{"id":1735,"date":"2011-04-22T00:49:32","date_gmt":"2011-04-21T23:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.odinic-rite.org\/test\/?p=1735"},"modified":"2017-09-24T22:22:44","modified_gmt":"2017-09-24T21:22:44","slug":"what-it-means-to-be-folkish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/what-it-means-to-be-folkish\/","title":{"rendered":"What it means to be Folkish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_section-a10eaf5f121cd648636af8a8acb880d0\">\n.avia-section.av-av_section-a10eaf5f121cd648636af8a8acb880d0{\nbackground-repeat:no-repeat;\nbackground-image:url(https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bg-two.jpg);\nbackground-position:0% 0%;\nbackground-attachment:scroll;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section av-av_section-a10eaf5f121cd648636af8a8acb880d0 main_color avia-section-default avia-no-shadow  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first  avia-bg-style-scroll av-minimum-height av-minimum-height-25 av-height-25  container_wrap sidebar_right'  data-section-bg-repeat='no-repeat' data-av_minimum_height_pc='25' data-av_min_height_opt='25'><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1735'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-15fc2cc3d6c1758a3fa2dc28d98be40d\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-15fc2cc3d6c1758a3fa2dc28d98be40d{\npadding-bottom:10px;\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-15fc2cc3d6c1758a3fa2dc28d98be40d .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-15fc2cc3d6c1758a3fa2dc28d98be40d .special-heading-inner-border{\nborder-color:#ffffff;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-15fc2cc3d6c1758a3fa2dc28d98be40d .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-15fc2cc3d6c1758a3fa2dc28d98be40d av-special-heading-h1 custom-color-heading blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-1  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag'  itemprop=\"headline\"  >What it means to be Folkish<\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/main><!-- close content main element --><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1735'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-396ddf1f42196ca838231e61a4602801 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>The thoughts and beliefs of one young OR Odinist<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>From a Great Moot 2259 talk by Asbrandir AOR<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><br \/>\n\u201cThe Folkish person appreciates that for any community to last, the individual members must have something in common to build upon, something to bind them to one another, and as blood is the most natural and simple, it would make sense to utilise this as the\u00a0foundation for a society.\u00a0 Without this common blood, the people will have only superficial things to bind each other; these superficial ties will fade sooner or later, for they are fickle, whereas blood ties cannot be so easily undone or forgotten.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Recently I was engaged in a rather heated and lengthy debate with some people close to me about my Folkish beliefs and the general Folkish stance of our organisation, the Odinic Rite.<\/p>\n<p>After fighting my corner as well as I could when placed on the spot, I\u00a0 refused to let the debate go without taking something beneficial from it for the movement.\u00a0 This came the next day when I began to write down and neutrally consider the main criticisms that were levelled at the Folkish stance, followed by a careful and thorough answering of them in writing, to the best of my ability.\u00a0 Some of them were quite difficult to answer, and I imagine some readers new to the Folkish ideal may find one or two of them a little uncomfortable; the questions must be addressed nonetheless.<\/p>\n<p>Firstly I will briefly outline what (I believe) a Folkish stance entails, in addition to the above:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A belief and subsequent action in racial preservation and promotion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Pride in heritage and folkways &#8211; racial, national and regional.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Striving to live a healthy and active life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>To pursue excellence in one\u2019s field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>To have as many healthy children as is practical for one\u2019s situation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>To do one\u2019s ancestors proud, and to inspire one\u2019s children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Ensuring one\u2019s actions are always to the benefit of the Folk; that they harm neither oneself or the Folk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>You are living in the past \u2013 the world has changed, and people from different races want to mix\/have mixed.\u00a0 Being \u2018Folkish\u2019 is not a realistic belief to hold in this age.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Racial integrity is a very natural and positive thing that has been the societal norm in most cultures across the world for a very long time.\u00a0 Nor is racial preservation \u2018living in the past\u2019, or \u2018a lost cause\u2019.\u00a0 The answer to the latter lies in the fact that there are still millions of people of Indo-European descent who are sub-consciously Folkish, and thousands (if not more) who are explicitly so. To answer the former accusation of \u2018living in the past\u2019; just because something is old, or has been in existence for a very long time, like a bloodline for example, does not mean that it cannot and should not be preserved.\u00a0 Would you cut down an ancient forest and replace it with non-native saplings, just because you could, or because it would benefit your business?\u00a0 (If you would, then you are probably reading the wrong article) Consider it like this: ancient trees = indigenous folk; alien saplings = foreign peoples immigrating en masse.\u00a0 The alien saplings may grow and reproduce quicker, giving a greater yield of wood than the native hardwoods, but does this mean you uproot the old inhabitants just to benefit your immediate need?\u00a0 This is nothing more than prostitution.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, our ancient ancestors had a far deeper and more lateral view of the ways of Nature and Orlog than we do today, so much so that we can probably only guess at how profound their understanding really was. If we wish to regain this understanding, or at least as much as we can, the only way we can really do this is by &#8216;listening&#8217; to our blood and spirit, what many term as the &#8216;Ancestral Memory&#8217; &#8211; the wisdom is there within us but it is just a case of quietening ourselves sufficiently to hear it. This Ancestral Memory is what Odinism seeks to protect and promote, and by protecting we mean keeping to our racial integrity, holding the line that connects us with our ancestors and thus their memory and wisdom. We believe that this is our task in this lifetime; to seek a greater understanding of Orlog\/right living and the ways of nature using this ancestral memory within ourselves, and then to pass this wisdom onto our children who can then deepen it further, and so on down the generations.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>What is the problem if non-ethnic Europeans want to become Odinists?\u00a0 What if they like Odinism?\u00a0 Can\u2019t they learn about this way too, follow this path?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>We are not concerned with the wants and whims of the individual.\u00a0 The unbreakable rule is simple: the collective over the individual.\u00a0 This means that it is more acceptable that a few individuals go unsatisfied or suffer, than for the integrity and well-being\/advancement of the community to be put in jeopardy or destroyed.\u00a0 This, I\u2019m afraid, is not a popular sentiment in popular culture, but that does not make it any less right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat which fulfils Nature, benefits the race as a servant of Nature, and benefits Odinism as a vehicle for the evolution of the race, is good; that which does not is bad. That which truly seeks and secures this good is right; that which does not is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simply because a handful of non-Germanics (and yes it is never more than a handful, despite what the liberal internationalists will say) decide that today they are interested in Odinism and want to \u2018have a go\u2019, do you think we are going to compromise our whole belief system, core values and ancestral lines just to satisfy a few whims and curiosities?\u00a0 It is not enough simply to want to \u2018be a part of\u2019 our racial tradition \u2013 one needs blood as well as the will.\u00a0 One also has to remember that these people will have their own ancestral tradition, and will only be betraying their own folkway if they try to substitute it for ours.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>You\u2019re too few in number, too spread out, to effect any kind of change, physically or in people\u2019s minds.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This is incorrect.\u00a0 The Odinic Rite is composed of highly driven, dedicated individuals and Hearth units who CAN and DO get things done.\u00a0 Although there are many examples, most of which will go unknown as the daily Odinic struggles of individuals, there are a few which clearly demonstrate the power of the few: the Guardians of the White Horse Stone, the Prison Affairs Bureau, Acorn Hollow and the OR Fyrd.\u00a0 These are REAL activities achieving TANGIBLE results, not to mention spiritual revolution for those concerned.<\/p>\n<p>We are at the very beginning of a new resurgence of our Folkway, and this means that we must choose to grow slowly, we must grow strong foundations to weather the storms that will inevitably come.\u00a0 This takes time.\u00a0 We are elitist and only want the best of our Folk anyway \u2013 dead wood has no place in the OR.<\/p>\n<p>It is the ideal of The Spiritual Victory drives many of us onward and upward; it is a subject on which I hope to be writing an article in the future.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>You and your organisation are obsessed and brainwashed.\u00a0 You hate what has become of this country, and what most people read\/do\/believe about the world and what they do in it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>So you would say ignorance is bliss? Is it better to shut out the ills and pretend that they\u2019re not there in case they threaten to burst the hedonistic, self-obsessed bubble most of our people live in?\u00a0 The truth of our day isn\u2019t pretty; it can be hideous at times, and it takes a strong heart to face it, withstand it and continue fighting for what we know to be right.\u00a0 It is not a strength easily come by, which is probably why most don\u2019t bother looking for it.\u00a0 But once found, it will reward you many times over.<\/p>\n<p>If you refuse to look at the situation objectively, and to listen to the truth as it is, please ask yourself why.\u00a0 Is it uncomfortable?\u00a0 Is it boring?\u00a0 Or is it that it doesn\u2019t matter to you, because you \u2018won\u2019t be here when that happens\u2019?\u00a0 What about your descendants then, and the rest of the natural world?\u00a0 Is it not worth being concerned for these things?\u00a0 An understanding of cycles might be beneficial here\u2026<\/p>\n<p>In regard to being \u2018obsessed\u2019 \u2013 it is called dedication to something you believe in.\u00a0 The only people who have ever made a difference in our history, the only people who will effect change, have dedicated themselves to what they do.\u00a0 Mediocrity and apathy are the enemy within; they will be the cause of our stagnation and death if we do not resist them.\u00a0 So pick up the torch of your fathers, and keep advancing.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>This rule about \u2018ancestry\u2019 was just made up by a person, and therefore like any other rule, it can be changed.\u00a0 There is no reason why you cannot accept non-ethnic Europeans, non-whites, into the OR \u2013 it is only skin colour.\u00a0 We all came from the same root anyway \u2013 all out of Africa.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u2018Out of Africa\u2019 is one theory; there are others.\u00a0 This is not the place to go into detailed debate about these very earliest forms of humanity, as the inquisitive person can do their own research on this subject.\u00a0 The fact is, conventional science cannot say with 100% certainty that any \u2018theory\u2019 is correct (hence why they are \u2018theories\u2019), for as science \u2018advances\u2019, so the \u2018theories\u2019 of the scientists change.\u00a0 A cynic might also say that scientific theories are sometimes influenced by the politics of the day, and doctored to what might be expedient for the ruling powers.\u00a0 However, it remains that whatever theory you follow, the undeniable fact is that humans separated out long ago onto different continents and regions, where they largely stayed put and maintained their homogeneity for thousands of years.\u00a0 Over this time, they evolved differently according to the climate, geography, experiences and needs of their new lands.\u00a0 And it is in these lands that they prospered and built up their Folk Group, developing their own unique cultures, customs and ways of seeing and understanding the world (physical and metaphysical), which we would describe as their \u2018Folkway\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>This is how things were for many ages, until the advent of huge ships capable of transporting whole towns of people across oceans and aeroplanes that made global travel available to anyone with an income.\u00a0 Travel, which was once a dangerous and unpredictable venture often not worth the risk, now became much easier, cheaper and safer \u2013 and so the era of the \u2018world citizen\u2019 was ushered in.\u00a0 Ties of race and kindred could easily be broken and reforged elsewhere, and an anonymous, rootless existence became popular.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 People being people, they did not stop to think that through miscegenation they were writing off the centuries of toil sweated by their ancestors in building and fighting for their blood descendants.\u00a0 And yes, the ancestors were building and fighting for their blood, because such things as chivalry and pedigree were important to them.\u00a0 Of course it would matter to them that their children and descendants continued their bloodline and achievements, and they in their turn worked to build a brighter future for those that came after them: they believed in stewardship of people and land!<\/p>\n<p>The problem with miscegenation is that it sees crossed allegiances, crossed loyalties and confusion arise \u2013 to which side is the child to be loyal to, his English father\u2019s or his Chinese mother\u2019s?\u00a0 Which is his heritage and birthright, his Folkway?\u00a0 Like it or not, the fact is he is unlikely to be wholly accepted by either, especially the more Folkish side (that would seem to be China, as the media and politicians in England have done a fine job of downplaying racial integrity to the masses).<\/p>\n<p>To our ancestors, their beliefs and their people were important to them.\u00a0 They were certainly not xenophobes however, and as we would do today, welcomed foreign visitors and travellers with warm hospitality, on expectation that their guest would return to his homeland after a while; the Havamal makes this quite clear.\u00a0 And this is the most sound philosophy, having as much relevance now as it ever had.<\/p>\n<p>35.<\/p>\n<p>The tactful guest will take his leave Early,<\/p>\n<p>not linger long:<\/p>\n<p>He starts to stink who outstays his welcome<\/p>\n<p>In a hall that is not his own.<\/p>\n<p>36.<\/p>\n<p>A small hut of one&#8217; s own is better,<\/p>\n<p>A man is his master at home:<\/p>\n<p>A couple of goats and a corded roof<\/p>\n<p>Still are better than begging.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Why do you talk about the ancestors as if they have any consequence today, as if they are still in existence?\u00a0 They are dead and gone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The ancestors have consequence for more than one reason.\u00a0 Firstly, they are a part of our bloodline; they created our culture and customs, they defended our lands and people, and for this they deserve our respect and reverence.\u00a0 The second reason requires a little more consideration.\u00a0 The statement made above clearly displays a linear rather than cyclical understanding of time and life \u2013 it must be understood that there is no \u2018end\u2019 as conventional thought may describe it, rather instead ascension or devolution, according to the skill of one\u2019s actions\/living in each existence.\u00a0 We do not believe the ancestors are \u2018dead\u2019 \u2013 the fact that they were living once, that were a physical incarnation, an energy, means that must still have an existence \u2013 for energy cannot be destroyed, only transferred\/change its form.\u00a0 Their spirits exist either on this plane, or a higher\/lower, depending on their virtue.\u00a0 This belief in cycles, in eternal advance or retreat, is universal to most indigenous peoples, who although have lived apart and not physically shared ideas, often hold to this common belief in cycles, which points to its veracity.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Our \u2018ancestors\u2019 were not \u2018Folkish\u2019 as you describe yourselves to be, so how do you justify it in that sense?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>We do not seek to live exactly as our ancestors lived, nor share all their social customs, clothes and language, for such things become antiquated as our people evolve \u2013 what we are concerned with is essence and spirit, the metaphysical aspects of our existence.\u00a0 By this logic of cultural evolution, we justify a Folkish stance.\u00a0 In addition, and more importantly, we must understand that our ancestors may not have been explicitly Folkish in their society, because this would have been largely unnecessary \u2013 they were surrounded by only their own, and a foreign visitor to the land was an occasional event.\u00a0 They would have nonetheless been very tribalistic, with strong clannish bonds and fierce rivalry with their neighbouring kinsmen \u2013 competition for territory and resources may seem harsh, but it is the way of nature.<\/p>\n<p>Things are of course very different today in our \u2018cosmopolitan\u2019 societies, so we must take a Folkish stance if we are to maintain our racial integrity. We may not have tribes or clans as our ancestors had, but we still have the common race.\u00a0 We look to the ancestors for inspiration and wisdom, but we do not live our lives in a superficial mock-up of theirs.\u00a0 We adapt and take the relevant and the vital (blood, mythology, poetry, song, etc) and discard the irrelevant (dress, archaic language, etc).<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>If people are born in a country, that is their nationality; race is irrelevant.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>One assumes here that you are talking of the many Black or Asian people born in a European country such as England, and who consider themselves British or English.\u00a0 Well we believe nationality is biological, not geographical, so try it the other way around: if a White English couple, who for example have proven ancestry dating back on these islands for 200 years, moved to China and had a child there, would that child then be considered to be Chinese by you?\u00a0 By the logic expressed in the original statement above, it would have to be, when clearly to say such a thing is laughable.\u00a0 Born of English parents, of English ancestral stock, this child is ENGLISH, just as the child born in England of Bangladeshi\/Somali\/Chinese parents is Bangladeshi\/Somali\/Chinese, not English.\u00a0 Why do so many people have a problem with this?\u00a0 It is hardly possible to overestimate the damage that the destruction of racial and national identity has caused, to both people and the environment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As with most things in Odinism, for example the energies of the Gods, we feel and experience rather than \u2018believe in\u2019 them.\u00a0 Additionally, what we feel and do just \u2018feels right\u2019 to us, it \u2018fits\u2019 and is the natural way; this is especially so for our Folkish stance.\u00a0 Aside from the clear logic of this stance, additionally we simply feel inside that racial integrity is the right way for all folk groups.\u00a0 And of course if it is an internal feeling we know that it is therefore correct \u2013 our own instinct and intuition outranks the judgement and beliefs of the masses and establishment a million times over.\u00a0 However, the problem we face is that we find ourselves living in a society that holds a Folkish stance to be wrong, or even \u2018evil\u2019, and since we must find a way to at least co-exist neutrally with the mainstream, articulating and clarifying our stance is of paramount importance.\u00a0 What we hold dear seems hard enough for most people to begin to grasp, and so minimising misunderstandings is of great importance \u2013 no mean feat when you are engaged in a heated discussion and have to fight your corner alone and with conviction, because how do you explain a feeling or instinct in words?<\/p>\n<p>I hope this article provides some help, thought or inspiration for others who may find themselves having to justify their Folkish beliefs to friends and family who are gripped by the pervading liberal internationalism of our day.<\/p>\n<p>I will leave you with a quote (repeated from above, as I believe it is more than worth the repetition) from a Folkish writer and activist, adapted slightly for the purpose here.\u00a0 It is a piece of wisdom that I\u2019ve found can act as a filter in daily life, helping you to maintain your Odinic standards and hold your line:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat which fulfils Nature, benefits the race as a servant of Nature, and benefits Odinism as a vehicle for the evolution of the race, is good; that which does not is bad.\u00a0 That which truly seeks and secures this good is right; that which does not is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently I was engaged in a rather heated and lengthy debate with some people close to me about my Folkish beliefs and the general Folkish stance of our organisation, the Odinic Rite.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[118,357,374,384,387,495,506,512,846],"class_list":["post-1735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-or-and-odinism","tag-bloodline","tag-featured","tag-folk","tag-folkish","tag-folkway","tag-heritage","tag-history","tag-homeland","tag-philosophy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/odinic-rite.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}