mantra

Information for Summer 2023

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Shrines, altars, trails, and meditation areas are open to visitors daily by request. If you want to visit the grounds, please feel free to reach out. 

This project is aimed at giving individuals the space and environment necessary to develop themselves spiritually. This is something we feel is desperately needed in our society, as people are usually unable to practice in any meaningful way due to their living circumstances. 

In the past, we’ve been fortunate enough to frequent other places dedicated to the development of human beings on a spiritual level, such as Self Realization centers, Vedanta Societies, Meditation Centers, Monasteries, and Pagan holy grounds. 

Because of these places dedicating themselves to the benefit of others, countless individuals are given innumerable opportunities to grow, learn ways to cultivate feelings of well being, and overcome negative tendencies. We feel all sentient beings must have space for this. 

We’ll be setting up a membership program this summer for folks who want to consistently be a part of things here. This is to form a family of people who feel passionately about assisting in the creation of space for this purpose. Eventually, we want the Ansuz Society to be a family with similar values, driven by the inspiration of those involved in its’ efforts.

Regarding personal interaction with shrines and altars:

We encourage you to practice as you feel appropriate. Personal offerings to deities and natural sites are absolutely acceptable, we just ask you to please not take anything off of the shrines or altars. 

May all beings thrive.

Hailaz / Namaste 

-Ansuz Society 

Awareness, Samsara, and Meditation

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The fact that there will always exist a present moment is a point of permanence one can take solace in.

Past and future are littered with attachments and desires, polluted by expectations and other products of our ignorance like fear, anxiety, etc.

Whether we know it or not, these afflictions are the causes of our suffering, keeping us “fettered” in a state of constant flux, away from the present moment.

Although this is the case, it isn’t something that we need to be upset about. This is just the nature of living within the confines of endless change, the endless spinning of Samsara that all beings are subject to.

One thing that doesn’t change in our experience, however, is the primordial state of awareness regarding the here and now. Minds natural state of naked clarity. Like the center of a wheel, true nature of mind is fixed in place no matter how fast the rest of its parts may be going.

When one can reach this realization and become familiar with it, they can observe their minds’ habits and patterns more easily,  removing obstacles, worries, and distractions with consistent practice. One can begin to sever problems from their roots.

This is a method to liberate one from Samsara and achieve a state of samadhi, free of time and space. A tiny glimpse of this pure “enlightenment” is enough to shatter our many delusions and make us strive to practice with more vigor and dedication.

To reach that place within that doesn’t change, is to escape the motion that the “Wheel of Life/Wheel of Becoming” represents, giving one a sense of peace that doesn’t exist in any materially found means.

If we can learn to rest in this experience of present awareness, we can observe all phenomenon that arise in our experience without attaching ourselves to them, giving us a a sense of well-being, freedom and love.

May all sentient beings find a place of unchanging peace within.

Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya

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When meditating on Shiva/Rudra, it is important not to confuse the deity with ego. We should never impose our current (lower) self on the visualization that we create/invoke during deity yoga. If one already thinks they are perfect, what’s the point in trying to change, grow, or spiritually develop?

The point of forming/inviting the deity during meditation is to purify or destroy obstacles within one’s mind, receive blessings or protection, or to approach the deity as one would approach a mother, father, or guru for advice, confession, and guidance.

This process is to be visualized within the practitioner’s mind, requiring immense focus and discipline to construct more elaborate images of our deity in focus, allowing for further symbolic potency and generation of enlightened activity. It is important to pay attention to visions or details that arise and meditate on them further later.

Because visions and epiphanies can be hard to analyze on our own in the preliminary stages of practice, it is recommended to seek a teacher when practicing deeper levels of tantra in order to maintain correct interpretation and application of the results of the practice, as it is a much “riskier” system of training than non-tantric forms of meditation.

Mistreating tantric practices or using them only for personal gain is a sure way to send oneself into lower states of being, and further, into rebirths of great suffering. It is much easier to get oneself lost in these “darker” areas than those who wander the “lighter”, more trodden paths.

In conclusion, the point here is to focus all awareness on the deity or guru, allowing a stream of communication to form between yourself and the deity. One practices this “external” type of visualization until one is ready to move to the next step, which is absorbing the deity in ones being, essentially replacing the tainted properties of our unawakened state with the higher qualities of either deity, guru, or yidam.

This is a basic summary of introductory deity/guru yoga practice.

May all beings benefit.

Hailaz / Namaste

Cernunnos

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Cernunnos/Hurnaz represents the spirit, soul, or incarnation of the forest itself. Unlike most gods, which fill an archetypal form congruent to their other roles, Cernunnos isn’t necessarily one that the practitioner aspires to be(come), but rather, a spirit one asks for protection, aid, and blessings from. Our idol stands at the edge of our property where things are considered “ordered,” representing the liminal space between the safety of the homestead and the inherent dangers of the wilderness. With this in mind, and within a Germanic context, we see Cernunnos representing an older, ancient, natural “Jotun” or “Wight” type of spirit; one that we must form a relationship with if we want to have a completely unified connection and understanding of the forest and all of its life forms.

It is here we bring the dead we find and offer fruits and other foods for the wildlife, the children (and embodiment) of the forest. Cernunnos represents all landavetter and spirits residing in the mysterious woods.

This god, as all others, has many different venerative systems, especially based on where it is you are practicing. If in a more urban setting, one might view this god as the Roman’s or civilized Gaul’s did, as a fertility and commerce god. If in the rural or farther reaches of society, one might have a more direct relationship with this god as the embodiment of the forest, as one by the sea would visualize the entirety of the ocean as Poseidon or Njord. Likewise, many cultures practiced this type of veneration in association with their geographical surroundings. Volcanoes, mountains, forests, lakes, oceans, etc., all embodied a certain god form inherent within them. This is where polytheism and animism overlap, forming the mindset of many of our ancestors prior to Christianity.

May we all venerate the great spirits of nature.

Goþa Fara (Spring Equinox 2023)

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We are happy to bring you this new song “Goþa Fara” on this beautiful and auspicious Spring Equinox.

‘Goþa Fara’ is a Gothic phrase meaning, “have a good journey,” and is meant here as a blessing to all beings embarking on new journeys, whether in life or in death.

This song, in particular, is dedicated to my Grandfather, who passed away this month at 94 years old, still standing tall.

May his travels be light and swift.

To all those who are honoring the Dawn goddess today, may these words bring benefit:

Hailaz Austrō, great goddess of Spring,

Lady of light, and slayer of darkness.

May our offerings encourage your loving guidance,

On this equal day and equal night;

Your affluent heat, and cosmic glow,

The gifts of prosperity, among us all.

We give to you, this song of praise,

Exchange our devotion for longer days.

Hailaz / Namaste

-Ansuz Society

Lord of the Wind

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We’ve added a new song to the channel titled “Lord of the Wind.”

This is a devotional song to the All-Father, Odin. 

“…Holding wisdom old as time,

Elder god of masks and rhymes, 

Flames rise to lick the sky,

Send our gifts to those on high…”

May all beings benefit. 

Hailaz / Namaste 

-Ansuz Society 

Kali Ma

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We’re very happy to bring you this new song in honor of the great mother Kali. 

Like the Germanic Mother Goddess, Kali has many different forms and names, also known as Durga, Parvati, and Mahadevi.

To many practitioners, Kali represents duality and the entirety of the moving cosmos, pure energy (Shakti).

We bow to the Great Mother in all her forms. 

May all sentient beings utilize divine energy. 

Our thoughts and love are extended to those affected by the Earthquakes in Turkey in Syria. 

Hailaz / Namaste 

Ending the Futhark with Dagaz

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We end the Futhark with Dagaz (ᛞ) because we believe that after one realizes the true Self, represented by Othala (ᛟ), one can then “break the cycle” of saṃsāra, like the breaking of dawn on a new day. 

This process of enlightenment is represented by Dagaz.

In reality, whether you end with Othala or Dagaz, one can theoretically come to the same conclusions either way. 

These choices are not meant to be dogmatic, but philosophical. Make the decision on your own, based on research and practice. 

Hailaz / Namaste 

Society Priorities

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Our mission is to aid and facilitate spiritual development within the sphere of our ancestral religions.

When it comes to socio-political matters, we believe it is up to each individual to make those decisions on their own.

We believe the body is a shell, concealing our true essence beneath. This essence transcends terrestrial limits.

In this way, the space we provide is meant to remove your attachment to the flesh, letting your spirit flourish; undistracted by the noise of the outside world.

We believe in living an ascetic lifestyle and are first and foremost concerned with humanities liberation, one person at a time.

Please, do not approach us if looking for a place to voice your political opinions, whether right or left, as we have nothing to offer in this regard.

Hailaz / Namaste

-Ansuz Society