REBIRTH: A JOYOUS JOURNEY:

by Robery Blumetti

Twenty years ago I took the first step on a journey that has irreparably changed my life. I began the long journey back to the Gods of our ancestors two decades ago, when I began attending a group meeting that sought to explore the nature of the Norse Gods and Goddesses.

We met every two weeks, on a Friday night, and continued to do so for five years. The meetings began by conducting a series of breathing exercises that had more in common with Yoga, and were designed to help build up the power of the Life-Force within us. We also began to study the Norse myths. But what was important about these gatherings was the fact that we dedicated them to the Goddess, Freyja. Why Freyja? - because she is a Goddess of Love and Joy.

The leader of our group, Robert Zoller, felt it was important that the gatherings be events that were dedicated to joy. I later discovered the importance of this, especially for anyone who wishes to seek the path back to the old Gods of our people. Anyone who decides to begin the journey back to the Gods of our ancestors should be journey filled with joy, love and happiness. It should be a joyous event and not one marred with malice, hatred or any other negative force. I am not speaking of some pacifist notion of joy, which is a surrender to some out-dated idea that the hippies of the Sixties propagated. I am not speaking of some kind of universalist ideal of loving everyone and everything under the sun, including the Christian idea of "loving one's enemies." What I am urging is this: that the journey we take that leads us back to our ancestors' Gods and Goddesses should be based on the love of life, the love of our heritage, the love of who and what we are and the roots that bind us to our Folk, and hence - to our Gods. This should be a joyous trek because it is an exploration of who and what we really are.

Thus, my first recommendation to anyone who sets out on this journey is to dedicate the effort to a God or Goddess that is associated with joy, love and happiness. It does not have to be Freyja; it could be Frey, Idun, Balder, or Frigg. You should make the decision by first looking into yourself and discovering which one of the Gods or Goddesses speaks to you. One will, I promise, but make sure it is a God or Goddess associated with joy and happiness.

I am writing about this subject at this time because this is a time of joy. The period of time that is the Winter's Solstice or the Yule, is a time of Rebirth. It is when Balder, the Son God, is reborn. There is no other event in the calendar year that is so joyous. This is why the Christians cooped this time of the year to celebrate Jesus' birth. As I have written in the Book of Balder Rising , the Balder story was adopted by the Christians and incorporated into the Jesus myth. The Winter Solstice was always a time when Indo-Europeans celebrated the rebirth of the Sun, as a time of joy, love and happiness. Our ancient ancestors always came together with good friends and family and celebrated this event with good cheer and merriment. The ancient Iranians' God of the Sun, Mithra was born, according to their calendar in which the Winter Solstice fell on December 25, on the 25 th of December. The Romans adopted this date and incorporated it into their religious holiday, the Saturnalia, and thus, the Christians adopted it as the day of Christ's birth. So whether we call our Sun God, Mithra, Apollo, Balder or Jesus, we must remember this time of the years as the happiest time for us because it is dedicated to the rebirth of Balder - the return of the Sun. And, it is a good time for someone who is just setting out on his or her journey back to the Gods of our ancestors - our true Gods - to remember that this journey must be one of joy, happiness and love. And that is why you must dedicate your journey of exploration to a God or Goddess of Joy.

Joy to you all,

Bob Blumetti

Hail Odin! Hail Balder! Hail the Golden Age of Gimli!