Category: Membership

How Can I Become a Supporter?

Supporting members of Skylands Asatru Fellowship are those who would like to support the work of the Fellowship financially or in other ways, like teaching classes. To become a Supporting member, you must complete an application. Please send the following information via email and we will forward an application.

Name

Street Address

City

State

Zip Code

Email Address

Copy of Photo ID

Supporting membership is contingent upon receipt of annual dues. Your application will be reviewed and voted on by the Board of Directors. If you are accepted as a Supporting member, such membership is granted for one year. Supporting members may extend their membership through additional payment of dues and support. Supporting membership is at the discretion of the Board of Directors and may be revoked based on the behavior of the member and the best interests of our Fellowship.

How Do I Become Ásatrú?

Ásatrú isn’t really about rituals; it’s about who you are inside–it’s about how you live your life. Members of our Fellowship live their lives by The Nine Noble Virtues: Courage, Discipline, Fidelity, Honor, Hospitality, Industriousness, Perseverance, Self-Reliance, and Truth. The outward forms, the myths and the names, can be learned, but if Ásatrú is right for you, it will click with your innermost self, and you’ll know you’re home at last.

But, being human, we also need closure of old ways, and starting a grand new endeavor is an occasion worth marking. Once you’re ready, you can go somewhere quiet, outdoors in nature if possible, and recite the following prayer:

Odin, God of wisdom and wanderers,
I am coming home to you.

Frigg, Goddess of family and hearth,
I am coming home to you.

Freyr, God of prosperity and plenty,
I am coming home to you.

Freya, Goddess of love and war,
I am coming home to you.

Thor, God of thunder and protector of mankind,
I am coming home to you.

Land-spirits and house-spirits, bringers of luck and weal,
know that you have a new friend,
I will learn your ways and mind them,
I am coming home to you.

Ancestors of old, who watch over me and mine,
know that you are not forgotten,
I have remembered you, and your Gods,
I am coming home to you.

Hail the Gods and Goddesses!

Remember that this is just the first step. Once you have announced yourself to the Gods and your ancestors, reach out to us if you haven’t already. We’re here to help. We’ll help you learn, and we’ll welcome you into our tribe, our halls, and our homes.

And you’ll be home at last!

How Do I Become a Member?

Skylands Ásatrú Fellowship is a recognized 501(c)3 church based in northern and central New Jersey. We are an active heathen community that holds religious, cultural, educational, and social events. We are not simply an on-line group where people can post the latest meme or complain about this or that. Membership in our Fellowship means that you will take an active part in our gatherings and support our organization and its mission– namely to facilitate the practice of the Ásatrú religion and to assist our efforts to perform outreach to non-practitioners. Our process for membership is fairly rigorous and helps to ensure that members will bring value and honor to our Fellowship.

There are three types of membership in Skylands Ásatrú Fellowship. All three begin with the same process. People who are interested in our Fellowship attend some of our public events. Such events include our Ásatrú 101 series of classes, Meet and Greets, hikes, or public festivals. All of these types of gatherings are advertised on our Website, our Meetup page, as well as on Facebook. Such events are open to all and any who are interested in learning more about our organization or about Ásatrú in general. This Introduction period typically lasts about six months and provides the prospective member an opportunity to learn more about us, and provides our membership an opportunity to learn about you.

Our first level of membership is Associate member. Those who have decided that they are interested in membership, and who are at least 18 years of age, may complete our Application for membership. The Board of Directors will review the application and make a recommendation to the Oathed members of our tribe. At an official gathering of Skylands Ásatrú Fellowship Oathed members present will vote on whether the applicant should be accepted into our Fellowship. If a majority of Oathed members vote in the affirmative, the applicant will be expected to make an annual dues payment. The decision will then be announced – typically during Sumbel. This first level of membership is valid for one year. At the conclusion of the year, the Board of Directors may choose to extend membership for another year or to revoke membership based on participation and general support of our Fellowship (financially or otherwise). Typically Associate members move on to the second level of membership within their first year with our Fellowship.

The second level of membership is Oathed or Full member. Members who are at least 21 years of age may request to move to the Oathed level of membership. At a formal gathering of our Fellowship, the Board of Directors will make a formal recommendation to the Oathed members present. Members will have the opportunity to vote on whether the Associate member should be allowed into the Oathed level. If a majority supports the member’s request to move up the Oathed level, the Associate will take a formal oath on our tribal oath ring. The oath that is taken is both to our Gods and to our Fellowship and its members. Oathed membership is valid for life and comes with various responsibilities.

The third type of membership is Supporting member. Those who would like to support our Fellowship financially or via other means, such as teaching classes, but who do not generally intend to become Oathed members due to oaths or commitments to other tribes, kindreds, or organizations, may provide their contact information and pay annual dues as specified by our Board of Directors. Much like Associate membership, Supporting membership is granted for one year.

Ásatrú is a religion, but Skylands Ásatrú Fellowship is more than a church. We’re a Fellowship – where everyone is there for everyone else. Honor, family, courage, appreciating the simple joys of nature – these qualities and more are what define us as Ásatrúar and as members of Skylands Ásatrú Fellowship. Perhaps it is time to “come home” to Ásatrú.

You’re welcome here!