Post by thorgrim on Sept 8, 2011 17:55:01 GMT -6
My Seidr
Seidr as I know and practice it, is a very useful, multi-faceted, practical, and effective technique. It is nothing if not the premiere form of traditional Germanic witchcraft. It has many and varied applications, ranging from healing the elf shot, to Odian Wolf Wizardry. Often thought of as feminine, and unmanly during viking times. I do not feel the same way, even though Odin himself was ridiculed by his blood brother Loki for practicing this "ergi" art. This attitude was due to the deceptive nature of seidr in a society where men were suposed to act in a forthright manner, and tell another to their face if they had a problem with them. Being known as the king of passive aggressive in my circles, seidr is right up my alley, "ergi"?, whatever. So it was frowned upon for a manly man to go forth in the hide of another creature to handle their business however they may.
Odin was taught this art by Freya, and as an Odian as well as a libertine Thelemite, I myself have no problem learning something considered to be a womens practice ( today in the U.S.A. yoga is largely the domain of women, I practice it, and if brought up around too much testosterone, will endure insulting comments). I seek primarily to do two things as I live this life, the first is to seek my true will, and the other is to emulate Odin in his quest for wisdom. The two complement each other nicely for me. Seidr etymologicaly has connotations suggesting some sort of shaking or swaying as explored in the great work titled Seidways by Jan Fries. There may well be or have been such approaches, however I find it not to be nesseccary to do so in order to achieve the trance and perform the work as such. Seidways and other works are neither exhaustive nor diffinitive on this matter as seidr is a practice largly lost to time. We will never know the details of how it was actually performed as "tru" seid from start to finish. There are limited sources to draw from, mostly being the saga's. So for the most part we are left with reconstructions, some good, some bad. As long as it can do what seid is suposed to do, that is fine by me. The reconstructionists of today are able to get alot of the basics that are cross cultural foundations from the still living shamanic traditions of South America, Africa, and Austrailia. The primary aspect of the art is to achieve a trance state whereby one may leave the lich (physical body) in order to carry their conciousness to another location. Anywhere can one's spirit go in the seidr trance, from a short distance such as the next room, to many miles away. Shape shifting has always been a part of it as well, tales of operators taking the form of a mouse, wolf, or even a whale are all part of it's rich mythological history. This form of magick, being a type of astral work, can be used in addition to any other spellwork, to really bolster the odds of success. I like to work many angles when I do sorcery, as I dont just do it for any old reason anymore like I used to in the old days. Nowadays it takes something of great importance to motivate me to the circle. However, when I do, I want to spend my time wisely and really knock it through a loop! So I will pull out all the stops in my MMA (mixed magickal arts), and that last stop is usually a seid session. Even after a big working, I will lay a circle and banish to do a session for several nights on end sometimes, just replaying the same events, taking the wolf along the same path, to the same chicken coop, to rend the same deserving fools into chicken nuggets! Engraving even deeper into the aether my will. It can be very powerful in it's own right as a stand alone operation, and I can personally testify to it's success rate being impressive to say the least.
I will here do my best to explain how I perform my seidr. Trance is of course the key, and there are several ways to attain it. Some like drumming or dancing. I personally use a combination of stimuli starting with chemognosis. In the book of the law it states 2:22 "To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof I will tell my prophet, & be drunk thereof!", and I do. I like to use chemicals to unlock the doors of perception, but only in ritual context. I must state here my dissapproval of consistent recreational use of drugs and alcohol. There is nothing at all mystical about a drunk or a stoner. Not only that, the chemicals will lose their ability to do what it is you need them to if you become too accustomed to their effects. Also, with the inhibitions lowered you will be at ease and not hold anything back when performing ritual. The dancing for me never goes much beyond a bit of rythmic swaying, but each unto their own. As for drumming, I in my modern workspace make use of a 200 watt stereo system where the grinding, dark, yet melodic rhythm of black metal music helps take me over as I chant and galdr the appropriate runes which may vary from working to working but always Algiz, as it is the fylgia rune, the one that carries us and our wills to the other worlds. So I have consumed a bit of booze or whatever else, as I feel a nice mild buzz (never go too much), I will assume a comfortable asana. I like to seid from the death posture, or the god position seeing as how my sessions seem to take a long time, I get alot of aches and pains in some of the more physically advanced asana. The drugs will help with these pains as well, we need as few distractions as possible. Now with the music going, not too loud mind you, with only my lamps of art, and incense (abremelin), I am galdring my runes. Now when I feel the time is right I will try to leave my flesh. With the utmost concentration I will attempt to become aware of my body of light, by closing my eyes and without moving the lich, raise my hand in front of my eyes. As you do this examine your hand very closely, try to see every change in the coloration of the hand, every crease, every vein, every detail. Turn your hand front to back, now move your arm around doing the same. Keep doing a little more and a little more until you can stand, walk around the room and see yourself with perfect clarity, practice fluidity by performing any task you might think of. Once this can be accomplished with relative ease, you must undertake the much more difficult task of transferring your conciousness into the astral self. Move the seat of your consciousness into the other body, see with it's eyes, smell with it's nose, feel with its skin. This is usually the big obstacle to overcome for most. However, once proficient, you may attempt the actions mentioned earlier, starting with a rudimentary functions check of all the basic movements of ones body. Then establish movement of the limbs, and once your confidence has grown sufficiently, let your body rise! Yes, rise through the very roof and out of doors, let yourself master the movements of flight! With this new ability many opportunities await you, you may travel freely throughout the nine worlds and knowing these worlds as well as you do, you know that different types of work are most effective on their corresponding world, be aware that no matter what world you perform a deed or ritual action, the results are felt throughout the nine!! Hence the saying "as above, so below" this serves to remind us that these acts ripple across the web of wyrd, though not always a mirror reflection, they do indeed make an impact. Personally, my work is usually performed here on midgard, albeit the invisible spirit paths of this world, where I duely tread inducing panicked dread, for the deserving prey. So you can create an astral self, you can transfer concsiousness into that self, you have mastered movement of that body and even the art of flight!! Now lets talk about a very popular subject in this practice, one that goes back to earliest man, that of shapeshifting. There are many stories told in folklore, and fairytales of witches and wizards going forth in the form of various animals to spy and perform nefarious deeds. These tales have served to villify both witches and the magickal arts in general. While seidr can be used for purely selfless tasks, it is probably more common to use these techniques for personal gain and revenge. We all have a "spirit animal" if you will, an animal helper, or ally spirit that has either been chosen by us because we relate to that craeature on some level, or it has been revealed to us by a pathworking of some sort, where the animal choses us. I use the wolf, the wolf is my animal of choice for many reasons. I chose the wolf mostly for what it represents to me on a spiritual level. My seid therefore involves me, after the transference of conciousness into my body of light, the transformation of myself into a monstrous half man, half wolf horror, right out of a hollywood werewolf film( think dog soldiers)! Having assumed my chosen form, I will go forth to hunt my prey, (the poor bastard that pissed me off) by seeing the road with perfect recollection all the way down to each street sign until I see their home. I then carefully stalk the house, peering into each window searching for my target. Should he be lying on the couch watching the television, I will enter the home, quietly creeping up behind the back side of said couch. Erecting my spine, standing on my hind legs, towering over my prey, looking down upon him with my insatiable hunger raging in my eyes, I wait for him to look up and relish the split second of nightmarish fear expressed on his face. Frozen by fear, unable to scream, I rend him into pieces, consuming the majority before his heart stops beating. I have performed this very session upon a deserving candidate, and the act echoed across the web. My work manifested in the persons becoming very disturbed spiritually, and emotionally. I would have paid good money to have been able to see what they dreamed that night, though I think I have a pretty good idea.
Seidr as I know and practice it, is a very useful, multi-faceted, practical, and effective technique. It is nothing if not the premiere form of traditional Germanic witchcraft. It has many and varied applications, ranging from healing the elf shot, to Odian Wolf Wizardry. Often thought of as feminine, and unmanly during viking times. I do not feel the same way, even though Odin himself was ridiculed by his blood brother Loki for practicing this "ergi" art. This attitude was due to the deceptive nature of seidr in a society where men were suposed to act in a forthright manner, and tell another to their face if they had a problem with them. Being known as the king of passive aggressive in my circles, seidr is right up my alley, "ergi"?, whatever. So it was frowned upon for a manly man to go forth in the hide of another creature to handle their business however they may.
Odin was taught this art by Freya, and as an Odian as well as a libertine Thelemite, I myself have no problem learning something considered to be a womens practice ( today in the U.S.A. yoga is largely the domain of women, I practice it, and if brought up around too much testosterone, will endure insulting comments). I seek primarily to do two things as I live this life, the first is to seek my true will, and the other is to emulate Odin in his quest for wisdom. The two complement each other nicely for me. Seidr etymologicaly has connotations suggesting some sort of shaking or swaying as explored in the great work titled Seidways by Jan Fries. There may well be or have been such approaches, however I find it not to be nesseccary to do so in order to achieve the trance and perform the work as such. Seidways and other works are neither exhaustive nor diffinitive on this matter as seidr is a practice largly lost to time. We will never know the details of how it was actually performed as "tru" seid from start to finish. There are limited sources to draw from, mostly being the saga's. So for the most part we are left with reconstructions, some good, some bad. As long as it can do what seid is suposed to do, that is fine by me. The reconstructionists of today are able to get alot of the basics that are cross cultural foundations from the still living shamanic traditions of South America, Africa, and Austrailia. The primary aspect of the art is to achieve a trance state whereby one may leave the lich (physical body) in order to carry their conciousness to another location. Anywhere can one's spirit go in the seidr trance, from a short distance such as the next room, to many miles away. Shape shifting has always been a part of it as well, tales of operators taking the form of a mouse, wolf, or even a whale are all part of it's rich mythological history. This form of magick, being a type of astral work, can be used in addition to any other spellwork, to really bolster the odds of success. I like to work many angles when I do sorcery, as I dont just do it for any old reason anymore like I used to in the old days. Nowadays it takes something of great importance to motivate me to the circle. However, when I do, I want to spend my time wisely and really knock it through a loop! So I will pull out all the stops in my MMA (mixed magickal arts), and that last stop is usually a seid session. Even after a big working, I will lay a circle and banish to do a session for several nights on end sometimes, just replaying the same events, taking the wolf along the same path, to the same chicken coop, to rend the same deserving fools into chicken nuggets! Engraving even deeper into the aether my will. It can be very powerful in it's own right as a stand alone operation, and I can personally testify to it's success rate being impressive to say the least.
I will here do my best to explain how I perform my seidr. Trance is of course the key, and there are several ways to attain it. Some like drumming or dancing. I personally use a combination of stimuli starting with chemognosis. In the book of the law it states 2:22 "To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof I will tell my prophet, & be drunk thereof!", and I do. I like to use chemicals to unlock the doors of perception, but only in ritual context. I must state here my dissapproval of consistent recreational use of drugs and alcohol. There is nothing at all mystical about a drunk or a stoner. Not only that, the chemicals will lose their ability to do what it is you need them to if you become too accustomed to their effects. Also, with the inhibitions lowered you will be at ease and not hold anything back when performing ritual. The dancing for me never goes much beyond a bit of rythmic swaying, but each unto their own. As for drumming, I in my modern workspace make use of a 200 watt stereo system where the grinding, dark, yet melodic rhythm of black metal music helps take me over as I chant and galdr the appropriate runes which may vary from working to working but always Algiz, as it is the fylgia rune, the one that carries us and our wills to the other worlds. So I have consumed a bit of booze or whatever else, as I feel a nice mild buzz (never go too much), I will assume a comfortable asana. I like to seid from the death posture, or the god position seeing as how my sessions seem to take a long time, I get alot of aches and pains in some of the more physically advanced asana. The drugs will help with these pains as well, we need as few distractions as possible. Now with the music going, not too loud mind you, with only my lamps of art, and incense (abremelin), I am galdring my runes. Now when I feel the time is right I will try to leave my flesh. With the utmost concentration I will attempt to become aware of my body of light, by closing my eyes and without moving the lich, raise my hand in front of my eyes. As you do this examine your hand very closely, try to see every change in the coloration of the hand, every crease, every vein, every detail. Turn your hand front to back, now move your arm around doing the same. Keep doing a little more and a little more until you can stand, walk around the room and see yourself with perfect clarity, practice fluidity by performing any task you might think of. Once this can be accomplished with relative ease, you must undertake the much more difficult task of transferring your conciousness into the astral self. Move the seat of your consciousness into the other body, see with it's eyes, smell with it's nose, feel with its skin. This is usually the big obstacle to overcome for most. However, once proficient, you may attempt the actions mentioned earlier, starting with a rudimentary functions check of all the basic movements of ones body. Then establish movement of the limbs, and once your confidence has grown sufficiently, let your body rise! Yes, rise through the very roof and out of doors, let yourself master the movements of flight! With this new ability many opportunities await you, you may travel freely throughout the nine worlds and knowing these worlds as well as you do, you know that different types of work are most effective on their corresponding world, be aware that no matter what world you perform a deed or ritual action, the results are felt throughout the nine!! Hence the saying "as above, so below" this serves to remind us that these acts ripple across the web of wyrd, though not always a mirror reflection, they do indeed make an impact. Personally, my work is usually performed here on midgard, albeit the invisible spirit paths of this world, where I duely tread inducing panicked dread, for the deserving prey. So you can create an astral self, you can transfer concsiousness into that self, you have mastered movement of that body and even the art of flight!! Now lets talk about a very popular subject in this practice, one that goes back to earliest man, that of shapeshifting. There are many stories told in folklore, and fairytales of witches and wizards going forth in the form of various animals to spy and perform nefarious deeds. These tales have served to villify both witches and the magickal arts in general. While seidr can be used for purely selfless tasks, it is probably more common to use these techniques for personal gain and revenge. We all have a "spirit animal" if you will, an animal helper, or ally spirit that has either been chosen by us because we relate to that craeature on some level, or it has been revealed to us by a pathworking of some sort, where the animal choses us. I use the wolf, the wolf is my animal of choice for many reasons. I chose the wolf mostly for what it represents to me on a spiritual level. My seid therefore involves me, after the transference of conciousness into my body of light, the transformation of myself into a monstrous half man, half wolf horror, right out of a hollywood werewolf film( think dog soldiers)! Having assumed my chosen form, I will go forth to hunt my prey, (the poor bastard that pissed me off) by seeing the road with perfect recollection all the way down to each street sign until I see their home. I then carefully stalk the house, peering into each window searching for my target. Should he be lying on the couch watching the television, I will enter the home, quietly creeping up behind the back side of said couch. Erecting my spine, standing on my hind legs, towering over my prey, looking down upon him with my insatiable hunger raging in my eyes, I wait for him to look up and relish the split second of nightmarish fear expressed on his face. Frozen by fear, unable to scream, I rend him into pieces, consuming the majority before his heart stops beating. I have performed this very session upon a deserving candidate, and the act echoed across the web. My work manifested in the persons becoming very disturbed spiritually, and emotionally. I would have paid good money to have been able to see what they dreamed that night, though I think I have a pretty good idea.