We are an international community of Heathens.

Our members from all over the world have expressed their concern with the war in Ukraine.

As a spiritual, educational and religious organization, it’s important that we clarify our stance in a moral sense in the hopes that it helps guide the hard conversations ahead.

One of the phrases we include most often in our prayers is “for Peace and Plenty” (“Til Ars och Friden). That means with every prayer and every offering we Heathens hope for a world that is without want and without war. Where everyone has a safe home, food in their bellies, and a place to grow and learn in the assured safety provided by the abundance and wisdom of the Gods.

And it is for Peace we pray for now, as we ever have, to return to the land of Ukraine. We pray that no one needs to be toldto seek shelter from bombing raids. We pray that parents do not have to say goodbye to their children as they send them away for their own safety as they stay and fight, not knowing if they will ever see them again. We pray that young lives are no longer delivered into the arms of death to feed the fevered ambitions of madmen.

At the same time, we recognize that more than only a land and a people, the flame of democracy, of self-determination, the very notion that one person can have an absolute check on the powers that determine the course of their destiny must be defended. Ukrainians have the absolute right to fight for their democracy against powers that would make them into a client state of an Autocrat whose time in power has long since passed.

Many Ukrainians have decided to stay and fight, but other have been forced to flee. As with the refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan before them: as Heathens it is our duty by our sacred obligations of Hospitality to welcome them and support them. To bring them to the warm fire and the hearty meal. We do not know what these travelers have endured, so we find them a place by our hearth fire and listen to their story.

In lieu of a place by our hearth fire, we can make sure that these refugees find help waiting for them when they arrive at other hearths. If you are so inclined to extend your generosity, please donate directly to: https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_id=31071&mfc_pref=T&31071.donation=form1&s_src=172220UCFM00&s_subsrc=FY22UkraineCrisisFundMO

As Heathens, Asatruar, and Norse Pagans, we believe that while our glory may not lie in the hereafter, it certainly manifests in the deeds we do in life. We reveal our quality of character by our deeds. We encourage you to show yours.