! Assembly of The Elder Troth - Article - History of Ásatrú in Australia

What is The AET?

Contacts Database

The Assembly of The Elder Troth would like to welcome you to our website. Please click on the links to the left to enter the relevant area of our site.

Heil and welcome to the Articles section of the Assembly of The Elder Troth website. Here you can find items written by many wide and varied folk. The idea is to provide a venue for discussion, debate and education amongst the folk by giving people an individual flavour to the information provided. Every article here is the work of its' author. Copyright rests with the Author, reproduction is prohibited without the authors permission.

History of Ásatrú in Australia and the AET

An Analysis by Rurik Grimnisson

As a direct result of the recent issues mentioned in the article "History of Asatru in Australia", and with retro-observation of the history of Asatru in Australia, the AET has decided that ‘ideological politics’ need to be regarded as being of minor importance in the overall scheme of things; that is, if public Asatru is ever going to grow beyond the stage of fundamentalism in this country. There is much work to be done in raising the consciousness of Asatruars in Australia as the reoccurring patterns show that whenever personality conflicts overtake the tribal directive of tolerance and mutual aid, years of work have to be reconstructed just to undo the damage. Most Asatruar become heartily sick and tired of what has been coined as ‘Flame Wars’ within and between various groups of the Northern Tradition yet it because of protective insularity that these conflicts arise in the first place. The term, ‘Northern Tradition’ is a broad tag to put on the diverse aspects of the tribal practices of the Germanic people. As in any culture that spans across vast continents and through time, there will be differences that can not be reconciled by proclaiming that one aspect or focus is more ‘authentic’ than another form. Asatru is a chthonic spirituality whose origins are with the Neolithic ancestors who became known as the Indo-European or Aryan culture. There are still many mysteries as yet undiscovered and literal acceptance of remnant mythology and archaeological/ anthropological interpretation, that is, the academic ‘weltanschauung’ can lead to a naive reconstructed religious fundamentalism. When groups adopt their special focus be it ‘Forn Sed’, Anglo-Saxon, Continental German or the Icelandic version of the Elder Troth, or focus on rune or seith magic, they tend to feel that their affinity somehow makes their choice more valid or authentic than another’s choice. These assumptions can lead to a false sense of pride and elitism – one’s consciousness creates one’s paradigm of spiritual reality. If folk follow this dialectic path, they mimic the very same opera that they claim to disdain in institutionalized religions, such as the conflict between the Protestants and Catholics – both Christian sects, or the conflict between Sunnis and She’ites – both Muslim, or Mahayana and Hinayana – both Buddhist.

Within the various Asatru organisations, Central administration while acting as a positive stimulation in initial stages of foundation and subsequent growth, if it becomes top-heavy, can lose touch with the more important issues as it become bogged down in egocentric power games and insular identity. These administrative problems are not only inherent in the bureaucracy however, as there has always been in Australian Asatru a certain lack of self-initiative by many members whom have joined its support organisations. The general members expect the leadership to do all the work, provide all of the venues, to disseminate all of the information. This is a legacy of centuries of institutionalised religion, of social uniformity and passive submission to hierarchical authority – ingrained since the country was founded as a convict settlement. The Asatru leaders and the administrators who have foresight should encouraged local independence. Central administration that hoards all power for itself breeds a dependence, which will eventually deplete not only the energy of the management but also the creative resources of the whole organisation.

Just as in the heathen ancestral tribes where hearths, garths and kindreds could only maintain integrity up to a certain level of function before they collapsed and reformed due to increased population, variations in food availability or because of war, so it is with central administration in modern Asatru. When a critical point is passed for optimum functionality it becomes necessary for management to call on the general members to take on more responsibility at a local level or the inevitability of an organisation breaking up to form new smaller units becomes imminent. If Asatruar took more initiative, they would form their own local community from the outset of their joining an association, and organise local gatherings and regular social functions, paid for by their own members and not leave it to the administrative body(s) to do it for them. In other words instigate and maintain self-reliance from the outset that strengthens the organisation – the kindred (your tribe) and allows it to expand rather than an external reliance that weakens the tribe by depleting its resources both human and material and eventually leads to its implosion. The concept of mutual support within the tribe means that its members, if they want the assistance of the management both on a level of expertise and materially, have to contribute financially to the coffers of the organisation. Having collective financial resources is essential. Members should not expect the management to subsidize collective support structures such as websites and magazines from their personal material resources.

The AET now sees its function as a supporting, coordinating and networking body not as a structure that attempts to provide all the members needs on all levels – a structure that maintains passive consumerism. With the advent of Information Technology most Asatruar can contact each other through e-lists and while we may live in different parts of the country (or the world) we can access, not only information but can have direct and personal communication with each other. This allows friendships to be established and should stimulate initiative for folk in proximity to organise local community cultural and spiritual gatherings whether as friends in some one’s home or in a semi-public venue. The AET management will provide advice and assistance whenever possible.

The AET is not an institution - it is a living body whose cells are each and every member, just as Asatru is not a religion but a way of life. Each of us has different skills and a different wyrd – together we make up the entity known as the Assembly of the Elder Troth, just as each of us constitute the living spiritual entity known as Asatru. It is not only appropriate that we have tolerance for each other, in the spirit of kinship, but we need to extend that tolerance for diversity to all the groups that operate within the framework of the Northern Tradition whether we agree with their practices or not. The time of political insularity, which was a necessary stage of growth in the formative years, to establish tribal identity outside of the Christian paradigm, has passed. We have all witnessed the dangers of religious and political fundamentalism to world survival, especially in the last year. If Asatru wishes to survive and thrive, it must be practiced as a spiritual philosophy not just as an ethnic religion. Our ancestors rejoiced in their tribal kinship, not only on a social level but in its holistic spiritual concept of the integrity of the worlds of nature and spirit. This understanding gave them a great confidence in life and an easy tolerance of world-wide religious diversity - we should adopt this attitude but in the same instance, never support any religion or political philosophy that attempts to take away the birthright of humanity – to live in freedom.

Reconstructed Asatru should not be an atavistic movement. Many practices of our ancestors are no longer acceptable – slavery and human sacrifice for instance. Humanity has evolved spiritually in the western world, and thus a retrograde attitude in terms of moral law based on an ideology of mimicking the medieval ancestors’ society can only be detrimental to the Asatru movement. No one who is thinking clearly could possibly claim ‘inalienable rights’ for themselves while denying it to others because of that persons colour, race, creed, social philosophy or sexual orientation.

It is the aim of the AET to renew old and forge new ties with any organisation or individual that supports aspects of the Northern Tradition and more expansively the Indo-European heritage, be it religious, magical, philosophical or cultural. The Assembly of the Elder Troth renews is broad policy of supporting the efforts of ALL people to reclaim their birthright; to practice their native religion, honour their ancestors, and to live in political, economic and social freedom with pride in their ethnic origins and culture.

HOME | Articles Home | Top Of Page

Page maintained by Schmitt Services

Last Update: Saturday, June 28, 2003