Frith Forge / Sacred Sites of Germany Tour

Frith Forge is the space and time on an international level to build alliances, understanding, and friendships among us instead of compartmentalizing further in an industrialized world. Lets learn from each other with respect for one another, and in frith instead of in isolation. Together we can enjoy this opportunity to discuss inclusion in religion and to promote cultural, religious, and educational exchange.

Frith Forge

October 6-8, 2017

KiEZ Inselparadies Petzow

Zum Inselparadies 9-12

14542 Werder/Petzow

Germany

Each organization that will be represented at this conference will have featured presentation time. All attendees are invited to submit paper summaries of presentations they would like to give to IREP@thetroth.org. We encourage vendors/organizations to set up a table. There will be time for lectures, group discussion, workshops, ritual, and more!

Early arrivals may join us for unstructured meet and greet time starting October 5th.

The conference is immediately followed by the Sacred Sites of Germany tour, which runs from October 8-14, 2017. Pre-registration is underway between now and March 31 for the tour. The conference and the tour are separate (but related) events, so you may participate in one, the other, or both!

Information on each event is available on the Frith Forge website:

http://events.thetroth.org/frith-forge/2017

Hope to see you in Germany!

This post represents official Troth policy or is an official Troth statement.

Inclusion Affirmation Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - TROTH INCLUSION AFFIRMATION

PHILADELPHIA, PA:

February 5, 2016

On February 2, 2017, the High Rede (Board of Directors) of The Troth has implemented the following motion:

I move that we accept the inclusion affirmation wording as follows and that the wording be placed on the Join and Renew pages of the website. The statement may also be placed in other locations, such as on a screen at first login, and members' proceeding with processing their membership or clicking an acceptance box will be recorded as their agreement to abide by The Troth's inclusive policies.

In choosing to join The Troth, you agree to abide by the following:

I agree to keep frith with all Troth members regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, gender, or family structure.

This presents prospective members and current members with an opportunity to affirm their understanding of The Troth's inclusive policies and positions and to abide by the "law of the hall." 

This affirmation appears on the Join and Renew pages, and it will also present itself the first time a member logs into TheTroth.org. The affirmation also will appear during the joining and renewal processes. 

If you have questions about this statement, please direct them to the High Rede via the Steer (steer@thetroth.org) or through the Contact form at http://www.TheTroth.org/contact.html.

The Troth is open to all who seek to know and to honor the Gods, ancestors, and values of the Germanic Heathen traditions, regardless of gender, race, nationality or sexual orientation. The Troth stands against any use of Germanic religion and culture to advance causes of racism, sexism, homophobia, white supremacy, or any other form of prejudice.

ROBERT L. SCHREIWER

STEER (President and CEO)

The Troth

325 Chestnut Street

Suite 800

Philadelphia, PA 19106

News from the Shope

Wassail, y’all. . .

The Shope is pleased to announce a new book from the Troth! This one’s from Ben Waggoner. Say What I Am: A Book of Old English Riddles is a much expanded collection of his translated riddles—fifty-one in all. Some of these have appeared in Idunna, but many of them have not. They’re not just entertainment—they’re a nifty look at everyday Anglo-Saxon life and worldview, featuring everything from a plough, to a nightingale, to the stars, to a one-eyed garlic peddler (yes, that one’s a bit odd). And for all that they were probably composed by monks, every so often one of them slips up and reveals just a glimpse of the older ways. . .

We have this in paperback:

   http://www.lulu.com/shop/ben-waggoner/say-what-i-am-a-book-of-old-english-riddles/paperback/product-23048114.html

Hardcover:

   http://www.lulu.com/shop/ben-waggoner/say-what-i-am-a-book-of-old-english-riddles/hardcover/product-23050361.html

And PDF:

   http://www.lulu.com/shop/ben-waggoner/say-what-i-am-a-book-of-old-english-riddles/ebook/product-23050240.html

Sacred Space Conference 2017

Sacred Space Conference 

March 9-12, 2017 

Hunt Valley, MD 

http://www.sacredspacefoundation.org

Among the topics will be the following: 

Zisa: Ancient Lore and Modern Understanding 

and

The Troth: Modern Heathenry in a Complex World -

Inclusion, Growth, Balancing Identity and Community

This information has been posted for educational purposes and may or may not represent the beliefs and practices of many members of The Troth.

NEW TROTH WEBSITE!

The Troth Blog has served its purpose well, but Troth News may now be seen on our new website!

http://thetroth.org/news/index.html

New Website!

Hail The Troth!

Big news!

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Tech Team, the new Troth website is slated to go live tomorrow!

Members will be receiving an email with their login credentials. Should you have any trouble logging in, or if you experience anything not functioning properly on the website, please send an email to webmaster@thetroth.org.

The Tech Team has done an amazing job these past six months, and the list below does not reflect the full scope of each team member's endeavors.

Hail to the Tech Team!:

Robert Lewis: Overall lead on the project! Interface and backend functioning. Robb has spent countless hours programming, training others, tracking things down, troubleshooting, and much, much more. 

Bobby Fabian: The database man! Always happy to turn around currently-needed reports while simultaneously working on fixing, creating, and implementing the new database functionality, troubleshooting, advising, and reporting... and a lot more!

Mike Brooks: Facilitator of the flow of work. Kept us on task and organized. Advised, trained, Made the new org chart. Provided design ideas and more.

Jack Cole: Jack created the In-Reach and Merchandising databases... and has his hands in quite a few projects.

Rory Bowman: idea man... Contributed  ideas and insights and will be instrumental in training.

Camille Crawford: Designer of the new banner that graces the website!

We already have plans in place for more features and improved reporting. Public Relations and the individual teams will be updating the content and verbiage on the site.

Get ready! It's coming!

Hail the Tech Team!

Hail The Troth!

This post represents official Troth policy or is an official Troth statement.

Yuletide Verbots and Completing Projects

Yule starts at sunset tonight.

In the Urglaawe tradition, recommended practice is, prior to sunset, to open projects that you wish to work on and to complete before sunset on December 31 (the start of Twelfth Night and Berchta's feast day). Currently-open projects should be completed by Twelfth Night or abandoned completely and restarted in the New Year. Ongoing projects can identify a goal of a phase completion or a stopping point. New projects should be delayed until the New Year once Yule begins; focus instead on completion of that which is still in process. 

Historically the oldest references to Verbots (bans, taboos) on new projects were to spinning and weaving but Pennsylvania German oral tradition also extends it also to smithing, canning, and carpentry. Urglaawe examines the mindset behind the need to complete open tasks and the Verbot on starting projects during Yule, and we apply the concept to all aspects of our lives wherever it is practical and possible.

Job requirements may make some of this difficult or impossible to avoid, but the mindfulness applied to figuring out appropriate areas in your life to recognize the need for completion does matter.

Berchta and the lesser-known Berchtold are deities associated with the end of something or the completion of a cycle prior the the restart. There are many considerations that go along with the mindfulness: responsibility, deprivation, organization, preparation, and being willing to abandon partially-completed work if procrastination is a problem.

GLAD YULE TO ALL!