By 
Conversations with the Norse god Odin PART 1: The accident
The snow started out as a light flurry, barely reaching the ground or sticking to the windshield. It was midnight and I was still 5 miles from the 6 freeway that would take me home.
I didn’t like the small, narrow roads that crossed the Pocono Mountains. They were always darker than the main roads because the tree lines on both sides of the road came out to meet you. And this road twisted and turned and went up and down like some kind of writhing snake.
Suddenly the intensity of the snow increased and my windshield wipers were having a hard time keeping the window clear.
I could feel the tension start in my shoulders and then work its way down to my stomach as I twisted and turned down that narrow path in the snow. I often wondered why I found driving in the snow so stressful. When I meditated on this thought, I discovered that it was not the fear of going off the path, or of being hurt or even killed. It was mostly inconvenient, economic and political. Inexpensive because if I broke my 86 Blazer, I didn’t have enough money to repair or replace it. And the policy of dealing with the police and insurance companies. Bahhh!
Suddenly, a doe jumped out in front of me and crossed the road. I instinctively slammed on the brakes and even though I was only going 20mph I went off the road and into the drainage ditch. Luckily I didn’t crash into a tree, nor did I get hurt. I quickly got out of the car to examine my situation. The rear wheels were well into the ditch, which was now filling up with snow.
I got back in the car and tried to get out of the ditch and back on the road. But it was too steep and I couldn’t get any traction. There was no room to maneuver in front, behind, or to the sides. There is no way out without help. So I was stuck for a while.
After a few minutes, I opened the door and went out. It was snowing furiously, but it was not cold. I was bundled up so I leaned against the car and waited.
At first I didn’t believe what my eyes were telling me. About 20 yards away, walking towards me in the middle of a narrow, dark path was…someone.
I closed my eyes, shook my head, and looked again. Yes, he was a man. He was dressed in a long dark blue cloak with a large hood that covered his entire face. In his right hand he carried a large, thick cane.
“It can’t be”, I thought to myself. “I must be dreaming. Am I imagining…”
“Hailsa,” her voice boomed and echoed up and down the road from tree line to tree line. She walked up to me and I could see inside her hood. She had a full beard and long locks of silver hair cascading to her shoulders.
And… yes… He had a black patch over one eye.
“Hailsa Kinsman,” he repeated, and his single ice-blue eye gleamed.
“Hailsa All-Father,” I snapped.
“Oh, you do know who I am,” he smiled. “And well you should. You’ve been working with the runes…for how long?” she asked.
“Twenty years, father of all,” I replied.
“Yes,” he smiled. “And you have been busy restoring the books of your ancestors.”
I nodded.
“Hugin and Munin have told me many favorable stories about you,” he said.
I was speechless.
“So,” he continued, “I felt that as long as I was in this part of Midgard…what’s it called?”
“Pennsylvania.”
“Oh yeah, Pennsylvania,” he smiled. “Beautiful weather we’re having.” She raised her arms in the air. Then he became serious and said, “Now, my son, I am in a hurry. There is a lot to do these days. But I will stay and talk to you for a while. You have studied hard and you have earned it. What is it? Can I tell you that help you with your search and the destiny of your life?”
“That?” I stuttered. “I don’t understand.”
“What are you looking for in all those books you read?”
I thought for a moment before answering. “I want to know the truth about things…”
“Oh, really,” he said. “How true? There aren’t many.”
“The truth about what is happening to my world. Where do I come from? Where am I going? What is good? What is bad?” I hesitated for a moment and continued, “and who are you? Where do you come from?”
“Ha ha ha ha,” he bellowed. “You ask a lot. Remember, I don’t have much time. Heimdal and Loki are waiting for me on the road, so I can’t waste time.”
“Aim…”
“Patience,” he said. “I cannot tell you everything I know. Knowing as much as God knows would destroy your mind. Your heart would burst with the pain of the truth and your breath would leave your body.”
He paused and began again: “I’ll tell you what you need to know. And I’ll know what you need to know by the quality and depth of your questions. Think carefully before you ask. And remember this… you can only know so much truth how are you able to know
“Yaggsdrasil Tree and Mimer’s Well?” I asked referring to how Odin, the All-Father, had been hanging on the tree of life, suffering for nine days in order to learn the truth about the runes. And how he sacrificed one of his eyes in the Well of Mimir to gain more wisdom.
I shook my head in confusion. What had I done to earn the truth? What great sacrifice had he made?
“Oh you have,” Odin interrupted as he read my thoughts. “You may not have made much of a sacrifice as a warrior who dies in battle for something you believe in. But look at the many small battles you have won on a daily basis. The battle of keeping your own individual faith and belief system alive .. in the midst of the chaos of multiplicity and duplicity around you.
Don’t you forget the many battles you have won for the relatives locked up in the many prisons? Many of them are there because they did not want to bend their knees before the God who seeks to make slaves of them. So now they are imprisoned so they can be lazy for their sins against this God.
He paused: “Are you forgetting the time, money, and effort you put into finding, copying, and selling books about your ancestors? Are you forgetting the many verbal battles you fought in defense of your own beliefs? Don’t you this time to feel the osterization of a society that is hostile, even deadly for anyone who dares to think differently from them?
“No, Ragnar Storyteller,” Odin rumbled, “the number and quality of your small individual actions have become a great sacrifice. A great victory. Your persistence, dedication, and solitary pursuit have earned you a reward. Hugin and Munin brought your struggles to my attention and I’ve been watching you.”
He stopped, leaned closer, and the piercing power of his one ice-blue eye reached into my soul. “Choose your questions!”
Just at that moment, the blinding headlights of a car appeared around the curve. But instead of stopping, it continued to roar.
“Wait…!” I yelled in disappointment. They didn’t see my headlights or that I was in a ditch. Somehow he had hidden us from view and the oncoming car never saw us.
Odin smiled. “What is your wish?” he said. “To be rescued and brought home where there is light and warmth? Or would you rather stay here with me, in the snow and wind and cold and seek your destiny?”
“Rescue, comfort, and peace of mind, or mystery, cold, and danger? Choose another car to pull up and I can go and let them find you.”
PART 2: The Questions