The following was originally printed in the "Letters to the Editor" section of Vor Tru (#55, Fall/Winter 2246 RE). It was a reply to a query concerning World Tree Publications. I reprint it here with the author's permission. Hnikar
The primary function of World Tree Publications is to write, edit, publish and distribute Vor Tru magazine. This is a real team effort provided by many talented and dedicated members of the Alliance. We proudly boast that we think that Vor Tru is the finest Asatru magazine on Midgard.Another important task of World Tree is to publish and distribute texts, audio tapes, video tapes, books, as well as Thorr's Hammers, an Asatru Calendar, and many other vital materials of the Asatru Faith. We have the largest selection of such materials in Vinland, and many of them are not available anywhere else. The profits from the sales of these items basically fund the work of the Alliance. Just recently we were able to purchase a new $5,000 copy machine with which to publish Vor Tru and our other texts. Since the Alliance doesn't charge a membership fee, or rely solely on donations to survive, World Tree's work is vital for its continued growth and success.
This leads us to the World Tree Outreach Ministry. Our mission is to carry the word of Asatru to the Folk. Anyone who writes us requesting information about Asatru is sent a large information packet, and this also includes a copy of Vor Tru if requested. We get requests for information from people all over the planet, and we are currently sending out about 250 packets a month- this is more than double what we were sending out just a year ago. We are reaching many thousands of people with our message this way. We also take Asatru on the road, and attend various public functions and offer all of our materials to the public.
A vital part of our work with the public is our Prison Outreach program. With an ambitious mission to have Asatru recognized in every prison in Vinland, we currently minister to almost 600 prisoners. With the publication of such outreach texts as Living Asatru by Valgard Murray, and The World Tree by Edred Wodanson, we now have concise explanatory books available to send to prison authorities and chaplains. We work aggressively to have Asatru recognized, so that the Folk are free to publicly worship the Holy Aesir and Vanir, study the Runes, and wear the Hammer of Thorr, which is all of our Gods' given right, but which does not come automatically when you are in prison. In fact, it is a continuous struggle. A major victory was won recently when the U.S. Government recognized Asatru as a legitimate religion, and authorized the formation of Asatru Kindreds with the right to worship behind the walls. Within the past year we have also worked with many prisoners in the State systems to have Asatru recognized as well.
None of this has come easy, and none of this came cheap. In your own state of Ohio, two brave men staged a hunger strike which lasted 20 days to win their right to have the Runes. For this, they have been put in solitary confinement, where they still remain after 6 months. The Gothi of a prison Kindred in Kansas remains in solitary for "gang activities". This act of persecution against a member of our Faith was done at the very moment that we forced the government of the state of Kansas to recognize Asatru. He has been held in solitary for over a year now. This of course exposes the most common and easiest way to squash members of the Asatru religion behind bars: declare it gang activity, lock them in solitary confinement, and throw away the key.
This is why we first try to have Asatru recognized on a State level. When an inmate writes us for help, we first send him an introductory packet of materials; if he writes back and wants to form a Kindred, we then go to work on the authorities. This entails writing to the chaplains, the wardens, and other state officials, explaining the Asatru religion, and our desire to minister to prisoners in their institutions. If there is resistance, we continue to write, and make phone calls. If there is still resistance, we contact local Kindreds for help, and if necessary, we write to the Civil Liberties Union. One by one, we win. And in our winning, we grow in strength and numbers.
We grow in wisdom and knowledge, and we continue to get respect in our efforts to make Asatru a legitimate religion accessible by all the Folk.
Primarily, there are two men doing all of this work. Both of them put in over 100 hours of volunteer work for our cause a month, and finance this mission out of their own pockets, and very modest donations which mostly come from the prisoners themselves. What we need is more support from the Kindreds and the Asatru Community in this mission if we are to continue. We need more people willing to minister to the prisoners in their home state. We need Kindreds when called to, to write to the prison authorities in their states and support our efforts to have Asatru recognized. We need people to donate materials, postage, and money, so that we can continue. Just how much is a hundred hours of my life worth to you?
If the many thousands of Folk in the Asatru Community today would reflect on just how we got this far for a moment, they might realize that it was because of the efforts of a mere handful of totally dedicated men and women who against all odds promoted the Asatru religion nonstop for the past twenty years. These are the people who made it happen, and these are the people who will impose their will on the future. A future where ALL the Folk know of our message, and have been given an opportunity to reach out to the Holy Ones and regain their ancestral religion.
Hail the Holy Aesir and Vanir!
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