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Last weekend's Midsummer gathering of the Asatru Folk Assembly was a time of demolishing obstacles - not physical obstacles, but psychological ones that have frozen us, kept us from action at a time when action is more important than ever.
For some time there has been a feeling of apathy, of impending catastrophe all across America - not just in the Asatru movement, but in many areas of American life. People are still stunned from the economic ripples of 2008. Countless people have lost their jobs or their homes, or both. No one know what the future holds for the country, and especially for the middle class. Everything is in flux.
Many of us react to this stress by shutting down - by turning inward, cutting off communication, absorbed by our personal struggles. This is the worst thing we can do! At a time like this, we need to be reaching out to our fellow AFA members. I want the AFA to be part of the solution for all the men and women in our organization.
I came to Midsummer energized, optimistic, and determined to turn this attitude around. And guess what - I found myself surrounded by AFAers ready for exactly that! I spoke on three main topics: perceiving the Gods in nature by changing our mode of awareness...the fact that we European-descended men and women are a people; that we are in fact indigenous European peoples...and a call to build and expand AFA community all across the United States and wherever our members were found. It was idealistic, ambitious and (dare I say) even visionary, but the AFA members at Midsummer were up to the task! They were ready to be challenged and eager to take charge of their fate. You will begin seeing actions toward these noble ends in the days to come, and we invite you to jump in there with us and keep the momentum strong.
I give humble thanks to all the many people who contributed to the success of this event. It would have been impossible without the capable and energetic folks who performed the countless duties that go into such an endeavor. Indeed, I sincerely thank all those motivated enough to make the trip to northern California in an economic environment where that was something of a sacrifice. Your dedication produced the most successful, most inspiring AFA gathering in recent history.
More to come later, telling you about what we accomplished!
Steve McNallen
Asatru Folk Assembly
http://runestone.org
