The Voice May 2016
Words from the Alsherjargothi
My fellow AFA members, I want to share something with you that has been on my mind for some time now.
I created the Asatru Folk Assembly twenty years ago and have led it through thick and thin. The AFA grew out of the Viking Brotherhood, later known as the Asatru Free Assembly, which I founded in 1972. For almost all my adult life, I have led organizations dedicated to our Gods and Goddesses.
In the last few years we have accomplished some amazing things: I wrote and published my first book, we are holding major, annual events all over the country, and the AFA has active membership in Europe. We bought a four-thousand square foot building, which we refurbished and dedicated as a hof that will stand as a rallying point for our faith for generations to come. I think I can truthfully say that I have established a worthy legacy, taking the practice of our faith to an important pinnacle, and secured my place in the history of the Asatru revival - to say the least. Now it is time for me to step aside.
Soon, the AFA will be led by an able team consisting of Gothi Matt Flavel, Gythja Pat Hall, and Allen Turnage as Lawspeaker. They're going to do a great job for us! We will of course keep everyone informed.
No, I won't be leaving the AFA - but I look around me at the other leaders of my generation and I note that Edred Thorsson does not direct the day-to-day affairs of the the Rune Gild; he has turned that over to trusted leaders who carry on his work. And I see Valgard Murray, still influential in the Asatru Alliance, but he has turned over most of his power and responsibilities to others. It's time for me to do the same. Others need a chance to lead, without standing in my shadow. They need room to grow, for their own good but also for the good of all that I, and we, have built. I don't want to be that old geezer hanging on at age eighty-five because he's just too stubborn to let go.
I will still be around, advising and sharing what I have learned over the years. Think of me as a sort of "Alsherjargothi Emeritus." I will do the occasional blot and give talks from time to time. But I want to turn my focus inward for a while: I want to attain certain personal spiritual breakthroughs, and I want to explore new ways of serving my Gods and my Folk…for this struggle, this adventure, this Cause remains the purpose and the Pole Star of my entire being.
Stephen A. McNallen
Alsherjargothi, Asatru Folk Assembly