Have you heard the Silent One?
The Seventh Conversation
Younger: I've heard some members of my group talking about magic and mysticism. In the modern world, I don't know what to do with that. Is that real?
Elder: You may need to define those words better.
Younger: Which words? Magic? Mysticism?
Elder: Yes, and real.
Younger: Okay, you obviously are trying to be clever. What do you have to share?
Elder: We've discussed the Gods and how people see Them. To some people, the Gods are just human-generated personifications of concepts. To those same people, magical practices are simply a way to help one's mind focus more on success and confidence. At the other extreme, folks see the Gods as regular entities that walk among us and also see magic as a way to manipulate the structure of the Nine Worlds.
Younger: So it is real, just open to interpretation.
Elder: Like most things.
Younger: It sounds like everyone treats magic as real whether they believe in it or not.
Elder: Maybe not everyone, but it is common enough.
Younger: So, what do I need to know about magic as a gothi?
Elder: Everything is of the Wyrd. The Wyrd is of everything. You are of the Wyrd. The Wyrd is of you.
Younger: That sounds like something someone would say in a fantasy movie or something.
Elder: The writers of those movies get their ideas somewhere. This is a concept that is common in many cultures, though the expression of the concept may vary. The Taoists believe in the Tao, the universal life force that ebbs and flows through all things and from which all things are made. Others seek to become one with the universal energy. Even the physicists have gotten pretty close to some strange level of reality from which matter and energy appear. It's just the way of things. In our religion, we call it the Wyrd.
Younger: So how does this help with magic?
Elder: If everything is connected through the Wyrd, and you are part of the Wyrd, then you are connected to everything. If you can exert your energy better than all of the other forces exerting themselves, then you should be able to make the desired change.
Younger: I've never felt any kind of connection like that. How am I supposed to interact with the Wyrd if I can't see or feel it?
Elder: Have you ever had a strange feeling that you should or should not do something, for apparently no reason at all, and then found that the feeling was right? Have you ever found yourself knowing something that you shouldn't have been able to know? You are connected to the Wyrd whether your conscious mind recognizes it or not. You don't need to find the Wyrd; you need to become aware of how you are already connected.
Younger: That sounds like meditation. I have to go inside and get to know myself better.
Elder: Exactly.
Younger: Will the Runes help?
Elder: They can. The Runes represent vibrations in Wyrd. Like with soundwaves, the different frequencies and wave forms produce different sounds, each with its own characteristic. The vibrations on the Wyrd are like that in some respects. If you can see which Runes harmonize with the current state of things, you can determine the more dominant vibrations. Of course, there are always lots of smaller waves flowing through.
Younger: So the Runes will help me understand the Wyrd better.
Elder: Yes, and help you understand the state of your world better.
Younger: When we talked about Runes before, you said some people use them to do magic. Is that related?
Elder: If you can see the vibrations as Runes, and the vibrations represent the state of the Wyrd at that time, you should be able to do the reverse. By applying Runes correctly, one should be able to cause vibrations in the Wyrd. Since everything in the Nine Worlds is defined by the state of the Wyrd, those new vibrations should manifest.
Younger: Then why don't Rune users just change whatever they want in the Worlds? Shouldn't they be able to magically turn bad things into good or something?
Elder: Imagine an orchestra and all of the sound waves they make. One musician can alter how they play and it will change the overall state of the performance, but they must still compete with all of the other instruments. To have a real effect, they must perform with greater energy than the combined sound of the rest. Likewise, a Rune user can only cause as much of a change as their power can produce in the face of all the other beings in the universe. With enough skill and power, they may make major changes, but few attain the level of mastery.
Younger: That makes sense. But if the likelihood of getting a real result is so small, why would anybody try?
Elder: That depends on what you mean by getting a real result. If you want to topple a mountain purely through skill with Runes, you would need far more skill and will power than you are likely to find in the Children of Ash and Elm. If you are hoping to increase the overall wholesomeness of your household, then repeated efforts during your lifetime are likely to have a cumulative effect. Take, as an example, the practitioners of Wort Craft, who use herbs for magic and other things. They typically have no grandiose plans for world domination with their gardens. They do make things a little better for those in their community, including any animals living there.
Younger: So it's more of the everyday magic that most people are after.
Elder: That is correct. You combine the magic with the mundane things you are doing. For example, there is nothing wrong with prosperity magic. However, it works much better in conjunction with budget planning and fiscal responsibility. The same with health magic; add diet and exercise to help bolster the results.
Younger: I saw something online about seid, and you've mentioned it before. Is that a kind of magic?
Elder: You could say that. The practitioner goes under the hood, by which I mean they sit in a place and cover their heads with a hood or something similar to block out any distractions. Then, they go into a trance where the other of their nine parts help them visit the other Worlds by traveling the Wyrd. Often a helper will sit beside them to ask questions and record the responses.
Younger: What kinds of things do they see?
Elder: It can vary widely. In most cases, the part that speaks is the conscious mind but it is only being used as a communication device for the parts that travel. As such, the descriptions are only that. Sometimes just colors, shapes, possibly smells. Sometimes there are entities of various types, which may be good or bad.
Younger: It doesn't sound very controlled.
Elder: It is controlled by the flow of the Wyrd. The practitioner does have some control. As Joseph Campbell said in his Masks of God: Creative Mythology, "the shaman swims where the madman drowns". Maintaining some control is essential.
Younger: Isn't there a way to travel more deliberately?
Elder: Of course. Many similar practices take advantage of mediation to join your various parts so that the conscious mind knows what the other parts are experiencing better. Those parts that can travel can then do so while keeping in contact with the rest of you. The stronger you become at this, the more control you will have.
Younger: Where do people go when they do this?
Elder: Hypothetically, one could travel anywhere in the Nine Worlds. However, one would be visiting areas inhabited by others and would have to deal with the locals in those places. For example, one would not want to visit the fire ettins casually.
Younger: Are there any places that you would put on a "must see" list? You know, things that would definitely be worth visiting?
Elder: You could visit the Well of the Wyrd. It is at the base of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and its waters are used by the Norns to keep Yggdrasil healthy. It is said that drinking of the Well gives one great understanding of the Wyrd and the NineWorlds. Just be aware, drinking from the Well carries a price, so you may want to think about what you would be willing to give up to gain that knowledge.
Younger: It sounds like it will take me some time to build up those skills. What else can I do to start working with the Wyrd?
Elder: One of the main things is to be aware of your surroundings. You and the World you live in are all part of the Wyrd. The Wyrd manifests itself in everything around you. Look for subtle signs in all the things. Look for Runes occurring naturally. Be nice to the animals around you; they may tell you things.
Younger: Talking animals?
Elder: Possibly. Animals tend to communicate in their own ways. If you pay attention all the time, you will get to understand them to some extent. More importantly, you will know when they think something is wrong. If it's wrong for them, it may be wrong for you.
Younger: Like when rats desert a ship?
Elder: Exactly. If you see animals leaving an area at an odd time, not their normal migration, it is often a sign that the place has become unwholesome. If it is bad for them, it is possibly bad for the people there too. Of course, sometimes the things the animals are avoiding are the people.
Younger: A couple of times you've mentioned power. Is this like magic powers or something?
Elder: Not specifically. Many believe each of us has a reserve of energy. This is called maegon or hamjinga or other names, but it is a sort of energy that we can call upon to strengthen what we do. We gradually build this energy by living a wholesome life. Using it or living in an unwholesome manner can deplete the energy.
Younger: How do I tap into this energy?
Elder: Usually it will happen automatically when you attempt to do something. For example, if you attempt to use Runes to make a change, the parts of you that are involved will pull from the reserves to work. Of course, the more focused you are, the better the energy will work.
Younger: Is there any way to feel or see this energy?
Elder: Some who are sensitive can do that. The energy is often seen as a flame-like light around one's body, the stronger the brighter. It will encompass your entire being and be available to you.
Younger: So it will cover my body and other parts. Does it affect the things I wear or touch? Is it contagious?
Elder: In a way. If you regularly wear or carry something, the energy will fill that item. Parts of you may also go into an item. Imagine a sword or pendant that you have with you for many years. Gradually, that item has your energy in tune with you. If someone else took possession of that item, through theft or as a gift, it would take that energy along with. Kings used to lend their "luck" to those who served them by giving items imbued with such power.
Younger: So my hammer pendant, that I wear every day, is taking on my characteristics and my power level. Why doesn't it seem like it is becoming a powerful artifact?
Elder: It is easily just as powerful as you, in that sense. If you want it to be more powerful, then you will have to build more energy by engaging in more wholesome acts. Over time, you may get to the point where it feels like it contains more energy. If you are successful in your quest to live your life as a gothi, when you are dead, your hammer will continue to radiate wholesome energy for a while after your passing. Your grave may be a very wholesome place.
Younger: I suppose that's a goal. Would an unwholesome person have a similar effect on their surroundings and possessions?
Elder: There are old stories of haunted places and the taint left behind by dragons. The quantity and quality of energy around a person is an automatic thing. That energy resonates with the patterns of the person. A negative entity sends out unwholesome frequencies that shake everything around them, encouraging decay and sickness. A wholesome entity sends out waves that encourage growth and life.
Younger: This means that, even if I don't learn everything a gothi could possibly learn, just leading a wholesome life will help everything and everyone around me to some degree.
Elder: That is correct. It's why I keep saying to encourage wholesome behavior, even in those who are not part of our religion. I don't believe you are the type to sit passively, so you will want to learn more about actively making changes in the Wyrd.
- Northern Mysteries & Magick by Freya Aswynn
- Nine World of Seid-Magic by Jenny Blain
- Taking Up the Runes by Diana L. Paxson
- Wyrdworking: The Path of a Saxon Sorcerer by Alaric Albertsson
- Any good books about the plants and animals in your local region - particularly how to identify them
Important Points from the Conversation
- Some people see magical practices as just being psychological tricks to help focus the mind and keep a person on task. Others see magic as having a direct, supernatural effect on reality.
- The Asatru version of magic works because everything is connected through the Wyrd.
- Magic practitioners attempt to alter the vibrations in the Wyrd to manifest changes in the World. Unless very powerful, these vibrations may be drowned out by all of the other vibrations.
- Meditation is the way to become more aware of your existing connection to the Wyrd.
- Seid is a shamanic practice that involves isolating with a head covering, going into a trance, and then visiting other Worlds.
- The Well of the Wyrd is a well at the base of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and drinking from it gives great knowledge but carries a price.
- Being aware of your surroundings will help you develop an awareness of how the Wyrd interacts with your area and the things that exist in it.