AFA UPDATE

A PROJECT OF THE ASATRU FOLK ASSEMBLY

Issue 144

April 12, 2011

Contact email: afa@runestone.org

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WHERE TO FIND THE ASATRU FOLK ASSEMBLY ONLINE:

AFA website - http://runestone.org

Asatru Rising podcast - http://asatrurising.podbean.com

Our videos on You Tube - http://www.youtube.com/smcnallen

The AFA blog at - http://asatruupdate.blogspot.com

AFA MySpace at - http://www.myspace.com/asatruupdate

Follow the AFA on Twitter - http://twitter.com, username AsatruAFA.

The AFA mission statement: "to practice, promote, and further evolve the
religion of Asatru, thus forging it into a powerful and effective tool
for building a better world."

Visit our web site. If you like what you see there...maybe it's time you
joined, and helped us carry out our mission!

GROUNDBREAKING AFA OSTARA IN OKLAHOMA

We have just returned from an outstanding Ostara celebration sponsored
by the Asatru Folk Assembly in eastern Oklahoma. What a great time!

This gathering was especially important to us because it was hosted by
AFA Folkbuilders from two states: Texas and Oklahoma. As such, it was
one more step toward our vision of regional AFA gatherings all across
the country - and ultimately, around the world. Our goal is to ensure
that the Asatru Folk Assembly is "a national organization with a local
face."

Folkbuilders Gregg Tharp and his wife Debbie, of Oklahoma, and Jerry and
Judy Floyd of Texas, cooperated to make this event possible. It was a
model of what we will see happen many times from coast to coast in the
years to come.

This gathering was also "a first" because it was held in Wister State
Park, near one of America's controversial runic artefacts - the Heavener
runestone, a large slab of rock with a runic inscription sitting in a
small, quiet dale. The runestone provided a dramatic focal point for the
event. We visited it as a group, and two of the weekend's presentations
dealt with its history and its meaning.

Socializing, the simple acts of being with our old and new friends, is
one of the most important things about any AFA gathering. This one was
rich with opportunities in this regard; besides our prominent hosts,
there was Brad Taylor-Hicks, leader of the Folkbuilder program, who
drove through night with most of his kindred all the way from Florida.
Mark Stinson and Gunnar Wodenson drove from Kansas and from Minnesota
respectively with their contingents, and of course Sheila and I had
flown in from California. The willingness of all these people to travel
so far to be with fellow Asatruar was very inspiring.

It was wonderful to meet in person AFA members like Scott and Ralph,
whom we had known from the AFA's online forum. Eric from Tulsa stands
out in my mind, as does Bryan, the energetic former NCO who gave the
excellent presentation at the Heavener Runestone State Park. Bear, the
appropriately-named leader of the Franks, provided memorable moments of
insight. Gregg, who might best be described as a dapper, savvy, and very
social cowboy, oversaw it all.

I experienced a moment of thought-provoking synchronicity when Steve
from the Dallas area introduced himself and said that he had come to
Texas from Grass Valley, the town where Sheila and I technically live
(Nevada City, just over the hill, is where we get our mail). I, of
course, had made the reverse trip many years ago, moving from Texas to
Grass Valley/Nevada City. Indeed, the subject of synchronicity was a
recurring theme through the course of the gathering.

Ritual celebrations are another important part of any such meeting, and
this one was no different. Jerry Floyd, one of our Texas Folkbuilders,
led the opening rite, lighting the need-fire which was kept alive
throughout the event. That evening, he led an informal sumbel in which
we introduced ourselves and made three rounds of toasts to the Gods and
ancestors.

Judy, his wife, gave the Ostara blot the next day, as birds chattered up
a storm in the nearby trees and a pair of puppies cavorted in the
distance. Our toddlers-in-arms and the other children added to the sense
of surging life as we tied our ribbons to the leafy oak tree which was
the center of our blot-area. This day also saw our trip to the Heavener
runestone, and the thought-provoking presentation led by Bryan.

That evening, after the feast, I spoke on the meaning of the Heavener
stone for us, Asatruar in the twenty-first century. I pointed out that
there were two ways to approach the stone - the scientific (factual) on
one hand and the workings of Wyrd (intuitive, synchronistic) on the
other. While facts are essential, they are not in themselves, meaning.
"Meaning" is about a thing's connections with, and implications for, our
lives both inner and outer. I will expand on this in a separate document.

Mark Stinson spoke on the importance of community and the role played by
gatherings like this one. He invited us all to Lightning Across the
Plains, the very well-attended annual event in Kansas which he organizes
and leads.

Afterwards, it was time for the Odin-blot. We had rehearsed the
call-and-response, so it was interactive and thus very powerful. The
usual coincidences - a blast of wind at just the right moment, and a
shower of sparks from the fire that enveloped me at one point lent a
nice touch and let us know we were "in synch." After the blot, we again
sat in sumbel. The toasts to Gods, Goddesses, and ancestors were very
good. On the final round I recited from memory a 54-line poem I had been
practicing for weeks - one written in the style of a Germanic skald,
dealing with the battle of the Alamo. Considering the strong Texas
presence at the gathering, it seemed appropriate. (Google "harsh that
hearing for Houston the raven" and you'll find it; I made minor
alterations in the version I recited.)

This gathering was possible only because so many people worked
tirelessly to make it happen. (Well, actually, they probably were tired,
but they seemed to never stop!) One such person was Gregg's soft-spoken
and understated wife, Debbie. She produced an endless supply of food -
awesome chili, goulash, and more. Aided by Judy and a host of other
women and men who cooked, washed, and served, she oversaw the activity
that fueled our endeavors. Serving in a different way, Jerry was always
there when something needed to be done, either taking care of it himself
or rounding up his always polite and helpful sons to carry out the task.

Leaving the next day was difficult, as it often is after such a weekend.
Rushing back to the airport, we had one more experience that truly
capped the entire trip. We were going through airport security when one
of the TSA workers saw the Thor's hammer amulet around Sheila's
neck...and commented that he was wearing his own beneath his uniform shirt.

This was an extended weekend characterized by synchronicity and the
weavings of Wyrd. Deep inside, I know we have not seen the last of the
events set in motion there!

OUR PEOPLE AND OUR CULTURE

LINKS:

Heavener Runestone -

These links lead to information on the runestone in Oklahoma.

North American Rune Stones: http://tinyurl.com/32ycqc

You Tube video of talk by runologist Dr. Henrik Williams of Uppsala,
Sweden, and Dr. Richard Nielsen of Houston, Texas concerning the
American runestones:

http://tinyurl.com/3hshuqp

Downloadable Old Norse flash cards -

http://tinyurl.com/3wqwh4w

Viking thing site discovered in Sherwood Forest -
http://tinyurl.com/29v86da

A team of experts hope to shed new light on one of Nottinghamshire's
most mysterious ancient monuments.

A 'Thing', or open-air meeting place where Vikings gathered to discuss
the law, was discovered in the Birklands, Sherwood Forest, five years ago.

OUR RELATIONSHIP TO OUR ENVIRONMENT

LINKS:

Antarctic Penguins, Krill "in Freefall"

Numbers of Chinstrap and Adélie penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula
region have dropped by more than 50 percent in the last 30 years, driven
mainly by dramatic declines in supplies of tiny, shrimp-like krill,
their main prey, says a new study. Krill, meanwhile, have declined by 40
to 80 percent, due primarily to rapidly warming temperatures in the area
-- the South Shetland Islands near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula
and nearby sites.

This is one of the fastest-warming places on the planet with winter mean
temperatures some 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer now than in
pre-industrial times.

http://tinyurl.com/4xh3nfk

Polar Bears: What is the truth?

Of the 12 polar bear populations about which there is sufficient data:

In 2005, 5 were declining, 5 were stable, and 2 were growing.

By 2009, 8 were declining, 3 were stable, and l was growing.

The Hudson Bay population in Canada has lost about 22% of its bears
since the 1980's.

http://tinyurl.com/3djsotu

CALENDAR

April 30 - Walburg. This Germanic Goddess safeguards the dead heroes who
sleep in the burial mound, and harbors deeds yet to bear fruit. Pour a
libation to the bold ones awaiting rebirth, and think on how your own
acts will live after you.