While I am by no means an authority on the subject, a commonly featuring problem with a lot of reconstructionist neo-pagan movements/communities are their tendency to be politically hijacked by the likes of racial separatists and racists, blatant, or subtle. As most of the traditions under this umbrella tend to be more ethnic and localized rather than politically universal such as those of the Abrahamic faiths, this can sometimes lead to the misunderstanding that one must be of 'x' ethnicity to practice it properly for a variety of reasons - from 'not being able to hear the call of the gods', to 'having your own traditions to follow'. I've been speaking with fellow Neo-Pagans and even outside my chosen path as an Asatruar, there seems to be the problem of having to contend with, and how to deal with, racism. (the exception seems to be Wiccans, as the very nature of their movement seems to oppose barriers of any sort. I have yet to see or hear of a coven that rejects membership or tutelage on the basis of ethnicity, or even gender/sexual orientation)
Personally, I fall under the 'Tribalist' faction regarding this issue, meaning I do believe that a person's ethnicity is irrelevant (besides, blood pacts come in useful here) in his choosing to practice Asatru (or any path of his choosing), but that the tradition's culture must be absorbed to receive the full benefits it has to offer in your life (spiritually, philosophically, culturally, even aesthetically), not to mention being able to be part of a properly defined community and providing standards by which we are to define who is immediate kin and who isn't. I highly recommend this article by Wayland Skallagrimsson on the racism issue in Asatru. Most racial science tends to be sketchy anyway, or its proponents have a strange way of misinterpreting scientific papers and drawing shady conclusions, often tailor-fit to their own political agenda rather than truly representing the opinions of the established scientific community in question. Interestingly enough, old Norse lore is full of examples of interracial relations - Aesir and Vanir inter-copulating with giants, Aesir adopting (or taking hostage, if you will) Vanir, even Loki, who is one of the most featured gods in the lore, is a giant himself (who, with very few exceptions, were sworn enemies of the gods)! It's rather interesting that the ancestors do not seem to discriminate on account of one's ancestry or ethnicity - at least nowhere near as much as they would discriminate on account of your family's standing in their community, your personal reputation or your steadfastness to your own word. In short, your worth, and not so much the circumstances of your birth.
To my knowledge, and based on what I've read so far, at no instance is it ever stated or even implied that you must be Scandinavian to participate in the "Ancient Practice". On the contrary, the ancestors were actually quite hospitable and accommodating, and in several accounts even participated in foreign rituals as a sign of respect without breaking their oath of loyalty to their own deities. Evidence also suggests that the vikings would often take home bits of whatever their ran into overseas, integrating these into their own practice and making for an extremely diverse, rich and interesting community of personalized worship, but at the same time defined clearly by a set-in-stone code of valued virtues, the gods and of course the culture of what was then Norse society.
While I don't go out of my way to try and cause a ruckus with folkists, I do make it clear that I don't tolerate such views on my own turf. I always stress that most "White Power" folkists' arguments simply do not hold water when properly scrutinized. The ideologies of racial separatism, sectarianism and blatant racism simply do not feature in the old lore, and seem to be a newer trend that tagged along for the ride with the reconstructionist movement in our time. I feel that these kinds of opinions and their train of thought hurt our kin, our movement and our community, and make us weaker as a unit.
What about in your tradition; your practice, my friend? is racism a particular problem in your tradition? How do you deal with it? What do you think of the whole thing? you have my ears, my eyes, and my keyboard.
Personally, I fall under the 'Tribalist' faction regarding this issue, meaning I do believe that a person's ethnicity is irrelevant (besides, blood pacts come in useful here) in his choosing to practice Asatru (or any path of his choosing), but that the tradition's culture must be absorbed to receive the full benefits it has to offer in your life (spiritually, philosophically, culturally, even aesthetically), not to mention being able to be part of a properly defined community and providing standards by which we are to define who is immediate kin and who isn't. I highly recommend this article by Wayland Skallagrimsson on the racism issue in Asatru. Most racial science tends to be sketchy anyway, or its proponents have a strange way of misinterpreting scientific papers and drawing shady conclusions, often tailor-fit to their own political agenda rather than truly representing the opinions of the established scientific community in question. Interestingly enough, old Norse lore is full of examples of interracial relations - Aesir and Vanir inter-copulating with giants, Aesir adopting (or taking hostage, if you will) Vanir, even Loki, who is one of the most featured gods in the lore, is a giant himself (who, with very few exceptions, were sworn enemies of the gods)! It's rather interesting that the ancestors do not seem to discriminate on account of one's ancestry or ethnicity - at least nowhere near as much as they would discriminate on account of your family's standing in their community, your personal reputation or your steadfastness to your own word. In short, your worth, and not so much the circumstances of your birth.
To my knowledge, and based on what I've read so far, at no instance is it ever stated or even implied that you must be Scandinavian to participate in the "Ancient Practice". On the contrary, the ancestors were actually quite hospitable and accommodating, and in several accounts even participated in foreign rituals as a sign of respect without breaking their oath of loyalty to their own deities. Evidence also suggests that the vikings would often take home bits of whatever their ran into overseas, integrating these into their own practice and making for an extremely diverse, rich and interesting community of personalized worship, but at the same time defined clearly by a set-in-stone code of valued virtues, the gods and of course the culture of what was then Norse society.
While I don't go out of my way to try and cause a ruckus with folkists, I do make it clear that I don't tolerate such views on my own turf. I always stress that most "White Power" folkists' arguments simply do not hold water when properly scrutinized. The ideologies of racial separatism, sectarianism and blatant racism simply do not feature in the old lore, and seem to be a newer trend that tagged along for the ride with the reconstructionist movement in our time. I feel that these kinds of opinions and their train of thought hurt our kin, our movement and our community, and make us weaker as a unit.
What about in your tradition; your practice, my friend? is racism a particular problem in your tradition? How do you deal with it? What do you think of the whole thing? you have my ears, my eyes, and my keyboard.
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