Today it is my pleasure to announce and welcome home The Three Rivers Kindred of California as an official kindred of the Asatru Folk Assembly. Gaining AFA affiliation is not an easy task. Kindreds must exemplify dedication, steadfastness and loyalty. It is beautiful to watch our community grow with a boldness that honors our Gods, Ancestors and Folk!
Please give a warm welcome and a mighty Hailsa to The Three Rivers Kindred!

Hail the Three Rivers Kindred
Hail the AFA!

Marc MacLeod
Folkbuilder Coordinator,
Asatru Folk Assembly

August marked the waning days of summer and the beginning of the harvest season.  It has been amazing to see the photos of all our AFA family around the world celebrating Freyfaxi.  The great God Frey was honored across the land and we began the first of the great harvest feasts of Asatru.  As Summer fades and Fall begins, it is a great time to take stock of what we have accomplished, for ourselves, for our Folk, and for our AFA family.  Now is a time to bring in all the wondrous accomplishments we have made in our own lives and our families.  Now is also time to share all that we have built, produced, and become with our larger AFA family.  The harvest feast is a custom as old as our Folk and something we celebrate and will celebrate for the next few months.  Let’s share the very best of ourselves with our AFA family, close to home and around the world!  

          September is set to be an amazing month for the AFA, we are all extremely excited for the 3rd annual Fall Fest in Minnesota.  Our folk will travel from across the country to celebrate and to worship with our AFA family.  Gothar Coordinator Blaine Qualls and Folkbuilder Jason Gallagher have created one of the greatest events in the AFA year.  Our Northern Plains Folk are one of, if not THE, most committed and active areas of AFA activity.  Mandy and I as well as the McNallens are beyond excited to celebrate with them this coming weekend.

          If you would like to join us, there is still time to hop in the car and head to Minnesota!  If not, I would urge you to do everything in your power to make it to Winter Nights in the Poconos in October.  These events are how I fell in love with the AFA and how I met some of my very best friends.  Winter Nights specifically is where I met my lovely wife.  These gatherings of the Folk build bonds that transcend distance and last a life time.  We would love to see all out AFA family at these amazing upcoming events.

Hail the Gods!

Hail the Folk!

Hail the AFA!

July was a month of action, for myself and across the AFA! I started my 37th year off by flying up to my homeland of Alaska. I packed my mom and her things into a U-Haul and drove the 3,000 miles from Palmer, Alaska to Sparks, Nevada to start the next chapter of her life living with Mandy and I. What a drive! It is amazing see how much the landscape changes over such a long journey. I am a very fortunate man to get to spend time with my mom and care for her as she deals with her health challenges and advanced years.
In July, the Asatru Folk Assembly honored Asatru Pioneer Alexander Rudd Mills with his first annual Day of Remembrance. I am proud to see gatherings around the country starting to happen more and more in observance of these Remembrance Days for Asatru heroes. This month I was fortunate enough to gather to honor Rud Mills here in Reno as well as up in Alaska. It was great to spend time with old friends and new up in the Last Frontier and I always appreciate sharing a meal with my old kindred Der Volkstamm Auf dem Nordliche Bär.
For the second month in a row, AFA members at Óðinshof teamed up with the Yuba-Sutter Food Bank to provide food to the good folk of Brownsville, California. I am so proud of our members who volunteer their time to do this for our community. As usual, the Viking Brotherhood took the lead in this endeavor.
July has been marked by getting things accomplished. We have added Kindreds, expanding our Folkbuilder ranks to provide even greater coverage for our members, and we have seen a massive growth in local AFA gatherings far and wide. As summer turns towards fall, let’s all double up on our efforts and sprint towards fall with full vigor that we can all celebrate an abundant harvest.

Hail the Gods!
Hail the Folk!
Hail the AFA!

Matthew D. Flavel
Alsherjargothi
Asatru Folk Assembly
[email protected]

It’s hard to believe that June is already upon us! As this month’s Voice will show, the AFA has been on fire. Applications for the 2018 Gothar class are the most on record (with still 2 more days to go). We have added new Apprentice Folkbuilders who are off to a great start in their regions. I can proudly say that for the first time we have an AFA member in South Africa! So many beautiful babies are being born that our Ladies can hardly keep up with making blankets for all of them. I am so very proud of all the hard work our wonderful AFA leaders and volunteers are doing.
Mandy and I have been making full use of the summer energy to get outside and hike. Just yesterday AFA Founder Steve McNallen had us join him on an amazing Wotan on the Peaks hike. I never notice how much I miss enjoying the outdoors until I make the point of getting out in the woods, it is always such a refreshment for mind, body and spirit. I encourage each of you to get outside this summer and let yourself be dazzled by the splendor of nature. That being said, I would also invite you to be dazzled by the splendor of your AFA family.
Midsummer is almost here! We would love to see you all at Óðinshof for the annual AFA Midsummer. If you cannot make it out this year, take heart, there are Midsummer events all over the country. Please contact your local Folkbuilder to find a Midsummer event near you.
The AFA is surging with energy and enthusiasm all around the world, go out and get involved! The AFA is not some organization “out there”, the AFA is a hof inside the heart of each member of our AFA family. Make the AFA happen in your area and in your home, reach out to your AFA brothers and sisters and fill the AFA with your energy and your enthusiasm. It is beautiful beyond measure to watch the AFA blossom and grow, every day, every week, every month, that is because of members like you! Thank you.

Hail the Gods!
Hail the Folk!
Hail the AFA!

Matthew D. Flavel
Alsherjargothi
Asatru Folk Assembly
[email protected]

Happy May Day! I hope everyone was/is able to dance with your AFA family around the maypole and infuse this year with willful fecundity. Mandy and I just returned from an amazing AFA Hexennacht in the South. I want to give a heart felt thank you to our Upper South Folkbuilder Paul Hester. Paul and his lovely wife Kelly gave so much of themselves to make this event a success and they were able to bring down-home hospitality to all those who attended. I never cease to be impressed by the increasing quality of our national events, those of you who have attended can surely attest that the intimacy and family feeling gets better each time.
I am very proud of all the activity I have been seeing lately from the AFA. We have AFA Kindreds being established all over the country, not to mention in Sweden and Australia! Through the efforts of Folkbuilder Cameron Mottus and the colossal generosity of YOU amazing folk, we were able to raise and send much needed relief money to folks suffering in South Africa. Everywhere I look, new AFA babies are being born and AFA ladies and gentlemen are marrying each other, building strong relationships based on shared values and beliefs. Those of you who have been in Asatru for a long time know that this sort of thing was not always the case. The growth of, not only AFA members, but AFA families is a powerful testament to the legitimacy of our church and its bright future.
I want to finish by inviting you to attend AFA Midsummer at Óðinshof in June. Midsummer at the Hof is the biggest AFA event each year and it is a truly special event. If you have not been to our/ your Hof, it is hard to describe how it feels to have a place of our own, something real and permanent. I want to share that feeling with all of you. If you have been to Óðinshof, then you know how special it is and we want to have you back, for Midsummer. This year’s event will be an amazing celebration of our Folk and our Gods and we invite all our AFA family to come on out and be with us.
To all of you who have donated your hard earned money, thank you. To all of you who have donated your precious time, thank you. To those bold folk who have stepped up to become leaders in our AFA, thank you. Together we are a mighty force for our Gods and our Folk.

Hail the Gods!
Hail the Folk!
Hail the AFA!

Matthew D. Flavel
Alsherjargothi
Asatru Folk Assembly
[email protected]

I am writing this morning with the sun shining in on me, gazing out at the beautiful blooms on the trees outside my apartment. Life is good and I am feeling springtastic! Everywhere I look, the AFA is a buzz with activity and vitality. Mandy and I just returned from Washington State where I was honored to speak at the Northwest Forum hosted by Counter Currents. These folks gave us great hospitality and a fantastic event. Mandy and I met some great people and we had the opportunity to introduce a lot of folks to Asatru.
In the AFA, we are about doing, with that in mind, Folkbuilder Cameron Mottus has initiated an effort to raise money for persecuted whites in South Africa. For those of you that may not know, white farmers are being savagely abused and impoverished. This abuse is racially motivated and, because they are sons and daughters of Europe, the victims are being largely ignored by the world. This is a tragedy, but take heart! There are tangible ways that your contributions can help these folk and, so far, the generosity of AFA members towards this has been overwhelming!
Speaking of DOING, the AFA is thriving and growing, now more than ever before, we have big things we want to accomplish, for our Gods, for our church and for our folk. We need your help! The AFA is looking for volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact your local Folkbuilder and they will be happy to get your information to the right people. With your help, we have great things ahead of us.
Hexennacht in the South is right around the corner. I cannot stress this enough, if you can make it…… take the leap and make it happen. These events are so very special and important, they literally change lives. I know that going to national events made all the difference in my life and in my soul. Mandy and I are looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at this years Hexennacht and we would love to see each of you there and share a horns of warm and fellowship.
Last but not least, embrace the spring that surrounds you. Be inspired to get out, emerge from the hibernation of winter. Seize the might of the spring time sun and happen to life rather than life happening to you. This is a great time to be alive and a great time to be a part of the Asatru Folk Assembly.

Hail the Gods!
Hail the Folk!
Hail the AFA!

Matthew D. Flavel
Alsherjargothi
Asatru Folk Assembly
[email protected]