Post 1
I have been working on this concept for months now and as the time of the first ritual comes closer, I want to lay out my intentions for this work.
My first intention is to be honest and authentic. This means I will make mistakes and given the structure of this work, they will be public ones.
My second intention is to be kind. This means I will choose to correct errors without blame or shame.
My third intention is to help anyone who attends get what they need out of what we are doing together. This means I am using a wide variety of resources to help people understand themselves, their ancestors, their deities of choice and the land they live on.
My fourth intention is to support everyone’s level of understanding. Mistakes are expected and we will work to help each other through those mistakes.
Post 2
I’m writing the email that goes out to everyone who has expressed interest.
The website is still under construction, thankfully the structure is solid. Now it’s finishing for accessibility and rechecking for inclusive language.
I am really leaning into ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”.
A quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, who attributed to someone else, whose name I don’t remember right now.
Teddy is problematic for SO many reasons, imperialism, agreement with genocide, and various other things. But when I first became disabled, this recognition of energy allocation was so very valuable. Is still very valuable.
So I’m working so that I am not letting the perfectionist tendencies of white supremacist standards keep me from putting out as much information as possible.
Post 3
“I Am From… “Poetry Template adapted by Levi Romero & inspired by “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon
I am from wood cook stoves, from log walls and dirt floors
I am from damp root cellars and accidents waiting to happen
I am from fire side stories and easy keepers, from Perrys and Hardistys
I am from horse thieves and hard rock miners and if wishes were horses, beggars would ride
I’m from camp cooks. I’m from the land of the big sky and the little house in the big woods and mincemeat pies
From quilters and wood carvers in the gallery of my heart
Post 4
“Sooner or later, everything old is new again.” Stephen King
Working through my chosen questions and finding that, as part of my self reexamination, there is still so much work I need to do to dismantle the white supremacy that still lives in my own heart and mind.
That used to be a daunting thought, so much to understand, learn, heal and do. However, group work so far has been both helpful and gratifying.
” Man is the joy of man” Odin
The above verse from the Havamal, a collection of sayings attributed to Odin. Our ancestors were more interested in building communities, because making a living was a much more marginal task than it is today. Farming takes a group, weaving takes a group, herding takes a group, raiding takes a group. (I’m not going to violence wash the early medieval raiders and traders, there was murder and rape and slavery in the Germanic system as well).
What do you think it takes to build a community?
Odin is a complicated god, with many names and faces. One of those names and faces is the wandering god, the precursor to Gandalf. He would go from household to household and ask to be a guest. Much of the wisdom in the Havamal is how to be a good guest.
If we look at the world from an animist perspective, we are guests here. The sky and sea and stones will be here long after we are dust.
What does being a good guest mean to you?