The Rune-Gild
Heathenism, Traditionalism, and the Left-Hand Path
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v1i1.95Keywords:
Heathenism, Radical Taditionalism, The Left-Hand Path, esotericism, The Rune-GildAbstract
The focus of this article is the Rune-Gild, a rune magical group founded in Texas, USA, in 1980, and which has variously been described as a Heathen, a Traditionalist, and a Left-Hand Path organization. The influence of these three esoteric currents on the Gild is examined, as is the issue of how they intermix to fit a common frame of reference. The article argues that describing a complex movement such as the Rune-Gild in a singular fashion, by referencing to only one of these currents, involves the risk of providing a one-sided and ultimately inaccurate depiction. Instead, a description involving a thorough examination of all major influences is required, and this in turn makes it necessary for the scholar to achieve a high-level historical familiarity with a broad range of Western religious phenomena.
References
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Granholm, Kennet. 2005 Embracing the Dark: The Magic Order of Dragon Rouge—Its Practice in Dark Magic and Meaning Making. Åbo: Åbo Akademi University Press.
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2007 “‘The Prince of Darkness on the Move’: Transnationality and Translocality in Left-Hand Path Magic.” Torino: CESNUR. URL: http://www.cesnur.org/2007/bord_granholm.htm.
2008 “New Age or Mass-Popularization of Esoteric Discourse: Some Preliminary Reflections on the Reconceptualization of New Age.” Torino: CESNUR. URL: http://www.cesnur.org/2008/london_granholm.htm.
2009a “Left-Hand Path Magic and Animal Rights.” Nova Religio 12(4): 28–49. doi:10.1525/nr.2009.12.4.28
2009b “Embracing Others Than Satan: The Multiple Princes of Darkness in the Left-Hand Path Milieu.” In Contemporary Religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology, edited by Jesper Aagaard Petersen, 85–101. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing.
in press “The Serpent Rises in the West: Positive Orientalism and Reinterpretation of Tantra in the Western Left-Hand Path.” In Transformation and Transfer of Tantra in Asia and Beyond, edited by István Keul. Leiden: Brill.
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Pike, Sarah M. 2005 “Neopaganism.” In Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd edition, edited by Lindsay Jones, 6470–6474. Detroit, MI: Macmillan.
Rune-Gild. 2007 “Associate Membership in the Rune Gild.” Online, URL http://www. runegild.org/news.html#associate. Accessed 18 September 2007.
2009 Welcome to the Rune-Gild. URL http://runegild.org. Accessed 23 October 2009.
Sedgwick, Mark. 2004 Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
von Stuckrad, Kocku. 2005 “Western Esotericism: Towards an Integrative Model of Interpretation.” Religion 35: 78–97. doi:10.1016/j.religion.2005.07.002
Starfire. 2009 Starfire, vol. 2(3). London: Starfire Publishing.
Sutcliffe, Richard. 1995 “Left-Hand Path Ritual Magick: An Historical and Philosophical Over-view.” In Paganism Today: Wiccans, Druids, the Goddess and Ancient Earth Traditions for the Twenty-First Century, edited by Charlotte Hardman and Graham Harvey, 109–137. London: Thorsons.
Thorsson, Edred. 1984 Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic. San Francisco: Weiser Books.
1987 Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology. San Francisco: Weiser Books.
2001 Blue Rûna: Edred’s Shorter Works Vol. III (1988–1994). Smithville: Rûna- Raven Press.
2003 The Nine Doors of Midgard: A Curriculum of Rune-Work. Third Revised and Expanded Edition. Smithville: Rûna-Raven Press.
2005a [1992]) Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications.
2005b Gildisbók: The Handbook for Associate Members of the Rune-Gild in North America. Smithville: Rune-Gild.
2006 Mainstays: from Rune-Kevels. Volume I (1993-1998). Smithville: Rune-Gild.
2007 History of the Rune-Gild. Volume III. The Reawakening of the Gild 1980-2005. Smithville: Rune-Gild.
TYR. 2002 TYR Journal: About the Editors. URL: http://tyrjournal.tripod.com/about_ the_editors.htm (Accessed 23 October 2009).
2008 TYR Journal. URL: http://www.radicaltraditionist.com/tyr.html. Accessed 21 October 2009.
Weschcke, Carl Llewellyn. 1994 “Foreword.” In Edred Thorsson, The Nine Doors of Midgard: A Complete Curriculum of Rune Magic. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, xiii-xvi.
York, Michael. 1995 The Emerging Network: A Sociology of the New Age and Neo-Pagan Networks. Langham: Rowman and Littlefield.
Backa, Andreas. 2008 “Rune-Gild.” In Perspektiv på esoterisk nyandlighet, edited by Kennet Granholm, 95–106. Åbo: Åbo akademi.
Blain, Jenny, Douglas Ezzy and Graham Harvey eds. 2004 Researching Paganisms. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.
Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna. 1888a The Secret Doctrine. Volume 1: Cosmogony. London: The Theosophical Publishing Company.
1888b The Secret Doctrine. Volume 2: Anthropogony. London: The Theosophical Publishing Company.
Evans, Dave. 2007 The History of British Magick After Crowley: Kenneth Grant, Amado Crowley, Chaos Magic, Satanism, Lovecraft, The Left Hand Path, Blasphemy and Magical Morality. London: Hidden Publishing.
Faivre, Antoine. 1994 Access to Western Esotericism. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Granholm, Kennet. 2005 Embracing the Dark: The Magic Order of Dragon Rouge—Its Practice in Dark Magic and Meaning Making. Åbo: Åbo Akademi University Press.
2006 “Den vänstra handens väg: Moral, etik och synen på ondska i en mörk- mörk-magisk organization.” In Hotbilder—våld, aggression och religion, edited by Maria Leppäkari and Jonathan Peste, 37–50. Åbo: Åbo Akademi.
2007 “‘The Prince of Darkness on the Move’: Transnationality and Translocality in Left-Hand Path Magic.” Torino: CESNUR. URL: http://www.cesnur.org/2007/bord_granholm.htm.
2008 “New Age or Mass-Popularization of Esoteric Discourse: Some Preliminary Reflections on the Reconceptualization of New Age.” Torino: CESNUR. URL: http://www.cesnur.org/2008/london_granholm.htm.
2009a “Left-Hand Path Magic and Animal Rights.” Nova Religio 12(4): 28–49. doi:10.1525/nr.2009.12.4.28
2009b “Embracing Others Than Satan: The Multiple Princes of Darkness in the Left-Hand Path Milieu.” In Contemporary Religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology, edited by Jesper Aagaard Petersen, 85–101. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing.
in press “The Serpent Rises in the West: Positive Orientalism and Reinterpretation of Tantra in the Western Left-Hand Path.” In Transformation and Transfer of Tantra in Asia and Beyond, edited by István Keul. Leiden: Brill.
Gregorius, Fredrik. 2009 Modern Asatro: Att skapa etnisk och kulturell identitet. Lund: Lunds Universitet.
Hammer, Olav. 1997 På spaning efter helheten. New Age—en ny folktro? Stockholm: Wahlström and Widstrand.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 1996 New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. Leiden: Brill.
Hardman, Charlotte. 1995 “Introduction.” In Paganism Today: Wiccans, Druids, the Goddess and Ancient Earth Traditions for the Twenty-First Century, edited by Charlotte Hardman and Graham Harvey, ix-xix. London: Thorsons.
Harrington, Melissa. 2007 “Paganism and the New Age.” In Handbook of New Age, edited by Daren Kemp and James R. Lewis, 435–452. Leiden: Brill. doi:10.1163/ ej.9789004153554.i-484.151
Harvey, Graham. 1995 “Heathenism.” In Paganism Today: Wiccans, Druids, the Goddess and Ancient Earth Traditions for the Twenty-First Century, edited by Charlotte Hardman and Graham Harvey, 49–64. London: Thorsons.
1997 Listening People, Speaking Earth: Contemporary Paganism. London: Hurst.
Karlsson, Thomas. 2005 “Rune Magic and Radical Traditionalism.” Finyar Årsskrift 2005, årgång 2: 48–58.
2008 “Valhall och Wotans väg – initiation inom nutida runmystik.” Finyar Års- skrift 2006/2007, årgång 3–4: 62–63.
Kataja, Ensio. 2005 Riimujen viisaus. Helsinki: Athanaton.
Koenig, Peter R. 1999 “Introduction.” In Aleister Crowley and Theodor Reuss, O.T.O. Rituals and Sex Magick. Edited and Compiled by a. R. Naylor, 13–59 Thame: Essex House.
LaVey, Anton Szandor. 2005 [1969]) The Satanic Bible. New York: Avon Books.
Lewis, James R. and Jesper Aagaard Petersen eds. 2008 Encyclopedic Sourcebook of Satanism. Amherst: Prometheus Books.
Pasi, Marco. 2005 “Ordo Templi Orientis.” In Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, edited by Wouter J. Hanegraaff, with Jean-Pierre Brach, Roelof van den Broek and Antoine Faivre, 898–906. Leiden: Brill.
Pearson, Joanne E. 2005 “Neopaganism.” In Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, edited by Wouter J. Hanegraaff, with Jean-Pierre Brach, Roelof van den Broek and Antoine Faivre, 828–834. Leiden: Brill.
Petersen, Jesper Aagaard ed. 2009 Contemporary Religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing.
Pike, Sarah M. 2005 “Neopaganism.” In Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd edition, edited by Lindsay Jones, 6470–6474. Detroit, MI: Macmillan.
Rune-Gild. 2007 “Associate Membership in the Rune Gild.” Online, URL http://www. runegild.org/news.html#associate. Accessed 18 September 2007.
2009 Welcome to the Rune-Gild. URL http://runegild.org. Accessed 23 October 2009.
Sedgwick, Mark. 2004 Against the Modern World: Traditionalism and the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
von Stuckrad, Kocku. 2005 “Western Esotericism: Towards an Integrative Model of Interpretation.” Religion 35: 78–97. doi:10.1016/j.religion.2005.07.002
Starfire. 2009 Starfire, vol. 2(3). London: Starfire Publishing.
Sutcliffe, Richard. 1995 “Left-Hand Path Ritual Magick: An Historical and Philosophical Over-view.” In Paganism Today: Wiccans, Druids, the Goddess and Ancient Earth Traditions for the Twenty-First Century, edited by Charlotte Hardman and Graham Harvey, 109–137. London: Thorsons.
Thorsson, Edred. 1984 Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic. San Francisco: Weiser Books.
1987 Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology. San Francisco: Weiser Books.
2001 Blue Rûna: Edred’s Shorter Works Vol. III (1988–1994). Smithville: Rûna- Raven Press.
2003 The Nine Doors of Midgard: A Curriculum of Rune-Work. Third Revised and Expanded Edition. Smithville: Rûna-Raven Press.
2005a [1992]) Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications.
2005b Gildisbók: The Handbook for Associate Members of the Rune-Gild in North America. Smithville: Rune-Gild.
2006 Mainstays: from Rune-Kevels. Volume I (1993-1998). Smithville: Rune-Gild.
2007 History of the Rune-Gild. Volume III. The Reawakening of the Gild 1980-2005. Smithville: Rune-Gild.
TYR. 2002 TYR Journal: About the Editors. URL: http://tyrjournal.tripod.com/about_ the_editors.htm (Accessed 23 October 2009).
2008 TYR Journal. URL: http://www.radicaltraditionist.com/tyr.html. Accessed 21 October 2009.
Weschcke, Carl Llewellyn. 1994 “Foreword.” In Edred Thorsson, The Nine Doors of Midgard: A Complete Curriculum of Rune Magic. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, xiii-xvi.
York, Michael. 1995 The Emerging Network: A Sociology of the New Age and Neo-Pagan Networks. Langham: Rowman and Littlefield.
Published
2010-07-29
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Granholm, K. (2010). The Rune-Gild: Heathenism, Traditionalism, and the Left-Hand Path. International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 1(1), 95-115. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v1i1.95
