Quote Originally Posted by Hrimskegg View Post
I haven't said anything that contradicts the old ways. Bear in mind, these aren't the old days, and things change over time. We can't go around sacrificing livestock, well, there's not a lot of people that can afford to do that on a regular basis. What good is an article on animal sacrifice when for a large community when most modern Asatru are raised in the urban civilization of today's technological-centric society.

This doesn't mean we abandon the old ways, he have to adapt them as best we can, and with oversight from the gods themselves. You'll know if you're doing it right. Of course, that takes faith. This whole thing does.
I hosted for 65 people last fall. I would suggest that if you cannot sacrifice yourself, you at least find one Blot each year that you can attend where blood is a part of the blot. I will be doing a Midsummer Blot on June 23 for a handful of people, it will include a blood sacrifice. I wish that more people would participate, I could easily afford the livestock (I am a farmer after all) but I lack the time to prepare a large festival for each holiday.

I find through out most of what I've read, that the Gods only rarely intervene in the lives of mortals, less alone speak to them. When they intervene, it is in cases of dire need, when they speak it is to great heroes or Chieftains for whom they have a plan. I am non of those, so I do not expect the Gods to bother with me. Were someone from a battlefield in Afghanistan to profess a personal message from the Gods, that saved his entire unit, I would not doubt it. I have heard so many personal gnosis that I am pretty jaded, things like the Gods don't like blood anymore sacrifice cotton candy (I did not make that up). Furthermore if all the separate gnosis agreed, I would be more likely to accept them, alas they do not. I use what sources I can find, to reconstruct the blots, and use common since to fill in the blanks. I ask the Gods forgiveness if I get it wrong, I am doing the best that I can.
The article clarified some things for me, some guesses that I had made were documented here. For me it was beneficial.