What we’re about
Have you ever found yourself on a walk in the forest and suddenly come to a place that immediately felt special? Maybe there was some uniquely shaped rock or a tree that attracted your attention? Perhaps you thought for a moment that you could detect something, as if there was some kind of presence on the particular site that you could not really explain? Many people testify that they feel a strong affinity with nature all around us, that their strongest spiritual experiences are when they are moving through the forest.
This is not new of course. Humans have always had similar experiences since the origin of our species long, long ago. Through the ages, we have tried to understand and process these experiences, tried to portray them and give them shape, sought contact with the powers and the presence that we felt all around us. These experiences are the core of nature's religion.
Those of us who closely identify with these experiences exert a natural spirituality and seek a community that share in these gifts. That is the foundation of our community. We seek a harmony with nature and the gods based on ancient traditions and practices. We use the term "ancient" but that does not mean that our religion is obsolete or outdated. We reaffirm the old traditions and ways developed by the people who have gone before us, but develop them simultaneously, adapting them to our time and in the modern conditions under which we live. When we use the word "ancient", we may also allude to that it is rooted in a mythical time when our ancient ancestors lived in true harmony with the earth.
Our religion is polytheistic, meaning that we recognize and turn to a variety of gods and powers. Among these gods and goddesses include Odin, Freya, Thor, Sif and the others from the Norse mythology. Not all gods are Aesir - Freya is of the Vanir family, moreover, it is not just the gods and goddesses we turn but to nature spirits as the fey, animal totems, and so on. While we share a common religious foundation with the "Asatru", we understand that that this term is too narrow.
We recognize and celebrate these powers in rituals that we call blot. The blot can be considered as a symbolic celebration where we invite gods, goddesses and beings to participate, we offer them gifts and forming a relationship with them. A blot can be very simple and intimate but it can also be a big ceremony with many participants. Our festivals are tied to the seasons, and we are also ceremonies surrounding life's rites of passage such as weddings, funerals, naming of children, house blessings, and much more.
