Gap: A Left-Hand Path approach to Odinism: Deluxe – Askr Savte (Fall of Man)

Description

Modern Norse paganism is known by many names: Ásatrú, Trot, Oðinnism/Wotanism, Fornsidr (Forn Sidr)… All these words indicate the current stage of the life of the Tradition, but each still has its own nuances and shades. What they have in common though is that they are mainly focused on a rich mythological and archaeological Norse heritage, sometimes “specializing” in various temporal and geographical borders (continental Germans or Scandinavians) in order to revive, with different variations, a common Germanic tradition, supplementing their already modern interpretations, often debatable. Gap: A Left-Hand Path approach to Odinism is a diary compilation of several years of research, practice and immersion in a particular direction within Oðinnism (Norse Tradition), which the author calls the Path through the Dark Side of the Ash (Yggdrasil): Svarte Aske.

This Path is different from the standard, main-stream Right-Hand approach to Paganism because it does not recognize the positive evaluation of modern times and the modern reality surrounding us: its negative impact on the state of Norse traditions and its worldview is excessively large. This new Path does not accept the trunk of the teachings belonging to the Right-Hand Path, although without denying their expertise and contribution to the common cause. Thus, the Left-Hand Path attempts to open and question all that which until today has not been open to our tradition, that which is in the shade and is closer and deeper to the Iron Age around us. This vision is based on known historical heritage and traditions, contemporary thinking and experiences, including some pretty interesting attempts to describe the Left-Hand Path in Oðinnism in the West since the mid twentieth century.

Gap: A Left-Hand Path approach to Odinism consists of three Mal (sayings, speeches from the Eddas):

• Sayings of the Gangraðr, on behalf of Oðinn Gangraðr – Advisor in the Path. In these speeches it is revealed the promise and the doctrine of the Abyss in Oðinnism, and we deal with questions of thinking and transgression.

• Sayings of the Vegtamr, on behalf of Oðinn Vegtamr – Accustomed to the Path. In these speeches instructions are given about the ritual practice in line with the spirit and the promise of teaching.

• Sayings of the Kvasir, in honor of the wisest of men. In these speeches one will find the texts that are not included in the main body, but that are one way or another connected with the Path, such as dreams and thoughts.

Sayings of the Gangraðr were written in 2012-2013 as a partly poetic manifestation, built upon the Elder Edda. Sayings of the Vegtamr shows a little about the ritual practice, aimed at the working of the Mind. The main message of the ritual practices of the Left-Hand Path is that it is outer help into the inner workings of the adept. Questions of magic are not considered a priori. Finishing the book, the reader will find (among other texts) the external charter of the «Svarte Aske» community, which is published for the first time.

Gap: A Left-Hand Path approach to Odinism is the revised and extended second English edition of the original “Gap”, which was first published in Russian in 2012. A first English edition was self-published in 2015, but this is the first time the book will be available in a format deserving of its content.