We Believe:

- That the Aesir and Vanir (the two tribes of Heathen Gods) are not archetypes or symbols, but actual spiritual entities of great wisdom and power.  The gods have their own desires, motivations, and goals.  They are benevolent and worthy of our worship, respect, and allegiance.

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- That our gods are not mere “aspects” of other pagan gods from other pantheons (as the pantheist view of paganism interprets the nature of the divine) but separate, distinct entities in their own right.  

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-  That the modern penchant for demystifying and rationalizing religion in order to find normative acceptance has no place in Heathenry.

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- That the Aesir and Vanir are the forebears and progenitors of  Northern European descended people.  This is meant spiritually, and in some cases directly (either in an incarnate form or in cases where they temporarily enter the bodies of certain chosen couples, as certain royal and noble lines of our folk were fathered by the gods themselves.)

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-That the god Rig established the various classes and tiers of Northern European society, founding the institution of sacral kingship and the various arungs (ranks) of King, Jarl, Thane, Karl, etc.  That this divinely ordained social hierarchy is the best and most natural way for modern heathen tribes to organize themselves, regardless of the current social and political ways of the modern countries in which each of us are born.

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-  That all individuals within a tribe, no matter their station, are to be held fully responsible for their own actions and accountable for their mistakes and misdeeds.

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- That since authority, responsibility, and spheres of influence in this ancient system flows both from the top (to ensure direction, order, and stability) and from the bottom ranks (to ensure the freedom, happiness, and popular participation of all people in a tribe) that it represents a sensible and balanced form of social organization that is far desirable to anything seen in either the Christian era or the Era of Secularism that came after it.

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 -That personal honor and ability count for everything, and through such a meritocratic process individuals of worth may rise in station according to their deeds, for we are our deeds.  That birth and ancestry alone does not make nobility, nor can it alone preserve it; and that the sons and daughters of esteemed members of any tribe should honor the legacy of their fathers and mothers and live good and honorable lives, fulfilling their responsibilities and obligations to the tribe and  treating others with the dignity and respect they deserve. 

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- That no one is perfect or infallible, and that healthy Heathen pride should be tempered with humility, self-awareness, honesty, and a willingness to pursue self-betterment.

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-That all members of our Theod who are in good standing are to be honored, valued for the people they truly are.   That none doubt the words and recounted life experiences of any member outright just because what is told by them might be seen to be too fantastic for most people to believe.  That we show trust in one another, and have respect enough for who we know one another to be to not assume that what is said is automatically and necessarily a lie calculated to get attention or special favor (as is the way with people who belong to the monoculture.)

-That there be no falsehoods, duplicity, or secret agendas among our ranks, but that kinsfolk stand united on this principles that bind us together of one accord, with respect, honor, and a right good will towards one another.

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-That while each of our members are valued as individuals, that they be not selfish according to the customs of the monoculture, but make decisions in life that could impact the tribe with an eye to both their own well being and that of their kinsmen and the Theod as a whole.

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-That while the authority of the Jarl and the Gesith (thanely classes) he appoints to various offices are necessary for the stability, well-being, and right ordering of Heathen society, all free folk in the tribe have a stake and a say in the life of the tribe, its endeavors, and its direction.   The Jarl is the guardian of the Theod’s soul, who ensures that the principles on which it is founded (it’s Thew) are never corrupted or overturned.  Nevertheless, in all decisions of import which are judged meet and seemly according to the dictums of the Thew, the folk express their will and opinion in the sacred institution of the Thing, and together with the Jarl and his thanely council decisions are made for the good of all and to the best possible satisfaction of all.

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-That no one in our tribe is bound to heed the requests or council of any other member that goes against what they know in their heart to be right and honorable, or against the Thew we all swear to defend and uphold.  Honor and right action should be the highest "law." (The Theodish Thew of “Freedom of Conscience.”)

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-That though it be commonplace in the monoculture for authorities to pass laws deliberately intended to control, manipulate, and exploit the common members of a population, no tenet of our Thew, no policy of our theod, and no “law” (more properly, no aspect of our thew or policy enacted based on it) should exist that does not serve a useful purpose and the good of all of our folk.

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-That experience is often the best teacher.  That the wisdom of elders should be held in the highest esteem, but the creativity and energy of our youth should be valued as well.

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- That the proven wisdom of the past should be deemed superior to the oftentimes arrogant and upstart ways of people currently living whose ideas are not rooted in our ancestral folk traditions, history, and experiences, even if this is the current trend that is gaining traction in modern society.

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-That our thew and our future decisions should be guided by past experience (precedent) and by the values of our ancestors.

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- That with freedom and newfound authority comes responsibility and accountability for both one’s words and actions.

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- That while our ancestors DID value freedom and individualism, individualism taken to the utmost extreme (selfish and unconstructive individualism) is not a good thing if it comes at the ultimate expense of the tribe or anyone in it or if the pursuit conflicts with or contradicts principles of tribal loyalty and tribal identity. 

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- That nothing of great import in history was done solely by individuals.  While strong, dynamic, and noble personalities were behind many of history’s great events, and while they themselves may alone undertake great individual deeds,  it is the GROUP dynamic that makes the ultimate furtherance of historical events possible and it is this dynamic which is the real basis of power in this world.  Without the men and women of unusual ability in history, great events and movements would not have had direction.  Without the group to which these individuals belonged, the endeavors they pioneered and led would have remained largely in the realm of ideas and would have never fully manifested in the realm of action. 

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- That while there are always exceptions, a society of loners and an every-man-for-themselves mentality often accomplishes very little.  It is gung-ho militant individualism run amok.  Mentally and philosophically, it is very possible for someone to be afraid of being alone, and to desperately make a point of being in a group of people (any group they can manage to find) and still feel very alone despite this.  A group of disunited, isolated individuals is not really a group according to the sociological definition, but a multitude who happen to deliberately occupy the same physical or virtual space and nominally engage in the same pretense activity (a movie, a game, a sports event, a bar, a chatroom, etc)  to serve as the basis or reason for the gathering.  They may in fact share little of any importance to serve as a uniting common ground.   Many people living today engage in this kind of socialization and indulge this dynamic,  and given the state of general dysfunction and anomie of modern society, where so many people  feel depressed, hopeless, and isolated, we believe that this is not a good thing.

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-That our individual conscience is the voice of the higher self, the gods, and the ancestors.  That we should always follow our hearts and listen to that inner voice.  That the Nine Noble Virtues espoused by all of Heathendom, as well as the Three Wynns and the Twelve Atheling Thews of Theodish tribal custom,  were derived ultimately from precedent and in hearkening to the voice of the higher self.

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- That when new members join, they agree to adhere to the Thew as laid down by the founders, with full knowledge thereof, to aid the Jarl and his officers and councillors in safeguarding and preserving said Thew, the mission and identity of the Theod, and  its very reason for existence.

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- That all aspects of Heathen life should be guided, informed, and inspired by the ways of our ancestors.  That every effort should be made by members of this Theod to become like our ancestors in thought, word, appearance, and deed.  That we should never feel ashamed or embarrassed to do any of these things just because it may be judged less than favorably by the standards of certain members of the monoculture.

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- That we need not meekly beg and scrape for the monoculture’s acceptance, or take up a submissive position in relation to them just because they currently outnumber us and the “song of the world” holds sway with most people in the world today.  We should not make bargains and concessions with them in order to get it.  In our opinion the price of this course of action is to great, for the cost is the integrity and identity of our folk soul.  Rather than do this, we should stand steadfastly for our ways in their entirety, gaining thereby not mere acceptance, but perhaps eventually even a kind of respect from the rest of the world.  Commitment to our folkways and both personal and collective integrity is the surest path towards this future goal.

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- That while it is necessary to live in this modern world (the monoculture, a blend of the Judeo-Christian traditional worldview and the secular rationalism, corporatism, and consumerism which superceded it), it is equally necessary to recognize that it was founded by Christians and secularists, in large part in opposition to the venerable ways of our Heathen forebears, and that where conflicts between the two ways of life arise, concessions should not be given unless there is absolutely no other choice, such as when we would otherwise run afoul of the law.

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- That though we have Christian and non-Heathen ancestors, they should not be forgotten, but remembered for the good they did, though they were deluded and cut off from their ancestral troth.  That in many cases they knew no better, though we alive today do. 

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-That aspects and even evolutions of European pagan culture did survive into the Christian era, and that these should not be jettissoned from our consideration simply because of the centuries they were practiced in, but recognized as survivals of European Paganism, for in many cases these survivals aid us in our quest to reclaim our folkways.  Our task as reconstructionists, after all, is to sort the “wheat from the chaff,” what is Heathen in essence from what is not.

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- That belief is the gateway to spiritual experiences, and belief in the supernatural elements of our folkways is paramount to the proper practicing thereof.  Belief in the gods, wights, and all spirits, worlds, and spiritual realities of the Elder Troth is to be held sacred,  and indispensable.  There will be no “symbolic atheism” or agnosticism in this theod.  If folk come to us in a state of uncertainty in these matters, but with their hearts in the right place, we will do our best to help them cultivate this belief and experience these things for themselves.

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-That magick is a gift of the gods, and that it is wrong to disregard it as unimportant as others have seen fit to do.  Magickal practice is to be encouraged and cultivated, and while it is vital to learn the traditional folk magick of our people, the true magician is a seeker after knowledge and power in every sense and from every possible source.

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-That while our religious practice demands adherence and loyalty to the Aesir, Vanir, and wights of our Elder Troth, that the magicians among us are to be allowed to explore the breadth and depth of occult learning and practice.  Hence, our religious and magical practices are related (and that the latter should serve the interests of the former), but held to be separate endeavors and organizations. 

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-That there is no “wrong” way in the world of paganism.  That all pagan paths are equally valid, and that all gods, entities, and worlds in these paths are real.  That we should not limit our beliefs to a narrow selection as is the way of Christians and Muslims, but to trust our spiritual senses.

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-In the value of unverified personal gnosis and Heathen mysticism as a way to aid us in our quest to know the ways of our ancestors and our lore.  Much of our lore has been lost to Christian purges and the ravages of time.  The mere study of existing source material alone is not enough to reconstruct and revive what must be a living, growing, evolving religious tradition.   We should remain in adherence to existing sources as much as is possible, but not limit ourselves only to them.  So long as an experience or idea gleamed from spiritual practice does not directly contradict the sources, but shed light on lost aspects of our folkways and compliment them, they are not to be denied validity outright.

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- That as we build our theod’s unique religious practices and beliefs, that the process be natural and organic, and not contrived and forced the way that self-styled “eclectics” and “cafeteria pagans” often do.

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-That the religion and culture of our Heathen ancestors are one in the same thing (together constituting what we can refer to as our “folkways.”)  Our forebears made no division between religion and culture as modern people do (this distinction is one of the things that has allowed Chrisitanity to thrive, after all), and it shall be the same with us. 

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-That every aspect of the folkways of the Elder Troth be observed and held to be of equal importance, no matter how trivial and outdated they may be to modern eyes, so long as they do not run afoul of local, state, or federal laws.

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-That while we recognize that our theod and our religion does not reside in a “bubble” separate from the modern world, let it be known to all that we will not allow, and never intend to allow, any social and political ideologies and agendas to hijack our theod or our religion.   We believe that these issues have no place here, and we will not let anyone attempt to use our theod as a vehicle or springboard for the propagation of any social or political ideology whatsoever, no matter which “side of the board” it is aligned on.

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- That the question “Why are we here?” is important.  The “purpose” of our theod and our religion is to serve as a collective template for our life paths and spirituality.  This aim is best achieved through practice of our ancestral religion better than through the pursuit of any other religious practice, though again we will state here that ALL pagan paths are true and valid paths, and ours does not have enjoy a unique status of “reality” to the exclusion of all others.

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- That by aligning ourselves together in troth, we can help one another find and fulfill the reason that each one of us has for being alive today.   For each of us has been woven Orlog by the Norns at birth; many have walked upon Midgard before, and some many times before.  We believe that the practice of Seidhcraft and similar types of magic can help us rediscover these truths about ourselves. 

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-That what is commonly called “reality” has many metaphysical layers, dimensions, worlds, and energies underlying it, and that there is much more to “reality” than the physical and material layer.  We believe that once it was common for our ancestors to perceive these extra dimensions of reality, but that the brutal campaign waged by modernism that stresses the demystification of life, and the insistence of modernists to strip life of it’s elements of wonder and awe in order to acheive so-called “progress” is the real reason why so many people today are no longer sensible to the astral and higher planes of existence.  Since we create our reality, what we believe (both consciously and subconsciously) dictates waht we experience and filters out all aspects of “reality” that are not in accord with this belief system, which is why the notion of belief is so all-important and why there are so many out there who insist that this be stamped out.

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- That the findings of modern science are true and valid, and that the scientific method is a useful tool for understanding the workings of natural phenomena in the third dimension of Midgard.  However, it is (in its current form, at least) incapable of explaining ALL phenomena, beings, or forces in existence.  The scientific method is useful but not infallible and does not represent an exhaustive, final, and complete treatment on every facet of what we might call “reality.”  It is a fallible system of discovery derived by highly intelligent and resourceful but nevertheless fallible people.   In the ancient word, the kind of scientific knowledge they had available was used complementarily with mystical, otherwordly knowledge, and so it is with us.  We do not believe this constitutes “sliding backwards” on the so-called “progress” that modern people seem to obsess over so much.

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-That there are many spiritual forms of identity housed within genetic bloodlines of the Northern European people.  That the physical body is a vessel or carrier for the soul, a vehicle for experiencing this world, and that the soul can change and evolve according to past life experiences.  That the ultimate aim of life is not only to fulfill one’s purpose and destiny, but to evolve spiritually and learn the lessons placed there by the gods and the Norns to learn.

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-That reincarnation is a real occurrence.  That in many cases we are our own ancestors, and that with every incarnation a new version or aspect of the soul arises from the soul of the former incarnation, which finds their spirit-home in Helheim or in one of the many other realms and God-heims of the Nine Worlds of Yggdrasil.

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- That it is possible through repeated incarnations to break free of the need to return again to Midgard.  That the work we do here is to be carried on by the newer and younger souls of our descendants, the bloodline of our people.

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-That full extra-sensory interaction between incarnate beings and discarnate entities is possible if the psychic faculties of the former are sufficiently developed, that our ancestors were capable of such intense levels of interaction, and that we are dedicated to teaching our membership how to experience the spiritual realities of our Troth in this fashion.

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That it is important to hold Blot regularly and with fullness of heart and presence of mind, as it is through this divine institution that we build up and maintain close relationships with the gods, the ancestors, the spirits of the land, and all good wights of the Elder Troth.That an alignment with earthly and cosmic energies is made each time we hold Blot, and that an exchange of vital energy takes place alongside the physical sacrifice of mead and meat; that the hospitality and friendship we show one another is part of what blesses and sanctifies this rite.

That by holding blot according to the seasonal cycles and tides, to bring our souls into alignment with the forces of Nature and the cosmic over-soul of Yggdrasil, empowering us to more readily accomplish that which we set out to do in this life.

By celebrating rites of passage and ritually observing the high points in the life cycle of each of our membership, we empower our Theod and ensure that our young people grow into wise, compassionate, and responsible Elders.

While theod blots solidify our collective, communal relationship with the gods and wights, each individual member’s personal relationship with them will uniquely vary and is their own responsibility to pursue and develop, though the Gothar (priesthood) are there to provide counsel, guidance, advice, and support to our membership.

That there is no “shame” in praying to the gods or showing due reverence for them.That they do expect us to trust to our own strength and do our utmost to help ourselves, but that they are here for us if the need is great.

That the rite of Sumbel is equally sacred and important to that of Blot, and should be taken very seriously, as it is this that allows us to positively shape our individual wyrd and the collective luck of the tribe.The shared connection with our ancestors and the past can give us the strength, inspiration, and inner spiritual power we need to tackle whatever challenges and difficulties that arise in our lives.With each pass of the horn and each spoken word over it,we are reminded that what we do in the present matters; that with some exceptions, the future is not completely fated and set, and ultimately only we can take responsibility for our lives; no one else can shoulder our burdens for us.

That Nature is living and sacred, and is the true “reality” of physical life on Midgard, the large organic being embodied by Fjorgynn and Rinda that connects us to the spiritual otherworlds and the nature spirits that populate them.That the nature spirits are the guardians of nature, and that at times these spirits choose to incarnate on Midgard (as “Otherkin”, or non-human spiritual entities in physical human bodies) to accomplish various tasks on Midgard, to ensure that harmony is preserved between the world of humans and that of Nature.That efforts to protect and aid Nature are a worthwhile undertaking, along with offerings to the nature spirits of various locals in our area.

That the concepts of what modern people refer to as “good” and “evil” did not originate with Christianity and similar monotheistic and dualistic religions, but predate them, though Heathen and other Pagan ideas about these binaries are very different from the Christian conception.

That absolutes of ethical alignment in the spirit world are rare, and most beings and forces represent various shades of gray, though they can generally be reckoned to fall roughly on one or the other side of the “board”, as it were.

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That though others outside our theod may opt to worship the Rokkir, we believe that it is foolish and self-destructive to invoke, work with, or worship Loki, Fenrir, Angrbodha, Jormungandr, Surtr,malevolent Jotuns, svartalfs, or any other evil/destructive entities in our religion.

That there is no central authority or “Pope” figure in modern Heatheny.That no one person, organization, or faction has the right to tell all others what the do’s and don’t are, what is correct and acceptable and what is not.While we feel it is important for group cohesion, stability, and morale if all the membership WITHIN a given tribe share common values, beliefs, and goals, we feel it is not right to dogmatically press this on people outside our tribe. We simply believe in sharing our particular way with others and informing them, and if it catches on, all the better.While the ancient Heathen tribes all shared common threads and a common heritage, there were many local and regional differences.It should be no different today.