Last year, I finished reading “The Witegungseld Spá and Oracular Seidr Manual” by Swain Wodenung, and I found it to be worthy of my attention, even though it could raise some questions and be seen as controversial.
I’ll be honest; it was the first book on which pages I found information about Spá as an independent kind of Norse magic or, more precisely, as a separate type of magic, more akin to shamanism or being an Oracle, distinct from Seidr which is more like witchcraft. The word Spá has a similar origin to the word “spying”, and basically means “having visions, spying for visions” . So, it is about visions, trance and working with spirits.
As it appears people usually mix both paths up. Nonetheless, they are often used together, because the witch stereotypically should be a Seer (this is reiterated in Eddas and Sagas). But the Seer will not always identify themselves as witch, so since that moment, the situation becomes quite complicated 😉
What I really liked is that the author seems to have dived deeply into historical sources, sagas, and other texts (for instance Vardlokkur song from Erik the Red ) and made a manual out of that. It’s definitely great and fascinating reconstruction work. Nonetheless, he uses some modern terms and techniques like alpha-waves to fill in the gaps.
Another thing I was pleased to find is the emphasis placed on the importance of relaxation and protection before rushing into traveling the words and speaking with spirits, in other words, before getting entranced. Additionally, there are several descriptions of fire healing, fire cleansing, fire blessing, and fire protection which we can use not only in Spá, but in every possible form of Norse magic before the beginning of action itself. These also can be used in fire magic (after several modifications). I also learned about Halsung – invitation of gods or spirits, which Swain Wodenung believes Norse shamans did instead of journeying, and this is probably the point of controversy.
Of course, many can argue about the essence of Norse shamanism, that it is also about traveling the worlds, not just inviting spirits (Yggdrasil, Odin visiting dead Volva, finally the worlds themselves – The Nine words remind of other shamanic worldviews from other cultures, where astral travel is a required practice), whereas others can compare it with Western Ceremonial magic, where the spirits are summoned by the practitioner. Nonetheless, if we leave that aside, the book, quotes, and the techniques represented on its pages are worth taking a look at 🙂
It’s also quite short and really easy to follow.
4 out of 5
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