An event of earth shattering importance to Asatruar everywhere quietly took place in a medium security federal prison in Vinland (U.S.A.) on June 21st, 1999. It was an event that raises the bar for our Volk incarcerated in federal prisons throughout the entire U.S. prison system. As far as we know, no other federal prison kindred in Vinland mark the day of the Midsummer Solstice as an officially recognized holiday. From this day forth, prison kindreds will be able to celebrate the solstice in a big way because the standard has been set by Xanthrochroi Axion Kindred at F.C.I Sheridan, Oregon.
The Midsummer Solstice is the day the sun reaches the zenith (apogee) in the Northern sky. From the summer solstice until Yule the daylight house will progressively get shorter as the sun crosses the heavens in the southern skies. It is only natural that our Volk should honour our people and maintain Volkish traditions on this sacred day. The ancient German festival of the changing sun (Sonnwendfest) was celebrated with the flying of banners with the ancient Aryan "sun wheel" on them, they sun bathed in the nude and danced around bonfires. Effigies of the sun were set ablaze and rolled down hills. Hymns were sung in praise of the sun.
A 1910 hymn to the sun:
"We are all children of the sun. Out of its womb our planet was born. An eternal law of nature compels us to be within its sphere and influence. The immensity of space is cold, still, lifeless – our luminous mother sun, warming and ripening our fruit, appears as the simple, true element of life. Our ancestors knew this in ancient times. Thus their justifiable joy when the sun made its slow victorious spiral across the sky. They then remembered that all those trees, which concealed the greenness in the winter time, were consecrated to the god, Wotan."
- from "AC" by Richard Noll page 116
The kindred at FCI Sheridan was not able to sun bathe in the nude, nor were any bonfires set ablaze this year. This first celebration was much more subdued. The day was marked with a Blot. Formal feast, speeches, picture taking and viewing of a video.
Ludwig Von Beethovens 9th symphony choral ("The Ode to Joy") set the mood as the men entered the circle to celebrate this Midsummer Blot. The overture of Richard Straus Also Spoke Zarathustra was used to represent the musical motif if the rising sun. Nine votive candles were lit to represent the nine worlds, the nine days Odin hung on the Yggdrasil, and to help each one remember his connection to the cosmic forces that remind us our being a part of the rhythm of the universe. A golden sphere candle was lit to invoke Balder (sun) and a white sphere candle to represent Nanna (moon). Inspirational readings were read and toasts were made.
After the Blot everyone moved to another room and viewed a video on a legendary Scottish rebel fighter, William Wallace, until it was time to take pictures. Upon completion of the photo session several of the men were inspired to make speeches and presentations commemorating the day and celebrating our achievements.
Close to 1:00 OM everyone moved to the mess hall for a Viking feast. Ham steaks, acorn squash, spinach salad, fruit ambrosia, rye bread and peas washed down wish sparkling apple cider poured from champagne type bottles. Only Asafolk were present at this feast so there was much laughter and jollity as each man ate his fill.
It was hoped that other prison kindreds throughout the U.S. prison system will be able to formally recognize the midsummer solstices in the future. In order to convince the staff an official Asatru holiday and feast need to be proscribed for the Midsummer solstice it is imperative the paperwork process be initiated by February. The religious significance of the Midsummer solstice needs to be explained to the chaplain at your institution. It is documented how it is customary for our Volk to hold a moot at Midsummer. Each item you desire needs to be spelled out and its religious significance provided especially when it comes to the religious feast. For example, you will want to specify a pork entrée symbolizes GULLINBURSTI, the boar that pulled Frey’s wagon over the heavens, whose golden bristles represented sunlight and how our consuming of pork flesh symbolizes our communion with the divine. Fruit ambrosia can be a selection because in ripened fruit we can taste the sweetness of sunlight.
If you need to appeal to a higher authority to convince your institution chaplain of the necessity of granting a Midsummer holiday and feast, you should direct the chaplain to contact the chaplain at FCI Sheridan to be informed of the precedents that have been set by the Sheridan kindred.
Next year the Sheridan kindred will have a bonfire for the solstice in our outdoor grove area that is currently under construction. We may even sunbathe in the nude. There will be any naked pictures though.