The Holy Ones that love us. . .

I went and saw Thor for my birthday the other day. While I am not Norse and nor am I a follower of the  Norse Gods, It brought to mind several concepts that I do adhere to. Our Grandmaster had a quote that I love: "The Holy ones love us with the same love with which we love one another, but raised to the power of Divinity. It is older than law. It is older than reason." 


That being said, the Gods also must have other emotions raised to the same power. In my mind they not only have complicated relationships with the other Gods in their realms, but also potential foes with the same power as they. The Gods, therefore must have similar vehicles of learning things like honor, mirth, reverence, integrity. For Thor, it was a banishment. Stripped of all power, he was made to be human. Odin, his father and possibly greatest teacher, had no problem with tossing him into the ocean and leaving him to sink or swim on is own. This is a mark of a wise and great teacher, divinity or not. It was not done out of anger, even though in the moment Odin was indeed angry with his son, it was done out of love. An inner knowing that his son could do better with the proper lesson. I think we call this tough love.

I also loved the idea that Bifrost in this movie was a real, tangible bridge that could reach out into the universe and touch other realms; that all realms were united by the tree of life, Yggdrasil. Many pagan traditions speak of the tree of life. As pagans we can relate to how all things, including realms in the Universe, can be connected by this. I thought this was an eloquent discussion within the movie. My own experience with the Gods suggests that the Gods are much more than we could imagine and magic just may be a technology we do not understand yet. I wonder how many times we have actually run into one of these Gods unaware. There are many stories in folk lore that speak of this phenomenon. Even today in Hawai'i there are very recent stories of running into Pele. In my mind this is very plausible that I may run into Hecate, Krom, or any other God within any other pantheon that chooses to appear.

I believe that the Gods are real and imminent. They are not some far off intangible being with a half hearted interest that move us across an invisible chess board. I believe that they love us with their immense hearts and want the best for us inspite of the fact that some of them have a very different perspective on what the pattern of life looks like.

At the end of the movie when Thor is looking over the edge of the broken bridge between the worlds, he is asking about the human he had fallen for and seems pleased, elated even, that she is seeking him out. He is looking out into the Universe knowing that he is loved as much as he loves. Seekers, give yourself permission to find and you too will be elated. Don't just give yourself permission, go do it, with what ever means you have on hand. Love and you will be loved in return. That is a promise.