PREVIEWS OF SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
(Please click on one of the items below, or scroll down through the page)
Are You Enriched or Robbed? .... Loss of accurate knowledge in mainstream sacred texts.
Understanding Northern Spiritual Mysteries .... selected excerpts from our foundation document on the Northern spiritual mysteries.
Ragnarok, Armageddon, and the End Days .... a reprint of a recently published main article in the monthly True North journal.
Articles and Reprints .... available to students and the general public by direct mail order.
If a mugger took $500 from your wallet
and gave you $100 back,
would you feel ENRICHED by his generosity,
or ROBBED of your $400?
Unfortunately, that is exactly the situation most seekers find themselves in when searching for answers from popular spiritual sources.
So much has been forgotten about the true nature of the Life Force, or has been covered over by centuries of dogma, or has been out-and-out changed by power-seeking revisionists, that most of humanity feels "enriched" by the little knowledge being given them by mainstream religion, and even, most New Age sources of wisdom.
At the Denali Institute, we know that Life mysteries are meant to be understood by the intuitive and illumined reasoning powers of the human mind. They are NOT meant to be perpetually shrouded in the foggy mists of blind faith and abstractions. The ancient Wise Ones wrote their teachings accordingly, but so much has been lost between then and now. Where did we go wrong?
NOTE: This is the beginning of an article from the monthly True North journal regarding revisionist history of sacred texts and the accuracy of spiritual knowledge found in ancient mystery teachings, specifically the Elder Northern tradition and its runic symbols. While mythical imagery may need updating to modern understanding, much like interpreting dream imagery upon awakening, the essential truths found in ancient myth and runic lore remain pure to the original teachings of the ancient Seers. They have NOT been adulterated by 2,000 years of revision, purposeful deception, religious dogma and the like that mainstream and, unfortunately, many New Age sources of spiritual knowledge have experienced.
This article is part of a continuing emphasis at the Denali Institute towards discovery of accurate knowledge within the ancient Northern tradition and rune symbols, along with revealing detours and deceptions found in mainstream spiritual texts.
To obtain your free information packet containing a complete description of our Rune Master instruction program, please call 1-800-DENALI 8 (336-2548).
Voice Mail 24 hours.
(or go to Quick Start page for rapid enrollment)
UNDERSTANDING NORTHERN SPIRITUAL MYSTERIES
The "Understanding" paper provides a foundation of knowledge regarding Northern spiritual mysteries. It is offered as part of the Rune Master instruction program or separately to the general public. The following extracts will give you an idea of the range and scope of this paper and our instruction.
A Surrounding Medium
Like the fish that has no name for water, those of us who live in modern western culture are surrounded by the heritage of ancient Northern custom and tradition. It sustains us with a richness and abundance that is unique in the history of civilization. Just as the fish does not conceive water as an object outside itself, we neglect to see how much our daily lives are influenced by the Northern tradition. This is a great mistake, because it leads us to search for esoteric truths in strange mystical doctrines, attempting to configure our mental selves to unnatural (to us living in western culture) methods of thinking. All the while, we have the philosophic substance of Life within our very own cultural heritage. Signs of the great Northern tradition surround us daily, for instance...
(This paragraph is followed by eight distinct signs of the Northern tradition in our cultural heritage. The signs include the foundation points of democracy and our system of law; the overriding drive for equality of sexes which is more Northern than Middle Eastern tradition; the names of the days of the week; the festival of Yule; our natural system of measure, etc.)
Characteristics
NORTHERN "FATE"
In Northern lore, Řrlög is the root concept of the Cosmic Law of Cause and Effect. In Old Norse it literally means ‘primal layers’, and is loosely translated as ‘fate’. Řrlög parallels the Eastern concept of karma, a relatively fixed outworking of cause and effect.
However, within řrlög we find the Northern concept of wyrd, which is the process by which past actions are woven to influence your present and future experiences. In the North, the concept of wyrd provides a flexibility not identified in the karma of Eastern tradition. Wyrd is the means by which řrlög, or the cosmic law of cause and effect, can be ‘bent’.
Because Northern esoteric disciplines hold that the will of the individual is ever in play to influence events, wyrd can be ‘bent’ to the will of the illumined mind. In Northern lore, the web of wyrd is never looked upon as fatalistic or unchangeable. Rather, past deeds build up weight in the cosmic fabric by which the ‘lay’ of future events can be anticipated. If these events are deemed undesirable, the ‘lay’ can be redirected (but not negated) by the active mind and independent will of the individual.
Several runes work to ‘bend’ unfavorable wyrd, specifically the rune Nauthiz (#10) when activated correctly. The energies of Nauthiz help define the existing web of wyrd and act as a counter force to negative řrlög, much as a karate expert uses the force of an opponent to render an attack harmless.
In Northern myth the three Norns are depicted as weaving the web of wyrd for both humankind and the gods alike, for no energy field within the realm of Midgard (Earth) is exempt from the Cosmic Law of cause and effect. The Norns are also known as the three ‘Weird Sisters’ in Shakespeare and the three ‘Fates’ of Greco-Roman lore.
(The above paragraph
outlines one of eight identifying characteristics of the
Northern tradition explained in the "Understanding" paper.)
Critical Points
Those who think the Northern mystery teachings stop at the pantheon (Odin, Thor, Tyr, Freyr, Freyja, etc.) fall woefully short of an accurate perception of the Northern creation story. The lineage of androgynous, pre-conscious Beings (Ymir, Audhumla, Buri) demonstrates a little known rudimentary truth found within the Northern mysteries.
By placing the androgyne several levels of consciousness above the pantheon of gods and goddesses, the Northern ancients revealed their knowledge of Ultimate Intelligence (Cosmic Mind, Creative Life Force) as a state of consciousness beyond that of the gods and goddesses. In fact, myths of the mighty gods and goddesses emphasize that they were human in their appetites, while superhuman in their feats.
The energy that they used for their activities comes from the Source of all energy in the universe, Cosmic Mind. This cosmic energy was called Ond in the North. It is also known as Nous, Chi, Prana, Manitu, etc. in other traditions. In Northern myth, the Aesir Goddess Frigga (wife of Odin) is imaged as spinning the (cosmic) Substance that eventually becomes the threads the Norns weave together to determine the řrlög and wyrd of humankind. This role places Frigga equivalent to the Cosmic Feminine in other metaphysical traditions. Denali Institute programs explore the mysterious dimensions of Cosmic Mind beyond the level of the ancient pantheon as a part of our triune approach to the Northern mysteries.
(The above paragraph
outlines one of four critical points in differentiating the
Northern tradition as contained in the "Understanding" paper.)
Archetypes and Other Psychological Constructs
The most accepted modern psychological structure that comes closest to the ancient Teutonic view of the Life mysteries is that developed by the Swiss psychiatrist, C.G. Jung. No 20th Century thinker has contributed more to the understanding of symbols and symbol-making than Dr. Carl Jung. Jungian psychology postulates that remnants of the primordial dimensions of Being penetrate our rational consciousness in the form of symbols. There are symbols having personal resonance and symbols with universal resonance, which Jung calls archetypes.
Although Jung popularized the term archetype, he didn't coin the word. It first appears in Plato as he described the ideas or forms of natural objects present in the divine mind prior to creation. Jung suggests that if you could follow the archetype all the way back to its inception, you'd pass over the chasm between mind and matter. Archetypes are housed in the collective unconscious, a term invented by Jung to refer to an ancient symbol making mechanism. While the personal unconscious is individual, the collective unconscious is universal. Jungian theory along with quantum physics and holographic theory (covered later) gives us a rational foothold to understand how archetypal symbols, such as runes and the pantheon of gods and goddesses, can influence the manifest world through the agency of an illuminated human mind.
OTHER TOPICS covered in the "Understanding" paper include…
Northern Cosmology
The Northern Creation Story
Dynamics of the Northern Cosmic World Tree, Yggdrasil
The Pantheon of the NorthThe Mystical Landscape: Earth's Elementals and the Co-destiny of Earth and Humanity
The Northern Tradition in World History including its Suppression and Modern Revival
The Runes: Origins of the Runes, Quantum Physics and the Hologram, Science and Philosophy Come Together
Mind States for Mystical Practices: Changing Brain Wave Patterns
APPENDIXES
A - The 24 Rune Elder Futhark - Rune Shapes & their Ancient & Transpersonal Meanings
B - Bibliography & Recommended Reading
© The Denali Institute of Northern Traditions, PO Box 671510, Chugiak, AK 99567. All rights reserved.
To obtain your free information packet containing a complete description of our Rune Master instruction program, please call 1-800-DENALI 8 (336-2548).
Voice Mail 24 hours.
(or go to Quick Start page for rapid enrollment)
Ragnarok,
Armageddon
and the End-Days
Have They Already Passed?
Ragnar,
Denali Institute
of Northern Traditions
ed. note: In answer to many questions of this kind from students the world over, there is no 'doomsday' connection between the name of Ragnar, the principle Erulian of the Denali Institute, and the term Ragnarok. To the converse, Ragnar in Old Norse means 'warrior from the gods', and the term Ragnarok means the ' final battle of the gods' If anything, the name bearer will find himself courageously fighting on the side of the gods at the mythical end-times. Ragnar is a time-honored Scandinavian given name dating back thousands of years and appears frequently in the ancient sagas of the Norse.
What if, after all these years of anticipation, we find that the "End-Days" have already come and gone? What if the various forms of Armageddon fears, repeating themselves from the 1st and the 9th centuries, are evidencing once again, and the same "non-event" comes about at the turn of this millennium? Like Linus of Peanuts fame, we will have waited in the pumpkin patch only to find the Great Pumpkin has passed through without our being aware. Both Linus and Charlie Brown would say, "How embarrassing!"
There would be some chagrined and even angered people, for sure. Especially those who have invested their entire belief system into End-time predictions, whether within a church group or by their making presentations to audiences of millions. And yet, that is what may be in store for us all if we look at prophecy with a keen eye to history, with sharp spiritual reasoning, and with accurate knowledge of the Creative Life Force.
Human Nature in Prophecy
As we explore this interesting possibility, we should preface our remarks with the way human nature influences the content of End-time prophecy.
First, an audience remembers little of pleasant prophecies, but pays great attention (and money) to doomsday predictions. Thus, the prophet is more receptive to intuitive impressions of disaster and terrible events than pleasurable happenings. Second, most audiences forget about the overwhelming percentages of prophecies that do not come true, and will build thin, fragile assumptions of logic to justify the claim of the few that do come close to being fulfilled. Third, the prophet is a victim of his or her own inevitable prediction. He or she must assume that the anticipated disaster is predestined to come about. Consequently, the prophet becomes a fatalist rather than an inspired agent of change.
Ragnarok
We should become familiar with the Song of the Sybil (Voluspá), as the Seeress foretells of Ragnarok, the last great battle in which all creation, including the Gods and Goddess will perish. Rune Master students are provided this poem in the first quarter's supplemental material. She says that the doom will be preceded by anarchy, war and crime among mankind, and by the wolf Fenris swallowing the sun, causing a three year long winter.
Amid earthquakes and falling stars, the monsters chained in the deep escape. The serpent of Midgard leaves the sea and waters pour over the earth. On the flood comes the ship Naglfar, made from dead men's nails and crewed by the Frost Giants from Nifelheim with Loki at the helm. The fire giant Surt and his army from Muspelheim join the war against the Gods, enroute shattering the rainbow bridge Bifrost.
Summoned by the horn blast of Heimdal, the guardian of Bifrost, the Aesir and Vanir ride out behind Odin and his host of 432,000 Einherjar (the fallen warriors) to slay and be slain by their mortal foe: Odin by Fenris; Thor by the Midgard serpent; Tyr by Garm, Heimdal by Loki. All die but Surt, who torches earth after the battle. The blazing earth sinks under the raging sea.
All is done, yet a new heaven and a new earth emerges. A new sun shines down. New gods appear to renew the world. Balder, the Aesir God of light and love, is resurrected to take the place of Odin as the father of the gods. Two human beings Lif and Liftrhasir also survive the tempest. They hid themselves in the wood of Yggdrasil, the Cosmic World Tree, where they lived by feeding on the morning dew.
In this new world, the few surviving Gods and Goddesses return to their old haunts on the plain of Ivedale to linger over old and happy associations. As they turn mournfully to the place where their halls once stood, they see that Gimlé, the highest heavenly abode in Asgard had not been consumed in the battle. It rises glittering before them, its gold roof outshining the sun. Hastening to Gimlé, they find that it has become the place of refuge for all the virtuous.
Some are quick to judge that the end to this myth is but a rendering of the Judeo-Christian Last Judgement. Yet scholars point out that the weight of evidence from parallels in other myth and folklore does not support this ending having been added by medieval clergy.
The Voluspá stands on its own as a wisdom writing complete within the Northern spiritual tradition. It is loaded with mythological insights into the great transition of Ages on earth that we are now experiencing and passing through!
A Major Difference
As we study the end days, it is appropriate to point out a major difference between the Northern Ragnarok and the Judeo-Christian Armageddon cited in the Book of Revelations. It has to do with the qualifications of human survivors at end-time. In the Book of Revelations, salvation is promised exclusively and only to those who believe in the spiritual teachings of the Bible, at one point listed as "the 144,000".
But in the Northern Ragnarok myth (Snorri's Prose Edda), man and woman (Lif and Liftrhasir) survive Ragnarok. They do so not because of passing a test of faith, but rather because it is the nature of Cosmic evolution that the human race survive the turning of an Age from one level of consciousness to another.
I believe Lif and Lifthraser are mythological representatives of humankind, not just two individual people, male and female. You could say the same applies to the 144,000 in the Christian New Testament but their survival is still contingent upon their degree of faith (by whose judgement?)
We Survive
With that preface, I would now like to substantiate why I believe we have already passed the time of Ragnarok and Armageddon. In order to understand this admittedly bold claim, I would ask you to accommodate two perspectives, at least for the duration of this discussion.
The first agreement is that prophecy is narrowly focused. Through the mechanics of collapsed time, synchronicity or heightened intuition, the prophet receives momentary glimpses of potential events taking place centuries in the future. His or her interpretation of the event, including its scope and impact, is taken solely from those tiny vignettes.
The second agreement is that participants in contemporary events must view prophecy in the context of decades or even half-centuries to gain the true warp and weave of any prophecy.
WHAT IF…
Now, picture yourself as a wise thinker looking back upon this century from a vantage point of the year 2200 CE. You would probably wonder how humankind survived the numerous holocausts in the 20th century. The history of the first half of this century shows tens upon tens of millions were victims of genocide, political purgings and world wars.
Statistics
While the Nazi Holocaust looms large in everyone's mind with its death toll of 6 million Jewish people, we tend to forget that Stalin purged (that means killed) 7 million 'enemies of the state' in Russia and sent another 12 million to Russian Gulags to die. In China, Mao's cultural revolution was responsible for the death of at least several million private landowners, if not more during his purges. Total military causalities (deaths) in WWI and WWII amounted to 28.2 million, not including civilians (Encylopedia Brittanica). Furthermore, during the period after WWII from 1945 to 1980, more than twice as many people have died from genocide than by outright war!
What would an ancient prophet presume from an intuitive vision of this century's pain and trauma ? What would he or she conclude if they extended their consciousness into the astral world of the early 1900's and felt the shock of its receiving millions upon millions of souls whose life was cut short by war or genocide? Would they not declare the world coming to an end at the turn of this millennium? Yet, here it is 1996 and humanity has not only survived this century's severe trauma but is overpopulating the world with new regeneration! A most recent example of too tight prophetic focus is Jeanne Dixon's 1960 prediction that a 'Great War' will break out in the 1980's. She probably received an intuitive impression of the Gulf War of 1990-1991. Surely a traumatic event, but still contained to a specific region and within limited parameters.
The Alaska Earthquake
We were participants in the Great Alaska Earthquake (1964), an experience which gave us a unique perspective of the threat of predicted End-day 'earth changes'. The Alaska quake registered 8.7 on the Richter scale and lasted a full five minutes! It was a catastrophic event to be sure, with mountains and valleys sinking +5' and 40' tidal waves sweeping through coastal towns. There were over one hundred deaths, thankfully low due to sparsely populated areas and the late hour of the day (5 PM).
The point is this: the Alaska earthquake unleashed the same forces predicted for the End-days. Yet, humanity survived, the cracks in the earth did not 'eat up' entire city blocks, the affected communities rebuilt and the economy rebounded. After this profound personal experience, we subsequently view End-day prophecies with an ounce of reason and common sense.
When you review Ragnarok from this perspective, it appears that many of the salient points of the Sybil's prophecy have already been reached and passed through. Yes, the old Gods and Goddesses died at the time of Ragnarok. That means they 'died' to old perceptions. No longer seen as flesh and blood deities who will appear to us in the physical, they are now perceived as archetypal mediating images. They serve modern culture as models of consciousness teaching humanity how to deal with inner drives and desires, both good and bad. This does not take away their potency, it means we now understand them in their rightful dimension as vitalistic imagery within our Inner World.
Even more importantly, the prophecy of the Sybil points to the emergence of a new world, purged of all evil, new, clean and ready to begin again. With the turning of the Cosmic Wheel in this new Age, the cycle of the Love Force has come upon the Earth. This cycle is portended in the Voluspá by the survival of Balder, the Sun-God who would have evolved into the same savior archetype as Jesus of Hebrew tradition had Northern tradition evolved without interruption.
The Great Work of the Denali Institute is to help bring the Northern spiritual tradition into the form it would have become had the evolutionary curve not been interrupted by suppression for some 10 centuries. The evolution of Balder, as the Christus archetype of the North is significant to this activity. Quite possibly, it is Balder who represents the integration of the Cosmic Love Force into the realms of Yggdrasil, and especially Midgard. Also, the rune Mannaz contains the mysteries of the archetypal Perfected Human that all world saviors and spiritual adepts have been pointing humanity towards over the past several millennium.
Odin as Wish-Fulfiller
Not that the presence of a kindly, loving Father image is missing from the lore of the North. In the Eddas, the High One, Odin, was given an alternate name of Oski. This name means Wish-Fulfiller (wunsch in Old German) as he fulfilled the role of a loving Father giving sustenance to his created children (see Grimm's excellent scholarly research on this matter in his Teutonic Mythology). The mystery teachings regarding this Father presence is contained in the rune Wunjo. Such teachings of a benevolent Father could very well have been the foundation stones for integrating the evolving Love Force into the Northern European culture 1000 years ago, similar to the Judeo-Christian model in the Middle East. Had this kindly Father image of Odin not been suppressed by the early Church fathers, the Northern tradition may well have sustained itself as a carrier of the Cosmic Love Force into the Northern folk.
For almost two thousand years, humanity has wrestled with this new Cosmic Love Force being activated in earth, and the assimilation is not without turmoil. Most moderns mistakenly characterize the Love Force only in its attributes of gentleness, compassion, peacefulness, etc. While this is true, we remind readers that this same Love Force brings the stress of initiation and purification as a part of individualization.
The good news is that we can get on with learning more of the nature of the Love Force instead of having to prepare for survival of End-day prophecies! MORE INSTRUCTION on Prophecy, Ragnarok and the End-Days is contained in a full quarter's instruction in the Institute's comprehensive Rune Master program. We are in for a great New Millennium, runesters! Enjoy the ride!
This article is taken from a recent issue of the True North journal, a monthly publication of general interest and analysis of current events from a Northern tradition perspective. True North is published by the Denali Institute of Northern traditions and is available by subscription. Students who enroll in the Rune Master course of the Denali Institute receive this journal along with their progressive monthly lesson in rune skills and Northern lore.
© The Denali Institute of Northern Traditions, PO Box 671510, Chugiak, AK 99567. All rights reserved.
To obtain your free information packet containing a complete description of our Rune Master instruction program, please call 1-800-DENALI 8 (336-2548).
Voice Mail 24 hours.
(or go to Quick Start page for rapid enrollment)
