THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  BELIEVERS  OF  THE  UKRAINIAN  NATIVE  FAITH

For the first time the idea of revival of the native faith of the Ukrainians was expressed in 1934 by professor of the Lviv University Volodymyr Shayan, who created the organization «The Knightly Order of the Sun God». He initiated the scientific study and reconstruction of spiritual system of the Slavs and in particular the Ukrainians. His concept is described in the book «The Faith of Our Ancestors» (published after his death in 1987). Forced christianization of Rus in 988  interrupted the tradition of native faith of our glorious Ancestors, but failed to destroy it completely.

It has lasted for thousand years in the hidden forms in parallel with the official Christianity. So now we have enough scientific opportunities to revive it.

World War II prevented from the development of this idea. In the soviet times the works by Volodymyr Shayan were banned. Only after leaving the USSR in the early 90-s the activities of V. Shayan became known to the public in Ukraine. The first Ukrainian community of Pagans entitled «Pravoslavya» (glorified the «Prav», that is the World of  Gods) was founded in Kyiv in 1993. In 1995 there were already ten small communities that formed the religious confession «The Association of the Believers of the Ukrainian Native Faith» — ORU (Ukr. — «Obyednannya Ridnoviriv Ukrainy»). Today ORU, headed by Doctor of Sciences (Philosophy), professor Halyna Lozko, consecrated under the name of Volkhvynia Zoreslava (Volkhvynia is the high priest), includes 30 local communities which operate in different regions of Ukraine.

The Religious center of the Association of the Believers of the Ukrainian Native Faith has been officially recognized by the state and registered by the State Committee for Religious Affairs. In the Statute of  ORU it was said that the confession is the Ukrainian religious organization, which continues the autochthonous tradition of ethnic religion of Kyivan Rus, and hence it is its heir and successor.

In 1998 Halyna Lozko represented Ukraine at the First congress of WCER (World Congress of Ethnic Religions) that was held in Vilnius (Lithuania). Now confession of ORU is a member of ECER (European Congress of Ethnic Religions). The Religious center of  ORU annually publishes the magazine «Svaroh», the calendar of holidays «Svaroh’s Circle», prayer books, dictionaries of pagan’s names and other books that present the doctrine of the native faith.

Since 1995 The School of the Ukrainian Native Faith has been operating in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, for learning the basics of world view and native theology by those who want to know the national spiritual path. In 2002 it was created The Ukrainian Spiritual Academy of Pagans to educate the pagan priests.

Considering that the temples of native faith were destroyed by the state at the ancient times, the restoration of historical justice should be based on a legal provision of premises and returning the Pagans old stamping grounds for the construction of the Temple of native Gods, but it does not take place yet. There still exists religious discrimination for the Pagans.

In 2003 for the first time the international Slavonic forum «Generic Slavonic council» was held in Kyiv. Since that time it has held its annual congresses in various Slavic countries according to the Olympic principle. The Statute and Strategic Program of the development of the Slavonic native faith  have been elaborated.

Official website of ORU online: www.oru.org.ua