We know that Balder will return, so we have to ask ourselves—how will he return? Many have asked me if Balder will appear on earth in human form and walk among us like some twenty-first century Christ. The question reflects a state of mind of someone who has read the Book of Balder Rising through a Christian mind-set. This is understandable. As one who had been raised Catholic, I found myself constantly having to check my own perception of things, which were con- stantly clouded by my traditional Christian up-bringing. It is difficult to truly change the way one thinks and feels, when traveling along a road toward a new spirituality.
When I wrote that Balder will rise from Hel and that his resurrection will her- ald the return of the Gods, I believe I made it clear that I was not referring to some kind of “Jesus” prophecy—predicting that Balder will appear in human form, claiming he is some kind of messiah. Balder is not Christ, though elements of the Balder tale were borrowed and incorporated into the Jesus myth. When Christians, especially European Christians, pray to Christ, they are really praying to the God Balder without realizing it. I will later explore how Jesus was trans- formed from a heretical Jewish prophet into a neo-pagan deity by the early Chris- tians, the followers of Paul, who had dedicated himself to converting the European pagans, and thus transforming Christianity. Other pagan Gods such as Adonis, who was born in human form in a place called Bethlehem, as well as Mithras, who was born on December 25, were also incorporated into the myth of Jesus Christ. Balder is not some kind of pagan Christ who will rise and judge us, condemn the sinful and set-up some kind of mythical paradise on earth, thus ending history for all time.
When I say that Balder will rise from Hel, I am not prophesying an actual, physical event that will take place on a certain date. I am speaking of the rebirth of the Balder-Force—the Life-Force of the Gods which will restore us to a celes- tial state. This Balder-Force will exist within each of us. This spiritual force has existed and will always exist within each person of every race, but will take on dif- ferent characteristics depending on one’s race and the pantheon of Gods that cre- ated them. Each race was given form and substance in the most ancient times by
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different pantheons of Gods. Within our Folk, the strength of the Life-Force of our ancient Gods decreased because our people turned to an alien religion, but that Life-Force did not die out. And now, as Christianity is declining, the Life- Force of the Gods that created us, has the opportunity to reassert itself among our people. This can only happen if we make an effort to restore the conscious bond with the Gods that created us. This is the essence of Balder Rising.
The Life-Force of the Gods fills us, pulsates through every cell in our bodies, and for this reason, the Gods exist within us. Their influence has been warped, but now we have the opportunity by turning to the Folk Faith, to awaken the Gods that sleep within us. We can do this by celebrating the Gods, and by creat- ing new communities based on this celebration. These new communities must be filled with the joy of life, the love of ourselves and each other, our families and ancestors and the children that we bring into the world. By living this way, we will be living pure lives, physically and spiritually, and it is through this way of life that the Balder-Force will grow strong. It is with this Balder-Force that we will awaken the Gods once more, and together we will be able to face the dark ages that are approaching and threaten to engulf not only our people, but the entire world.
In the Semitic Bible, God created man from the dust of the earth—from dirt, but in the Folk Faith, the first man and woman were created from two trees—the ash and the elm. So are we claiming that we are actually living vegetables—like the creature in the movie—The Thing? No. No! Unlike the Semitic Bible, we don’t interpret our tales literally. They are tales passed down to us by our ances- tors, who lacked a fundamental knowledge of the physical laws of the universe. They understood the esoteric meaning of the universe, but could not explain it within its physical workings. We have to understand that when the Gods created man and woman from two trees, the tree is symbolic of the Life Force of the uni- verse. This Life-Force is natural law—the essence of the gods.
This leads us to an understanding of why the Gods created mankind, which is a very different understanding than what the followers of the Semitic Bible (Juda- ism, Christianity and Islam) believe. The God of the Semitic Bible is a tyrannical God who created man to be ruled over. Man is the plaything of this God. He gives them paradise and then creates Satan (evil) to tempt them from paradise, so they must suffer. They have to suffer to prove themselves worthy to spend eter- nity with him. He creates trials and tribulations-plagues, natural disasters, wars and oppressions that are inflicted upon mankind. Then, He chooses only those who know of Him and submit to Him, as the select who will be saved. The rest are condemned to suffer the greatest horrors in Hell for all eternity. Even if you
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did convert, you might be condemned to Hell if you broke even one of His laws. You could lead a virtuous life and then, in the end, you commit one sin, and Bam!—you are condemned to suffer for all eternity. These poor unfortunate vic- tims are not restricted to those who rejected Him, or the billions of people who never even heard of Him—who never had the opportunity to convert to his reli- gion, but possibly also those that submitted and tried to follow his laws! Think about it. Whether its Judaism, Christianity or Islam, why did God not send his messenger, whether it be Moses, Jesus or Mohammad, to earth in the very begin- ning to permit the entire world to hear the word of salvation? But then again, who would want to spend eternity with such a cruel and sadistic being?
The Gods of the Folk Faith did not create mankind to torture them. Mankind was created as a part of the organic nature of the world. We evolved according to the laws that govern nature. If we want to be successful, we must live according to those laws. Thus, we are part of the natural order of the universe, either contrib- uting to the order that the Gods maintain, or contributing to the chaos that is the essence of the Giants. We are part of the universe, and part of the process, along with every other living thing. If we live by those natural laws, we will be success- ful and help maintain order, but if we don’t, we won’t. If we do, we will also be closer to the Gods. When we die, we will join the Gods in either Sessrumir or Valhalla, or inhabit the Netherworld. If we inhabit the two former realms, we will continue to play a role in ordering the universe. When we enter Valhalla, we join the ranks of the Einherjar, who ride out with Odin to do battle with the giants. This process is part of the turning of the ages, the evolutionary process of becoming. Only those who are worthy join such ranks, but the rest are not con- demned to suffering. There is no final judgement, no such thing as sin. You cre- ate the aftermath that you will inhabit by your actions in this life—the sum total of all your actions in this life.
The life you lead in Midgard will either support the Gods in ordering the uni- verse or the Giants in trying to destroy that order. By returning to the Gods and joining the Folk Faith, you are joining the ranks of those who have dedicated their lives to the return of the Gods. It is through this process of dedication to the Gods that will ensure the resurrection of Balder.