The 2nd World Congress of Etnic Religions was held from the 16th to the 19th August 1999 in Telsiai, Lithuania.
Telsiai is situated in the province of Samogitia, in Western Lithuania.
Samogitia was, for several centuries, at the frontline of resistance against the Christian crusaders (the Teutonic knights).
The conference itself took place in a house in the outskirt of the city, built and decorated in traditional Lithuanian style by its owner, Adolfas Gedvilas.
A sacred fire has been maintained in the house since 1994.
You may visit the Manor of King Ringaudas website to learn more about this wondeful location.
At the end of the first day, participants took part in a fire ritual situated a ceremony on the nearby Satrija Hill.
The ceremony was organised by Romuva, with active participation of the Greek representatives.
The meetings took place in the main hall, and ended with a dance evening offered by the local traditional music ensemble.
The next day, participant were invited to a excursion to the nearby city of Klaipeda and the Baltic coast.
Can they be found sitting somewher on thrones or perhaps in the thrones of physical embrace with one of us mere but lucky mortals? Perhaps sometimes is the answer. But whatever they are, they belong in part if not in essence to the supernatural, the preternatural or the superempirical. In other words, the vector of possibility allows them to manifest to us but not for us to access them in any direct or demonstrable manner. The nonempirical is simply beyond the natural world which we can approach, measure and test through science. This is not to say that it simply does not exist but that it exists differently. If this were not so, it would not be the magical otherworld that it is. Continue reading Do the Gods Exist? by Michael York→
The Akha tribe lives in the North of Tailand. Up to now, the people of Akha have preserved their unique ethnic culture and faith. They are now feeling great pressure from Christian missionaires. The people of Akha are constantly under the threat of disappearance. Mathew McDaniel lives with them and tries to help them. He also keeps the members of WCER informed about the news and events affecting the Akha people through the internet. The information we get demonstrates the actual tragedy created by the disturbance of a living traditional culture. Here is one of his latest reports. Continue reading The Akha People a report by Matthew McDaniel→
There are problematic aspects of the current position of Shinto in Japanese life. My Shinto-priest friend Mitsugi Ochiai educated me on a number of these matters, and much of what I say here is based on our conversations.
One year after we gathered in Vilnius, we are now together in Telsiai. One year of experience, one year of searching, of comparing ideas, one year of – sometimes heavy – discussions, one year of friendship, one year of efforts to see how we could collaborate. Some persons have worked very hard to realise a dream that many of us have. Continue reading A speech by Koenraad Logghe given at the 2nd Conference of WCER, August 11, 1999→
I was born in Iceland, in 1940. /…/ By the time I was seventeen, I was speculating on Asatro, or I decided when I was seventeen that I was Asatrua. This had just haunted me all my life. I just wanted to be Asatrua. I haven’t the fainted idea why, because both my parents, my grandparents and my great-grandmother – they all looked at themselves as Christians. Continue reading Interview with Jormundur Ingi by Denis Dornoy March 7, 1999, Antwerpen, Belgium→
