The Need for Applying Ásatrú

The spiritual fulfillment of Ásatrú is only partially obtained through the study of the ancient Germanic cultures and myths, and the rituals, be it through Kindred or solitarily. To walk the path of the Ásatrúar is to live life based on it's most basic principles. These principles vary from organization-to-organization, but are basically similar.
The Ásatrúar should contemplate what is learned through the history of our ancestors. The values of those earlier peoples are the core values of the Ásatrú movement, but they are not codified by an organization; they are codified by the self. Kinship is indeed an important trait of the Ásatrú community, but not before the understanding of the self. The understanding of the self and the application of those thews, or values, within our lives, is living as Ásatrúar, and thereby completing the spiritual fulfillment our religion offers. By living as Heathens, we will build stronger Kinship, and the Kindred will only grow stronger.
However, it appears to be a common misnomer that living Heathen means living as though we were members of another era. This is a mistake and a setup for failure within society. Respecting the ways of the ancestors, such as their struggle to survive the wild, farm crops, and deal with harsh winters, is certainly something worth doing, but not worth replacing the reality of where it is you reside.

The thews we tend to honor today are based on the behaviors of yesterday. The writings we study and learn from have provided our people with a philosophical scope to work with in a structured form. Our ancestors did not have access to books and education, at least, not as they exist in most of the world today, and thought provocation was instilled in the people through myths; stories that would use the imagination to help develop a sense of moral awareness. These days the myths are still our groundwork, but they are but the roots of a blossoming tre; one that we as Ásatrúar must cultivate. Not through ritualistic aspects alone, but through philosophical understanding and application, ourselves becoming like those heroic ancestors and the gods and goddesses we cherish.