APPENDIX B: FREEHOLD WORKS

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APPENDIX B: FREEHOLD WORKS

1. The Weoh Gild is currently executing the following charitable projects on an ongoing basis:

1.1 Holy Tide Celebrations for Local Communities

1.1.1 It is held true that:
a) hospitality and generosity are among the greatest virtues to the Germanic Heathen;

b) the best way to teach of the ancient and sacred origin of many modern holiday customs is to physically demonstrate, as closely as possible, the total cultural and religious context in which those customs originated by observing the ancient holy days, or holy-tides;
c) those of Germanic, Teutonic and Nordic heritage should be given every opportunity to learn about the religion, history, and culture of their original peoples, and that welcoming them as guests to Freehold events is among the best ways to offer that opportunity;
d) every free person is welcomed as a guest to Freehold events in order to learn about tribal Germanic culture;
e) one real worth of the celebration of the holy-tides lies in the experience of goodwill, fellowship and holy communion that is directly fostered at Freehold events;
f) above all, that our tribal gods and ancestors are pleased and honoured when, after a thousand years of being forsaken, the holy-tides are properly observed once again by communities of modern Germanic folk as they rediscover the elder trow.

1.1.2 Therefore, the Weoh Gild shall not fail to conduct, as feasible, holy rites which are open to one or more local communities in British Columbia on at least three, and if possible more than three, of the commonly held holy-tides, including:

a) Yule, on or about winter solstice, approximately December 21,
b) Fruehjartide, on or about May 1, the anniversary of the Freehold's founding,
c) One other holy day, as feasible, which could include any thing or althing.

1.1.3 Further, the Weoh Gild shall raise the funds through various efforts to pay expenses such as hall rentals, advertising, feast offerings, decorations and other costs incurred to fulfill these purposes.

1.1.4 The poor, who may not be able to donate money or pay admission to attend an event, shall never be barred on account of their poverty.

1.2 Holy Ground

1.2.1 The Weoh Gild shall oversee participating members gilds or shires, engaging in fundraising efforts towards the goal of purchasing one or more parcels of property in the province of British Columbia, and the building of structures upon them, with which and upon which to fulfill the Freehold’s purposes.

1.2.2 The purposes for the property or properties, when acquired, shall be to:

a) establish holy ground, or frithgard, upon which members, public Heathens, and the public in general may peaceably alight to practice the religion or participate in the Freehold’s holy rites and events, thereby reducing the society’s dependence on rental facilities,
b) construct traditional Nordic structures such as long-houses, hofs³⁷ or mead-halls, as feasible, in which for people to gather, worship or practice, and for educational purposes,
c) construct modern facilities, as feasible, in which to house administrative offices, class rooms, libraries, workshops, studios, certified kitchen areas, washroom and shower facilities and dormitories, for use by members and the public while visiting a property,
d) offer to the society and the public facilities for specific cultural projects, including replica Viking ship building for just one example, which meet the approval of the Witan, thing or althing,
e) designate a segment or parcel of land, as feasible, as a sacred forest in the tradition of the ancestors, establish a perpetual covenant to preserve the land and its natural ecosystems, and reestablish the tradition of Irminsul, the living World Tree³⁸,
f) establish permitted places of business, run by the society and participating gilds, with which the society can raise funds to fulfill its charitable purposes,
g) establish a certified vinery in which to ritually produce honey mead or other wines or traditional ales used by adults as holy sacrament during select Freehold rites including blot, husel or symble,
h) establish a sustainable working forest segment or parcel appropriate for the ritual extraction of small amounts of lumber for Freehold building projects such as hall construction, Maypoles, craft-poles, shipbuilding projects, firewood for sacred bonfires, and so on,
i) establish a perpetual covenant on a segment or parcel of land, as feasible and permitted, to become Canada’s first Heathen graveyard and, if possible, mausoleum, and moreover:

i) any such graveyard shall be overseen by the Weoh Gild, which may sell plots to members and the public at or below market cost, but shall at any rate always endeavour to make burial or internment feasible for low income families who may wish to finally rest there.

1.3 Institutional Ministry

1.3.1 It is held true that:

a) Canadian government and common law owe their ultimate origin to the tribal law of ancient heathen Anglo-Saxons, and other Germanic tribes, and can therefore be considered, at least in part, a Heathen cultural survival;
b) Modern Heathens in institutional settings should be afforded the same rights and privileges that adherents to other religions enjoy under the common law in regards to religious freedoms and access to pastoral or counseling services.

1.3.1 Therefore, it is resolved that the Weoh Gild shall:

a) offer Heathen pastoral ministry services, as deemed appropriate, to Heathens in institutional settings in British Columbia, including hospitals, schools, jails, and the military,
b) liaison with other Heathen organizations, if any, in Canada, in order to develop national guidelines for Heathen institutional ministry in each of these areas,
c) liaison with and consult other organizations or government agencies directly concerned with institutional ministry in general.