Inauguration 2017

On Friday, January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the forty-fifth president of the United States of America. This has made many people very uncomfortable. I've heard, over time, that some non-Christians have concerns about a Republican government, and Trump in particular. I decided to go to the quiet place to see if there was any advice coming from there.

The images came through quickly. I got the impression that Vidar was busy with something else. The first image showed a city on fire with dark clouds above it, but surrounded by green fields lighted by sunlight. The second image showed an illustration that could easily be from an elementary school science text on seismology. It depicted a fault line experiencing a tremor to release tension, explaining that the release would prevent a larger earthquake later. Image-wise, that was it.

The reason I described the images is so that you can try to interpret them yourself. I have my interpretation (below), but it is always possible that my own personal politics or mood may affect the interpretation. I do have some experience in the politics and that can sometimes color my views on things. As for trusting me I would point out that you should not judge the day until the sun has set.

I think that the faultline image is probably the most important of the two. As of now, two branches of the U.S. federal government are controlled by the Republican party. Soon, they will pick a new Supreme Court Justice, and they are likely to pick one who favors the Republican viewpoint. With two parties, each party has been able to claim that the other party blocked them from accomplishing what they wanted, but that is unlikely now. As a result, the Republicans have two-years (before the next congressional elections) to do stuff that they want and to show their true colors.

Why would this be like a tremor on a faultline? Most Republican Americans tend to sit closer to the center than to the far right. Likewise, most Democrats sit closer to the middle. Neither of these large populations really agrees with the extremists on their own side. Now that the Republicans have control, they can do what they want, including some of the things that the extremists want. This will mobilise the Democrats, but also anger many of the Republican constituency. As a result, the Republicans will be forced to soften the tone of some of their plans, and possibly disown the more radical fringe of their party. It may shake things up, but it prevents a bigger disaster later.

As for the image of the burning city, that one is more difficult to interpret. If I try to be logical, I would suggest that it means that there will be strife in some places, but not in others. However, my intuition tells me something else. I think the image says that there will be the appearance of disaster and chaos in some cases, but if you look at the bigger picture you'll see that it's not the end of the world yet.

I will remind you that we Asatru people have survived for centuries in a world where most humans have abandoned the Gods in favor of a religion created by ettins. Whatever happens, we will survive. Some things may take more effort than others, but we have never shied away from effort. We have inherited the strength of our ancestors and we are strong enough to weather anything. Often, we are clever enough to profit from it.

Since this article has some political aspects, I want to be clear. At no point has Vidar told me to support one political party over another. He has implied that thinking and learning are important to making good decisions. I will also point out that I am not a member of a political party and I only support ideas and rules, not parties. In general, I tend to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative, but even then I am more of a centrist. If you are curious about where you are politically, you can take The World's Smallest Political Quiz to try to find out. Note that I am not endorsing the political views of the site that hosts that quiz.

Comments

We are always looking to maintain the dynamic balance between order and chaos where life can exists. When we go too far to one side, we must always swing back the other direction.

You have my info. Can you contact me please? I would like to ask a couple of questions off list.

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain
but for the heart to conquer it.

- "Neither of these populations agree with the extremists" Patently absurd. Republicans voted for a known child molester en mass in Alabama, and a known philanderer with mob connections as president. Yes, the American right has given itself over to extremism as a matter of party orthodoxy.

- Your "vidar" told you nothing. You speak in the vagueries that are a hallmark of the charlatan.

Many of the common voters don't know whether to trust what they are told by opposing parties. When you tell them that their candidate is awful, they've likely heard equally awful things about the other candidate. Though humans tend to lean toward terrible, many want to think they are the good guys and aren't as bad as the worst ones.

As for the vagueness of the interpretations, it is only the interpretations that I keep vague. The images are reported as they show up in as much detail as I can provide. The interpretations will, by nature, be tainted with my own experiences and biases. I encourage others, who may be so inclined, to make their own interpretations.

Who exactly are you to judge who is or isn't a charlatan? I long to see you walk on water. No one made you come here, no one here wants your sour opinion. And for your information, speaking of political standings of EITHER party, people have committed horrific things in the name of both parties. I believe that for the most part the entire system is full of corruption and none are perfect. In history slavery and Jim Crow all too often were justified in the Democratic platform. The major civil rights legislation of the 1950s and 1960s were supported by a lower percentage of Democratic members of Congress than Republicans. This included J. William Fulbright, who was a mentor to Bill Clinton and Robert Byrd, an ex-Klansmen who was the Senate Democratic floor leader until 1989 and an elected Democrat until his death in 2010. Bill Clinton, a horrific womanizer among other things, was a democrat. You really need to rethink some of your comments if your going to try to represent the sins of one party over another, since both have been pretty darn sinful. Toddle off now and find somewhere else to spread your poison. We don't want or need it GrĂ­ma Wormtongue AKA Blue.

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain
but for the heart to conquer it.