which holds disaster for the Gods and all the nine worlds. A disaster that even with all His wisdom and knowledge he is powerless to prevent.

Odin is a God of mystery and intrigue, always watching, always seeking, sometimes even conniving, as when He steals the mead of poetry. He hides in the shadows of our worlds and our minds. From His high - seat, in Hlidskjalf, he sees everything, nothing misses His eye, no thought escapes his mind. Every day he sends out Hugin and Munin to scour the worlds, and gather what they see and hear, and at breakfast they come back, sit on All - Father's shoulders and whisper tidings in his ears. The width and breadth of His knowledge is unfathomable to us here in Midgard.  

In times past Odin could make a man a king or remove him from his throne. Loki, in Lokasenna, said, " Be quiet Odin ! You never could decide a fight fairly. I know how often you have allowed the weaker man to win." But Odin knows that strength does not come from physical stength alone, but also from the strength of one's intelligence. We may not understand His decisions but we have to trust that the All - Father always makes the best choice. 

As King of the Valkyries, he chooses half of the battle dead warriors to sit on the hallowed benches of Valhalla. Freyja, probably as an agreement from the Aesir - Vanir war, gets the other half. He whispers in His Valkyries ears which ones to take and which ones to leave. For even though All - Father knows the end - battle is lost He stills wants the most determined and ferocious of warriors to face the evil forces of chaos. He feeds them well and gives them good drink so they will be fit for the final days, He sharpens their battle skills by allowing them to fight in the courtyard of Valhalla. These are His champions !     

It says in Gylfaginning, " We all serve Him as children do their father. " Nothing I can say can improve on those words. He gave us life, He gave us the runes, He gave us the mead of poetry, He gave us our protector, the Mighty Thor, He gives us His knowledge and His love. It is, however, a tough love ! For He expects us to speak and act in honorable ways, according to His code of law. Unlike Freyja, Odin resides in our minds and not in our hearts. His love is shown to us in the form of a confirming nod, or a simple raising of His chin in pride over our accomplishments. His reward to us, is wisdom and knowledge, and few gifts are more meaningful. As a child of Odin I bask in the glow of his brilliance, but I am also fully aware of the consequences of straying from His path into the shadows. To love the All - Father Odin is to embrace wisdom itself !

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection !                  

Am I the only one who is appalled at this growing scandal that is coming to light in the Catholic Church of Philadelphia ! Now after all these children have been sexually abused, and a grand jury report identified up to 37 priests who remained in active service even after credible allegations of sexual abuse of children, the Cardinal Justin Rigali ordered an investigation into these priests. What the hell has he been doing for the past few years ! Isn't it his responsibility to watch over these priests and make sure they are performing their duties and not abusing their positions !  The Cardinal is quoted as saying, " Many people think that the archdiocese does not understand the gravity of child sex abuse, but we do ." I don't think that you do Cardinal ! It is your responsibility to make sure that children are not being taken advantage of by these predatory priests. And you failed ! You failed your parishoners, you failed your community, you failed these poor innocent children, and you failed your God ! You should take responsibility and step down !  

He did place three priests on administrative leave, and is hiring a victims services consultant and compliance officers. But Cardinal Rigali, it is too late, the damage has been done to these poor children. Shouldn't you have put in measures beforehand to ensure the safety of these children ? I mean its not like this is the first time Catholic priests have molested little children ! And its not like one or two priests are being investigated here, but 37 ! If I were Catholic, and thank the Gods I am not, I would not allow my children within a hundred feet of a priest, let alone be alone with them ! This is just another sad chapter in Catholic church history ! Unfortunately, it is the little children who have had to pay for it again ! I would like to say I am sorry to my readers for the angry tone of my article, but I am absolutely disgusted with this happening over and over again. Why can't this be stopped !   

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection !         

Nothing in our Asatru religion causes more misunderstandings, confusion, and anger than the categorization of our beliefs. We all have the same Gods and Goddesses, but our views on just about every other aspect of our religion seem to veer off in every direction of the religious compass. We are labeled with names like, traditionalists, reconstructionists, universalists, folkish and tribalists. Authors love this nonsense because it gives them another chapter in their books, but we as human beings immediately build from these categorized divisions, mistrust, and anger. In a religion that needs to unify to be strong enough to take on our nay - sayers ( mainly monotheists ), this causes us to be weaker and seperated at a time when we need to stand together. The old saying, "united we stand, divided we fall", still applies in most cases even today. 

I have been labeled as "Modern Asatru" and a universalist. By that I guess they mean I take our old religious ways and put them in a modern context. Universalism I take to mean that I believe that our religion should be all inclusive. And I do ! I believe that if our Gods and Goddesses call to someone outside the Germanic / Scandinavian bloodline, that I have no right to question Their decision. Do the Gods and Goddesses love any one group in our religion more than another ? I don' t think so ! I don't think they really care what we call ourselves and each other. I don't think they really care how we honor them exactly either, as long as it is done with respect and love. I can almost see the Gods and Goddesses shaking Their heads in amusement at our misunderstanding of what religion should be.  

And what religion should be about is our love for our Gods and our Goddesses, our respect for Mother Earth, and Mother Nature, and the bond that we form over time with our wonderful deities. Everything else is just crap. Yes, I said crap ! You can prefix or suffix the word Asatru all you want with all sorts of descriptive words and it means nothing. If you have faith in our Germanic / Scandinavian Gods and Goddesses it all boils down to our relationship with them. Quite simple actually, not complex at all, just us and them.

Do we really want labels like the Christians have ? Reformed, Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist etc., etc.. This is one of the main reason I have stayed an independent Asatruar. I just don't care about all these distractions. I care about our religion, our Gods, our heroes, our martyrs, and our ancestors. Our Gods and Goddesses will judge us on our deeds not on what we call ourselves or what organization we belong to. That is why I am proud to be Asatru, even if I do have to add independent to it !

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection !          

I hate having to break away from talking about our religion to discuss other religions, but sometimes circumstances call for it. Once again there are reports of  the most vile and dispicable acts of sexual abuse, and violence, against children being leveled at Catholic priests. This time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. On Thursday, Two Catholic priests, a former priest and a Catholic school teacher were charged with raping young boys at the St. Jerome Parish. I will not go into the details that I read in these articles but needless to say they are hideous. The grand jury also charged the Monsignor William Lynn with endangering the children, in his role as secretary to the clergy, for reassigning priests without telling pastors or principals.

In  2005 a grand jury report found 63 priests of the Philadelphia archdiocese had been credibly accused of sexually assaulting children over decades, but because the statute of limitations had run out they could not be charged. That just boggles my mind. Does the statute of limitations run out on the scars and mental anguish these poor children have to deal with every day for the rest of their life ? How many years does a tormented mind take to heal ?  When does the fear and shame dissolve from ones memory ?  How can a  law of statutations put a time limit on any of the above factors. These are people, not numbers ! Children not legislative law !  

If the accused, Charles Engelhardt, Edward Avery, and Bernard Shero are found guilty, I hope they spend the rest of their lives in jail. Maybe there they will know how these poor scared children felt, as they abused them ! And may their God punish them now and forever for their evil deeds, and for turning their backs on their vows to their parishoners, and their vows to their God. I know our Gods and Goddesses would show no mercy on individuals who had done crimes of abuse against children.

Finally I just want to ask a few simple questions. When will this stop ? When will Catholic priests stop abusing children ? When will the Archdioceses finally stop protecting these sick, violent animals ? When ?! When ?! When ?!  WHEN ?!?!?!

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor

   

I must hear from thee ev ' ry day in the hour,
for in a minute there are many days.
O by this court I shall be much in years
Ere I again behold my Romeo.

Romeo and Juliet
- William Shakespeare

This ritual / celebration is all about relationships, love, marriage, and the bonds that people have with their friends, family, and the Gods and Goddesses. The falling in love, courting and marriage of Freyr and Gerd is the perfect backdrop for this event. Some take this union as the coupling of the sky and the earth. I see it simply as love at first sight, which is a beautiful thing.


In the Eddas it says that Freyr was sitting in the high seat, at Hlidskjalf, looking out over the worlds, when he saw a very beautiful maiden in Jotunheim. Freyr's heart is so taken that he sends Skirnir to bring her to Asgard to make her his wife. Freyr tells Skirnir, " Young Skirnir no words can say how heavy my heart is all day long, the sun gives light, but dark is my desire." Freyr describes his love, Gerd,  this way, " In Gymir's court I saw going by the one I love, so white were her shining arms they lit the sky and sea. "  He then gives Skirnir his famous sword that, " will fight by itself ", and his horse, and asks him to bargain for the fair maidens hand. After a harrowing ride to Jotunheim Skirnir bargains / threatens her into submission, and finally she agrees to meet Freyr in nine nights.  

When Freyr hears of this instead of being thrilled he is tormented by the fact that he has to wait nine long nights to see his lovely bride. He says to Skirnir, " One night is long, two are longer, how can I think of a third. Many times a month has seemed shorter than this weary waiting. " Now that is true love !

On the altar should be pictures of loved ones, current and deceased. No weapons should be on the altar or within sight. Couples of course should stand together, hand in hand, for this ritual. Toasts should be made to Freyr and Gerd, and all the other married Gods and Goddesses. Toasts should also be made to all those, past and present, who hold a special place in your heart. Couples should re - affirm their love for each other with cards and gifts, and all should be sealed with a kiss. This is also a great time for married couples to re - affirm their wedding vows.

To say harsh words, or argue, during this ritual, or the intimate dinner that follows, would be to disrespect Gerd, Freyr and all the other Gods and Goddesses. Try to remember that feeling that you felt for each other when you first met, or first fell in love, and re - live that moment this day. For those who are alone remember that we are loved by our friends, our ancestors, and our Gods and Goddesses.   

The minute I heard my first love story
I started to look for you,
not knowing how blind that was.
Lovers don't finally meet somewhere,
They are in each other all along.

- Rumi

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection !          

La vengeance se mange tres - bien froide.
( Revenge is very good eaten cold. )

- from Mathilde, by Marie Joseph Eugene Sue.

Diana L. Paxson, in her book, Essential Asatru, calls this feast a celebration of the returning light, of romance, and of marriage. The Asatru Alliance of Independent Kindreds, on their web site says this feast originally celebrated the death of Hothr at the hands of Vali. This late winter festival relates to the triumphant return of the sun over the dark days of winter. They call this day a traditional celebration of the family, and a time for the customary exchange of cards and gifts with loved ones. It is also a time, they say, for the renewal of marriage vows and an occasion for marriages.


I absolutely reject the mixing of the avenging of Balders' death, with a festival of light and love ! I also reject the presumption that the original holiday be swept under the rug, so to speak, by turning Vali's act of revenge into a card giving, gift giving, day of love !
What I have done is to simply seperate the two events and celebrate them on two different days. On February 12th, I celebrate the Feast of Vali, as originally intended, and on February 14th, I celebrate "love" with the Courting of Gerd. I feel this is the only satisfactory way to honor both events and still keep the original meaning of the events.

23. And if mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life.
24. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

- Exodus 21:23 -24

For the Feast of Vali ritual I place on my altar all forms of ancient weaponry,( obtained from museum replicas Ltd. ). I set on the altar a dirk, a seax, two swords, criss - crossed in the back, ( revenge and honor ), and a shield on the floor before the altar. I do not toast anyone in this ritual, but leave empty cups on the altar for Balder, Hodr, and Nanna. Remember Nanna dies at Balders' funeral and is burned beside him. The empty cups obviously represent the fact that our hearts are empty without them. I thank great Odin and Rind for bringing into this world the " little warrior "Vali, and of course Vali for his brotherly duty in avenging the death of Balder. As always I will not tell you what to say. The Gods and Goddesses want to hear your words and your praise, not mine.

Though the avenging of the death of Balder was a demanded act in our religion, and our early culture, Hodr was tricked into the evil deed, which in my opinion makes this a very solemn ritual, and  a restrained feast indeed. Loki is the real evil - doer here, not poor Hodr. Vali is the instrument of revenge formed from the God - union of Rind and Odin 

In the 33rd stanza of Voluspa it says :


Rind will bear Vali in the Western Halls,
That son of Odin will kill at the age of one night,
He will not wash his hands or comb his head,
Until he puts on the funeral pyre Balders' adversary.

The feast is not so much a feast as just a meal. As Marie Joseph Eugene Sue says, " a cold meal ".  I place empty plates on the table for Balder, Hodr, and Nanna, for the same reason I have empty cups on my altar. The meal is sparse in both quantity and the variety of foods. I do drink one silent toast to those no longer with us. 

The Feast of Vali is also a good time to reflect on evil acts and hatred that we hold in our hearts. It is a good time to just let these feelings go !

Glenn Bergen

Go with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection !