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Kindred

I guess you are not real sure what "Kindred" means.

Yes, Children are a part of the Kindred............That is AsaKids. As long as they respectfully stand at Blot, or Sumbel. As  long as they honor the Northern Gods & Goddesses, as we do, they are more than Welcome. They can't however be a full "Member"  until they have reached an age where they are able to truly understand and Take, or Swear an Oath to said Kindred.

However, a Kindred is not just a group of Folks to hang-out with. In our Kindred, it takes an adult 18 months, of regular attendance, at Kindred Blots, and other Kindred events, regular study, & dedication, before a person may take Kindred Oath. The Oath makes them a Member. But, it is the formalization of a process, which has taken at least 18 months. We don't take the process lightly. We don't ask anyone to join us. We make the opportunity available to some. Some never make it.

Are we "inclusive"? No, everyone who comes to our Kindred, as a guest, is not Welcomed, as a Member. This is Our Family! These are the Folks I would trust with my Life. We're all close enough, geographically, to aid each other, if necessary.  These Are my Kinswomen; these are my Kinsmen. I love each of them as a Sister, or Brother. Except Sharon of course. She's my Gythja. If I fall, she leads the Kindred.

On the other hand, Family is important! While we would not Welcome an Atheist, adult, or child, among us, if they are Family, to a Member, they remain Family. They could Feast with us. But they couldn't enter the Ve, for Blot. An Atheist has no place among our Kindred. They deny the very Elder Kin that we Blot to.

We are a bit more tolerant, with spouse, or children, of Members, who happen to be Wiccan, or any of the many flavours of Pagan. They are allowed to stand Blot with us, as long as they are respectful, and Toast the Northern Gods & Goddesses.
They are our Kith.............
See, we think this is much more than a hobby, much more than a religion.
This, for us, is Who We Are!  It's in Our Blood and in Our Bones.

Other Folks don't take it nearly as seriously as we do..........They are not in our Kindred.  Each Kindred has it's own Bylaws, and rules. Some don't have a Leader. Some don't even have an Oath. I don't see that as a Kindred. We are a part of an Alliance, of Kindreds, that consists of Kindreds, of "like-minded Folks". I guess that's part of why we are proudly in the Asatru Alliance.

Now, if this all seems pretty 'cut & dried'...........Yup, it is. It's how we do things.
We do the work, of "Being" a "Kindred". Some Folks don't. YMMV!
' Nuff rant about this.
Hail the Aesir and Vanir!   Hail Odin!   Hail the Northern Folk!

' Til Later.................Farheil,

Jon Grimsteinr-Gothi
HofBrau Kindred
Asatru Alliance, A.F.A.
RuneGild, AORV