The Northern Way is another name or expression for the way of the peoples of old Europe, as depicted in the writings of the Stoics, the Icelandic sagas, Norse Eddas, German lore, the songs and tales of the British Isles and in many, many other sources. These expressions live on in the hearts and souls of those awakened to the Northern Way.
Others have expressed the fundamentals of this worldview; here is another way of understanding and applying them in your life:
- Affirm life and the world. This involves saying “Yes!” to life and to this world. This is the life and the world that are known and certain. None of us knows what awaits beyond this life, so let’s get on with living nobly and cheerfully in this life. Enjoy it to the fullest. Experience obstacles as positive challenges to overcome. Soak in the experience of life. Build friendships. Learn new things. Develop a special skill. Receive and give freely.
- Pursue beauty and excellence. As this is the life and world that are known and certain, spend the days and years you have maintaining and creating beauty and excellence. Pursue them in your physical, emotional and spiritual life. Create beauty in your surroundings, through excellent work and through cultivating an art and style. Do not settle for mediocrity and utilitarian ends. This leads to the decay and ugliness that has overtaken our modern world today.
- Cultivate the health of self, kin and home. Health is the first wealth. Take care of your physical, emotional and spiritual self through physical fitness, proper diet, adequate sleep and adhering to the worldview of your ancestors, who affirmed this life and this world and did not condemn or issue fundamental complaints against life. Find strength, solace and power in your family and extended kin. They share with you a great and timeless heritage that will give you strength to overcome difficulties. You and your family must have a secure and healthy nation and cultural heritage. Take care of it, honor it often, and protect it.
- Forge an ethic of honor and overcoming. Your honor is your greatest virtue. Sacrifice it for nothing. Sin is not your greatest fear but rather shame. Be honest, courageous, loyal, industrious, and strive for beauty and excellence in the big and small things. The greatest sign of your honor is your indominable will to overcome all obstacles and disappointments that you face in life and in this world without complaint. The heroic life is the honorable life.