Vidar's Gothi

Today, March 20, 2015 is the Vernal Equinox; that day in Spring when the daylight hours and the night-time hours are equal. In the United States, and other places, this is the official start of Spring. What does it mean to an Asatru person? That varies.

The resent poll about Daily Rituals and Affirmations prompted a question from reader Astrid. The request was that I elaborate on these topics as they relate to Asatru. That sounded like a good idea, so here we go.

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.