Urðarvingi (Foundationalist) Asatru
There are many school of thought regarding the study
and practice of Norse/Germanic Heathenism in the modern world. Ours
is the only school that gets it ideals from the basest foundations
of the ancient Norse/Germanic Religion. Not to be confused with
Fundamentalism, Foundationalism requires the deepest level of understanding
of history, science and human interaction that shun personal gnosis
in favor of observational/universal facts (and truths). Foundationalism
has no politics, nor agenda other than to reveal the universe for
it's reality using the observations and experiences recorded for
us by the Norse/Germanic peoples of the first millennium c.e.
Preface
To compare Foundationalism to other schools is unfair and unwise.
The primary importance of most schools of Asatru (North Heathenism)
is the establishment of political agendas.
The word Urðarvingi is a reconstructed Gothic name meaning
'Soul-Folk of the Primal Essence'. Foundationalism is a compound
belief in the power of the past to shape or present and direct our
future. We search for the facts and the truest relationships between
those facts to determine the origins and ideals of Asatru. We have
found that those observations and ideals are just a relevant today,
maybe even more so, than they were to the original practitioners
of the faith.
The original practitioners of the faith were raised in the faith,
educated from the day of birth to understand the gods and their
roles within the universe. They were told in plain and simple language
embellished with parables and fables to more easily assimilate the
wholeness of the belief structure.
We, in modern times, are not so lucky. We are not told in any plain
language anything that makes any sense. Where as a Viking Child
was told that the sea was controlled by the "Terrible Force",
modern children are told that "Aegir" rules the sea. The
drama and layers of meaning are completely lost in the lack of translation.
It is for this reason, among many, that Foundationalism was founded.
What is Foundationalism? Why is it important?
In a religious/spiritual sense, Foundationalists study and/or believe
that the faith of the Norse/Germanic heathens has core elements
to it that transcend all other faiths and paths. This is not a belief
that stems from emotional and ideological superiority. It stems
from the comparison of the facts we unearth of the faith with the
scientific proofs we have of the real universe. The elements of
the universe can be shown to exist and interact in the faith in
precisely the same manner that modern science describes. This cannot
be said of any other faith or philosophy to the same calculable
degree.
Of course, this knowledge is hidden from English speakers because
of the aforementioned issue of translation. Gods named "Passion"
and "Power", "Bright" and "Soul",
"Bold" and "Terror" speak of fundamental truths
about the universe and the human experience that their untranslated
names do not. Not that there is anything wrong with worshipping
"Odin", but the knowledge of the hidden importance of
the name is everything in the practice of the religion.
Do Foundationalists worship the Gods differently?
Commonly, modern Asatruar/Heathens believe that the Gods are individuals
that live outside the confines of human experience and that the
personally knowing of each god or goddess produces all the knowledge
an individual needs out of the relationship. Foundationalists agree
(with qualifications) and also take it one step farther.
The opinions and experiences of Person A does not affect the reality
and totality of Person B. While Person A may achieve any and all
desired fulfillment from the relationship, that experience may or
may not have anything to do with the reality and totality of Person
B. Just because one believes another person to be gay, has nothing
to do with the reality of that person's sexuality... one cannot
WILL another to become something they are not, no matter how much
belief is involved.
Foundationalists believe that the relationships with the gods must
come from the understanding of who and what the gods are BEYOND
the limited scope of personal experience. In effect, rather than
make the personal assumption that a person is gay or even asking
them, we look at the facts available to make the most accurate interpretation
of the reality and totality of the situation.
This means that Foundationalists seek a truth beyond ourselves
and our own experiences to include that which may not benefit us,
in order to understand more fully.
Just as it is unforgivable to spread unfounded rumors and innuendo
about Person B ("Hropt", or Defaming someone's name is
the closest thing to a 'Sin' in all the Sagas), Foundationalists
believe it to be a corruption of and an insult to the gods and the
faith for anyone to assume that their subjective and limited experience
outweighs the totality of facts surrounding the gods.
In order to accomplish this, Foundationalists educate themselves
to all the facts available about the gods and the religion in every
possible sense.
Foundationalist also believe that Asatru is a religion based upon
the realities of the universe. They come upon this belief from the
body of evidence before them, in all it's glory. Studying that universe
is half the study of the religion and half the path.
How do Foundationalists incorporate their beliefs into their lives?
In the everyday, Foundationalists believe that the broader the
base, the higher the structure. The firmer the soil, the taller
the building. The more encompassing the knowledge of the problem,
the more perfect the solution. This is an omnipotent philosophy.
There is nothing it cannot be applied to and every piece of information
in the lore supports it.
Foundationalist Asatru is the only rational version of the faith.
It is not attempting to change people or their beliefs through opinion
or agenda. As Foundationalists, we believe that as we educate ourselves,
the facts we know shift, and therefore we must shift with them.
Thereby, our spiritual beliefs are shaped by our knowledge rather
than attempting to conform reality to fit personal opinion. The
knowledge of the universe contained in the history and lore of Asatru
just is, and when it is revealed in all of it's perfection, it will
be undeniable.
Foundationalism has found that there is nothing in history or lore
to declare any particular group of people to be better nor worse
nor spiritually more 'correct'. It does, however show that education
is the means of ascension. Wisdom is the knowledge gained from experience.
Intelligence is the means of learning from the experiences of others.
Since it can also be shown that the Norse/Germanic peoples had
access to more extremes of human and universal experience than virtually
every other culture on earth, it is therefore a founded observation
that their 'Wisdom' is more evolved and accurate than those others.
That their observations are echoed by modern science is both a testament
to their intelligence and to their legacy of the mindset that spawned
modern science in the first place.
One may argue that one does not need to know history, literature,
science, art or behavioral science to attain personal spiritual
fulfillment. Foundationalists agree with that... but question the
usefulness of the (lack of) practice.
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