Vidar's Gothi

One source of stress for new Heathens is that the Christians will belittle your religion. They will tell you that you are just connected to some fringe group and that you will eventually need to grow up. That's just a tool they use to make themselves seem normal. The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs would disagree with them.

There is good news in the Heathen world. The Heathens in Iceland (Ásatrúarfélagið) are building a Heathen Temple. Construction begins in March on the building near Reykjavik. This is an excellent thing for Heathens everywhere and the worship of the true Gods grows.

You've made it to the last night of Yule for this year. By now, you have spent evenings praising the Gods, your ancestors, your spouse/partner/lover, your offspring (real or hoped for), the Elves, and all the things you've eaten or plan to eat. So, what's next?

You have made it to the second night of Yule. It seems like Mother Night gets all the attention, but what about these other nights? Well, they are part of the holiday as well. Here is a suggestion if you don't have other plans.

Different groups have different ways to celebrate the various nights of Yule, so if you have an alternative practice don't be offended. The second night is a good night to think about Those Who Have Gone Before. That's a fancy way of saying ancestors.

The winter solstice brings the start of Yule and, of course, Mother Night. This is a night to celebrate our mother Earth and the all the blessings we have received over the past year. So how does one go about doing that?

The easiest thing to do is to actually write a list of all the good stuff that has happened to you and those you care about. If you try, you can probably find quite a few pleasant events and occurrences. If you are really stumped, write down that you are still breathing and will have the chance for things to get better in the coming year.

I hope you are all having fun getting ready for Yule. If can be stressful for non-Christians to put up with the constant bombardment of Christmas stuff, but knowing what Yule is all about makes it better. You can also take heart in the fact that Yule is not about a shopping feeding frenzy.

This Sunday, December 21, is Mother Night. It is the Winter Solstice and the start of Yule. Depending on your group, this may either be a night of feasting or it might be a simple fair in preparation for the belt-tightening of the Wolf Season (winter).

For those who lean toward the Saxon form of Heathenism instead of the Norse, there is a Saxon version of Wikipedia. You can find it here: http://ang.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C4%93afodtramet. If you click the link at the top of the main page labeled "Motung", it will take you to a page with links to their online tutorial in Saxon.

Good luck and wes hal!