Sources and Attitude
As with all other aspects of Asatru thought, our spiritual concepts and ideas about the nature of the universe, life, death etc. are all derived from study of ancient sources. These include the myths preserved in the Eddas and the words of our forefathers and mothers recorded in the Sagas. Then there are the folk beliefs, customs and laws passed down to us. Still more grist for the mill comes from archaeology and contemporary accounts of our ancestors' lifeways such as Tacitus's Germania (some of these, of course, must be sifted and dissected to remove the taint of prejudice or subjective interpretation by the author). It all weaves together into a very rich tapestry of thought with roots from all over Europe.
One side effect of having no holy book or infallible progenitor is that Asatruar do not take anything purely at face value. We are always questing for deeper meaning and truth. New ideas spring from the old and Asatru today certainly includes some very modern concepts suited to today's world. Indeed, this is what the Gods expect of us. Real Truth comes more from experience and interaction with the universe around us than from words.
Note: I am still figuring all these things out myself, so bear with me. Also, you'll notice my background in eastern thought comes into play in how I describe some things.
Megin
An underlying, all-pervading divine energy or essence - the Life Force. Essentially, a Norse equivalent of Qi or Prana (or for you Lucas fans, The Force). Megin, like Wyrd, can be shared by indiduals, families, etc.
Ørlog
This concept lies at the heart of the old Norse belief system as well as that of most Asatruar today. Experiencing the reality of Ørlog means experiencing and being in closer communion with the Universe as a whole.
The word "Ørlog" is made up of two elements: 'ør' -- something that is beyond or "primal" or "above/beyond the ordinary" and 'leggja' -- "to lay," "to place," or "to do." It essentially means "primal or earliest law"; the earliest things accomplished or done and may be considered as a "plan of Divine Creation". I like to liken it to The Tao of Lau Tzu.
Lao Tzu said "the true Tao can not be taught, only experienced" and so it is with Ørlog. This divine aspect of the Universe is generally hidden from our view and goes beyond our immediate understanding. Our myths, the Gods and other supernatural beings, our rituals and practices are all paths to understanding it and living well within it.
Asatruar generally believe that the spiritual reality of Ørlog is interdependent with us - that we affect it, and it affects us. Ørlog is ever growing, changing and evolving just as we are. Ørlog is symbolized in Yggdrasil, the World Tree, which according to myth, grows at the Well of Urdh or Wyrd (in some interpretations, this is Mimir's well). The Norns (Fates) water Yggdrasil's roots with water from the Well. Thus the tree of the universe grows out of the fount of all wisdom and layers of sediment build up over the roots. Again, this demonstrates the active, accretionary, growing nature of reality.
Just as Yggdrasil grows and changes over time, so do we as individuals. The holy water that feeds our roots is experience and study. With each new experience or bit of wisdom growing out of that which was experienced or learned before.
Hamingja
(also called lyke, hyde, myne, luck, fortune or "might and main")
Hamingja is a sort of intrinsic spiritual power that is accumulated over the course of one's life( or lives) and passed on to ones descendents. In spiritual terms, this legacy can refer to things like wisdom, personality, or talent, while in practical terms, it can include one's wealth, reputation and external family ties.
Some liken Hamingja to the idea of karma, but except that it reaches beyond the individual. I like to think of it as the dynamic flow of Megin over time. Building much "might and main" as one grows is good and healthy while neglecting such development is bad. Evil acts damage one's Hamingja and also reflect badly on one's descendants. Thus, one's future family may suffer greatly from acts that damage one's own worth! Clearly, we can see how this misfortune works in material terms -- take the cycle of child abuse as an example.
Wyrd
Wyrd refers to the Well of Wyrd that feeds the roots of Yggdrasil. Many Asatruar also take it as a metaphor for Wisdom combined with Fate. Others see it as synonimous with Ørlog.We do not necessarily believe that all is predestined, but we do believe that things happen for a reason. There is a lattice of coincidence operating as Ørlog unfolds. We each have a part to play in the story. Some will say "We are born of Wyrd."
In myth, the three Norns would spin out a golden thread, measure it, and then cut it. Each thread was a human life and each life thread was woven into the tapestry of history and Ørlog. Wyrd refers to this process. It is a watch word for us. One of the goals of life is to learn, by gathering clues of wisdom, what one's natural destiny or purpose is. This is the root of a lot of divination practices in Asatru including casting Runes and shamanic trance (Seid). Perhaps all this has something to do with the Collective Unconscience.
To work in harmony with one's Wyrd is to be in harmony with Ørlog. Thus, it is something of a state of grace; a peaceful certainty. "I am where I should be and doing what I should be doing."
"Od"
I am still learning about this concept, but I find it to be similar to some eastern ideas of Enlightenment or inner happiness. Represented by the God of the same name, this is the gift of ecstasy provided to humans by the Gods. It is what separates humanity from other animals, and is our eternal link with the Gods and Ørlog. I suppose it is Joy, or one might say a spiritual aspect of Frith.
Honoring and Communing with Our Ancestors
Our ancestors live on in us both spiritually as well as physically -- all part of the cycle of souls as already explained. We are eternally bonded to our ancestors and take joy in this fact. In the old days, many Scandinavian kings would regularly commune with the spirits of their ancestors by visiting their hoffs (burial mounds) and meditating there before making decisions or pronouncements. It is in this tradition that we honor and seek affinity with our kin who have passed on. However, we do not worship them.
Interestingly, there is a strong parallel to this idea in traditional Japanese culture where annually, dead ancestors are received as gusts in the home during the Obon Festival. They are fed, chatted with and generally honored at this time. Similarly, many Asatruar will invoke their ancestors during a blot -- inviting them, as friends and family, to attend and enjoy the festivities with the living. Ancestors are frequently saluted during Sumbel (ritual toasting) and stories are told about them at this time as a source of inspiration.
In modern thought, many Asatruar feel that in addition to the sources of wisdom outside ourselves (the world, Nature, Ørlog, writings, etc.) there is a fount of wisdom from within that we may tap into. This being our instincts, emotions, innate predispositions, some say genetic memories as well. That being so, it is another reason to honor our ancestors -- we are grateful to them for this gift of life and spiritual power.
Thoughts on the Afterlife...
The Cycle of Souls
The process of building Hamingja takes more than one lifetime and is a team effort.
Many Asatruar believe in a two-part process of soul rebirth and growth. The first part is pretty straight forward: a soul may choose to return to Midgard more than once in order to accomplish certain things or to accrue a certain amount of Hamingja. I tend to think of this as the "You're here until you have learned everything you need to know" Theory.
When a soul is ready to leave for good, it will rejoin those of its ancestors in a sort of collective pool. (Judaism holds a similar concept) When one's children and other descendants are born, they take some of that soul pool with them; molding the clay into a new, unique soul ready to grow in Midgard. Later when this generation dies, they will return what they borrowed and add to it their own accumulated Hamingja; their life experiences. So the cycle goes on and on. In this way, the spiritual power of a family, or perhaps humanity as a whole, may increase and evolve over time. It's rather like a spiritual genetic code that diversifies over the centuries. Truly this is the process of Ørlog. The end of this process, if there is one, is not known to us, but we know we are moving towards something good.
It should be noted that not all Asatruar ascribe to this two-phase theory. Some prefer to meditate only upon the one phase or the other.
The Valhalla Model
Many Asatruar also believe in an Afterlife that goes beyond the process of Ørlog and Hamingja as it is played out here in Midgard. Essentially, those who have lived virtuous, frithful lives will go on to experience greater fulfillment, pleasures, and challenges. Those who have led lives characterized more by vice than by virtue will be separated from kin, doomed to an existence of dullness and gloom -- the results of possessing little Hamingja. The precise nature of this afterlife is beyond human understanding, but is dealt with metaphorically in the myths of Asgard, Valhalla, Hel, etc. As always, there is a wide variety of opinions and ideas in the Asatru community. Some, for example, liken entrance into Valhalla as an equivilent to the Buddhist concept of Nirvana or Enlightenment.
In the end, most of us don't dwell on it all too much. If we do our best to be virtuous people in this life, the next will take care of itself. Our view is always optimistic; "we are all gods becoming."
