The Kensington Runestone Museum is located in Alexandria, Minnesota. It is a small museum with an inside and outside display. The outbuildings are transplanted original dwellings donated by the current owners of various properties in the state of Minnesota. They present a small snapshot of how our folk would have lived in Scandinavia, and other parts of Northern Europe.

I enjoyed walking through the cottage, which according to its plaque saw several generations of one family born and raised in it. The upstairs loft was open to the two rooms below. On the right was the kitchen with the wood-fired oven built into the wall and the fire pit for the cauldron. A small table that seated four was nearby, and an even smaller table for children was in a corner away from the fire pit. The adjoining room which was separated from the kitchen by a pine partition contained a trundle bed set-up and a large cradle. The parents slept upstairs in the loft, along with two or three other children and an infant. The front area of the inside of the home was an open space in front of the two main floor rooms and contained a few chairs, and a spinning wheel and loom. This house was only slightly smaller than the 600 sq. ft. military home that we lived in before coming out here to Winnipeg. At any given time in its history, four to ten people lived in this dwelling. It gives perspective to the “house hunter” shows on television where families consisting of two parents plus one toddler routinely reject 2500+ sq. ft. homes for being “too small”!!! Six years later, my 1100 sq. ft. home still feels like a palace and I appreciate it a little more every time I see how my ancestors lived.

I have been to many Scandinavian historical lifestyle reconstruction sites since moving to Manitoba. People in this province, and in North Dakota and Minnesota below, are very proud of their Northern European heritage. It is interesting to note that in many of these homes, some authentic and some reproductions of houses from the 17/1800s, that the Northern European talent for space-saving furniture design that we associated with IKEA is evident in these buildings. Many of the tables have hidden tiers, and some of the chairs could convert into other pieces of furniture. Beds were built into walls and hidden behind quilts displayed as art, and communal food preserving areas between houses in small communities saved on kitchen space. Several of the homes in these places have been built within dairy barns. Housewives could milk cows and gather eggs by exiting through the back pantry.

I left with several jars of lingonberry preserves, a traditional Swedish jam served with sweets and a lovely red runic coffee mug. Interestingly enough, the lingonberry comes to Europe by way of Asia and with migrations this is how it found its way to Cape Breton and Newfoundland, where it is called the partridgeberry. I am quite familiar with partridgeberry preserves, having been the recipient of many spoonfuls as a child, because it made the cod liver oil go down a little more easily. It is for this reason that some in Cape Breton believe that Vikings may have lived there, too, because it grows in abundance in some areas. I don’t know if it grows everywhere in North America or not, just passing on a bit of berry lore!! Regardless, it was nice to find a treat that I have not had since I was small, so I shall be guarding these jars!!!

Inside the museum it became apparent that while proud of their history, these folks are only proud of some of it. A large poster board divided down the centre contrasted the “rough pagan Vikings” against the “kinder, gentler, Christian explorers” thought to have been the source of the Kensington rune stone. The board stated that things like law, education, and democracy did not exist before conversion to Christianity and that while their pagan ancestors were “bold and brave”, the text implied that they specifically targeted education and knowledge by sacking Christian monasteries and churches. This made me angry because I know that the historical and archaeological record point to a very different story. It is well known amongst scholars that our ancestors had democracy, education, centres of philosophy, art, and music – for an extremely long time before the short “Viking” period. However, this is a very Christian part of North America, particularly on the US side of the border, as evidenced by the “Jesus loves unborn babies” billboards practically every two or three miles and the overabundance of Evangelical country music radio stations. Folk are a little more relaxed about their pagan roots in Gimli and Arborg, Manitoba, although they will be quite quick to point out that they have been “good Christians” for many centuries now.

The rooms show various aspects of immigrant life, based on the Scandinavian settlers of the 1800s to the area. There is a small movie room that plays a short piece about the rune stone. The walls in this room are decorated with rune plaques showing the letters of the Elder Futhark. While it is obvious that these folks are proud of their immigrant heritage, they know little about runes. The plaques on display show “keyword meanings” taken from either Ralph Blum or some equally New Age author. The runes are out of order and not displayed in aetts. They are placed quite haphazardly on one wall. The Elder Futhark is also not the alphabet used on the Kensington rune stone. The runic alphabet on the wall also includes the wretched non-existent “Blank Rune” that Blum invented in the early 80s, complete with the keyword meaning “the unknowable, Odin”. I wanted to rearrange the runes and rip that blank monstrosity off the wall, but I was pulled out of there by my family and placated with a coffee mug and jam.

The rune stone itself is very compelling, and some point to evidence of root growth on the surface of the stone showing that it was in the earth at least 50 years before it was found, along with weathering. This gives credence to the insistence that it was not put there by it’s discoverers. The inscription tells of a party of explorers returned from a journey to their camp near modern day Kensington to find the ten men remaining at the camp murdered. It further states that some 14 days journey away, in an inland sea, was a boat with more men. Many scholars have denounced this as fake, but obviously the people of Minnesota do not believe this. The rune stone has taken on its own special existence in the state culture. Also displayed are tools that were found on various farm steads as the Scandinavian immigrants turned up soil to begin working their land. These tools have been dated centuries older than the accepted official immigration of Northern Europeans into Minnesota.

The argument over whether or not this stone is a fake can stir up the blood of many people in this area, from Manitoba to Wisconsin. Many in the heathen community want to believe that they have some sort of ancient tie to the New World and I can understand this. After seeing this stone I am leaning to the conclusion that it may well be a hoax. My reasoning is thus:

1. The tools that were found could very well have been brought over by more recent immigrants, despite being several centuries old. After all this time they are still in excellent condition and usable, the hallmark of ancient tool-making. Coming from The Maritimes, a part of North America with an old stock established culture, it is not unusual for extremely old tools and implements of the home to turn up in people’s attics – or kitchen drawers, still being used – having been dated at 300-500 years old, and older in some cases. There are lots of blacksmithing tools, fishing and whaling tools, cauldrons, and more, gathering dust in antique stores at home because there are simply too many of them still kicking around. It is entirely possible that some of these Scandinavian tools from the Middle Ages could have been brought by more recent immigrants because tools were passed down the family line.
2. I don’t know about you, but if I came back from any sort of expedition and found a camp full of dead people, I wouldn’t stop to split down a stone weighing over 200 lbs. and carve any long-winded stories in it. I would be getting the hell out of there quickly and gun-booting it to that ship docked 14 days away.
3. The “discovery” of the rune stone came at a time when political relations were not good between Sweden and Norway, and there was also a social revival of storytelling relating to the Vinland Sagas. The rune stone hinted at a joint trip between the two countries and is thought by some to be an attempt to unify the various ethnic groups from these two nations so that they would work together as “Scandinavians” and not bitter neighbours in their new American homeland.
4. The inscription is very difficult to read in any Scandinavian language, and the runes are said to be different than those in use in 14th century nations still using runes. When I looked at it in the museum I told Dave it was like looking at a sentence written by a Texan, a Newfoundlander, and an Englishman. I’m not a runic linguist and even I thought they looked all over the place. When the inscription is translated into Latin, it becomes very easy for a modern speaker to comprehend, the construct of the sentences being closer to 19th century Swedish than 14th century Swedish.

None of this opinion is given to stir the pot, and it should be remembered that it is only my opinion. I am very happy to have seen an artifact that I’ve been reading about on various folk and pagan lists for nearly twenty years online. I am happy that I went to the museum and I’d like to do some more research on my own and eventually return. It was a welcome treat, as I was not aware that this was on our road trip agenda. Dave and Nick concocted the idea as a surprise for me because I have become quite involved in a few rune study groups and runic projects over the last few months. Even without the rune stone, this museum is still a good place to visit because it celebrates the history of local settlers and helps to maintain ties to the past.

In cultures throughout the world, the vital link between health and spirituality has always been recognised; many- such as Buddhists- work with this link in their daily lives today. The ancient Vedic texts written by our ancestors contain much of this wisdom which unfortunately has been marginalised or lost to us as a consequence of our descension into the Kali Yuga aka the Wolf Age and with it, a great agenda that seeks to enslave us all. In particular, our folk have suffered as a direct result of embracing an alien creed, which sees the body and spirit as separate, the body often being regarded as little more than a repository of sin. Such an idea is of course abhorrent to our folk; however, it is a pernicious infection within the folk soul and it is important to realise we have all been affected by it in some way simply by virtue of the fact that we find ourselves living in this Age and era. However, through diligent health practices that seek to purify the body, mind and spirit, we can recover the union of self and become properly reunited with our deities and the primal powers that are our ancestors. It is none other than reclaiming Natural Law as our birthright and redressing our lives to harmonise with it; for ultimately, it is only by this harmonisation that we will attain the Odin consciousness that is enlightenment.

Before we commence with the description of some of the strongly recommended practices for folk, it is useful to delve a little more into why they are so important. This can be aided by briefly looking at what health is and gleaning some idea of just how it interrelates with the spiritual realm. For the history of medicine that has led to the current mass medicalisation of our folk with toxic drugs is little more than a record of the increasing disobedience to Nature’s Laws. We are suffering from the “dis-ease” of “Heroic Medicine,” which was first practiced in the 18th and 19th centuries. This was a system in which educated professional physicians practiced methods such as blood letting, purging, blistering and the use of toxic medicines e.g.. mercury to treat patients- treatments which stressed already weakened bodies- and were responsible for countless patient deaths. Whilst such obviously crude treatments generally are not practiced in modern medicine, the over zealous use of toxic drugs that can- and do- kill patients in unprecedented amounts (albeit, a well hidden fact!) has become a multi-billion dollar industry. This is an industry (and a major arm in the enforcement upon us of the Great Agenda), which seeks to eradicate all competition by marginalising or making illegal other healing modalities such as traditional herbs whilst simultaneously, seeking to discredit and strip from individuals the right to practice healing arts that do not require medication, no matter how efficacious they might well have proved to be. And quite apart from the power and politics involved, the premise upon which the entire industry is built is fundamentally flawed. In the Cartesian worldview of the body, it is seen as little more than an organic machine in which the mind and emotions are merely a spin-off of the physical processes. So when the system begins to “malfunction,” medication is prescribed as the tool of choice to “fix it.” However, we have been tragically misinformed: medication merely masks the symptoms: it does not resolve the cause- a cause which could have taken effect at any level of being.

Properly understood then, health is in fact a synergy of all the aspects of our being. There are four main causes of ill health:

The first are a result of negative wyrd from past lives and cannot be cured as such. They must be borne out for the allotted duration in accordance with the decrees of the Norns.

The second category are caused by the influence of harmful entities. These can be eliminated by various ritual practices.

The third category is caused by seasonal factors, improper conduct, accidents, contagious diseases and improper diet. These can be rectified by proper conduct, diet, medicine and treatment and, as the very last resort when all other options have been exhausted, surgery.

The fourth category arises from superfluous causes and are minor, generally not requiring medicines.

Of course, all these levels of health are a reflection of the fact that our very being inhabits all three worlds (Asgard, Midgarth and Hel) and indeed the entire multiverse simultaneously. But as a consequence of the passing of the Great Ages and the influence of an alien worldview, we have lost our intimacy and awareness of the sources of life that nourish and sustain us from the Hel realms- the sacred primal powers and the Holy Vanir- and so we have fallen sick. In clinging stubbornly to the audacious Cartesian view of the body that would dominate Nature, we misuse the Godforces with which we have been blessed. It is interesting to note that our ancestors understood well the relationship between health and illness: “waes hael” is the heartfelt wish we bestow on a loved one- “Be thou whole.” Hela’s shining plains are the holy source of life, power, inspiration, rest, comfort and regeneration. “Hail” means joy and light- the beautiful light of Hel itself, of health and wholeness. We have to travel through Hel to reach Asgard. And it is within Nature that we find the Hel Realms reflected.

A sad fact of life in the great Kali Yuga is that our individual and spiritual needs are largely unmet in any true sense. We live the lives of automatons, slaves to the mechanistic wheel of the Demiurgic forces whose usurious web of corruption manipulates us like puppets on strings. Concrete jungles masquerade as our homes; overcrowded conditions in a so-called multicultural society create primal stress in our body-mind, clock-bound lifestyles, chemtrail poisons being poured on us daily from the skies, HAARP coordinated electromagnetic fields that mask Mother Jorth’s essential Schumann waves that help structure life itself, pesticide-laden food, polluted air and the ravages of an infinite number of combinations of chemical toxins amongst countless other assaults on our body/mind/spirit complex erode us to husks- animated corpses that have lost the beauty and vitality of being. Strange “new” illnesses bring us to our knees: cancer, AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, candiasis, genetic abnormalities and many other illnesses for which “cures” cannot be found. As cited in “Odinic Mythology,” it is quite literally as if the very life-force and will to live has departed from the cells of the victims- not unlike the conifer plantations that inhabit poisoned wastelands in which the wood is not like wood at all, but more spongy and pulp-like, akin to primal protoplasmic material. The spirits have withdrawn from their being in such inhospitable conditions just as the gods of Nature and race have withdrawn from our cites. For our bodies and spirits are holograms of Nature and as such, the gods and spirits inhabit our entire beings. Yet we feed them with junk- both physical and psychological- then wonder why we are sick: the Old Ones need a Heildom, not a wasteland! Quite literally, we misuse our god-force by polluting our body-mind-spirit and hence, them in the same way.

So what is the answer? We must realize we have to travel through Hel to reach Asgard- to root ourselves firmly in the Hel realms with its primal powers; and like Odin who gave himself over to the runic powers and so gained enlightenment, we have to follow his archetypal path of purification so that we too can gain the Odin consciousness. True purification of the body, mind and spirit comes through a return to natural law, to a harmonisation of our beings with Nature herself. We must adopt the ancient medicine of our ancestors, which today we know as Nature Cure, and which enjoyed a revival in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The principles of Nature Cure can be summarised as follows:

A strongly emotional attitude towards nature which can be defined as “naturism.”
A theory of heath, disease treatment and cure, which we know as Nature Cure or Naturopathy
A preference for certain treatment methods which are considered natural (physiotherapy) such as the application of water, light, air, movement, diet etc. (1983: Rothschuh).

It is important to note here that much of the modern practice of Naturopathy is no longer Nature Cure. The establishment system of legal right to practice and training plus examination content has forced Naturopaths into adopting an allopathic style approach to patient care that sees the substitution of drugs with expensive supplements- often with regular and expensive high-tech diagnostic testing whilst comparatively little heed is paid to the emotional/spiritual welfare of the patient, which is integral to proper healthcare. Conversely, pure Nature Cure eschews the medical model and properly treats the whole person. It is the modern expression of our ancient ancestral practices for healthcare and spiritual purification, which all Odinists must seek to practice if they are to maximise their potential for spiritual evolution. For mind, body and spirit are integral to each other and the web of wyrd. Therefore, whichever “locus” is polluted matters not; all will be affected since the body-mind-spirit union is a two way street, where each affects the others simultaneously. The implicate order is enfolded in the explicate and must be brought forth using methods that will restore the fractal of wholeness that is our holiness, our health.

There are several components to the Odinic path to healthcare and, whilst most certainly not exhaustive, the following is an introduction to the main health practices that are strongly recommended for all Odinists.

Saunas:
The ancient practice amongst our folk of using saunas for physical and spiritual purification has largely been kept alive by the Finns. However, archaeological digs have found bath houses that were also saunas all over the arctic, subarctic and Eurasian continents whilst the Eyrbyggia describes such a Norse bath house- a room dug into the side of a hill in which a window at ground level provides the means of pouring water onto the heated stones inside the building and of course, ventilation. When the Christians banned saunas, much information about the rituals and their use was lost, maintained only by the folklore and practices of the Finns and Russians, some of which have been documented by the likes of Herodotus and the monk Andreas. Saunas were places of transition- a place to commune with the ancestors, give birth, pass on to the next realm, find healing, perform ritual, prophecy and divination as well as being vital places of recuperation after a hard day’s labour in freezing conditions. Thus they were of central social and cultural importance to the folk. Much folklore surrounded the use of a sauna as the steam was held to be the sacred stream that held their ancestor’s souls, their breath being understood as the spirit of life, just as we Odinists attest to this fact about our ancestors. The sanctity and understanding of the sauna as a liminal space of transition is preserved in the traditions of the Finns where every aspect of creating and maintaining the sauna is approached ritualistically.

The use of saunas has once again been recognised by many as beneficial, and with good reason: sweating is the body’s natural way of dispelling toxins and maintaining physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Accumulated toxins accelerate aging by preventing the effective regeneration of cells. This of course, has dire consequences for the unfolding of spiritual development as the resonances of toxins will impede spiritual growth and the ability to “hear” the gods and also to mediate their energies effectively in Midgarth. Meanwhile, the physical benefits (if indeed, they can be considered separately!) are numerous including- but not limited to- the following:

Improved blood circulation: saunas increase and improve the rate of blood circulation and breathing.
Weight loss: sauna therapy is similar to mild exercise in that it burns approximately 300 calories per average session. When combined with a healthy diet and moderate exercise, saunas will help with weight loss and fitness.
Cleansing: a profuse sauna-induced sweat followed by a shower cleanses your skin far more thoroughly than by showering only.
Body relaxation: stress build-up creates tension in the body and manifests as aches and pains. The heat and humidity of the sauna diffuses the pain and relaxes tired muscles. Tense muscles, sore limbs and arthritic conditions all benefit from the heat and humidity of a sauna.
Mind relaxation: saunas relax the mind by effectively helping to relieve physical and mental fatigue and stress.
Immunity: strengthens the immune system by stimulating the production of white blood cells.

At the very least, all Odinists should make use of saunas in the community such as those at health centres and swimming baths. However, it is most desirable and strongly recommended for OR members- whether as individuals, hamas or hearths- to construct their own sauna as in this way, it becomes an important spiritual practice from its conception all the way through to its maintenance and use. For hearth members, it becomes a central locus and heildom for ritual practice whilst simultaneously, bringing essential cohesion to the group. Purification of the body is a fundamental spiritual practice and in itself, is a prayer, communion and blot to the gods and ancestors.

Colon Hydrotherapy:
Colon hydrotherapy- also known as colonic irrigation- is used to remove non-specific toxins and faeces from the body via the gentle irrigation of the colon. The rationale is that food remaining in the intestines for too long rots and causes autointoxication, which leads to all manner of illnesses. The ancient Egyptians recognised that decomposing food in the intestines created fever and pus, since the decomposed products entered the circulatory system. The Ancient Greeks extended the theory into that of the four humors and doctors in the 18th and 19th centuries promoted the idea as a consequence of studies in microbiology and biochemistry, which supported the hypothesis. However, with the onslaught of the pharmaceutical industry, a drug based approach to problems such as constipation was deemed more appropriate- and much better financially speaking. This led to the decline in use of colon hydrotherapy until more recent decades. However, its practice amongst our folk was certainly popular into our parent’s and grandparent’s times: it was common to see an enema bag hanging on the door of the bathroom door whilst, until recent times, it was standard practice to give wounded soldiers an enema so that their bodies could direct energy to healing (as opposed to elimination) whilst mothers about to give birth were given them to ease the birth process by reducing congestion and the toxic load on the body so that the body was strengthened for the process.

Colon hydrotherapy has a multitude of benefits, including and not limited to:

eliminating old, toxic, hardened faeces from the intestinal wall, thereby allowing the proper exchange of nutrients between the colon wall and circulatory system, preventing contamination of the blood via putrefying material, medications, parasites etc, and taking the strain off vital organs (which otherwise, are weakened).

Toxic build-up weakens the peristaltic action of the colon; clearing the debris and the gentle massaging action of the water and abdominal massage conspire to strengthen and tone the muscles of the colon wall, thereby restoring tone, regularity and health.

The colon has reflex points, which are connected to every part of the body. Like reflexology, colon hydrotherapy affects the corresponding areas of the body beneficially.

Conversely, laxatives aggravate the problem of constipation by interfering with the colon’s ability to eliminate normally: they irritate and stimulate abnormal contraction of the colon in a bid to expel the offending substances. The oral route of administration is also the least optimal method for evacuation of the colon since very important digestive processes occurring in the stomach and small intestines are interfered with. Laxatives and purgatives also precipitate dehydration and this affects the health and vitality of the individual negatively.

Classical Nature Cure practice eschews the use of colonics and any practices which would not be done in nature. However, in today’s world, where toxins in our food, air, and water abound, undesirable vaccines and medications poison us and GM foods literally tamper with our DNA (thus reducing our capacity to evolve), we must do all we can to cleanse our bodies. For we are all suffering from toxic overload, whether the health deficits manifest overtly, covertly, now or later. So more than ever before in times past, colon hydrotherapy should be employed as part of an ongoing health regime because the weakened state of some individuals requires, first and foremost, the freeing of energy bound up by toxins; for ironically in this state, the body is less able to expel the sickness making toxins whilst the individuals may not have the space in life to pursue extended fasts (which is used in traditional Nature Cure). Indeed, if one can afford just one single therapy in a lifetime, I know from personal experience, talking to others and research that irrigating the colon is probably the single most effective health investment there is for recouping one’s health and vitality.

Classical Osteopathy:
Osteopathy is a system and science of healing that uses physical techniques to remove tensions and restrictions in the body in order to encourage structural and physiological harmony. The term ‘Classical’ was coined to express the traditional nature of this holistic approach to osteopathy- and indeed, whole healthcare.  It differs from most current osteopathic practice: the techniques, practice, concepts, philosophy, and enormous scope of application make it a far superior and effective treatment. Indeed, it follows in the pioneering tradition of the early osteopaths with the advantages of a century of research and clinical practice behind it.. The term “bloodless surgery” is a very accurate indication of the scope of classical osteopathic practice. Our bodies can be viewed as a temple, in which the bones, muscles and ligaments provide the structure on which all else hangs whilst our entire body is encased in a network of fascia that wraps around it like clingfilm around a piece of meat. Twisted fascias can give rise to muscular, skeletal and ligamentous problems through undesirable compression in much the same way as twisting a piece of clingfilm around the meat would cause. Further, our bones are conductors of vital electromagnetic energies from the earth and cosmos whilst our bodily proportions and the shapes that comprise them are based upon the principles of sacred geometry. In motion, the pelvis forms a figure of eight, which generates vital energies. If our bodily motion is compromised in any way, we cannot receive a clear flow of energy into our beings, Further, restrictions will also physically compromise the circulatory and lymphatic systems, giving rise to diseases of morbidity resulting from congestion caused by an impeded blood and lymph flow.

Nature Cure:
When a patient visits the doctor, it is normal for the symptoms to be noted and a prescription is written for a medicine, which will alleviate those symptoms. However, for Nature Cure practitioners, symptoms are signposts showing what stage of healing the individual has reached and are understood as part of an intelligent process based upon the premise that Nature always works to bring the organism into proper homeostatic balance and therefore, optimal health. Contrary to the medical hypothesis, she does not seek to make us sick, thereby causing us to be constantly in need of defending ourselves against all manner of germs. The great Nature Cure practitioner Dr. Henry Lindlahr, M.D. described the unnatural medical model quite aptly when he stated:

“The combative method fights disease with disease, poison with poison and germs with germs and germ products. In the language of the Good Book. It is Beelzebub against the Devil.” H Lindlahr 1922.

Relieving (i.e. suppressing symptoms) is not a solution and often drives disease deeper into the body, so causing chronic illness later.. Nature Cure enables the individual to assess themselves as a complete entity (as opposed to a collection of medical symptoms); and by means of natural methods, effect a solution. The solution usually means lifestyle changes on many levels if health and vitality are ever to be achieved as a normal state.

Pure Nature Cure has three prongs for attention:

Nutrition: our bodies rely on the foods we feed it, not just for physical sustenance in and of itself, but also for the transference of photons of light energy and sacred geometric forms, upon which our souls are built. Modern foods are often denatured poisons; raw food is live and replete with a synergy of vitalising energies that harmonise our bodies, minds and spirits like an orchestra. A Nature Cure diet is largely vegetarian comprised as much as possible of raw foods. Fasting (as and when the body asks for it e.g. when it has flu, colds etc or the appetite is non-existent) is an essential part of a Nature Cure way of life.

Exercise: a programme of daily moderate exercise such as walking, swimming etc is essential. It includes proper breathing practices, skincare, posture, clothing and relaxation. Osteopathic care is given to help the individual correct postural habits that aren’t conducive to good health.

Sun, air and light (heliotherapy): without these three elements of Nature, there would be no life. Since the Industrial Revolution, the nature of work means that we are no longer exposed often enough to these factors so essential for our health and- coupled with a sedentary lifestyle and denatured foods- we see more chronic illness and an explosion of illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, heart ailments, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and so forth. Further, the wearing of glasses of any description excludes essential light rays from penetrating the eye and this detrimentally affects many bodily systems; for light is actually a nutrient. Sun, air and light also have numerous psycho-emotional benefits, both obvious and otherwise: consider how much happier folk appear simply when the sun starts to shine after several dreary days. Exposure to these three factors is a central tenet of Nature Cure.

Psychology: Nature Cure endeavours to help an individual see where their habits and approaches to life aren’t conducive to good health. Many illnesses have an emotional component to them e.g it has been found that workaholics are prone to migraines and they may well have to address the underlying cause of such behaviour before their migraines cease. However, it cannot be emphasised strongly enough that the noxious attitude of “blame culture” that flows through the New Age movement, some alternative therapies and so much of allopathy, is shunned at all costs.

Nature Cure is not about the attainment of a perfect state of health in which dis-ease is never experienced; for such is impossible in this realm. Rather, it is about harmonising the body/mind/spirit complex with the hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and annual cycles- cycles which inherently call for the cleansing and rejuvenating processes of dis-ease so integral to evolution. For death in all its forms is integral- and vital- to life. Just as Odinism is the rightful ancestral religion of our folk and our path to Odinic consciousness (enlightenment), so too are Nature Cure principles (which can also be found in some other traditions such as Vedic medicine), the rightful- and only genuine- path to the restoration of truly deep health and vitality of being. Indeed, the principles of Odinism and those of Nature Cure are intertwined and can often be seen as parallel expressions of the same principles simply expressed in different languages. Together, they bring harmonic resonance of the total being that leads to enlightenment.

Our bodies, minds and spirits are the containers for, and expressions of, the sacred primal powers and it is by these means that we become co-creators with our deities. So in this spirit, I will leave some food for thought with a few quotations from pioneers and practitioners of the long overdue Nature Cure revival.

“The medical machine in this country is the greatest curse ever visited on America. It is interested in keeping the people sick by undermining their health by vaccination and other medical superstitions and crimes. Eventually the plans of the medical trust will cause widespread damage to the American people if they are not checked. Only nature cure can bring health, happiness and long life.” Benedict Lust 1935.

“Naturopathy comes from the heart of Nature through the heart of man to the heart of God. Deopathy would perhaps be a truer name save that Nature is and must be, the starting point for the weary, weak, diseased discouraged, chronic invalid.” Benedict Lust 1903.

“The physician must keep in mind that the heart of every sick person is narrow and that every healthy person has an expanded soul. Therefore, the physician must remove emotional experiences that cause shrinking of the soul.” Hoffman 1986.

WAES THU HAEL!

Here is a beautiful legend from my land. This is not really “Odinic” but it’s interesting because it shows that despite the Christianization of the folk, the belief in the invisible world has never completely disappeared. In fact this belief remains deeply entrenched in the soul of our Folk.

This story speaks about fairies, but as you will see, we can easily replace the word “fairy” with “elf”. Indeed, the fairies of this legend are really similar to the elves from our myths. They are very benevolent, they are concerned with fertility, harvest, the weather, the well-being of humans, etc.

So here is the legend of “Le Cliot de Tsèrafouén” as I have heard it. I hope you will enjoy it.

“This story happened a long time ago. It was when our people lived with what the land gave them for survival. It is said that at that time, a tribe of fairies haunted some underground caverns located between the villages of Chermignon and Montana.

They were very good fairies, kind and helpful, who asked only to make themselves useful by wise advice because fairies can do anything and have knowledge of everything. They knew even how to predict the weather for the days to come.

At the same time, a very wealthy young man lived in a village near the fairies’ cavern. Following inheritances, he had a very large farm where he ploughed and sowed wheat. People from the village said that with his annual harvest, he would be able to nourish the village for the entire year.

After meeting her by chance, the young man fell in love with the youngest fairy of the tribe. The young fairy was deliciously beautiful, kind and gentle. The young man was so in love that he proposed to her to marry him.

The young fairy was really happy to accept the proposal but she had one condition: the marriage would be cancelled the day when he would tell her malicious or insulting words about the malformation of her feet. For it is said in the legends that fairies have feet without heels. Nothing offends fairies more than taunts about their deformed feet.

The young man was very happy and promised never to speak any malicious or insulting words about her feet.

The marriage took place and everything was going well, their love was cloudless and they were happy together. The only shadow that was cast was that the couple unfortunately had no children. The young man was saddened by this and found the situation hard to accept. As for the fairy, she was very attached to the village’s children and with her kindness and her compassion she lavished alms wherever poverty arose.

A year came when nature seemed particularly generous. The harvest promised an abundance of grain. One day, shortly before the full maturity of wheat, the man went into the vineyards to do some work and he returned home very late.

He was very surprised to find at the entrance of the village a group of women, the gossips of the community. They were waiting there to tell him that his wife, along with the other faeries of the tribe had harvested all his wheat and that they had piled it up in his barns and grain stores in regular layers with sheets of hazel tree between them.

The man immediately thought of revenge from the fairies that were maybe jealous that he married one of them. He thought that they were trying to ruin him, because the wheat was not ripe and so, the harvest was devastated.

In an uncontrollable fit of anger, the man forgot his promise. He entered his home and with an angry voice he said to his wife: “What have you done? Why did you want to ruin me? You are vile, woman without heels!”

At these words the little fairy became very, very sad. Big tears rolled down her cheeks. She told her husband: “Why put yourself in such a state? Why destroy our happiness with such nasty words? My sisters and I have done that because in two days there will be a terrible hail which will strike the region. It will destroy all our crops, which will mean a big famine for all the country. To avoid the worst, we wanted to save your harvest. The leaves of hazel tree we introduced between the layers of corn will produce, by their fermenting, enough heat to complete the ripening of the grain and so, no one will starve this winter.”

“Unfortunately, I will not be there to share this bread with you, because by breaking your promise, you destroyed our marriage! Before the dawn rises, I will disappear and you will never see me again. ”

All that the fairy had prophesied came true: the hail came and it destroyed everything in the country. The wheat finished its maturation in the barns and in the grain stores, and so there was food on every table. Nobody heard children crying from hunger, thanks to the wisdom of those good fairies. But nobody could thank them for that, because that same night, the fairy tribe disappeared and nobody knew to which country they emigrated.

All that remains of the fairies is the legend and the name of the place where they lived, because very few people have forgotten where lies the “Cliot de Tsèrafouén.”

It includes a some historical information regarding Offa’s rise to the throne of Mercia which it is hoped will inspire viewers to find out more.

There are two main reasons for producing this film; firstly, Offa was of our folk and showed pioneering spirit and great vision in establishing his kingdom. Secondly the footage captures some beautiful English scenery in the hills of Shropshire.

This was both a physical and spiritual journey following in the footsteps of Offa and our folk. Offa’s Dyke was a great achievement. At 170 miles long it is the longest earthwork in Britain, built without the aid of modern machinery.

The onion. We all know it. Probably the most common vegetable for cooking, from raw slices on our hamburgers to the powder we season the meat with. It also seems to fall into the category of either loved unconditionally or loathed completely.

I was of the latter mind set. I did not like to prepare them because they made my eyes sting and water. I never ate them raw because they were “hot”, and if cooked in a dish they had to be practically invisible. I never fell for the “sweet” variety either, that was a conspiracy set up by mothers and the food industry to trick small children!

Then the day came when I received an email forward from a well respected 86 year old lady who happened to agree with it’s contents. The story was from an influenza epidemic back in the 1800′s and how the doctor calling on all of these farms found them all stricken to one degree or another. He stops at one farm and not one illness or death has occurred and he can’t figure out how this family has avoided the outbreak. The only thing he observes is that the wife/mother has put a sliced onion in every room of the home and believes this to be the answer.

Now I am not one to believe all the cure-all forwards or advertisements I read but I intuited something about this one. It made me think of my own grandmother and how she treated me from skinned knees to terrible flu without opening a branded bottle of medicine. She made her own cough syrup which I never was sure if it truly worked or I was just afraid to cough after taking a spoonful in case she made me take another dose of the vile stuff!

Well I opened my mind to the possibility and asked on the OR forum for any input on this onion preventative/cure. Hyndla OR came back with an exuberant statement and a suggestion on a book, 10 Essential Herbs by Lalitha Thomas.

“Okay, I will set my mind over my taste buds and give this loathsome bulb a try,” I thought, and purchased the book. When it arrived in the mail I took it to work and started reading and taking notes. I’m old and old people don’t like change! Well at least I have trouble with it so just reading on this was a step!

Winter arrives and with it flu season. I work in a juvenile treatment center and every day at least one more kid was being put onto the quarantine dorm. Co-workers were baring the brunt of this flu cycle, too. I, on the other hand, had taken the step of sleeping with a halved onion next to my bed and changing it out every few days. I never had a sniffle during the 4-6 weeks it took to run its course.

Okay, maybe there is something to at least respect of the onion! This step was painless so I thought to try another use. Besides, maybe I was immune to this virus. It’s going to take more to convince me!

My next application was an onion poultice for joint pain. I had tore my knee up way back in high school. I finally had orthoscopic surgery on it in 2001 to try and alleviate the frequent pain. After the surgery the pain, on a scale of one to ten, was consistently a 5 and on bad days right up to a 10. I could not walk any distances what less up or down inclines. Of course I could take anti-inflammatory and pain medications until the insurance company deems me worthy of knee replacement but I chose to suffer along. Yeah, an onion poultice is really going to make this pain go away, sure!

I had my son, Arinbjorn OR make up the mixture because, 1.) he is the house chef and 2.) onions make me cry! I slathered this on my knee where the pain was and covered it. I left it on for a few hours before I had to leave for work. The next day I notice that that part of my knee didn’t hurt but that the pain had moved to the other side. Again, Arinbjorn OR made up the goop and I repeated the couple of hours and off to work routine. I wake up that day and no pain…interesting. Did the poultice again and slept over night with it and I went 4 days with NO pain! The time after that I made it through a week and a half! Is this really happening?!?!

The weather had changed and spring was here so we decided to start walking daily as long as I could tolerate it. We walked every day between 1½ – 2 miles and I used my pal, the onion poultice, at further and further intervals. I was amazed!! I was telling strangers on the street about this wonderful little orb practically!! I know my co-workers got tired of hearing about it!

With the change in the weather I quit using the onion by my bed and within 2 weeks was sick with a terrible spring cold. It hit me so hard with fever, cough and stuffiness that I called off work for the first time in 15 years. The mighty onion came to my rescue! My son cooked up the most awful cough syrup!! It didn’t taste as bad as Grandma’s but the consistency of it was gooey sludge! I forced it down a couple of times that day and slept through the night and felt renewed by the next morning. The symptoms lasted about 4 days instead of what I’m sure could have been 2+ weeks like my co-workers, who also came down with the bug and refused to share in my slime!

Now the BIG test was on!! I have been using Prilosec since it was a prescription drug and read on line what is happening with long term use. Oh, great! I can’t eat anything that doesn’t cause me heartburn and without the medicine I surely wont sleep due to the acid reflux. I kindly say, “No, thank you,” to almost all medicines doctors want me on but I NEED this one!

I sceptically read the index of “The Book”. Yep, that new found friend the onion is listed under heartburn! Wait a minute, loads of people have told me if they eat onions they suffer heartburn, so how can the cause be the cure??

Onion water to the rescue!! One cut up white or yellow onion in a quart of water. I drink 4 ounces after dinner (it’s supposed to be 2 cups a day in ½ cup doses but I forget!) and I may get heartburn later at work but it lasts only about 30 minutes and I have no acid reflux at all. On the days I forget to drink any, I suffer but have refused to buy any more medicine now for about 4 months. I still don’t like the taste of the water but I can now drink it down quicker and with a lot less whining!!

So as the title says – I bowed to the power of the onion and despaired – but only for a little while!!

The game of Tafl, “Tables,” or Hnefatafl, “King’s Tables,” is an ancient pastime that was played by our ancestors as far back as 400 AD, until it was superseded by chess around 1000 A.D. Archaeologists have discovered several boards all over Northern Europe ranging from 7×7 to 19×19 squares with the center and four corner squares almost always decorated. Pieces found are often warriors armed and ready for combat, standing or on horseback, with the majestic king sitting on his throne, prepared to escape the invading hordes. They could also be simple shapes, made of glass, antler, walrus bone, ivory, amber, horse teeth, knuckle bones, or clay. The knuckle bones of sheep were common, and may have a relation to the word Hnefatafl, which is literally translated from the Icelandic as “Fist-Tables.”

In the earliest age, the Æsir gathered in the realm of Iðavöllr to set the stage for creation. There they set up temples and altars for their worship and fashioned forges, treasures, and tools, with which they would build the worlds. In their leisure they “played merrily with Tafl” (Voluspa 8) within their dwellings, which leads us to believe that it was the first game ever invented by our beloved deities. In this sense, this forerunner of chess should be viewed as holy by all who worship the Gods and Goddesses of the North. It allows us to partake in the divine recreation, valued by our exalted progenitors long before they had created and populated Miðgarðr. Of course, this is from a mythic viewpoint, as an integral part of our lore, but no matter how you interpret these tales, one thing is certain – Tafl is the sacred game of the Gods.

In consideration of this, there is an interesting tradition concerning the actual game played in Ásgarðr and how this relates to modern technology. In the Fornalfarsögur it is described as being made of gold and that it “plays by itself, when someone challenges it.” For some reason, it seems that this particular set is lost, for after Ragnarökr “once again, the wondrous game of Tafl is found in the grass, that which was owned in time’s morning by a divine prince, and Fjölnir-Óðinn’s family” (Völuspá 62). In our world today the idea of chess or even some online Tafl games that can play by themselves is almost considered primitive in terms of technological advancement. It is here used as a symbol of the age of peace – when the Gods could no longer engage in such leisurely pursuits this time had ended, but they will be able to do so again when the renewal comes, after the great conflagration.

Mark’s very impressive hand made Tafl set

We can say that, in a religious context, the playing of such games is trivial and meaningless, however we can preclude that our ancestors did not see it that way. Although idleness would have been rare in any agricultural society – definitely not as common as it is today – when it was permissible, it was cherished. At sacred festivals it was often mandated that no work was to be performed. It is likely that an importation division of these events, called the “leikr” (Old Norse word for “playtime”, “game-time”) was valued as much as the blot. Often the games, dances, song, etc. of the “leikr” were seeped in symbology connected to the holy day being celebrated. For instance, at Yule the Posterli hunt took place where an individual or an effigy was chased by the folk to mimic the Wild Hunt honored at this time. The Posterli being a variant of the Túnriður that Óðinn and the other Gods pursue and cleanse the air of in the Ásgarðsreið (Hávamál 157). So here the chase, as a game, corresponds to an important mythic event and at the festival where it is celebrated.

So, if this is the case, what is the symbolism of Tafl? Like chess, it is a miniature recreation of battle, some say of a Viking raid, but this is purely conjecture. It is likely that the idea was for warriors to keep their minds sharp while not in the midst of combat, and so the game would have been played at any holy day. Remember it as a symbol of the age of peace? Our ancestors knew full well that peace is maintained with the blood of those willing to fight for it, so such imagery is fitting. If we were to relate the game to any one particular celebration, this would be the Sigurblót, “The Victory Blót,” held on “Summer Day” (May 1st or Beltaine) as described in Ynglingasaga ch.8. That such warrior displays were practiced by our ancestors as a part of the leikr can be seen in Tacitus’ Germania (ch.24):
“They only have one kind of public spectacle, which is exhibited in every company. Young men, who make it their diversion, dance naked amidst drawn swords and presented spears. Practice has conferred skill at this exercise, and skill has given grace; but they do not exhibit for hire or gain: the only reward of this pastime, though a hazardous one, is the pleasure of the spectators.”

The Scotch and Irish peoples played Tafl as well, preferring 7×7 squared boards. In Scotland it was known as “Ard-Ri”, whereas in Ireland it was called “Brandubh” and “Fitchneall.” The Welsh called it “Tawlbyrd” and may have used dice in their version, which was played on an 11×11 board. The Anglo-Saxons used the largest, 19×19 playing area, which required a lot of pieces to be played, for drawings have been left behind describing how the board was set up. The Finns called their game “Tablut” (a variation of ‘Tafl’) and used a 9×9 board. The number 9 is not only considered holy in our faith, but this version would seem the most fun and balanced. The rules for play are pretty much pieced together from those collected by Swedish botanist Carl von Linne in his record of Tablut in Lapland, which was played as late as 1732. This is combined with observations of board designs, which adds to the game in several ways. The reconstructed rules are as follows below.

Learning and playing Tafl can be a valid part of our religious experience, as we connect to our Gods and ancestors in enjoying their pastime. In the lore it was even played the most celebrated of Teutonic families, that of Jarl, as we see in Rígsthula 40 where his sons “swam and played Tafl.” As Odinists today we can incorporate Tafl into our festivals, enjoying the company of friends in a friendly game, or raising the ante by establishing formal tournaments with prizes and titles. However we choose to do this, we can certainly agree that this game is an important part of our heritage, and should be of our cultural revival as well.

Tafl Rules
The following rules are based upon the 9×9 board and number of pieces played with on such a board. They can be expanded for larger versions, but I have found that this one works quite well.

1. The game begins with the assignment of sides – defenders and attackers. The defenders consist of eight pawns and one king. The king sits on the center ‘throne’ and is surrounded by his pawns on the board. There are sixteen attackers, all pawns, set up around the edge of the board. The defenders go first and sides are alternated after each game.
2. All pieces move vertically or horizontally, never diagonally, like a rook moves in chess. Pieces may move as many spaces as possible, but may not ‘jump’ other pieces.
3. A pawn is captured by being surrounded or flanked on two adjacent squares in the vertical or horizontal position. A piece may move between two flanking opponent pieces without being captured.
4. The king cannot be used to capture pieces.
5. The center and four corner squares are called ‘thrones’, for only the king may rest upon them. Other pieces may cross over the center throne, but never stop on it.
6. Thrones are considered pieces for the purpose of capturing another piece, but only when the king does not sit upon them. If a piece, including the king, rests on a square adjacent to the throne, it can be captured as if the throne itself were an opponent’s piece.
7. The attackers win if they capture the king. The king is usually captured by surrounding him on all four sides, or in any way keeping him from being able to move. A more difficult variant allows for the king to be captured with the standard flanking method used to capture a pawn (i.e. the king is surrounded on only two adjacent squares). The defenders win if the king makes it from the center throne to one of the four corner thrones.

“A secure individual knows that the responsibility for anything concerning his life remains with himself and he accepts that responsibility” ~Harry Browne

“Happiness belongs to the self sufficient.” ~Aristotle

Self Reliance is one of our NNV. We can be self reliant in any number of areas. However, I would like to take a moment to speak with you about the importance of self reliance in one of the most basic areas of humans existence. Food.

In all the millennia of our Folk’s existence we have been for the most part self reliant when it came to our food. Our ancestors did hunt, gather, sow and reap together. Charity was certainly shown to the orphaned and elderly, the infirm or the traveler or another such a one in need, but for the most part if you were an able bodied member of a family or community you were expected to contribute. You were expected to provide for yourself and your loved ones the basic necessities of life such as food and shelter. If you thrived you felt the confidence and happiness, the sense of accomplishment and self worth that came with being able to do this. If you did not put forth effort your lot was to suffer far more than just low self esteem.

However, in what can only be described as an extremely short period of time compared to our Folk history, the majority of us have lost this assuredness where our food is concerned. We can work to earn money to buy our necessities but if they are not available or beyond our finances we are left with nothing more than colored paper.

In the move from rural to urban, homesteader to shopper we have traded in our independence, security, vast stores of knowledge, planetary and personal health, and for what? Ease? A life of leisure? No. Not really. One kind of work was simply traded for another. Rather than work to produce our food and shelter by our own hands we now work to buy our food and shelter from the hands of others. But in this trade we put ourselves at a loss, for we have made ourselves dependant upon those whose only goal is to line their coffers or worse still whose goal it is to have a secure means of control over us.

Therefore I appeal to you that it is time we as Odinists resurrect the virtue of self reliance. For as we read of crop shortages and crop mutations, as more and more of our food is produced in countries not our own, as economies sour and inflation soars, it is most certainly a virtue whose time has come again.

But where do we start? Wisdom and knowledge wiped away over decades cannot simply be regained over night, no matter how much we wish it or how much we need it. So we regain our independence and our knowledge one step at a time.

1. Begin first by looking at your life. What are your needs? Your goals? Your strengths? Concerns? How much time can you devote to it? What skills should you develop? Make a list and work from it.

2. Do little things consistently that contribute to food independence. Some things such as a garden, really will take a lot of work and time. Other things can be done in such a short period that they can be fit into your week with ease. Perhaps once a week you might skip that show you don’t really care for anyway or decide not to play Farmville on Facebook. Instead you can take 30 minutes and make some butter or mozzarella cheese. Set some bread dough to rise or blanch bunches of spinach and put them in the freezer. Place your order in the seed catalog or start cabbage in the crock for sauerkraut.

I promise that 30 minutes spent doing any one of these things will leave you feeling better than 30 minutes of MySpace. Done repeatedly, you will eventually build skills and gain independence without feeling overwhelmed.

3. Find local suppliers of items you do not or cannot provide for yourself. Many local farms, gardeners, beekeepers and herbalists abound in rural areas and many travel to cities to sell their wares as well. Not only is it better for you and your local economy, but such people are usually a storehouse of information and are typically very happy to share such with you. Also in a crisis would you rather know that your food is down the road or across the country?

4.Stock up on items you cannot find locally or produce yourself. By just purchasing one extra item or deciding to spend an extra $5 to $10 during each trip to the grocers you will eventually have a pantry full of foodstuff. With all the things you are producing yourself also, you will have a great deal of peace of mind and sense of accomplishment when you look at your stocked pantry.

5.Educate yourself. Read, read and read some more. Attend classes and talk to people who are doing what you would like to do. If you have your list of skills you need and you are learning about those skills even when you cannot yet put that knowledge into action, then when the time arrives you will be ready. My husband and I have wanted to keep honey bees for years. We have been researching, reading, even attending a class on beekeeping. After years of this, the opportunity to keep bees finally presented itself and since we had prepared ourselves we were able to take advantage of it.

6. Educate others. As you learn how to do more things and be more self reliant, spread the wealth. As we help more and more of our Folk become self sufficient we become stronger as a people and as a community. We are able to come together to do bigger things and we are able to be an asset rather than a hindrance. If you are part of a hearth, you want your hearth to be strong and knowledgeable. Have hearth gatherings that focus on learning such skills. Knowledge gained of this sort will never be regretted.

Self reliance really boils down to committing to approach life in a new way, to making needful changes and cultivating useful habits. It is said that it takes 3 weeks to establish a habit. That means you could incorporate 17 new habits into your life in just one year’s time! What an amazing change that could make!

Gaining self reliance opens up many possibilities to see things differently. Now instead of ‘I need to get a gallon of milk at the store.’ It is ’I need to milk the cow/goat or visit the local farm where I can get milk to drink and use the milk fat to make butter, sour cream, whipping cream, etc.’ We begin to see new opportunities to provide for ourselves that had never occurred to us previously.

As we do we will increase our self esteem, independence and security. If we have children we will be passing along such priceless knowledge to them that can serve them in so many ways. We will know that no matter what the future holds, our children know how to provide for themselves and will have the security that brings.

It is important to not feel overwhelmed. You can become self sufficient. One step at a time, one skill at a time, one decision at a time. Do not feel discouraged that you cannot do everything at once. Everything you do is more than what you did before and that is the important thing.

Below are a few books that can help you begin your journey.

I wish you the best of luck and much pride in your hopefully many successes.

FFF/HTR

Jennifer H AOR

The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery
The Complete Guide to Self Sufficiency by John Seymour
The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan

I have not posted about my allotment since Jim C wrote a report about it way back in August 2010 so I thought I would share some of what I have learned in that time. Firstly though I just want to say that to answer many of the queries from those overseas about what exactly an allotment is, I will be posting an article soon devoted to just that subject.

The most important thing that I learned in the first year of having an allotment is that it is hard work, very hard work, with lots of potential for disappointment. But also it can be very rewarding and the joy of eating food that you have grown yourself, free from harmful chemicals and pesticides can’t be overstated.

As reported back in 2010, the first thing I did was to invite OR comrades to join me for a day of good honest labour in return for a day spent with good folk and being fed and watered. The report by Jim C covers the events and achievements of that day, however it was not long after all of that hard work that the dreaded couch grass began to rear it’s ugly head and a few weeks later areas which had been brown soil were now lush green couch grass. Couch grass is a very invasive weed with a dense root structure and one small piece left in the ground will grow into a new plant and multiply. A big lesson learned and all subsequent digging included seek and destroy missions for couch grass roots.

As Winter closed in I managed to get some over-wintering onions in the ground and then just did what I could as the weather would allow. One thing I managed to do was to get some pallets with which I made some composts bins.

As the snow melted away and signs of Spring began to appear I managed to get approximately half of the plot cleared, or at least cleared enough to get some planting done. I guess I would not be alone amongst new allotment plot holders in wanting to grow EVERYTHING in the first year and also in growing too much of EVERYTHING in the first year. When I say too much, I mean too much at once leading to a glut of certain vegetables at one part of the year with none of those vegetables later in the year. Another lesson learned and particularly with regards to beetroot and carrots. This year I will be trying to sow at fortnightly intervals throughout the growing season of many vegetables.

So what did I grow in this first year? Well I grew various varieties of leeks, onions, garlic, lettuce, peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, corn, squash, Swiss chard, radishes, herbs, broccoli, parsnips, carrots, beetroot, strawberries and lots more which never made it past seedling stage or which died because I never managed to get them from pot to soil.

I planted my potatoes in early March and they came up beautifully. However a cold wind blowing across the allotment one night turned all of to leaves and stems brown and they looked totally dead. I was about to dig them all all up in despair when one of the elderly plot holders stopped me and advised that I should just leave them. He assured me that they would regrow and that there was still plenty of time for decent sized potatoes to form. He was right and I am glad I took his advice. Some of the older plot holders really are a mine of great knowledge and those of us who still have respect for our elders can learn a lot. Another lesson learned.

In June I was summoned to do jury service for two weeks which meant that I struggled to get to the allotment to keep things watered and to keep on top of the weeding. However due to a case I was selected to sit on, 2 weeks became six weeks and when I finally managed to get to the allotment the sight that greeted me was enough to make me wonder if it was all worth it. The weeds had well and truly taken over and areas where I had spent painstaking hours digging and removing all sign of weeds were once again covered. Vegetables had gone to seed due to the lack of watering and others had been eaten by hungry insects. I could easily have walked away at that point. However it was finding things still quietly growing such as squash and parsnips that made me want to persevere and I just picked myself up and carried on.

In the end my harvests were a mixed bag, some doing well (potatoes, beetroot, tomatoes) whilst others were terrible (leeks, cabbages, corn) but I see the whole of my first year on the allotment as a very important learning experience that will stand me in good stead for coming years.

I look forward to reporting on my activities this year and I hope that I can encourage others to take up growing their own vegetables. In reality I have done and learned so much more than I have written here and look forward to putting the experience to good use.

There are times in our lives when wyrd plunges us into some very difficult circumstances. So when synchronicities suggest that you do something, which ostensibly is going to contribute to their deepening, one questions the sanity of the decision! Such has been my situation with practically no income to replenish my dwindling reserves. So when synchronicity tapped me on the shoulder and showed me an opportunity to fulfil an ambition to visit and experience the energies of a couple of crop circles, I had the most seriously sombre conversation with my inner Bag lady! Happily, the loopy lady consented with a toothy grin- and is still smiling manically!

Crop circles are an enigma of our time. Essentially, they are seemingly spontaneous patterns that appear in fields worldwide, but are particularly abundant in the areas of Wiltshire and Somerset in England. Typically, they occur on- or very close to- leylines (although this year was an exception for some unknown reason). Crop circles are patterns that have appeared like mazes, animals, mandalas, sacred geometric shapes, maps, constellations and some encode numerological principles and mathematical equations. Their styles will also vary from one country to the next. The first recorded crop circle appeared in a woodcut from 1678; the early ones were mainly circular but in recent years- and particularly the last two decades- their complexity has evolved. In many ways, this fact lays to rest the absurd idea of crop circles being a hoax- that a couple of “plankers” can go out in the middle of the night in the pitch black armed with a board and flatten the crops into such intricate designs! To obtain the often 3D images they relay would, at minimum, surely require somebody directing the operations from a helicopter- hardly the way to make it a covert operation! Besides which, analysis has revealed that the soil is microwaved from within the earth and it is as if it has been struck five hundred times by lightening. Silica- once thought not to exist at all on earth (but now known to exist deep within the earth’s core)- is found in great abundance around them. The area of a crop circle has increased magnetic activity and attracts about five hundred times more cosmic dust than other places. The crop nodes are bent, some are exploded and burn marks appear on the stalks and crop ears. It has been found that the wheat from crop circles holds more seeds in their heads: wild wheat typically has about twelve whilst farmed wheat has about twenty five seeds; that from crop circles will hold up to one hundred seeds. Of particular significance is the fact that- as with approaching earthquakes, animals will sense their immanence and become worried: if they can, they will hastily vacate the area. Those creatures such as hedgehogs, frogs etc. that tend to freeze in the face of danger are found microwaved if they are within the crop formation.

Animals and people alike can sometimes have quite dramatic responses to being within a crop circle. Healing has occurred for both alike. Yet others have had obvious negative responses such as vomiting and giddiness; the variations are endless and as with any other energies, one individual can be extremely comfortable whilst another in the same circle experiences the opposite effect. Some dogs- and even cats- have become obsessive about eating the grains or had overt behavioural changes lasting for some while after the event. Animal responses are particularly interesting since they do not work with egotistical projections the way we do; so I definitely believe they should be heeded as part of the quest to unravel the mysteries of crop circles and their source.

So it was that on July 21st, I set off with great anticipation upon my short Odyssey that would total three days- the two flanking days being the sweltering 5.5 hour out and return haul on public transport between Norfolk and Wiltshire. It was late afternoon when I arrived at my bed and breakfast, tired but hungry enough to set straight off into the town to secure a much needed sandwich, which I proposed eating upon my return to base. It was then I noticed a sign to say the Tor was just a mile ahead, so I thought I could just nip up for a peek. (I visited Glastonbury briefly many years back but perspectives are a whole lot different from a car!). Fifteen minutes later, I found myself ascending the steep path upwards grateful that I hadn’t known just what was entailed beforehand since I would probably have postponed the idea! But I had started so needs must I had to finish! St Michael’s Tower at the summit of the Tor dates from the fourteenth century and was built to replace an older one destroyed by an earthquake in 1275. However, the whole area is steeped in mythology and has been a place of pilgrimage for ten thousand years. There isn’t the scope to delve into anymore here suffice it to say that it is certainly one of England’s major earth energy spots. Additionally, the relief carvings- in particular on the west wall showing a woman milking a cow on the right and a set of scales on the left- are in themselves, a source of wonder as to their origins. Could the woman milking the cow be a memory of Audumla, the first great mother in our mythology? Or is it perhaps the symbolic acknowledgement of the sacred lunar cycle common to both and the foundation for our calendar? Or both? Do the scales symbolise the infamous scales of justice or perhaps the balance of our actions in wyrd in this life and all our lives? One can only speculate and hypothesise about their true origins; but doubtless, the fact they have been carved onto the walls of such a holy place means they were almost certainly revered symbols for our ancestors.

Glastonbury Tor west wall

The Tor is a very busy tourist attraction so the opportunity for obvious ritual work is extremely limited. However, I walked the quarters and silently invoked the gods and ancestors: a few minutes later, a powerful wind blew up and I was greeted by the awesome spectacle of a crow rising from the ground below to soar and circle around the Tor, riding the powerful wind currents. It landed on the map by the east side. So as part of my toast and feast, I shared some of my hard won sandwich, which I gather by the speed with which it disappeared was appreciated. After imbibing the atmosphere, enjoying the view and taking some photos during what was a timeless hour of communion with the spirit of place, the sun was beginning to set and I knew it was time to set off back to the B and B. It was then I noticed Mani rising in the south so I acknowledged his presence by very quietly singing the runes, only to then have five crows appear soaring on the wind followed by one swallow! Then it really was time to go so, feeling revived and invigorated, I descended the Tor in a whole lot less time than it had taken for the ascent!

The next day was the Odyssey’s centrepiece- an organised coach tour taking in two of the season’s crop circles. Most of the folk gathering were booked to attend the annual Glastonbury Symposium starting the following day and as one might imagine, they are from all walks of life with an equally diverse array of opinions and sanity! What is interesting is that there is international interest in the crop circle phenomenon and as such, this is at least encouraging the local people to take pride in their towns and villages and to gain some financial benefits with it. Such this year is the situation in Yatesbury where, with a crop circle appearing in the vicinity, the folk opened the doors of the church hall as a temporary “Crop Circle Café” where home baked cakes, beverages and relevant literature was being sold. The proceeds will fund a much needed roof for the lovely little thirteenth (possibly even twelfth) century village church of All Saints. This café was our first port of call during which there was time to have a quick peek into the lovely little musty old church itself and to admire the Yew sentinel in the yard outside. After this welcome break, the coach drove us passed Uffington and Avebury (known as the land of the white horse) for a quick glance at Avebury’s stone circle. Silbury Hill was the next landmark: this has been the epicentre of crop circle formation in previous years and so-called UFO activity. Built near Westbury Longbarrow, it is a man-made conical hill from which four springs emanate and form a moat around the cone during wet weather. One of the springs is called Swallow Spring. One particular year (I’m not sure when), a swallow crop circle formation appeared in a nearby hill. Strangely enough each year, when the vegetation dies, the shape of a crow emerges with the hill appearing as its belly. It is a fact that in subsequent years, the imprints of crop circles from previous years remain very much apparent due to their magnetisation of the soil. The fact this one has morphed from a bird that often represents fertility, renewal etc. into another so often associated with death (as much as Odinism) at a time when the vegetation dies back is, I think, quite mysterious.

Next on the agenda was a drive through the old marketplace in Devizes where we passed the infamous school for the rich- Marlborough, which is a beautiful old building, apparently with its own mound and white horse. Devizes, Marlborough and Hungerford all have a preponderance of Bear hotels, etc. suggesting that in ancient times, the bear was an important symbol for the folk in the area. Certainly, this creature is associated with King Arthur (where “Art” means bear) and the Ursa Major constellation. The Devizes area sits upon the Michael/Mary leyline or Serpent Line, which stretches across southern England at approximately twenty seven degrees from Land’s End to Great Yarmouth. Three counties meet at Devizes and at one time, it was a Cromwellian stronghold. In more recent political history and under Tony Blair’s dubious government, a number of trees in the Devizes marketplace were earmarked to be pulled down to make way for development- that was despite ardent local opposition to the proposal. So at 5am one morning in great secrecy, the machines drove in and pulled all but one tree down: the latter was saved by a young local lad who, upon witnessing the carnage, allegedly dived out of his room, ran over to one of the remaining trees and sat up it so that the workmen couldn’t take it down. Hael to that local lad: sometimes, direct action is the only way to achieve an end, particularly where the current times of wanton environmental destruction are so prevalent.

Chisbury star shaped crop circle

Finally, we reached the first destination- a farmer’s field in St Martin’s Chapel, near Chisbury- where on the 3rd of July, a stunning star shaped crop circle had been formed. There is a lovely little flint walled chapel on the farm overlooking the field, which we walked passed on the way down the hill. Since it was once a Templar site, one can bet the land energies are inherently powerful as whatever the reality of their order, the Templars most certainly knew how to work with the mysteries of the land energies. The sight of this cute little chapel was perfect for preparing one’s mind for the approach down the track and along the tramlines into the formation.

Once approaching the actual formation, what becomes immediately apparent is how different it looks from the ground level as opposed to above; the former really does not convey the 3D effect created by the light’s play upon the lay of the wheat that can be observed from the air. The procession up to the formation was notably quiet; then once inside, individuals dispersed to find a quiet spot within in which to ponder and experience it, take pictures and so forth. It was a very interesting and informative experience for me. Towards the end of the sojourn, a few dark clouds gathered and there were several mighty cracks of thunder, which heightened the atmosphere; then the rain began. Mercifully, the gods were obviously in benevolent mode as the downpour only began in earnest once the party was safely back on the coach! Then it was off for a welcome lunch break in “The George Inn” at Burnham Dee, another quaint old low beamed building with an amazing tiled wavy roof. These local folk had very kindly remained open that day especially to receive the crop circle tour parties: they were most welcoming and anyone who has cause to venture to Burnham Dee might like to patronise the place and help keep a beautiful old English pub ticking over in these tough times.

Haydown Hill suspended cube crop circle formation

Next stop was just around the corner at Haydown Hill in Fosbury where on July 17th, a crop circle shaped like a cube in suspension with a maze like structure had appeared. Once again, the slow procession walked the tramlines into the formation and people spread out, each on their individual quest to perceive what they could of the place. Happily, the rain had also stopped thus making for a more comfortable time than might have been. Finally, it was all aboard the coach, a whiz passed Stonehenge and back to Glastonbury town centre from where all went their separate ways.
Of course, no trip to Glastonbury is complete without visiting Chalice Well. Once again, synchronicity had played its part. In having inadvertently booked a later train back to Norfolk, I had the time to visit the well; otherwise, with a 10am-6pm opening time (I learned that places in Glastonbury are notorious for opening later than in many parts of the country!), I wouldn’t have had the opportunity. Chalice Well is amongst the best loved holy wells in Britain and in times past, it was known as the Red or Blood Spring because of the red iron deposits the water leaves on everything it touches. These are known as chalybeate waters. Its waters flow ceaselessly at a rate of 25,000 litres daily at a temperature of 11 degrees centigrade (52 degrees Fahrenheit) that amazingly, never varies. One legend has it that Joseph of Arimathea buried- or washed, depending upon the information source- the cup used at the Last Supper here; others acknowledge such springs as direct expressions of an unbounded lifeforce. Indeed, there is no doubt that our ancient ancestors regarded wells as gateways and places where the veils between the realms are thinner so that access to the Divine is easier. The whole place is replete with symbols of the Vesica Piscis, a sacred geometric symbol comprised of two interlocking circles that symbolise the union of spirit and matter. The Vesica Piscis is also the basis for all sacred geometric shapes- those very shapes which underlie the formation of matter and can be seen pervading nature. Sacred geometry is an eternally fascinating subject in itself that raises all kinds of questions about the nature of being.

Chalice Well lion's head

The first stop on the walk around the gardens is a flow form of seven bowls whose rhythm creates the swirling vortex eddies of natural mountain streams before falling into Vesica pool. This is a great example of technology that harmonises seamlessly with the environment, is beautiful to behold and serves to energise the water and hence, enhances the natural energies of this tranquil garden. Virbela flowforms- as they are known- were created by John A. Wilkes in the UK and inspired by the work of those visionaries in natural systems, Theodore Schwenk and Viktor Schauberger. Just past the flowforms and of course, after briefly contemplating the Holy Thorn (which traditionally flowers twice annually at

Yule and Ostara), one passes under the shade of some lovely Yew trees and enters King Arthur’s Court and Healing Pool where the spring’s waters create a lovely little pool and there are seats in which to relax and contemplate- sadly, there wasn’t enough time available to spend all day there! So then it was onwards through the gate guarded by a pair of gigantic ammonite fossils where one is compelled to pause in front of the Lion’s Head and make private communion with the spirit of place before tasting of the vivifying waters issuing from his mouth.

Chalice Well head showing Vesica Piscis with lance through

Leading away from him was a beautiful and divinely scented garden with a stone seat in front of a carved angel- a place where the earth’s heart can be felt beating powerfully. Beyond here, one descends some stone steps to the well head, whose wooden cover features a wrought iron Vesica Piscis with a lance passing through it. This is a lovely mediation area and the chythonic power of the land’s wells seeps into one’s being. Sadly with a bus to catch, there simply was not the time to meditate deeply or for more than a few minutes. But nevertheless, Chalice Well was the perfect finale to an incredible three days.

And so it was with a final salute to the Tor I found myself once again on the bus to Temple’s Mead Station from where my train would transport my body from a place of holy pilgrimage to the centre of political and economic institution in Britain- London. It struck me as ironic that these two seemingly opposed principles of holy pilgrimage and ceaseless commercial activity met within and outside of me at Temples Mead Station- a power spot that at one time, was obviously holy (implying peace and quiet); now it is a hustling bustling locus of endless noise and activity- the total antithesis of silence and the pursuit of contemplative meditation. Such seems to be the fate of many beautiful old and once holy buildings in Britain. Temples Mead Station may have been purposely built as a station in the 1870s, but its name derives from the nearby Temple Church originally built in the 12^th century and rebuilt in the 14^th century by the Knight’s Templar. Until the construction of the station, the area was open land. One cannot help but wonder if there is a malicious intent in the apparent madness of taking a location naturally and purposefully suffused with the holy energies of the land, our Gods and our ancestors, then turning a pre-existent holy building and/or surrounding area into a servant of commerce. It seems particularly anathemas when such places are not merely a commercial building (where more aware folk might stop and ponder), but rather being used as something such as a station where people barely even have the time- or inclination- to raise their heads as they hop from one  platform to the next. I see this as just one more great tragedy of our times that serves to disconnect the folk from their gods, heritage and lands.

So ultimately, did I experience anything profound within the crop circles themselves? There is no doubt that each affected me differently. This is hardly surprising as magnetic force fields create the formations whose effect is modulated by their geometry. Indeed, this is the power of any mandala and in turn, the land and water table will be potentised by the imprint- just as the water in our cells receives the imprint also. Indeed, this is the principle upon which homoeopathic medicine works. I also know that the sound from a singing bowl seems to resonate for longer as though an invisible force field acts to contain the resonance, much like a sound box. This accords with the findings of some other serious and sensible investigators of crop circles. And I do know I felt a sense of peace in one akin to the experience of being in an old cathedral. I also know that the energies feel very different to the powerful and ancient earth energies of Chalice Well and different yet again from the Tor. At this time, nobody knows the secret of the crop circle mystery. But however they are formed, I consider them to be like temporary temples upon our lands whose current effect is to attract people from all walks of life to take time out from their hectic schedules and commune with the land in whatever way they see fit once inside the formations. Who knows, maybe crop circles have a role to play in the long overdue reinstitution of the sacred in people’s lives where the land and the people once again become harmonised with one another. And I think that providing the origins of crop circles are benign, this is a most desirable outcome for all.

One other thing my mini odyssey brought to the forefront of my attention is this. As many folk will know, places such as Glastonbury are saturated with New Ageism and nowhere did I see the manifestation of this being made more overtly apparent than in one shop window display where some different coloured crystals had been attractively arranged as cup cakes on a platter! This epitomises New Ageism perfectly- a sickly sweet spiritual candy with little or no truly vitalising substance to it! It is therefore natural that as serious Odinists seeking to be true to the ways of our ancestors, such places may to some be at best off putting: spiritual candyfloss, vulgar tourism and the types of people the place attracts don’t always sit well in the Odinist’s heart. However, it must be remembered that such places were holy to our ancestors and they still live within the land, in these potent power points and the old buildings that were once sacred, just as they still reside in our blood, bone and sinew. But it is our responsibility to use our emotional energies to mediate the connection, thereby ensouling these places once again. And so it is vital that we visit such places and call upon those powers in any way that we can, whether by full ritual, silent invocation or even just sitting in silent contemplation for a moment in a busy station that sits upon sacred ground. We might not have the numbers; but our faith and folk soul mediating the Odic force in these power spots is like a potent homoeopathic remedy, which will once again vitalise our lands, spirits and our own beings simultaneously.

What better way could one have found to celebrate the Festival of Life?

Hael the Revolution!

Hael Bright Berkana: may she once again dance upon our lands and in the hearts of our people!

Sig Wunjo Wunjo Sig!