http://thortrains.net/blog Thoughts from Heathenism's Most Independent Author Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:49:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The motion of the Ase rune is upward. It is like an updraft or the rising column of water in a decorative fountain. At its apex, the energy begins to flow outward. Unlike a fountain, it does not drip downward. The Ase motion expands in a semicircle ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/11/07/the-motion-of-the-ase-rune/ This past Wednesday, the news reported that a worker at the Monmouth Battlefield State Park had been killed in an accident. Someone we know worked at the park, and I told my wife that I hoped it wasn’t Deny (pronounced Denny). We figured it probably was not him ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/11/06/sudden-death/ The motion of the Thurs Rune is outward. It is like a projectile aimed at a target. The energy stretches forth quickly. It is hot and fast. It can also strike in an arc, like the motion of chopping with an axe. Imagine that this rush of ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/11/05/the-motion-of-the-thurs-rune/ The motion of the Urus Rune is not so much a motion as a tenacious standing still. Granted that Urus can move up and down. However, its main motion is to hold its place. Urus stands firm. There is a secondary motion attributed to Urus which is like a ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/11/03/the-motion-of-the-urus-rune/ This past Summer, we covered the Runes as cycles. Let us look at another side of the Elder Futhark. Were we to think of Runes in terms of motions or tendencies, what might we find? Motion is the basic type of movement one might associate with a Rune. ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/11/02/the-motions-of-the-runes-fe-rune/ (As the advertising and other promotions of the Winter Holiday season begin, now is a good time to remind ourselves where we Heathens stand ) There was a time when the Yule season started the day after Thanksgiving. Nowadays, the advertising and decorations start showing up right after Halloween. ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/11/01/yule-is-not-christmas/ What is the proper Heathen attitude toward affluence? Is wealth good or bad? Can poverty make a person more spiritual? Does wealth make a person materialistic? Actually, those are all trick questions. One of the most liberating things about Heathenism is that we recognize that this world ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/10/31/spiritually-material/ Tomorrow is Halloween. It has become a very big holiday here in the USA. The day focuses on costumes, ghosts and monsters. There is also trick-or-treating, wherein costumed children go door to door asking for candy. Halloween was nowhere near as popular when I was a child. There ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/10/30/halloween/ The process of molding with molten metal is ancient and simple. Perhaps you have noticed that water takes the shape of the glass into which it is poured. Once the water is removed from the glass, it loses the shape. Molten metal pours like water. The idea ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/10/29/character-molding/ As many readers know, one of my hobbies is metal casting with non-ferrous alloys. These alloys are usually a blend of tin, antimony and lead. The alloys’ melting point is normally over 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Pure, unalloyed lead melts at 621 degrees. One of the hazards of the hobby ... http://thortrains.net/blog/2009/10/28/bursting-metal/