Archive for October, 2012

Happy Samhain!

 

On this Autumn Night of Samhain.

We celebrate the turning of the wheel of the year.

As the seasons change, so goes the cycle of death and rebirth.

Tonight we celebrate the death of the old year and the birth of the new.

We listen to the lessons the dead have to teach us.

Take this time to comment on this page, discuss those who have died,

and what lessons they can offer you.


Nine Realms Learning Poem

From the Highest Peaks of Midgaard Where the Sons of Men Do Hold, To the Killing Chill of Niflheim The Land of Ice and Cold. To the Furnace Blast of Muspelheim Where Flame Leaps Far and Nigh, Nothing Born of Yggdrasil Escapes the Ravens Eye.

Down To the Depths of Svartalfheim Where Stone and Anvil Call, Unto High Liossalfheim Where Dark Ne’er Comes at All. High Up Over Jotunheim Where Giants Hold Their Court, All the Deeds of Every Land The Ravens Sift and Sort.

To the Heights of Vanaheim Where Elder Gods do Roam, Unto the Deepest Reach of Hel Where Spirits Make Their Home. And Last Up Into Asgaards Halls Where They May Find Their Havens, For It Is Known, Though All Men Fall, The Gods Do Keep the Ravens.

(A poem written by ThorinRuriksson of Reddit to help you learn the nine realms. Original Post. ThorinRuriksson gave me permission to spread this poem via blog so it could become a part of the oral tradition)


Devastating Forces of Nature

(Devastation of Hurricane Sandy in Battery Park, NYC)

In 2012 Climate Change wasn’t even mentioned in the presidential debates for the first time in 2 decades.

The world conference on climate change in Rio was a joke with no real solutions.

This week Hurricane Sandy made herself heard by slamming into the financial heart of America (New York).

As humans we think that our little, consumption based system has triumphed over nature.

But we are only a grain of sand among trillions.

Nature is 5 billion years old.

Humans as a species are 30,000 years young.

The Modern Capitalist World order is an infant at 200 years young.

Can we really triumph over the forces of nature?

7.5 million in the East Coast lose power.

That’s 2% of the United State’s total population!

When will we wake up?

Let us wake up and start living on this planet with a manner of dignity and respect.

Or else we can look forward to the following future below for Consumption Based America:

(This photo is not from Sandy. It is a fake. But it is still a good image of where we’re headed. )


Vikings and Native Americans

History may paint a violent picture of the Vikings.

But there is evidence that they may have been peacefully trading with Native Americans

for hundreds of years.

All without driving them to extinction in fact!

Click Here To Read More About It 


Johannesburg Heathen & Germanic Studies

Johannesburg Heathen & Germanic Studies

A Facebook Source for Heathenry and Germanic Lore


Orphaned Land ~ Sapari

In a Land of Never Ending Conflict, Jewish Muslim Metal Steps In To Tell Its Story

 

Location: Batyam, Israel

Genre: Doom/Death/Middle Eastern Folk

Themes: Abrahamic Religions, unity, peace

In this video Orphaned Land plays live with a famous belly dancer from Lebanon. Orphaned Land is an Israeli band that is working to bridge the gap between Jewish and Arabic people via music. Where Religion and Politics fail, the metal will prevail!

Official Website

Facebook

Myspace


Image

Decay


The Wheel of the Year Spins

Blessed is the Spring Rain that brings us the summer flowers

Blessed is the summer sun that shines golden like fallen leaves

Blessed are the darkening days that diminish into winter twilight

Blessed is the new born sun sparkling on melted snow


Image

Didn’t Go To Church Today


Garbage Warrior [Full Length Documentary]

 

Imagine if you could live without a mortgage.

No utility bill. No electric bill.

Your own house will produce everything you need: food, heat, cooling, insulation.

A house built out of tires and beer cans. Cooled by plants.

The Garbage Warrior takes a generation’s trash and builds it into a new hope for the future.

Get aboard the Earth Ship and venture to a new frontier.

 


Embrace Reconstruction, Not Anachronism

 

You can have reverence for your ancestors without living in a time machine.

All beliefs and people evolve over time

An Asatru Blog covers this in more detail here 


Menhir – Hildebrandslied

“Menhir” is a monolithic stone, that can stand alone or with others. 

 

Genre: Pagan Black Metal

Location: Germany

Themes: Paganism, Nature, Thuringia, History

The Lay of Hildebrandslied is one of the earliest literary works in Germany. It tales the tale of a tragic encounter in battle between a son and his unrecognized father. The importance of this tale lies in the fact that it is the only surviving example of a style that must have been important in the Germanic oral tradition. More information here.

As for the song itself, it is nine minutes long, but I’m sure if you’re a black metal fan, you’re used to songs that go on for eons. This song itself is well worth the time. From beginning to end, many emotions are captured: passion, power, tragedy and beauty – much like the tale of Hildebrandslied. The violin and guitar help capture this dynamic of emotions.

The video itself also does a good job in transitioning from Menhir in concert, to images of ancient Germanic life: heroes riding horses in battle, traditional life in the village, a sword glistening in the sunlight. I’m not a fan of live videos – but this one is definitely an exception to the rule.


Image

Blessed Are The Weird


Botswana’s Heavy Metal Heads

 

“Metal is a music about power, independence and freedom. That’s what I believe in –fighting for what you believe in no matter the consequences. Standing up for what you believe in and showing individuality.”

READ MORE HERE 


Idis Örlög Interview

 

Today I am interviewing the artist behind Idis Örlög. An Idis is a spirit of a Nordic Ancestor – a guide and protector of destiny. Idis Örlög is a musical journey to roots, a medium through which ancestral spirits communicate, sharing their wisdom through the spontaneity of song. 

So let’s start at the beginning, How did Idis Örlög start?

(Source: Idis Örlög Facebook)

So Idis Örlög began with a strike of inspiration. I realized our pagan ancestors have a lot to tell us, a lot we can learn from and this remains unknown due to Christianity’s hold over Europe, and following “re-writing” of history. The idises are female guardian spirits who watch over their kin, their descendants. It is said they can intervene in the lives of their descendants in a positive way, to defend or guide them. I felt like there was this feminine spirit of the north guiding this music to come into existence. Since örlög is destiny, it was a fitting name because it is destiny that we re-connect with our pagan, earthbound roots and appreciate and respect our pagan ancestors. I wished to give voice to these long silenced, but powerful beings who are our own kin, who care so much still to guide us to a better, more aware existence. The songs I began to write came to me, I shouldn’t really say I wrote them: they came to me and I gave voice to them in my own way. And so I continue to do.

Is this a solo project or are there others involved? What instruments come into play?

On the demo, (released by Wolfytr productions) I play all the instruments: guitar, vocals, shaman drum, harp, flute. On the forthcoming album I play the same but had help from Runahild Háleygir (Eliwager) with fiddle and jew harp and flute. I am in the process of putting together a live lineup as well. So Idis Örlög only consists of natural, acoustic instruments.

Do you know when the forthcoming album will be out?

The album will be out by early next year, again on WolfTyr productions.

So, are you still doing stuff with your other two bands, or is Idis Örlög your main project right now?

I am still active with Witchblood and Hekseri, yes. I just finished recording my parts for the upcoming Hekseri album, and am reforming Witchblood upon arrival to Norway, where I am moving shortly.

Do you think this move will have a big impact on your musical projects?

I hope it will set things back into motion with Witchblood, especially to record and play live again. I expect the move to also bring fresh inspiration for Idis Örlög, and a new perspective…

How would you say Witchblood and Hekseri are distinct from Idis Örlög?

Well, Witchblood and Hekseri are distinctively aggressive, hard metal. They are a way of venting all of this frustration and rage that build up from living in such a fucked up system (I would say “world”- but that is false. The world, the earth are perfectly fine. A combination of weakness and wickedness have brought us to where we are today in terms of all the countless injustices, idiotic doctrines, dogmas, etc)

(Hekseri “Der Hexenhammer” at O’Briens Pub 8/31/12)

Hekseri started in 2003, and was the inspiration of the mutual love for metal with my musical partner in crime, Thuringwethil. It evolved into a more complete vision, with mythological topics and comments on religion, dogma, explores some mystical topics as well.

Witchblood began as a concept- one dealing with the theme of witch hunts through the ages, that people who do not choose to follow the sheep herd get branded as heretics, freaks, witches, etc, and how this plays out. A witch would get burnt at the stake. In current society, the same happens- the heretic or dissenting voice gets thrown out of the circle, ridiculed, shamed, held at arm’s length. This even happens in a “rebellious” circle like that of metal, that if you do not adhere to the unspoken codes, like wearing black or drinking alcohol, it becomes harder to get acceptance. Witchblood is all about this- about standing alone and speaking the truth, getting fucked over for it, but coming back again to speak the truth. Literally, song topics deal with witches coming back to warn people-again and again.

Idis Örlög in contrast, is a fresh breath of air, the subtler elements of nature. It may deal with a lightning crash, but in a much “higher” way, this is not the grinding axe, it is the whispering wind. It is not just the thorn- it is the thorn and the ROSE, while maybe the rose is emphasized. It is the ecstatic vision of Oden, the mystery of Ullr, the beauty and pain of Freyja, the completeness of Nordic archetypes with the atmosphere of northern nature and the bliss of trance… the natural instruments allow this to come through. It is solar, but the soft light of the moon is key to the feeling invoked in these pieces. The sleeping hill underneath the sparkling snow… the howling storm, but the peace which follows, the strength of the mountain to endure peacefully. It is the neutral shaman staying centered and tranquil as the storm rages, perhaps piercing his flesh, but he remains undaunted and emerges whole, stronger after. The metal music is about dancing enraged with the storm, a berserker warrior feeling, whereas this acoustic music is about merging with the storm, and also the peace which follows. The quiet hollow of the forest, the setting sun, the rising sun, the simple struggle of awakening to spring.

What do you think the Idises would have to say to us in the modern world? What wisdom do you think they would offer us about our current way of living?

(Source: Idis Örlög Facebook)

It’s my feeling that the Idises (we all have them- they are our pagan ancestors) either are “frustrated” in that so few heed what they would show us, guide us with, or are pleased with those of us who do hear the call. The call they send to us, that is the common thread of nature as well. In these times of materialistic decay and oblivion by the masses, there is still this gross debasing of our roots as beings intrinsically tied with the planet, a lack of appreciation for the sacredness all around us: that more worth is placed in these objects of status like phones and computers and cars than in a living thing-like a tree, or the air, or the water which all have consciousness of their own.

Since Christianity and other monotheistic cults came to Europe, destroying the native religions in place and replacing them with the foreign creeds, the alienation and separation to roots and to the earth has been ongoing. Europe had her very own spirituality, akin to that of the native people of the Americas- tied to the earth, understanding we humans are a part of the natural landscape instead of being the “ruler” of it, as Christianity would have us believe. This is where we must return- to see the soil, the sky, the water, the plants, as a part of us and we a part of them and all animals too- to see the sacredness of the sun providing warmth for survival, to know how to communicate and commune with the holiness that is the connection of nature once more. This is what I feel our pagan ancestors, our Idises, have to communicate to us. That we open our eyes once more.

A Branch that looks like the Feh Rune (Idis Örlög Facebook)

Even before the time of the Latin letters, we had our own runic alphabet in northern Europe. This was a sacred alphabet-the runes. It originated from holiness and was inscribed on sacred stones. Now these runes are appreciated and acknowledged once again. I believe this is a way in which the Idises-who can also be seen as a link to the Gods-have manifested their presence and communicated with us.

Just curious. An Idis is a spirit of your Nordic Pagan ancestor, but I don’t have any Nordic ancestry (I am a Celtic Lass). Can I still learn from what the Idises have to teach people?

The Idis is the embodiment of ancestral spirits, acting as guardians. “Idis” would be the Nordic name, but these forces are at work in different forms of equal importance for all people. So the Nordic “Idis” would be at work for Nordic folk, but there are other guardians for other people, behaving the same but perhaps envisioned a bit differently to fit the cultural, spiritual landscape of that ancestral group. At any rate, these Nordic archetypes, elements are something all people can learn from, although I feel the personal roots that one has through a bloodline often speak loudest for reasons of personal relation. (So each family, each person would have their own “Idises”, and we can envision them as silvery haired Nordic maidens, or as fiery haired Celtic Warrioresses, or spirited amazons, etc depending on one’s background).

All great spiritual truths are universal, perhaps envisioned in different contexts, but we can all learn from these truths. Such as a Buddha teaching wisdom: I don’t have to be a Buddhist to learn from this truth.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today and offering such in depth responses about the spirit behind the music. I will be sure to check out your album when it comes out next year. 

Thank You.

Idis Örlög Facebook

Idis Örlög Demo 2011 Heathen Harvest


A Colombian Tribe Prepares to Fight Multinational Mining Company With Bows and Arrows

“We’re prepared to use our arrows to defend what belongs to us,” says Jairo Fuentes, a young Wayúu man who is leading the fight to protect Tamaquito.

The natives of Tamaquito are so attached to the land that mothers even bury the umbilical cords of their children in the ground to represent their connection to the land.

Yet now a Multinational Mining company is trying to force the people to relocate.

The explosions of the mine have scared away many of the forest animals.

The pollution has destroyed local water and air quality.

Even the goats are too scared to reproduce.

Read More HERE


Image

Money Doesn’t Taste Very Good…


Yggdrasil ~ Vedergällning

Yggdrasil is the World Tree, holding up the 9 worlds of Norse Cosmology

Genre: Folk Metal

Lyrical Themes: Norse Mythology, Folklore, Nature

Country Of Origin: Sweden


Image

My Church


Image

Druid’s Prayer


Bhutan Aims to be The First 100% Organic Nation

Ever hear of Bhutan? Little Buddhist nation between China and India?

Well if you haven’t, they are about to make World History.

Check it out


Mini Housing (The Sustainable Alternative)


Home sizes in the U.S. have more than doubled since the 1950’s.

In the 1950’s the average family contained 3.5 people with 983 square feet of living space.

Now the family average has shrunk to 2.5, but we require an average of 2,349 square feet of living space.

Yet there is a growing sustainability movement that focuses on building smaller and smarter houses.

Sarah, an Environmental Policy and Management major, has decided to take matters into her own hands – literally. She has built a mobile, sustainable house by the sweat of her own labor as the final project in pursuit of her Master’s.

All of the electricity is solar powered and much of it is made out of recycled materials.

She is selling her house for less than the price of a car.

See Sarah’s blog for more information.

The Tiny House Movement


Primordial – The Coffin Ships

A tale of famine, 3 million dead and many more gone. One of Ireland’s saddest tales. 

Genre: Celtic/Folk/Black Metal

Lyrical Themes: Cultural Heritage, History, Struggle, Paganism, Dark Romanticism

Origin: Dublin, Ireland

Primordial’s music has a simple but powerful aesthetic. There are no keyboards and flutes. Simply the power of voice, acoustic guitars and drums.

This is a song heavy with woe and grief. The history of Ireland itself is one of blood and tragedy. Between the years of 1845 – 1849 a great famine ravaged Ireland, outsiders call it “The Potato Famine”. The Irish call it “The Great Hunger.” Anywhere from 1 million to 3 million people died in this famine. Many of their youth left the shores of Ireland on ships to America. The Irish called these “Coffin Ships.”

This event was a dividing line in Irish History, after which many Nationalist movements formed in Ireland – seeking an escape from the United Kingdom of Great Britain. For you see, the British took much Irish farmland and used it for farming beef to export to Britain. Many Irish folk were pushed off their land and forced to contend with smaller plots. The potato was a crop that could grow abundantly on a small amount of land, so it became the food of the poor. Yet the poor became dependent upon it. Eventually a disease killed most of the potatoes in 1845 – resulting in “The Great Hunger.”

Check out the lyrics for this song here, to read more on this tale of woe. 

PRIMORDIAL OFFICIAL BAND WEBSITE

Primordial Facebook


Celtic Legacy: An Archaeological Journey

For those of you interested in learning more about the history of the Celtic world. Much of their culture was purposely destroyed throughout history, but Archaeology is digging up ancient truths that haven’t seen the light of day for hundreds of years. Not all is lost.

CHECK IT OUT HERE