These are uncertain times the world over. Every time we switch on the news, we are confronted with the horrors of war, death, disaster, and fear. Much of what we see is perpetrated by humans against other humans. Couple that with the impact of personal adversity and it is clear to see how walking a darker path can happen.

And life can be a grind. When Sunne rises behind deep, dark grey clouds, I cannot feel her warmth. I cannot see her light. Yet I know She is there, regardless. When the rain lashes the ground around me, my eyes are naturally downcast, unable to look up, unable to take in much more than the immediate vicinity around me as I fight an urge to run for cover.

Life is a little like that right now. We are all fighting an urge to run for cover from the chaos that is seemingly enveloping us from all directions. Whether you follow politics or you don’t. Whether you support one political party or another, we are all on this planet together. We are all born of Nerþum, and to her deadly embrace many of us shall return. Between those events, we must do our best to make our time count.

And so we seek to make sense of it. We try to reconcile with it. We look for damage limitation, and we try to look after ourselves and our nearest and dearest. But in the face of so much pain, fear and uncertainty, how do we keep faith? How do we hold on to that flame within?

Whatever your personal religious or spiritual beliefs, now more than ever we need to focus on building sustainable communities where we all contribute in making things better for ourselves and our neighbours. Whether that is volunteering, litter-picking, watch-schemes or almost anything else, now is the time to lead by example.

Faith is a flame fed by action. Thought alone is not enough to keep it burning. In Fyrnsidu, we do this through ritual and we commit ourselves to making meaningful offerings as we contribute to the gifting cycle. Whilst this is often thought of in terms of the gods and the ancestors, this is really also something we can do in our communities in a non-ritualised fashion. The results, however, can be more heartfelt, more obvious, and more immediate. Gratitude to and from your fellow person is just as important as the gratitude you show to the numinous and your ancestors.

So set yourself the task of gathering your thoughts and collecting your components. Every fire starts with a spark but most of us have that fire already burning deep within, we just need to feed it with what really matters to us and to our communities in order to start making a positive difference. I cannot help but feel that some of the chaos and disorder of modern times is potentially linked to the misguided attempts by some to draw the attention of chaotic entities to the actions and machinations of humankind here on Middangeard. Those of us who hold true to our faith in the power of good and stability have a duty to fight for it.

Let us not be found wanting in humankind’s hour of need.