A new religious site for Odinists, called the All Faith Religious Grounds, is now open at San Quentin.
Jamie Lindsey said he is a well-known and outspoken spokesman for the Odinists, known by both the prisoners and correctional officers. When Lindsey first arrived at San Quentin in March 2013, there were no religious grounds for him and his fellow kinsmen to hold their blots each month.
He said that he stayed in contact with the chaplain’s officers, associate wardens and anyone else who would listen to him. In December 2015 his persistence finally worked, as he received an All Faith Religious Grounds on the lower yard.
Lindsey said he and his fellow kinsmen could turn this location into what they need. They had to break up concrete to make way for a new fence, get lockers and tables and plant plants to make it a place of worship. On June 21 they celebrated Summer Solstice, feeding more than 50 people. The Odinists practice hospitality whenever possible.
When asked what being an Odinist meant to him, Lindsey replied, “Odinism and Odin are like air, earth, fire and water. You need all to live. Also, I enjoy hanging out and working in the grounds with my fellow kinsmen.”
He hasn’t been able to go to the grounds that he helped to develop as much as he would like to, because of his end-stage liver disease along with other medical problems, he said.
He said he would like to give a special thanks to his fellow kinsmen and especially his daughter Rocsi. “Being part of this has changed me in a positive way,” Lindsey said.