Vol. 1 Iss. 2

8/6/2019 Vol. 1 Iss. 2

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SOUTH EAST HEATHEN NEWSLETTER

Vol. 1 Issue 2

©drawn by Christina Haynie

8/6/2019 Vol. 1 Iss. 2


Hello Everyone!

Welcome to our second issue of South East Heathen Newsletter. This issue willfeature some new writers and some very useful concepts, but we could still use

more participation. The newsletter can only be successful if you are willing tomake it so. We would like to thank those who have taken time out of their lives togive us some great articles, art work, and poems.

My co-editor and I would like to mention that we plan on running this newsletterfor two years. If by that time we do not have more participation then we willcease running it. With that being said we would like to mention that we areopening up the newsletter to more editorial style articles. We realize that noteveryone wants to write a scholarly essay.

We would also like to remind everyone that this newsletter is for all heathens. Wewould love to have articles, poems, artwork, and event write ups from everyone.If you have a concept or a point of view you would like to put out there then sendus your article. We want this newsletter to be useful to everyone.

Do you have an event going on? Let us know! Would you like to make yourheathen presence known so that other heathens near you may contact you? Let

us know! Send us an email address. We don’t expect you to give out personalinformation, but a comfortable way you wouldn’t mind being contacted. We canonly help build our heathen community if others can find us.

We hope you enjoy reading the second issue of our newsletter. Let us know whatyou think. Give us feedback. This newsletter is for you. You can contact us andsend submissions at [email protected] . The next deadline is October1st for all submissions. Don’t be shy. Let’s get this show on the road and somegood discussions going!

Thanks!

Brooke Rawson

Co-editor of the SEHN

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May Day Celebration – Toby Bianchi

Red Top Mountain State Park: May 1, 2011

Hearth Martin and the Atlanta Heathens

It was a warm, sunny day when the Atlanta Heathens gathered in conjunctionwith Hearth Martin to host a May Day celebration at Red Top Mountain State Parkoutside of Atlanta, Georgia. We gathered to raise a maypole, to cook and feast, andwelcome the coming of summer. The celebration was the end cap to a weekenddedicated to our Gods, our Ancestors, and the Wights. The Night before, we gathered ina private Walpurgisnacht celebration and stood watch through the night, welcomingSunna in on May Day.

Tired, we then made our way from Hearth Martin to the picnic site we reservedon Lake Alatoona, at Red Top Mountain State park. We commenced decorating thesite, and stood a small tent to serve as a shrine, hosting idols of our Gods, to remindeveryone why we gathered.

We constructed a 10’ Maypole with a steel sunwheel at its apex, decorated withflowers and bright ribbons. We sunk it into the earth, and, while a bit wobbly, it stoodlong enough for us to hail our May Queen, Leah, and have her lead the Maypole dance.Afterward, it was time to eat, with hot dogs and hamburgers provided by Karl and

Nicole Martin, as well as other foods brought by the other guests. There was roast corn,squash, and other vegetables, as well as salads and a large selection of deserts.

Gathered amongst the guests were a diverse group of people, some heathen,some heathen friendly. One couple came down from Nashville, Tennessee to visit andlearn more about our Folkway. After the feast and the desert, there were some picnicgames and good fellowship. Then it was time to leave.

Later that day, on their way home, the Tennessean couple were run off the roadby a negligent driver. J, the woman, was severely hurt. It says something about theAtlanta Heathens that every Heathen attending the May Day event pitched in money tohelp them during this dark time. The Martins and some of the Atlanta Heathens went tovisit them in the hospital to deliver the gift, as well as to bring food and a friendly face.Special thanks should go to Karl and Nicole for organizing the event, as well as Darren

Perlongo for the very thoughtful gift of a portable DVD player for J, as she was theworse injured and confined to a bed for an amount of time. So, even in the face ofadversity, our folk remain Tru. Hail Hearth Martin! Hail Darren Perlongo! Hail theAtlanta Heathens!

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8/6/2019 Vol. 1 Iss. 2


Cordials for Healing and RitualBy: Nicole Martin

This article represents my personal ideas and is not intended to be a lore based article.Rather it is an idea of what one could do as an alternative to brewing, or buying, mead.

Today, many modern herbalists use cordials for medicinal purposes. A cordial is verysimple to make, and finishes fairly quickly. Unlike mead which takes months/years to bepalatable, a cordial can be ready in only a couple of weeks. This is a good option for thosewhere space, knowledge or cost is a concern. My husband and I lived in a very small loft formany years and did not have the room to brew, however we were able to make cordials on ourcountertop.

Cordials were not a thing unheard of in Medieval Europe. There are many survivingrecipes of healing cordials. The following recipe is from “The Whole Duty of a Woman”:

You must take Raisins stoned two Pounds, Figs sliced half aPound, Cinnamon two Ounces and a half, Nutmegs one ounce,cloves half an Ounce, Mace half an Ounce, Liquorice threeOunces, Saffron half an ounce; bruise the Spices, slice theLiquorice, etc. and pull the Saffron in Pieces, and infuse them all ina Gallon of the best Brandy for seven or eight Days, ‘till the wholeVirtues be extracted from them; then filter them, putting theretoa Quart of Canary wine, and half a Dram of Essence of Ambergrease, and 12 Leaves of Gold broken in Pieces, whichreserve for Use. (London: 1737)

As the above example of a cordial recipe goes, the basic ingredients are: flavoring, sweetenerand liqueur. The simplicity can make the possibilities endless.

Some say Frigga cares for our dead babies, stowing them away in strawberry fields tocarry into her realm from this world. When I found the above piece of lore it occurred to mehow lovely it would be to make Frigga a Strawberry cordial after the loss of a pregnancy/stillbirth. When faced with the sudden loss of a pregnancy a sweet healing cordial could be used tosoothe an aching body & spirit. The following, as a potential offering to Frigga to care forwould be children in her realm, would be fitting.

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A simple modern strawberry cordial recipe:

Ingredients:3 cups ripe strawberries1/2 cup sugar1 quart vodka

Directions:Clean berries and quarter; set aside in tall half-gallon jar.Mix sugar with 1 cup water and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.Increase heat; bring mixture to boil and set aside to cool.Mix cooled syrup with vodka and pour over strawberries.Cover tightly and store in a cool, dark place for 1 week.Pass liqueur through a fine mesh strainerStrain again through coffee filter into a bottle.

With potentially endless possibilities, a cordial is a good alternative forthose who have limited space or time. Does one of your ancestors have a favoritefruit, herb or liquor? Does a god have an affinity to an herb? Do your land wightslike peaches? You can accommodate all the tastes and likes of those you honorsimply, quickly, and made with your own hands – something that no one can denymakes the connection stronger.

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Innangarths and Utangarths

Bodi Mayo

We see and use these terms all the time, because they are an integral part of understanding how we, as

Heathens, relate to the world. But how well do we understand them? How many of us can point to theboundary between the two? Where is the dividing line?

First, we need to define our terms. The Innangarth is that which is 'inside the fence', and everything elseis Utangarth, 'outside the fence'. In “We Are Our Deeds,” Eric Wodening tells us that for our ancestors,everything inside the fence was “that which is good, lawful” and everything that was outside it was,“evil, outside the law, unlawful.” So we see that there was a tangible difference in the minds andworldview of our ancestors as to who was who and what was what. In terms of good or evil, lawful orunlawful, in Hastrup's “Culture and Society in Medieval Iceland,” she makes the distinction that, "theopposition between Innangarths and Utangarths had important socio-legal implications." So when we

go a little further, we see that the difference between the two was not only a personal and familialconsideration, but one that was actually a part of the law of the land, at that time.

So how do we in the modern day apply this to our daily lives? I think that a good start would be apractical approach: we need to look at our interaction with the rest of the world, and sort out who iswho and what is what. This goes for all aspects of our lives, be it work, school, military, etc. It is a helpfuland cathartic thing to do. Now you know. If you know, you can affect change. Given the diverse natureof living arrangements in our time, every single heathen's experience will be different, as not everyonehas a homestead or a farmstead.

For me and my family, our Innangarth (inner enclosure) starts at the head of the driveway that we share

with my in-laws. It is from that point that I cross the boundary of “what is not good” to “that which isgood, or holy.” A little ways down the driveway, there is an electrically-operated cattle gate thatseparates even the driveway from the rest of the property. I see that as a very real manifestation of theInnangarth/Utangarth principle. That gate is literally keeping the outside world out; it is a demarcationline that further defines what is “good, lawful, family or holy”, and what is not.

This brings up another level for my family. Within what I like to call the "family compound" are thedivisions of property within the family. There is my mother and father-in-law's house and property, mybrother-in-law and his wife's house/land, and then ours. Each one of these is an Innangarth with thelarger Innangarth. We all have our own piece of the larger, but we are always conscious of the fact that

each piece is but one part and sometimes the need arises to consider the big picture.

So what is it that causes that feeling? Why do I feel better when I'm inside the gate, and on my ownacreage? Because property/land that one can be on, free from any outside influence is a feeling of wholeness, of holiness. Even though the upkeep gets a little daunting sometimes, I love it. I love everysquare inch of it. I feel a sense of belonging, of being right where I'm supposed to be. In his article,"Indo-European Culture, with Special Attention to Religion," Edgar Polome states that “Inside his group,with his kith and kin, the Indo-European is safe; outside danger lurks. Inside his family, his clan, his tribe,

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authorities should be involved for propriety's sake, you are the first line of defense foryour family, your home, and your property. Act accordingly. After all, your life and honorare at stake.

Do something each day or each week to strengthen the integrity of your Innangarth.

o Even if it's something small, like checking the batteries in the alarm box, or checking thetension on the fence wire, you're doing something. I like to walk the borders of myproperty whenever I can; it is good exercise, and it also functions as me re-emphasizingto the land wights that I am doing what I can to live peacefully and helpfully with them.Another benefit is that I am keeping myself mindful of the extent of my authority, aswell as being up-to-date on the ever-changing nature of the land itself.

I would caution all of us to be conscious of anything – word, thought, or deed that could put ourindividual Innangarths or our greater community in danger. It is from our inner enclosure that we drawour strength, our purpose, and our meaning. It was the understanding of these relationships, thisinterplay which guided and informed our ancestors’ lives. So should it be today. We could make a list amile long on what to look out for, but that is a waste of time. If we are rooted in a firm understanding of the fundamental concepts of Heathen belief and practice, the red flags will be easy to spot when theypop up.

Lastly, I think it is wise to be aware of what we let out of our Innangarths, too. As the old saying goes,“discretion is the better part of valor”. Not everyone needs to know everything and while we havenothing to hide, all of what we say and do is not (and should not be) for public display. In this world of constant updates and over-sharing every aspect of our lives, we should endeavor to keep some thingsprivate. The more we understand, the more we internalize and the more we put these fundamental

concepts into everyday practice, the stronger we’ll all be in the coming years.

Though it be little,better to live in a house you hold as your own;with just two goats, thin thatch for your roof,

you're better off than begging.-Havamal 36

(Terry translation)

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How about we actually do something?By: Justin Robson

I cannot count the number of times that I have seen people complain about there being

nothing going on around them via Facebook, forums, Heathen oriented news lists, and the like.There are also a large number of people that are all talk and little to no action. There is adifference between those that attempt to try but fail and those that cannot even gather up theself momentum to even get to the attempting stage. I am of the opinion that our ancestorswould find this detestable 1 – and I will say this right now, this article has a large potential tooffend some people. If you find it offensive, you might be part of the problem 2.

Ideally, we would all have flourishing Kindreds that were shining examples of the bondsof family, our values and actions that would make our ancestors of a thousand years ago raise ahorn in the ancestral halls. Notice I said ideally. Why ideally? Because that is not the realitywhich is seen when one looks at the Heathen community at large – beyond all of our fracturingand differences. We do have groups of people that are doing these things and that is progress,but it is not enough to just let those already doing it, do it. We have to grow our communityfrom the ground up, no one will do it for us. Forty years ago, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson did notwait for someone else to do something. Else Christensen, Valgard Murray, Steve McNallen, RudMills, Garman Lord and other founders didn’t either. They literally started something that wenow take for granted – and I cannot speak to any of their personal opinions, but I bet theywould be pleased as punch that Heathenry has taken off like it has.

But why remain complacent where we are, when there is so much left to be done? Notby keyboard cowboys or cyber-vikings, but by those that get out there and build community.Period. Nothing is ever going to become realized in the material world that is only typed aboutfrom behind a screen. My proof? The fact that there was no internet when the founders startedit, they wrote newsletters and articles, they put adds in the back of magazines, they researchedand applied the things that our ancestors lived for a thousand and more years ago. Bottom line:they acted. We need to revisit this, because we are losing the momentum in many parts of thecountry – not that we are a conversion machine, rather we are no longer building community.We are allowing ourselves, as a community, to fall to the ease of cyber communication in the

place of face to face gathering3

.

1 He should rise early who has few workers to see to his work himself. He loses much who sleeps in the morning.Half of wealth is gotten by initiative. (Havamal, 59 – Chisolm translation.)2 This extends beyond only the getting together, it speaks to the larger problem of be complacent.3 There is something to be said in the defense of those that can legitimately not get out to meet anyone whetherfor medical reasons, a legal minor, etc. The point is if there is any small fraction of possibility, it should be a reality.

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“But I am the only one here” is the response that I almost unilaterally receive whenpeople tell me that they don’t have a choice but to go it alone. That’s crap. I thought that I wasthe only one around too, both when I was stationed in Washington state and when I was laterstationed in Jacksonville, Florida (where I reside, with many wonderful folk not terribly far

away4

). I was wrong both times, I was just not looking in the right place. There is a large groupof Heathens that were only two hours or south of Everett, WA and the entire year and change Iwas stationed there (minus a deployment) was spent without even knowing it. That’s so muchadditional time that I could have had involved in the community. That’s how our ancestorslived, in a community, dependent on one another for survival.

When I arrived in Jacksonville I knew no one, didn’t know if any Heathens were around,and so I decided to start a community here after failing to find one. Big deal – pat myself on theback and move on. With a modicum of work and perseverance I was able to make somethinghappen. I put this out as proof that I have been in the position that I believed to be alone here –

instead of sitting around waiting for someone else to start something, I did. It makes the mostsense, to do something instead of hoping that you will be brought into someone else’s groupthey started. If one looks around wholeheartedly and really tries, with no results either thegroup does not exist, does not want to be found or one is looking in the wrong place.

You do not have to be an expert to get a community started; many that I know havestarted as study groups. It is an awesome place to start. There are many online communitiesthat can be used as stepping stones to get in contact with others nearby and potentially getsomething started – the key is not being content with just the internet based connections we

achieve. The internet is a wonderful tool and we would be borderline foolish to not takeadvantage of it, but it is neither the pinnacle of Heathen life nor what we should be complacentwith 5.

Our complacency with the internet as a substitute may be a result of the society that welive in, the instant culture that is marked by the need to have things immediately. I honestly feelthat many people give up because of the amount of time that it takes to really get thingsstarted with a strong foundation to ensure what grows will last. However, I am not a sociologistand do not have any support or evidence for this opinion – but this is something to think about.We are required to live in the society we find ourselves in, and given the chance most of us

could do great things for it because of the different values that most of us share. We aresupposed to have drive, dependability, courage and above all a desire to improve the situationfor our descendants. That starts with us. 4 For me this is in an area of about 2.5 hours one way – we are not on every corner or in every town… we have totravel sometimes. Havamal 34, Thorpe: it's no distance to one who is dear though you travel many miles.5 Young and alone on a long road, Once I lost my way: Rich I felt when I found a another; Man rejoices in man.Havamal, 47 – Taylor Translation.

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So how do we go about bettering the future for our descendants, the Heathens that willcarry on when we are gone and will call out our names over the horn and into the Well? Thereare a myriad of things we can do, almost all of them are incredibly simple. This is by no means acomprehensive list, rather an attempt to enumerate some very basic things to note. First off,

get involved. Do something – anything. Some forward progress is better than none, even if it isonly starting a pub moot that no one shows up to. That simple action provides at least theopportunity for community growth 6. Secondly, don’t give up when things get hard, if it was soeasy everyone would be making the progress we are needing. My father has said, and countlessothers’ have probably said the same, “If it is easy, it is not worth it – if it is worth it, it is noteasy.” Or, at least, something to that effect. We do not have the luxury of complacency whenthere is so much work left to be done. Lastly, do not be afraid to fail. It happens to everyone, itis the effort behind our actions and the commitment that we apply to our obstacles that matterin the face of failure. We would all prefer to succeed, but trying your best when you fail is theclosest you will get to success. It breeds experience and many times will provide the know howto succeed down the road – even if there are more failures before you get there.

Honestly, I do not expect many people to take this to heart, to listen or even becomemore active because of this article… but I am not afraid to fail. I see a problem. I know how Ihave overcome it personally. Sometimes it takes someone pointing out the elephant in theroom to get people to notice it. I have become accustomed to making decisions and choosingactions with the mirror test: “Will I be able to look at myself as a proud man when I wake uptomorrow and look at myself in the mirror when I brush my teeth?” This article may rub peoplethe wrong way and that is fine with me, because as I said earlier, it might because you realize

you are part of the problem – that is a victory enough for me. I merely desire to help ourcommunity; I really do not want to upset people. Sometimes a frying pan is more effective than“kiddie gloves.” There is, in general too much fear of hurting someone’s feelings; maybe it wasgrowing up on a farm, maybe it is the military experience I have, maybe it is something else –but sometimes you have to in order to fix problems 7. Folks, this is a problem.

To ask well, to answer rightly,Are the marks of a wise man:

Men must speak of men's deeds,What happens may not be hidden.

(Havamal 28, Taylor Trans.) 6 Granted, just deciding to host a pub moot and not putting the information out there is not really doing muchmore than setting aside a time to go drink by yourself. This does not really fall under the idea of doing something.7 This is not advocating a Machiavellian way of making all decisions or dealing with people. However, sometimeswe have to look to the greater good, the big picture or whatever means you use to describe that idea. We are stillin the infancy of the Folkway and it is now that the foundations as laid for how we will act a hundred years fromnow – I would rather have a proactive community than those that just wait on 10% of the people to do 90% of thework.

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SKALDS CORNER

FolksoulWolf Helser

Across TimeWhat has come to passAcross SpaceWhat is unfolding before usWe are bondedWe are connected to each other

Our Ancestors to the GodsWe to our AncestorsOur Descendants to us

From generation to generationThrough the landThrough the bloodThrough the soul

The great tapestry of OrlogIs woven and cut each day

Each one of the folkA single strand of threadTheir Wyrdwarping and changingthe weave

Seek withinGood Heathen FolkFor inside us all

Folksoul

AncestorsWolf Helser

Ancestors are familyFrom days long pastMaidens and MenMothers and FathersGrandmothers and GrandfathersWarriors, Farmers, Poets, and PriestsWeavers, Tailors, Brewers, and Bricklayers

They lived in lands far, far awayFeasts and Festivals on Midsummer’s DayThey lived and died, as we all must doWith each generation born to followthrough

And down through time we are connectedstillBlood to blood and the Gods willClose as a shadow and yet forever apartListen closely and you can hear their heart

You may not know their namesBut rest assured, they know yoursWatching over the familyAt the edge of Midgard’s shores

Wolf Helser is Chieftain and Minnesänger of Thrudr Frith Sigrun Kindred of the Tampa, Florida area. Heand his wife enjoy attending events in their area – Wolf generally hosts the Viking games of the SouthEast Folk Moot.

Vol. 1 Iss. 2

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