On Kindreds, Regional Lead, and CTP.

Things have been pretty busy over here!

I’ve recently been promoted to NSE Regional Lead Ambassador, and while it’s harder than I expected, it’s also very rewarding! Knowing that I’m making a difference in my community, and knowing that I’m welcoming new members to TAC has been emotionally rewarding in ways I can’t quite describe. I’m honored that Casey felt I was equipped to handle this position, and I’m determined to prove him right, and do right, by this new title.

If you’re a part of NSE (and even if you’re not!) and you’re looking for updates more frequently than just the monthly newsletter, feel free to give me a follow here. I generally try to keep WordPress updated more frequently, and it’s a good place to get a hold of me if you’re unable to reach me on Facebook. Just like the newsletter, I’ll be accepting submissions for this page, too! This means poetry, short stories, artwork, and essays! Have something you want featured in a newsletter or this blog? Email me at melaniew@theasatrucommunity.org

I’ve finished the Clergy Training Program, and honestly I’m feeling very good about it. We have a wonderful DoRA who has been hard at work revising the program, all while undergoing it herself!

The CTP is hard work, and it requires a lot of time and dedication. But despite being quite a bit of effort, it’s well worth it. I’ve learned a lot from the program, and it’s helped me grow spiritually as well. Aside from those benefits, though, at the end you become certified Gothar! My certifications should be sent out this week, and I’m anxiously awaiting them. I’m excited to hang these things on the wall, and proudly display the fruits of my labor.

If you’re interested in either the Clergy Training Program or the Ambassador Program, the TAC site has good information, or I will answer any questions that I can!

I also set up a Kindred in the last couple of months. There’s only three of us so far, and we hold regular monthly meetings. We are called Bjornskald, and we operate out of Meadville, Pennsylvania. If you’re interested in joining that, you can reach me by email and I’ll answer whatever questions that you may have.

I’m juggling a lot, and looking at going back to school, but I genuinely love what I’m doing here for TAC.

Don’t forget, there’s an online book club for NSE members on Monday, November 11th, at 2 pm! We will be going over the Hávamál, stanzas 1-15. I’m excited to see you there!

Frith,

Melanie

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What TAC Has Done For Me

I first joined TAC in February of this year. I had followed the page for a while, but it wasn’t until February that I finally felt comfortable.

Joining TAC was a big deal for me. I felt proud to have been accepted, but it wasn’t until the end of August that I finally decided to do something. I applied for the Clergy Training Program, and I loved it. Shortly after applying for the CTP, I applied for the Ambassador Program.

Since then, I’ve started a book club, got a dear friend involved with TAC, got my husband to sign up as an official member, and also started a Kindred.

I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned who I want to be as a person, and I’ve learned what a genuine community feels like. I’ve learned to work with Heimdall, after a strange epiphany, and I’ve learned how to fight racism at more of an institutional level than what I knew before. I’ve grown. I’ve grown a lot.

I’ll be honest with you, before the CTP, before the Ambassador Program, I was very suicidal. I was in a bad place, and I didn’t want to continue living. I did a small stint in Inpatient Mental Health, and got my meds adjusted. And when I got out, I applied for the CTP. I felt called to the program, like it was meant for me to do. And I think it was.

I’m not suicidal anymore. I’m on the right meds, and I’ve found purpose in my life. I’ve found a reason to keep going. Things are lining up for me, and for the first time in my life, I am grateful to be alive so that I can see them happen. I have a job I enjoy, a community I love, and people I like spending time with.

And honestly, I don’t think I’d be here, where I am today, without TAC.

Had TAC changed your life? Be sure to let me know!

Frith,

Melanie

Working with Heimdall

Recently, Heimdall let me know that there was work to be done with him. I had never considered working with Heimdall before, but as I thumbed a sun charm on a bracelet and thought of Thor, the Watcher interrupted, making himself known. And so began my work with Heimdall.

Figuring out I had something to learn from him was the easy part. Heimdall is quiet and stoic, and he is not easy to communicate with. The hard part was figuring out what lessons Heimdall had to teach me.

I pulled the two cards featuring him from my tarot deck, and I slept with them under my pillow for a week, hoping he would come to me in dreams the way Odin and Freyja had done in the past.

But Heimdall is not a hand-holder.

Whatever he wanted me to learn, he wanted me to learn from him myself, with no guidance from him. He’s stubborn, that’s for certain, but he’s also duty bound and watchful, an honorable god who takes his work seriously.

And I believe that is what I needed to learn from Heimdall as I reapplied for the Clergy Training Program, and stepped up to tackle the Ambassador Program, as well. I have a duty to my community, to be ever-vigilant and protect those I’m bound to. I entered the Ambassador and Clergy programs with a new sense of duty, one that I had not experienced before.

It’s easy to get caught up in the instant-gratification culture of our modern society, but Heimdall serves as a reminder that sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves and others is to watch and to wait. He reminds us that our community and those we are duty-bound to come first, and that we should all take our oaths and vows as seriously as we made them, at all times.

I’m still establishing myself with Heimdall, but I see him in every day now, and on the rare occasions he does deem it appropriate to communicate, he does so softly. Do not expect the “in your face” tactics of some other gods. You will not find it with Heimdall. Working with Heimdall requires that you slow down, take a break from instant gratification, and listen carefully.

I think we all have something we can learn from Heimdall, especially in such a fast paced, me-me-me culture as the one we’re living in.

Hail Heimdall, the watcher, ever-vigilant and duty-bound.

In Frith,

Melanie

Working with Heimdall

Recently, Heimdall let me know that there was work to be done with him. I had never considered working with Heimdall before, but as I thumbed a sun charm on a bracelet and thought of Thor, the Watcher interrupted, making himself known. And so began my work with Heimdall.

Figuring out I had something to learn from him was the easy part. Heimdall is quiet and stoic, and he is not easy to communicate with. The hard part was figuring out what lessons Heimdall had to teach me.

I pulled the two cards featuring him from my tarot deck, and I slept with them under my pillow for a week, hoping he would come to me in dreams the way Odin and Freyja had done in the past.

But Heimdall is not a hand-holder.

Whatever he wanted me to learn, he wanted me to learn from him myself, with no guidance from him. He’s stubborn, that’s for certain, but he’s also duty bound and watchful, an honorable god who takes his work seriously.

And I believe that is what I needed to learn from Heimdall as I reapplied for the Clergy Training Program, and stepped up to tackle the Ambassador Program, as well. I have a duty to my community, to be ever-vigilant and protect those I’m bound to. I entered the Ambassador and Clergy programs with a new sense of duty, one that I had not experienced before.

It’s easy to get caught up in the instant-gratification culture of our modern society, but Heimdall serves as a reminder that sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves and others is to watch and to wait. He reminds us that our community and those we are duty-bound to come first, and that we should all take our oaths and vows as seriously as we made them, at all times.

I’m still establishing myself with Heimdall, but I see him in every day now, and on the rare occasions he does deem it appropriate to communicate, he does so softly. Do not expect the “in your face” tactics of some other gods. You will not find it with Heimdall. Working with Heimdall requires that you slow down, take a break from instant gratification, and listen carefully.

I think we all have something we can learn from Heimdall, especially in such a fast paced, me-me-me culture as the one we’re living in.

Hail Heimdall, the watcher, ever-vigilant and duty-bound.

In Frith,

Melanie

Upcoming Events!

Some local events I’m holding are coming up here soon, so don’t be afraid to stop by or reach out!

October 2nd, 2019 I will be holding my first event as Ambassador. This will be a meet and greet, a chance for locals to get to know me and my goals, and for me to help interested parties register for a charter membership. This meeting begins at 4:00pm.

November 7th, 2019 I will be hosting the first Asatrú Book Club meeting. We will be reading from Neil Gaiman’s “Norse Mythology”, pages 29-41. Each month we will meet and discuss the myth in detail, and assign the next month’s reading. This meeting is at 5:30pm.

Both of these events are being held at Meadville Public Library on the second floor.

More events to come! And if you’re ever interested in just reaching out and meeting with me, don’t be afraid to do so! If you prefer contact via email, feel free to reach out on my contact page, and I’ll get back to you!

In Frith,

Melanie

Hail!

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations and thank you for showing interest!

If you don’t know me yet, my name is Melanie. I’m an official TAC Ambassador, and I take my title very seriously. As of right now, I am the only ambassador in NWPA! Hopefully there will be more someday soon, but for now, you’re stuck with me.

I’ve also recently underwent TAC’s Clergy Training Program, and hope to soon be an ordained Gothar.

My goal is to establish a local Heathen community, one that regularly works and celebrates together. I haven’t yet started a Kindred, though it is something I would one day like to do. I also plan to establish myself in the local non-heathen community, in the event someone who has not yet found their path is drawn to the old Gods.

I’m married, 25 years old, and a proud cat-parent. I live in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and most of my work will be done within Crawford and Erie County. I’ve been studying Asatrú for about seven years now, and I’ve been practicing for five.

When I first found the gods, it was through Fenriswulf. This monstrous child of Loki came to me in the hospital where I was dying of kidney failure, and reminded me that there were still chains that needed broken in my life. Through the wolf, I found the gods I now worship. I am pleased to say that those chains that needed broken have now been severed, and I’m leading a much happier life than the one I led when I met the gods.

As far as who I work with, it is most commonly Freyja and Loki, though recently I’ve began working with Heimdall, as well. I’m excited to share this journey with you, and answer any questions about Asatrú or Ko The Asatrú Community that you might have.

In Frith,

Melanie

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton