Spirit and Matter

As I write, a great storm blows outside. Rain hits the window, thunder rolls and lightning flashes across the sky. It is an evening of wonder, where a desire to stand outside and be at one with the natural world is all-consuming. It is this connection with nature that can aid us in seeking out who we really are.

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The purpose of what I am about to discuss is not to offer a get-out clause for bad behaviour, but I do offer some enlightenment as to why bad actions happen and why we can struggle with the mental aspects of life in this realm of existence.

As told in myth, a long time ago spirit entered matter. Our folk were created and spirit was the inner godly spark which can be seen in the eyes. Eyes which shine bright in the living, brighter still in the awakened and dull in the dead.

For spirit to gain an understanding of this realm (which Odinists call Midgard) the body of man was utilised to offer a vehicle for this conscious experience. And that is what spirit (or consciousness) does – it experiences life.

Yet the way in which spirit and matter are combined can generate numerous problems. For example, a man (and his community) has needs which include eating and sex and protection of resources. The solution to the survival of a material being was the formation of the ego, which is man’s protection mechanism against physical death.

Unfortunately for the spirit, the actions of a man driven entirely by the ego brings harm to the innocence of consciousness.

Consider the spirit as a young child. Now (as horrific as it may be) conjure up in the mind a scenario where that young child witnesses a brutal murder and imagine the shock on the child’s face. This is how the inner spirit reacts when man acts improperly whilst driven by the ego.

Now, it may be argued that a just and righteous action performed in defence (even preemptively) may not have this effect on the spirit as the consequence for not acting may be the loss of one’s own ‘spirit vehicle’. However, it is also possible that in this Wolf Age, all such actions of violence harm the spirit in some way or another, and only the Golden Age can assure a clear conscience, i.e. an unharmed spirit.

Man’s innate sex drive reveals another difficult balancing act between spirituality and the physical need for procreation. The ideal white European family unit is well understood by Arktos readers, yet men still have to deal with the animalistic need to spread their seed far and wide. In a healthy man, this drive is exceptional and can be destructive.

I have a personal interest in the way in which man’s creation was explained in the Eddas. Consider that three brothers, the gods Odin, Vili and Vé, created Ask and Embla from trees after walking on a seashore. Yet later we have the god Heimdal who gave culture to man.

I am aware that linking the idea of culture and spirit may be tenuous; however, I think it is possible that material beings were created first and then consciousness or spirit came into them at a later time. The animal or material is of course the body of flesh, blood and bone, and the spirit resides within. I think this may offer an explanation as to why there is so much conflict between pleasing the spirit and satisfying the needs of man’s ego-driven body.

Of course, I am open to debate on this, but certainly it is good to apply a degree of logic to myth in regards to why things are the way they are. And one has to remember we are indeed in the Wolf Age, which dictates behaviour on a large scale. Perhaps in the Golden Age, the relationship between spirit and matter was perfect. Or perhaps the Golden Age is the dissolution of the material altogether and the return of spirit to the realm of the gods.

Back to the present, the key to getting to grips with the problems we face, both in this Wolf Age and in regards to the clash of spirit and matter, is meditation. As I have commented previously, readers should not view such things as from another culture. During the folk wanderings, the Hyperboreans left their home and moved into what we now call Europe and India etcetera. The Indian Brahmins (the priestly class) were from the north. Numerous examples of Hyperborean religious influence can be found in many places not generally deemed by the unenlightened to be ‘Aryan’.

Meditation, the focus of attention onto one thing (usually the breath), aids separation of the spirit (or self) and the ego. There are a number of stages of meditation, but in simple terms even the novice practitioner will benefit in that decision-making and reactions to events will soon become clearer and more measured.

We are spirit beings encased in matter, created and influenced by our gods. We face many challenges, including the influence of cultures different to our own, negative vibrations from other dimensions and the Yugic Age in which we presently exist.

Depending on one’s level of awakening, some of the above things may not be apparent. However the solution to our ills remains the same. Our ideas and actions must be folkish in nature; we must endeavour to work together as a group, and the way we achieve such things is to first work on ourselves.

Do not do anything which harms the spirit. Strive towards your ideals, as best as you can, given the mitigating factors mentioned above.

Waes hael – be whole.