The Way of the Rite: A Handbook for Members and Friends of the Odinic Rite by Mike Robertson OR. Available from The Odinic Rite, BCM Runic, London WC1N 3XX, England. Soft cover/plastic spine, 20pp. Price £3.50 inc. postage. ISBN 0-9516396-17. ![]() IN many ways this long-awaited handbook from The Odinic Rite (OR) carries on from where Steve McNallen’s excellent three- volume Rituals of Asatru series left off, for whilst the latter essentially deals with major blots, seasonal festivals and rites of passage respectively, Mike Robertson’s new booklet covers the various aspects of Odinist life and puts everything neatly into perspective for those who would take the Asatru path. Robertson points out that his work was originally inspired by Irmin’s Interview With a Gothi and is not intended to function as a manual, but simply as a guide for those seeking quick and easy answers for what is undoubtedly becoming one of the fastest-growing European religions. Part One deals with membership of The Odinic Rite and states not only the Nature and Ethical Code of the Rite itself, but also lists the Noble Virtues like Courage, Fidelity, Industriousness, Truth, Discipline, Self-reliance, Honour, Hospitality and Perseverance. This is followed by the Nine Charges, a series of important points with regard to the way in which the Odinist must strive to conduct him or herself. Part Two moves on to the matter of understanding the Asatru faith, explaining the Norse concept of Creation and the fact that “there is nothing in it which is not entirely compatible with modern scientific thought, so it does not call for any great leap of faith.” And the same is true of Ragnorok, because the events leading up to this cataclysmic event in our future are working “at a variety of levels” and becoming more apparent to us every day. This section also deals with the organisational side of things, using a woodland analogy to explain that “in a healthy wood there will be a variety of types of tree, each in natural competition, and filling its own niche in the totality of the woodland. Continuing this analogy, the Rite is concerned with the health of the woodland as a whole, rather than just one type of tree; thus whilst it might be the ash tree, there will also be the beech and the oak and the silver birch, each filling its own unique niche in the eco-system.” Continuing this analogy even further, contrast this with Christianity’s catch-all system of worship which, unlike that of the Asatru community, has become so afflicted with Dutch Elm Disease that it is in need of being chopped down immediately! The booklet then moves on to Faith, Folk and Family, once again emphasising that Odinists must not and will not confine themselves to the suffocating methods of theological dogmatism, because free choice and expression are considered vital to the advancement of one’s own spiritual development. On an even more positive note, unlike their more liberal counterparts in The Ring of Troth, Folkish values are also very important to the OR: “The Odinist’s concept of folk must be seen in relation to their world view: simply this is a vision of a variety of heathen and pagan faiths evolving in a symbiotic relationship with a particular people [or folk]. For that folk will have been shaped by a variety of factors: history, climate, geography, language, an almost endless list. Such factors will have deeply influenced the way a people will think: that way of thinking in turn will influence how they express their faith and relate to the mysteries: consider here why the inhabitants of cold northern lands see the sun as female; whilst those of hot lands see it as male. So for this very reason a variety of faiths have evolved throughout the world: each entirely valid for its own folk.” Again, contrast this with the Emperor Charlemagne’s violent slaughter of his fellow Europeans in the mad Frankish drive to consolidate the interests of internationalist Christendom. The OR is also keen to stress that Odinism is a distinctly European phenomenon and that peoples of other cultures should be encouraged to embrace their own spiritual traditions: “This is a similar conclusion to that of say the Native Americans who try to deter people who are not of their folk from adopting their religious ways. So the Odinist whilst believing very strongly in their own folk faith, would also see it as a duty to help others to find that deepest satisfaction from their own folk faith; thus to suggest, say to a Japanese, that they would be better advised to seek their way of faith in Shinto.” But the author is also aware of the role played by the family, and the fact that children are the natural end result of a flowering of human development and sexuality. Part Four is probably the most important section of all, and deals with many questions that have needed answering for quite some time: The Warrior Image: Are We Really Vikings?, Alcohol, Women and Equality, The Runes and Runic Knowledge, the Calendar of Main Festivals and the Names of Months and Days, Are Members of the OR Pagans?, In the Community, Spreading Our Faith, the Use of Drugs for Social or Recreational Purposes, Politics, Odinic Names, and Free Speech. In fact this group of subjects makes highly fascinating reading and the booklet is worth getting for these alone! We next come to Ritual and Worship, and once again the prevailing spirit of anti-dogmatism proves just how flexible and open-minded the OR can be when it comes to dress sense and the various other trappings of Odinic worship. But the rituals themselves are less flexible, or at least the OR’s particular version of them. The main factor in all this is the seriousness with which OR affiliates must approach this issue, for after all mistakes are far less important than seeking to trivialise the rituals themselves because “we’ve all made mistakes, and we’ve not lost anyone to a thunderbolt yet!” But generally, the OR believes in keeping it simple and would hate to think that exotic language or seemingly unpronounceable Nordic terms would prevent anyone from attending its events. The booklet then runs through the OR’s more administrative side, explaining what is meant by the Hearths, the Area Reeves and the Grand Moot. This is followed by a quick analysis of the Profession, an act of faith which all prospective full members must make before being fully accepted into the Odinic community. We also learn of the various OR training programmes and its main publications. Finally, I highly recommend this booklet to all those who would take the Asatru path because Odinism is surely one of the truest religions of our Folk. Long may our Gods and Heroes prosper! |