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AsatruRingFrankfurt & Midgard
Living with the Gods. Living for the Gods. Living through the Gods.

Living with the Gods. Living for the Gods. Living through the Gods.
An Invitation to Asatru
© Michael Schütz - Asatru Ring Frankfurt & Midgard

How does one live with the Norse/Germanic Gods in the here and now? This expression is an approach to describing our life and experiences. It is our invitation to reflect and feel how we as Asatru experience the Gods. We have a living relationship with the Norse/Germanic gods ever since we have made our decision in their favour. We have followed the Call of the Gods and experience the presence of the Gods in our daily lives. How we realize this individually lies in our own hands. 

Living with the Gods

Asatru is a religion of personal experience, and thus it is about living and experiencing the Gods subjectively and immediately. So an exchange about these experiences is of course always from a personal point of view, and none of these has more authority than the other. Living with the Gods does not lead away from life, but into the centre of life. One can restrict themselves to meeting the Gods in Blots and Sumbels, but this is just a part of it. There are many ways to meet the Gods, and heart and mind go hand in hand in our experiences. Living with the Gods means to have a present-day and down-to-earth life.

Living for the Gods

As we take the Bond with the Gods we invite them in our life and they take part in it. The Gods may give inspiration and nudge us sometimes into a direction, but it is always our choice what we make out of it. A decision for the Gods is always a decision for a life to its fullest. To follow the Call of the Gods means to affirm life. As we take responsibility for ourselves and our lives and take care of our families and relationships, as we work, as we live out our sexuality, we experience the Presence of the Gods and in this resepect, we live for them. When we open ourselves to their presence, we also present them with a space within from where they can partake in our lives. The community with Norse/Germanic Gods embraces all spheres of our life. Asatru is a religion of  life.

Here are some examples how to approach experiencing the Gods.

Freya the Sensual

Freya  opens for us the wide array of sensual experiences from lust and joy to sorrow. So she actually is present in our tears and at the moment of our highest passions. She knows what it means to lose a loved one, as does Frigga.

Frigga the Far-Seeing

Frigga keeps track of all the different scopes of life and family and makes preparations ahead in time for the difficult phases in life.  

Frigga the Mother

Frigga is a caring mother and takes all precautions to prevent her son Balder´s death with the unconditional love that only parents can give their children. As the Gods care for each other, so they also care for us, their extended family. We are the children of the Gods.

Thor the Steadfast

Thor keeps it all together and protects all living. He intervenes on their behalf, and brings order while opposing the chaotic forces that would destroy life.

Odin the Ungraspable

Odin has many faces and he gives ecstasy as well as inspiration. He is at home in the extremes of life and at the edge of new experiences. Whereever we plan to go and whatever we set out to do, he is already there before we are.

Living through the Gods

From the bounty of the Gifts of the Gods we scoop. The inspiration of Odin, the sensuality of Freya, the strength of Thor, these presents enrich our lives and make them worth living. This does not mean that our life will be a bed of roses or the red sea will part for us. It means that our lives will be deeper and more enrichened. They are always our own, we are responsible for our decisions and actions. In living with the gods there will still be uncertainties and insecurities as in any kind of relationship, but we will always stay the Children of the Gods. Out of this certainty we can live and survive the strokes of fate. 

© Michael Schütz – Asatru Ring Frankfurt & Midgard – www.asatruringfrankfurt.de

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