Frith & Folk

We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down. - Kurt Vonnegut 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙𝕪

This summer the 4-day congress of the European Congress of Ethnic Religions (ECER) took place in Lithuania. During this congress they released the following declaration: We, the delegates from 17 different countries convened at the European Congress of Ethnic Religions in Rīga, Latvia, on June 30, 2023, join our voices together to make the following declaration: We, the undersigned, represent religious communities upholding the traditional, ethnic religions of diverse peoples of Europe. We hold deep reverence for our ancestors, the Gods and Goddesses they worshiped and the worldview and values that they bequeathed to us. Our spiritual traditions are inseparable from our traditional culture, and both require support and protection. We call on all the governments of the nations of Europe and the European Union to grant our religions the same respect and privileges that are accorded to other religions in European societies and legal systems. We ask for the following specific measures: 1. Special governmental protection and support as a part of indigenous culture, that is humanity's cultural heritage; 2. A legal status protected by the state (including determining it by a special law) which is not evaluated and compared according to the criteria of other religions; 3. Perform ceremonies at, and use the ancient sacred sites, for example, if there is no church built on it, while respecting the rules of protection for the archaeological sites; Life cycle rites must be accessible according to our traditions and protected; 4. Perform wedding ceremonies with legal authority in countries where the governing law recognizes these ceremonies done by recognized religions; 5. Practices towards the end of life, including but not limited to, visiting the ill and spiritual care, cooperation with hospitals, cemeteries and funerary rituals according to our traditions must be protected; 6. Our festival and celebration dates enshrined in law and shown in calendar; 7. When there is religious education in public schools, guarantee the freedom of choice to either abstain from, or participate in the religious studies depending on the cultural heritage of the country; 8. Chaplaincy — right to appoint the chaplains; 9. Broadcast time slot in public media; 10. Tax relief or exemption for our religious organization; 11. Safeguarding us from the influence of globalization consequences, persecution, and discrimination by other religious organizations due to their cosmopolitan status; 12. Institutions must respect the local sacred languages and traditions, taking us into account as the local identity of the indigenous European people; 13. Safeguarding the nature around the sacred places; 14. The sacred natural sites must be a category of protection on its own — combining both natural sites and archaeologic sites — this allows using such places for the practice of traditional religions and protecting them from harmful human activity; 15. Respect of sacred land, and protection from mining companies, resource and land expropriation; 16. Igniting, maintaining, observing and using sacred fires and bonfires in open-air setting during our ceremonies must be permitted and protected as part of our tradition and religious freedom in harmony with nature's needs; 17. When there is evidence of discrimination, or institutional silence towards requests of recognition of ethnic religions, we as the ECER, will encourage the local government in writing from the Presidency of the Congress, calling upon their willingness to protect and respect the rights of everyone by responding to the request.

The only planet in our solar system with a Germanic name is Earth. The name is rooted in the Proto- Germanic *erþō and is cognate with another Proto-Germanic word *erwô, itself perhaps cognate with Celtic terms for Earth such as the Welsh erw (field). This name seems to be for the physical earth – the soil and land, fields and ground. The much debated name Erce is one many English heathens use for Mother Earth. The line ‘Erce Erce Erce’ from the Æcerbot field-remedy charm seems to have its parallel in the Latin prayer ‘sanctus, sanctus, sanctus’ (sacred, sacred, sacred). The name Erce possibly comes from the root eorcnan meaning holy.

Dreaming (c.1890). Robert Fowler (Scottish, 1853 - 1926).

"An oak tree shattered by lightning",1842. - Maxim Nikiforovich Vorobyev. (1787-1855)

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The owner of the brand Theater of War has recently been diagnosed with leukemia, a form of blood cancer, and will not be able to work or make a living due to being hospitalized and undergoing intensive chemotherapy weeks at a time. In order to pay for rent, have money for food and necessities he has opened a Go Fund Me. He’s been a really cool guy for all the time I’ve known him and ultimately doesn’t deserve this curse, if any of you can donate or help him out, he would dearly appreciate it. Thank you guys. Here’s the link to the Go Fund Me page. https://gofund.me/b85aaba4

However sinister, depraved or menacing, there is no darkness or evil in this world that can harm those who have conquered their own darkness.

Yes, We Should Gatekeep Paganism In the past I have supported the idea that anyone who is looking for their ancestral ways should be welcomed and encouraged, that Paganism should be more a Welcome Home Party than a Bouncer at the Gates. I don't think that way anymore. I've met too many plastic pagans, Crypto-Christians, Protestant Asatru, Alien Venerating Rodnovery, Covert Monotheists, Occultists, Satanists and Political Pagans, among others. Had to fight to keep gods separate, argued over whether Lugh was Jesus or Odin was God. If I need to expand on what each of these groups are or expand the list beyond these examples you may have not dealt with them that long, False Pagans or Fagans are a long standing tradition. Clergy who told Biblical Scripture by twisting the Myths of the People, False Druids popping up like wildflowers to take power like some Medieval Charles Manson. These people don't care what Paganism or The Ethnic Way actually is, only what they can use it for. So we must guard against such people, no longer allowing people to slap the label on themselves whenever they'd like, instead we should have standards, standards for quality of character, standards for how honest and true their intent is. Or else we give ourselves up to the likes of Pagan Preachers and Political Parasites all over again. @Hyperborean Radio (Uncensored)