Seidr Craft?

[Silver Venus]

Hi all,
I posted this in Divination yesterday but have had no luck so thought Id spring it on everyone here!! :D In hope of some quick info! as I may be practising some for the New Moon in a circle with a new friend.

I have recently heard the term ~ seidr magick and have just read up on it at http://www.freyja.org/ (Brill site)

I am very interested to learn more about it!
So I was wondering if anyone here could tell me anymore? Either from personal experineces (which would be amazing) or from what they have learnt? Or how is the best way to go about learning the Runes?

Thank you for your time :)

[Mairwen]

Um ... I posted a bit about Seidr under "Asatru" in the New Pagans Forum. However, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who didn't have several years in Paganism in general, practice in trancework specifically ~ and wouldn't think it would be "right" to do outside of Asatru, anyway. Rates right up there with picking up and adding Native American rites to Pagan rites (which the NA's can't stand ~ and me either for that matter). Don't mess with something you don't understand.

[Silver Venus]

Thank you I will take that on board totally!
My 'new' friend has been part of an Asatru hearth for five years now and is well practised in seidr and norse magick. Although I know mostly about Wicca and paganism and follow a greek pantheon ~ He has started to teach me about runes (which I am very keen to learn) and the norse gods and goddesses ~ I have also read allot about the background of the Asatru and Norse magick ~ just couldnt find much on Seidr and wanted to know more to impress him on Monday!! Hence why I wanted to ask...
I know it involves trancework and I have been extending my trancework knowledge and practise this past week, and been very successfull.
If you or anyone else could tell me from personal experiences or any more I would be very gratefull ~ please understand that I hold the most respect for all involved and I am very carefull and certain in all that I practise and love learning hence thats why I am asking this questions :D

[Mairwen]

Originally posted by Silver Venus
Tjust couldnt find much on Seidr

And you won't. It's sacred craft, and like all sacred craft is kept hidden. Ever heard the word "Mysteries"?


and wanted to know more to impress him on Monday!!

"Impressing" people gets you nowhere in the Craft ~ at least in the Traditions I know, particularly mine. That's called "blowing sunshine up someone's ass", and I don't buy it. I don't know many Craft practitioners who will, either. Powerplay has no place in the Craft, though you see it ~ it's a sure sign of immaturity.


practise this past week, and been very successfull.

While that may be good and all, I don't think that qualifies anybody for Seidr. My Mr has been a studying Asatruar for a year now, but he said that he had no intentions of taking the High Seat for at least another year or two, possibly longer.

[Silver Venus]

Im really sorry ~ I really didnt mean to offend you or anyone else! please believe me that I am asking these questions out of the goodness of my heart and deffiantely do not wish to except anybody especially the gods!!
I now understand that it is a mystery and will be very carefull in future. I didnt know it was a way of the high seat. Maybe things are different over here I dont know ~ my friend is scottish and has been practicing seidr for a few years now and has apparently taught many so I need to ask him more and question him as to whether I am ready or not.. I just wanted to ask you guys too!!

Thank you once again for your advice! I was worried about it and just wanted to know more ~ thats why I wanted to find out more before Monday night ~ I didnt mean impress in that way, just in a funny friendly manner. I am sorry, I know I must sound very foolish!
Love and Light

[Svanni]

Hi Silver,

There are perhaps some things you might want to consider before continuing. First you say yourself that you are worried about it. There is probably a reason for that and it may be telling you something.

All too often in this age of information this kind of work is presented as "fun" and "exciting." While in can indeed be those things what is usually left out is that for the person who is not trained well and I mean one who has had extensive training it can also be dangerous. Anyone who would tell you that you can just trace a pentagram and you'll be all right is fooling you. It's not the pentagram that does the trick; it's the power behind it that one must develop, that takes a lot of hard work to develop, that protects you.

So for someone to send an inexperienced person into the other-worlds is in my opinion most irresponsible. I have done some traveling and I have paid a price a couple of times. I was hospitalized a week once from an attack visited on me. I had one being try to trap me in one of the out-worlds. I have had good experiences as well but someone with less training may not have survived such things. I hardly ever talk about these things because I don't like to encourage inexperienced people to try these things.

I don't want to make it appear that if you fare forth, that you will immediately be attacked. You may have a good time, learn some interesting things and encounter some more or less benevolent beings. But you may also meet up with some beings that will do you some serious harm. And if you are not well trained, there won't be a thing you can do about it.

You should also keep in mind, that if you are genuinely faring forth, what we call "hamr faring", and you receive a wound in your hamr form while faring, when you return to normal consciousness you will have that wound on your body. Whatever happens to your hamr form happens to your physical body.

So if you do these things without proper training and I don't mean a course over a few weeks or even a few months, you are rolling the dice.

From what you have described of this person who is going to show you how to do this I would not be very trustworthy. First runes and seithr work are two completely different forms of magic. I would never consider teaching both at the same time. Messing around with either without proper training and experience can cause you a lot of problems and even affect your orlog (similar to the concept of Karma) adversely. There is an example in our lore where a person who was not well trained in the runes but thought he could take the matter in his own hands and tried to use the runes to heal a sick girl. Instead he miscarved one of the runes and made her worse. A runemaster came along later and corrected the problem. This bit of lore is a good example.

There is also the fact that a lot of people are teaching seithr that in reality has nothing to do with seithr. From what I have seen they just let you wonder about in the otherworlds which is not seithr. That's just faring about aimlessly. I compare it to wondering about in the wilderness. You might run into a hungry angry bear if you wonder around without any cause. Proper seithr is very much controlled and willed. You have a goal for going; you go in, do it and come back.

Now I know that if you are set on going through with this working, that nothing I or anyone else says will sway you but you should consider the things I have presented here carefully. Magic in any form is not something that should be messed with, without proper training. That is training that takes years, not some weekend class. Any way, as I said it's your choice and I wish you well.

[Silver Venus]

Svanni, Merry meet and thank you so much for your advice and your time taken to share your feelings and experiences with me.
I have been thinking allot about seidr over this weekend and questioned my friend further yesterday ~ I now feel allot more comfortable with the idea of faring, especially for finding my Fylgia.
I have taken every thing you have said on board, and will step forward very carefully.
Have a bright new moon :D
Isis blessings, Silver