Freedom
by Redwald OR
When Friedrich Nietzsche wrote in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, “Are you a man as ought to escape from a yoke?”, he sparked an interesting dilemma for anyone of an evolutionary Odinic mindset.
In plain language, what this idealistic philosopher was asking was, “Have you the determination to be free, and if so, what will you do with that freedom?”
Of course, every man, woman and child does, on the face of things, crave freedom. However the truth is that only a tiny percentage of people actually have the mental strength to deal with the reality of freedom.
True freedom means physically carving a path forward and thinking up-reaching thoughts – however, in this modern society we have become slaves to the ‘system’. Our food, water, healthcare and a thousand other day-to-day necessities are controlled either by the State or by faceless corporations.
I propose a choice of two options in order to clarify our intent and the necessary actions required if we are to work towards the New Awakening and ultimate freedom which we all desire.
Option (1) towards reclaiming freedom is the extreme, much dreamed of pathway which includes becoming a ‘survivalist’; living off the land, away from the cities and towns, paying nothing into the ‘system’ and likewise taking nothing out, home schooling, self medication and interacting only with those of a like mind as part of an ‘indigenous community’.
Indeed, this is a high ideal, and the very fact that we can have these kinds of dreams shows that our spirit still yearns for freedom despite years of psychological and spiritual oppression. But two questions arise – (a) is Option (1) possible, and (b) if it is, should we attempt it?
I believe that Option (1) is possible. Anything the mind can imagine is eventually possible with enough determination. However, I do not believe we, as Odinists of the Odinic Rite, should all strive towards a complete and utter undertaking of Option (1).
My reasons for this ideologically controversial statement are as follows.
Quite rightly, taken individually, the many ideas comprising Option (1) are excellent ways to physically strengthen and mentally purify ourselves. Those who practice proper home schooling and live in a self sufficient manner are extremely positive examples to follow. But my problem with tackling Option (1) in all its entirety is that it distances us from our kinsmen who have yet to awaken to what we, as Odinists of the Odinic Rite, are presently aware of.
Therefore I propose an alternative way, entitled Option (2).
Option (2) entails deep thought, meditation and reading, plus listening and conversing to fellow Odinists until a personal plan of action is formed. You may wish to write it down and break it into simple stages, for in writing down your plans you begin to bring them to life. This plan should include key parts of your ideal lifestyle, aims and ambitions, broken down into manageable pieces.
For example, in regards to self sufficiency, few of us could actually become completely self-sufficient for a variety of reasons, but all of us have the potential to become partly self-sufficient, even if this is born through merely growing a few pots of tomatoes on a window ledge. And in regards to home schooling, we all have the ability to read stories of our own choosing to our children, which would include tales of our folkway, of high adventure or heroic tales of our gods and ancestors.
Take any of your high ideals and implement them to the best of your ability. This is my message and the purpose of this article.
Now, there will be some who question this Option (2) mentality. Considering I opened this piece with a quote from Nietzsche and considering I talked of ‘high ideals’ and so forth, why then would I wish to advise on implementing a more moderate approach?
Well, for centuries, our folk have slowly, almost without realising, been subject to a gradual mental re-conditioning. For some reason, only a select few of our brothers and sisters have visibly awoken to the poison being fed to us, but in reality there are many others out there who are only at the beginning of their journey towards a re-awakening. Make no mistake, when one talks to enough people in a way which gains their confidence, their spirit can occasionally be felt bubbling under the surface of their skin even if they do not fully understand their true potential or who they really are. These people, our people, must not be abandoned and we must not look down on them or ignore them just because they are at a different stage in their awakening process to us.
I believe that in fully implementing Option (1) and retreating into our own purpose built physical or mental world, and cutting ourselves off from people who are not yet at our overt level of Odinic comprehension, would not only prove to be a disaster, but it would be an immense failing on our part.
To withdraw from our damaged society would be something akin to Tolkien’s Elves retreating into the West in the ever popular ‘Lord of the Rings’ saga. This was a sad event, and the reason it was sad is because the Elves had given up on the possibility of achieving a higher ideal in ‘Middle Earth’, otherwise known as Midgard. The Elves were leaving because their hope had failed. Indeed, the ‘Lord of the Rings’ soundtrack contains an excellent song which includes the lyrics ‘hope fails…’ But we, as real world evolutionary Odinists of the Odinic Rite know that such failure can never be considered, for if ‘hope fails’ here in Midgard, in a few short years there will be none of us left to feel sad at our own demise.
Therefore, Option (2) deals with the real world issue of living amongst our folk, in being approachable, and above all ensuring that our essential folkway is not looked upon by others as something ‘weird’ or ‘oddball’. This is the reason why we do not parade around wearing Viking regalia. But that is merely a small example of how not to appear to our fellow (as yet un-awakened brothers and sisters). In implementing Option (2) we allow ourselves to do what we know to be right, but in a way that does not distance ourselves or our organisation from those who we may wish at some point to have in our ranks. Most importantly, in living amongst our wider community of un-awakened kinsmen, we make it almost impossible for the State to alienate us. I do not need to remind readers of how our enemies have made certain members of our folk appear via the mass media when they attempted to live apart from this diseased society we find ourselves in today.
The message of Option (2) is to be a part of your community, not live apart from it.
Think back to a time before you joined the Odinic Rite. Did you do ‘un-Odinic’ things? Did you make mistakes? Of course you did. We all did. And it would be foolhardy to look at every kinsman through judgmental eyes. Many of our folk are lost, but many are not and it may surprise some sceptics if they found out just what many men and women are actually thinking. They may not be saying or doing, but in these changing times I can assure you that there are some highly interesting thoughts permeating the minds of many of our people.
This article is nearing its conclusion, however there is one last thing left to say. As a radical folk movement, the Odinic Rite attracts numerous men and women of action. And by their very nature, they will be more drawn to an Option (1) mentality – by this I mean the mentality of ‘no compromise’. Good. Because we need people like this to take Option (1) to its extremes; to test out our home schooling methods, to test out our ideas on self-sufficiency and meditation and everything else in between.
The Buddhist monks who sit for weeks in silent meditation are extremists. What other word could one use to describe them? The engineer who bench tests his latest engine design for forty-eight hours on the redline is an extremist. How else can he determine the point of failure and thus learn more about his trade? The soldiers amongst us are extremists. How else can you find your limits and build your knowledge and confidence base without almost destroying yourself during training?
Above all, we must all make a choice – Option (1) or Option (2); for the only other choice is to do nothing, and as we all know: in nature, inactivity equals death.
Are you a man or woman as ought to escape from a yoke? As a member of the Odinic Rite, the answer should be as clear as a mountain stream.
Hael the Rite!
Sig Tyr!
FFF!
