Of all of the gifts granted by Odhinn, perhaps the greatest is that of Sovereign sentience. This is sim...]]> Another excerpt from the book I am working on:

Of all of the gifts granted by Odhinn, perhaps the greatest is that of Sovereign sentience. This is similar to the Setian notion of Isolate Intelligence, but it is enhanced. Sovereign sentience incorporates full self actualization with the thinking and feeling aspects of your whole being.  By embracing your sovereign sentience, you discern yourself upon the worlds before you, and you continuously empower your distinct essence.

Your sovereignty is what separates you from the mass mindset of the herds. It is your ability to recognize yourself as a divine being, simply by being true to just what you are. This is neither a matter of rebellion nor a matter of compliance. True sovereignty means you decide what is best for you. You choose to adopt elements of the mainstream that best fits you. In addition, the choice is yours if you actively pursue rivalry with any of elements of the norms of your culture.  Do not let alignment or contention be the ruling factors. You must always see to continuously build upon the effort of your own evolution. This cumulative, not balanced! Seek out that which empowers you, no matter what it is, and discard all that hinders you.

 To discern these hindrances and strengths you must fully employ your sentience. Unlike intelligence, which is relegated to mental cognition, sentience includes the emotional and sensory elements. You are to think and feel to the fullest extent of your ability, and continuously push any perceived limits. The growth and empowerment of your sentience is an unending process. Continue to pursue feats of the mind and feel everything intensely. Even moments of sensory deprivation are to be experienced to an extreme. This is not a matter of balance, rather it is the cumulative effect of experience and enhanced perception that will break through any perceived limitation and push you towards the inevitable timeless and eternal.

 This is the only outcome of Odhinn’s greatest gift. It is only granted to those few chosen, the Val, who choose to accept it for themselves. Once this gift is obtained, it can stagnate through contentment and complacency. It is your choice to build upon this gift, to become your own beacon if immortality and apotheosis.

In the Norse tradition, the offering of sacrifice is one of the primary ways of offering to the gods. In ancient times, ...]]> RHP vs LHP Norse Communion 

In the Norse tradition, the offering of sacrifice is one of the primary ways of offering to the gods. In ancient times, that offering was in the form of blood. An animal appropriate to the ritual was killed and its blood was retained in a bowl. The blood was sprinkled about the altar, temple, and the people to receive blessings of the gods. The remainder of the blood was kept in a bowl on the altar for the gods. The flesh of the animal was roasted and offered in feast for the people. Some of the meat is heaped upon the altar for the gods, as well. In essence, a sacrifice to the gods was simply and invitation to a grand feast. In modern times, blood is replaced with mead and the feast is still an integral part of the ceremony.

Many Heathens are fond of quoting the Havamal as justification for the sacrifice. The line often repeated is “a gift demands a gift”. The reasoning being, that we offer these things to the gods in order to receive favors from them. Scholars of Norse literature will support this notion. They explain that sacrifices were offered in order to gain a good harvest, success in battle, or fruitfulness of family. This is a reasonable assumption and holds true for many indigenous cultures of the world. However, this is a Right Hand Path perspective and does not wholly fit into the Left Hand Path view of the world.

With the LHP, we still use the notion of “a gift demands a gift” but we reverse the intention. As we see the gods as masks we wear and sacred attributes of ourselves, the giving of the gift is a token of gratitude, not a bribe. In essence, we engage in a communal act of offering energy and blessing as an acknowledgment of something already gained.

If you have recently graduated, an offering to Odin is given in exchange for the wisdom and guidance. When a great adversary has just been defeated, an offering to Thor is given as acknowledgment of increased strength and fortitude. The birth of a health child warrants gifts to Freya and Frigga.

The distinction of the process is critically important as we remember the universal principle that similarities attract and perpetuate. States otherwise, this is the Law of Attraction. The RHP version reinforces a state of need and lacking. It is simply stating, “I do not have what I need and I require the gods to give it to me”. Subtly, the subconscious and Hamingja are tuned to a state of not having and a dependence on outside forces. This sets up a vicious cycle of not having.

The LHP inversion reverses this stance completely. By acknowledging what you have received you are subtly stating, “I like what I have and I want more”. You are setting yourself into a state of perpetuating abundance. You are no longer limited to what is given to you. Rather, your actions further empower more actions to achieve bigger and better things. Or, as the Havamal states, “from deed to deed I was led on to a deed”.  The LHP method honors yourself as the means of your own success as well as acknowledges the influence from the god forms and is wholly more powerful and efficient than begging for gifts.