The Mighty Enemy of Hvitakrist!
In Troth
CopyRight (c) Octavio Augusto Okimoto Alves de Carvalho 1999Goði Meðal Mikit Stór-Ljon Oddhinssonn
Ásatrú Vanatrú - Brazil
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The Nine Noble Virtues
FOREWORD
This work was not made in order to pratice sincretism in asatru and another faiths, but was made with the next described objectives
1- To Advocate the Nine
Noble Virtues
2- To Explain them
3- To make a paralelism between the NNV and The Eight Virtues
4- To Explore the paralelism between our myths and the science
5- To show that not all of our beliefs could be considered as a
single superstition or in a more Political Correct way to say,
Religious Belief. Instead of it, I writened this to show that
some of our truths is in many another faiths and that truths will
be and is truth actually, even of people don't choose to believe
in them. A lie is a lie, no matter how many people start to
believe in that lie. The truth is truth, no matter how many
people will discredit that truth, that will NOT make our truths
less truthful.
_____Well, the best way to beging such a
so profound topic, even if it is aparently 'just basic', is for
the begining of course. Don't underestimate that topic just
because it is "only" basic. It is just because it is
basic that's because it is the basis of all the rest.
____Exist an old saying between the
praticioners of martial arts that says: "Destroy the
embasement and everyting will fall." In Karate, the
embasement is so important (or more) than all the blows and Kata.
Even if the another challenger have more best blows, if thou have
a indestructible embasement, no one can defeat thyself.
____In Qabbalah, the embasement sphere
is the one who sustain and suport all the rest of the sephirot
tree, turning to be unuseful every post-conquest is the
embasement be affected, then, understand the importance of the
topic in question.
____Before the folk began to throw
stones towards me because I mentioned another faiths (LOL), I
must justify myself saying that what is Truth, and not a single
belief, is Truth in all places. If thou put thy hant in the
water, no matter what religion thou choiced or where thou hast
raised, it would be wet. If thou put thy hand in the fire, in the
same way it would be burned. Now, let us to speak and be towards
the Principle of All.
____In the beggining, everything was a
part of the One and the One was divided itself in Two, that would
be called for us here as Freyja and FreyR. From those two comes
the creaction, or the Three. Three is a sacred number in many
cultures and religions and is Three the number of faces of the
Great Goddess (Urd, Skuld and Verdandi), Three was the Gods who
creates The Nine Worlds. Vili, Ve and Wotan (Will, Hollyness and
Great Rage). Just to remind, nine is a sacred number too. It
would not be nine months to be taken in order to generate a baby?
Nine is the symbol of Generation, without speaking that Nine is
Three multiplicated by Three.
____Back to the Three topic, Three is
the primordial elements of the Universe formation in the ásatrú
Cosmogony. The universe comes from the interaction of the Fire,
Ice and Wind, that from its ones, everything of the rest comes.
Considering that the universe have its origins in the One gread
explosion (the Big-Bang) and as the time passes, the two
eletrical charges surged, the positive and negative, that more
latter, it turned to be possible the three atomical sub-elements:
Protons, Neutrons and electrons. It is considered that the
universe is formed by vibration and Voidness or space in the
general indo-european knowledge, that by the way, some
relativists phisics confirm telling that if thou don't think only
in a 3D way, thou could consider the matter as generated of the
space curlled around itself.
____If thou can remember, the uterus
(womb) is nothing without the seed and the seed is nothing
without the uterus. The seed is the true nature of everything,
but under its Une and Absolute nature, it is single and without
meaning. The Uterus (womb) in itself is nothing, and cannot
creacte nothing. But when it holds the seed, it can develop that
and change it into a new being, as in the same way, the Goddess
take the seed from the God and change it into the Universe with
all of its unending wonders. It is because of this that in the
original Wiccae, the power was exerted by the priestess, but was
emmanated by the priest. In the Tantrism, the same concept is
called as Shiva/Shakt and in the Asatru, FreyR/Freyja. As I am
saying, The Wind is the motive power of the Three elements. From
he surges the first sound Aoss (Ansuz if thou prefer) that
generates another sounds with the echoing of the universe, and
from it, surges another "sounds" like the Fire and the
Ice. The Wind (Truth) feeds the existence of the Fire (Love) and
the Ice (Courage), and the interactivity of both of these two
(Fire and Ice) makes surge the Life and Vapour (steam) that
generates the Wind again. From these Three Principles that is
Truth, Love and Courage, surges all virtue, the Eight Virtues of
the Silver Circle or the Nine Noble Virtues of the Asatruar, that
under my view-point, walks side by side.
For the Curious, I will tell the Eight Virtues and will comment if I am solicited.
Honesty
Compassion
Valour
Justice
Self - Sacrifice
Honour
Spirituality
Humility (that should not be
mistaken with Resignation or self-degradation).
Lets talk from this point about the Asatruar Nine Noble Virtues that is: Courage, Truth, Honour, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance and Perseverance.
COURAGE: Well, courage is more than a Virtue, it is a principle. From it becomes the Valour, Self-Sacrifice, Honour and the True Spirituality. If thou don't strive to be courageous, thou would not know thy own limitations. With Courage and force, not only thou will know thy Real limits, but as the time passes and the improvement goes, thou will defeat thy limitations and will know a lot of more high limits until thou can walk towards the path of the perfection and The Infinity. The Worst Enemy to challenge is not external, he is inside thyself. It is more easy to challenge one thousand of enemy soldiers than to chalenge thy own dark side and confront thy True Nature. Therefore Courage is something to be praticed in a external and internal way. Thou can only retreat in a battle, whatever nature it is, when thy death or defeat will not be useful for nothing. After all, "a Dead man is not useful to nobody." and "a wise man knows the battles that is really worthy to be challenged." Or else, Courage yes, even to defy the Death, but Courage always with Wisdom.
"Silence becomes the Son of
a prince,
To be silent but brave in battle:
It befits a man to be merry and glad
Until the day of his death," Havamal-verse 15
"The coward believes he
will live forever
If he holds back in the battle,
But in old age he shall have no peace
Though spears have spared his limbs" Havamal-Verse
16
"The generous and bold have
the best lives,
Are seldom beset by cares,
But the base man sees bogies everywhere
And the miser pines for presents." Havamal - Verse
48
TRUTH: The Truth here is not a Virtue too, but a Principle. It its Absolute nature, it is the Principle of All things. It can be understood as Honesty, but is not only it. From that is derivated the Honesty, Justice, Honor and Spirituality. In the Asatru, we haven't such human thouths limitationers conceptions as sin, heaven and hell, Absolute Good and Absolute Evil as that abrahamical concepts. We have a quote: "If thou believe in hell, probably thou art already in one." A Asatruar will not strive to be Honest and Honoured just to please the Gods, but instead of it, they will do it in order to improve they personal life standards and way of life, and with it, conquest the respect of the people around. If thou don't be honest, the people will tend to don't trust thee, no matter how they like thee. Thou will have no credit in everywhere, and the people will not loose their time giving they respect for thee. Is it enough reason to be Honest without getting the Deities involved in that question? The Truth is the motive principle of the Universe. The Great Absolute Seed of all things. If thou pretend to be a True Vikt or Mage, the Truth must be intimately conected with thy lips and thyne heart, so in that way when thou will cast a spell, it will be made at a lesser cost just because thy own words of the enchantment will have the motive power to interfer in the reality. And yes, the spell will be never at free-cost. Remember, "A Gift demands a gift..."Or dost thou think that the Gods and Goddesses art our slaves? (LOL)
"To ask well, to answer rightly,
Are the marks of a wise man:
Men must speak of men's deeds,
What happens may not be hidden." Havamal - Verse 28
"To a false friend the
footpath winds
Though his house be on the highway.
To a sure friend there is a short cut,
Though he live a long way off." havamal - Verse 34
Note: as Havamal teaches, Even Lord
Wotan must pay a price when he acted in a dishonest way. The
price was his reputation.
"Odhinn, they said, swore an oath on his ring:
Who from now on will trust him?
By fraud at the feast he befuddled
Suttung And brought grief to Gunnlod." Havamal -
Verse 110
HONOUR: Nothing more better comes into my mind to tell about this interesting topic than a Old Japanese saying that was very used by the Samurais (the Japanese Counterpart of the Medieval Knights) in their interpretation of the Bushido. (The Samurai Code of Honour) "Honour is not Pride. It is the awareness of thy own Duty." Many people do the mistake between honour with self dignity. About the pride, this in itself is not Honour, but thou can be Proud of thyne Honour in a positive way, without it be something ressembling arrogance. Self Dignity? Honour is not it directly, however honoured actions leads by itself to the Self Dignity. If thou don't act with Honour, thou art a despicable person and obviously, thou don't have self dignity. Honour is to do a Fair-Play. The Virtue of Honour is based by the Principles of Truth and Courage. Truth to admit thy own true responsabilities and Courage to assume them.
"An ill tempered, unhappy
man
Ridicules all he hears,
Makes fun of others, refusing always
To see the faults in himself" Havamal-verse 22
"No man is so generous he
will jib at accepting
A gift in return for a gift,
No man so rich that it really gives him
Pain to be repaid." Havamal - Verse 39
FIDELITY: Or Loyalty, if thou prefer. Loyalty is not only giving sexual exclusivity to thine love partner as it was already expeculated. Thou can don't be sexual exclusivist and even in this way, thou can be a loyal person. If thou wilst to follow all these principles and Virtues, thou will be loyal to this. Thou can be loyal to a cause, a nation, person or religion. Under my view-point, and under the view-point of some ancient pagan cultures, sexual exclusivity was to a proof of love, and even was not a pre-requisite in a wedding relationship. The western people have the bad habit to give labels to many types of love. Dost thou lovest thine father? Dost thou lovest thine mother? Dost thou lovest the flower that thou art smelling its perfume (fragrance)? Dost thou lovest thine Girl-Friend or Boy-friend? If the answer is yes to all of these questions, and the answer is correct and sincere, then, know ye that all of these loves if of the same type. When thou lovest someone or something, thou wish the welfare of what thou lovest, even in detriment of thy own good. If thou really lovest a Sire(man) or a damsel (lady), thou will wish his/her happiness, thou will wish her happyness with thee, without thee or not only with thee. If thou lovest a rose, how thou will act about it? Thou wilst aspire its fragrance, would appreciate it, will sprinkle (water) and would fertilize its soil or dost thou would limit its lifetime even more cutting it in the stalk and put it in a vase to decorate thine room for only THEE and who thou wish, to smell its fragrance and appreciate its beauty until the flower dwindles and die? However, if the agreement of the relationship was of exclusivity, then yes, in that way thou will not be loyal if thou don't give exclusivity to thy partner. To Act in correctness in accord with this principles, without faring away from them, is fidelity and/or loyalty, then, if thou act with courage, truth, honour and discipline, thou would be loyal and Faithful. But dost is it only this? If is, why dispend the work in mentioning? Because it is not only this. If thou believe in something, is thou NEVER neglects (disregards) thy self-responsabilities or the people that thou lovest, as thy family and childs, if thou art worried in honouring thy ancestry, in a direct way, paying homnage or in a indirect way, acting in a fair and honourable way, if thou art able to put thy own body in front of thine wife and/childrens ir order to preserver they lifes (avoiding that they be struken by an arrow by a example), thou wilst acting the so called absolute fidelity or fidelity until the death. In this way, that virtue have its ressemblance with the Self-Sacrifice. The Self-Sacrifice is formed by the principles of Love and Courage. And it is the Self-Sacrifice that turn the virtue of the Fidelity as something different than the single add of all the another virtues mentined. Just Remember: SEMPER FIDELIX!
"With presents friends
should please each other,
With a shield or a costly coat:
Mutual giving makes for friendship
So long as life goes well," Havamal - Verse 41
"A man should be loyal
through life to friends,
And return gift for gift,
Laugh when they laugh,but with lies repay
A false foe who lies." Havamal - Verse 42
"A man should be loyal
through life to friends,
To them and to friends of theirs,
But nenever shall a man make offer
Of friendship to his foes." Havamal - Verse 43
"Young and alone on a long
road,
Once I lost my way:
Rich I felt when I found a another;
Man rejoices in man." Havamal - Verse 47
"The young fir that falls
and rots
Having neither needles nor bark,
So is the fate of the friendless man:
Why should he live long?" Havamal - Verse 50
DISCIPLINE: (JUSTICE) The Universe becomes from the chaos, therefore the chaos is the existence generator element. However, if the was only chaos, the universe would be only a element in constant changing, with nothing to be creacted or stabilished. Therefore, to set over against the chaos, exist the Order that is the stabilisher element. Hovever, if the was too much Order, it will generate another problem that is the stagnation. To avoid this, exist the Principle of Entrophy or Destruction, that eliminate the excess of both two and "destroy the old and decay in order to allow the new to born.". Of course that excessive destruction is not too much interesting. Explanations is not needed of course. No? To make balance between these three forces would be Discipline in a cosmic view point, but what is in interest here is the Discipline in a more relative, earthly and mundane plane. In our case, Freedom (chaos) is interesting, absolute freedom, even more, but we must not forget that we live in a society and for a weal quaitanceship (living together), it is needed to limit ones freedom in the point where began the freedom of another one. In order to this task, is is needed to stabilish rules or Law (Order). And when that rules is broken, it is needed to use a disciplinar force, destructive when it is needed to be, to reestabilish the harmony and Justice. However, "the true Justice is not only to punish the evil acts, but to reward the good actions." The perfect Justice is that one that both os sides will agree what is the right thing to do, but unfortunatelly it is only a utophy that is not aways possible to realize, after all, not all people is adept of the Fair-Play. The Virtue of Justice is formed by the principles of the Truth and Love. The Realisation of the Truth, tempered by the Love.
"Less good than belief
would have it
Is mead for the sons of men:
A man knows less the more he drinks,
Becomes a befuddled fool," Havamal - Verse 12
"The fastest friends may
fall out
When they sit at the banquet-board:
It is, and shall be, a shameful thing
When guest quarrels with guest," Havamal - Verse 32
"Cattle die, kindred die,
Every man is mortal:
But the good name never dies
Of one who has done well" Havamal - Verse 76
HOSPITALITY: Nothing better comes in my mind to begin speaking about this Virtue than a verse of the Havamal, the words of the Hightest One: "Fire is needed by the newcomer Whose knees are frozen numb; Meat and clean linen a man needs Who has fared across the fells" In that way, thou will pratice the Virtues of Truth, Courage, Fidelity (because it was thyself who invicted thyne guest, or else, thy guest would be not thy guest, instead of it, he/she would be a invader or a intruder), Justice (in the same way, because it was thee who invicted he/she, and he/she was the one who 'hast fared across the fells' just to see thee.) and as in the virtue of Discipline, I want to add something in that virtue to give this a individuality by this own, I would add Compassion. Compassion that have its basis in the Principle of Love. But Hospitality is not only Compassion. There is some rules of hospitality that must be undertaken. The Havamal explain about it very well. It is about how to act when the situation is undergo a eventually hospitality abuse.
"Fire is needed by the
newcomer
Whose knees are frozen numb;
Meat and clean linen a man needs
Who has fared across the fells," Havamal-Verse 3
"A guest should be
courteous
When he comes to the table
And sit in wary silence,
His ears attentive,his eyes alert:
So he protects himself," Havamal-Verse 7
"The wise guest has his way
of dealing
With those who taunt him at table:
He smiles through the meal,not seeming to hear
The twaddle talked by his foes" Havamal - verse 31
And about Compassion:
INDUSTRIOUSNESS: This virtue in itself, automatically generates both of the two next Virtues here mentioned. Hard Work with Industriousness mean to produce. The oposite idea of this and the next virtue is the Parasitism that means to live only with the help of anothers without even to at least try help in something. Thou must work hard to gain thine bread and to can in this way, enjoy the usufruct of it. In that way, thou must do perform of Courage, Perseverance and Wisdom, because with so many bad intentioned people in this world, the Wisdom is a needed thing to achieve the prosperity.
"A small hut of one's own
is better,
A man is his master at home:
A couple of goats and a corded roof
Still are better than begging." Havamal - Verse 36
SELF RELIANCE: (Freedom) The essence of this Virtue is the Freedom and the wish for it in a honoured way. If thou act with freedom but parasite someone without at least try to help in something to this person, thou would not be praticing this virtue. If thou trust too much in the Gods and Goddesses, but trust nothing in thyself, thou would not be able to do anything. We live in a country whose predominance is belonged by Kristjanity and we art accostumed to see too much people living the mediocrity in trusting in a supposed Absolute god and giving to him all the merit for all that really works in their lifes forgetting their own right actions that they did by their own initiative, also forgetting that they art a important element of change in this world. They too give all demerit of they erroneous (wrong) acts to a supposed existing Daemon (Satan, Devil, Lucifer or whatever...). Doing in this way, they art washing their hands or to omit (neglet) their own responsabilities with themselves, their families and society. This Virtue is the exactly the oposite of it. Thou, and nobody else, art responsible for thy own actions. And if thou art independent, thou have all the right of thy Freedom, in this way, we can interpret this virtue as Freedom, but freedom with a sence of self-responsability for thy own acts. The norse men (and Our Asatruar tradition), values more than anything else this freedom. A ideal government to us in our vision would be the Anarchic Democracy (as it was praticed in Iceland as taunt by Lord Wotan himself. Things is resolved in the Althing without left or right siders. There is twelve coordinators for the Althing that represend the Twelve Elder Gods. And instead of a King or a Strong-Leader, a Law-Speaker, or a person who would recite and maintain the law in pratice. Even he is not away from the law.) It means that if thou don't put thy nose (to do intromission) in another life of nobody else, nobody else will have the right to do intromission in thy own life
"A small hut of one's own
is better,
A man is his master at home:
His heart bleeds in the beggar who must
Ask at each meal for meat." Havamal - Verse 37
PERSEVERANCE: (Patience) What I will comment about this Virtue that I don't said already in the note about the Virtue and Principle of Courage? To pratice perseverance mean to have the Courage in challenge thine own limitations and don't stop until the end in order to stabilish and realise thy objectives, aim and goals. Of course thou can achieve or reach a mountain top with only a single jump, unless thou art a Superman(tm) or can jump as hight as the Hulk(tm). (LOL) But step by step, and with each one per time, thou CAN achive the montain top, and when thou reach it, thou must remember that each one of the little steps between the thousands ones that thou must did in order to achieve that montain-top, every of each one was important in the same way, with the obvious exception of the first step. The First Step was the most important step than all the rest, because it was the merit of thine own initiative and perseverance that take thee into achieving this goal.
"It is always better to be
alive,
The living can keep a cow.
Fire, I saw, warming a wealthy man,
With a cold corpse at his door." Havamal - Verse 70
(about perseverance to live)
"Wounded I hung on a
wind-swept gallows
For nine long nights,
Pierced by a spear, pledged to Odhinn,
Offered, myself to myself
The wisest know not from whence spring
The roots of that ancient rood
They gave me no bread,
They gave me no mead,
I looked down;with a loud cry
I took up runes;from that tree I fell." Havamal -
Verse 138, 139
Well... I said that I will not comment
about the 8 virtues of the Silver Circle, but I end saying too
much about this that it cost me nothing to say just some briefs
about the latter last two virtues that I don't said anything.
My idea of Spirituality is not simply a
religion or a religious pratice, but instead of it, this is a
constante quest in order to know, test, improve and realise thy
own inner essence. Such Spirituality is formed by the Three
principles of Truth, Love and Courage. Of course to a asafolk,
this don't only mean to pratice the virtues here described and
our Deities, but it means a harmony between thyself and the
Nature and her laws.
And about the Humility, this should not be mistaken with Resignation or self-degradation. There is a Jew qaballist quote that says "The God's crown (Kether/ a sephirot tree sphere) is the Humility. If thou put thy nose too much upside due to thy arrogance, the crown will fall from thy head." But some Qabballist would add too that "But if thou put thy nose too much downside, the crown will fall from thy head in the same way." This is a truth in ásatrú too. Therefore, to be humble, it is not needed to be the doormat (fawner, toady) of someone, it is enough to don't be fancy talking too much about THY OWN virtues all the time. Let the another people say these good things about thee for thou. Dost thou know that american quote? "Never purchase a car in a shop owned by a guy called Honest Joe." (LOL) Because if he is really honest, he would be already with the reputation of honesty, and so in that way, that all propaganda about his honesty would not be needed.
"The fool who fancies he is
full of wisdom
While he sits by his hearth at home.
Quickly finds when questioned by others .
That he knows nothing at all." Havamal - verse 26
"A man among friends should
not mock another:
Many believe the man
Who is not questioned to know much
And so he escapes their scorn." Havamal - verse 30
"Of his knowledge a man
should never boast,
Rather be sparing of speech
When to his house a wiser comes:
Seldom do those who are silent
Make mistakes;mother wit
Is ever a faithful friend," Havamal - Verse 6
I hope it helps to inspire the virtuous hearts of the new asafolks and make the Elders More Stronger in our Troth.
In Troth
CopyRight (c) Octavio Augusto Okimoto Alves de Carvalho 1999|
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